We're Not Friends - Review of Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

Title: Marriage on Madison Avenue
Author: Lauren Layne
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Source: ARC from the publisher through Netgalley

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?

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of love stories. She lives with her high school sweetheart in New York City. A champagne enthusiast and Pinterest addict, Lauren believes in happily-ever-after and everyday elegance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. Marriage on Madison Avenue was the most frustrating of the three but in a good way. It had the angst that kept pushing me forward to see how Audrey and Clarke would finally make it work.

Clarke has been Audrey's rock, her stable friend, her grounding wire to help her stay in touch with reality in their world of wealth and insincerity. Audrey has been a steady source of normalcy and acceptance in Clarke's life where his mother tries to control him and his father would rather ignore him. They have saved each other over and over again, from unwanted set-ups, feelings of inadequacy, and from being alone. In Marriage on Madison Avenue, they need to save each other once again. Clarke needs Audrey to save him from his controlling mother and scheming ex-girlfriend. Audrey needs Clarke to save her from online gossip. They have no idea what their white lies and fake engagement will lead them to.

What I love most about this series is the friendship between Audrey, Naomi, and Claire. The unfortunate circumstance of their first meeting turns out to be the greatest gift these three have ever known. They are strong, honest, and forgiving. They lift each other up and watch one another's back. The romances in these novels are steamy and lovely, but it's the friendship that had me returning for each book.

4 out of 5 stars.

We're Not Friends - Ingrid Andress

Still Learning - My Review of Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

Title: Almost Just Friends
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Source: ARC from the publisher 

ABOUT ALMOST JUST FRIENDS (a standalone Wildstone novel)

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill

Website: http://jillshalvis.com/

Facebook: @JillShalvis

Twitter: @JillShalvis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillshalvis/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jillshalvis/

Tumblr: http://jillshalvis.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis?from_search=true

BUY LINKS for ALMOST JUST FRIENDS:

Amazon

IndieBound

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

iBooks

GooglePlay

The last time a woman had ordered Cam to strip had been a very different scene altogether, and it’d been a while. Generally speaking, he liked to be behind the wheel in most situations, but he’d never had any complaints about a woman driving in his bed. “Interesting bedside manner.”

“Okay,” she said. “How about strip, please.”

He laughed, and he realized that until tonight, it’d been a damn long time for that too. “Well, since you asked so nicely . . .” But still he hesitated.

“Trust me, I’ve seen it all before.”

He pulled off his shirt, wincing when the cotton stuck to the deepest slice across his chest.

Piper blinked, and for the first time all night, appeared short of words.

It was pretty damn cute, especially with the mud on her nose. “Thought you’ve seen it all before.” She bit her lower lip, eyes suddenly hooded, and he couldn’t resist teasing her. “So, how do I stack up?”

That got her, and she rolled her eyes. “Like you don’t know. Sit.”

The couch seemed too . . . personal, so he sat on her coffee table. She dropped to her knees at his side and doctored up first the cut on his left palm from where he’d nicked himself in his dad’s kitchen, and then the two slices on his left biceps, and then the biggest one across his chest, during which time he did his best to ignore the feel of her soft breath on his skin and failed.

When she’d finished, she looked down at his cargoes and saw the blood seeping through from his thigh. Rising to her feet, she stepped back, gesturing for him to lose the pants too.

“Seriously,” he said. “Doesn’t even have to be dinner. An appetizer would work.”

“If you’re real good, I’ll give you a sticker.”

“How about letting me look at your secret secret bucket list instead?”

Her eyes narrowed. “How about we stop talking now?”

“Wait.” He cocked his head. “Does this mean you also have a secret bucket list? And possibly a not-so- secret bucket list?” 

She had hands on hips; a fresh, clean gauze in one hand, antibiotic ointment in the other, her expression dialed to Not Feeling Playful.

With a rough laugh, he stood and took the gauze and ointment from her. “I got this one, Doc.” And then he gestured for her to turn around.

She did with a smirk, and then spoke over her shoulder. “Didn’t peg you for the shy type.”

“Oh, I’m not shy.” He shoved his icy, muddy, wet cargoes to his thighs, and yeah, the cat had come within two inches of de-manning him. “Just didn’t want to have to fight you off.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I always get verbal consent first. And I bet you didn’t want me to see your tighty-whities.”

He gritted his teeth as he cleaned out the cut. Son of a bitch, that cat had gone deep. “They’re not tight and they’re not white.”

“Batman undies?”

“Commando,” he said, and that shut her up. When he’d finished and pulled his pants back up, he lifted his head and found her facing him. His brows went up. “See anything you like?”

Instead of answering, she blushed. And he grinned because, yeah. She’d definitely seen something she liked.

From Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, published by William Morrow. Copyright © 2020 by Jill Shalvis. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062897800/almost-just-friends/

You can never go wrong with a Jill Shalvis novel.

As always, Jill's characters grabbed me from the beginning. Her Wildstone series entertains like all the rest of her books, but somehow they delve deeper into relationships and family dynamics. I love her characters because they make me feel like I am not alone in my flaws and inadequacies. Also, they help me see that those flaws are what make me who I am. I've learned to accept that there are some things I cannot change and others that are just stepping stones to a better me.

Piper and Cam's relationship was fantastic. I love that it didn't have the will they, won't they push and pull. From the beginning, you could tell that it was a "for real" thing for both of them. With Piper's siblings bringing their own drama and hiding things from Piper and Cam being sent out on some small missions with the Coast Guard, their relationship has some ups and downs, but their foundation was strong enough to pull them through.

Jill writes characters that I want as friends and they create communities that I'd love to join. Her books always have just the right amount of sizzle to keep me coming back for more.

4 out of 5 stars.

Halsey - Still Learning

I know that I love you but I'm still learning

To love myself (to love my, to love my, to love my)

I'm still learning to love myself (to love my, to love my, to love my)