Ever since I read Passion on Park Avenue a few weeks after its release, I have not only fallen in love with the characters in this series but with Lauren Layne's writing. With that being said, I have obviously been eagerly anticipating Love on Lexington Avenue for several months now, and am so blessed to have been able to read it earlier. This did not disappoint AT ALL!

At first, Claire and Scott seemed too different to work out. When I read the synopsis for this book after reading PoPA, I was confused, I won't lie about that. But after reading LoLA, I can say that it works. They work. Surprisingly well. Their scenes made my heart flutter with happiness multiple times, their development from reluctantly working together to becoming friends and then eventually something more was so beautiful to watch. They are both damaged souls, betrayed by previous loves, who genuinely never thought they'd find another person they'd want to share their lives with, or would ever want to trust. But their walls start to slowly shatter as they spend more and more time with each other, and they truly jump head first into it by the end in the most beautiful of ways. Their relationship is not only beautiful because they have heartwarming scenes, or because they learn to trust a partner again through each other, but its also beautiful because through their slow friendship and development into more, they also grow as people.

Now, I have made it no secret that my favorite thing about PoPA was the friendship, and it has remained true after this book. No, scratch that, it has INTENSIFIED. The fact that these 3 girls turned a situation that most people would see as negative into such a beautiful and long lasting friendship really was the selling point of this series for me. I live for moments between Naomi, Claire and Audrey in these books; they have really become one of my favorite literary friendships ever.

This was overall another successful book by Lauren Layne for me, and it made this series go from my "love it" list to my "all time favorites" list! I cannot wait to see what else Lauren Layne has in store for us readers, and to see Audrey and Clarke finally realize how perfect they are for each other in Marriage on Madison Avenue!

The second book in the Central Park series. This one focuses on Claire Hayes, the widow of the cheating husband Brayden. Determined to erase her past with him, she sets out to redesign her boring and outdated UES brownstone house and make it something of her own. A brand new start for Claire and her home. What she didn't expect was to fall for her sexy, successful, rough around the edges contractor, Scott Turner, and his big goofy dog.

This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites of all time. The way Claire and Scott built their relationship made my heart swell. The dialogue in the book is so charming and witty. Also, any book with strong female friendships - I'm here for it! I love how they support each other and lift each other up. Even the men in the book just seem like super nice guys. The romance is cute but what really got me with the story were the friendships established. Can't wait for the third one on Audrey!

I just love this series! This is the second in a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next one! This story follows Claire and Scott. Claire is a recently widowed woman looking to renovate her house and Scott is the contractor for the job. I enjoyed the first book in the series but liked this one more. Claire was a good main character and I liked the "will they or won't they" dance between her and Scott. Plus...he had a cute dog! Highly Recommended!

1 grumpy hero + 1 gun-shy heroine + 1 dinosaur-dog = a bunch of happy tears

A year after losing her husband AND discovering his infidelities, Claire was looking to make some changes and wanted to start by renovating her home. Enter Scott, a grumpy, but very talented contractor, who clashed immediately with Claire. Though, their first meeting was a bit rocky, they developed a friendship, and it seemed like maybe even something more, but they were plagued by their pasts, which were hampering the possibility of a future for them both.

I love Lauren Layne books so much, and this was yet another winner for me.

In this whole wife-girlfriend-mistress setup, Claire was the the wife, and even after a year, she was still struggling with her feelings for her deceased husband. In the end, he betrayed her, but they were in love at some point. These were the emotions playing tug-of-war with Claire's heart, and this was keeping her from moving forward. I was really happy that Claire started taking some steps towards reclaiming her life. It started with baby steps, but as her confidence grew, those steps became bigger and bigger, until she was really starting to enjoy her life again.

I would have never have imagined, that someone like Scott would be the push she needed, but I was glad he entered her world. I had this idea of who Scott was in the beginning of the book, but it changed drastically as I learned more and more about him. He was also dealing with a romantic betrayal, and instead of isolating himself, the way Claire had, he partook in a strings of flings. One night stands and constant travel kept him from dwelling on his past, but being with Claire helped him come to terms with many things and get the closure he needed to take that chance on his future.

I liked these two together. I mean, it was a most painful slow-burn, but I enjoyed all their interactions. The attraction was simmering the whole time, and it was fun to see it get closer and closer to boiling. The attraction was real, but so was the genuine connection they experienced, and I loved that they were able to find some comfort in each other.

I think this book had more group scenes, than the previous book, and that was something I really enjoyed. Lauren Layne always puts together the most fabulous friend groups, and this cast continued that tradition. The ladies were such an interesting mix of personalities, but so were the men. The big group outings were fabulous, but so were the smaller meetups. It was nice seeing the dynamic between all the different characters, and I loved getting to meet them all.

This book was about healing and learning to trust again. It was about coming to terms with the past and moving towards the future. It was about love and friendship, and it was a delight to read.

I love this sequel to the first book. It was so sweet and precious and full of fun! Read the first one and then come read this one. You won’t be disappointed!

Finding out about her husband's infidelities on the day of his funeral really threw Claire for a loop. From that experience, however, she's gained the friendship of the "other" women; Naomi and Audrey. The bond between the three women is strong, but Claire still wonders how she could have been so deceived by someone that she loved. Her husband's death causes her to take a long look at her life, and Claire has discovered she lives a very beige life. Ready to break out of the mold, Claire decides, for starters, on a complete renovation of her brownstone. She's also ready to get back in the dating game. Not specifically to find another husband, but, basically, to get her groove back. Claire has no idea where to start as it's been awhile since she's dated, but right now she's got her hands full dealing with her new contractor.

Scott only agreed to check out Claire's house as a favor to a friend, his skills are typically reserved for corporations and high-rises and his job keeps him from staying in one place too long as he likes it. But when he arrives at Claire's, the renovation calls to him. He sees the potential in the dilapidated old home. Now, if only he can keep Claire from making everything pink!

Seriously though, Scott and Claire are almost like two sides of the same coin. Both have past relationships that hurt them, and shook them to their core. That changed them on a fundamental level. While Claire is actively trying to turn her life around, Scott hasn't noticed that anything is wrong until he meets Claire. These two are supremely drawn to one another, but unsure of where the future may go, or if they want it to go anywhere.

Lauren Layne handles the whole idea of this one person (in this case Claire's deceased husband) having such an effect upon the people in their lives in such an unassumingly profound way. For Naomi (mistress #1), there was anger, for Audrey (mistress #2) there's unshakable hope, and Claire (wife) she's left almost bereft of an identity. She was a wife for seven years, a girlfriend before that, now she's a widow, but she's a widow to a man she obviously barely knew and for which there's no love lost now. Wondering if there was something wrong with her (there absolutely wasn't) that made her husband cheat. It's heartbreaking to have the entire perception of your marriage and your life called into question, but Claire is such a strong character. I loved seeing her move forward with the life that she wants, not a life she thinks she needs in order to get over her husband, but truly finding the life that suits her.

In amongst this self-discovery is Scott. Claire and Scott start out with this opposites-attract thing going on. They butt heads over their differing ideas for Claire's home. Scott does not sugar-coat his opinions which, I think, after being lied to for so long, is a breath of fresh air for Claire.

Their chemistry is off the charts. You could feel the sparks from their first interactions, but I loved the fact that their romance was such a slow-build. Not only because it just made me read like a fiend, but I appreciated that it didn't overshadow the growth the Claire had to do on her own. Scott as well, to a smaller extent because the main focus is, of course, the three women on the group, but I felt like the connection between Scott and Claire's past relationship experiences - and how they each handle things differently - is a testament to how right they are for one another.

So far, Love on Lexington Avenue has been my favorite of this series. I'm so looking forward to Audrey (and Clarke) getting her story next, but man, they're going to have to work extra hard to usurp the "favorite" title from this one.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, you will absolutely have no issues picking this one up and enjoying it. But if so, you definitely need to check out Passion on Park Avenue because you seriously can't go wrong with Lauren Layne.

4 1/2 stars

Lauren Layne has easily become one of my favorite romance writers. I don’t even bother to read the blurb when I see she’s authored a novel. What has made her become one of my favorite writers is the fact that I am not reading the same story with the same characters over and over again. This The Central Park Pact series is case in point.

In the first novel of the series, Passion on Park Avenue (read my review here) we met Naomi who was confident, brazen, but with hints of vulnerability. Claire, the main female character in Love on Lexington Avenue is her polar opposite, except for the shoes. In fact, the shoes may be the one thing, besides philandering Brayden, that these women have in common.

At the beginning of Love on Lexington Avenue as she’s staring at the vanilla cupcake she bought to celebrate her birthday, Claire has an epiphany. The cupcake embodies her life. All of her choices have been vanilla, safe. She is vanilla. After speaking to the third member of the pact, Audrey, Claire decides to become strawberry lemonade. She’s going to bring pink into her life to not only take risks but also because Brayden hated pink.

That for Claire new contractor, Scott Turner, is a “hell, no.”

Initially Scott comes off as a bit of a jerk: gruff, arrogant, macho. Indeed, if you’ve ever seen Gilmore Girls, he’s Luke before Luke morphed into someone Lorelei should have run ever so far from (my opinion which is probably not shared by most). However, the longer Claire is around Scott, she understands, appreciates and becomes attracted to everything she thought she disliked, flannel, for instance.

I love how Claire evolves, moving from feeling like a doormat to nurturing her own success. I also loved how Claire and Scott’s romance evolved with its surprises and acceptances and at the very last a beautiful grand gesture to show that besides attraction and sex, love emerges when there’s mutual respect and acknowledgement. That might not sound romantic, but if you don’t agree, you will when you grown up. 😉

There is a scene where Claire is wondering whether Scott’s ex- realized everything she’s missed by cheating on Scott. The way it’s phrased and Claire’s words, just brought tears to my eyes.

Layne really works all of the emotions into Love on Lexington Avenue. Vulnerability, heat, strength, sisterhood, humor, catharsis, and more.

I highly recommend this novel and the series.

Now, I’m so looking forward to the next installment.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Layne always tops my to be read lists and remains as always a favorite author of mine. LL truly shines in her series books, and Claire and Scott's story did not disappoint. This was a slow burn sexual tension buildsup between them until they can no longer fight it. They agree to a no-strings-attached, friends with benefits arrangement and it gets better and better from there. Fantastic fun read!

I really needed something light and sweet and this book did that for me, I’m not a huge fan of angst and I was relieved that this book didn’t really have any. I do hope that it gets a good edit before being released, but other than that this is a really cute romance, Lauren Layne is quickly making her way to being my go to author and I can’t wait to read the next one in this series.

The women who formed the ”Central Park Pact” are back and now it’s the scorned widow who gets her chance at true love. Claire Hayes is cultured, refined and very reserved. Her dead husband’s betrayal affected her deeply. She may have met two women who became her dearest friends but her heart and self-confidence suffered tremendously. Claire no longer believes in true love, but she can’t deny that she has physical needs that a one-night stand might relieve. She’s never had sex without it turning into a long term relationship and it’s been a while since she’s been out in the dating scene. Claire enlists the help of her reluctant contractor.




Scott Turner is everything that Claire never considered to be her type. He’s a blue-collar, flannel shirt wearing, rude and sometimes abrasive man, but she also can’t seem to stop her growing attraction to him.



The sexual tension builds between them until they can no longer fight it. They agree to a no-strings-attached, friends with benefits arrangement when deep down they've already started to form intense feelings for each other. Will the Central Park Princess finally find her Prince Charming??




I love a good "opposites attract' romance, especially when it’s between a city girl and a rough around the edges alpha male. Claire and Scott had great chemistry. While the story started rather slow, it ended up being thoroughly entertaining. I am looking forward to the third and final installment!




Here are my overall ratings:

Hero: 4
Heroine: 4
Plot: 4
Angst: 4
Steam: 4
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 4

Love on Lexington Avenue is the second book in Lauren Layne’s Central Park Pact series. Those of you who read the first book in the series have been introduced to Claire Hayes. However for those of you who are new to the series, let me give you a quick recap. Claire is the recent widow of Brayden Hayes, the SOB who cheated on our girl with new friends Naomi Powell and Audrey Tate. The premise of the series sounds kind of odd, but Layne makes it work. The friendship between the three ladies is a highlight of book one and now of book two. Claire’s book begins with her still adjusting to life as a newly single gal. She decides to make a few changes to her life, starting with a major renovation to her apartment that is beginning to seem a little dull. The first step to this new plan: find a contractor to do the job.

The second step to Claire’s new plan is finding a way not to clobber the sexy, rough around the edges, opinionated contractor Scott Turner. Third step? To not to fantasize about Scott in his sexy jeans and flannel shirts because that’s hardly her type. And besides… she’s still healing from her husband’s betrayal that has made her a little weary of dating and men.
Scott Turner, the contractor extraordinaire has his own issues with relationships too, as in he’s not interested in commitment. His mind isn’t on staying put anywhere to put down roots. His job keeps him on the go more often than not and Scott likes it that way.
Once the renovations start… new cabinets, new color schemes, and new plans come to fruition. Claire and Scott, two complicated and jaded people have to decide if their budding feelings are strong enough to trade in their scars for another shot at love.

My favorite thing about this book is the banter between the two leading characters, Claire and Scott. From scene one to scene 101, their chemistry was off-the-charts sexy and special and unique. Layne wrote a truly believable story about second chances at love, keeping a close group of friends around for advice, and letting a special person see you can be vulnerable and strong at the same time. And of course, I love the friendship between Claire, Naomi, and Audrey. I love that these three women help each other spot the Prince Charmings from the players, so each lady can have their happily ever after.

I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Claire is the widow, wife to the philandering husband Brayden, who left her with more emotional baggage than junk in the spare room. Fortunately, her horrible discovery also came with a bonus in the shape of Aubrey and Naomi – both of whom were also ‘dating’ Brayden. None of them saw his deception or duplicity, and the three have made a pact to ‘screen’ all potential men to save their new besties the heartbreak. With Naomi finding her love first, and Aubrey still living in the ‘happily ever after, meet your soulmate’ cloud while not really extending herself, it is Claire who has decided to redecorate her brownstone, and take more chances with her life. In all respects.

Enter Scott – best friend of Oliver (Naomi’s love interest) and a well-known contractor in his own right. Although Scott is one of those men who never stays in one place for long, he’s instantly seeing just HOW Claire’s house can be improved, even if he finds Claire attractive if a bit frigid. What he can’t (and won’t ) do is make a play for Claire. Female company is nothing he’s hurting for – it’s more keeping them at one night, or no attachments that creates his problems. And Claire, friend of his best friend’s girl and all buttoned up is not a girl one plays with. Sure, she’s saying she wants to ‘experience’ life, but she’s not really cut out for it. Just look at the way she’s taken to his dog, and his dog to her – and how she seems to delight in teasing him…..

Oh this was fun – I love the friendship between the three women, the honest responses and Claire’s struggle with the simple loneliness and aimlessness of her life. As a wife, she had charities and shopping, with ready made friends. But as a widow, everything seems forced with the few friends who ‘try’ to stay in touch, and only Naomi and Aubrey seem to ‘ger’ her struggles and the grief that morphs from anger to hopeless. That and she’s tired of ‘safe’ choices, from clothing to men to…..well, everything. And Scott is just what she needs, and his dog is even more important as time goes on – from ‘girlie sleepovers’ to snack time and the series of ‘girly’ toys that Claire gets for her, Scott can’t help but find her attractive and open – even as she calls him on his own reluctance to commit. Of course, they figure it out – and see what everyone was ignoring or trying to protect her from being hurt. This is a series that not only gives a solid dose of laughter and friendship – but plenty of hope for everyone . Layne uses her humor, her deft characterizations and a story that isn’t too outrageous to be plausible to move into the ‘girl power’ support of true friends, taking a chance and love can bring.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aw2/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

So the premise of the Central Park Pact series is that three women, a wife, a girlfriend, and a mistress, find out their husband/boyfriend/lover was actually the same jerk… but then he dies. Oddly, the three of them hit it off and vow to protect each other from lying, scumbag men.

You in? I’m in.

As for Love on Lexington Avenue, the second book on this series…I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy this book when I first got started but I ended up loving it. This a close proximity story wherein Claire (the wife) is remodeling her house and Scott, her gruff, flannel-wearing contractor, meet and immediately butt heads. Yay.
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But the way their relationship evolves is so… emotional and slow-burny and sweet. Basically, they’re both everything neither one of them knew they’d always wanted and it’s perfection.

Love on Lexington Avenue is set to release on September 17th (my birthday!). Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the chance to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I fell in love with Lauren Layne books after reading her Sex, Love & Stilleto series and Oxford series. Her characters are my favorite type of characters: people I wish I were best friends with in real life. I love how she creates relationships between the characters, whether it's friendships or romantic ones, and makes you feel like you're one of the group. The witty dialog between characters is one of my favorite things about her books. So I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this book, and I was right.

This is the second book in the Central Park Pact series, and even though I haven't had a chance to read the first book in the series, this book can still be read as a stand-alone romance. The women in this series bonded over a man who duped all of them, and their story of rising above the pain and embarrassment is inspiring, as is their friendship. This book is Claire's story - I loved the easy fire between Claire and Scott, and the attraction between them. I loved Claire's journey of trying to figure out who she is without her husband, and she's definitely not vanilla. And I loved the support from her friends as she figured out who she wanted to be, and how to learn to trust someone again.

Overall I would definitely recommend reading this book if you're in the mood for a light, fun, and romantic read, as well as other books by this author.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review*

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

Love on Lexington Avenue is an adorable tale of opposites attract turned maybe-not-so-opposites attract after all, and I love it so. It’s a feel-good story with a super romantic ending, undeniably written by that dazzling writer of (mostly) Manhattanites—Lauren Layne—and it gave me allllll the HEA feels (which we can all agree is of paramount importance these days, am I right?).

We met Claire Hayes and Scott Turner in the start of Lauren Layne’s Central Park Pact series. At the beginning of Love on Lexington Avenue, the second book in said series, Claire’s been a widow of her cheating-husband for a year, about to embark on a major house renovation with the rude but highly skilled contractor she just hired, Scott Turner.

The initial chemistry between Claire and Scott is delightful in the way of classic movies where the hero and heroine keep jabbing at one another, neither one of them afraid to be as honest and least-“charming” as possible when they are, in actuality, very likable people. But Claire seems stuffy and overly opinionated to contractor Scott, and Scott seems abrasive and needlessly generous with his abrasive opinions to Claire, and it’s all very wonderful to readers like me who thrive off those kinds of verbal foreplay.

What adds another dose of complexity to the romantic plot is that neither Claire nor Scott want anything serious (marriage is a big no no), and despite their attraction to each other, neither thinks sleeping with the other sounds like a good idea either. Until it does…

The conflicts in Love on Lexington on Lexington are believable, true to the characters, and meaningful without being too heavy on angst, and that makes me a very happy woman. Claire and Scott and their wants/fears/needs grabbed onto my heart and I ached for their HEA without feeling like I was being led through a gauntlet of emotional torture. That felt like kind of an ideal reading experience, especially on a Monday afternoon while my toddler was sleeping.

For those of you (greedy wenches like me) wondering about the steam level, Love on Lexington Avenue is sexy without being as overt as most of Layne’s previous books. There’s one scene in particular that gave me that red-cheeked-swoony-stomach feeling.

The only thing that I missed is some of Scott’s direct engagement with his past with Claire. He’s pretty tight-lipped throughout Love—a source of frustration for Claire—and I wanted more of those specific walls to come down.

Everything else felt like sunshine and strawberry lemonade, cupcakes and HEA to me.

4.5 stars

Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne is the 2nd book in her Central Park Pact series. I really enjoyed the first book of this series, and the wonderful friendship between the three heroines of this series. I am happy to say that I enjoyed Love on Lexington Avenue as much as I did in the first book.

Claire Hayes, our heroine in this book, is the wife of the deceased man each of the ladies bonded over. Claire is determined to change the design of her brownstone home, which continues to remind her of her cheating late husband. Claire thinks she is boring and living a vanilla life, even if her two friends who have become very supportive of each other tell her differently. A brief refresher: Naomi, our last book heroine, was one of Claire’s husband’s mistresses and Audrey, was another. All three support each other to make sure none of them fall for a man like their “ex”.

Scott Turner, our hero, is the contractor who will change the home (he is friend to Naomi’s boyfriend); both of them get off on the wrong foot when they first meet. Scott comes across as short tempered, arrogant and negative on any ideas that Claire might have. Claire learns that he is considered one of the best and most successful contractors worldwide, and decides to allow him to make changes, as well as give back the same attitude to him. The banter between them was really good, even if Scott was rude to her at times. But soon after they begin to work together, they both begin to feel the attraction to each other, even if they are determined to ignore it; especially Scott who enjoys spending time with other women, with no commitments. Claire decides that she wants to go out and see if she can flirt with a guy, and approaches Scott to help her pick a man for a one-night stand; she wants to feel sexy again.

Scott will take her to a bar, but begins to feel jealousy when other men come on to her. Claire begins to see another side to the grumpy Scott, and slowly falls hard for him. They will give in to their sexual tension between them, with the knowledge that there is no future. Best laid plans do not always work out. lol

Love on Lexington Avenue was a sweet, fun, slow burn romance that was so very well done by Layne. I loved Claire and Scott over time. I adored the fantastic friendship between Claire, Naomi and Audrey, with each of them going out of there way to be supportive and help them past their grief, anger and just being there for each other.

The story was very well written by Lauren Layne, with the fantastic concept of these women who did not know each other in the beginning but became the best of friends; and Layne also has created some wonderful secondary characters. Love on Lexington Avenue was a fun story, with lots of charisma, and I cannot wait for Audrey’s story next. I suggest you read this series, and start with the first book, Passion on Park Avenue.

I got Passion on Park Avenue from the library and was thrilled to be able to read Claire and Scott's story in advance! Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books for the privilege!

Claire and Scott do not disappoint. I loved watching Claire rediscover herself, especially as a woman who has given herself to her kids and family and farm for the past several years. I could absolutely relate to her need to find herself. The only trouble now is waiting for the last book! I loved it!

Claire is a widow. Scott has been burned. Both of them must learn how to pick up the pieces after terrible losses in their lives. When Claire’s husband passes away and his infidelities are exposed, she decides to redo her entire New York City townhouse with the help of a jaded and handsome contractor, Scott. The two build the home of her dreams while building a relationship on the side.

This novel is a special type of romance. It is intelligent, quick, and fun. I enjoyed Claire and her need to be more “pink lemonade” rather than “vanilla.” I loved Scott and his surly attitude that turned into something of a gentleman. The two’s friendship was warm and real. Readers will enjoy the humor that surrounds a serious subject of loss and how to move on as well as the reliability of learning how to create your own identity separate from your partner’s. Claire’s journey to find herself after her husband passes away is both sweet and raw at the same time. The inclusion of Claire’s friends Audrey and Naomi were unique...because she met them at her husband’s funeral...oh and they were the girlfriend and mistress to Claire’s deceased husband. The comradery and female friendship breathes life into this story as well. Reading about the three women’s interactions were almost as enjoyable to read as the quips between Claire and Scott. This very detail shows the comical and unique spin Layne puts on a classic romance storyline.

The only thing that was lacking for me was the ending. I will not write any spoilers here but I was hoping for something a bit less predictable, although I am still pleased with reading it until the last page.

I give this novel a solid 4.5 stars for the lovable characters, sweet interactions, humorous plot, and deeper topics of loss and identity.

Thank you Netgalley, Lauren Layne, and Gallery, Pocket Books for providing a copy of Love on Lexington Avenue in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is set to be released on September 17, 2019. It is the second novel in the Central Park Pact series. Passion on Park Avenue is available now. The third installment in the series is set to be released in early 2020 titled, Marriage on Madison Avenue.

The second book in this series finds Claire wanting to change things from vanilla to strawberry lemonade. She decides with a remolded of her brownstone and goes with Scott since he is friends with Oliver and Naomi. Scott is gruff to put it nicely and tired of the same remolded, so once inside and sees a 1970’s interior he agrees to do the change for her. They go back and forth to the point where she even suggests the color pink which really gets him going, but he shows up the next day with his dog Bob a female dog and Claire has coffee ready. Throughout this story, you find that both of them are dealing with their past relationship. Of course Claire from the first book, but Scott as well. The deeper you get into him getting after Claire and the room she has put all of her dead husband things in. he is blown away when she has moved on and gotten rid of it all especially the last part with a fire on the beach. He is still hanging on to the idea of his fiancé from college cheating on him and then dying that he is afraid to chance again. Once done he takes another job this time in China and is surprised when Claire offers to watch his dog and face times once a week. This after telling him that she loved him prior to him leaving for China and every week she keeps looking better to him and yet he is not happy. There is so much to this book that I won’t spoil it for others but I thought that this was a great second book in the series.

I always enjoy reading Lauren Layne's books. Having read just about every single one of her books, I find that they are generally smart, sexy, and witty. Love on Lexington Avenue is definitely one of those. It is book 2 in The Central Park Pact series. Claire Hayes is a widow who has found two new friends. She met them at her husband's funeral, only to learn that Naomi Powell and Audrey Tate were involved with him at the same time she was married. The three form a pact and develop quite a close bond. I was surprised that Claire was book 2. I figured with her backstory so fresh she would be book 3, but as I was reading it I was glad that she was, and even more glad that she was pared up with Scott. As someone who seemingly hasn't had to work very hard for much in life, paring her with rough-around-the-edges Scott was a good choice. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.