Lauren Layne has created a new series that epitomizes her well crafted style of distinctive and memorable characters, who have unique and relatable personalities. Ms Layne is well know for the wit and intelligence of her dialogs...but not more so than her brand of romance that is unmatched by other authors of the same genre.

The trademark of her characters are that they’re captivating, their stories fresh and relevant...creating an emotional attachment early on in her stories keeps the the pages turning as the characters evolve, pulling you further into their sphere.

At the center of this story is the heartbreak of a little girl, Naomi, that grows into the need for a sense of closure for the woman she becomes. How Naomi goes about doing so may appear unorthodox, yet it puts her into the position of closing the chapter of a part of her childhood poisoned by her mother’s anger and vindictiveness. Her childhood nemesis, Oliver, is nothing of what she expects when she encounters him again...thus begins the turmoil of conflicting and confusing emotions...intertwined with witty and snarky banter...and an off the charts palpable chemistry that ignites an unforgettable passion between Naomi and Oliver.

I am now anxiously awaiting Audrey and Claire’s stories as the series continues.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Lauren Layne does witty, fun stories. Passion on Park Avenue is one of her best and a not to be missed treat. The characters are charming and the story of female friendship is probably one of my favorite parts.

Passion on Park Avenue is a fun read. Three women meet in a very strange way. They become friends and decide to help each other with the dating scene. Naomi and Oliver are adorable characters. They are likeable and dynamic together. The story is engaging and well written. It's a great romcom read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Where to begin? This book is EVERYTHING that I love about Lauren Layne. Witty dialogue. Fiesty heroines. Sexy heros. But a love story that makes you feel everything and believe in love. Passion on Park Avenue is a soulful story with a friendship bond formed through a difficult situation. Which, I loved how the girls handled it. I expected a catty fight but instead there was friendship. A 2019 top favorite of mine and the year has just begun. I can't wait to read the rest of this series and more from LL. Keep 'em coming!

Lauren Layne does it again. She knows how to write good friendships and romance.

I am excited to read this series. I love how this friendship came about unexpectedly but that they have each other’s back. I love the hints about the love interest.

This is a bit of hate to lovers romance. This was slow burn romance they didn’t kiss until 70% of the book and it was ok. I love how they built a friendship before becoming romantic entangled.

Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

A more in depth review will be posted on What to Read Next Blog on publication date.

Interesting story line made me not want to put down. Loved the characters. Would love to see books on the other characters. Will recommend for sure !

I just loved the book sooo very much.

Lauren Layne is an auto buy and getting one free is just cherry on the top,

Right from the start; and the start is so unusual only Lauren could pull it off so well.. You got to read to know. i was hooked on the book. I finished it in one go and one of the best weekend spend. I am now waiting for other two stories.

I loved the sassy rags to riches heroine and the stuck up upper class hero. Sometime you might feel the Heroine is pretentious however if you really see her background you will understand why does she behaves in that way.

All in all a good enjoyable read and highly recommended. Snuggle in your blanket with coffee in this cold weather and enjoy the hot steamy story.

2 stars
I usually LOVEEEEEEE all of Lauren Layne's books. This one was too pretentious for me. From the plot to the LOUBOUTIN's, it was all blah to me. I couldn't care about people who I didn't really like. That is my biggest problem. I just didn't like any of the characters.

This was a super-cute read! An entertaining, feel-good rags to riches story. Naomi was a super likeable main character, and her chemistry with Oliver was HOT. I would definitely recommend this one - an awesome chick-lit/romance story.

The Central Park Pact

I have loved all of Lauren Layne books…The Stiletto Series, The Oxford Series, I Do, I Don’t Series… and this first book of her new series, The Central Park Pact, is in league with those great reads.

Naomi, Claire, and Audrey meet in Central Park and make a pact to help each other weed out the undesirables in the NYC dating scene. The circumstances of how they meet and what they have in common is quite original. It is surprising to me that this “meet” idea hasn’t been used before, but leave it to Lauren Layne to find this new twist.

Naomi and Oliver’s story had all the great story element. The characters have a history. There was revenge and forgiveness. Smoldering desire and heart. Witty dialog and thoughtful contemplation.

Another original element to this story, other than how the three friends meet, was Oliver’s family situation. We don’t often see a young man in his very early thirties dealing with the repercussion of an ailing parent. The sacrifices to Oliver’s social life and his loneliness make for a compelling character not often seen in contemporary romances.

Cannot wait for the next book in the series. Whether it is Claire or Audrey, it will be an enjoyable and compelling book to read.
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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

When Passion on Park Avenue opens, Naomi is on the way to her boyfriend's funeral when she accidentally meets up with his other girlfriend...and his wife. So when an opportunity to move into the building where her mother once worked as a maid arises, she is ready for revenge best served cold and with a Park Avenue address and the side. Of course, nothing goes quite as planned when Naomi comes face to face with her childhood nemesis who is now a handsome 30 thirty-year-old who is caring for his ailing father.

We are fans of Lauren Layne here at That's Normal, but this is some of her best work.

Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne

One thing I can always count on when reading a Lauren Layne book is smart, clever storytelling and well defined characters. Passion on Park Avenue had all of that and more.

This book is part revenge, part sisterhood, part compassion, and part passion. There were many facets to the lives of these characters and I loved how multidimensional they were. Naomi and Oliver have a history, but too bad Oliver doesn't remember it when he comes face to face with Naomi for the first time after his lie of omission ruined both hers and her mother's life. In his defense, there is a spark of familiarity, but not enough to figure it out. And Naomi isn't giving it up.

Layne always gives us confident, capable woman and all that oozes from Naomi. Growing up poor in the Bronx, Naomi is now a self-made billionaire. That'll show Oliver and his condescending father. Oliver was a bratty, snot nosed kid, but just like Naomi, he's changed his ways, and wants to be that person for Naomi...if only he can figure out why she hates him so much.

The unexpected friendship between Naomi, Claire, and Audrey was a shining example of female empowerment. I can't wait for more of their relationship in the next two books.

This was a charming and enjoyable read and I'm really looking forward to more from this series.

3.5 STARS

I am a big fan of Lauren Layne books. I think my favorite is Crushed. I also enjoyed the Stiletto and Oxford series.

This unfortunately left me flat. I thought it took way too long for Oliver to figure it out who Naomi was. His behavior when he found out was spoiled. His family mistreated her. Yet she showed by action that she wasn't in it for revenge. Otherwise why would she take care of his father the way she did. Not to mention what his father did even knowing it wasn't his fault really.

I did like the friendship between the women. I'm interested in their stories. I hope it is better than this.

Oliver got off too easy in my opinion. It was also really hard to suspend my disbelief he wouldn't remember another Naomi with red hair that he fought with.

Passion on Park Avenue is the perfect start to a brand new series by Lauren Layne! First and foremost, I think the cover for this novel is amazing. I hope Lauren has the rest of the covers in the series illustrated like this one. It's cute, inviting, and truly gorgeous! The stuff inside the book is just as great! I loved this snarky little romance and was rooting for the characters the whole way thorough. I can't wait for the next installment!

This was a fun romance that started sad and was sometimes frustrating, but I very much enjoyed. This is the first I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. Her writing style is fun and just flows along. The characters are all so well written that you can relate to them all and feel like your own friends.

It was my first time reading anything from author Lauren Layne and it will not be my last. I loved this book! I hate to admit this, but I took a 3 hour lunch break today to finish reading it (hopefully my boss doesn’t see this!) The characters are lovable and I wish I could be friends with Naomi in real life.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Naomi and Oliver were great characters and I really enjoyed their romantic journey. I do wish we could have seen more of their actual relationship but the progression was nice. I also wish that Naomi had told her secret sooner, she had a ton of chances and it didn't seem like such a big secret.

Lauren Layne’s new book PASSION ON PARK AVENUE, book 1 in the Central Park Pack , just may be her finest work to date.

There are a few things you can always count on when you pick up an LL book: a heroine you can root for and relate to, a lot of witty banter mixed with true-life sentiment and thought, and a hero you can fall in love with. In her newest series, I’ll add one more thing: oodles of emotional depth.

Naomi Powell is a self-made billionaire. She comes from humble roots – very humble roots – and has a backstory every woman can relate to on some level: never thinking she’s good enough; made to feel unworthy; even not fitting in, Naomi’s felt it all. And for good reason. Well now she’s a powerhouse in business, respected and revered. Heck, even a TV network wants to shot a docudrama about her rags-to-riches life.

But Naomi’s emotional childhood scars run deep. When she discovers that her mother submitted her name to buy a condo in the very same Park Avenue address where most of her tortured childhood drama stemmed occurred right before she died, Naomi is torn. Should she go for the pre-approval interview just so she can show the people who used to look down their noses at her that she’s made it, that she’s not white trash, that she’s worthy of their respect, or should she just forget about it.? Reluctantly, she goes to the interview and is shocked when the person interviewing her is none other than the horrible boy who used to make her life miserable as a child, Oliver Cunningham. Naomi vows to make him and his family pay for all the wrongs she and her mother suffered from at their hands.

Now, while this may sound like a dramatic, dark book from what I’ve written – believe me, it is not. Not even close. PASSION ON PARK is a witty, sexy, thoughtful
story about cold revenge, hot desire, and the power of forgiveness told with the LL brand of snark, heart, and wit.

Oliver Cunningham is a hero I was rooting for from the first time I met him on the page. He’s got his own tortured emotional past to contend with, a father afflicted with Alzheimer’s, and for whom Oliver is the sole supporter. Add in that he’s just about the hottest thirty year old I’ve read about in a while, while he’s also a homebody, loves baseball and does 2000 piece puzzles in his spare time, and you’ve got a great foil for Naomi’s busy CEO lifestyle.

This book had many layers: cheating exes, revenge, childhood emotional drama, just to name a few. But ultimately, it was story of two people who, despite their differences—or because of them—find their way to one another.

The next installment in this series isn’t due until – I believe – 2020. Can I just tell you right now how the wait is going to be book-torture for me??

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery books for allowing me a sneak peak Arc of PASSION ON PARK AVENUE in exchange for an honest opinion of the work. My honest opinion? I wish I could give it 10 stars! Lauren Layne delivers another winner to add to all her other wonderful stories. Brava!

What a fabulous way to kickoff a series! Lauren Layne has a PhD in writing kicka$$ women! From the beginning, I loved the premise of this book/series- a great combination of romance and women’s fiction! I truly enjoy reading about women who lift each other up instead of tearing each other down!!! In true Lauren Layne fashion, Passion on Park Avenue is chock-full of sarcasm and sass!

Naomi had strong feelings (of hate) towards Oliver from years ago and I was very curious if it was possible to turn that ship around! Lauren Layne does a fantastic job of organically building Naomi and Oliver’s friendship/relationship. Throughout all of this, Naomi had her girls (Claire and Audrey) at her back to help her navigate. I was honestly glued to my kindle until the last page and Passion on Park Avenue is officially my favorite novel from Lauren Layne to date! This must read is a complete 5 star novel that I recommend to everyone!

I love Lauren Layne. A great start to a new series. She has the best mix of sex, snark and scenarios. Can't wait for the next one!