My Thoughts: Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

Marriage on Madison Avenue
(Central Park Pact #3)
by Lauren Layne
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Publication Date: January 28th 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781501191633
Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne, comes the final installment of the Central Park Pact series, a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s perfect for fans of Sally Thorne and Christina Lauren.

Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on, and he knows that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother—announcing he’s already engaged…to Audrey.

But what starts out as a playful game between two best friends turns into something infinitely more complicated, as just-for-show kisses begin to stir up forbidden feelings. As the faux wedding date looms closer, Audrey and Clarke realize that they can never go back to the way things were, but deep down, do they really want to? (Goodreads)

Marriage on Madison Avenue is the third and final book in the Central Park Pact series by Lauren Layne, and was definitely one of my most anticipated reads for this past January. I read the first and second book in the series, Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexington Avenue, when they were released in 2019, and enjoyed both books immensely, so I couldn’t want to start this final novel. It was definitely worth the wait!

Quick recap borrowed from my review of Passion on Park Avenue: In case you haven’t read this series, but are curious, here’s what you should know: The Central Park Pact series is about three women, Naomi, Claire, and Audrey, who meet under the most unusual circumstances. (A man.) Because of this, and unlikely friendship is formed, and a book series begins!

Marriage on Madison Avenue was probably the book in the series that I was MOST excited to read. I love Audrey, and I couldn’t wait to start her part of the story. She’s such a fun character! And there’s also Clarke, who is pretty great as well. Together… well, read the story to find out! I also loved that both Claire and Naomi are included throughout the book as well. These books have such a fun storyline, and great characters, that they quickly became some of my favorite reads.

Reading this book was a little bittersweet. While I was really excited for the story and to see how everything would wrap up, I also didn’t want the book (and series) to end! These books were such fun, but also relatable reads, and I have become seriously attached to the characters. I will definitely have to read more books by Lauren soon!

Overall; Marriage on Madison Avenue was such a great ending to The Central Park Pact series! I very much enjoyed Audrey’s story, and the ending wrapped up the series quite nicely. This series was just the escape that I didn’t know I needed, and has helped fuel a growing love for this genre, and I now need more books like this! I definitely plan to read more books by Lauren Layne in the future, and will definitely be reading more books in this genre as well.

My Thoughts: Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne

Love on Lexington Avenue
(Central Park Pact #2)
by Lauren Layne
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Publication Date: September 17th 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781501191602
Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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A Goodreads Best Romance

“Fans of The Devil Wears Prada will flip over Love on Lexington Avenue.” —Karen Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne comes the second delightfully charming installment in the Central Park Pact series, following a young widow whose newfound cynicism about love is challenged by a sexy, rough-around-the-edges contractor.

There are no good men left in New York City. At least that’s Claire Hayes’s conviction after finding out her late husband was not the man she thought he was. Determined to rid her home of anything that reminds her of her cheating husband, Claire sets out to redesign her boring, beige Upper East Side brownstone and make it something all her own. But what starts out as a simple renovation becomes a lot more complicated when she meets her bad-tempered contractor Scott Turner.

Scott bluntly makes it known to Claire that he only took on her house for a change of pace from the corporate offices and swanky hotels he’s been building lately, and he doesn’t hesitate to add that he has no patience for a pampered, damaged princess with a penchant for pink. But when long workdays turn into even longer nights, their mutual wariness morphs into something more complicated—a grudging respect, and maybe even attraction...

Filled with laugh-out-loud scenes that blend perfectly with the touching friendships Layne brings to life on the page, this “hugely entertaining” (USA TODAY) novel is perfect for fans of Lauren Weisberger. (Goodreads)

Love on Lexington Avenue is the second book in the Central Park Pact by Lauren Layne, and I was super excited to read this brand new sequel! I read the first book in the series, Passion on Park Avenue earlier this year, and really enjoyed both the story and the characters, and I was so excited to get started on this second book!

In case you haven’t read this series, but are curious, here’s what you should know: The Central Park Pact series is about three women, Naomi, Clare, and Audrey, who meet under the most unusual circumstances. (A man.) Because of this, and unlikely friendship is formed, and a series begins!

Each of the women in this series get their own book. Passion on Park Avenue is Naomi’s book, and Love on Lexington Avenue is Claire’s. (The third book in the series, Marriage on Madison Avenue, is Audrey’s book.) As I mentioned above, I read Naomi’s story earlier this year, and I was super excited to finally get to Claire’s story!

Claire was an interesting character. She definitely seems more mature than the other two ladies, and is self-described as the mom of the group. I was definitely curious about her story, and this book explains so much.

The storyline for this book was a lot of fun, and I very much enjoyed the following along as Claire and the very rugged Scott remodel her house. I loved the chemistry between the two of them, which often resulted in some pretty intense moments. There were a lot of cute moments, and some serious ones as well.

If I have one complaint about this series so far, is that there are a lot of intense build-up, but not enough sexy times. *wink*

Overall; Love on Lexington Avenue was such a fun second book in this super cute series, and I’m so glad that I read it! I am even more excited for the third and final book in the series, Marriage on Madison Ave, which is Audrey’s story, and which is set to release in January!

My Thoughts: Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne

Passion On Park Avenue
(Central Park Pact #1)
by Lauren Layne
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Publication Date: May 28th 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781501191572
Genre: Adult Fiction | Contemporary Romance
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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From the author of the New York Times bestselling Stiletto and Oxford series, the first in a sizzling new series following the unlikely friendship of three Upper East Side women as they struggle to achieve their dreams and find true love and happiness in the city that never sleeps.

For as long as she can remember, Bronx-born Naomi Powell has had one goal: to prove her worth among the Upper East Side elite—the same people for which her mom worked as a housekeeper. Now, as the strongminded, sassy CEO of one of the biggest jewelry empires in the country, Naomi finally has exactly what she wants—but it’s going to take more than just the right address to make Manhattan’s upper class stop treating her like an outsider.

The worst offender is her new neighbor, Oliver Cunningham—the grown son of the very family Naomi’s mother used to work for. Oliver used to torment Naomi when they were children, and as a ridiculously attractive adult, he’s tormenting her in entirely different ways. Now they find themselves engaged in a battle-of-wills that will either consume or destroy them…

Filled with charm and heart and plenty of sex and snark, this entertaining series will hook you from the very first page. (Goodreads)

Passion on Park Avenue is the very first book in the brand new Central Park Pact series by Lauren Layne, and I was super excited to read this book! If you’ve read any of my reviews recently then you’ll know I’m all about the rom-com and contemporary stories at the moment, and this book sounded right up my alley. And I also really wanted to read something by Lauren as well. I’m thrilled to have finally done so, and I very much enjoyed the book!

As I mentioned above, Passion on Park Avenue is the very first book in this brand new series. It’s about three women who meet under the most peculiar circumstances, and decide to form a friendship despite those circumstances. Each of the women will have a book in this series, and this first book is Naomi’s story.

The storyline for this book was really interesting, and made for a really quick read. I enjoyed reading Naomi’s story, not only for her present story, but her back-story as well. Her climb to the top to becoming a successful business woman was both interesting and inspiring. I also enjoyed her budding relationship with her neighbor, Oliver, who also has an interesting backstory as well. There are also a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story as well, including Claire and Audrey, the other two women in the friendship, and I am very much looking forward to reading their stories as well!

Overall; Passion on Park Avenue is a great start to what should prove to be a fun, entertaining new series by Lauren Layne! I have always wanted to read one of Lauren’s stories, and I’m thrilled to have finally done so. I am most definitely looking forward to continuing this series, and reading some of her other books as well!