Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I am in full Christmas mode. I have bought SO many books and novellas for the holiday season that I’m not sure if I’ll even have time to read and review everything, but I’m going to try. My festive reading spree has started off strong with the Miracle on Ladies’ Mile by Joanna Shupe. This is a novella so I’m going to keep this review spoiler free.

🔥I like to give a heat level rating for all books with romance. If you’re curious about my rating system, you can check it out here.

Synopsis:

A holiday novella set in New York City’s Gilded Age, where anything is possible…

Since the death of his wife, department store owner Alexander Armstrong buries himself in his work. One night he encounters a mesmerizing young woman setting up the holiday window displays and on a whim decides to help. Grace’s charm is infectious and he can’t remember the last time he smiled this much . . .but will Grace look at him the same once she learns who he really is?

Aspiring designer Grace Shipley has big dreams and plans to work her way up from decorating the windows at the most popular store on Ladies’ Mile. And while she doesn’t need his help, her handsome new friend gives a whole new meaning to the idea of holiday cheer.

Now Alex must overcome his fear of another heartbreak and confess the truth, even if it means losing Grace forever.

My Thoughts:

• Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Heat Level- 🔥🔥🔥

I discovered The Miracle on Ladies’ Mile randomly on Instagram. I had never heard of Joanna Shupe but this novella sounded perfect to start off my Christmas reading with and oh, yes it was. It was such an amazing story that left me wishing it was a full length novel.

Historical romantic fiction is my favorite genre so this story being set in New York City’s Gilded Age immediately sold me. However, if this book had one flaw, it would be the lack of historical detail. It definitely had a historical feel to it but in my opinion, with just a few changes, it could have been a modern romance. I think that had more to do with the story having to work within the confines of a novella, though. This story is pretty short so most of the detail was given to the romance and I won’t complain about that.

The romance was everything I wanted it to be. I’m a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope and Alexander and Grace fit that perfectly. Of course, if that’s not a bookish trope you like, this won’t be the read for you. I loved the build up of their relationship and even though this is a novella, it didn’t feel rushed. I actually ended up crying at one point and I’m not somebody that cries over books often😅

Final Thoughts:

This story made me fall in love with Joanna Shupe’s writing so once I finished it, I bought another Christmas novella collection, How The Dukes Stole Christmas, because Shupe wrote one of the stories in it. I’ll be reviewing that collection next week. I’d love to know what Christmas or holiday books you’re reading! Thanks for reading and have a great day!