Love on Lexington Avenue(Central Park Pact #2)
by Lauren Layne
September 17, 2019
288 pages
Goodreads Summary:
“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 and rough-around-the-edges 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.
“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 and rough-around-the-edges 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.
Review
Lauren Layne is such an excellent romance writer. I always swoon over her characters and the love story that happens in her books. Love on Lexington Avenue was no different. It also has what I like to think is her signature relationship: strong bonded female friendships.
Before I share my thoughts on Love on Lexington Avenue I will say I have not read the first book in the series. Despite that, Lauren Layne does a good job at efficiently recapping the previous story. It was easy to understand how the characters related to each other.
Claire is our female lead in this second Central Park Pact story. After the spectacular failure that was her marriage, she's reluctant to put her heart on the line again. Her husband's betrayal had a huge negative impact on her self-esteem. Thankfully she had great friends (Audrey, Naomi and even Oliver) to counsel her. "Maybe it'll hurt. But you can't shut yourself off from good opportunities just to protect yourself from risking the bad." (ARC, p. 193). And Claire herself was really no timid thing when she sets her mind on something. She was smart, mature and independent enough to heed her friends' advice and not ignore her feelings.
Scott, our love interest, can be grumpy and stubborn at times but he was always honest. I love that he had two sides to him, both of which he showed Claire. They both knew exactly what they were getting into when they jumped into bed together. Their easy banter was fun even if Scott was too blind to see their connection for what it was at the time. His big grand gesture at the end- although a bit rushed in my opinion, was lovely and so romantic to imagine.
The only complaint I have about Love on Lexington Avenue is the shortage of heat in the story. Lauren Layne's books have always been bold in the sex scene department but this book distinctly lacked the sexy bits. Claire and Scott's romance didn't feel as fulfilling as I was hoping for.
Love on Lexington Avenue perfectly encompasses the message of letting go of the past and moving on. Even though there was less steam than a usual Lauren Layne book, the story was sweet and hopeful. From the glimpse of the third couple we got in this book, I'd say it's safe to say they'll be setting off some major fireworks in their own book!
*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.
I am a Layne fan, and I enjoyed Claire's story very much. The grumpy hero and his fabulous dog owned me.
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