Wonderful Holiday Romance

What a perfect Holiday story! Even though New York Christmas is on the shorter side, it's beautifully paced and the relationship totally works.

Attracted to each other in college, Chris and Dan never got the chance to see their relationship through. Now they're living in the same city, both single, and ready to give it a try. I love the chemistry between these two - the romance is sweet and passion is smoking hot.

There's also a whole lot going on in the plot, and RJ Scott packs in some pretty exciting moments. A very interesting story.

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Great Holiday Read

Audiobook Review September 2019:
My original review from 5 years ago is short and to the point. Well, guess what? Short and to the point states it perfectly. I haven't re-read New York Christmas since, not because I didn't enjoy it, not because I didn't take the time, but because it was a holiday story and unfortunately I just have too many Christmas tales to read each year that I tend to not re-visit no matter how much I loved it the first time. One of these years I will do a Re-Read Christmas in July Edition but until then, audiobooks make for a great chance to experience the magic again.

So the only thing I really have to add to this story is the narration. Once again Sean Crisden brings to life the amazing-ness of RJ Scott's words. Could another narrator do just as good a job? Probably but at this time I can't imagine any other voice other than Crisden's. New York Christmas is a bit sugary sweet(perhaps for some too much so) but if you can't have sugary sweet romance for Christmas then when can you? This is a story of romance, friendship, discovery, all wrapped up in a lovely Chrismtas bow and Sean Crisden resonates that with every word.

Original ebook review December 2014:
We all have that one person we wonder about, "the one who got away" or more precisely "the one who never was but always wanted and wondered about." Well this story is exactly that. And perfectly done, in my opinion. You can't help but love both Chris and Daniel and cheer them on from page one.

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A sweet second chance story.

I read and reviewed this story in December 2017 but finally listened to the audiobook today. Why did I wait so long!? Sean Crisden's performance of this story is perfect. I loved the book when I read it but listening to it brought an entirely new dimension to the experience and I fell in love with it all over again.

You can't go wrong with the combination of RJ Scott and Sean Crisden!

Begin original review:
I'm a bit late to be reading this book. I only discovered RJ Scott's books a couple of years ago and she has a huge backlist for me to catch up on. 😊

As this is one of her earlier works I was surprised in some ways that it has a lot of the same feel as her later works that I love. I say this because I know that authors often say that their craft improves over time. What I'm trying to say is that I think this book is every bit as good as her more recent books that have made me fall in love with her writing.

Chris has been dealt a confidence crushing blow – being dismissed from his teaching job at an uppity private school. He's at a real low point when Daniel comes back into his life. Chris can't believe that Daniel had feelings for him years ago and is having trouble accepting that he wants him now. Daniel's wealth just adds to Chris's feelings of inadequacy and disbelief that Daniel could want to be with someone like him.

New York Christmas had me tearing up early on. The fact that my emotions were so quickly involved while reading the book is a measure I use to gage my opinion of the story. New York Christmas hit me on a lot of levels. I felt the connection between Daniel and Chris right from the start and wanted to shake Chris to get him to wake up and realize how much Daniel cares for him.

I don't feel like there was a lot of angst in this story and a certain amount of conflict is always needed to keep things interesting. Daniel is a NYC police officer and that definitely comes into play in a big way.

RJ Scott always delivers an HEA for her guys and I will be reading her books as long as she keeps writing them for fans like me.

The author gifted me a copy of the audiobook but no review was requested or required.

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Short and Sweet

Short and sweet. Holiday romance some. Set up as days before Christmas.
Good cover. Great narrator. Sean Crisden did a good job.
A good story. Some romance and some mild drama.
Lots of different types of muffins.
Nothing fabulous and nothing bad..😒
If you like short sweet romances told with good voice,
this is a good choice.

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A sweet story

I enjoyed this, and the narration was enjoyable. But I found myself frustrated at times by the character of Chris, who occasionally seemed to have the emotional maturity of a cabbage, and his love interest, Daniel, who came off a bit too patient and saintly. Still, it had a nice HEA.

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enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: Sweet holiday story, good pace, likeable characters, nice flow.
What i'd call an easy listen - uncomplicated plot so it's good to have playing while doing something else. Easily goes on the annual holiday listen list.

🎧 Narrator comment: Sean Crisden is among my favorite narrators. His rhythm, changes in pitch and intonation, the cadence of voice in narration all work to bring the story to life. Each character had his own voice and I felt all the emotion of the story.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in multiple formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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Good narration, wasn't feeling the romance

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

It was pretty light. If you want a light story about a man in need of being rescued, this might work for you

What could RJ Scott have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I thought the protagonist was a bit too easily defeated and passive. I wasn't into the tongue-tied gibbering schoolkid crush he had on the other character

What didn’t you like about Sean Crisden’s performance?

I thought his performance was one of the few things I liked about this story. However the voice he used for the main character was the same voice he used for another story I listened too where the character was a minor. So it threw me off as the voice of an adult man.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I thought the author captured some of the joy and fun of the holidays.

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3 people found this helpful