LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ian and Lara! The story is SOOOO good (as are all LL books). I cannot wait for the next books, especially a particular couple I am totally in love with already!

Hot Asset is an amazing read. If you love good banter then you will love Ian and Lara. I love the cocky side of Ian and how Lara turns him down left and right. There is sort of a love/hate relationship that is Lara and Ian. But yet this undeniable attraction. Two opposites can make a right. How can you not love Lara and her by the book ways. Ian and his close friends are amazing. Once Lara figures out why and who is behind the set up it is amazing to see everything fall into place. I can't wait to see everything pan out throughout the series.

I liked this one but was not thrilled with it. It was a good story but the character development was sadly lacking for me and i really like to get to know the characters, to feel that connection. I would read more though, maybe I would feel more engaged next time.

I liked this book. It was captivating and I almost finished it in single sitting but something somewhere kept lacking. I felt something a miss.

I’ve read numerous books by Ms. Layne and she always provides an entertaining story, with plenty of emotional scenes, sexy times and hilarious banter.

This was an interesting take on Wall Street, potential insider trading, and the SEC. It was NOT a cute meet with Ian and Lara! Ian is used to women jumping at the chance to be with him, so he’s thrown off by Lara’s disinterest. Initially Ian is difficult to like as a wealthy playboy and his seeming carelessness with one-night stands. He has worked hard to get where he is and is quite wealthy, while Lara is struggling in a low paying job with the SEC.

I won’t go into all of the details but as the story progresses, you become aware of Ian’s difficult childhood and how it affects his adult life. Lara has always wanted to be in the FBI in the white-collar crime section. Ian and Lara are extremely hard workers, focused on their careers and seem to follow all rules, which leaves them both wondering how this investigation was initiated.

Lara is given a difficult time by Ian, his colleagues Kennedy and Matt, their assistant Kate, and Ian’s long-time friend Sabrina due to the investigation. They are a close-knit group and even when they are bickering, you can just feel a familial type of love and caring. Lara is pretty much a loner so to see their interactions, makes her want to have that in her life.

The tension builds the longer the investigation lasts. It’s intriguing how the potential crime plays out, while Ian and Lara are becoming more and more interested in each other but Lara won’t let anything interfere in her investigation or with her reputation.

I could easily feel the emotions of all the characters and understood Ian’s hurt feelings thinking that Lara believes he could be guilty. I enjoyed the alternating POV’s, which helps to understand the emotions and thoughts of the main characters.

I loved how the criminal part ended – yay Karma! I wasn’t sure how the relationship between Ian and Lara would work but it made me very happy with an HEA.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out more about Matt and Sabrina and Kennedy and Kate!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an early copy to read.

This book was a quick easy read. This was an enjoyable read, but I feel that it lacked character development between Ian and Laura. Thats not to say that i am looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and finding out the story of the secondary characters!

Lauren Layne never lets her readers down.
You find yourself devouring her books, craving for the next one, as usual.
In Hot Asset she introduces brand new characters whose stories are interconnected, using a combination of humor, wit, romance and spice. The plot is well conceived with quite a mystery to solve.
One word: addicting. Can’t wait for the next

5 STARS!!

It's been so long since the last time I received an ARC of LL book.
So happy to be able to read and review one of my favorite authors' new release.

While I find the banter between the Hero and heroine is really interesting, the topic of this story is pretty boring, in my opinion. I don't really understand all the Wall Street thingy and the investigation with "blurry source" is just waste of time. I just don't get it why when someone has a gut to sell their stock and unfortunately after that, the company went bankrupt, then that person who just sold his stock became a suspect of crime?..... Or so I thought, until THAT amazing plot twist happened.


Damn LL!! You're genius!!
Just when I thought the story would go worse, you made it much, much, much BETTER!!

Love it!!

And I love that the old LL style is finally back.

Good banter between the Hero and heroine, interesting story line, smart and hardworking Hero and heroine, and of course the right amount of sexiness.

For all LL fans you guys definitely should read this book!

I already can't wait for Matt story! 😻

Thank you so much publisher and NetGalley for providing me this ARC. I feel so honored.

I’ve been a fan of LL’s books for a while, and I mostly enjoyed this one! I liked how career focused Lara was. A lot of Layne’s more recent titles have heroines with the perfect job and perfect social life, and I was happy to see a deviation from that. I thought I would hate Ian, but he grew on me pretty quickly.

The story was pretty contrived and the conclusion of the investigation was mildly ridiculous, but still entertaining and fun to read.

Hot Asset by Lauren LayneLara McKenzie has one goal in life. She wants to work for the FBI putting white collar criminals away. And the SEC is a stepping stone to get there. If she can get one big case, she's guaranteed entry.

Ian Bradley made a killing on a stock that everyone else lost their shirts on. Lara's boss has a tip that it's because of insider trading. Just because the man is super-hot doesn't mean that Lara is going to fall under his spell like so many other women.

This was an okay start to a new series. I didn't love that Lara and Ian were supposedly falling in love during such a stressful situation. We didn't get to see much of the relationship.



Three stars
This book comes out May 22
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Hot Asset. I will post the review to my blog on May 22nd. Below is the link to my review on Goodreads.

Lauren Layne is so fun to read! She continually produces fun, sexy and exciting reads with well developed characters.

Sadly, this wasn't my favourite Lauren Layne title. I found Lara to be really interesting but I did not care at all for Ian. However, I am looking forward to the subsequent titles in the series.

<em>Hot Asset</em> is the first book in Lauren Layne's new <a href="http://bookbinge.com/reviews/series/21-wall-street/">21 Wall Street</a> series. It features a hotshot broker who is being investigated for insider trading and the SEC investigator who is digging into his entire life. Sparks fly whenever they're together so you know this was going to be a good one.

Ian Bradley grew up with nothing. No family, no money, no handouts so he worked really hard to make sure that he doesn't have to worry about money or need any handouts now. He knows that he's fortunate to have the life that he has now and he plays just as hard as he works. He lives the life of a bachelor and tries to live without regrets but when he comes into the office and is blindsided by an insider trading investigation on him, he needs to get his shit together and figure out a plan. And just as soon as he stops staring at Lara McKenzie's long legs and fine ass, he'll get right on that. Haha.

Lara McKenzie has a dream of joining the FBI, just like her parents. Her dream job is within reach but she has to get through her present job in order to get the recommendation that she needs for the FBI gig. She's hoping that this latest investigation will lead her to a big case that will lead her one step closer to the FBI. She's investigating a broker on Wall Street who thinks the world rises and sets with him. He thinks he's above everything and she's not surprised that he might be a little shady. Anything to get to the top, right? But the further she digs into this case, the more she realizes that Ian Bradley is not the guy that everyone seems to think he is.

Both Ian and Lara battle their attraction while she's investigating him. It's thrown them both off of their game because they don't know how to handle it. Nothing can come of the attraction, not now anyway but the more they get to know each other, the more they want each other.

Lauren Layne did a great job of meshing both the Wall Street and the SEC worlds in this story and I really enjoyed it all. The characters, the romance, the dialogue, it all worked and I am so here for the next book.

Lara was a fun heroine because she knew what she wanted and she worked hard to achieve all of her accomplishments. She acted on what she felt was right, no matter the cost and how can you not respect someone like that? She was confident in her work and she was also confident in herself as a person and I just really enjoyed getting to know her.

Ian was a great hero and I enjoyed getting to know him. The bits and pieces of him that made him the person that he grew up to be, seeing the family he created for himself and seeing him take care of the one man who was as close to a father figure as he could get just warmed my heart so much. He wasn't perfect, he wasn't polished but he was real and I dug him. I also really enjoyed seeing him fall for Lara and that was completely believable. It happened organically and seriously, Lauren Layne is really good at bringing couples together. She delivers the goods and I will definitely have ants in my pants until I can read the next book in this series.

<strong>Grade: 4.5 out of 5</strong>

Lauren Layne will always be one of my go to authors, no matter what she throws at me I know it is gonna knock me off my socks.
Hot Asset was a slow burn kinda book that Ian is totally a prick at first but some how Lauren managed to have me wrapped around his finger regardless of his past. He just is the kinda guy you cant help but wanna love all over. Then she gave Lara a total opposite of Ian and gosh did she give the guy a run fro his money.
The two are a perfect match and the steamy scenes make the slow burn worth while!
Great Summer Vacation read for any romance addict!

Lara is an overachiever. She has always been thorough and kept her eyes on the prize. She is a career woman who investigates insider trading and sends people to prison. She is the BEST at her job. Ian Bradley is the hot, sexy, wealthy, Wall Street Guru who came from hard times. He also keeps his eye on the prize and is the BEST at what he does. So what happens when Lara's SEC department gets a tip that Ian accused of insider trading? Things heat up as both characters are put outside their comfort zone to figure out what is going on.

What a great book to start the 21 Wall Street Series! This story could not have been better.
Ian is such a hound and when he spots a new woman in the break room at work he just can't help himself ( or his zipper) . Cheesiest come on lines ever and man is he shut down quickly when he finds out the woman he's been hitting on hard and heavy is Lara, the woman there from the SEC to start an investigation of ... well... him. Doesn't stop him from wanting Lara and despite he's been accused of insider trading, without any sort of proof thus far, he's still can't stop of thinking about her. He likes he and that alone freaks him out.
With his two other friends and co-workers Matt and Kennedy along with his assistant Kate, who was great btw- working as a PA for all 3 guys she's a really great add the the story. Matt has his own issues with a mutual friend of the guys and then there is Kennedy. The old man trapped in a 30 year old body and I'm dying to know his story. I liked him. Back to Ian and Lara. Lara has done all she can with what little information her boss has given her and she declares the case closed. Her boos has been elusive about this case since handing it to her with promises of a straight shot to the FBI if she brings this guy down. That's her dream job, working white collar for the Bureau. Her parents are both Feds and yet seem the stymy any effort she makes to get to Quantico.
Meanwhile she's fallen for Ian and her ethics keep her from him until she's turned in her final report and closed his file. Fireworks pale in light of these two. Their a perfect pair and as much as that scares Ian he's launched himself headlong into snagging Lara.
This a a great story from Lauren as usual and I can't wait to read Matt's story which is coming up next. Great read! Don't miss out on this one.

**arc from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

**Disclaimer: I received an eARC of Hot Asset from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I wasn’t expecting much from this book. The summary was enough to get me interested and even the first few pages were entertaining enough. It was then I realized I had read the entire thing without even looking up. This book was smart, funny and the perfect amount of sexy.

I think these types of novels have come a long way, and the female characters are finally a bit more complex and more feminist. This is the same story you see all the time, the sassy girl hates the cocky boy and then falls in love with him. But… it’s done in a really smart way. The alternating first-person point of view was so helpful as a reader. It kept me engaged and really enhanced the story, being able to experience it from both Ian and Lara. I really did like both characters and I thought they were a great bit and I enjoyed their back and forth banter.
The specifics of the story, like the investigation and the careers of both main characters were a little flawed and unrealistic, but all in all, I think it was a wonderful slow-burn romance.

This was the first novel I’ve read by this author, but I hope to read more as I really did enjoy this book!

I've been a LL fan for a while now, but some of her last few books weren't my favorites of hers. I felt like this one was better for me, though! Not in my top faves of her books, but heading in the right direction. I'll be looking for the rest in the series!

For SEC agent Lara McKenzie this latest job is her make or break for her getting her lifelong dream – a position at the FBI. All she has to do is prove Wall Street’s golden boy is guilty of insider trading. She goes after Ian Bradley with a vengeance, but soon has doubts about the anonymous tip. With their back and forth banter, a huge attraction that she unsuccessfully tries to ignore, she finds herself proving he’s not guilty. With twists and surprises, this was a great story totally worth five stars (and more).
This is the first book I’ve read of Lauren Layne and can’t wait to read more!