Book Review: One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot

Blurb:

Christmas: it’s the most wonderful time of the year … to fall in love.

The temperature is dropping, snow is on its way and Hayley Walker is heading for New York with one wish … to start over.

With her daughter Angel, Hayley is ready for adventure. But there’s more to New York than twinkly lights and breathtaking skyscrapers. Angel has her own Christmas wish – to find her real dad.

While Hayley tries to fulfil her daughter’s wish, she crosses paths with billionaire Oliver Drummond. Restless and bored with fast living, there’s something intriguing about him that has Hayley hooked.

Can Hayley dare to think her own dreams might come true – could A New York Christmas turn into a New York Forever?

Travel to the Big Apple this Christmas and join Hayley and Oliver as they realise life isn’t just about filling the minutes … it’s about making every moment count.

A big warm-hearted story, full of Christmas sparkle that will delight fans of Jane Costello, Miranda Dickinson and Lucy Diamond.

My Review:

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for the advanced reading copy. Although this book has been out since before Christmas last year - yes, I was a bit slow getting to this, but reading it in the height of British Summer (yes it was raining) did not detract from the Christmas Spirit of this lovely book.

So we have Hayley, a single mother who is desperate to fulfil her daughter's secret wish to find her father. All Hayley knows is that he could be somewhere in New York.

Oliver Drummond, a bigwig CEO of his family's company. He's too busy and too scared of ending up the same way as his father and brother to enjoy life to the full. He won't let anyone close to him, so goes through the motions of meaningless one night stands with beautiful women and being the faceless CEO to his nameless employees.

Then Oliver encounters Hayley and her daughter, Angel, several times; each time becoming more and more intrigued by this feisty pair.

This is the third Mandy Baggot I've read, and I love her writing! It's never cheesy or whimsical, which a story set in New York at Christmas could so easily be. The love interest is yes, another young, hot and successful CEO who meets an 'ordinary' girl, but forget Mr Grey or Gideon - this relationship is much more believable. And still hot! And our hero isn't such a twisted, tortured soul - yes he has issues, but doesn't everyone?

Full of great characters along with great story-telling, One Wish in Manhattan is a truly magical tale which whisks you away to the bright lights of the Big Apple and catches you up in one hell of a snowstorm.

Can someone please put some extra hours in the day so I have more time to read Mandy's other books?

You can buy One Wish in Manhattan here (other retailers are available of course!), and don't let the fact that it is only July put you off. Remember, a book is for life, not just Christmas!