An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne Blog Tour

She’s making a list—and checking it twice. But is there a nice guy among all her naughty exes? The New York Times bestselling author of Blurred Lines returns with a charming friends-to-lovers rom-com.

When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.

Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.

Book 5
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As I walk, I check the weather app on my phone, delighted to see that while it’s nothing but rain today, there’s a chance of a snow shower tomorrow. Nothing says Christmas break like snow.

I just miss my train, but there’s a decent-ish voice singing “White Christmas” nearby, and the platform’s not too crowded, so waiting’s not as bad as it could be.

My eye catches on a middle-aged woman who’s set up camp under one of the stairwells. It’s not unusual to see all manner of people under the streets of New York, although this one’s better dressed than most. She’s wearing a blousy red shirt, jeans, and ankle boots, and is sitting cross-legged on a plaid blanket. She’s got twigs of what seem to be fake roses in her hair.

None of that’s the weird part.

What’s weird is that she’s watching me. Intently.

We make awkward eye contact, and I give a quick smile before turning my attention back to my phone.

But I still feel her eyes on me.

Not in an unfriendly way, not in the way that makes me mentally catalog whether or not I saw any cops on my way down here who would hear me if I scream. She doesn’t seem eager to push me onto the train tracks either, and since that’s every New Yorker’s secret fear, that’s a plus.

Still, the focus is unsettling. I glance up again, and her eyes lock on mine. Her dark gaze is clear and focused, and I can’t decide if that’s more or less disturbing than if she seemed sort of hazy.

Then she smiles right at me. “Kelly.”

I get immediate goosebumps for reasons that have nothing to do with the winter weather. She knows my name.

“Come.” She beckons. “Come. I see.”

Now you’re thinking, Hell, no. Run!

I should be thinking the same, and on some level, I am, but...

There are a couple dozen people around. None are paying attention to me, but it’s not like I’m all alone in a dark alley.

And look, we’ve already established that I believe in fate expressing itself through a Magic 8 ball and horoscopes, and though I haven’t mentioned it yet, I totally avoid black cats, the number thirteen, and walking under ladders.

I also believe that there’s such a thing as sight. I know, because my grandma had it.

Grandma Shirley was one of those delightfully batty old ladies that most people dismissed as quirky, but nobody can deny that she seemed to know stuff. She knew when I’d win my soccer game, and by how many points. She knew when her cat’s litter of kittens would be born, down to the minute. Once she’d even predicted an earthquake, even though they’re really rare in New York.

She’d passed away when I was in eleventh grade (she’d predicted the when and how of that too), and though I didn’t inherit her talents, I’ve never stopped believing that some people see and know things that they shouldn’t. I call it the Sight.

I step closer, and the woman grins and beckons me even nearer.

I stop a healthy few feet away. I’m superstitious, not crazy.

The woman leans forward. “You seek love.”

Huh. Color me unimpressed. I mean, don’t most humans seek love? Sure, I’m recently single, and I don’t particularly want to be. And maybe I sometimes try a little too hard to find my forever guy.

But I’m not hearing anything other than generic lucky guesses from this lady.

“Sure,” I say, already starting to back away.

She holds up a hand. “The one you seek? Your forever guy, the love of your life...”

I freeze, because her phrasing echoes my thoughts almost exactly. A coincidence? Maybe. I don’t move away just yet, willing to hear her out.

She smiles again. “You’ve already met him.”

I blink. “What? I think you may want to recheck that crystal ball. I’m single.”

Her smile merely grows. “I didn’t say you weren’t single. I said you’d already met him. You just let him go. He’ll come back to you before Christmas.”

Whoa whoa whoa. This is...

Huh.

“You’re telling me that the love of my life is one of my exes?”

She extends both of her palms as though to say, There you have it!

I stifle a little surge of disappointment. Clearly she hasn’t met my exes. There are some decent ones in the mix, but mostly they’re duds, and none of them make my heart beat faster. Well, maybe—

Nope. No. Do not go there.

Thankfully, I feel the rumble of an oncoming train, and a glance over my shoulder tells me my ride outta here is approaching.

“Thanks very much,” I say with a strained smile. “Merry Christmas.”

“Happy holidays,” she says with a nod, standing and gathering up her blanket. Apparently she’s taken a cue from Madison Meyers and is sticking close to the PC route. Fair enough.

I lift a hand in a wave and move toward the train, but her next words give me a fresh wave of new goosebumps.

“Tell your parents happy anniversary. Thirty’s going to be a magical year for them.”

I whip my head around. “How did you—”

The woman is gone.

Like vanished gone.

Leaving me to wonder...

If a woman I’d never met was right about my parents’ anniversary, was she also right about other stuff?

Have I already met my one true love?

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
So, I don’t usually read holiday stories but I’m a Lauren Layne fan, so when this came up for review in my group I said, yea, ok... I'll try it (begrudging voice)! Boy, I’m glad I took a shot on this one!! I loved this story, it was sweet, funny, and poignant! Full of emotion and good feels, the pages flew by with fun Christmas traditions celebrated with humor and new-found attraction that made me laugh and sigh happily. Kelly's best friend forever has been Mark, they've always just been besties. But after a fortune teller gives Kelly a juicy tidbit that she's going to find the love of her life this Christmas and it's someone she already knows, Kelly goes on a manhunt of her exes. Mark tries not to encourage his best friend in this ridiculous search, he's hoping she finally sees him! Turns out Kelly did know her true love previously and he's been waiting for her to open her eyes to him for years. Well told and definitely full of Christmas cheer.


Jordan – ☆☆☆☆
Once again, Lauren Layne did not disappoint and delivered a book that left me feeling warm and fuzzy. I love a good rom-com and I couldn't stop myself from becoming fully invested in the story. I have yet to read a book by Layne that hasn’t won me over. An Ex for Christmas was the perfect holiday read to warm your cold winter nights. This book reads just like a Hallmark Christmas movie and I couldn’t help but fall in love with all of Layne’s characters. More specifically, I couldn’t help but swoon at Mark Blakely, the male lead character. Also, the chemistry between Mark and Kelly Byrne, the main character, was just so perfect and believable. I always appreciate a good friends-to-lovers story and Layne knows just how to weave one! Layne always does a spectacular job of drawing me in and keeping me hooked. So, if you also happen to love a good holiday romance then l think you’ll find An Ex for Christmas the perfect book to put you in the holiday spirit!

4 stars for Lauren Layne’s An Ex for Christmas!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is classic Ms. Layne, and very enjoyable because of it. Kelly is a fun character with such an extreme belief in fate that she drives her BFF somewhat crazy. He is much more practical, but humours her because he has always done anything to keep her in his life. But this Christmas, her plan is really causing him pain, and thinking that maybe it is finally time to move on...

Never has it been more obvious to even the most casual observer that these two people are perfect for each other, but somehow Kelly has been completely oblivious – so when she starts to wonder why being near Mark is feeling more appealing than just friends usually does, she doesn't understand what her body is trying to tell her brain. It has to be said that Mark has the patience of a saint, and she is incredibly lucky that he has!

What with Rigby (their shared dog), bartender and ex-girlfriend Erica, and the whole cast of ex-boyfriends, this is a very enjoyable read, with some super humour, some perfectly romantic moments, and some very heated ones.

Great Christmas reading, thank you, Ms. Layne.

Also Available in the Love Unexpectedly Series

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Good Girl Blog Tour.

Book 3
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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Love Story Release Blast.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Walk of Shame Release Blast.

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in 2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she's written over two dozen books, hitting the USA Today, New York Times, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists.

Connect with Lauren

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of An Ex for Christmas (Love Unexpectedly #5) by Lauren Layne to read and review for this tour.

Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne Release Blast

Sparks fly between a misunderstood New York socialite and a cynical divorce lawyer in this lively standalone rom-com from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Love Story.

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.

Book 4
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And who is he, you ask?

Andrew Mulroney, Esquire.

I know this because we moved into the building on the exact same day, and right before we got into a horrendous fight over whose movers should have access to the building loading dock first, he handed me his business card.

The thick white card stock declared that he had a fancy law degree to go along with the fancy suit he was wearing on a Saturday.

Andrew handed it over with such superiority, I actually wished for a half second that I had a business card of my own that would somehow be better than his. Like, lined with gold or something. No, platinum. With a diamond in the corner. It would be too heavy for him to hold, and he’d drop it, thus having to kneel at my feet to pick it up.

But then I realized it was just as well that I didn’t have a business card.

Because it would say... what? Georgie Watkins, professional party girl?

Anyway, I digress. Despite the high temps of that swampy July morning, the encounter had been the start of an epic cold war.

Me, the socialite in apartment 86A against the uptight esquire in apartment 79B.

I’m not entirely sure I’m winning the war, but I’ll never tell him that.

I let my gaze drift over Andrew, even though his appearance rarely holds any surprises. The man’s a lesson in sameness, like some sort of anal-retentive version of Groundhog Day.

There’s always the black mug with some healthy gunk inside held in his right hand, Tom Ford briefcase and Armani garment bag in his left, containing what I know to be a perfectly tailored three-piece suit.

Andrew’s coppery hair is perfectly styled, although I’d swear that there’s some natural curl in there threatening to disrupt his perfect order. I imagine that annoys him, so it therefore makes me happy.

Let’s see, what else about my nemesis?

He’s got a hard, unfriendly jawline that’s perfectly shaven.

Dark brown eyes, cold and flat. Black gym bag over one shoulder.

I suppose you could say he changes up his attire, because he does alternate between black and gray gym shirts. But considering that they seem to be the exact same fit, both colors molding perfectly to his impressively sculpted upper body, we’re not giving him any points for variety there.

Same goes for the lower half. The black shorts worn in summer have given way to sleek black sweatpants now that October’s upon us, but they’re both black and Nike, so we’ll give him no credit for changing it up there either.

The shoes, though...

I do a double take.

Well, well, well...

Instead of the usual black gym shoes, the man’s shoes are red. I don’t know how I missed it before.

I drag my eyes back up his body with a grin, and he gives just the slightest roll of his eyes to indicate that he’s noticed my slow perusal and isn’t fazed in the least.

“You went shopping, Dorothy!” I say happily.

He stares at me. “I don’t shop.”

Of course not. Far too frivolous.

“No, that makes sense,” I say, pointing at his feet. “Glinda would have given these to you.”

Andrew looks down at his Rolex watch. “I’ve got to go. Have a good day, Mr. Ramirez.”

“You too, Mr. Mulroney,” Ramon says with a deferential nod. “Enjoy your workout.”

“Yes, do,” I say, turning and watching as Andrew moves toward the front door of our building. “What’s on the schedule today? Treadmill, or just skipping down the Yellow Brick Road?”

Andrew Mulroney, Esquire, doesn’t respond. He doesn’t even turn before pushing through the revolving doors and stepping out into the still-dark autumn morning.

Now come on. Tell me that wasn’t at least a little bit fun, despite the ungodly hour.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
Lauren Layne does it again with another great, fun read! Layne is on my list of "must read each new book" authors. This series is fun and quick to read. I completely fall for her characters and find myself deep into their story and hoping for their happily ever after.

Georgiana is a party girl and finds herself coming home at 5am from an evening of club hopping, let's just say, pretty often. Andrew is a divorce lawyer, he's a type-A personality and a driven workaholic. He finds himself leaving at 5am to head to the gym, like clockwork. The two keep finding themselves in the lobby of their shared building quite often but they could not be less alike. Andrew finds Georgie ridiculous in every way and Georgie loves to keep Andrew annoyed. These two have the perfect "we can’t be right for each other" chemistry! Man, the miscues were perfection and Andrew was a complete jerk enough times to make you want to strangle him. BUT, you wanted the two to make it. Something about these stories draws me in wholeheartedly. Layne can write a helluva good angsty couple. Can’t wait for the next one!


Jordan – ☆☆☆☆
As much as I enjoyed reading Walk of Shame there was a small part of mildly annoyed by Georgie, the main character. That's not to say I didn't like Georgie, because she was such a fun character with her quick wit and an endearing personality, but I just wish maybe her character had a job that wasn't just being a NYC socialite planning charities and living off of her inheritance from her grandmother. However, all in all though, it was still a great read and I think fans of Lauren Layne will have no trouble warming up to Georgie!

Heiress Georgie Watkins has a party girl image to maintain, which is how she ends up doing a verbal sparring session most mornings with celebrity divorce attorney, Andrew Mulroney, as he leaves for the gym and a long day at the office. Those mornings are starting to become what Georgie looks forward to when she's on her way in after a late night out.

Andrew thinks Georgie is a spoiled "Park Ave Princess" who inherited her penthouse without earning it, but one early morning sparring session turns into an unexpected heated kiss caught on camera by the paparazzi. Suddenly sparks are flying between the cynical divorce lawyer and the NYC socialite...

I quickly became a fan of Lauren Layne after reading the Wedding Belles series, which I absolutely adored and highly recommend! Although Walk of Shame wasn't quite as endearing to me as the Wedding Belles were, it was still another great happily ever after read by Layne and I am definitely excited to see what she writes next!

FOUR STARS for Lauren Layne's Walk of Shame.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is another in the series (each of which is a standalone) of really enjoyable flights of romantic fun. This story is about the party girl who wants more, the divorce lawyer who didn't want anything, and how they both need each other.

Here we have two perfectly ridiculously opposite characters who somehow just fit magically together. The journey is full of fun, hope, and smidgeons of sadness. Ms. Layne builds up her leads without overdoing the description, but more by giving us their inner thoughts and being clear about their relationships with others. This ensures that the reader is completely absorbed in the story and as the passion develops, the pages just demand to be turned.

Really good read, enjoy!

Also Available in the Love Unexpectedly Series

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Good Girl Blog Tour.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Love Story Release Blast.

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen romantic comedies.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career.

She lives in midtown Manhattan with her high-school sweetheart, where she writes smart romantic comedies with just enough sexy-times to make your mother blush. In LL's ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

Connect with Lauren

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Walk of Shame Release Blast HERE.


Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Walk of Shame (Love Unexpectedly #4) by Lauren Layne to read and review for this tour.

Love Story by Lauren Layne Is Now Available & Reviewed

Over the course of one wild road trip, feuding childhood sweethearts get a second chance at love in this charming rom-com—a standalone novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Good Girl.

When Lucy Hawkins receives a job offer in San Francisco, she can’t wait to spread her wings and leave her small Virginia hometown behind. Her close-knit family supports her as best they can, by handing over the keys to a station wagon that’s seen better days. The catch? The cross-country trip comes with a traveling companion: her older brother’s best friend, aka the guy who took Lucy’s virginity hours before breaking her heart.

After spending the past four years and every last dime caring for his sick father, Reece Sullivan will do just about anything to break free of the painful memories—even if it means a two-week road trip with the one girl who’s ever made it past his carefully guarded exterior. But after long days of bickering in the car turn into steamy nights in secluded motel rooms, Reece learns that, when it comes to Lucy, their story is far from over. And this time, they just might have a shot at a happy ending.

Book 3
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“Spock, we’re giving you Horny!” my mom blurts out, apparently fed up with my denseness.

Her utterance is too much for my siblings to handle and they both burst out laughing, retreating into the kitchen to rejoin the party where there’s wine.

Oh what I wouldn’t give for wine right now.

“I, um... you’re giving me the car?” I ask.

“Because yours broke down,” my dad explains, walking forward to thump Horny’s dented hood.

“And this one’s... not broken down?” I ask skeptically.

Look, it’s not that I’m not grateful. My parents are trying to give me a car, I appreciate the sweetness of the gesture, it’s just...

Here’s the thing about Horny: he barely got us three kids through high school. I mean, Horny is the car that sputtered and shook making it the 3.2 miles to Jefferson High, no matter who was behind the wheel.

I’m even going to come all the way clean here and say that early on in my freshmen year, I was embarrassed showing up in Horny. Then I realized I was lucky to have a car at all, and well... I dunno, I guess Horny became a part of us Hawkins kids’ charm, because the station wagon was practically an institution from Craig’s high school reign all the way through Brandi’s.

But poor Horny quit working years ago. Much to Brandi’s chagrin, he gave up the ghost a mere two months before her high school graduation, and I spent the last bit of her senior year being picked up by my parents.

“He’s going to take you to California,” Dad says, giving the car another thump.

“Really?” I step forward and run a tentative finger along the familiar panel. He’s had a bath, so at least that’s something. “Because last I knew, he wouldn’t even make it out of the garage.”

“Yeah, well, we neglected him for a while, but he’s right as rain now,” Dad says, puffing out his chest as though Horny’s a fourth child.

“Like, as in he actually starts?”

“Purrs like a kitten,” my mom says with an emphatic nod, even though I know she doesn’t even like cats. “We didn’t believe it, but we took him to church on Sunday and there were no issues.”

I literally bite my tongue to keep from pointing out that this is hardly a feat. Sacred Presbyterian is 0.8 miles away from the house.

“You took Horny into a shop?” I ask, starting to warm to the idea of having a car again. I’m a little touched, actually. Money is tight for my parents. Dad’s a PE teacher, and Mom gives a mean winery tour, but the gig’s never paid much.

“Not exactly, it was more of a bartering situation,” Mom says.

“Yeah?” I say, going around to the driver’s seat, already giddy with the prospect of telling Oscar I’ll be able to come see him in Miami after all, even if I won’t exactly be riding in style.

“Reece agreed to fix him up.”

I’m lowering myself into the car as my dad says this, but I reverse so quickly I hit my head. My skull doesn’t even register the pain, because I’m too busy registering the hurt in my heart at the familiar name. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Reece,” my mom says, giving me a bemused look. “He’s always been handy with cars.”

“He fixed up the car in exchange for what?”

And then I feel—I actually feel—the air change around me as the side door to the garage opens, and a new presence sucks all the air out of the space.

I don’t turn around. I don’t move. But I feel his eyes on me. Over me.

“Reece is headed out to California too,” my oblivious mother chatters on. “It worked out perfectly actually. Now you two can ride together, and your dad and I don’t have to worry about you alone in the middle of nowhere with a twenty-something-year-old car.

They think the car is going to be the problem here? It’s not the car that’s toxic to me. It’s him.

Reece Sullivan. My brother’s best friend. My parents’ “other son.”

Slowly I force myself to turn, and even though I’m prepped, the force of that ice-blue gaze still does something dangerous to me.

He winks, quick and cocky, and I suck in a breath, and I have to wonder...

I wonder if my parents would feel differently about their little plan if they knew that their makeshift mechanic is the same guy that popped my cherry six years earlier under their very roof.

And then broke my heart twenty-four hours later.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
I've read several books now by Lauren Layne and quite enjoyed them all, Love Story doesn't disappoint either! It's a great stand-alone romance novel with perfect amounts of humor and heat.

I loved both the characters, Lucy and Reece. Their unwinding backstory/history together was the perfect soundtrack to their road trip across the country together and ultimately their love story. I'm a softie for a first love reunited and this story really scratched that itch. With the usual miscues and hurt feelings that taint each of their perceptions, the story begins with the two having to share a ride in a car nicknamed "Horny" to save money. They are heading to their new jobs in California and wine country, where they both plan to start fresh. Reece is an up and coming grower in a vineyard. But he also wants to get away from the town where he lost both his mother at a young age and his father later to cancer. But also, to losing Lucy to college, a town where everyone seems to leave him. Lucy plans to start her new career after getting her fancy degree in wine merchandising. The two have been apart since the summer Lucy graduated and they had their "summer fling." While still trying to get over the hurt they caused each other way back when, they're also learning more about the man and woman they've become since being apart.

I felt for Reece, trying so hard to deny that Lucy has been it for him since the night he took her virginity. I felt for Lucy too, as she tries to remember that Reece "cheated" on her and isn't the boyfriend material to her endgame. The two collide with sex appeal and great chemistry across the long road trip, where they vacillate between remembering how good they were together to hating one another for leaving/cheating. Lauren Layne is fast becoming my go-to author for fun and romantic quick read stories with characters who have perfect depth and emotion, with the dash of humor that keeps things lighthearted.


Jacki – ☆☆☆☆
I really liked this one. It was mildly predictable, but the ride from A to B was definitely entertaining.

Reece and Lucy definitely have a complicated and emotional past. They have been putting off some very serious conversations for the past few years and it has created a mess for their loved ones to deal with.

An odd turn of events has them where they are forced to interact and rehash the past. Can they actually sort through it all, or will they destroy one another trying?

Overall, I found this to be a nice and sexy read. I didn't have any problems getting through it. The author created plenty of strife and struggle, mixed with humour and sexiness, which created a good read for me.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third in the series – but each story is independent of the other; linked by the theme. I have enjoyed them all, and recommend them to you.

In this story we get to join Lucy and Reece as they travel across the country in an old car which holds lots of memories for them both. Friends forever, almost a couple in high school, many years of keeping their distance have left them in a less than perfect place to share a road trip. But Lucy's parents have engineered this and we can only hope that they know what they are doing.

As we get to understand why things went wrong first time around, and get to know them both, we are just as invested in wanting a happily ever after. We also get to see some of the States, and the inside of some very insalubrious motel rooms. As well as a hot and steamy romance, there is some great humour here too.

Another hit from Ms. Layne, no doubts at all.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆
This was an okay read. The two main characters spend 80% of the book in their car and I think it took away from the storyline and I found myself skimming to get to the next “good part,” which was the stopping.

Lucy and Reece were best friends as children and high school sweethearts once they reached their teen years. Then Lucy catches Reece with another woman and dumps him – heading off to college. Now, a few years later, Lucy is headed to start a new life in California… only her car breaks down shortly before she’s supposed to be leaving. So her parents come up with a plan to have Reece drive her. Now the two are stuck on a two-week journey across the country with one another – neither being able to stand the other on the outside, but unable to deny their feelings on the inside.

I am not a fan of books that flip back and forth from present to past and this book does that a lot. Though I really like both Lucy and Reece’s characters, their story just didn’t develop quickly enough for me. I really like how it ends though, and that though I found myself skimming through the “car rides,” it wasn’t a book I could put down until the end.

Also Available in the Love Unexpectedly Series

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Good Girl Blog Tour.

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen romantic comedies.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career.

She lives in midtown Manhattan with her high-school sweetheart, where she writes smart romantic comedies with just enough sexy-times to make your mother blush. In LL's ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

Connect with Lauren

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Love Story Blog Tour HERE.

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Love Story (Love Unexpectedly #3) by Lauren Layne to read and review for this tour.

Good Girl by Lauren Layne Blog Tour

Lauren Layne brings all the unpredictable heat of her USA Today bestseller Blurred Lines to an all-new cast of characters! Country music’s favorite good girl is hiding away from the world—only to find herself bunking with a guy who makes her want to be a little bad.

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.

Book 2
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Jenny

“Sweetie...,” Amber says in a gentle voice that has me tensing.

I love Amber to death, but she’s not usually one for sweet-talking. She’s more the type of friend who will actually tell you that a certain pair of jeans absolutely makes your butt look big.

I go very still, wondering if I’m going to need more chocolate chips for this. “What? Tell me.”

“Have you ever hooked up with Shawn Bates?”

I make a face. “Yuck, no.”

“But you’ve hung out?”

“No. I’ve met him, like, twice. Maybe three times.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

My heart is pounding now, because there’s an urgency in Amber’s voice that I’m not used to hearing. “I don’t know. The Grammys, I guess. We had our picture taken together, I think.”

Shawn Bates is one of those ridiculously good-looking guys who’s also been blessed with a decent voice. He won best pop vocal album three years in a row.

He was up against me for album of the year. I can’t imagine he was thrilled about losing, but he was friendly enough. A little skeevy, but maybe that’s because I only know his reputation. And I, of all people, know not to believe everything you hear.

“Do you have your laptop handy?” Amber asks in that scary quiet voice.

Oh, crap. Instinctively I know this is bad. Really bad.

I stand, heading into the kitchen, where I left my iPad, Dolly trotting along at my ankles, happy and oblivious with her little chipmunk in her mouth.

“Which site?” I say as I turn on the tablet.

“Any of them.”

As it turns out, I don’t even need to go to a celebrity gossip site. I was reading Google News this morning with my coffee, and it’s still up on my browser window.

Only this time...

This time I am the news.

I stare blindly, clicking on the top article, my eyes reading the headline about a dozen times before my brain finally registers it: “Does America’s Favorite Good Girl Have a Secret Seductress Side?”

Below the headline is a picture of me and Shawn at the Grammys, both of us with awards in hand. My head is tilted back in a laugh, and even though I know my happiness comes from winning the award rather than my proximity to Shawn Bates, I have to admit that I look semi-smitten with the guy.

His eyes are locked on my cleavage, his smile far more intimate than it has a right to be considering that our conversation lasted only a split second longer than the picture itself.

At the time, I’d thought the shimmering pink dress the perfect combination of sweet and sexy, but looking at it now, with this headline, it seems garish. My smile’s too wide, my posture too open, my smoky eye makeup too much...

“Jenny. Talk to me,” Amber says.

“It’ll pass, right?” I say, still unable to look away from the photo to actually read the article.

Amber doesn’t reply, and Dolly lets out a sad little whimpering noise before sitting on top of my foot as though trying to shield me from what’s to come.

“It’s just another stupid rumor,” I say. “The tabloids are getting exceedingly bold. I can sue, right? And Shawn can sue, and we’ll—”

“Shawn confirmed it,” Amber says.

My ears buzz. “What?”

“This morning. Coming out of the gym, the vultures were all over him. Instead of keeping his mouth shut, Shawn said, and I quote, ‘Look, I’m not proud of my actions, but I can’t be the first guy to get pulled into Jenny Dawson’s vortex, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. At this point, all I can do is look forward and try to make amends.’”

“What is he talking about?” I squeak, my eyes closing as I pull hard on my ponytail in frustration. “Make amends for what? My vortex? Is that a thing?”

“It gets worse,” Amber says, her voice miserable.

“I don’t know how that’s even possible.”

“He’s not the only one who’s confirmed the story.”

I blink. “Someone else is also delusional?”

“Yeah. His wife.”

“Oh my God,” I whisper.

I don’t know much about Shawn Bates’s wife, but pretty much everyone knows their story. Childhood sweethearts who started dating in middle school, they got married right out of high school, shortly before Shawn got famous.

There are always rumors that he’s cheating, but like I’ve said, I don’t put much faith in rumors.

One thing I know for sure is that if he is cheating, it’s not with me.

“She posted a tearful selfie on every single social media platform along with a big old statement about how she and Shawn are going through a rough patch, but their love is stronger than any country-singing home wrecker.”

“I’m not a home wrecker.”

“I know that, J. But you have that song, and there’s that picture—”

“The song was euphemistic!” I say, referring to my first hit single, a song I wrote about all the things that can come between a couple once the honeymoon period’s over: the TV, bills, iPhones, work. Those are the home wreckers.

Not me.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
ADORED this story! From front to back, the book was fun, funny & sincere. Noah & Jenny were the perfect amount of "can’t do this, but can’t stay away" that I fall for, every time. Not overdone! Not so many near misses that you wanna groan & roll your eyes. Just the perfect amount of "OMG did he just do that? Did he just say that?" That keeps you fervently turning those pages to see what's next. She's the all American country music star, he's a begrudging CEO's son who has to take over the company after his father's death. Both trying to leave all the demands of their lives behind just for a little bit and end up at Noah's newly acquired fixer upper house that used to be a music conservatory when Jenny was a girl. Noah is hiding from a crazy ex-fiancée (who isn't on board with the EX part) and Jenny's hiding from a bit of a tabloid scandal. Their coming together is a story I enjoyed completely & thoroughly!


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
I really liked this story and its unique plotline. This is my first Laura Layne book and I look forward to reading more from her!

Jenny Dawson is a country music star who has the unfortunate luck of being picked on by the paparazzi for not having a perfectly flat stomach. Then things escalate to her supposedly having an affair with several married men, prompting Jenny to escape LA and head off the grid for a while. Jenny chooses a small town in Louisiana where she went to a music retreat as a kid. When she arrives, she meets the sexy-but-grouchy “caretaker” Noah Maxwell. Prescott Noah Maxwell Wilcott was raised poor and when he was a teen his rich father decided to claim him, now, years later his father has recently passed away, leaving Noah more money than he knows what to do with. He doesn’t even realize he owns the run-down mansion that Jenny Dawson wants to stay at until he receives her email. When Jenny sees Noah, she assumes he’s the help and Noah doesn’t correct her, the two bicker in the beginning but the sexual tension grows until it snaps. Noah is very hot and cold, accusing Jenny of being a whore several times and being an all-around douche to Jenny until she finally decides she’s had enough and sets out to get her revenge…

This was an intriguing, original plotline which I really enjoyed. I love Jenny’s character, she comes off as being a snob but she’s really just a country girl at heart and the author does a fantastic job of having that shine through. I love the banter between Jenny and Noah, it had me laughing out loud. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals.

Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).

Connect with Lauren

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Good Girl (Love Unexpectedly #2) by Lauren Layne to read and review for this tour.