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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
ugh so disappointing. the beginning was rly good with the revenge plot but the ending was meh ugh why did she has to be the one who apologized and begged for him? isn't he also the one at fault? this really started with strong heroine i dont give a fuck about you type and then the ending ruined it all. just wasted my time
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Naomi wasn't especially attached to Brayden Hayes, her lover of three months, but she didn't want to learn that he had a wife. Especially not from his obituary. But at least something good has come from his useless life, she made two new friends in the form of his widow and his mistress. The three make a pact to help each other recognize if any of them are getting into a relationship with another man like Brayden.
Naomi is also juggling dealing with an applicatino her mother put in for an apartment two weeks before she died. It's in the apartment building on the Upper East side that Naomi and her mom lived in for less than a year while her mom was a live-in house keeper. Her mother was also shtupping the man of the house. Something Naomi discovered with the man's son, Oliver, one day they came home early. And Oliver denied when his mother accused Naomi's of coming on to her husband. Naomi and her mother were out of the home the next day and her mother never recovered. Neither did Naomi. So why is she thinking of moving into the place? Just because she's now the owner of a billion dollar company and wants to prove how far she's come? Or maybe confront the man who helped her mother get to that place? Or at least his disturbingly hot now grown-up and much better human being son?
I liked that Naomi was willing to forgive. It was a process and it showed that she was a grown up. I didn't love the denouement - it could have played out a little less insta-judge-y on Oliver's part but he got over it quickly.
Naomi is also juggling dealing with an applicatino her mother put in for an apartment two weeks before she died. It's in the apartment building on the Upper East side that Naomi and her mom lived in for less than a year while her mom was a live-in house keeper. Her mother was also shtupping the man of the house. Something Naomi discovered with the man's son, Oliver, one day they came home early. And Oliver denied when his mother accused Naomi's of coming on to her husband. Naomi and her mother were out of the home the next day and her mother never recovered. Neither did Naomi. So why is she thinking of moving into the place? Just because she's now the owner of a billion dollar company and wants to prove how far she's come? Or maybe confront the man who helped her mother get to that place? Or at least his disturbingly hot now grown-up and much better human being son?
I liked that Naomi was willing to forgive. It was a process and it showed that she was a grown up. I didn't love the denouement - it could have played out a little less insta-judge-y on Oliver's part but he got over it quickly.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.
4.5 stars
Sometimes you have a satisfying relationship with a man who seems like exactly what you want; other times he dies and you discover that he’s already married with another (inadvertent) mistress on the side.
Oops.
But in this story about female empowerment, the three women form a pact to help each other weed through other possible liars/cheaters/unsuitables, and a true female friendship is born.
Passion on Park Avenue sparkles, but it’s also substantive, with characters who have suffered their share of heartbreaks even if they are all rich and pretty. Layne is a beautiful writer; every sentence falls smoothly, every character is fleshed-out, and as a reader, I had all the faith that she was taking me to a stellar HEA in the specific lovely way that Layne does it.
Each wronged woman’s voice in Passion on Park Avenue packs a punch, and Naomi’s is my favorite. She’s a one-liner champ, usually aimed toward the man who wronged them all. She’s sophisticated and determined, wry and intimidating, and also, far underneath, scared. She’s been carrying a lot of baggage, and part of it involves our hero, Oliver, who used to torment her as a child, and part of it involves Oliver's dad, who was awful.
But you can’t keep a boss heroine down, especially this one, who is unapologetically ambitious and determined (even if she can’t manage to make herself reveal her real identity to Oliver). This becomes even more of a pickle after she deliberately pursues an apartment in their building under Oliver's misapprehension...
The secret identity trope is kind of a hard one for an over-sharer like myself. When I read books like this and the character thinks how they should tell the truth but…, I think: TELL IT ALREADY. It’s well done here—Layne makes it really clear why Naomi has such a hard time with it and why the past still has a stranglehold on her, the break-up will rip your heart out, and the reconciliation, which involves a literary allusion that always makes me beam, will piece it back together.
And speaking of piecing things together *wink* there are no explicit sex scenes in this book. This is not really a spoiler because Layne has shared this on her Instagram account. Is the book still really good? Yes. Is it still sexy? Yes. Did I miss the scenes? Yes.
What’s even better than finishing a book that grabs you by the heart? Knowing that there are at least two more coming. *Raises a mug of champagne in toast.
4.5 stars
Sometimes you have a satisfying relationship with a man who seems like exactly what you want; other times he dies and you discover that he’s already married with another (inadvertent) mistress on the side.
Oops.
But in this story about female empowerment, the three women form a pact to help each other weed through other possible liars/cheaters/unsuitables, and a true female friendship is born.
Passion on Park Avenue sparkles, but it’s also substantive, with characters who have suffered their share of heartbreaks even if they are all rich and pretty. Layne is a beautiful writer; every sentence falls smoothly, every character is fleshed-out, and as a reader, I had all the faith that she was taking me to a stellar HEA in the specific lovely way that Layne does it.
Each wronged woman’s voice in Passion on Park Avenue packs a punch, and Naomi’s is my favorite. She’s a one-liner champ, usually aimed toward the man who wronged them all. She’s sophisticated and determined, wry and intimidating, and also, far underneath, scared. She’s been carrying a lot of baggage, and part of it involves our hero, Oliver, who used to torment her as a child, and part of it involves Oliver's dad, who was awful.
But you can’t keep a boss heroine down, especially this one, who is unapologetically ambitious and determined (even if she can’t manage to make herself reveal her real identity to Oliver). This becomes even more of a pickle after she deliberately pursues an apartment in their building under Oliver's misapprehension...
The secret identity trope is kind of a hard one for an over-sharer like myself. When I read books like this and the character thinks how they should tell the truth but…, I think: TELL IT ALREADY. It’s well done here—Layne makes it really clear why Naomi has such a hard time with it and why the past still has a stranglehold on her, the break-up will rip your heart out, and the reconciliation, which involves a literary allusion that always makes me beam, will piece it back together.
And speaking of piecing things together *wink* there are no explicit sex scenes in this book. This is not really a spoiler because Layne has shared this on her Instagram account. Is the book still really good? Yes. Is it still sexy? Yes. Did I miss the scenes? Yes.
What’s even better than finishing a book that grabs you by the heart? Knowing that there are at least two more coming. *Raises a mug of champagne in toast.
This is why I will continue to read Lauren Layne forever. This. Book. Right Here. This was a slower burn and it wasn't as "sexy" and I loved it. So many romance authors put in HUGE issues for the H and h and then by the end they were completely glossed over and fixed miraculously by them doing basically nothing. This is never the case with Lauren Layne. She puts in real issues for her characters and you get to watch as they figure things out together. It doesn't happen overnight and it isn't easy. This is what we see with Naomi and Oliver. Oliver's dad has an illness that takes up much of Oliver's time and it burdens him. It isn't an easy fix. Things happen that aren't pretty, but you get to see the struggle in the pages. I love that. My biggest pet peeve with an author is that they throw huge hurdles at characters (addiction, death of loved ones, crippling depression) into the story and then when they find the love of their lives they are fixed. I need to see the struggle. Lauren Layne doesn't disappoint me. I loved the slow burn of this couple.
Hmm waffling if this is a 3.5 or 4 for me. Not my all time favorite Lauren Layne book but I still devoured it. Will need to give it some thought.
I loved this sweet romance. It's nice to read a clean romance. I'll definitely continue with the series.