Holy Moly, Ian is a man you want to love and Lara is the one who will heal this man. On my gosh, Lauren Layne sure knows how to write hot romance. I loved Ian's friends and Lara who wants to earn her right to be an FBI agent and working for the SEC is a way to do it. Love, love this book. Ms. Layne does not disappoint.

Ian Bradley is a Wall Street investment broker and total asshat. He is narcissistic and gloats about his one and done with women with great pride. I wanted to throw up on him and take him down a peg from page one.

Lara Mckenzie is an agent with the SEC sent to investigate Ian for insider trading. Ian’s case is her ticket to a job with the FBI.

Ian come across Lara in the break room and sees fresh meat, not knowing who she is. When she rebuffs his advances, he’s intrigued but not swayed. He’s never been told no and he’s not about to give up now. Rolling my eyes.

This book bored me. I disliked Ian immediately and it was downhill from there. The only reason Ian seemed to be attracted to Lara was because she was a challenge and nothing more. I struggled to reach a quarter of the way in. I set it aside, moved on to other books. I just couldn’t convince myself to pick it back up.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

I loved this push and pull story between Lara and Ian. Ian is a big-time Wall Street guy/player. Lara is with the SEC who investigates criminal activity in Wall Street. She is assigned to investigate Ian. When they first meet, Ian tries his best to come-on to Lara, but she’s too focused on nailing this case and earning a recommendation to the FBI, her dream job. But there is definitely chemistry between the two. And during the whole investigation, the sexual tension is high. There was a bit of intrigue in the book with what and who is after Ian. And all the secondary characters were fabulous. I’m hoping future stories about them. The ending couldn’t have been more perfect.

It took me a while to actually get into this book because of all the toxic masculinity. Only about a third of the way through the book did I start to enjoy it, but then I still had to deal with sooo many stereotypes throughout the book. Regardless, the romance was hot and I liked the characters. I will say that I'm excited to read the next one because I think I'll enjoy the next couple's chemistry and story a lot more.

And again, Lauren Layne delivers a book that will make you laugh, swoon, and fall in love with its characters!
What did I love about this story? Well:
- First of all, I was attracted by the storyline... A book where the heroine has the upper hand? Sign me up!
- Lara was simply great. She knows what she wants, she stands for herself, and is simply a badass when needed. I admired her especially because her job is for sure not easy for a woman, but her personality and worth made people respect her. I loved also her personality, and especially her strong sense of right, especially when put in a tough spot, having to choose between her dream job and what it's right.
- Ian was just wow, my ideal of a Wall Street businessman. A little cocky, a little a womaniser, but just swoon worthy when he finds the right woman for him. Being put in a situation like the one he found himself in mustn't have been easy, but he fought for his innocence, and his efforts luckily paid off.
- the fireworks between Lara and Ian were just wow, and the dialogues kept me on my toes for the entire length of the book!
- I really liked the suspence element in the story, and I loved the final scene when they framed the real guilty guy... You go Lara!
- as always, Lauren Layne portrayed also some amazing secondary characters, and I can't wait to read their story!

So yeah, I might be addicted to Lauren's stories, but I definitely recommend this one too <3

I’m a fan of Lauren Layne, I LOVED Blurry Lines, Good Girl and Love Story.

But this book just didn’t work for me.

It started great, with this banter and sexual tension I love so much in Lauren Layne’s stories, but then I got bored. Really bored.

Of course, I’ll refrain from sharing this “blah” review, and thank you for this opportunity.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first in a new series. It is a fun, fast paced book. The chemistry between Lara and Ian is great, and I really liked the characters. In the end they get the bad guy and find love!! Fun book for all romance readers.

Lauren Layne does it again. Lauren has been one of my go to authors for years and this book didn't disappoint at all. Ian is a hotshot on Wall Street. One day he see this woman and can't stop himself from flirting with her. What he doesn't know is that Lara the person he was flirting with is with the SEC and is investigating him for insider trading. Ian knows that he didn't do anything wrong. Both Ian and Lara are very attracted to each other but they both know they can't do anything about it because of the investigation. When Lara realizes that Ian didn't commit the crime she turns in her report and they finally can be together and Lara can be one step closer to her dream job as an FBI agent. But when she turns in her report her boss tells her that they are going to go forward with charging Ian with insider trading. Lara knows something is up and quits her job. With the help of Lara and his friends and lawyer they found out why Lara's boss is really out to get him. I inhaled this book in just a matter of hours. I can't wait to read the other books. Thanks Netgalley and Montlake Romance for a copy of this book!

4.5 stars

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne is a beautifully written, entertaining contemporary romance and I really enjoyed it.
I loved Ian and Lara together, they were smart, likable and entertaining characters that made me smile, they made me laugh and they made me swoon.
I enjoyed watching their relationship unfold and the storyline held my attention from start to end.

Hot Asset is a great start to the 21 Wall Street series, looking forward to Matt and Sabrina's book next in Hard Sell coming this September.

*A big thank you to the publisher for the advance copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts.*

Hot Asset was what I might have expected from Lauren Layne; assured, sophisticated and humorous. I enjoyed the characters and can see where subsequent titles might go. In some this served as an introduction to what I assume will be a short series. However, it stood up well on its own and had strong leads in Ian and Lara. If you want some work-related tension creating sparks all round this is probably for you.

Hot Asset is the first book in Lauren Layne’s new series set in Wall Street and this first one started with a bang. A fun, sexy, fast pace story that is full of great banter.

Ian Bradley is a Wall Street Golden Boy. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold. But the SEC is never far. Lara McKenzie is one of the best SEC investigators out there and if there is any insider trading going on, she will find it. And when she is sent to investigate Ian, their adversarial nature creates for an exciting enemies to lovers story. Ian and Lara are both strong, loyal, workaholics and believe in hard work. While they are on opposite sides, they are each attracted to one another and there in lies the problem......no improprieties can happen while on the job!! But the lust and attraction is strong and barriers begin to crumble. You can’t help but to root hard for Ian and Lara.

Ian’s hot shot Wall Street buddies add humor and fun banter as well. Knowing that each of them will get their own story adds an excitement for the series. This book was fun, slightly angsty and a great start.....
Looking forward to more with these Wall Street Hot Shots!!

*advanced copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Really loved this one, it was funny and sexy as hell. From the beginning, I loved Ian. Sure, he was cocky and could sometimes be a SOB but he was funny. Lara, not so much. But she grew on me and I ended up loving her in the end. She was just pretty judgmental in the beginning which I did not appreciate. But hey, I ended up loving her.

I loved the friendship in this book. Matt, Kennedy, and Ian may be competitors but they are still best friends. Hell, they might even see each other as brothers. Then there's Kate, who's their secretary! I adore her. I really liked how this book made the secretary a part of the scene. Secretaries are usually brushed off but she loves her job and her boys. And she might have something for one of them. And then there's Sabrina who Ian has known for forever. Ugh, I just loved the characters in this book. I'd say this is a very character driven book because they're all amazing.

Great start to the 21 Wall Street series!

Ian Bradley is a hot, sexy, rich Wall Street hotshot and while many think he is an egotistical, womanizing jerk (ok, he can be that too) he is actually a sweet, loving, and considerate man. Lara McKenzie is an SEC agent with her sights set on becoming an FBI agent. Just one major case can make her career and Ian Bradley and insider trading can be the stepping stone to her career job.

Ian has a past that allows him to have great respect for the truth and loyalty. When Lara shows up with her accusations and investigations, Ian will do everything necessary to prove to her she is wrong in assuming his guilt. Lara needs this case but it's appearing to contain no substance. On top of that she can't decide if Ian's interest in her is to distract from his guilt or a true connection the two share.

Things get heated between these both professionally and personally. What happens when they are having a hard time separating their chemistry from the job that must be done on both parts. When the investigation takes a twist and Lara must make a stand will her choice put herself and her future job first, or will Ian have someone finally in his corner.

The secondary characters are amazing and add dynamics to the story that have this reader anxious for the rest of the series. Great read!

I just love Lauren Layne's stories. They are so fun and have such great characters!

Ian Bradley is our first Wall Street Wolfe. He is sexy, gorgeous, cocky and rich....all the things that make him delicious. Ian may have had a hard life growing up, but now he is a very successful man. On the outside most people see Ian as a cocky, playboy SOB, but to those who know him realize there is much more under that sexy, expensive suit.

When Ian is investigated for insider trading, it is a shock to all his close friends and co-workers. But to Lara McKenzie, an SEC investigator, she is not shocked. As the daughter of two FBI agents, along with her dream to be in the FBI herself, Lara has seen his type many times, and she doesn't mind putting them in her place.

Lara is told by her boss, Steve, that this case could be the break she needs to get into the FBI so she is determined to do her best to find the evidence that Ian is guilty. Ian is just as determined to prove his innocence. Too bad fate has other plans.

As these two spend more time together, the sparks begin to fly and things become much more personal.

I just loved Ian. Tall, dark, handsome, sexy and even funny....but underneath it all he has a heart of gold. He may be cocky, but most of that is for show. Lara was fun too. Such a by the book character who thought she liked he neat little world to find out that she was missing out on a big thing called life. Together they worked. It was such a fun trip they went on to get to their happy ending. I highly recommend this book!

I'm a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers stories. Hot Asset was that, plus a little touch of insta-lust (and just the barest touch of suspense, but I wouldn't categorize this as a romantic suspense story).

I loved that Lara was a strong, independent, and driven character. She knew what she wanted and while she wasn't about to let anything stop her from achieving her goals, she also refused to compromise on her ethical standards.

I also like how it turned out that Ian wasn't the schmuck you might have initially thought he was going to be. He was willing to own his immediate attraction to Lara and wasn't afraid to commit to her.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next two books in the series!

hot asset kicks off a wall street based trilogy for layne. someone has set the sec on ian bradley's case, even though he's innocent. they also put their most doggest agent on the case with the carrot being a letter of recommendation to the fbi.

the more digging lara does in this case she had been so convinced would be a slam dunk, and the more she gets to know ian, the worse she feels about the case. but does she trust her bosses at the sec who tell her he's guilty, or should she trust the lack of evidence and trust her gut, or should she trust the guy who is telling her he's done nothing wrong.

the heart of the relationship is watching ian and lara come to terms with the circumstances that thrust them together and figuring out how to accept that together they can have it all.

**hot asset will publish on may 22, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/montlake romance in exchange for my honest review.

A little late on posting my review but wedding planning has taken over. With that said, Hot Asset was a nice escape! I loved Ian and Lara’s story. He’s a strong male character, and she’s just as strong willed and determined. There’s plenty of conflict with her being an SEC agent and Ian the guy she’s investigating after receiving an anonymous tip that he’s guilty of insider trading. Overall, this story is a classic romance with so much chemistry, tension and heat. Fantastic summer read!

What a book this book starts with Ian living it up from his high paying job and having all the assets to go with it. That is until he finds out he is being investigated by the SEC and Lara McKenzie. She sees right through him the first time she meets him, however soon lines may begin to cross. As Lara and Ian start spending time together she realizes her investigation may not be what it seems. Together they work with some help from a few good friends to get to the bottom of it.

This was a great book it had sexual tension that just lingered. suspense, and humor. It is a book you can read over and over again.


** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

21 Wall Street #1, A new series for Lauren Layne with the focus of the people at Wolfe Investments. First up is Ian Bradley. It's Ian's fault that I didn't like this book as much as I hoped I would have. He is unabashedly a manwhore, he takes pride in the fact that he's never slept with the same woman twice. I just don't think that's an attractive male trait. He happily admits that he's a "douchebag" and a "Wall Street dickhead". After that I kept picturing him as a not quite psychotic version of Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) or even Jordan Belfort (Wolves of Wall Street) minus the drugs. At least Lincoln from the Stiletto series wasn't as manwhoreish as he wanted everyone to believe. He does have some redeeming qualities, but I just can't quite comprehend why he wants people to think he's a stereotypical "Wall Street dickhead". My other issue was the whole finance thing, I was hoping that like with Sports Romance I could find that romance takes out all the boring parts of sports at least enough to enjoy the story, nope I still find finance boring. The first part of the book is very dry and with Lara being SEC with hopes of getting into the white collar crime division of the FBI LL gets into finance to explain and even in layman's terms I still felt my eyes glazing over but as soon as she started to focus more on the romance bit it picked up and she stopped trying to explain things and got down to the who and the why of things the whole thing became interesting and I enjoyed it.

Lara I liked, she is headstrong and determined to get what she wants and what she wants is to be FBI he ticket in is through the SEC, even though both her parents are FBI she wants to get in on her own merit. Her boss promised a letter of recommendation if she can find the needed proof that Ian Bradley was inside trading, he's got a witness that says he did they just need her to make the informal inquiry a formal one and they have a slam dunk case against him and she gets her way into Quantico. The only problem is Ian's not guilty.

Overall, even with the slow beginning and me not really liking Ian, I did enjoy the book as a whole. I mainly liked the secondary characters, their loyalties and how they all fit together and the hint to their future HEA. I am really look forward to those. Lauren Layne as always has witty banter and is posh and sophisticated with smokin' hot romance.

Ian Bradley has come along way since his days as an unwanted kid in foster care. Now he is a hot Wall Street broker with a great job, great apartment, great sex life, in short he has it all. Then, Lara McKenzie comes through his door. Lara is an investigator with the SEC and she is investigating him after they received a tip that he did insider trading. She’s convinced he’s a fast and loose player and he sees her as an uptight rule bound spoiler.

As Lara investigates, she discovers Ian has loyal friends and coworkers who help her see another side of her target.Ian, in turn finds out hat Lara is an honorable person with a specific life goal and a woman who might just need someone like him to have a life not just a goal.

I loved the bantering between the two characters and their friends. Ian and Lara have a ton of chemistry between them and when they finally connect, they burn up the pages. There are also lots of secondary characters who make me want to know what is going to happen with them.

This book has it all, hot romance, great characters, intrigue, and bits of humor all wrapped up in a great story. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!