A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

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 I've read quite a few Anita Hughes novels and she has a way of putting me right into glamorous places that I'm pretty sure I won't have a chance to experience in my real life. And that's exactly what I enjoy about her novels. 

This one is particularly interesting because it takes place over the Christmas holiday at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It also involves the author of the Eloise books, Kay Thompson. A little bit of literary history tossed in with the magic of New York City at Christmas time--and romance, too.

Sabrina is a struggling writer who is just scraping by when she gets hired by renowned art dealer Grayson Prescott to help write his memoir. Part of the deal is staying at the Plaza Hotel for six days and nights on his dime. Sabrina is thrilled not only for the paycheck, but also because Eloise is her favorite heroine from childhood.

 What makes it even more appealing  are Grayson's stories of his time as a butler at the Plaza, and taking care of Kay Thompson herself. 

Sabrina's first night at the Plaza has her bumping into Ian, who is there as personal secretary to his friend Spencer, a member of the British peer. Young and handsome, Ian is working on putting together a collection of Braxton family jewels at the Met and keeping an eye on Spencer, who has a big heart and is always falling in love. 

Ian, however, is smitten with Sabrina, and she mistakenly assumes he's the man with a title--while Ian assumes Sabrina is a wealthy woman staying at the Plaza and wouldn't be interested in him. Along with their romance, Grayson recounts his time with Kay at the Plaza in the early 1960's and his romance with the lovely Veronica. 

It sounds like a lot, but it actually all goes together pretty well. I had to Google Kay Thompson to read about her life, and she was a pretty amazing woman! And she did live at the Plaza for a number of years at one point in her life. 

As per usual Anita Hughes novels, there is a lot of high end clothing, swanky places to dine and drink, and frequent mentions of Tiffany and Co. And of course the Plaza is the best place to stay in NYC at Christmas time. Sounds like a marvelous experience. 

This was a fun holiday read, for sure. My only annoyance was the mistaken identity plot went on a lot longer than it should have and got a bit old. But I did enjoy feeling just a bit luxurious for a few days!

Rating: 4/6 for a novel set in a magical place: the Plaza Hotel during Christmas. Themes of lost love, taking chances, and recognizing the good things life brings us are all woven through the tales of Kay, Grayson, and Sabrina. Grab a comfy throw, light the fireplace, and sip some tea while you enjoy this novel. 

Available in paperback, audio, and e-book. 

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A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Another novel that involves books, bookstores, literary references, and quirky characters. They are my reset kind of novel, when I need a mental break from the daily "stuff" and pure escapism. My partner finds that in movies, I prefer books. 

Nina is a 29 year old women who lives with her cat Phil, works in a bookstore, and is so organized it makes my teeth hurt. Plus, I'm a little envious of the organization, I've got to admit. But Nina is a little too organized, and her mind is running a million miles a minute. She's on a trivia team, and her head is stuffed with bits of facts about everything. Life is pretty good for Nina, until she finds out that the man who was her father has died, and she's in his will. 

This man was someone Nina never knew. Her mother, a world traveling photographer, had a quick fling, found out the man was married, and that was that. Except Nina arrived 9 months later. She had an unusual childhood-she was raised by a nanny while her mother roamed around the world, checking in but really leaving Nina to be raised by her beloved Lou. Lots of things contributed to grown-up Nina's love of being alone, anxiety, need for order, and overwhelming love of books and reading. 

Now, she finds out she's got a family she never knew about, and darn it all, that cute guy Tom on an opposing trivia team is giving her a look that's hard to resist. So much potential change is giving Nina a bit of anxiety. Just how much can she handle? Is she ready to open up her heart, and her life, or will she let her safe life continue the way it is?

Nina's internal dialogue is witty, and her quips with Tom are sweet. And what really got my heart was the fact that Nina loves books--absolutely loves them, and Tom doesn't really read much at all. That's my fate in life, too. Books are a HUGE part of my life, and by golly I love a man who hasn't read a book since high school. And yet, he gets me and my book obsession. Phew. I think if we both were avid readers, we'd probably never talk about anything else but books, so it's good we've got lots of other stuff to talk about. And he remains impressed when I randomly spit out bits of information and facts that "I read somewhere". 

I just realized Abbi Waxman also wrote The Garden of Small Beginnings , which I bought a few years ago, and still sits on my bookcase, unread. I'll be sure to read it now. I thoroughly enjoyed Nina's tale, and had moments of chuckling out loud while reading. Of course it had a satisfying ending, and I didn't expect anything else. 

Rating: 4/6 for a fun, lovely little tale about books, reading, trivia, romance, and finding your tribe. Conquering anxiety even when it wants to pull you down. Knowing that all those little baby steps can lead to some place wonderful, if you can just be brave enough to try. 

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio.

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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Luck, Love, and Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert

I read Amy E. Reichert's novel The Coincidence of Coconut Cake last year and enjoyed her tale involving cooking, Milwaukee, and the messy (but worth it) soap opera of love.  I expected to equally enjoy her second novel.  And I did, but for different reasons.  

Once again taking place in Milwaukee, this is the story of MJ and Chris Boudreaux, married for 20 years.  Two teenagers, a pretty good life, and not really too much to complain about for MJ.  Except her husband misses their anniversary lunch (he's 3 hours late), which forces MJ to drink too many cocktails, and eat the entire lemon pie she had the chef make from Chris' recipe.  The lemon pie is special; the night MJ and Chris met, back in college, he served her a piece of his lemon pie.  It's his special dish, and has a lot of meaning for the two of them.  

MJ is feeling a distance between her and Chris, so she decides to take up playing poker, in an attempt to spend time with Chris (who was playing poker, and missed their lunch).  She once spent time playing poker with the regulars  while working at her mom's bar as a teen, and vaguely remembers enjoying it.  

MJ's plan backfires, though, when she's seated at a different table then Chris.  How are they supposed to spend time together when they're not even at the same poker table?  But, MJ finds herself thoroughly enjoying playing poker; watching the players, figuring out their games, and learning when to bluff and when to fold.  She gets very good at it, and spends more and more time playing poker at the casino instead of running her home.  The distance between her and Chris widens.  

MJ wins a trip to Las Vegas, to play in a poker tournament.  She's hoping Chris will come along with her, but he turns her down.  She's crushed, so she takes her friend Lisa instead.  For the first time in her marriage, she's doing what she wants instead of what everyone else expects her to do.  

Once in Las Vegas, things take an unexpected turn for MJ, as she catches the eye of Doyle, the famous poker player who is there to give lessons to the tournament players.  His obvious flirting is making MJ a bit flustered, and getting attention from a handsome man can lead to disaster if she doesn't play her cards right (see what I did there?).  

This novel is about the growing pains of marriage; not the newly married and getting used to each other marriage, but the marriage that has been together for a long time.  That time when you look up, and realize years have gone by, and  you haven't taken care of your marriage.  How do you fix it?  Do you even try?  How do you recapture that spark that brought you and your partner together in the first place? MJ and Chris are at a crossroads they never saw coming.  

This is the first novel in a long time that I've read where an active marriage is at the heart of the plot.  It was refreshing to read about what happens after a couple has built a life together, and how that is sustained and nurtured--or not.  It is the little things that bond us, and make that relationship strong, and help us weather the not so pleasant times.  I also realized that I will never be a poker player.  Amy explains poker pretty well, and it's nice to see MJ go from a novice to someone who masters the game through practice and natural talent.  I can see the allure of it all.  But I'll stick to penny slots.  

Rating:  7/10 for a different take on examining a marriage; the addition of poker gives it an interesting, fun twist.  I didn't feel I got to know Chris as well as I'd liked; MJ was well developed and very likeable.  

Available in paperback and e-book. 

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Luck, Love, and Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger

I've missed reading my sci-fi/fantasy books.  Somehow I got away from them this year, but I plan on making up for my horrible neglect. 

Science Fiction, like other genres, has many sub-categories. I tend to stick to contemporary fantasy, but also like good old magic tales.  I generally avoid techie science fiction. I love Mercedes Lackey's Elemental series, Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles,  Simon Green's Ghostfinders series, and Kristen Britain's Green Rider tales.  And of course, I was a huge fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels until she jumped the shark at about novel #9.  Ugh.  Same with Laurel K. Hamilton and the Anita Blake novels.  There are many, many more I will read and love as the years go by.  I've got Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series sitting on my bookshelves,unread.  I've got bits and pieces of other series also waiting patiently on my shelves.  I always love to peruse the science fiction/fantasy section at my local B&N.  You never know what will pop out.  

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge is just one of those books that popped out at me.  I'd seen it on a recent visit to the bookstore, but didn't buy it.  Then I was somewhere, looking at something, and I saw it again.  I checked out some reviews, and decided to go back to B&N and buy it.  The idea of bartenders saving the world from monsters by mixing the ingesting certain cocktails that give them certain powers appealed to me on many levels.  For one, the creativity Paul Krueger had to come up with this story line.  For two, it takes place in Chicago--my "ancestral" home: place of my birth, where my parents grew up and married.  I'm a sucker for stories that take place in Chicago.  

So, Bailey Chen has returned to live with her parents after graduating from Penn State.  She's unemployed, but hoping to get a job--any job--soon.  Her childhood friend Zane gets her a temporary job at his Uncle's bar, the Nightshade Lounge.  Bailey and Zane have a friendship that is layered with all sorts of unresolved issues of the romantic kind.  When he was interested, she wasn't; now she's interested, and he has a girlfriend.  One night, Bailey is left to close up the bar.  She decides to mix a screw driver  to drink before leaving for the night.  The strange thing is, this drink Bailey makes gives her some super human strength.  And she doesn't realize it until she's walking home, by herself, and runs into something not so human: a tremen.  Tremens are demons that look like blobs of grossness, and they jump humans and literally suck the life out of them.  They especially like people who have been drinking.  Something about the mix of alcohol and human produces a life force that tremens love.  

Bailey quickly finds herself as a bartender-in-training of a different kind:  a monster-fighting bartender.  They patrol the streets at night, making sure humans are safe from tremens. Properly mixed cocktails produce magical effects on bartenders that usually last an hour, enough time to patrol, kill tremens, and get back to the bar.  Vodka gives tremendous strength, whiskey grants telekinesis, and rum will get you the ability to blast fire from your fingertips.  Pretty awesome stuff!  

But of course, things aren't so simple.  There are more and more tremens popping up, and in packs, which is highly unusual.  Something strange is going on, and it's got to do with one mystical drink:  the long island iced tea.  

I'm not telling you anymore.  This is a fun novel, and the first in what I hope will be at least a trilogy.  In between each chapter are bits of cocktail magical history from "The Devil's Water Dictionary", Bailey's guide to creating cocktails. Bailey is your usual out of college, don't know what to do with my life twenty-something.  She's pretty smart, but finds out that sometimes being book smart just isn't enough when it comes to fighting demons.  The characters that surround Bailey are all colorful and slightly quirky, and I can't wait to see how everyone evolves--if, hopefully, there are more adventures ahead for the magical bartenders.  

Rating:  7/10 for a quirky take on contemporary urban fantasy.  I'll never look at a cocktail quite the same again!  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger