To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

I have to admit, I didn't really like the movie You've Got Mail and I was a little squicked by the "To Sir" aspect but I like Lauren Layne a lot and decided to trust the story. I'm glad I did. The romance was probably a three but Gracie's growth and character development were a five. She really grows from following someone else's dreams to figuring out her own. And it's not because she's forced to but because she makes that choice for herself. Sebastian is okay but ends up being the sort of bland Disney prince that Gracie has wanted for her whole life.

Gracie Cooper is running the family business, keeping her father's dream alive. But now she's getting letters from the V. Andrews corporation asking her to give up their rental agreement. But why would she agree to that when she might just start breaking even soon? Besides, it's not like she's got anything going on in her personal life. Except an intriguing guy on this new app that allows for conversation only, no pictures.

Because this book is first-person narration for one character (with some text messages), we really do miss a lot of what is going on in Sebastian's mind. If Gracie hadn't had such growth, I might have minded more but overall my love of character development weighed more in rating this book.

Four stars

This book comes out June 29th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books

Opinions are my own

Yours to Keep by Lauren Layne

In a loose crossover between two series, Carter Ramsey, an injured pro-baseballer, is tricked into coming home by his very pregnant twin sister. Well, not exactly tricked. More like an irresistible bribe is dangled in front of his nose; his high school sweetheart is coming to town. She was his first love, the one with whom he made a pact to get married if they were both single at their ten year reunion. And that's why his sister wants him to come home. He is a big star and having him at their reunion will guarantee her success as a co-chair.
The other co-chair, Olive Dunn, is not as excited that Carter is back. She prizes her solitude and he's moved in to the house next door. He recognizes her right away (they were lab partners in senior year chemistry after all) much to her chagrin. She was sort of hoping she had transformed into an amazing swan. But overall, Olive is very happy with who she is. And it's that confidence is part of what draws Carter into wondering whether the first love is the best love after all.
Light humor enmeshed with an unexpected romance made this a fun read. The epilogue didn't need to be there and there were some spots that made me cringe a bit but overall a fun read with a great heroine.

Three stars
Follows Yours in Scandal
This book comes out Sepember 1st
ARC kindly provided by Montlake Romance and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Yours In Scandal by Lauren Layne

After eight years, Robert Davenport has to step aside from being the mayor of New York City, a job he has loved. The next logical step (at least as far as what his advisers are telling him) is to run for governor. But the man who is currently governor will be hard to unseat. But the man does have an Achilles heel; his daughter was a wild child and her name was splashed across the gossip columns for a long time. Five years ago, she abruptly disappeared. Robert's team has tracked her down and think that she might be convinced to release some of her father's secrets.
Adeline Blake changed her name, changed her hair color, and dropped out of sight. She did not have an easy childhood living with a man who was so dedicated to appearing like the perfect candidate to the world while living a completely different life behind the scenes. She just wants to plan events and stay out from under the microscope of public opinion. She definitely doesn't want to hop back into the political realm that burned her before. Working with Robert is starting to teach her that maybe not every politician is the same.
It's definitely smart to release a book about politics in the 2020 election cycle, especially with a politician everyone can connect to. Except I never really connected to either Robert or Addie. Even so, I don't think regular Layne readers will be disappointed.

Three stars
This book comes out March 10th
Followed by Yours to Keep
ARC kindly provided by Montlake Romance and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

Audrey Tate and Clarke West have been best friends for decades. All of their friends think there is  something more between them but both Audrey and Clarke know that there isn't. Although they have been engaged to each other at various points, usually to make their parents back off. This time, it's a little different. Audrey is in the news. As an influencer, that's not necessarily a bad thing except that her most recent boyfriend has spilled the fact that she was dating a married man. A married man who is now dead but he was also pretty prominent. He was also married to a woman who is now one of Audrey's dearest friends and Audrey doesn't want her to be hurt any more either. So Audrey and Clarke pretend to be engaged to get the mean gossip off her tail.
Then... the fake relationship starts to lead to a real relationship. At least physically. But will they find true love?
I loved most of this book. The ending did not seem like Audrey and Clarke though. Between the two of them there had been low drama. And the ending was not that.

Four stars
This book comes out January 28th
Follows Love on Lexington Avenue
ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne

Claire appreciates her two newest friends, even if she found them last year because her husband died and his mistresses also skipped his funeral. That day, they made a pact to help each other spot another man who was like Brayden Hayes.
A year later, Claire is tired of her life. It's just so... vanilla (though, as one of her friends points out, vanilla is a pretty good flavor.) She decides that refreshing the interior of her brownhouse is the way to go. And we know from the last book in the series that Scott Turner, contractor extraordinaire, is looking for a new project, one that's a little more intimate than creating a huge building for vast amounts of money. Too bad it's probably some bored New York housewife with more money than sense. And he believes that at first... but then he gets to know Claire. And he agrees to be her wingman. Except the odd feeling of jealousy suddenly pops up.
A little deeper than the most fast, fun, and fluffy novels but still an easy and breezy read.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 17th, 2019
Followed by Marriage on Madison Avenue
Book from library
Opinions are my own

Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne

Naomi wasn't especially attached to Brayden Hayes, her lover of three months, but she didn't want to learn that he had a wife. Especially not from his obituary. But at least something good has come from his useless life, she made two new friends in the form of his widow and his mistress. The three make a pact to help each other recognize if any of them are getting into a relationship with another man like Brayden.
Naomi is also juggling dealing with an applicatino her mother put in for an apartment two weeks before she died. It's in the apartment building on the Upper East side that Naomi and her mom lived in for less than a year while her mom was a live-in house keeper. Her mother was also shtupping the man of the house. Something Naomi discovered with the man's son, Oliver, one day they came home early. And Oliver denied when his mother accused Naomi's of coming on to her husband. Naomi and her mother were out of the home the next day and her mother never recovered. Neither did Naomi. So why is she thinking of moving into the place? Just because she's now the owner of a billion dollar company and wants to prove how far she's come? Or maybe confront the man who helped her mother get to that place? Or at least his disturbingly hot now grown-up and much better human being son?
I liked that Naomi was willing to forgive. It was a process and it showed that she was a grown up. I didn't love the denouement - it could have played out a little less insta-judge-y on Oliver's part but he got over it quickly.

Four stars
This book came out May 28th, 2019
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Hard Sell by Lauren Layne

Both Sabrina and Matt were in the first book of the series. They have a somewhat contentious relationship. Only it's not just somewhat, it's just contentious. We learn in this book that that has also included some naked time but that doesn't prevent the animosity. But Matt needs Sabrina's help. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal as a hard partier and it is tanking his reputation, taking him to the brink of being fired. Sabrina would be a safe bet as a fake girlfriend, making him look good, but she won't actually fall in love with him. Probably. Except that this is a romance so...
Layne is one of the few authors whose first person narration doesn't set my teeth on edge. I haven't quite figured out why that is but maybe it's because the narrators are so adult (about most things, there was a little too much "I love him but he can't love me" and vice versa). They talk about their pasts frankly and (mostly) deal with it.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series when we finally get to see Kate and Kennedy figure it out.

Four stars
This book came out September 4
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne

Lara McKenzie has one goal in life. She wants to work for the FBI putting white collar criminals away. And the SEC is a stepping stone to get there. If she can get one big case, she's guaranteed entry.
Ian Bradley made a killing on a stock that everyone else lost their shirts on. Lara's boss has a tip that it's because of insider trading. Just because the man is super-hot doesn't mean that Lara is going to fall under his spell like so many other women.
This was an okay start to a new series. I didn't love that Lara and Ian were supposedly falling in love during such a stressful situation. We didn't get to see much of the relationship.

Three stars
This book comes out May 22
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

To Love and to Cherish by Lauren Layne

Oof. After the last book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this one. But it was everything I had hoped for Alexis and Logan. Didn't love the ending but the rest of the book... le sigh.
Alexis Morgan met Logan eight years ago when he invested in her elite wedding planning business, the Wedding Belles. Since then, she's come to rely on his friendship. Meanwhile, Logan has been waiting patiently for her to realize that they are meant to be together. But his timeline is suddenly contracted when his father calls to tell Logan that he is retiring three years before Logan thought he would. Both his father and mother would like him to move back to London and take over the family business.
Meanwhile, Alexis' family has some news for her. Her sister is pregnant by her boyfriend of nearly 10 years. The boyfriend being the man that Alexis thought she was going to marry until she saw them fall in love, breaking Alexis' heart. They did the right thing, waiting a year after Alexis and Adam broke up and then talking to her first, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Now Alexis is flying down to Florida for the wedding. And her friends know the perfect way to help her get through this hard time; send Logan down to be her pretend boyfriend.
The "pretend we're in a relationship" trope is not one of my favorites, but it's not my least favorite and I'm glad that Alexis and Logan got their HEA.

Four stars
This book comes out October 18
Follows For Better or Worse

For Better or Worse by Lauren Layne

I feel bad because I generally liked the first book in this series, but I just could NOT get into this one. I never warmed to Heather and Josh... oofta. Yeah. I get that he had a scrape with death but to me, he was less of a survivor and more using it as an excuse to be an asshole.
Two and a half stars. I rounded up for Goodreads because I have warm fuzzies from the first book and I'm still looking forward to Heather's boss and her accountant finally getting together.
Heather is working to become a full wedding planner for the elite Wedding Belles company. She has just booked her first major client but is having problems not only because her client isn't acting very... bridal but also because the man next door seems to be up all hours of the night playing music with his band.
A few years ago, Josh was making the big bucks on Wall Street and living the hard life. But then, everything changed. Now he's trying to take time to smell the roses... and he thinks Heather should too. Can these two disparate people ever hope to find love?

Two and a half stars
This book comes out August 30
Follows To Have and To Hold
Followed by To Love and Cherish

To Have and to Hold by Lauren Layne

Brooke is a wedding planner whose own wedding got canceled when the FBI showed up to take her husband-to-be away in handcuffs for putting together some Ponzi schemes.
Seth is a multi-billionaire hotel owner whose girlfriend told him he was a mean and heartless jerk and now he has no feels. Except that's only because he actually has all the feels. Or so we are told.
Their paths cross when Seth's little sister wants to get married to a guy she's been dating for three months. And, newly crossed the country, Brooke is their bridal consultant. But Seth wants input since a) he'll be paying for the wedding and b) he's never even met the guy.
This book was the low end of three stars for me. Brooke was kind of a wimp and Seth was really, really domineering which was a sticking point for both his sister and Brooke but it was never resolved. He was still the same asshat that he was in the beginning. Which is fine if other people come to terms with it but Brooke didn't. Not really. And to have him do a big gesture six weeks after they essentially broke up and they're immediately moving in? It just doesn't seem like an HEA, more like a happily-for-the-next-six-months.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out July 26
Followed by For Better or Worse

From This Day Forward by Lauren Layne

I don't generally love novellas since it's so hard to get to know the characters but this one wasn't bad.  I felt that Layne set up a nice back story for Leah and Jason so it wasn't a case of insta-love. The fact that if the two had just talked to each other they wouldn't have been so miserable for a year was annoying but they did come to that realization at the end. There was also some nice world building for the Wedding Belles series.
Leah McHale and Jason Rhodes are both photographers that have been asked to fill in for a high profile wedding at the last minute. Jason doesn't mind at all since he's been thinking about Leah ever since she ran away from their budding relationship but Leah isn't happy at all. In fact, their first meeting ends when she tosses a glass of water into his lap. But the two will have to work through their feelings and get over their knee-jerk middle school reactions to come together and create magical pictures for this important function. And maybe find their way back to each other.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 6