Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This book was like the perfect Lauren Layne book in the sense that the characters were great and the tension and all that was perfect but it sorta lagged... you know? And the ending wasn’t very satisfying. But Ian and Lara are great together.
Anyways, the audiobook was great but it made me acutely aware of how fast of a reader I am and how slow of a listener I end up being. It would’ve taken me a couple hours to finish the book but it took four days to hear the entire audio. Yikes
Anyways, the audiobook was great but it made me acutely aware of how fast of a reader I am and how slow of a listener I end up being. It would’ve taken me a couple hours to finish the book but it took four days to hear the entire audio. Yikes
I loved this! I’ve never read anything like this before.
I enjoyed the charisma from Ian and the self control from Lara.
I enjoyed how much respect they each had for one another’s job.
I enjoyed that even though he was a business man, he was completely normal and not crazy rich.
I enjoyed how he supported her decision to continue on her career path and how they followed and stayed true to their own individual dreams.
Just an all around good read.
I enjoyed the charisma from Ian and the self control from Lara.
I enjoyed how much respect they each had for one another’s job.
I enjoyed that even though he was a business man, he was completely normal and not crazy rich.
I enjoyed how he supported her decision to continue on her career path and how they followed and stayed true to their own individual dreams.
Just an all around good read.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! It was such a great mix of light suspense, mystery, and romance. The tension was so obvious, but so were the complications of falling for someone you’re investigating. Definitely going to continue this series!
Steam: 3/5 (some open door scenes)
Steam: 3/5 (some open door scenes)
Thank you Montlake Romance for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hot Asset is an enemies to lovers romance story and the first book in the 21 Wall Street trilogy. It's about Ian Bradley, a financial director/investment broker at Wolf Investments and Lara McKenzie, a SEC investigator.
Ian Bradley is an intelligent, driven, passionate and hardworking guy. Growing up in a poor household and being a foster kid, he's motivated to have a better life. He started from the bottom of the chain and at early thirties, he earned his status as a self-made billionaire. You've got to respect the guy for that. As for relationships, he's a well-known playboy and he never takes relationship seriously. That's about to change when he's accused of insider tipping and he meets the SEC investigator assigned on his case.
Lara McKenzie is a gorgeous, smart and sassy woman who aspires to become an FBI agent like her parents.Working as a SEC investigator is her gateway to have her dream job without nepotism. Her assignment on Ian's case is a huge deal and she's determined to gather evidence against him. She's different from all the woman he's dated. She's immune to his cockiness, arrogance and charm.
Our protagonists hated each other in the beginning and they exchanged quick-witted banters which brought a lot of tension. I love Ian and Lara challenged each other in every aspect. Both characters are strong-willed, independent and dedicated with their respective jobs. I love the chemistry and sexual tension between them. It's sizzling and you can't help devouring it. It's that romantic.
Lauren Layne's writing style is remarkably engaging. The supporting characters stood out as well and I'm thrilled they'll have their respective books. I can't wait to read Hard Sell;Matt and Sabrina's story. I'm sure it'll ooze with sexual tension and Huge Deal; Kennedy and Kate's story. Omg these two just need to be a couple! <3 <3 <3 I'm giving Ian and Lara's story 4 solid stars because I had fun reading it. If you love enemies to lovers trope, I recommend this book.
2nd entry for #Smutathon: Enemies to Lovers
Hot Asset is an enemies to lovers romance story and the first book in the 21 Wall Street trilogy. It's about Ian Bradley, a financial director/investment broker at Wolf Investments and Lara McKenzie, a SEC investigator.
Ian Bradley is an intelligent, driven, passionate and hardworking guy. Growing up in a poor household and being a foster kid, he's motivated to have a better life. He started from the bottom of the chain and at early thirties, he earned his status as a self-made billionaire. You've got to respect the guy for that. As for relationships, he's a well-known playboy and he never takes relationship seriously. That's about to change when he's accused of insider tipping and he meets the SEC investigator assigned on his case.
Lara McKenzie is a gorgeous, smart and sassy woman who aspires to become an FBI agent like her parents.Working as a SEC investigator is her gateway to have her dream job without nepotism. Her assignment on Ian's case is a huge deal and she's determined to gather evidence against him. She's different from all the woman he's dated. She's immune to his cockiness, arrogance and charm.
Our protagonists hated each other in the beginning and they exchanged quick-witted banters which brought a lot of tension. I love Ian and Lara challenged each other in every aspect. Both characters are strong-willed, independent and dedicated with their respective jobs. I love the chemistry and sexual tension between them. It's sizzling and you can't help devouring it. It's that romantic.
Lauren Layne's writing style is remarkably engaging. The supporting characters stood out as well and I'm thrilled they'll have their respective books. I can't wait to read Hard Sell;Matt and Sabrina's story. I'm sure it'll ooze with sexual tension and Huge Deal; Kennedy and Kate's story. Omg these two just need to be a couple! <3 <3 <3 I'm giving Ian and Lara's story 4 solid stars because I had fun reading it. If you love enemies to lovers trope, I recommend this book.
2nd entry for #Smutathon: Enemies to Lovers
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
easy breezy read. i had no particular feelings about this except that i wish it was just... more? more detailed? more wit? more plot? more interaction? i really do wish it were snappier, especially wrt the tone we've come to expect from layne's other works that start out from positions of character conflict + institutional conflict and then lead to reconciliation on both parts?
idk i feel like i was expecting a lot more from this because layne's oxford / stiletto series are some of my favourite contemporary romance reads of all time but the book was basically as the blurb goes. i wish the characters were a little more fleshed out and the tension was a little more wit and a little less 'angst happened too fast' but i feel like maybe that would've been the eventual pitfall of any novel trying to tackle this plot because of the involvement of the SEC and whatnot.
idk i feel like i was expecting a lot more from this because layne's oxford / stiletto series are some of my favourite contemporary romance reads of all time but the book was basically as the blurb goes. i wish the characters were a little more fleshed out and the tension was a little more wit and a little less 'angst happened too fast' but i feel like maybe that would've been the eventual pitfall of any novel trying to tackle this plot because of the involvement of the SEC and whatnot.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun and flirty book to listen to.
This had forbidden workplace romance vibes, which I loved.
This had forbidden workplace romance vibes, which I loved.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reread 2021: I listed to this as part of Audible Plus. I enjoyed the narrators and it was good to fall back into the story.
Original Review 2019: Rowena assigned this to me for our Summer Reading Challenge. It was a quick, light read.
This was a super fast read for me. I fell right into the story and didn't come up for air until I'd finished it. There isn't anything new or outstanding about it, but it was a fun read nonetheless. I really liked Ian right from the start. He's a total player, but he has integrity and works hard for his play time. I liked his baffled attraction to Lara, and how he couldn't seem to get her out of his head.
I liked Lara, too, but I struggled a bit with her role in Ian's life. The fact is, in the real world, if their relationship had come to light Ian could have suffered greatly for it. But this is fiction, so I let it go (mostly). Still, I liked her as a character and I was impressed with her integrity. She did the right thing, even when it was difficult.
There's not a lot of relationship angst outside of Lara investigating Ian. They both admitted they were attracted and I felt like, right away, they were there for one another. I'm really looking forward to the next two books.
Original Review 2019: Rowena assigned this to me for our Summer Reading Challenge. It was a quick, light read.
This was a super fast read for me. I fell right into the story and didn't come up for air until I'd finished it. There isn't anything new or outstanding about it, but it was a fun read nonetheless. I really liked Ian right from the start. He's a total player, but he has integrity and works hard for his play time. I liked his baffled attraction to Lara, and how he couldn't seem to get her out of his head.
I liked Lara, too, but I struggled a bit with her role in Ian's life. The fact is, in the real world, if their relationship had come to light Ian could have suffered greatly for it. But this is fiction, so I let it go (mostly). Still, I liked her as a character and I was impressed with her integrity. She did the right thing, even when it was difficult.
There's not a lot of relationship angst outside of Lara investigating Ian. They both admitted they were attracted and I felt like, right away, they were there for one another. I'm really looking forward to the next two books.