Moonlight Over Manhattan

Starred review from October 30, 2017
At the start of this endearing holiday romance, the sixth in Morgan’s From Manhattan with Love series (after Holiday in the Hamptons), shy dog-walker Harriett Knight winds up in the ER with a twisted ankle, sustained while escaping a date gone awry. Dr. Ethan Black is used to argumentative patients who threaten to sue him, so he’s pleasantly surprised by Harriett’s easy acceptance of his advice. When Ethan becomes guardian to his sister’s dog, he hires Harriett to move in and calm the constantly howling pet, who’s causing complaints from the neighbors. Harriett’s mellow demeanor and nurturing ways—in a nice bit of turnabout, she nurses Ethan through the flu—enhance Ethan’s appreciation of her natural physical beauty, and the usually workaholic Ethan starts spending more time at home as their relationship morphs into romance. Ethan blames himself for the end of his first marriage, believing his wife left because his profession requires him to shut down his feelings; Harriett, unloved as a child, now refuses to settle for less than full emotional commitment. With the help of kind family and friends, they come to terms with their pasts. There’s a dash of action, a sprinkle of cheer, and a lot of love to warm up this sweet, sexy wintertime tale.

Harriet Knight first encounters Dr. Ethan Black when she goes to the hospital with an injured ankle. Harriet is shy and has struggled to overcome a stutter. As an emergency room doctor, Ethan has learned to close off his emotions. Narrator Jennifer Woodward portrays Harriet's shyness with quiet, even pacing. As a way to work through her shyness, Harriet challenges herself each day to do something that scares her. Woodward voices Harriet's determination and ably conveys Ethan's emotional control. When Ethan has to dog sit for his sister, he persuades Harriet, a professional dog walker, to help him. Woodward has the listener rooting for her and Ethan. S.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 1, 2017

When a disastrous "date escape" out a bar bathroom window lands professional dog walker Harriet Knight in the emergency room with a twisted ankle, she figures that's the last she'll see of disapproving ER doctor Ethan Black. Then she learns that he is the reluctant, clueless, temporary dogsitter for one of her canine clients and could use her help big time. Suddenly, her life is more challenging--and a lot more romantic. The verbal barbs fly and the chemistry sizzles as these two opposites learn that each has what the other needs. A shy heroine finds her mettle and a driven physician gains a fresh perspective on life (and dogs) in a romance that brings love to a deserving duo. VERDICT This touching seasonal sparkler delivers on all counts, whether readers live in Manhattan or not. Morgan (Holiday in the Hamptons) lives near London, England. [See Best Genre Fiction 2017, Romance, p. 28.]

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2017
Harriet Knight has always been the shy twin, but she's decided to change all that by doing things she never would have before. That's how she ends up in the emergency room after leaving a restaurant through the restroom windowonline dating is so not for her! The ER doctor is hot, but she doesn't expect to see him again. Then one of her regular dog-walking clients goes out of town, leaving her dog, Madi, with her brother, Dr. Ethan Black. Ethan's had a rough day in the ER, and coming home to find that Madi has destroyed his apartment doesn't leave him feeling warm and fuzzy. But he is determined to help his sister, and if that means Harriet needs to be in his apartment 24/7 to prevent further destruction, so be it. Ethan's anger makes Harriet stutter for the first time in years, and dog sitting is not part of the services Bark Rangers normally provides. But Ethan proves to be an irresistible challenge to Harriet in more ways than one. Morgan brings us another delightful, romantic, and sexy tale that may just be the best so far in her From Manhattan with Love series (Holiday in the Hamptons, 2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)