Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: P. Dangelico's "You Can Have Manhattan"

I am thrilled to be participating in the blog tour celebrating this week's release of P. Dangelico's latest novel, "You Can Have Manhattan."  This is the first book I have read by this author, but I can guarantee that it won't be the last.  A full review is included later in this post, but in short, I loved this book and highly recommend it.  I am a huge fan of "marriage of convenience" stories, and this is one of the best I've read in some time.      

About "You Can Have Manhattan"

You are cordially invited to the worst wedding of the century.

Sydney 

I’m no stranger to hard work. It’s the one constant in my life. And with no family or friends to speak of, it’s been easy to pour all my time and everything I’ve got into my career as general counsel for Blackstone Holdings.

And, hey, I’m not complaining. I mean, life is good…sort of…mostly. It was perfectly fine until my boss offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One I’d be crazy to pass up. All I have to do in return is marry his good-for-nothing son. I can do this. I can handle it…I think.

* * * 

Scott 

I’ve had my fair share of fun. Some would even say I used to be somewhat of a party whore. Pardon, party animal. I haven’t been that guy in a long time, though. Not since I moved to Wyoming, bought a failing cattle ranch, and turned it into a profitable business.

Life isn’t just good––life is great. Until a phone call from my father threatens the quiet, simple life I’ve built. Marry or lose everything. And to a woman who can’t stand me, no less. Well, I’m not going down without a fight. I’m never going back to Manhattan. Not if I can help it.

Read an Excerpt from "You Can Have Manhattan"

“Just stand still for five more minutes…” Romeo scooted away and started running in circles around me, his entire massive Wolfhound body covered in shampoo. It was high time these two got a bath and the weather was finally cooperating. I’d found a spray nozzle out back and went to work.

“Romeo! Get over here! Stop it.” The more I chased, the faster he ran, tongue hanging out, tearing up the lawn because this was the best game ever! Then Juliet got in the mix, barking loudly, and it all went to hell. Romeo suddenly hit the brakes and shook, sending suds flying everywhere––and me screaming when some hit me in the face.

“What’s going on here?” an amused man inquired. Behind me, Scott was grinning. Taking off his ball cap, he adjusted his hair and slammed it back on.

“They smell like cow shit is what’s going on,” was the obvious reply.

I wiped my brow with the back of my wrist and watched Scott’s gaze track up and down my body, taking his time to thoroughly evaluate my wet t-shirt covered in drying suds, my hair falling into my face, and my bare legs shoved into my Hunter boots. He was so distracted that he missed Romeo coming at him like a heat-seeking missile. Before he knew what hit him, Scott was on his back, lying spread eagle on the ground.

Oh sweet, sweet vengeance. I still missed my orange ASICS.

I doubled over in laughter while he blinked, trying to ascertain what the heck had just happened to him. Stepping over him with my legs straddling his body, I bent to get a better look and tipped his ball cap off his head. “You okay there, Sweet Nuts?”

Next thing I know, I’m lying on top of him. Eyes hooded and aimed at my mouth, he murmured, “Better now, Sunshine.”

We kissed and touched and got covered in mud. He stood, and with pure muscular power, took me with him. We peeled clothes off even though it was only March and still a little nippy out. Grabbing the spray nozzle, he hit me in the chest with the cold water. The look of pure shock on my face…

“Oh, you’re gonna get it now.”

He chuckled darkly. “And I’ll happily take it. This is better than a Girls Gone Wild video.”

I snatched the hose out of his hands and aimed for the jewels, but he turned in time to save “future generations of Blackstones.” His exact words. I was also labeled a “genocidal maniac,” for my actions. Which was a bit extreme, if you ask me.

After we’d rinsed the mud off, he wrapped his warmth around me, chased away the chill, and kissed me as he backed me up to the side of the house. His restless hands moving over me possessively, with the authority and conviction of a man who knew all my secrets and still wanted me.

My Review

I am a big fan of "marriage of convenience" plots, but most of my favorites to date have been found in historical romances.  It seems that this particular trope is harder to pull off successfully in a contemporary romance, but P. Dangelico does so spectacularly well in "You Can Have Manhattan." There was also an element of enemies-to-lovers here that I particularly enjoyed because it led to some great banter between the main characters, Sydney and Scott.  There were some enjoyably funny parts in this book, particularly when Sydney decides to "revenge decorate" Scott's cabin.  At the same time, the book managed to tug at my heartstrings because Scott and Sydney were so obviously in love with each other, but the obstacles keeping them apart seemed insurmountable at times.

I found Sydney to be a very complex and well-developed main character.  At first, she seemed so happily independent, entirely devoted to her job, and closed off from forming any outside attachments, but underneath all of that she was actually yearning for the love of a family.  She had a very domestic side with her cooking and baking hobbies, and was keeping a number of dark secrets from her childhood that no one who knew her in New York ever seemed to suspect.

As for Scott, I found him a bit tough to figure out at first, but that may have been because a lot of my initial impression of him came through Sydney's observations, and she still thought of him as the wild partier he was before he left New York for Wyoming.  However, he grew up a lot in the years that he was away and had secrets of his own that significantly impacted the way he chose to live his life.  As it turned out, both Sydney and Scott had outdated and flawed perceptions of the other, and they had to overcome these misconceptions before they could start to trust each other and build a loving relationship.  Unfortunately, just as they are forming that trust, additional secrets come to light that shatter their fragile understanding, and they must fight to find their way back to each other.

Overall, as I stated earlier, I loved this book and highly recommend it.  I look forward to reading more of P. Dangelico's books in the future.

*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.