sweet love story set in my favorite place! This was very sweet and entertaining and Iloved reading about Christmas time in September!

What a super heartwarming read! I loved that the characters were all connected but didn't know it. Christmas is the most wonderful time of year!

A story of longing and changes during the beautiful holiday season. Finding love family and joy in a time of negative. Hughes always delivers heartfelt and emotionally empowering works.

Anita Hughes has done it again with a simply charming Christmas romance set in New York City, primarily the Plaza Hotel. The plot is a classic case of mistaken impressions, where Sabrina is staying in the hotel working as a ghost writer for a much more wealthy client and Ian is there as an employee of his good friend, Lord Braxton. Both are lower on the social register than they let on to each other and continuously struggle with how far they will let the lie go.

Hughes' description of a New York City winter, with the glitz and glamour of the Plaza Hotel make the reader truly feel as if they are walking through the decorated lobby and enjoying all of the amenities of the fanciest suites. This novel is truly a magical Christmas treat and will get everyone in the holiday spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this novel.

I enjoyed the setting for this book and the overall plot. I have not experienced Christmas in New York, but this story took me there. I liked it from the beginning.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I truly adored this book! it was SO COZY!!! and I plan on re reading this again during the Christmas season and gifting it to a few friends :) I loved both storylines and didn't mind the alternating timelines. I sometimes struggle but this was done super well. This book made me feel warm fuzzy feelings and it is TRULY perfect for the upcoming holiday season!!!

4.5 stars

I adore Anita Hughes. I have been a big fan for a while though I have only really read her holiday romances, I have enjoyed each one for a number of different reasons. I think the biggest thing that I have loved about her romances are the locations! Every time I crack open a Christmas romance by Hughes, I am automatically transported to some where cozy and even a bit magical.

Her novels have been set in London and Paris at Christmas as well as other more ‘local’ locations for me like Vermont. Each location gets a heavy holiday makeover and I always find myself wondering why I don’t go somewhere for the holidays! This year my family and I are going somewhere remote for Thanksgiving but we usually stay in Oregon or go to Arizona for Christmas but some day I would love to do Christmas in Paris or Vermont thanks to Hughes’s books!

Her latest novel is set in New York and while not necessarily exotic or ‘cozy’ this setting has a distinct feel all it’s own! I really liked this story the best out of her Christmas books and while I feel like I say that every time Hughes comes out with a new holiday book, in this case I really mean it. It has a little Maid in Manhattan feel to this rom-com full of all the Christmas charm that I love from Hughes!

Summary
“There’s plenty to love in this sparkling Christmas rom-com.”— Publishers Weekly

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. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
What I really liked about this book was that each character was hiding who they really were. Ian isn’t exactly a lord and Sabrina isn’t exactly a wealthy guest—in so many novels with this troupe, it’s one or the other who isn’t being truthful but in this case it’s both which I thought was refreshing and made for an interesting story. Both Ian and Sabrina are like-able even if they aren’t exactly truthful with on another in the beginning. I genuinely liked each character and found myself fully invested in their relationship and their lives. They had great chemistry and were just lovely together. I connected with Ian and Sabrina in a way that I didn’t in some of her other holiday romances. Don’t get me wrong her other holiday romances were wonderful and had great characters, but Ian and Sabrina stand out to me as the most relatable and real thus far.

Since Hughes’s books are all set in various locations around the world, I feel like I get to go on a Christmas trip from my living room couch. She always does such a great job describing the locations and making readers feel like they are part of the landscape and truly there with the characters, not just reading about a pretty city at holiday time. This book was no exception, I felt like I was right there at the Plaza in the thick of the holiday cheer! So if you are looking for a book to escape with then this will be a great option for you!

I know that many readers live for Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel—-this is like reading a Hallmark movie. Charming, sweet, romantic, with interesting characters and a cozy location. It will leave you feeling happy and full of holiday cheer and ready to skip right over Halloween and Thanksgiving and move right on into Christmas season! I know it’s a little early for holiday reading but this one was a fun little treat for me. If you love Christmas films and books then you need to get this one on your radar!

Book Info and Rating
Format304 pages, Paperback

Expected publicationSeptember 28, 2021 by St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN9781250774521 (ISBN10: 1250774527)

Free review copy provided by publisher, St Martin’s Griffin, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: holiday romance, romance

There was so much to like about this book. Sabrina was an interesting female leading character who was independent, strong, beautiful , & funny. Ian was a great counterpart male character, especially since he was hot & British. Sabrina is a ghost writer working in the Plaza in New York the week after Christmas. She's always been an Eloise fan so it's a dream come true. It becomes even better when she finds out the man she's helping write his memoir used to be a butler at the Plaza & worked for the author of Eloise. Ian is an assistant to Lord Braxton (Spencer) who has been his friend since they were teenagers in school. Of course there's a mix up & Sabrina thinks Ian is Lord Braxton & Ian thinks Sabrina can afford to stay in the Plaza at any time which complicates any budding relationship.
Another wonderful part of this book is that it is set in New York at Christmas time. That is one of my absolute favorite places to visit at Christmas & I think everyone should have the experience. Maybe this book will encourage someone to do it.
Highly recommend reading this book!!

This author always leaves you hopeful and smiling while and after reading her books. She writes wonderfully complex characters who have humor, kindness, are smart and creates real life experiences, even if heightened for added drama and to draw us in. Sabrina is a ghost writer who loves her work and is teetering on the financial edge. She meets Grayson to write his memoir. This story is a wonderful blend of current times and Grayson’s life experience during the 1960’s. The cast of characters is lovely and you can’t help, but wish for them all to find their happily ever after. It takes place over the Christmas holiday season in NYC. The Plaza serves as a backdrop for this lovely holiday read filled with wonderful characters, romance, love old and new, career changes and opportunities and of course a charming happily ever after.

Sabrina gets the opportunity to write a memoir while staying at the Plaza Hotel during the Christmas holiday. She is enchanted with the hotel and the suite she is so fortunate to be staying in. She is learning about the author of Eloise and to top it all off, she meets a prince. Ian believes Sabrina to be a wealthy guest of the hotel. As the week progresses, her infatuation of the prince increases, and she believes he may be interested in her as well. Unfortunately, she knows that the prince’s feelings will change when he finds out she is a poor writer. Ian is concerned of Sabrina’s reaction when he learns that he is, in fact, a butler and not royalty.

This is a cute Christmas rom-com. The characters are sweet. The storyline is not unusual or surprising, but I found it to be entertaining and a nice read.


I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

A Magical New York Christmas is a lovely holiday offering by author Anita Hughes. Struggling writer Sabrina Post has landed the position of ghostwriter for famed 80 year old art dealer Grayson Prescott after her interview in his large suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The writing period is from the day after Christmas until New Year’s Eve. As an extra perk, Sabrina has been placed in a suite on the floor below so she is available whenever Grayson’s packed schedule allows. With interview time limited, Sabrina is left to her own devices to enjoy the beautiful Plaza with a lovely suite, meals to savor, and the wonder of the famed hotel at Christmas time.

On her first day at the Plaza, Sabrina crashes as soon as she gets in her room but wakes hours later with a growling belly. She goes in search of a snack but instead finds a lovely snoozing Englishman who wakes, startled at her presence, and offers to share his midnight meal with her. Neither tells much about themselves other than first names, but when Sabrina overhears a conversation Ian has with a MOMA representative, she believes he is Lord Braxton. He believes that she must be an heiress or CEO in order to stay at the Plaza. They are both wrong, but so very attracted to one another.

As Sabrina records Grayson’s memories, she comes full circle from his youthful connection to the Plaza and the lady he had fallen in love with as he worked for famous “Eloise” author Kay Thompson, until his visit now. Who was to know that Sabrina’s attraction to Ian would enable Grayson to find his lost love?

This is a delightful holiday story! Well written with genuinely likable characters and a lovely fairy tale setting, I found the storyline to be engaging and addictive. I very much enjoyed this book and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Holiday magic at its finest! Such a sweet tale, this book sucked me in and I felt that I too was a guest at the Plaza Hotel. So well written the characters came alive from the pages and nestled themselves within my heart. A must read for a magical start to the holidays.

A Magical New York Christmas was the perfect light-hearted read for me to enjoy during this busy time in my life. The novel follows Sabrina, a ghostwriter staying at the famous Plaza hotel for a job, and Ian, the personal secretary of a British lord as they meet and begin to fall for one another. Of course, things can't be that easy, and mistaken identities and miscommunications threaten to destroy the fledgling romance. But things wouldn't be as magical as the title promised if the characters didn't get their happily ever after, and the ups and downs of the narrative lead to an expected ending.
This book is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in novel form. It's basic, it's sweet, there are a few cute little twists, but it's really about falling in love at Christmastime. I may have enjoyed the flashbacks more if I had ever read the Eloise books growing up, but familiarity with those books isn't necessary to enjoy this one. The characters don't have too much depth, but everyone has the best intentions and they're perfectly likeable.
All in all, A Magical New York Christmas is a lovely book if you're in the mood for something simple and heartwarming and Christmasy.

A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes is a delight in the fact that it's NOT your usual Christmastide fare....although there is a beautiful young woman, a lord (or so she thinks) and a magical NY hotel decorated for the holidays, the story is charming, with misunderstoon characters who are endearing, especially Grayson Wescott, the famous art dealer who is having his memoir written by Sabrina Post...the aforementioned beautiful woman. Sabrina meets Ian Wentworth, who she assumes is a lord, but he's really the lord's secretary and they click immediately even though he thinks she's a wealthy guest.

This novel is perfect for Christmas, a fun, relaxing read, just right with a cup of hot chocolate and some Christmas cookies! Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. #AMagicalNewYorkChristmas #NetGalley

Anita Hughes's seasonal books be it summer or Christmas are always on my want to read list. This is another great one.
"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."
I highly recommend this book for all that love New York City during the holidays and a great escape.

Sabrina is a 26 year old journalist who is working a ghost writer at the Plaza Hotel. She feels like Eloise as she gets to write for a famous art dealer while staying at such a prestigious location. She meets Ian, who is a British visitor that she mistakes for royalty. He doesn't correct her. What will happen as they figure each other out?

This is a cute holiday romance that isn't over the top. Some of it is a little hard to believe, but it does have magical in the title. The whole thing is very sweet and I loved all the characters. Definitely put on your to read list for a feel good novel!

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin's Press!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I loved the atmosphere in this book! Setting the scene at The Plaza at Christmas time was a masterstroke 😍

The characters were sweet and the story a usual romance but I really enjoyed reading about The Plaza and New York city overall. Love it!

A Magical New York Christmas
by: Anita Hughes
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin

Anita Hughes' holiday romance is pure perfection, with the glitter of a New York winter setting and sparkle of the Christmas season. Sabrina and Ian both have jobs that allow them to spend a week in luxury suites at the famed Plaza Hotel. Sabrina is a journalist secretly working as a ghost writer, while Ian is a personal secretary to Lord Spencer. She loves Eloise books, and he is driven toward altruism. The two meet during their stay and savor splendid time together in the city and at the Plaza, without initially haring the full truth about their identities.
I was immersed and entranced with Hughes plot, which features dual timelines involving well developed characters. The story is not just one of romance, but of connections to literature, royalty, charity projects, and classic New York landmarks.
Hughes writing captures the senses. I could envision the twinkling New York skyline and snowflakes falling softly in Central Park. I tasted the violet and blackcurrant eclairs with tea at Palm Court. A cozy country Christmas is inviting, but as one who has never been to New York, I'm glad to experience the exuberance that could only be found in New York City at Christmastime! Best of all, I shared it with Ian, Sabrina, Grayson, Lord Spencer and those in their circles.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#NetGalley #AMagicalNewYorkChristmas

This was such a sweet and heartwarming Christmas story. I have stayed at the Plaza Hotel and this story brought back some pleasant memories. The writing is atmospheric and I felt transported to The Plaza again. I really like the characters and enjoyed the connection to the Eloise stories.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a beautiful story set during the Christmas season in NYC. I have never read any other stories by this author but now I am going to go read her other books.