Lauren Layne Party, part 9- Made for You by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne

Date published: 28 October 2014

Publisher: Forever

Series: The Best Mistake 2

Pages: 320 pages.

Rating:  3.5 stars!
Buy on:  Amazon

Some mistakes are worth making...

Lauren Layne's Best Mistake series continues with MADE FOR YOU.

When the Wrong Guy is Oh-So-Right Will Thatcher is exactly the type of sexy playboy good girls like Brynn have always avoided. And yet there was still something about him she just couldn't resist. When Will moved across the country three years ago, Brynn vowed it was time to put him behind her. She never thought Will might have other plans . . . Back in town, Will intends to get what he's always wanted-gorgeous, unforgettable Brynn. For years, he tormented the untouchable ice princess in a desperate bid for her attention. Now he has a new plan, and he'll do anything to rewrite their stormy past. This time, he's out to show Brynn that the imperfect man might be the best mistake of her life . . . 

Review:

Three years ago Brynn had a series of one night stands with her sister's best friend- Will Thatcher. Then, Will moved away and now he is back to win Brynn for good. 

Brynn Dalton is a proper girl. She dates the perfect guys, she is susccesfull at work, her life is planned and arranged down to the smallest little details. However, she is not happy. Ever since Will left she hadn't been able to forget him.

Will Thatcher is Sophie's best friend, he made he's own money. He is not conventional, he's a player (mostly) and just like Sophie he is also very happy just to be living. Supposedly with not many ambitions. 

Now he wants Brynn once and for all. 

Will Thatcher always liked Brynn, all the way back their high school days when he used to pick up on her like an eight years old picking on the ponytails of his secret crush. However, Brynn never thought it funny.

Brynn had a lot to deal with- if Sophie's book was all about her growing up and taking responsibility, then Brynn book is all about giving up control.

You see, Brynn is one of those extreme types that have everything organized with a 50 years plan, right down to the number of kids and the type of the dog. Maybe I'm exaggerating. But I think you get the point.

And now she had so much to deal with- things aren't going according to her plan and there was her attraction to Will, add her feelings to him that range from something she can't quite express and their rivalry all these years, also the fact they slept a few times before he left town and the fact that he is everything she doesn't want or search for in a man.

I have to admit I was just a little sorry for the poor girl. As for Will- well I loved him from the first time I met him in Only with You, so it was nice to see him finally getting what he wanted all these years (even if he had to be patient and work hard for it. Frankly I just wanted him to be happy)

And though I didn't much liked Brynn in Only with You (I didn't have much of an opnion of her- because while I understood her I didn't like some of her attitude toward Sophie) she did warm up on me while I read Made for You. 

In the end I think Brynn and Will really did fit each other. My only problem is that even though there were fun moments and it was written with Lauren Layne trademark it still wasn't as good as her Stiletto series or even her Redmption series. Which is completley understandable as this series is actually her first (even though not her first published). Still, I know what Lauren Layne is capable off and my rating is in accordance, 

This is still a recommanded, good, funny, light and fun read with  characters to love. It's just not her best. 

A review copy was kindly provided  by Forever Grand Centeral Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you. 

Lauren Layne Party, part 8- Only with You by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne

Date published: 29 July 2014

Publisher: Forever

Series: The Best Mistake 1

Pages: 260 pages.

Rating: 4 stars!

Buy on: Amazon

Love is the Biggest Gamble of All . . . 

Cocktail waitress Sophie Dalton doesn't exactly have a life plan. She's perfectly happy being everyone's favorite party girl. But when a Las Vegas bachelorette party goes awry and an uptight businessman mistakes Sophie for a prostitute . . . well, Sophie wonders if it's time to reevaluate her priorities. Swearing off her thigh-high boots for good, Sophie slinks back home with damaged pride-and a jackpot of a hangover.

Yet what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there. On a trip to Seattle to open a new office, Grayson Wyatt meets his latest employee-who turns out to be the same woman he recently called a hooker. Wealthy and gorgeous, Gray is a man used to getting what he wants. And it doesn't take long to figure out that smart, sassy, sexy Sophie is everything he's been looking for. As their late nights at the office turn into hot morning-afters, they realize their Vegas misunderstanding may lead to the real thing . . .

Review:

A little fun fact about this book- while not being Lauren Layne's first published book it is actually her first written book. 

She- Sophie Dalton, a party girl, cocktail waitress, friendly, fun & easy going. 

Sophie was happy with her life, mostly. With no ambitions she likes being who she was even if it didn't feel her perfect family. However, being mistaken to a call girl while being in a bachelorette party in Las Vegas makes her rethink the way she managed her life so far.

Now she is hell-bent on becoming a proper and responsible adult. Too bad the way to do it is while working as secretary to the jerk who thought her a call-girl.

He- Grayson Wyatt, a responsible, proper self-made business man. He is all business and no fun, He barely knows how to smile(!). This guy is so serious and analytical you'll think a sun-flower like Sophie will wilt at his presence.

From the first moment he sees her Grayson feels the sizzling attraction, However, Sophie is hardly what he wants in a woman. He sister is a better choice- too bad there is just no chemistry there!

 Who thought she might be able to help the desert become less empty?

Grayson and Sophie make and odd pair. 

It is no secret I love Lauren Layne's books ever since I discovered her in October, 2013 I loved every single book I read by her.

She has this magic to write likeable characters that are deep, mostly. She knows how to pair them even when it seems a little far-fetched she makes it work.  Moreover, by the time the story ends I KNOW with absolute certainty that these two protagonists are meant to be and that they will be good to each other and together.

This is exactly why this book is the one I like the least. While both characters were well developed and their chemistry was good it did not match what I have grown accustomed to from Lauren Layne.

I'm not sure why but at the end of the book I still had my doubts regarding Sophie and Grayson. I felt as if they didn’t have much time together as much as they had time arguing. They didn't start as friends and then he was dating her sister, then she became his employ and while she did a great job at that I felt somewhat as if they were too busy fighting rather than getting together. Then they finally got together but before I knew it they broke up…until the big happy moment in the end. So while they knew each other well I felt as if their chemistry as a couple needed some more development.

I liked the side characters as always. And you shouldn't feel weird about him dating her sister at the beginning because quite fast it is obvious that nothing is going to come out of it- from both parties.

I liked it, really liked it. But here Lauren Layne wasn't at the top of her game. Just to make you understand- this book written by Lauren Layne deserves 3 stars on her scale. On every other scale it is 4 stars. This is why I gave it the 4 stars it deserves objectively, in my humble opinion. 

A review copy was kindly provided  by Forever Grand Centeral Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you. 

Lauren Layne Party, part 7- Crushed by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne

Date published: 14 April 2015

Publisher: Flirt/Loveswept

Series: Redemption 2

Pages: 240 pages.

Rating: 5 stars!

Buy on:, Amazon

Lauren Layne’s latest novel about the healing power of redemption tells the story of a crush gone wickedly wrong, proving that what you want isn’t always what you need.

Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas. Once in the Lone Star State, Michael meets Kristin Bellamy, who is exquisitely refined and everything Michael always thought he wanted in a woman. The only problem is that Kristin is dating Michael’s new half brother, Devon.

Kristin’s mouthy, curvy sister Chloe has always been in love with Devon Patterson. So when Michael offers to help Chloe break up Devon and Kristin, Chloe agrees to a deal that seems too good to be true. Before long, Chloe finally gets her man, only to make a startling discovery: She no longer wants the guy she had to fight for—she wants the one who stood by her side.

After all he and Chloe have been through, Michael swears he’s damaged goods. Can Chloe convince him that love is worth the risk?

Review

She- Chloe Bellamy, curvy, a little overweight, curly messy wild brunette hair with some red and blonde in it and big blue eyes. Chloe has a big sarcastic mouth, she's funny, friendly and compassionate. Really, I loved the girl at first sentence. She's smart, practical, warm. 

“Cute,” the girl says, gesturing between Kristin and me. “If you two copulate, I’m calling Pampers to tell them I know where their next baby model is coming from.”

Really, I highlighted most of the things she said or Michael thought about her. 

“I know, I know,” the other girl says in a weary voice, tilting the M& M’s bag to her mouth and munching the last of the candies. “I’m the pretty one. Don’t tell Kristin; she’s sick of hearing it.”

He- Michael St. Clair. He was born for greatness with the world at his feet, he could have anyone (except the girl he really wanted,Wanting hert made him ruin his friendship with his two best friends). Now, he works as a tennis tutor and a personal trainer somewhere close to Dallas, Texas.

My tennis skills aren’t why I was hired, and I damn well know it. Growing up on the Upper East Side of New York taught me early that women of the idle rich class get bored easily. A boredom they often ease by taking up with men other than their husbands.

Sleeping with married cougars and planning coldly to get to someone. Why? Because it turns out his life is more soap opera than you think. So playing the uncaring bad boy really fits him now,

Her curvy figure isn’t fashionable… not in places like this, where celery sticks qualify as dinner. But she’s smart about it; she’s joking about her weight before the rest of them can.

You see, Chloe is in love with her sister's boyfriend, Devon.

The thing is, I loved him before everyone else did. I loved Devon Petterson back before he was cool.

Most days Chloe is OK with who she is, but she has some self esteem issues and she knows that the guy she loved doesn't even see her like.

He doesn’t know that the bold preteen he once knew who pretended she didn’t care what other people thought of her is having a harder and harder time holding on to that illusion.

So, Michael offers Chloe help- he will help her get fit (not thin or skinny but fit, healthy). He will help her get Devon. And no...He's not doing that because he is a nice guy.

Slowly, they struck a friendship. For Michael different is the best word to describe Chloe, though he doesn't see it as a good thing.

They learn more about each other and Michael helps Chloe get over her insecurities. But then comes the ultimate question- when Kristin and Devon breaks-up will Devon notice Chloe? Will he see her for the funny, smart, kind and amazing person that she is and not just for the bombshell she became? and more importantly- will she want him knowing the answer to these questions?

I really do think Chloe is unique, she is special I have yet to encounter someone so warm and kind she stood by people even when they hust her, she kept wearing her feelings on her sleeve. Never staying down for long, she simply refused to.

She breaks through Michael's defenses.

I don't no at what point I got the hots for Chloe Bellamy, but it's starting to get damn inconvenient. 

Chloe calls Michael Beefcake. Yeah, seriously. The girl is damn funny being so honest like that.

Slowly the attraction is building and then a line is almost crossed.

But the real question is not about Chloe, it's about Michael- can he get over his bullshit and take control over his life? Can he fall in love again? Can he avoid the pain he felt over being the second choice? being the No-Choice? Can he take a chance on a girl he knows is worth it? Can he not screw up?

And then, before I’m quite prepared for it, she reaches down for the hem of that bulky white cover-up and tugs upward, pulling it up and over her head until she’s standing there in that damn red, white, and blue bikini. For just a second, my vision goes blurry and my mouth goes dry. Chloe is… luscious. There’s no other word for the way her full breasts strain the blue-and-white-starred top, or the way her waist nips in, or the full curve of hips.
Then she takes Scott’s hand and lets him lead her down toward the dock, and Devon and I get an eyeful of a red-and-white-striped bikini bottom that doesn’t quite cover the white globes of her rather amazing ass.

You see, at some point Chloe throws it all at Michael. All her feelings as genuine as they are

 “I love you best. More than I love anyone. More than you’ve ever been loved.”

Damn.

Here is the thing. I'm a huge Lauren Layne fan, I have so much love for this author she's one of those I auto buy even before I know the name of the book.

Because, you see, her writing style, her plot, her characters they work for perfectly for me. I admit, they have their down sides, there are things to be considered, things that could get better. 

I know Lauren's plots are not original- that never worried me because she makes them her own. She owns their ass! and I know her books sometimes could border on a soap opera in their plot sometimes (like this book with Michael's family and Chloe's love life), but these books are funny and they don't take themselves too seriously that I really couldn't care less for anything but the fact that they are perfect for me. 

In this one I did feel the friendship between Chloe and Michael, but I felt just a little of the attraction. There wasn't enough sweet intimate moments to build it. And as for the love- while I could believe they were in love, I couldn't quite believe they felt that strongly towards each other. 

I needed more of them as a couple to believe in that and it just wasn't there. 

This book is still amazing because my love for the characters knows no boundaries, and I know Chloe and Michael fit each other well...even Perfectly. After all, Michael made her feel good even before she became a swan, and she made him open up. 

But I wanted more of them together as lovers, because their transition was way too messy.

Still there is just so much lurve! 

You know what else? These books do have some message to them- It Isn't She Lovely it was about grief and accepting yourself- who you are in your personality against what society expects. In Broken it was about the ghosts that hunts us, the deeds we did and how they make us who we are but also about forgiveness- to others and to yourself. In crushed it's about accepting youself for how you look, never changing for anyone...if you want to change, then change for yourself...it was about accepting other people ghosts and actions and find yourself through the mess. Taking control over you life. 

So yeah, there is always so much to love about Lauren Layne's books. Her characters are genuine and likeable, their problems are real their relationship development is real. 

This is the last Redemption novel. I'm sad to part ways with such a good series. But Lauren Layne will write more books, and I'll read them too, I'll enjoy the fluff fest!

"I don’t want the guy who wanted the swan. I want the guy who wanted the duckling.”


Lauren, thank you, don't ever stop, just keep getting better 

An ARC was kindly provided by LoveSwept through NetGalley. I couldn't be thankful enough. 

Lauren Layne Party, part 6 - Broken by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne

Date published: 2 September 2014

Publisher: Flirt/Loveswept

Series: Redemption 1

Pages: 252 pages.

Rating: 5 stars!

Buy on:  Amazon

Lauren Layne’s New Adult novel tells the story of a girl with secrets, a guy with scars, and a love that could save them both... or destroy them.

When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.

Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.

Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?

Review:

She- Olivia Middleton, the beautiful girl that was born to fortune. Olivia comes from a nouveux-riche family, she's kind, ambitious and always played the role people expected her to. 

After cheating on her boyfriend, Ethan, with his best friend, Olivia feels bad. Seeing Ethan moving on with the cute Stephanie doesn't make it any easy. Olivia can't help but wonder what was it that made her cheat on Ethan? Is she a bad person now? And will this bad seed be there forever?

Hell-bent on redeeming herself, Olivia takes a job a a caretaker for some solider in a lonely town. 

Olivia is sure what she'll see is some lonely, old man. But what she actually sees is a whole lot different.

He- Paul Lnagdon, veteran, solider, wounded hero with guilt eating at him. Paul has scars on his face and a wounded leg. He's sulky, dark and angry at the world but even more at himself.

What we have here is very similar to a retelling of Beauty & The Beast. Only the Beauty needs just as much saving. Paul was being an ass to Olivia for big portion of the book- and considering what he went through you can't really blame him. Also, Olivia wants him to act like that- thinking she deserves it. But make no mistake, Olivia is the last person to forgive and forget. Everything Paul throws at her she throws right back at him- wound for wound, smile for smile. She refuses to take crape from anyone.

I loved the fact that Olivia wasn't the Mean Girl. She wasn't that in Isn't She Lovely and she wasn't that here- but here we learned why she cheated Ethan, we saw her making penance.

"I want to fix the part of me that cheated on the boy I loved. I want the part of me that could betray someone I care about more than anyone. But what of he's right and we aren't Fixable?"

And we saw something even more beautiful- we saw her and Paul heal each other. She makes Paul realize he cannot waste his life no matter how guilty he feels for being alive, and he makes her realize that making a mistake does not a monster make her.

“Olivia hasn’t just taught me how to love. She’s done something much bigger. She’s taught me how to live.
And I don’t want to do it without her.” 

“I want her. But more than that, I want her to want me.”
I loved them- I loved them both so fucking much it hurt. Although you might think this is a bit dark you don't feel like you just got on an angsty ride for this journey is full of hope, laugh and light. 

“You’re one messed-up piece of work.” 
“Yeah, but you’re starting to worry that you might like me,” I say confidently. “Considering I also give you a boner, shit’s gonna get reaaaaal complicated here in the next few months.” 

Lauren Layne- I am forever your devoted fan(!)

An ARC was provided by LoveSwept in exchange for an honest review. Thank You!

Lauren Layne Party, part 5- Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne

Date published: 28 October 2013

Publisher: Flirt/Loveswept

Series: Redemption 0.5

Pages: 288 pages.

Rating: 5 stars!

Buy on:  Amazon

"The rules are clear—until they're broken. Lauren Layne puts a New Adult spin on Pygmalion, also the inspiration for Pretty Woman, and gives the classic love story its edgiest twist yet.

"Who knew that pretending you're not falling for someone would be so much more difficult than pretending that you are?"

Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund... or does he?

As the summer scene kicks off in the Hamptons, Ethan is desperate to make his snobbish mother forget the pedigreed girl who broke his heart. While Stephanie's a stretch as a decoy, the right makeover and a pastel cardigan just might do the trick. She may not love the idea of playing Ethan's brainless Barbie girlfriend, but the free rent and luxurious digs make a tempting offer. So does the promise of a ready-made screenplay idea inspired by their charade.

But when Stephanie steps into Ethan's privileged world, the "acting" begins to feel all too real. The kissing and touching that were intended to fool the Hamptons crowd wind up manipulating "them." And Stephanie faces a question she's too afraid to ask: Is Ethan falling for the real her or for the dolled-up princess he wants to see?"

Review:

This is a new adult book. And I love it. I have a confession to make I haven't read many NA books. I think I have under my belt Beautiful Disaster,Walking Disaster and Lick. Out of all of them, I loved only the last.

The Disaster books were exactly as their name implies Disaster with a capital D, yeah. 

That whole singing scene in the cafeteria scared me for life. Not to mention the whole Cavemen attitude is far from sexy. 

But here, oh, here, we have a fantastic NA. Something rare. I also understand why it happened but I'll explain later on. 

This story is about two people in college, the exact opposites, they don't move in the same social circles and now they have to work together on a project for some class.

The idea they come up with is quite simple- like Pretty Woman and My Fair Lady- they are going to do a makeover. It doesn't matter that Ethan actually needs it so his family would leave him alone. Or that it's time for Stephanie to wake up.

“In no ecosystem should we even be acknowledging each other’s existence.” 

So, she is Stephanie (AKA: Goth Girl) known as a total badass. She used to play with the best of them, and she was world class at the top of her game. A champion of her time. 

However,  a series of unfortunate events forced her to grow-up and face the hard reality. Between growing up and rebelling one might say she got just a little bit confused on the way- she is herself but maybe not completely herself. You see, as much as she doesn't want to think about it she might have gone from one role she played to another. 

He is Ethan, the good guy. I have no other way to describe him. Don't misunderstand, he delicious(!) but he's good- jock, smart, golden guy. Even when he rebels he does it in such a conventional way.

Our boy here needs to face the fact that his life became just a bit of a country song. Only he finds it a bit hard to accept. Needing to save face he thinks of the best of ways- and hey, a beautiful badass brunette with the biggest bluest eyes and a double Ds is not such a bad idea to help him save his pretty face from the humiliation he thinks he should be feeling.

“And here’s what you don’t learn in Film 101…in real life? The meet-cute isn’t the least bit cute. It’s more like a meet-awkward. Sometimes even a meet-shoot-me-now.”

So  Stephanie, the Goth, is going through a makeover so she could fit in the Ethan's preppy family setting. So far so good. But as the story progress we learn more about them. About what the Stephanie went through, which is not very out of the ordinary and her response is only human, we see her growing up into her skin. We see Ethan learning to accept the fact that his dreams to take over the family business, though guided by his family, are still his and what he wants.

Furthermore, we see how despite their supposed difference they are very alike, they complete one another. Each teaches the other about the things missing. 

“Some guys have a thing for cheerleaders,” he says, his voice easy. I roll my eyes as I start tossing socks into the bag. 
“Let me guess. You want to know if I still have my old uniform.” He sets the picture back on the nightstand and moves toward the door. “Nah. Not my thing. But I think I could develop a thing for girls in combat boots.” I spin around in surprise, wanting to see his face, wanting to know if he means what I think he means. But he’s already gone.” 

I'm not sure how to explain it so well, but I'll try. You see, the reason why this book is so damn good, in comparison to the genre, is because Lauren Layne is not a New Adult author. She is a chick lit author. Which means from start she is capable of avoiding the most annoying things in the NA genre. 

What do I mean? Great you asked.

Many NA books consist of a tattooed guy that was in prison or is fighting a lot. One who acts like a caveman, a Neanderthal. He's tattooed, he's danger, he has a tragic past, a responsibility to take care of something. He's a man-whore, a player, a fighter, a possessive jerk that treats women with disrespect. Because they are stupid whores who want to get in his pants and that's all they are good for, actually. Well, beside the MC of course. Because the MC is so fucking special that she too needs to deal with a troubled past, something so very dramatic it's a miracle she's still capable of breathing, not to mention talking and walking (she is however incapable of thinking most of the times). Most NA books are about stupid meets stupid and they fall in love, thus being even more stupid together (And god helps us with the children they gonna have).

Chick lit book are, mostly, nothing like that. Why? Because I'm sorry to tell you ladies (those of you that haven't figured it out yet) but a guy who treats you like his property, a guy who is not reliable and emotionally strong, is not a guy that you would want to date on real life. Yes, it's a fantasy, a great one for some, but if a guy approached you on the street, picked you up and slanged you over his shoulder telling you the two of you were meant to be, odds are you'll castrate him and run as fast as you can to the nearest police station.

I know we want our man to be The Man- we want him strong, reliable and powerful. But I think somewhere along the way it got confused with the tattooed criminal. For some unknown reason, perhaps in a desperate try to describe a masculine modern male version, we went ahead and chose jerk instead. Because it is just so much easier to portray a man if he is a jerk- his maleness probably will not be in jeopardy then. However, I don't think that's true because-

A girl dreams of dating the bad boy, but she marries the good guy. 

Lauren Layne knows it, which is why Ethan is the good guy. Even if he likes Stephanie he understands she has two feet of her own to stand on, thank you very much. She's capable of making her own choices, and he's not allowed to act like a caveman about it. He respects boundaries. He respects her as a human being. And guess what? That doesn't make him any less of a man. That makes him Sexy & Hot. 

“I look like the troubled girl parents warn their kids away from, and Ethan looks like the homecoming king.” 

Because of all this, Isn't She Lovely reads more like a chick lit with the MCs being in college. No slut shaming, no stupidity, no overly tragic past, no "us against the world" [who invented that stupid saying, I wonder?]. the adults might have disappointed you, but guess what? They are human!!

And still, we have the 'growing up' thing, the 'understanding sometimes things don't go the way you wanted them to' thing, the 'coming out of your shell and finding you center' thing. 

I can only tell you that, once I finished this book I checked what other books Lauren Layne wrote. And I read her first book, After the Kiss. 

A review copy was kindly provided by Flirt in exchange for an honest review 

Lauren Layne Party, part 4- The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne (review by Sharon)

Author: Lauren Layne
Date published: 3 March 2015
Publisher: Loveswept
Series: Sex, Love & Stiletto book 4
Pages: 240 pages.
Rating: 5 stars!
Buy on:  Amazon

As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.
 
As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar. 
 
After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Review:

After a lot of wondering, begging and hoping we finally got Emma's and Cassidy's story. It was Totally worth it. 

I have to admit this one was a bit other the top in regard to their history but I believed it and it could have been even more over the top, but it wasn't. 

She- Emma Sinclair, the perfect southern belle with Bambi eyes and every damn hair it her place. If grace wat total elegant then Emma is the complete Iceberg that will never be moved (she wasn't always like that). 

This is an agent with a lot of expertise in the field. Emma is the queen of heartbreak. She knows all about it. 

Hell, Emma knows that for every woman that walks happily down the isle with her knight in shinning armor there is a woman with a broken heart. 

Unlike her friends, this agent is a tough nut, unwilling to play fetch. 

Emma herself sometimes worried that she was partially dead inside.

He- Alex Cassidy. A guy full of ambitions, at his young age he is at the top of the Love Agency, running the Oxford Branch. 

Alex is professinal and perceptive. He si willing enough to play fetch but only with a willing partner that will answer his questions. 

However, ambition can't cover for experience. And so both agents are outplayed and outwitted by the big M, the woman running the Stiletto Branch- Camille

Camille is a one woman determined to see these two together, even if she has to resort to some push, shove and tricking. 

Camille was one of those scary women who had made her way to the top of the food chain by having steel ovaries and a penchant for making people cry. [From After the Kiss]

At her request the two find themeselves working together when Alex is forced to run both branches for a short time. 

Slowly the ice queen & king are forced revisit their past. But when they learn from past mistakes and ckear some misunderstanding- will they be able to trust each other again? 

Alex was surprised by how much her disinterest bothered him. Just once, he wanted her to get riled. Just once he wanted to know how she felt… if she felt.

Can they melt the ice and fix the broken hearts?

“Damn,” Alex muttered. “I guess I thought it was odd, but I thought it was just a fleeting thing. What kind of woman leaves a stable relationship because of sexy eye contact with a stranger?” “The smart ones,” Emma said, tapping her fingernails against her glass. “Trust me, you have no idea how rare it is to feel that kind of tug toward another person.”

There was way more to Alex's and Emma's story than I thought there would be- I had my guesses. But this was surprsing.

But that wasn’t what was eating at him. What burned at the corners of his consciousness was the realization that this could have been their path. Would have been their path had they not been two foolish kids who’d let pride and secrets rip them apart.

 At some point I wasn't sure if all these waters can actually fit under the bridge. But Lauren Layne did it- she once again proved she is a wonderfull and talented Romance Author. 

“You want to know what I remember," he said quietly, his fingers fiddling with his cuffs as he rolled the sleeves up to his elbow, his eyes locked on the view before them.
She nodded.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and dipped his head just slightly, glancing at the floor before lifting it and staring out at the night sky.
"I remember everything.” 

Her Writing is getting better, the banter fits the characters well and she is not afraid to take risks. All the while keeping it real. 

I don't how but she manage to creat such likeable characters full of flaws. Each is unique and each couple has their own chemistry. 

This is the final book in the stiletto series, but do not worry we are going on a new journey behind enemy lines as Lauren Layne's next series is about the Oxford Men!!! 

Are you as excited as me? 

An ARC was provided by Loveswept in exchange for an honest review. Thank You!