A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes Book Review

Title: A Magical New York Christmas
Author: Anita Hughes 
Publish Date: September 28th, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a n ARC for review!

A magical holiday love story set at the glamorous Plaza Hotel in New York City.

It’s Christmas week when 26-year-old Sabrina Post knocks on the door of the Vanderbilt suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, ready to accept the ghostwriting position for the memoir of Grayson Westcott—a famous art dealer.

A struggling journalist, Sabrina can't believe her luck: a paycheck and six nights in her own suite at the Plaza. She feels like Eloise, the heroine from her favorite children’s books. To make the job even more exciting, Grayson recounts how he worked as a butler at the Plaza sixty years ago for none other than the author of the Eloise books, Kay Thompson.

What promises to be a perfect week is complicated when Sabrina meets Ian Wentworth, a handsome British visitor, at the hotel bar. When Ian assumes Sabrina is another wealthy guest at the hotel, she doesn’t correct him —a decision she doesn’t regret after learning that Ian is a member of the British aristocracy. But, things are not what they seem. The truth is: Ian is not a wealthy lord; he’s actually the personal secretary of Lord Spencer Braxton.

As the week unfolds, will Sabrina and Ian learn the truth about one another?

Filled with the magic that can only be found at the Plaza Hotel during the holidays, and revealing facts about the author of the Eloise books, Anita Hughes's A Magical New York Christmas is both a holiday treat and a heartwarming story that reminds us that falling in love is the greatest miracle of all.

Penelope's Review

This is exactly the kind of book you should pick up if you're looking for a perfect fire-side read - it's for the snow day that has you cozied up with a hot drink and slippers! It will definitely prepare you for snow and the holiday season!

This book has sort of a dual timeline - I find these can be hit or miss but it was absolutely a hit here. And I loved both timelines equally. We got to see Grayson as a young butler at the Plaza working for Kay Thompson. And we also get to see Sabrina working as a journalist and getting to know a handsome British visitor named Ian. I loved both of these characters stories. Sabrina was a sweet, relatable woman with hopes and dreams and I loved watching her come into herself as the story progressed. Grayson was also such a great character - it was so much fun reading about his past and learning how he came to be the man he is today. 

The book had a full circle moment that had me in happy tears! Overall, super sweet book perfect for the holidays! It's sure to get you in the Christmas mood! 

Rating: 4/5 Devils!

Of the Lilin by Paulette Hampton Blog Tour!

Hi everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OF THE LILIN by Paulette Hampton Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book

Title: OF THE LILIN (The Sage Chronicles, #1)

Author: Paulette Hampton

Pub. Date: August 27, 2021

Publisher: Paulette Hampton

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 317

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

Kindle Unlimited members will be able to read this for FREE!

While dealing with depression, Sage attempts to pull herself into the light. What she finds is better left in the dark.

After the loss of her mother and her stepfather's mental breakdown, Sage Frankle agrees to move in with her aunt and cousin at the Englewood Inn. Soon, her aunt arranges for Sage to begin working through her trauma with a psychologist. As time passes, Sage finds that she is far from healing and begins to slip from reality into a realm of darkness she is unable to escape. After the arrival of her cousin's intriguing acquaintance, Sage is forced to realize she is indeed trapped, not by her mind, but by her bloodline.

 EXCERPT: 

“Hey!” Carter stepped out from behind thedesk, still transfixed on my teeth. “Can’t youafford braces?”

“Carter,” Nicole bristled. “Don’t be rude.”

“Carter’s question is an interesting one.”Lucien nodded, easing his index finger beneathmy chin, his thumb resting against my lips. Helifted my face to his.

“That’s right, Nikki,” Carter responded, “I’veasked an interesting quessstion.”

“It is the type of question asked by men whoare unable to see true beauty,” Lucien said,tilting his head, his smile widening. “Beauty is inthe uniqueness of a woman, her character.” Hegently pressed his finger against the top of mylip, exposing the gap between my front teeth.My heart fluttered. I couldn’t move. “Carter, donot be concerned with Ms. Frankle’s diastema,as you will never come close enough to taste amouth like this. It is the mouth of a goddess.”

Excerpt from "The Sage Chronicles - BookOne - Of the Lilin"

 

About Paulette Hampton:

Paulette is an indie author who holds a Master of Arts in reading education.  Her writing inspiration stems from watching fantasy and paranormal movies, as well as her real-life experiences with mental health issues.  She hopes her readers will find humor in her stories, become curious about seeking peace through the present moment, and consider reaching out for help if they are struggling with their own issues.

Paulette loves drawing, watching a good thriller, kayaking, and eating chocolate...lots of it.  She and her husband live in North Carolina with their two cats, Linda Hamm and Bree.  Of the Lilin is the first book in her new upper YA paranormal series, The Sage Chronicles.

 

Website  | Facebook  | Twitter  | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive an eBook of OF THE LILIN, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/6/2021	Writer of Wrongs	Guest Post
9/7/2021	Don't Judge, Read	Guest Post
9/8/2021	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
9/8/2021	BookHounds	IG Post
9/9/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post
9/10/2021	Living in a Bookworld	Excerpt

Week Two:

9/12/2021	Review Thick & Thin	Review
9/13/2021	The Reading Devil	Excerpt
9/14/2021	@Curlygrannylovestoread	Review
9/15/2021	The Phantom Paragrapher	Review
9/15/2021	@nzgeekchic	IG Post
9/16/2021	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
9/16/2021	Rajiv's Reviews	IG Post
9/17/2021	Fyrekatz Blog	Review

Week Three:

9/20/2021	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Review
9/20/2021	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee	IG Post
9/21/2021	The Momma Spot	Excerpt
9/22/2021	I'm Shelfish	Guest Post
9/23/2021	hauntedbybooks	Review
9/24/2021	YA Books Central	Excerpt

Week Four:

9/27/2021	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
9/28/2021	Wottaread	Excerpt
9/29/2021	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
9/30/2021	Books a Plenty Book Reviews	Review

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer Book Review

 

Title: Defy the Night
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publish Date: September 14th, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption, the prince desperately holding it together, and the girl who will risk everything to bring it crashing down.

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it's even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer's captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.

Penelope's Review

This was such a delightful page turner with layered characters and an excellent storyline! Very impressed with this author's writing style. I'm going to be reading her A Curse so Dark and Lonely trilogy very soon! 

I really like the world building in this book - I could pretty clearly see the different sectors in my head, and I felt like I could picture everywhere Tessa went! As for Tessa herself - loved her! She was fierce and fiery, fighting for what she believed in and what was right, and she was just downright entertaining. Her sass and defiance was awesome! King Harristan and Prince Corrick were also really well written characters. They had so much depth to them, I enjoyed every minute of unpeeling their layers. 

This was such a great start to a series - I'm super excited to see what happens next! Only one book in and there's already been some major twists and turns, and a romance that I quickly fell in love with! This is definitely an author to keep your eye on!

Rating: 4.5/5 Devils!

Isle of Synne by Christina Britton Book Series Giveaway!

 

Hi everyone!! I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway in collaboration with Forever (Grand Central Publishing) to get one lucky winner a copy of the Isle of Synne book series by Christina Britton! This giveaway is open to all US and Canada residents! Entering is super simple, just check out the Rafflecopter form below! 

Here's a link to all three books in the Isle of Synne series! Just click on the picture!

    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young Book Review

 

Title: The Last Legacy
Author: Adrienne Young
Publish Date: September 7th, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Huge thank you to Raincoast books for providing me with an ARC for review!

New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with The Last Legacy, a captivating standalone about family and blood ties, reinventing yourself, and controlling your own destiny.

When a letter from her uncle Henrik arrives on Bryn Roth's eighteenth birthday, summoning her back to Bastian, Bryn is eager to prove herself and finally take her place in her long-lost family.

Henrik has plans for Bryn, but she must win everyone’s trust if she wants to hold any power in the delicate architecture of the family. It doesn’t take long for her to see that the Roths are entangled in shadows. Despite their growing influence in upscale Bastian, their hands are still in the kind of dirty business that got Bryn’s parents killed years ago. With a forbidden romance to contend with and dangerous work ahead, the cost of being accepted into the Roths may be more than Bryn can pay.

Penelope's Review

So this is actually my first Adrienne Young book (*gasp* I know.. blasphemy right lol?) and I just want to say how excited I am to read everything else she has written because this was great! This was not what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but I absolutely loved the unique plotline and fantastic character depth.

From what I understand, this book world was introduced in Fable and Namesake and this is basically a deeper look into the Roth family (I believe they were part of this duology and now we get a closer look at their lifestyle). As I haven't read Fable and Namesake I can't comment (yet) on how this book compares to the two, but as a standalone novel I definitely enjoyed it. 

I really like this author's writing style - it seems to flow so well, and I can really feel the emotion behind the words. I loved our main character, Bryn. She is quietly fierce and determined and has a good head on her shoulders. Ezra was also amazing but I wished there was MORE from him. I wanted to see him more, I wanted to hear him more - I wanted to be able to fall even more in love with him! While I did enjoy the romance between the two, I think it could have been developed more. 

Overall, I enjoyed the feel of this book, I liked the concepts behind it, and I'm excited to get started on Young's Fable duology. Looking forward to exploring more of this author's work. 

Rating: 4/5 Devils!