This was really cute. This series always hits the spot because I can relate to the characters so well, even when their lives are entirely different from my own. ( )

3.5 stars.

New York, Actually introduces readers to the Knight siblings, who will star in the next three installments of Sarah Morgan's delightful From Manhattan with Love series. This fourth installment pairs up oldest brother Daniel Knight, a cynical divorce lawyer, with Molly Parker, a psychologist with an über popular relationship blog. While this newest release can easily be read a standalone, I highly recommend the previous novels as well.

After a scandal destroyed her both personally and professionally three years earlier, Molly decides to relocate from England to New York. She avoids romantic entanglements since she is convinced she does nothing but hurt the men she dates. Keeping busy with several classes, Molly is very close friends with her neighbors Mark and Gabe. Her steadfast companion is her rescue dog, Valentine, and together, they jog in Central Park every day where, unbeknownst to her, she has caught the eye of Daniel Knight.

A very successful lawyer with a thriving practice, Daniel works long hours and while he dates, he does not do relationships. With vivid memories of his parents' acrimonious marriage, he is dedicated to helping his clients escape their unhappy unions. Daniel is surprised by his interest in the jogger he sees every day in the park and he devises a clever, if dishonest, scheme to meet her: he borrows a dog from his twin sisters, Fliss and Harriet.

Daniel's plan comes to fruition to some degree since he does manage to engineer a meeting with Molly. However, he is stunned when she turns down his invitation to go out with him. The pair continue to run into each other but eventually, Daniel's persistence begins to feel vaguely stalkerish. Molly uncovers his deception about being a dog owner and she finally ends up providing him with her address. The situation which finally brings them together feels contrived and it is quite annoying how easily Molly falls apart during a crisis.

While Molly and Daniel's romance finally does take off, their individual issues and unresolved baggage continue to plague them. Given her career as a psychologist, Molly's reasons for avoiding a relationship just do not ring true. Daniel's past experiences from his childhood provide a valid basis not wanting to fall in love and in are refreshing change of pace, he is more open to taking their relationship to the next level.When Molly's past is uncovered, will it bring her and Daniel closer or will it derail their fragile romance?

New York, Actually is a very slow moving but enjoyable romance between two extremely cautious protagonists. While this latest release has a few flaws, Sarah Morgan's enticing glimpses of Fliss and Harriet will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next installments in the From Manhattan with Love series. ( )

If you're not a New York fan, this series will make you a believer.

Molly and Daniel... the unlikely couple that never would have had a chance given a different locale. Don't believe me? Watch this...

She's hiding in semi plain sight from a past she longs to distance herself from while white knuckle gripping the present she's created and only keeping half a gaze on the future she doesn't believe she deserves. He's hiding in ways too, though to look one would never know, while fighting the good fight from the unlikeliest of places, and challenging what the future may hold day by day. They're both commitment phobes for one reason or another, both incapable of love (supposedly), and both determined to live the life they want to live unencumbered. Scene set? Good. Now WHY did it have to be NY? For the moments...

Where else can you unintentionally orchestrate a kiss like that in the rain? Where else can you borrow a dog to meet the girl/woman that's caught your eye yet not seem creepy and fit in with the other dog walkers? Where else can a sick animal get an ambulance ride to save the day? Where else can you live with a billion people and yet still find a place to be alone? Where else can you make such a mix of friends that'll stand by you when the cards fall down? See? A great backdrop chosen for this story as well as the whole series, and it just seals the deal on its fabulousness.

Another WONDERFUL addition to the series from an author who infuses her writing with smiles, wittiness, hardship, heart, and just the right amount of spark. Come for the setting, stay for the story, and fall in love with this roller coaster of a ride. Don't forget to bring the dog treats because OMG! Valentine and Brutus are beyond adorable! Happy reading! ( )

The first in another Fairytales of New York trilogy from Sarah Morgan. Two people who are convinced they are unable to fall in love … fall in love with each other. And they're perfect for each other. Molly is a Dear Abby type columnist, a psychologist by training who understands relationships well, as long as they aren't her own. Daniel, a divorce lawyer, protects women who are trying to get rid of their no-good husbands without hurting the childen. He's a teddy bear in shark's clothing.

Both are drawn together through their relationship to dogs. Molly has a Dalmatian she lavishes all her love and attention on, while Daniel borrows a dog from his sister's dog-sitting and fostering service so that he can meet Molly. But of course he falls for his dog, almost more reluctantly than he falls for Molly. Both the human have deep traumas, which they hide from each other as they assure themselves that they can totally do the friends-with-benefits thing without getting emotionally involved.

Morgan's Manhattan books are basically Tourist New York books, which is not a criticism but a description. They are set in a fairyland of twinkling lights, leafy green Central Park, delicious, never-cold delivered pizza, and generally affable and friendly residents. Everyone is from somewhere else. It's not the New York I lived in (not least because I was a confirmed Upper West Side person and these are set on the Upper East Side), but that's OK. The characters are warm, generous, and behave mostly like grown-ups, and the supporting cast give the central couple friends and found family.

Molly is a sweet and mostly smart heroine, although she was awfully plot-conveniently gullible in her past. Daniel is a patented Morgan hero, ruthless but in a good cause with a loving marshmallow core. And the dogs. If you're not a dog person, I don't know how well this will work for you. But if you are, you will recognize the lavishing of love on a dog (and the reciprocity they provide) when you can't lavish that love on a human. ( )

Just an ok book. I felt like it dragged on a little bit and things were repeated continously throughout the book which drives me crazy. I also felt like Molly was a little too smart to have such a ridiculous notion in her head that she is incapable of falling in love. I was really hoping I'd enjoy it more so I could continue with others in the series but I think I'll move on. ( )