Series: Sex Love & Stiletto (Page 1 of 2)

Synopsis:

Riley McKenna knows sex—good sex, bad sex, kinky sex. Her articles in Stiletto magazine are the publication’s most scandalous—and the most read. But when Stiletto’s fiftieth anniversary issue requires her column to get a lot more personal, Riley is forced to confront a long-hidden secret: Her own sexual experience is limited to one awkward college encounter. Now Riley is about to call in the favor of a lifetime from the one man who’s always held her heart.

Sam Compton knows two things about Riley McKenna: She’s the only woman for him. But as his best friend’s little sister, she’s also completely off-limits. Sam shouldn’t even consider her proposition: to have a one-night stand in the name of research. But the thought of another man putting his hands on Riley is more than Sam can handle, and soon he’s agreeing to one night with New York’s resident sexpot. But Riley’s full of surprises, and what starts as “one time only” soon becomes “just one more time.” And then one more. And before they know it, Riley and Sam learn firsthand that when it comes to love, there’s no such thing as just one night.

Review:

Just One Night was an adorable friendship to lovers story.  And when you became entangled in the heart of it all, it took an amazing turn into something that was raw and emotional.  I tried my hardest to keep quiet, while my husband slept peacefully next to me, as I devoured this book.  But it was impossible.  The laughing couldn’t be stopped and neither could the sobbing.  Riley and Sam’s story is definitely a must read!

But it had been a decade. Sam had had a freaking decade to stake his claim on her.
He hadn’t. He wouldn’t.
No more waiting, Riley.

Riley McKenna is the sex columnist for Stiletto who has only had sex with one man.  And that was in her college years.  For the last ten years she has pined after her brother’s best friend, Sam, who has never once made a move on her.  But fate has intervened and now she has to write a personal article about the woman behind her stories.  Not wanting to admit that she is a farce, she is going to need some help.  So of course that help has to come from Sam.

This is not happening,” Riley muttered, glancing at the ceiling. “My mother is not telling me my spanking article lacked passion.”

Eeks, you know what?  I loved Riley!  In the previous books she came across as this put together, sex goddess, but that is far from the truth.  On the outside she portrays that image perfectly but on the inside she is insecure.  It was so easy to relate to Riley.  Not only because of her insecurities but the fact that she is down to earth when she is around her family and friends.  But my heart bled for her because of how much she cares for Sam and how each time she seemed to have a grasp on the situation it would always slip away from her.

Don’t do this, man, he ordered himself. He’d promised Liam. He’d promised himself.
He was no good for her, and one of them was going to get hurt.

Sam was alluring without even trying.  I loved him, but I also wanted to scoop him up, fix everything that was broken, and make it all better.  That’s because Sam Compton has found in the McKenna family what he is desperately lacking in his own life, love and family.  Sam’s mother is a wretched, evil woman who constantly belittles, diminishes and crushes Sam’s self-esteem and happiness every moment she can.  And this has taken a huge toll on Sam’s personal and business life.  He’s afraid to move forward with his whiskey business or pursuing Riley because he doesn’t feel as though he deserves them.  Well, and let’s not forget that another reason he can’t have Riley is because he made a promise to his best friend, her brother, to never touch her.  Worst promise ever!  So what’s a man to do when Riley comes to him with a very sexy proposition?

His hand paused on the doorknob, and he gave her one last look over his shoulder. “It was good though, wasn’t it? While it lasted.”
The lump in her throat doubled in size. “Yeah,” she whispered.

Anytime Sam and Riley were together it was fun, sexy and emotional.  Their long friendship allowed them to know each other’s faults and downfalls and that added so much depth to their relationship.  Because underneath it all, they are good friends who care for one another.  Their friendship always bordered on platonic but there was an underlying simmering of need and lust.  And when they start to cross that line, WOW, they are breathtaking together.  You HAVE to read Sam and Riley’s story!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) ***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
After the Kiss Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Love the One You're With Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Just One Night Reviews: Jen Chelsea
The Trouble with Love Reviews: Jen Chelsea

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Synopsis:

As a leading columnist for Stiletto, Grace Brighton has built a career warning women about rotten, cheating liars. She just never suspected her fiancé would be one of them. After Grace takes a heart-mending hiatus, her first assignment is to go on a couple of dates with a counterpart from the men’s magazine Oxford and report her impressions. Grace 1.0 may have been instantly smitten with the gorgeous correspondent, but Grace 2.0 has sworn off relationships for six months, and she’s not falling for his outstanding bod and trophy-winning kisses . . . or is she?

Jake Malone wants to get back to the fly-by-night, who-knows-what’s-next guy he used to be, and he knows exactly how to do it. Oxford is adding a travel section, and Jake—with no wife and no kids and a willingness to live anywhere, eat anything, do everything—is perfect for the job . . . except that his playboy reputation makes his new editor nervous. To get the gig, he must agree to a fluffy joint article with Stiletto. But after just one date with snooty, sumptuous, sensational Grace Brighton, Jake starts taking this assignment a whole lot more seriously.

Review:

I am completely addicted to Lauren Layne’s books!  They are fun, sexy and keep me entertained until the last page.  She has this amazing ability to suck me in, become intertwined in the characters lives, and care about what happens to them.  Did I mention how much fun they are to read?!  Jake and Grace’s story is no exception.  They will make you laugh and melt while following their lives.

He hesitated. “I’m not a total dick, Grace.”
“Oooh, now see, we’ll have to differ on that one. You played me. Let me think the date was … something.”
Her hand slapped over her mouth in horror. Had she actually just said that.

Jake wants to to be the writer for the new travel section that they are adding at Oxford, the men’s magazine he works at.  Grace, who works at Stiletto, wants to prove a point that she can still read guys.  Especially since her boyfriend, of ten years, was cheating on her while she was clueless.  Did I mention that she had just written an article on how to spot the signs you are with a cheater, and well, she clearly didn’t. To both get what they want, they agree to the proposal their bosses throw at them.  Write an article after each date to see who can read the opposite sex better.  Sounds easy enough.  But when you mix together pride, reputation and going to whatever extremes to win, well then you’re bound to get laughter, tears, and an enormous mess.

Once upon a time she’d thought that was sweet.
She’d thought that compliments meant something.
She knew better now. Compliments from men were about as reliable as the relationships on The Bachelor.

Grace is refined, sophisticated and from money.  Well, after some of the stunts she pulls, I may have to temporarily revoke the sophisticated part ha.  But she is bitter and wants restitution for what was done to her.  Even if it’s through winning this game at work.  She doesn’t want to feel as though she can’t read the opposite sex anymore.  She needs to prove to herself and others that she still can.  And to get to her goal, she doesn’t always play fair.  But then again, neither does Jake.  They are both in for a ton of surprises!

He hooked a hand behind her neck, his thumb rubbing over her cheek as he stared into her eyes. “I like touching.”
Grace blushed, and he chuckled. “A little late to be embarrassed, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.

Jake Malone is alluring, magnetic and sexy as hell.  He can play games with me anytime he wants to!  But he has a huge past, since he’s single and one of the town’s top players.  From all of that experience, he knows how to make a woman sigh and lust after him.  You’ll see, even when he’s screwing over Grace, it’s impossible to be mad at him.  I loved him and he could do no wrong in my eyes. There was one thing that I wasn’t the hugest fan of, and that was the reference to Julie 1.0 (her old self) and Julie 2.0 (her new self).  I understood the need to clarify between her old way of thinking and the new way she wanted to be, but the constant reference throughout the book wore on me.  But despite this one aspect, I loved this book.

His gaze dropped to her mouth. “If I kiss you, will you write about it?”
“Do you want me to write about it?”
“Do you want me to kiss you?”

The games they played against each other were funny and thoroughly entertaining!  I loved every minute that they were tricking and manipulating each other, but my favorite parts where when they forgot about the game.  When they were just themselves and got lost in the moment.  It was sweet, and no where near innocent.  You could feel the sexual tension between them and I kept hoping one of them would fully drop the charade.  After being more than happy with the way Love the One You’re With ended, I’m off to read yet another Lauren Layne book!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) ***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
After the Kiss Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Love the One You're With Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Just One Night Reviews: Jen Chelsea
The Trouble with Love Reviews: Jen Chelsea

Synopsis:

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.

Praise for the Sex, Love & Stiletto series
 
“Fun, sexy, and sharp as a spike heel.”—New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox

“Packed with loads of sizzle and Snickerlicious fun, Lauren Layne’s After the Kiss is a knock-your-stilettos-off, total page-turning treat that had me fan-girling up within the first chapter.”—USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly
 
“Spunky, flirty, and full of sass, Love the One You’re With is everything a romance should be! Lauren Layne has a winner.”—New York Timesbestselling author Christie Craig
 
“Sexy, sassy, and surprisingly sweet, Lauren Layne’s Just One Night is a total page-turner!”—New York Times bestselling author Donna Alward

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Buddy read with my Frenchy Bug! 

**ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

You used to love when I put my hand here.” Cassidy’s voice was rough.
She lifted her chin slightly. “Did I? Must have blocked that out.” But the way the heat from his palm branded her made the lie come out just a little bit breathlessly.
His hand pressed, pulling her closer until there was nothing between them but their stormy past. “You sure about that?”
“Yup,” she said, her eyes looking anywhere but his. “You’re utterly forgettable.”
His other hand found her chin, his fingers lifting her face to his. “Prove it.”

AGH! Wow. I loved this. It was, in a few words, addicting, sexy, breathtaking, heart-stopping, giggle-inducing, unputdownable, and, most of all, heartwarming. It literally warmed my soul. Yes, light radiated from my chest the whole time I was reading this. True Story. There are few (*cough* none) LL books I dislike, but because I love this author so much, it tends to make it hard when people ask which I would recommend to them. How do you pick a favorite when they all exceed your expectations? There are some that tend to stick out, but the more I read from her, the more I start to say: ‘No, this is my favorite. No, this is my new favorite. No, no, this one!’ And so on and so forth. But, for whatever reason, this one really and truly did speak to me.

Emma had tried the happily-ever-after route, and knew that for every woman who rode off into the sunset on a white stallion, another one got kicked in the face by that very same horse.

I got this back in early December and, for whatever reason, didn’t think I’d love it. Go figure. I don’t know if it’s my aversion to second chance love stories or just a case of being nervous because I have such high standards with this author, but no matter the reasons, I was very scared to pick this one up. But sometimes it’s all about the timing. I was sitting around on Saturday, trying with all my might to get into the book I had picked out, and I just couldn’t do it. I was sad, for some reason, and I just couldn’t get out of that funky mood. So, I sat there for a couple seconds and thought, you know what? Screw it. It’s Lauren Layne time. I picked this up and I immediately started to feel my lips turn up and my spirits inexplicably lift. No other author has the ability to effect my mood like this, but this woman has my ticket. I don’t know if it’s the dialogue, the quirky inner thoughts and banter, or that ultimate HEA she loves to give us, but this is my go to author. She is
‘the one’, so to speak.

Cole leaned forward and reached out a hand. “Lemme see the orgasm bit.”
Alex ignored him, pulling a sheet of paper from the top and shaking it. “This one is two thousand words about push-up bras. About the brands, and the way they should fit, and listen to this: ‘The trick with the appeal of push-up bras is to know what kind of guy you’re dealing with. Is he visual? If so, he’s not going to mind that you had a little help to achieve that fantastic cleavage. But if he’s more tactile, you might want to consider skipping all that padding…He wants to feel the real you.'”
Alex let the paper flutter to the desk in horror. “I just…I can’t even.” Continue reading