THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME is a romantic romp that made my heart sing. If you are looking for a delicious delight with no profanity, or sex to make you blush, this one is for you. Melissa Hill is a spellbinder! She wins my vote for my best read of 2016 with THE GIFT OF A CHARM and this is a close second. She is a writer who I treasure, for always making me feel, smile and never want the book to end. I fall in love with her characters and ALWAYS keep her books in a special niche to be re-read again.

Irish transplant Beth Harper learned two things from her beloved granny. Her love for Hollywood movies and shoes. Her dearest possession is granny's vintage wedding shoes which she hopes someday to wear at her own wedding. Beth moved to New York City, the set for so many happy endings from Tinseltown's most treasured films. Even Danny Bishop, her boyfriend of seven years, is her perfect Hollywood hero. They have been close but lately their spark seems to be fading and Beth is wondering why? He has been working longer hours than ever and he just begged off a planned long weekend with Beth to warm and sunny South Florida, alleging problems at work. He looks tired, stressed and very distant. What's going on Danny?

Beth works in the shoe department of Carlistle's Department store where she happily creates themes from movies with shoes while making huge commissions from her shoe sales. She enjoys her job, her co-workers especially her BFF Jodi. The ladies are all abuzz about the handsome, dimpled, young man just hired in the Men's Department, Ryan. When he introduces himself to Beth he is a charmer and a flirt. Beth feels a faint flicker of interest but ignores it at once. She is only interested in Danny. Right?

In time, Ryan convinces her to have lunch with him, "as friends", and she accepts. They have fun, laugh, and share their interest in movies. He is fun to be with and he does make her feel special, the way Danny used to but not now.

One day a messenger delivers a cup of coffee to Beth at the store and inside the cup is a message. This begins a kind of scavenger hunt with clues based on her favorite movies and sets. She follows each clue and is covering a lot of her favorite city. Who is doing this? Why? Is it Danny, trying to put back some of their lost sizzle? Is it Ryan, trying to step in and start a serious relationship with her? Or is it someone else?

I learned from my previous reads with Ms. Hill that she plants clues, sometimes distracting facts in her plots and I knew when she did it in THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME. I solved the mystery in this one and the ending is all that I could ask for. Another winner and I especially enjoyed the topic of Hollywood films as I, too, shared a love of the romantic films with my mother. I am a loyal Melissa Hill fan. Brava!

Book Summary

From Melissa Hill, the internationally-bestselling author of A Gift from Tiffany’s comes another New York Christmas love story make you fall in love all over again.

Hollywood movies are Beth’s passion. She hopes her life will always be filled with classic movie moments, where magical things happen every day. Her boyfriend Danny has always been the embodiment of her perfect Hollywood hero—though after seven years together the initial silver-screen romance has settled into something more predictable.

Then one morning at work just before Christmas, Beth receives an anonymous gift of a take-out coffee cup with a cryptic message. From there, she is given a series of other gifts and riddles directing her to some of NYC’s most popular landmarks—a treasure trail using unique rom-com-related prompts perfect for a movie-lover like Beth to decipher.

And she is forced to wonder: has Danny realized their relationship needs a boost—or could it be that charming new work colleague Ryan with his intense gaze, flirtatious smile, and almost encyclopedic movie knowledge, wants to sweep her off her feet? How would she feel about taking a chance on a leading man who seems determined to give her the Christmas gift of a lifetime...