**4.5 Stars**

Lauren Layne has the genius of a Rom-Com down pat. Walk of Shame was so, so fun and enjoyable that I couldn’t put it down. The lightness of its airiness mixed with building sexual tension between Andrew and Georgianna made this an unputdownable novel. It’s a novel with the perfect amount of animosity and romanticism between its main characters that it crackled with awareness.

There was such a great juxtaposition with Georgie. She’s a New York socialite, an unemployed but a self-proclaimed party girl, and yet, underneath all of that, she’s holding onto the brightest, biggest heart and personality around. You wanted to dislike her for her easy life, but you just couldn’t help falling under her charm. I loved her. The hopeless romantic with so much love to give. Add in Andrew, the stodgy, icy lawyer, and one couldn’t help but think they complemented each other so well. The two of them had amazing chemistry, both in hate and lust (and even beyond), that it carried the story forward with such ease.

LL is a favorite author for a reason: she mixes wit and charm so beautifully in her love stories. The characters were so concrete and vibrant, the pull between them built in the perfect way, and it was hot to boot. Honestly, it’s the perfect light read that has every wonderful element you want in a book. Walk of Shame is a must-read romance from an author whose writing is so effortlessly easy to fall into.

Georgiana is a rich young woman with a sweet heart. Andrew is a cynical divorce lawyer. They live the same apartment building. Georgie just loves arriving home at 5 am as Andrew is leaving for work, just to tease him. He finds her "perfectly ridiculous ".

This story is perfectly wonderful. The teasing gives way to deeper feelings, written by Lauren Layne. In her closing remarks, she writes of the difficulty she experienced in getting the story just the way she wanted it. I don't know how much time and effort she expended, but the story is worth whatever she invested. I loved it.

I loved this book so much that I immediately read it a second time through. Lauren Layne has an uncanny knack for writing unique characters who lead complex lives- It's almost impossible to not get sucked in! In Walk of Shame, Layne blends the perfect amount of backstory, humor, romance, and of course- steamy sex. I imagine that most readers will come for the sexy bits but stay for the endearing humor. Never before have I smiled so much while reading a romance novel- another homerun for Lauren Layne.

This books was great! I stayed up all night reading it and I don't regret it one bit... Okay maybe a lititle because I only got like 3 hours of sleep, but it was worth it! Loved the banter and chemistry. I just wish it was a little longer and we got to see more of them together.

"<i>You know what I think?</i>"
"<b>Breathless with wondering.</b>"
"<i>I think you've had too much peaceful in your life. I think peaceful has become synonymous with boring.</i>"
"<b>Are you sure we're talking about my life, Georgiana?</b>"

Guuuuuys WALK OF SHAME was so so good. And yes, I'm totally surprised by this. I mean, the synopsis sounds adorable but not particularly groundbreaking and the cover is cute but nothing special or eyecatching and yet this book. <b>This book</b>! I don't want to throw around comparisons to THE HATING GAME because the situation isn't similar but if you loved, or even liked, that book you'll like, or maybe love, this one, too.

<i>I feel a tiny stab of relief that he's as aware of me as I am of him, even if neither of us is happy with the situation.</i>

Georgiana Watkins is a socialite who is feeling a little.. lackluster about her comfortable life, her fancy apartment, her days of fundraisers and her nights of partying. Like maybe she wants something else, something more, something she's missing. But it isn't until a not-so-cute-meet with Andrew Mulroney, Esquire, that she starts to feel this sense of uncertainty about her very fortunate circumstances.

"<i>Oh Andrew and I are aligned, all right. Him at one end of the battlefield, me at the other.</i>"

Every day at five AM she finds herself coming home when Andrew is going to work and every day they square off, trading barbs, honing their wit. Each of them look forward to the brief exchange, neither willing to admit why, unable to refrain from entering each other's orbit. But it isn't until they meet outside the contained bubble of their five AM encounters and see each other in the real world that things start to change. That Georgie, especially, starts to wonder if he could fit into her much different lifestyle.. or she into his.

<i>The socialite was everything that he abhorred. Self-indulged, flighty, useless.. ridiculous. And yet..</i>

Andrew is smart. Genius level smart, fast tracked through school, and naturally awkward because of all of those factors. He doesn't know how to handle himself around Georgie -- who is fun, vibrant, bubbly, the opposite of everything he is -- and he definitely doesn't know how to handle the affect she had on him, and watching him fumble, watching him stumble, and watching George always bring out the worst in him, when it's the last thing he wants, is amazing because it's the best kind of frustrating. Not only for the reader but for the characters.

"<i>So the attraction was instant.</i>"
"<b>What part of what I just said translated to attraction?</b>"
"<i>None of it. But I saw you guys talking when he first came in. It was a toss-up whether you were going to arm-wrestle or just start making out.</i>"

I loved how Layne made these two go through all the typical motions, all the standard romance tropes, and yet.. make them so self-aware while still managing to change up the game. I love love loved it. The bonus to watching WALK OF SHAME play out, too, is that Georgie is telling you everything from her perspective, cheeky-like and with commentary, and yet we still get to see glimpses of Andrew's side (a mix of first and third person narrative that worked so well) and that added a level of dimension to this that definitely branches away from any further HATING GAME comparisons.

"<i>Oh no. You're not that guy. The one that thinks he's never going to get married because his career only shows him the bad side of marriage.</i>"
"<b>I am definitely that guy.</b>"

Reading this book was so so fun. I enjoyed the shit out of the whole experience because it has all of my favourite things and reminded me of why I love them. There's relentless snark, delicious chemistry, so many two steps forward and three steps back agonies, adorable moments, heartbreaking moments, a little bit of drama, aaaand swoons. I highlighted so much of this story that filtering through them for this review is basically like reading the whole thing all over again and I have no regrets. It's that good.

"<i>Do you ever let loose? Order french fries? Unbutton a button? Have a one-night stand?</i>"
"<b>That an invitation?</b>"
"<i>Of <b>course</b> I'll share my fries.</i>"

Unbeknownst to me at the time of request, this is book four in the <i>Love Unexpectedly</i> series, which I assume are standalones but have no idea the extent of the crossover as this is the only book I've read (so far), and this is also my first time reading Layne. And it may be premature to throw this out into the universe buuuut I'm an insta-fangirl. I definitely intend to go back and read through the first three books and definitely intend to pick up the next in the series.

"<i>So what's it going to be? The deli and I call you Andy forever, or..</i>"
"<b>I don't suppose I could exchange a steak lunch for you calling me Mr. Mulroney?</b>"
"<i>I'd rather die.</i>"

Read this book. You'll love it. Highly recommend.

5 "I like that you've seen all my bits, and you're still crusty" stars

Lauren Layne is delightful. Hot romance, great plot and a HEA. We always buy her for our library.

4.25-4.5 STARS

There are very few authors that I automatically one-click once I learn of their newest release. Author Lauren Layne is one of them… and she never disappoints! Without a doubt, “Walk of Shame is no exception. Fun and flirty, it’s simply a delightfully sexy read.

Georgianna Watkins is a rich socialite with a party-girl image. Andrew Mulroney is a rigid, uptight divorce attorney to the rich and famous. Daily sparring becomes part of this unlikely couple’s morning routine, causing tempers to rise and sparks to ignite. In a fit of fury (or is it a fit of lust?), Georgie and Andrew are caught on camera in the grips of a salacious kiss. Quickly, the rumor mill spins, suggesting they are now a couple.

With a secret looming between them, Georgie and Andrew’s tumultuous relationship is so much more complicated than what initially meets the eye. Is it even possible for two people so very different to turn their burning lust into a forever kind of love? To find out that answer, you’ll just have to pick up this book and discover it for yourself.

Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne was so good and kind of different from her normal type of books. Most of Lauren Laynes books the heroine is usually career driven and not a socialite, party girl like Georgie. Andrew is very driven, young Attorney who is super smart.

Georgia and Andrew move into the same apartment building and instantly clash. George usually comes home from her nights out with her friends around 5 and Andrew is heading out for his morning work out. So almost every morning Georgie and Andrew argue/bicker. You can tell underneath the bickering that there is mutual like on both sides. They honestly don’t know what to think about someone so different from theirselves.

Georgie loves everyone and it is her goal to win anyone she meets over. Andrew prefers to go to work and not really socialize. As the book progresses Andrew realizes that Georgie is actually smart and full of love and not the total party girl he thought she was. Georgie also learns Andrew is closed off because growing up he was very smart and didn’t really have a lot of friends. Andrew also has no clue how to communicate with Georgie and he is constantly saying the wrong thing. Watching Georgie and Andrew figure out their relationship was so funny. They bickered, made fun of each other but did sweet things for each other.

The end of this book was so good to me. You can tell from the beginning of the book to the end that Andrew has changed and that he really cares for Georgie. While he was quiet and it came off as rude he was actually paying attention to everything that was Georgie.

This book was very sweet and sucked me in from the beginning. This book is a dual POV, with some sexy scences and moves a very good pace.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

He's a cynic. A divorce lawyer to the stars Andrew has seen it all and is not impressed. She's a party girl. Georgie has everything money can buy, but lately she's looking for more. Walk of Shame is a delightful look at the pitfalls of celebrity. As always Ms. Layne brings a smart wit to her characters that is a pleasure to behold, but she also exposes behind the curtain. The labels, unhappiness and loneliness that life on a pedestal entails. Georgie is more than the pampered heiress people assume her to be. Andrew is more than a pompous jerk. Their human and can feel pain and bias just as easily as we can. This is why I love Lauren Layne. She creates characters that seem larger than life, yet she exposes their frailties, while stealing her readers hearts.

I really loved this book. It was heartwarming and sweet with unexpected depth. I would read this again and again!

Oh this book was just pure fun!
Georgie and Andrew couldn't be more different from each other if they tried and their animosity/chemistry jumps off the page from the first time we see them together.
Ms. Layne does an excellent job of peeling back the layers of these complex personalities so that we get to see more about what makes them tick while also keeping up with the fast pace of the story. Both Georgie and Andrew evolved during the course of the book and I appreciated that they had the individual growth while they also developed a relationship.
If you are looking for a fun, sweet, "enemies to lovers" type book then this would be a great one to pick up.

Georgie Watkins is a socialite who tends to be out until the early hours of the morning. She has found herself in the habit of hitting the local donut shop for a box of donuts for the doormen in her building. If she just so happens to time it for 5:00AM when the Mr Stick up his Butt Andrew Mulroney, Esquire is leaving the building on his way to the gym before work, well, that's just an odd coincidence. His favorite word for her is ridiculous and she lives to needle him. Eventually, like an annoying song, Andrew finds himself falling under her spell and Georgie is finding his quirks kind of cute.
I so enjoyed the foreplay between these two but once they got on track, it was great! Then all of a sudden, a untold secret could potentially tear them apart. I loved how Ms. James worked out the conflict and got these two on the road to HEA.
I'm so thankful to Netgalley for the eARC and for introducing me to this author who has become a must buy for both me and the library where I work.

~~3.5 stars- Low on the angst, high on the cuteness~~

Walk of Shame is an enemies to lovers story involving two neighbors who are polar opposites. I’m a big fan of this author, so I was a bit bummed when I found myself reluctant to pick this back up. All the ingredients of a great romantic comedy are here, but the heroine isn’t my cup of tea and I couldn’t get into it. However, I’ll freely admit that this may more be a case of not being in the mood for such a breezy romance rather than a true reflection of the book’s substance.

Andrew is a well-known divorce lawyer. I found his awkwardness often endearing, and overall he was a likeable character. Georgie is a New York socialite, who spends her days planning charity events, shopping, and hanging with friends. Her bright, bubbly character is the perfect contrast to Andrew’s subdued personality, but she never clicked with me and I had a really hard time sympathizing with her personal dilemmas. Typically with this author, I find myself drawn to the characters even if I don’t personally identify with them. Unfortunately, that never happened with Georgie and while she isn’t unlikable, it made it very difficult to fall in love with their story. Walk of Shame does use a different narration style than what I typically see. It includes alternating points of view, with Georgie’s told in the first person and Andrew’s in the third. The bulk of the book is from Georgie’s POV and while her happy, friendly, relaxed voice makes for an easy read, it dominates the story to the point that she becomes overwhelming for me. Again, this may be a case of the not in the right frame of mind for that type of character, but it was simply too much bubbliness and blue blood drama. That said, Andrew and Georgie have a great energy between them even before they move from frenemies to more. The verbal sparring and banter sets a quick but easy flow and keeps Walk of Shame fun and light-hearted. The chemistry comes across clearly, steadily growing throughout the story and translating into a good amount of physical heat between the two. I love how the author includes some fun, bright quips before, during, and after the sex scenes. These moments had me laughing out loud and really showcased the breezy dynamic of their relationship.

Typically, this author is my go-to when I’m in the need of a pick-me-up as I tend to read her books cover to cover with a smile permanently etched on my face. While the banter and fun atmosphere that I crave is undeniably present, the characters and story felt lacking in depth. It was almost like a muted version of what I’ve come to expect from Miss Layne. However, I do think fans of enemies-to-lovers stories looking for a low-angst, banter-filled cute romance to brighten their day/weekend will likely enjoy this one.

Wizard of Oz and Disney fairy tales are the stories of my childhood and I still believe them to be the best of all time. Georgie, aka Scarecrow, is a socialite with a heart of gold. Andrew, aka Tin Man, is a child genius that grew up a bit too fast and never got to grow socially. The two of them instantly had a "dislike" of each other and love to bait the other into a friendly cold war. The chemistry is off the charts with sarcastic wit, dry humor and subtle fairy tale references. Layne has a fun and magical way about her characters and provides us with a truly satisfying story, along with intensely intimate moments. Always a pleasure to read a book that makes me giggle, sigh and maybe fight off a tear or two. It was an honor to read an advanced copy from Netgalley and I have written this review voluntarily.

If you love sexual tension, there is no shortage of it in this book! Georgie and Andrew hate each other but it's one of those "I hate you so much that I love you" kinda hates. This book made me feel some strong emotions. It was so entertaining and I was hooked instantly. The characters couldn't be more different but they work perfectly together. The build up of sexual tension is almost unbearable at one point but it finally erupts at the perfect point and it's so incredibly satisfying (no pun intended) and HOT! I thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious, yet scorchingly sexy book.

Walk of Shame
I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really love the fact that the author took the time to tell the story. She did not rush it, which actually seems to happen a lot in the Romance novels. I have read a lot of Romance novels that will start out with a great story and then rush through to the end so fast it loses the potential, it started with, to be a wonderful book. Lauren takes to time to lay out the plot and introduce the characters and taking that potential and turning it into a Great book. The story was well thought out. The princess and the frog. I love the chemistry between the main characters Andrew and Georgiana. The sexual chemistry is amazing. I found the book not only romantic but fun. There were several moments of laugh out loud fun and moments of sadness. I like the mix of characters and it was easy to imagine being there or maybe watching it on the big screen. The book was captivating. I am definitely interested in reading other works by this author. Happy Reading!!!
Will definately put my review out when it is released!

Just what I needed to get me out of my book funk! I have never been disappointed by a Lauren Layne book. This book is so fun! Georgie and Andrew are complete opposites. She's chaotic to his calm. She's his squall coming in and turning his world upside down and I LOVED it. LL is one author I know I can depend on to deliver top notch stories, writing, and give me all the feels. 5+ stars.

Confession time: while I'm a big Lauren Layne fan, I thought I'd absolutely HATE this one. I mean, a spoiled rotten rich-kid princess living the party life in NY? Whose problems are supposed to garner my sympathy?! Seriously, Layne has some magic voodoo or something because possibly the most unlikeable character archetype is somehow so ridiculous she's perfect. The contrast between her and love interest Andrew (or Andy, as she likes to call him for purely nefarious reasons) is absolutely awesome; I love that his biggest issue is the fact that he lives his life cerebrally, given that he's a genius who missed out on a lot of life because of how quickly he grew up. Oh, and the supporting cast of characters is also awesome (his bro and sis in law are so realistic and cool, and don't even get me started on Georgie's best friend Marley - I'll never stop)

READ THIS BOOK. Even if the summary sounds like the worst thing ever.

4 solid stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Anytime that I get the opportunity to indulge in a Lauren Layne book, I take it! So when I received an email offering an ARC of her newest novel I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it. This Author has been one of my favorites since I read her first book. Her writing is flawless. It draws you in right from the start. Her characters are real, likeable, flawed and just amazing. I have yet to read one of her stories that I didn’t love..

Walk of Shame seemed a little different to me than some of Lauren’s other books. The writing is a tad different but still just as remarkable.

Georgie is a young, rich, party girl with very little responsibilities. Some may think she is irresponsible and self-centered but she isn’t. Andrew is Georgie’s uptight, condescending, socially awkward, workaholic well known divorce attorney. Georgie has a tremendous crush on him and she believes that Andrew doesn’t like her at all but what she doesn’t realize it that Andrew likes her a whole lot me than she could ever imagine.

“I’m Georgie Watkins of the cinnamon-sugar hair, and he’s… well okay fine. He’s a big deal.”

These two characters were polar opposites but yet still the same in some areas. Their courtship to a relationship was definitely not without its ups and downs but I think Georgie did a great job at bringing Andrew out of his shell. Their banter is pretty amusing at times and will definitely keep you chuckling. Their love and their relationship grows slowly and at an even pace.

“I want the guy who’s not afraid to be spontaneous when he needs to be, who’s not afraid to get messy, because love it messy. "

The plot is great, the second characters are good and this was just an all-around great read that I enjoyed very much!

If you loved the Amy Adams/Patrick Dempsey movie Enchanted, then you are going to love this book. Essentially, it’s Enchanted fan fiction and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. Stuffy divorce lawyer Andrew has zero time for ridiculousness, frivolity, fluff - whatever word you want to assign to his neighbor, Georgina, he has no time for it. Georgie, a kind and generous socialite, is fascinated as to why this gorgeous man hates her and has decided to win him over. Of course, he doesn’t really hate her, and he wins her over right back, and all ends happily ever after.

Most mornings at 5am, Georgie stops on her way home from whatever club she’s been at to pick up donuts for the security staff of her building. A happy coincidence is that the frustratingly fascinating Andrew Mulroney leaves the building for his gym at 5am. They’re not friends for sure, and they’re not really enemies. They’re more like sparring partners passing in the night, but each has gotten under the other’s skin.

When a particular jab lobbed by Andrew has Georgie retaliating that he doesn’t know her at all, the pair end up agreeing that Georgie will spend a day shadowing him. She’ll start with his gym routine, then go to the office, and so on and so forth. He’s convinced she won’t last more than twenty minutes and she’s determined to prove to him that heiresses have more stamina than he gives them credit for.

The day doesn’t go according to plan, because, well, it doesn’t, but it ups the ante between them for sure. Before they know it, and with a paparazzi shot speeding up the process, they’re not only friends, but something much more. A very sexy something more, by the way. Their chemistry crackles from page one and I had a hard time putting this one down!

I adore Lauren Layne’s books. I prefer her series, because I love how she weaves people together, but her standalones are delightful as well and Walk of Shame is no exception. We get much more of the story from Georgie’s point of view than from Andrew’s, which made me feel like I knew and understood her better. Andrew is the one with the hero’s journey in this, however, so I wish we could have gotten inside his head a bit more.

Oh – and in case that hero’s journey comment leads you to believe Georgie is perfect from start to finish, let me dissuade you of that notion. Her growth is subtler - she has to decide if the picture perfect idea she has of her life is really accurate and how much vulnerability she’s willing to risk if it’s not. Since we’re in her first-person PoV for over half the book (Andrew’s chapters are third-person PoV, FYI), we get to hear her wonderings, her shifts in perspective - especially regarding the nature of marriage, love, and happily ever afters.

At 200 pages, the story moves quickly and I, personally, think it could have taken its time a bit more. For what it is, I recommend it, and am already looking forward to Ms. Layne’s next offering.