They didn’t believe in holiday magic… until it happens to them.Anna McKinnon is a free spirit. As a bartender in New York City, she answers to no one, keeps what she calls “vampire hours” – and likes it that way. She secretly wishes to find real love, the forever kind her brothers have all found. But love has not only eluded her, it’s burned her badly. Keeping things light is how Anna copes.David … how Anna copes.
David Beren is a high-powered, intense investment banker in the heart of Manhattan. His 80-hour work weeks took over his life long ago, but now, at 35, he’s ready for something more. But what? And then he meets Anna. She’s unexpected – full of light, color, and laughter. Anna knocks him off his game and his feet, and he’s never been happier.
Can total opposites – a feisty, bold girl from Ireland and a quiet, straight-laced Jewish guy from New Jersey – find love at the holidays? With the double whammy of a Hanukkah miracle and some Christmas magic, they just might.
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A fun read with well-rounded characters
2.5 stars
I finished it but I can’t really say I was a fan. I finished it more to finish it but it was a bit too Lifetime movie for me. There wasn’t enough tension and the characters weren’t quite fleshed out enough. I want more reality to these romance stories and while this did an admirable job for the genre, it wasn’t enough. It also missed the mark on the steaminess scale, too. There wasn’t enough there to tug at my heartstrings or involve my emotions in any way.
I think I was hoping for more from it and just ended up disappointed.
THIS REVIEW IS LATE I AND I MA SORRY. THIS WAS A VERY GOOD STORY. FAST, FUNNY AND A QUICK READ. ABOUT TWO PEOPLE THAT ARE OPPOSITES SHE WORKS AS A BARTENDER AND IS FROM IRELAND, LOUD AND FULL OF FUN. HE IS A MAN THAT WORKS 80 HOURS A WEEK IS JEWISH AND DOES NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT FUN IS. HE IS 35 AND NOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HE IS DOING WITH HIS LIFE THOUGH. WHEN THEY MEET AND ARE ATTRACTED THEY GO AROUND NEW YORK FOR SHE WANTS TO TAKE IN CHRISTMAS. WHEN SHE FINDS OUT THAT HE IS JEWISH SHE GOES WITH HIM TO HIS FAMILIES HOME TO CELEBRATE HANUKKAH. HE BECOMES INDEARED WHEN SHE MAKES SURE SHE DOES NOT MISS A DAY. THE PROBLEM IS HE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A TRUE RELATIONSHIP, WILL THIS SCARE HIM AWAY OR LED HIM TO HER? READ THIS WONDERFUL STORY TO FIND OUT. I GAVE THIS BOOK FIVE STARS. FOLLOW US AT http://www.1rad-readerreviews.com
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A bit long, but definitely worth reading. Loved it!
It was not believable.
Excellent book
Loved this book. Great easy read!
This is the 5th book in the McKinnon Brothers series and while it is part of a series it can easily be read as a stand alone book. i really enjoyed this book! I love Christmas stories and this one had that and so much more. Anna is in New York from Ireland. She works at a bartender at her family’s bar. Daniel is a workaholic . Can one say the polar opposites? It gets better she is Catholic and he is Jewish. But life or fate gets the last laugh when it put these two in the path of each other. I loved reading this story and about all the ways to celebrate the holidays in New York…different ways. This book is so detailed and shinny like the tree in Rockefeller Plaza.
Loved this opposites attract! Anna McKinnon is a free spirit bartender. Irish catholic and David Beren is a wealthy investment banker, who is Jewish. They can’t deny the chemistry that they share, plus they are hot in the bedroom. Can they find common ground, for their HEA?
Loved these characters, great chemistry and banter between them. Loved how they both shared their holiday traditions with each other, great blend of Christmas and Hanukkah.
This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I highly recommend this romance this holiday season.
Ana was headed to the other side of town when she spotted cupcakes in a bakery window. Anna was on her way to visit her brother and thought the cupcakes would be nice for his girls.
While she was standing in line she didn’t realize anyone was behind her. When it was her turn to order she pointed behind her towards the window and smacked him right in the face. She apologized but he was very grumpy and she apologized again which he didn’t seem to be any happier this time. She hurried and got her cupcakes and went out the door. She heard someone yelling for her and when she turned around she found out it was him and he had her debit card that she had left behind.
She thanked him and told him where she worked.
It was a really interesting story and we all know that opposites do attract. She was his complete opposite. He was a businessman in the financial field and she is independent, strong willed, determined, free spirited and a bartender.
A cute holiday book that you are bound to enjoy.
Jennifer Gracen’s Holidays in Manhattan has me ready and dreaming about the holiday season. After reading Anna and David’s story, it was very easy to imagine running into them in my every day. I love an opposites attract romance and Holidays in Manhattan is a very good one. It was more than just the match of a free spirit with the intense investment banker. Add in their religious beliefs and we have a holiday read that is a tad unique and relatable.
Holidays in Manhattan is book five in the McKinnon Brothers series by Jennifer Gracen. This is Anna McKinnon and David Bergen’s story.
A sweet romance between two totally different people. Anna wants to find true love but has a hard time trusting due to past experiences. David and Anna’s first meeting was hilarious. Even though they are totally opposites they are attracted to each other and seemed drawn to each other. I really loved David’s character and how he treated Anna so well. Will the differences keep them from finding true love? The story was fun and entertaining but would have loved an epilogue.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. This is my first book by this author and therefore the only book in the series I’ve read. I liked the book a lot. It drew me in right away and I found it hard to put down.
This was the story of Anna McKinnon and David Beren. The two met in line in a bakery when Anna turned around fast and punched him in the face. They exchanged remarks and he chased her down after she left her debit card. While they were talking she saw an ex and she asked David to play along and she kissed him. They spoke to the ex and he left and they both realized there was a spark there. Anna told David she was a bartender and gave him the information for her brother’s bar where she works. She offered to buy him drinks for a night to thank him. A few days later he shows up, late in the evening. They banter back and forth, sharing details about their lives until her shift is over. They go out for food and then end up at his house where they have sex and fall asleep. She wakes up and freaks out a little as she is afraid they are too different for something lasting. So she leaves but texts him later. He tries to get something going between them but she doesn’t show interest and he backs off. She realizes she likes him too and makes the effort to see him again. They continue with him working long hours as an investment banker and coming to the bar after he’s finished. Then they go to his house after she is finished and she spends the night. They grow closer yet she is a little hesitant.
David isn’t aware of what happened with Anna’s ex and how he made her feel inferior because of their life differences. There is some great angst as she pulls away and he pushes and then he gets frustrated. It takes place during the holidays and David is Jewish and Anna is Catholic, directly from Ireland 7 years earlier. The two are sensitive to each other’s feelings and plan surprises for each other’s holiday. I found it to be a sweet and very steamy story with a lot of angst. I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Gracen.
Sometimes love is found when you least expect it which is what happens in Holidays in Manhattan by Jennifer Gracen. The sweet, drama filled steamy story has one free spirit and one workaholic not only finding love but also acceptance and balance. While part of the McKinnon Brothers (and Sister) Series it is complete all on its own.
Anna McKinnon is the free spirit but do not confuse that with lazy or slack. She possesses neither one of those traits. However she does enjoy her life as a bartender without letting work goals take over. David Beren.is wound quite a bit tighter with his work of being an investment banker becoming his life. Opposites, well maybe but still they had all the same values which is what is important in a relationship. I like seeing these two together, being surprised that it is Anna that keeps dragging her feet in the relationship. Her past hinders her from any commitment but Davis is a wonderful guy. I wanted her to wise up so I kept reading to see if she would.
Taken place at the holiday season gave this story a wonderful twist. Author Jennifer Gracen made the most of it in a sweet loving way. Not your usual holiday read but being different only serves to make it more delightful.
An ARC of the book was given to me by Tule Publishing which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a lovely story about total opposites and how no matter the obstacles love will find a way
Ann McKinnon tattooed bar tender catholic outgoing but with walls around her heart. David Beren investment banker Jewish and determined to win her heart
These two should have nothing in common but with Davids determination he will knock down the walls that she has built after having her heart broken by a previous boyfriend. The chemistry between these two is off the chart and the writing flows so well that you feel as though you are standing there beside them now I want to visit New York. I highly recommend this book
Can true opposites find lasting love that can withstand scrutiny or is it a disaster in the making? This is a sexy, quick moving story about two direct opposites drawn together like magnets!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Anna and David’s love story in Holidays in Manhattan by Jennifer Gracen, book five in her McKinnon Brothers series, reminds us that opposites do attract which can be beneficial to each of them; bringing out the hidden traits of their personalities. We have a funny meet that could have gone good or badly, followed by a pretend relationship when Anna encounters a lying ex. Then there’s the good Jewish boy and sassy, tattooed Irish lass with the Irish lass trying to learn about his Judaism and help him celebrate his holiday as well as expose him to her love of all things Christmas. His being a financial wizard while she worked as a bartender at her brother’s pub brought back bad experiences for Anna but David was not that guy. Learning to trust, encourage and accept that one is merely defined by their job, but that there is a depth within tells us so much about these two. Lastly, David’s big gesture to prove or show that he is not embarrassed of his love for Anna is swoon worthy. I felt like I was there, witnessing these two as they figured out each other and move forward with their relationship.
Ms. Gracen wrote a wonderful and sexy story that is definitely not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sexual chemistry, amusing banter, and endearing characters giving Anna and David a chance to find a forever love. I highly recommend Holidays in Manhattan to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Oh how I love this couple! Talk about ying and yang… these two are from different worlds but they do make it work for them. And it’s in the little things of day-to-day life that build up into something more. David eventually saw the world through Anna’s eyes and vice versa. Such a sweet story that truly satisfies.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for my volunteer review.
3.5
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The McKinnon Brothers
Standalone
HEA
I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from Tule Publishing.
I found this book to be a cute sweet romantic read. David and Anna met for the first time in a bakery. They came from totally opposite backgrounds. He’s upper class, Jewish and an investment banker. She’s a free spirited Irish, Catholic bartender. But there was an attraction between them from the start that grew to fascination the more they learned about each other. I loved the chemistry between the two characters and the authors writing style made the storyline more realistic. I enjoyed how both characters did things for the other one that were totally different from what they were brought up doing. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from Tule Publishing.