New Year in Manhattan (The Empire State, #3)

by Louise Bay

[stacey_is_sassy]

Are the words enough?

There was something about this series that just felt right for me. It could have been that the timing was right. It might have been that each instalment didn't take too long to read. I could take a break between each one for however long I needed or wanted. No stalking of the author was needed. The "cliffy's" didn't make me feel like killing anyone because I was left on the ledge. The reading was at my pace and on my terms. The beauty of coming late to the party and having the series all out when I start.

Now, this next part is a mumble jumble of my thoughts about marriage, weddings and whether or not you need to put a *ring on it* to call it a commitment. I'll section it off if you want to get past my ramblings...because of course, there's a lot of rambling going on in my head. 😉

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Not saying this happened in New Year in Manhattan (because I don't want to be a spoiler sport) but there was a conversation about marriage that had me thinking. Is marriage the vows, the ring or the wedding? Is it all of those things? Or, is it none of those things?

Saying your vows is just a bunch of words if you don't believe them or want to live by them. I don't think you need a ring to have a committed relationship. A wedding is just a fancy dress party where two people are wearing the fanciest costumes of them all.

I think marriage and commitment are different for everyone. I think my vows were just words but every I love you since means something to me. I can count on one hand how many times my hubby and I have taken off our wedding bands. For me, I wear it like a badge of honour. I love all the thing it represents. Now, the wedding...I think my mum got more out of it than we did. We were buggered by the end and glad it was over.

Not everyone feels the same and that's ok. A commitment to love someone for the rest of your days can be shown with words, a ring or a wedding. Whatever floats your boat or makes your little heart sing.

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I really enjoyed this series. It was HOT! The characters were interesting and their everyday lives busy and far from boring. The love story made my heart flutter and I hoped from the very start that they would get more than what they thought they wanted.

Each instalment was fairly quick to read but easy to spread out over a few days. I'm stoked that I started after they had all been released. If you're looking for a fast-paced and sexy series, I highly recommend.