THE NEW YEAR’S MAN

by Michael Scott Clifton

Romantic Fantasy / Romantic Comedy

Publication Date: September 11, 2026

SYNOPSIS

Landry LeBlanc has everything he wants: a luxury condo, a fast-rising legal career, expensive taste, and an ironclad rule against falling in love. Relationships, to him, come with expiration dates—and New Year’s Eve is his favorite time to end them.

But when Landry takes his latest girlfriend to the mysterious Fairy Lights Brasserie, his perfectly controlled life comes apart in spectacular fashion. One brutal breakup later, he finds himself face-to-face with Stella: a cigar-smoking, wand-wielding fairy godmother with questionable fashion sense, a faulty temper, and a mission to thaw his hardened heart.

Stella has one simple plan: make Landry fall in love.

Landry’s plan is simpler: get rid of Stella.

Then he meets Allie Beck—brilliant, fearless, unpredictable, and every bit his equal. As legal games become personal and magic keeps crashing through his carefully ordered world, Landry must face the past he buried, the heart he protected, and the possibility that love isn’t a weakness after all. Funny, romantic, and touched with fairy-tale chaos, The New Year’s Man is the story of a man who breaks hearts every New Year’s Eve.

This year, magic will break his.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Scott Clifton is an award-winning author celebrated for conjuring tales where magic and mystery collide, including the 2024 Reader’s Favorite Book Award winner Pringle Prawn and the 2026 Reader’s Favorite Bronze Award winner The End Game. His diverse body of work whisks readers into fantastical worlds and across genres, from the enchanting Conquest of the Veil series to gripping stand-alone novels like The Treasure Hunt Club, the haunting The Janus Witch, and the acclaimed sports romance The End Game. Recognized for imaginative plots, compelling characters, and heart-pounding adventure, Clifton invites readers to explore more at michaelscottclifton.com.

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REVIEW

A delightfully comedic romp of a romantic fantasy story, The New Year’s Man by Michael Scott Clifton is a fast read that lightens up the Big Dark of winter.

It’s refreshing to read a romance from the male lead’s point of view. Landry, however, is not your typical Romance hero. He wasn’t a sympathetic figure at the beginning of the story—a cocky, ruthless lawyer with a reputation for ending relationships before the calendar flips to the new year and who holds love in contempt. Readers will hate him before they fall for him, and that credits the author’s talent. A rough backstory alone doesn’t deliver that effect. It must be paired with a massive leap in character growth. Mr. Clifton achieved that in this book.

The chaotic set of fantastical characters and series of events not only affected the change in Landry, but also provided the humor that made this story especially entertaining. Stella, the unconventional fairy godmother, was a total hoot. So were her accomplices, Hank, Brad, and Barnaby. Landry’s exploits in fairyland recall Alice’s adventures in Wonderland.

Allie is an ideal female love interest, with qualities that believably explain Landry’s change of heart. She was bold and capable and made Landry earn her love. A worthy Romance heroine.

The story’s pacing is quick, but effectively controlled. It lends the book an unputdownable quality that encourages readers to finish in one sitting. I did, and I give kudos to Michael Scott Clifton for another entertaining read.