Author: Jana

Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan | Book Review & Giveaway

Posted December 8, 2017 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review, Giveaway / 11 Comments

Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan | Book Review & GiveawayMiracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan
Series: From Manhattan with Love #3
Published by HQN Books on November 29, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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It will take a Christmas miracle for two very different souls to find each other in this perfectly festive fairy tale of New York!

Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner.

Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

Sarah Morgan is one of my very favorite authors, and I can definitely always count on her to get me into the Christmas spirit. I’ve read and loved many of her Christmas romances, so I was very eager to read Miracle on 5th Avenue as well. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Miracle on 5th Avenue is the first book in the From Manhattan with Love series that I’ve read, but I did not feel like I was missing out on any information. It reads perfectly fine as a standalone, but will make you want to grab the other books in the series as well. 

2. I love that one of the main character, Lucas, is an author. He’s on deadline and he’s writing a book that millions of people are eagerly anticipating. Any book that includes other books is always a double win for me. I enjoyed reading about his writing process and the writer’s block and how he comes up with his stories. He writes crime novels, and he’s inspired to model a character after Eva, our heroine.

3. Speaking of Lucas, I loved him even though he’s not super lovable. Readers only see his bad side for a little while. He’s grumpy and stressed and pretty irritating. But then he becomes inspired by Eva, his creative juices start flowing, and when she becomes more to him than a character in his book he becomes caring and sweet. I loved seeing him open up about his past. As he did, so did Eva.

4. Eva is a Christmas fanatic just like me, so we got along very well. While grumpy Lucas worked upstairs in his fortress of solitude, she decorated a tree in his living room and cooked up a storm of so many yummy sounding foods all while singing her heart out. She’s so much like me. And she drove him nuts in an endearing kind of way. Her cheery disposition melted the ice man, and things got cute, if not a little bumpy along the way.

5. This book is so festive, which I’m finding is rare among this year’s “Christmas” book releases. I’ve read quite a few recent releases from this year and last year, and I finally found one that was Christmasy enough for me. Thanks for doing it again, Sarah! FINALLY.

6. I love Sarah’s writing and her ability to create characters that make their way into your heart, her ability to write emotions that you can feel, and her ability to always put a smile on your face. 

All in all, Miracle On 5th Avenue was another win for me! I really loved it and am excited to continue the series. I love New York City, so it’s kind of like Sarah wrote me my own series! Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a little Christmas cheer and some really fun characters.

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In honor of A Bookish Little Christmas, Sarah has offered up a signed copy of Miracle On 5th Avenue to one of my readers! I am so unbelievably jealous of whoever wins! I’d love a signed Sarah Morgan book! Enter to win below!

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Sarah’s Christmas Top Ten | Blogger Guest Post

Posted December 7, 2017 by Jana in Guest Post / 3 Comments

Celebrate the Christmas season with That Artsy Reader Girl and her bookish friends! 

Celebrate #ChristmasWithJana: Instagram ✦ Twitter ✦ Event Schedule

Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Sarah, the lovely book blogger behind What Sarah Read! I really love Sarah’s blog and consider her to be a friend, so I’m delighted to be hosting such a special piece of her heart today! She’s currently running a Christmas Event, Home for the Holidays, on her blog right now so go visit her there for more festive holiday posts!

Sarah’s Christmas Top Ten

I’m so thrilled to be on Jana’s blog today as part of her amazing Bookish Little Christmas! I’ve been a big fan of her holiday feature for years now and it was a big inspiration behind my own Home for the Holidays feature on my blog. Christmas is one of my very favorite times of the year. There’s so many things I love about the holiday season and today I’m going to be sharing my very own top ten list of my favorite things about Christmas.


I suppose my love for the holiday season all started with my father. He was a single dad and a minister so when the Christmas season officially began that first Sunday in December, it was all holidays all the time. Decorating the church, practicing for the Christmas pageant, holiday parties with families from our church…and it was all capped off by the beautiful candlelit Christmas Eve service he led. The holidays will always remind me of my father and the amazing relationship we had. He passed away nine years ago but I always feel his presence a little bit more during the holidays.


Whether it’s a big Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza in NYC, a botanical garden in coastal Maine covered in thousands of lights or the Boston Public Library illuminated for the holidays, there’s nothing I love more than the beauty and cheer of holiday lights! They always bring a smile to my face.


Anyone who knows me, knows I love sweets and that I love to bake, so when Christmas rolls around I take full advantage of the gift-giving and holiday parties as an opportunity to bake all of the things!!! Cookies, brownies, cupcakes…you name it, I want to bake it.

One of my all-time favorite movies is “It’s a Wonderful Life”! I make sure to watch this movie, along with “A Christmas Story”, every single Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day. I’m a big fan of holiday traditions and watching these movies are one of my very favorite traditions of the season. There’s just something so comforting and familiar about watching a holiday film while cuddled on the couch with loved ones.


If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Twitter and Instagram for any amount of time, you know that I LOVE living in the Boston area. It’s literally my very favorite city in the entire world and when Christmas rolls around the city goes ALL out. I work right downtown, so I’m lucky enough to see the gorgeous decorations every day. They always put a smile on my face!


For as much as I love the city all decked out for the holidays, there’s nothing I love more than decorating my own home. It’s always a mash-up of decorations that are old and new, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being surrounded by holiday memories and I have many ornaments that have been on my tree every year since I was a baby. In the past few years I’ve also started building on my Nutcracker collection that my father started for me when I was little.

Speaking of nutcrackers…The Nutcracker Ballet also holds a very special place in my heart. I took ballet when I was little and every year my dance school would put on a huge production of the ballet. I absolutely loved being a part of it and from the very first year I took part, I was hooked. It became part of my holiday traditions ever since then and whenever I think of Christmas, I think of The Nutcracker.


I’ve been such a slacker in the holidays cards department the past couple years, but I’m making a promise to myself to get back in to the swing of things this year. I absolutely love receiving holiday cheer in the mail and I can’t wait to get my address list together so I can start sending some cheer myself.

Office parties, potlucks, ugly sweater parties, secret Santa, Yankee swap…if it’s a party during the holiday season…I’m there! Getting together with friends and celebrating the holidays and the end of the year is such a special time. Looking around the room and seeing all the smiling faces and listening the music in the background just fills me with so much happiness.


Every year, my co-workers and I volunteer for a HUGE charity event for low income families called Christmas at the Castle. The event is held at the Castle at Park Plaza which used to be an armory building in downtown Boston but is now used as conference and event space. Each family gets a food voucher for a Christmas dinner, winter coats for each family member, and toys for each child! I usually post myself at one of the toy tables and help parents pick out the perfect toys for their children. It’s so fun meeting so many new people and to help them have an amazing Christmas.

So, there you have it! My favorite things about Christmas. I hope you enjoyed my top ten list and it got you even more excited for the holiday season! Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Holidays from Forever! | Christmas Book Spotlights & Giveaway

Posted December 6, 2017 by Jana in Book Spotlight, Giveaway / 4 Comments

Celebrate the Christmas season with That Artsy Reader Girl and her bookish friends! 

Celebrate #ChristmasWithJana: Instagram ✦ Twitter ✦ Event Schedule

The lovely people at Forever, the romance imprint of Grand Central Publishing, are here to celebrate the holidays with us today with a pretty amazing prize pack giveaway for three of my readers! Read more about Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown, Back Home at Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy, Sugarplum Way by Debbie Mason, The Winter Wedding Plan by Oliva Miles, and Maybe This Christmas by Jennifer Snow below, and then enter to win a special Forever tote filled with paperbacks of them all!

Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas (Happy, Texas #2) by Carolyn Brown
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Nash Lamont is a man about as solitary as they come. That’s exactly why ranch life in middle-of-nowhere Happy, Texas suits him. So what the heck is he doing letting a beautiful widow and her three rambunctious children temporarily move in? Before he knows it, they’re stringing Christmas lights and decorating the tree… and he’s having the time of his life. But after everything he’s been through, Nash knows this kind of happiness doesn’t last.

Kasey Dawson thought she’d never get over the death of her husband. Nash, with his strong hands and infinite patience, is stirring something she hasn’t felt in a long time. Kasey knows the sexy cowboy isn’t telling her everything about this past, though. And she refuses to risk heartbreak all over again. But her kids have a plan of their own: Nothing will keep them from having a real family again-even if it takes a little help from Santa himself.

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Back Home at Firefly Lake (Firefly Lake #3) by Jen Gilroy
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She has a million reasons to leave.
Can he give her the one she needs to stay?

Cat McGuire’s return to Firefly Lake is turning into much more than she bargained for. Sure, she missed the crisp pine-scented air and the comfort of having her family around her. But being home makes her feel less like the successful single mom she is–and more like the awkward teen who never fit in. It doesn’t help that hockey-pro Luc Simard is back in town, too. Luc was her childhood crush, the hometown hero who never noticed her, and yet somehow he still makes her heart skip a beat.

Luc’s homecoming has been bittersweet. He’s lost his wife and his career, but there’s no better place to start over than Firefly Lake. Coaching the local kids’ hockey team makes him feel alive again, and he thinks his life is complete–until Cat arrives. The shy girl he always wanted to protect is now the gorgeous woman who’s stealing his heart and making him believe in second chances. But how can he convince Cat that Firefly Lake is where she truly belongs?

In the tradition of New York Times bestselling authors Susan Wiggs and RaeAnne Thayne comes an emotional story about finding love in the most unexpected of places from Jen Gilroy.

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Sugarplum Way (Harmony Harbor #4) by Debbie Mason
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Romance writer Julia Landon knows how to write a happily-ever-after. Creating one for herself is a whole different story. But after a surprising–and surprisingly passionate–kiss under the mistletoe at Harmony Harbor’s holiday party last year, Julia thought she might have finally found her very own chance at true love. Until she learns her Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broodingly Handsome has sworn off relationships. Well, if she can’t have him in real life, Julia knows just how to get the next best thing….

Aidan’s only priority is to be the best single dad ever. And this year, he plans to make the holidays magical for his little girl, Ella Rose. But visions of stolen kisses under the mistletoe keep dancing in his head, and when he finds out Julia has written him into her latest novel, he can’t help imagining the possibilities of a future together. Little does he know, though, Julia has been keeping a secret that threatens all their dreams. Luckily, ’tis the season for a little Christmas magic.

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The Winter Wedding Plan (Misty Point #2) by Olivia Miles
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All she wants for Christmas is a second chance . . .

Charlotte Daniels has made her share of mistakes, but now that she’s a single mom, she vows to do better–and that starts with a new career. Working at her sister’s event-planning company is just the fresh start she needs.

Kate Daniels has finally forgiven Charlotte for her betrayal, but forgetting it is harder. But as the holidays approach and Kate has her own wedding to plan, she has no choice but to turn to Charlotte for help to throw a high-profile client the holiday party of the season.

Charlotte leaps at the chance to redeem herself . . . until this irresistible client asks her to pretend to be his fiancée for the party. She knows their charade won’t come without consequences–not just for her fresh start with Kate, but also for her own daughter.

As Kate’s wedding draws near and Charlotte’s fake romance starts to feel more and more real, will she fall back into the mistakes of her past, or finally prove herself to Kate once and for all?

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Maybe This Christmas (Colorado Ice #3) by Jennifer Snow
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All wrapped up . . .

One more game. That’s all that stands between NHL star Asher Westmore and a major career milestone. But then his brother bashes him against the hockey boards, sidelining him for months. Over Christmas holidays, no less. If staying off the ice doesn’t drive him crazy, staying with his family will. The only bright spot amidst the mistletoe and twinkle lights: His best friend, Emma, is a physical therapist. And working out with her improves his body and his spirit.

One last time. Emma Callaway was in trouble the minute she and Asher added benefits to their friendship. How is she supposed to resist a funny, caring guy who makes her toes curl? Her heart was safe while he lived in a different state. Now that he’s back home recuperating, though, it’s only a matter of time before she blurts out her feelings. Emma’s only hope is that with a little holiday magic, she’ll get the best Christmas gift of all.

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Anna Bernard’s Favorite Holiday Movies & TV Episodes | Guest Post

Posted December 5, 2017 by Jana in Guest Post / 2 Comments

Celebrate the Christmas season with That Artsy Reader Girl and her bookish friends! 

Celebrate #ChristmasWithJana: Instagram ✦ Twitter ✦ Event Schedule

I’m excited to welcome Anna Bernard, publicity assistant at Bloomsbury Children’s, to the blog today to talk about her favorite holiday movies and TV specials. I spend the entire month of December watching Christmas movies and TV episodes, so I was delighted when Anna suggested this topic. I had completely forgotten how cute the Veronica Mars episode is, so I’ve got that on my list to re-watch that soon!

Anna’s Favorite Holiday Movies & TV Episodes

Peppermint mochas are wonderful, but they’re not what gets me in the mood for the holidays. A single holiday movie or TV episode, though, gets me pulling up my Spotify playlist “xmasssss” and putting up my ornaments! We all know about classics like Elf and Love Actually—at least, you should *insert side-eye emoji here*–but if you’re looking for supplemental holiday cheer, read on for my favorite movies and TV episodes for the season!

Veronica Mars

Though One Angry Veronica’s mystery is not quite as juicy as the previous season’s holiday episode, it is still pretty entertaining to watch Veronica lead a jury through a case in this 12 Angry Men homage. But it’s the last five minutes that make this episode one of my favorites. After hearing a close friend died, Veronica is all alone on New Year’s Eve. I probably shouldn’t spoil the episode entirely, so I’ll just say someone comes to the door, and I start tearing up.

Parks and Rec

I totally relate to the Parks Department’s panic over what to get Leslie—the most epic gift-giver ever—for the holidays. They eventually decide on a gingerbread replica of City Hall. When Leslie gets dropped by her campaign managers, though, the office decides to band together and help her campaign in any way they can: a truly great gift.

While You Were Sleeping

One Christmas morning, Sandra Bullock rescues a handsome stranger from being run over by the Chicago L Train—and the rest is fate! That is, if you consider fate to be pretending to be a comatose man’s fiancée when his grieving family makes an unfortunate assumption. Sandra Bullock is the queen of holiday movies (Practical Magic is my go-to Halloween watch), and this is no exception. Watching her fall in love with her new-found family is so lovely. Plus, she has these amazing ginormous sweaters, which I totally covet.

The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project is AMAZING at holiday episodes, and the Season 2 one might be the best. Back when Danny Castellano wasn’t a horrible jerk, just a curmudgeon-y jerk, he is Mindy’s Secret Santa. Throughout the week, he’s been giving her office supplies like a stapler and gauze, but his final gift shows his thoughtfulness: a choreographed dance to Aaliyah’s “Try Again”! Please view it here.

Gilmore Girls

Would this truly be my list if I didn’t include something from Gilmore Girls? Of course not! This is as Christmas-y as Gilmore Girls ever gets, except for Season 7’s Santa’s Secret Stuff, which I don’t like to think about (Season 7 doesn’t exist). Lorelai gifts Luke his iconic blue baseball cap and he makes her a sweet, disgusting Santa burger. And thus, a ship is born.

What are your favorite holiday movies and episodes? I’ve obviously seen a lot, so I need suggestions!

The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr | Book Review

Posted December 4, 2017 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

The Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr | Book ReviewThe Boyfriend Swap by Meredith Schorr
Published by Henery Press on November 7, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year? New Yorkers Robyn Lane and Sidney Bellows aren’t so sure.

Robyn has always dated struggling creative types. For once, her parents would love her to bring someone with health insurance and a 401(k) to their Chrismukkah celebration. Her actor boyfriend doesn’t qualify. While across town, Sidney’s professional life already belongs to her parents. She’s an attorney at her father’s law firm and she works tirelessly to keep her love life private. If she brings her lawyer boyfriend to their annual Christmas extravaganza, her parents will have the wedding planned by New Year’s Eve.

A mutual friend playfully suggests they trade boyfriends for the holidays. The women share a laugh, but after copious amounts of wine, decide The Boyfriend Swap could be the perfect solution. This way, Robyn can show off her stable attorney boyfriend and Sidney’s high-society family will take no interest in her flakey actor beau.

It’s a brilliant plan—in theory. In practice—not so much. When Will turns out to be the boy-next-door Robyn crushed on hard throughout her teenage years, and Sidney’s family fawns all over Perry like he’s an Oscar-winner rather than a D-list wannabe, one thing is certain: The Boyfriend Swap might just change their lives forever.

The Proposal and The Holiday are two of my favorite movies ever, so I was really excited to read Christmas romance that was pitched to me as a combination of both. I think this comparison made me expect too much, though. And that’s nothing against the book, I just think I was wanting a Cameron Diaz and Jude Law kind of romance with the Kate Winslet and Jack Black kind of swoon. All things aside, The Boyfriend Swap had many cute moments, and it was fluffy which is always nice. I do wish there had been more Christmas in it, but I am the queen of Hallmark Christmas movies, so…

Robyn’s boyfriend Perry is described as a “D-list wannabe” actor. He’s a guy that Robyn cannot possibly bring home to her family, so she brings home Sidney’s lawyer boy toy of a boyfriend, Will, to get her family off her back. But… this guy ends up being Robyn’s lifelong crush. I really love the friends to lovers trope as well as the fauxmance trope, so I was definitely curious to see a combination of the two and how that would play out. I really liked both of them, particularly Will, and I think they’re very cute together. I enjoyed reading about their growing up years and the awkward memories they shared. They were definitely the highlight of the book for me.

Perry and Sidney, on the other hand, were a train wreck. In the book’s defense, though, I think they were supposed to be. This couple was so poorly mismatched. Perry is an egotistical jerk and Sidney is unlikeable. However, they were both using each other so I didn’t even feel bad for them. Perry was using Sidney for her father’s show business connections as much as she was using him for his irritating personality.

The Boyfriend Swap is funny. I enjoyed the banter between the characters, and I enjoyed the deeper issues I got to watch them all work through. Everyone learned something, and I’d like to think that everyone came away a better person for it.

So why the 3-star rating? Honestly, I think everything was tainted by the storyline. Both Robyn and Sidney were dating men they were embarrassed by. Even worse, Will and Perry were ok with it and went along with the plan to swap boyfriends during the time of year when you should want to be with those you care about. Even worse than that, one of the guys decided to fall in love with a girl who chose to lie to her entire family about who her boyfriend really was because she was ashamed of him. I would not want to be with someone who thought that kind of deception was ok, even if I was the tool they used to lie to their family with and not the actual person they were ashamed of. Does that make sense? But then again, that guy was dating someone just for the physical relationship and not the connection, so perhaps they’re made for each other. It just felt like a very immature storyline to me, and not very romantic.

This is definitely a case of the “it’s not the book, it’s me” syndrome. The writing is great. The humor is great. The characters were all dynamic and well developed. The story was unique and well thought out, it just wasn’t built upon a foundation that I agreed with. I really wish we had just gotten the basic second chance romance between old friends with Will and Robyn, and that Perry and Sidney and the swapping were left out. But I guess that takes away the uniqueness. I would have still eaten it up, though.

All in all, The Boyfriend Swap had enough cute elements and swoons that I am curious about some of Meredith’s other books, and look forward to picking up Blogger Girl sometime soon.