Lauren Layne is one of my all-time favourites. I love her snappy dialogue and the chemistry between her characters. That being said, this title fell a little flat for me and I was quite disappointed at how easily the couple's obstacles were overcome.

Yours in Scandal is about politician Robert Davenport who falls for his opponent's daughter, Addie Blake. He's been named a magazine's Man of the Year (think People's Sexiest Man Alive) and is getting ready to end his second term as mayor of New York City while debating on running for governor. His campaign manager suggests for him to befriend Addie Blake, the estranged daughter of the incumbent governor, in hopes of getting some dirt on the governor. What Robert does not expect is the instant attraction and growing affection for her. However, Addie is known for her wild past and her image would not be suitable for any politician. Can Robert choose between the woman he loves and his career?

Lauren Layne has quickly become one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. Her stories are always so sweet and well written - there's humor and the perfect amount of romance. I recently finished her Central Park Pact series and was so happy and excited to see a new one available for request. I have a feeling i'm going to like the rest of this series (besides the cover...)!

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake Romance for a copy of his ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Robert is a JKF Jr. like NYC politician trying to forge his own identity while honoring his beloved late father’s legacy. He has his eye on the governor’s mansion but begins to think his laser focus on his political life might be shortchanging his personal life.

Adeline is the current governor’s estranged daughter. A former wild child who’s trying to reform herself. She’s working on finding balance between who she was and who she wants to be, a respected and professional party planner.

Robert and Adeline’s paths meet. Not by chance but by a political campaign manager’s machinations.

Their relationship develops as secrets and intentions are revealed. This book did not evolve in the predictable way I thought it would, which is a compliment. The way Robert and Adeline honestly talk with each other kept the miscommunication and angst to a minimum, but in no way lessened the drama of this love story.

Looking forward to other titles in this new series from Lauren Layne, the Queen of the NYC HEA

An aside. I did not like the cover. It is lacking the sexy/sassy look of the Stiletto/Oxford series covers and the charm of the Central Park Pact series covers. I didn’t think the cover model represented the Robert Davenport Jr. described in the book.

Lauren Layne is one of my go to authors. She could write about anything and make it come alive on the pages. This series tipped a little more to the steamier side than her last series, but isn't too much so that readers who enjoy the romance without a lot of smut will still want to pick this up. You know if you stop several times during a book to read passages to a friend it's a winner! Anyone who's read her other books know that Ms. Layne sneaks in a few movie references, and the Hugh Grant was perfect. Delightful romance read that has a hot mayor (Man of the Year) in the city that never sleeps. Already have it preordered for our customers!

This is probably my favorite book of Lauren Layne.

Usually her books are hit or miss for me the synopsis seemed different and fun to read and it was. I ended up reading it in a few hours. Robert and Addie had the slow burn type of relationship "we shouldn't, should we?' type of build up. What i liked about Robert is that he never judged her for her past or was the typical alpha asshole. He was confident, a bit cocky and sexy but always respectful towards her. Addie is a strong female that went through really hard stuff and became a strong woman in her own right and they have a lot of chemistry, banter and good amount of fluff as well.

Overall, i really liked this book and if you're looking for a standalone romance with some political drama, banter, slow burn and some sexy elements, i would recommend it!

4 stars. I loved it.i love reading political romance books and this book delivered a good political romance. Loved addie and Robert.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
Lauren Layne is a great author of contemporary romance. This new book, is slightly more mature and controlled, however the characters are written just as well. The plot is interesting and easy to read and I like that there isn't any unnecessary drama. Looking forward to more books in the series.

Lauren Layne knows how to write witty banter and this book has some really fun moments. The political backdrop felt current with what is going on in the world and it was believable to me the conflict between Robert's need not to give any impression of scandal and Adeline's wild child past. I really liked how Robert came to his epiphany and his solution. This was the fairytale ending which made me smile.

There is one thing I have come to count on when reading a story by Lauren Layne, the characters will take by breath away, and there will be a thread of sexy sophistication woven throughout...Yours in Scandal did not disappoint on those fronts. What it also brought to the table, was a couple who you literally find yourself deeply emotionally invested...and that you’re glad you’re along for the journey to their HEA.

Ms Layne is masterful in creating characters with personalities that are so dynamically diverse that you may more often than not actually identify with that person(s) on an emotional level...Robert’s plea to Addie in the end was a culmination of all the sighs that I found myself having anytime the two were together...it was simple in its delivery, yet as impactful as if it had been written amongst the clouds.

This author is my “go to” for a romance I know that’ll touch me deeply, and whose characters live on in my head and heart for quite some time to come.

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

If there is one thing I love about reading romance books, it's a story where the two main characters fight their attraction to each other. When there's a build up to them getting together and we the reader know what the secret is to it falling apart? Even better. As I began to read this book I could see all these elements coming together. Robert knows something about Addie and she doesn't know he knows (no, we're not going Friends style she knows he knows). I liked that Robert didn't use the information against Addie once he was aware of it. Big plus points there, I thought it was obvious where the reveal was going to come from, but hey ho, it had to happen sometime. What really surprised me was the lack of drama with the reveal. I really felt like Addie took it almost too well. I understand why, in part, because the info wasn't used against her,but in terms of trust? Personally I would have needed some time. Having said that,this story was written with Lauren Layne's usual flair for a good romance, comedic moments and a happy sigh at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! It took me a bit to warm up to Adeline; something about her in her portions of the book made her a tad unlikable but once the story got going, I was rooting for her and Robert to get together. Robert, like most of Lauren's characters, was great; just the right mix of hot guy, cool job, easy going, all amazing qualities. I just wish the book was a little longer so we could've had more time with these characters. I look forward to the next books in the series!

Lauren Layne books never disappoint and YOURS IN SCANDAL proves that point yet again.

Take a media savvy, handsome, honest Mayor of New York City who’s about to announce a possible run for the governor’s mansion, and a former party girl who defines the term scandal-ready and who also happens to be the current governor’s daughter, mix them together and then stand back because the you know what is gonna hit the fan!

Adeline Blake, as she calls herself these days, has done a 180 on her former partygirl status. She broke with her controlling, narcissistic father years ago when she found out her mother was really alive and not dead like daddy told her she was. Adeline’s been out of the public spotlight for years, but now that her mom has passed, she’s back in NYC and running an elite party planning business.

When Mayor Robert Davenport’s campaign manager discovers who Adeline really is, he persuades the mayor to hire her and dig up some dirt on her father. But Robert’s not that kind of politician. He’d rather win honestly than cheat. But he meets the lovely Adeline anyway and is gobsmacked from the get go. He knows her real identity and can’t quite reconcile the mature businesswoman standing in his office with the wild child of old. Plus, she’s drop dead gorgeous. When he finds himself hiring her to plan a going away party for himself after the mayoral election, he comes to realize he doesn’t care about who she was. He does, however, care very much who she is.

Flirtation, witty banter, and enough sexual tension to steam up a bathroom surround these two.

I hate spoilers, but suffice it to say any road to an HEA is going to be more than bumpy for Robert and Adeline.

Told with her usual quick and deadly banter, this story is another feather in Ms. Layne’s writing cap for sure.
Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for a sneak peek.

This one’s a five star read from me.

I absolutely loved the new book from author Lauren Layne! This is the first in a series called Man of the Year. The man of the year for Yours in Scandal is Robert Davenport, the youngest mayor of NYC. With his run ending, he is thinking about running for governor. His newest party planner just happens to be the daughter of the current governor and a former wild child. Of course sparks fly, but there is always so much more to the story. I hope that the next books in the series feature some of the same characters because I really enjoyed everyone in this story. It is as charming and sexy as the other books written by Lauren Layne.

Lauren Layne is incredibly good at writing slowburn romances, and Yours in Scandal is yet more evidence of that. But what I felt here that I haven’t generally before, was that the whole thing was just dull. Sure, I still liked it, but I was uninterested in a way I have rarely been with Lauren Layne.

Yours in Scandal is a more political romance than any of Layne’s others, if only because it involves politicians as opposed to the usual (ahem) well-off characters of her others. Here, we have Robert, the mayor of New York who, having reached the end of his two terms, is planning to run for governor. In his way is the popular incumbent, who Robert suspects is hiding a very different face behind his media image. But, as luck would have it, one of Robert’s staff has stumbled across someone who might give them the dirt, and an edge. The governor’s daughter (and ex-wild child), Addie (or Adeline as she spends a lot of the book going by).

The problem with the book was that, for me, both Robert and Addie and their relationship was wholly bland. There as nothing that made me love them or it in particular. Perhaps this is all encapsulated by the angst plotline. It’s all setting up to be this big blowout when Addie realises Robert was using her – which would have probably been dumb and involving a lot of miscommunication – but they actually end up talking everything out. Which I did like, but all that then serves to do is make the subsequent angst feel especially stupid. Because it would be ‘political suicide’ to be with Addie given her old reputation, despite the fact that it’s been several years and that Robert likely employs numerous spin doctors who could instead emphasise Addie now.

But what do I know.

So the angst ends up seeming contrived, but that would be fine, except we’re back to the characters and relationship being so bland.

I only hope the rest of the series is an improvement.

Love Robbie and Addie. This is the first book I've read by this author but won't be my last. I was totally into this book and finished it in one sitting.

I am an immense Lauren Layne fan. Therefore, I was thrilled to receive an advance reading copy of ‘Yours in Scandal.’ This book is the first of a new New-York series. She hasn’t left the Big Apple in a while, and it suits her. This time, she’s taking us in politics in a variation of Cinderella. I am a lover of political shows like the West Wing or rom-com movies like The American President.
Nevertheless, it’s a tricky subject for romance as the author has to find the right balance between making it politically believable and still keep it at the love and comedy level. I feared that the story wouldn’t go into enough political details. I should have known better. Lauren Layne is skilled at giving just enough specifics to keep the story believable, but not too much that the reader would lose track.
Moreover, Lauren Layne always knows how to surprise her readers. When you anticipated a kiss, you get a hug, there’s still a surprise on the next page. In my opinion, it’s what makes a great romance writer. The way she makes you feverishly turn to the next page.

I’ve read so many books in which I could tell you what was going to happen in the next chapter. We, romance lovers, all know that there’s always a crucial turning point at 80% of the book, but then it will end with an HEA. With Lauren Layne, it doesn’t matter because you keep reading, feeling for the characters. You just want to know how they will manage the obstacles to their happy ending. For instance, all along with the reading, I kept asking myself how Robert would manage to overcome what seemed to be a massive obstruction.
I can’t say much more without spoiling, just that I’m impatiently waiting for the second book of this series.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I kind of assumed it would be written in first person so was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't. I liked the chemistry between the characters and the characters themselves.
I did, however, find it a bit wordy in the first half. I feel like more time was spent on certain parts of the story than needed to be and the outcome all happened a bit quicker than I would have liked.
First time I've read this author but I will be again. 3 stars.

Yours in Scandal proves once again that Lauren Layne should be on every lover of cleverly constructed romance stories’ must read list! Soon to be the outgoing mayor of NYC, Robert Davenport’s campaign manager, Martin, thinks he has found a way to propel Robert from mayor to governor. His plan involves using the current governor’s estranged daughter to learn all of her father’s suspected dirty secrets. What Martin hasn’t counted on is the genuine spark that occurs when the mayor meets the governor’s daughter. Robert will eventually learn all of Addie’s secrets and along the way learn a lot about what truly is important and sustaining to himself apart from politics. Ms. Layne is very adept at creating fully flesh out characters that readers can identify with and cheer for...or despise as situations unfold. She is a master of dialogue and plot structure that entices her readers to not want to close their reading devices until the last word is read... and feel bereft that the story has ended. In short, this is a wonderful read that will delight old fans and surely make new ones. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend!

A great story of two people who connect with each other but whose lives seem incompatible.

This has all the hallmarks of a Lauren Layne story, great characters who's connection felts genuine and well pasted. The story also includes great dialog, detailed backstory that's told where needed to support the current story and possible openings for further stories.

As always with a Layne story, I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I enjoyed this so much I finished it in one sitting. I really liked Robert and Addie by themselves and when they were together. It was also refreshing to see characters who are mature and act their age when it comes to drama. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun and cute read!