Showing results by author "Lauren Layne" in All Categories

When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she's being the kind do-gooder she's always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn't about charity—it's about penance. Only, Olivia's client isn't the grateful elderly man she's expecting. Instead, he's a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia's path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.

A year ago, Jackson Burke was married to the love of his life and playing quarterback for the Texas Redhawks. Now he's retired and single. Just as he's starting to get used to his new life as a health and fitness columnist for Oxford magazine, his unpredictable ex shows up on his doorstep in Manhattan. Jackson should be thrilled, but he can't stop thinking about the one person who's always been there for him, the one girl he could never have: her younger sister.

Gage Barrett's reputation as a ladies' man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he's stuck at a Hawaiian resort with 19 women competing to drag him back to the altar.

Pro baseball shortstop Carter Ramsey is about to be Citizen magazine’s Man of the Year, but the only title that matters to him is out of reach: World Series MVP. Benched by a recent injury, Carter retreats to his hometown to recover. His ten-year class reunion and a potential reconciliation with the sweetheart he left behind could be perfect distractions. Until another old acquaintance throws Carter a curveball.

Up-and-coming wedding photographer Leah McHale's career is on the rise - thanks in no small part to the Wedding Belles, the elite New York wedding planning agency that always throws top-tier business Leah's way. So when one of the Belles asks Leah to fill in at the former First Daughter's wedding, Leah is overjoyed to say yes - until she finds out who she'll be working with.

For as long as she can remember, Bronx-born Naomi Powell has had one goal: to prove her worth among the Upper East Side elite - the same people for which her mom worked as a housekeeper. Now, as the strong-minded, sassy CEO of one of the biggest jewelry empires in the country, Naomi finally has exactly what she wants - but it’s going to take more than just the right address to make Manhattan’s upper class stop treating her like an outsider.

Riley McKenna knows sex-good sex, bad sex, kinky sex. Her articles in Stiletto magazine are the publication's most scandalous - and the most read. But when Stiletto's 50th anniversary issue requires her column to get a lot more personal, Riley is forced to confront a secret: Her own sexual experience is limited to one awkward college encounter. Now Riley is about to call in the favor of a lifetime from the one man who's always held her heart. Sam Compton knows two things about Riley McKenna: She's the only woman for him. But as his best friend's little sister, she's also off-limits.

Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on, and he knows that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother — announcing he’s already engaged…to Audrey.

Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company.

Growing up in New York, Michael St. Claire never expected to spend his twenties wearing cowboy boots. But that was before he learned about his real father, a total stranger with a family in Cedar Grove, Texas. Once in the Lone Star State, Michael meets Kristin Bellamy, who is exquisitely refined and everything Michael always thought he wanted in a woman. The only problem is that Kristin is dating Michael's new half brother, Devon.

Cocktail waitress Sophie Dalton doesn't exactly have a life plan. She's perfectly happy being everyone's favorite party girl. But when a Las Vegas bachelorette party goes awry and an uptight businessman mistakes Sophie for a prostitute . . . well, Sophie wonders if it's time to reevaluate her priorities. Swearing off her thigh-high boots for good, Sophie slinks back home with damaged pride—and a jackpot of a hangover.

When small-town girl Heather Fowler finally gets promoted from assistant to actual wedding planner, she's determined to make it as one of Manhattan's elite Wedding Belles. Unfortunately her first client demands an opulent black-tie affair at the Plaza in five months' time. Heather's days quickly become a flurry of cake tastings, dress fittings, RSVP cards, and bridal tantrums. But what she's really losing sleep over is the live music blaring from her playboy neighbor's apartment all night.

As the youngest physics professor at her university, Miranda plans her life with minute precision. But that’s before she’s denied tenure and the promotion she thought was guaranteed. Suddenly, her tidy life is anything but constant. Overdue for a sabbatical, Miranda takes some time to look towards the stars—only this time, she’s not looking for black holes. With her faith in science shaken, Miranda turns to a practice she’s long dismissed as preposterous: astrology. Determined to figure out why her life has suddenly gone sideways, Miranda commits to a year of letting her horoscope guide her.

Katherine, an ambitious New York City attorney, gets diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for forty-eight hours to make sure it doesn’t get worse. Unfortunately, she forgot to update her emergency contact, so the person they call is her ex-husband, Tom. Unable to be left alone, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with him for the holidays. But thanks to a blizzard, what should have been a quick plane ride turns into an antagonistic overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow - and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie's had in years - and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Alexis Morgan has spent the past eight years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan's premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it's time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who's been there for her since the very beginning.

Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina's darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she's the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma's latest article forces her to face her demons - namely, the devilishly, sexy guy who ditched her at the altar. After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good.

As a leading columnist for Stiletto, Grace Brighton has built a career warning women about rotten, cheating liars. She just never suspected her fiancé would be one of them. After Grace takes a heart-mending hiatus, her first assignment is to go on a couple of dates with a counterpart from the men's magazine Oxford and report her impressions. Grace one-point-zero may have been instantly smitten with the gorgeous correspondent, but Grace two-point-zero has sworn off relationships for six months, and she's not falling for his outstanding bod and trophy-winning kisses...or is she?

Nick's always trying to fix people, and nobody could use a good fixing more than Taylor. Sure, she's gorgeous, with mesmerizing silver eyes, but it's her vulnerability that kills him. Now that they're shacking up together, the chemistry is out of control. Soon they're putting every part of their two-bedroom apartment to good use. Then Taylor's ex comes crawling back to her, and Nick figures she'll jump at the chance to go back to her old life - unless he fights for the best thing that ever happened to him.

Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde . . . or does he?