SYNOPSIS

A sexy agent hounds Wall Street’s hottest new wolf in an exhilarating novel from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne.

Ian Bradley is the definition of a Wall Street hotshot: seven-figure salary, designer suits, and a corner office. His drive off the floor is just as potent. Every woman who knows him has felt the rush. But now he’s met his match in Lara McKenzie—a woman with the power to bring Ian to his knees.

An ambitious, whip-smart daughter of FBI agents, Lara is a rising star in fighting white-collar crime. Her latest case—the investigation of Ian Bradley for insider trading—could make her career. She knows a scoundrel when she sees one. Ian fits the bill: a cocky, ridiculously handsome bad boy with a slick swagger.

She’ll do anything to prove he’s guilty. He’ll do anything to prove he’s not. But it’s only a matter of time before their fierce battle of wits gets oh so hot and personal. Now, taking down Ian has become more than business for Lara. It’s become a pleasure—and there’s more at risk than she ever dreamed.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****FOUR STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}

”HOT ASSET” is the first installment of Lauren Layne’s ”21 Wall Street” series and it’s looking like this is going to be another huge hit for this talented author. Each book focuses on a different ”Wolfe of Wall Street”. They are three of the hottest and devilishly handsome investment bankers in New York City. They are notorious players but from what I can tell they each have a woman in their lives that pushes their buttons and we are in for some yummy ”enemies to lovers”romances.

Ian Bradley is a self-made millionaire. He owes his success to hard work and determination. Nothing came easily to him in life. To the outside world, he may seem like an overindulgent douche but the few people who really know him can honestly say that he’s one of the good ones. He is, however, notorious for his reputation as being a “player”. Ian has never slept with any woman more than once and that’s because he’s never felt a connection to anyone before. The moment he meets Lara McKenzie, Ian knows he’s in big trouble. He’s inexplicably drawn to her and unfortunately for Ian, Lara is an SEC investigator assigned to find incriminating evidence to prove that he’s guilty of insider trading.

The two spend most of the story at odds with each other since Lara’s mission is to convict Ian of a crime he didn’t commit. It would seem virtually impossible for these two to become romantically involved but this wouldn’t be a good romance if they didn’t end up falling in love. The problem is, Lara is determined to get a conviction because it’s guaranteed to get her promoted to an FBI agent. Love can’t come first for Lara since her career is her main focus.

Can Lara follow through on her investigation when the future of the man she’s in love with is in jeopardy? Will she really be able to choose her career over her happiness?

Here are my overall ratings

Hero: 4
Heroine: 4
Plot: 4
Angst: 4
Steam: 4
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 5

HOT ASSET is currently available.

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SYNOPSIS

For one charming playboy, getting cast on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime—until he finds love where he least expects it. And now the chase is on!

Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****FIVE STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}

I’ve had my fair share of kisses in my life, with a lot of decent ones, I’d thought at the time, but kissing Gage is on a whole other level. The man knows what he’s doing because I feel like the only woman in the world—the only woman in his world.

This is why I will always be a die-hard Lauren Layne fan! So far she has knocked it out of the park with this series!! RUNAWAY GROOM was a funny, sexy, and fabulous good time! The I DO, I DON’T series has been amazing so far. Definitely going on the list of one of my top fave Lauren Layne series. I simply can’t wait for the next installment!

Gage Barrett is Hollywood’s hottest leading man and due to losing a bet with one of his buddies, he finds himself being the latest star of a reality show called JILTED which is very similar to “The Bachelor”. The only difference is when the show ends, he will wind up being married to the winning contestant. This is the last thing he wants to be associated with but there is a tiny piece of him that is curious to see if the show will help him find his true love. Gage had his heart broken in the worst way by the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. She couldn’t handle everything that came with his fame so she ended up settling down with a regular guy—his brother!

Ellie Wright is not the least bit happy about being one of the contestants on the show. She only agreed to be a contestant in order to help advertise her women’s t-shirt clothing line that she runs with her best friend. The plan was to stay on for an episode or two and then she would end up being one of the many women not chosen to marry Gage. Ellie was sure she wouldn’t make it past round one as there was no way she was going to parade around in skimpy bikinis and dresses to attract a man who was so far out of her league and probably a complete douchebag to boot. BUT from their very first encounter there was no way to deny the incredible chemistry between them.

Their connection only grows stronger as they secretly meet up every night in a supply closet and engage in deep conversations. As Ellie starts to care about Gage she also warns him about the many different contestants who are either mentally unstable or who are planning to use dishonest tactics in order to trap him in a relationship with them. Gage ends up convincing Ellie to stay to help him weed out the bad seeds, but also deep down he’s starting to fall for her and hopes that she will realize that having his love is worth dealing with all of the BS that comes with his fame.

Here are my overall ratings on the book:

Hero: 5
Heroine: 4.5
Plot: 5
Angst: 4
Steam: 5
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 5

RUNAWAY GROOM releases on January 30th!! I highly recommend it!!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lNEuQa

SYNOPSIS

She’s making a list—and checking it twice. But is there a nice guy among all her naughty exes? The New York Times bestselling author of Blurred Lines returns with a charming friends-to-lovers rom-com.

When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.

Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****FIVE STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}

It’s strange. Kissing him feels both wonderfully new and fresh, and yet comfortable and timeless, as though we’ve been doing this –or were meant to have been doing this—forever.

This really is like the song says–”the most wonderful time of the year!” Christmas has always been my favorite holiday going back what seems like a century since I was a little girl. I know most people are annoyed that Christmas decorations, commercials, and movies seem to be coming out way too early these days but I am like a kid in my element when the Christmas movie marathon starts in October on the Hallmark channel. To say that ”AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS” is now one of my top favorite Lauren Layne stories is a HUGE understatement. This story was everything that I love about holiday romances and so much more. It’s like I was given the PERFECT early Christmas gift. This is a whimsical, sexy, angsty and heartwarming tale of two best friends who were always meant to be soul mates.

Kelly Byrne is a third-grade teacher at a posh private school in Manhattan. It’s the start of Christmas vacation and she’s looking forward to going back to her cute little house in upstate New York, to be with her cocker spaniel, Rigby, and her close friends. While waiting for her train to arrive she meets a peculiar woman who seems to have the gift for seeing into the future. The woman tells Kelly that she’s already met the ”love of her life” and that he is coming back to her before Christmas. Most people would view this lady as a mentally disturbed person who escaped Bellevue but the thing about Kelly is that she’s very spiritual, believes in superstitions, and is into astrological horoscopes, and so she takes the woman’s predictions seriously. So for the next two weeks, Kelly’s plan is to get in touch with all of her exes in order to find her one true love.

When she arrives back home in Haven, she rushes to her best friend’s house, who also happens to be her neighbor, in order to pick up her dog, Rigby. Did I mention that her bestie is a drop dead gorgeous guy who is over 6 feet tall and is probably just about every woman’s fantasy? Mark Blakely and Kelly have been the best of friends since their early High School days, and throughout the years their friendship has remained strong and survived the many failed relationships they’ve each had over the past ten years. The moment we meet Mark it is painfully obvious that these two are meant to be and it just seems ridiculous that they haven’t figured this out yet. I was rooting for them to get their act together and to take that leap of faith towards their happily ever after.

It’s becomes clear when Kelly starts her mission to meet up with all of her ex-boyfriends that Mark isn’t the least bit thrilled with her plans and that Kelly has her head so far up her butt that she can’t see that what she’s so desperately searching for has been literally right in front of her face for so very long.

I knew that once the floodgates opened and when feelings were finally revealed that the passion Kelly and Mark have between them would burn white hot and I wasn’t in the least bit disappointed! WHOA!!

The story gets angsty while Kelly stubbornly tries to hold on to her trust in her silly magic 8 balls and “signs” to lead her to true love. But it’s her underlying fear of losing her best friend that seems to be holding her back from taking that scary first step towards her “HEA”.

Here are my overall ratings on the book:

Hero: 5
Heroine: 4.5
Plot: 5
Angst: 4.5
Steam: 5
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 5

AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS is currently available! If there’s only one holiday romance you read, this one should be it!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2AaA1x6
B&N: http://bit.ly/2gLHdXx
Google: http://bit.ly/2wLI1ou
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Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xewIqz