Welcome to the tour for The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne!
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Author: Lauren Layne
Published: March 3rd 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy: Amazon
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Caution: May contain spoilers
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.
My Thoughts:
So very insanely excited to see another book in the Sex, Love, and Stiletto series! I wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet, I'm still not, but glad that I got the chance to revisit their world.
When it comes to those stories where one person leaves the other at the altar, the first thing you want to understand is why. Why did Alex leave Emma? Can they make things work again? Ever since I started reading second chance romances, I'm all about wanting couples to get back together. For Alex and Emma, the "why" isn't as simple to answer. There are two sides to this story: Emma thinks he left her, while Alex thinks that she didn't want him. In the game of relationship chicken, both of them swerved. Now that they're living near each other, they have no choice but to face the past. It's hard to ignore the sexual tension in the air, but they need to come to terms with living in the present and what the future can hold.
The Trouble With Love was a perfect continuation to the series. Watching Alex and Emma have to deal with their feelings--the ones from the past and the ones being stirred up in the present--is a rollercoaster of emotion. I have said it before and I'll say it again--absolutely love Lauren Layne!
My Rating:
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Author Info Lauren Layne is a snarky cynic with a serious weakness for happily ever afters.
Marrying her high school sweetheart was a good start. *cue Disney soundtrack.* But Lauren wanted all romance, all the time.
Now she writes fictional happy endings, and considers her job done well if you swoon while reading her books. Don't worry. You will.
Once upon a time she lived in a Manhattan high-rise, but now she's on the laid-back train in the Seattle area. If you ever find yourself in Issaquah, she'll probably buy you a drink. Maybe.
Excerpt
“Emma, a moment?”
Emma looked up from her monitor. She and the other Love & Romance girls had been in their usual pre-lunch “zone.” It was one of the few times of day when they put chatting and gossip aside long enough to get work done.
She pulled off her headphones and looked at Camille. “Um, sure. Now?”
Camille made it a point to meet regularly with all of her senior columnists on a one-on-one basis, but Emma’s scheduled time was Monday afternoon; today was Wednesday. It was never a good sign when their boss went off book.
“It’ll be fast,” Camille said, before her head disappeared from the door.
Emma pulled off the glasses she used when working on the computer and rubbed her eyes. “It won’t be fast. It’s never fast.”
“That’s what she said,” Riley muttered.
“That phrase doesn’t really work in this context, Ri,” Julie said distractedly.
“That phrase always works in any context,” Riley responded.
“Hey, Ems, see if you can get the inside scoop,” Grace said, leaning back in her chair as Emma stood and stretched. “I’m dying to know what the heck this sabbatical is about. Three months?”
“I can’t ask,” Emma said, moving toward the door. “She said it was personal.”
“Right. Which translates to interesting,” Julie said, pulling her hair into a pony.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Emma jabbed a finger toward her laptop. “And don’t touch my edits. I know it was one of you that tried to sneak the word penis into my last headline.”
“Um, yeah. Because you need some penis in your life,” Riley said.
“I’ll have you know that I had some penis in my life . . . last week,” Emma said. “No, last month. Maybe . . .”
Her three friends looked at one another, and although the shared glance was more
good-natured than it was poor Emma, it didn’t stop the irritation from rippling through her.
Emma was happy that her friends were all blissed out with their painfully good-looking men. Really. Good for them.
But that didn’t mean they had to lure her into their little club. 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.
She’d been there. Done that. Moved on.
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Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteOooo! An exsoccer player? I'd have fun imagining this character looking like one of my boys.
ReplyDeleteRight? :) LOL.
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