The Oxford Series has been a fantastic series so far, and I really enjoyed this new addition. It was wonderful to see the familiar characters, as well as to get to know new ones. This story of Taylor Carr and Nick Ballantine was a good one. These two sometimes enemies are interested in one another, but can never seem to make the timing right for them to act on their attraction. I liked their interactions and dialogue and there was really good chemistry between them. The storyline kept my interest and I loved the backdrop of the magazine. I'm already looking forward to more Oxford books!

Decisions, decisions. This Lauren Layne Oxford novel puts an extremely relateable heroine in the middle, with love on the line. I have been enjoying the series and I'm impressed with Lauren's ability to tell complete stand alone stories and still tie the series together. There's just enough info to make sure that wherever you enter the series you'll be able to settle in easily, I Knew You Were Trouble brings the humor and the romance. I really appreciated the heroine's fully dimensional character, and the chance to be inside her mind as she deliberated her future. I was extremely satisfied by the happily ever after. Looking forward to the next fun, sexy read in the series.

"I Knew You Were Trouble," is full of witty banter between Taylor Carr and Nick Ballantine. It is fun and entertaining with just enough seriousness to give it some real depth.
The book starts in flashback mode. Taylor has just started at Oxford magazine. Nick has been a freelancer there for some time. Taylor takes a look at Nick, and immediately dislikes him.
Of course they are attracted to each other, but one or the other is seeing someone else, when the other is free. This keeps them apart until Taylor needs a roommate. I wonder who that will be... I'm not saying who, but I will say this is a lovely book with a HEA, which I wholeheartedly recommend!

This is Nick and Taylor's story. Taylor has everything going for her and is excited to move in with her boyfriend. Then on move in day, she gets dumped for a coworker. Now she is looking for a new room mate in order to keep the apartment.

Nick is the coworker that always has a comment for Taylor, not always a good one. But he does need a place to live, could they be roommates?

This is another fun read from the Oxford series! I look forward to more of them!

DNF @ 38%

I tried. I did. I kept going after Nick and Taylor’s first “collision” because I got why Taylor reacted the way she did, even if I thought it was a bit extreme. And I kept going even though I felt that the antagonism between them was ridiculous because I was waiting for one of them to start adulting (Slightly strange coming from me since I do my best to avoid adulting on a daily basis, though I never truly get away from it.). But after finishing chapter eight and getting halfway through chapter nine, I just found that I didn’t care about either Nick or Taylor and threw in the towel. I love a good enemies to lovers romance, I do, but this one just didn’t do it for me and it’s kind of depressing in this instance because this is the series that introduced me to LL and I’ve loved all the books...up to now. I’m hoping this is just a one off/”It’s not you, it’s me” situation and if there is a next book it’ll rock my world, but only time will tell.

Note: I did go and read the last few chapters and...well...I think it’s a good thing I don’t rate books I DNF.

~ Copy provided by the publisher & voluntarily reviewed ~

I really loved this series and sad to see it may be the last one. Layne's characters are true to life and very realistic. I really enjoyed this story.

If you read Someone like You, then you briefly met Taylor and Nick already AND their brief cameo should have left you thinking ... "yeah baby, there's gonna be tension. let the games begin ...." LOL

Let me give you a little background on Taylor & Nick so you're prepared LOL The girl was raised by her aunt. An aunt who did not believe in emotional entanglements at all. Actually, she didn't believe in emotions period, so ..... that's her roll-model. Nick is an easy going, fly by the seat of your pants, no roots/entanglements kinda guy. He's carefree to her cautious. He's roll with it to her planner. He's let's see what life gives us to her 5/10/15 year plan personality ... Do you see where I'm going here? EXPLOSIVE CHEMISTRY! That's where I'm going. LOL

I really enjoyed reading these polar opposites. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Lauren Layne is really good with prose and sexy! The story-line was real and relatable. There's only one minor thing that stuck with me and that was Taylor's continued hope for Bradley (you'll have to read the book for all those details). IMO, it went to far in the story-line and it made Taylor seem weak and naive instead of what she really was, guarded. SO, it comes across as fluff/drama for drama. But again, just a minor point in a really great addition to an already exceptional series!

Copy provided for blog tour review

Lordy, but I love the Stiletto/Oxford series and this one is no exception! Nick and Taylor's story is a wonderful roller coaster of snarky comments, the finding of common ground and finally understanding and love. (With continued fun snark). Worth reading just by itself, but even more fun when you have read some of the other books and can revisit those characters as they appear in the story. Get it and start enjoying!

Taylor is tough to love and as soon as her and Nick meet, they butt heads.

I loved the teasing animosity between them. I loved the moments of vulnerability they showed each other.

Taylor has spent so much time closed off, she doesn't really know how to open up and Nick has been burned before and wants to treat cautiously. This results in some interesting chemistry and tension between them, especially after they become roommates.

I absolutely love the Oxford crew and I was so excited to dive back into this world. I also loved that while Taylor and Nick are in the Oxford office, they're mostly in a different part than the original crew so we get to meet new and interesting characters along with bits of our faves. (I'm looking at you Lincoln Mathis.)

While this is a part of a series, it can 100% be read as a standalone. I Knew You Were Trouble is full of fun tension and hot tension and I am all here for it!!

This is my first Lauren Layne book and I must say this is very well written. It's realistic, it doesn't feel rushed, it's not boring at all. Every event surprises me and books like that are simply great!

Taylor and Nick are just perfect for each other. No one else could get their sassy-ness and see it as a challenge rather than an insult. Nick screams sex appeal and I can't help but imagine Nick Bateman (a hot model) as I read this book. As I was reading this book I kept texting my friends my feels even though they wouldn't relate but I use small sentences to make them understand before I dive right back in.

It a huge possibility that I'll pick up another LL book in this series. ;)

I Knew You Were Trouble was a sometimes troubling to read, but definitely sexy, office romance complete with one of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers. Taylor and Nick met on the job and with one hurtful, albeit unintentionally, comment from him, their course was set. "So everyone gets the ice-princess routine?" The question was teasing, but it still stung. Ice princess. The label was hardly a new one, but she'd worked hard to eradicate it in recent years--to remember that just because she'd been raised by Karen Carr didn't mean she had to become Karen Carr.

Nearly a year later, after a tumultuous, back and forth, tension filled, let's eat popcorn and watch the fireworks filled working relationship, Taylor and Nick become roommates after a seriously douchey move by Taylor's ex where he dumped her via letter the day he was supposed to move in with her. And of course, this is where their relationship turns the tide, but not until more tension, more back and forth, more bitching at each other, more ice princess and snarky banter.

What I liked about I Knew You Were Trouble is that it doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. This isn't really a fluffy office romance. There's emotional pain, demons to be rid of, souls to be bared, and of course, lots and lots of f ups by both Taylor and Nick. Neither is presented as some kind of super human, superstar, they're both real, realistic characters who act like the rest of us do, and I really appreciate that. She's the ice princess but it's only skin deep. She's got a lot of insecurities, thanks to her cold and unloving aunt/guardian. He's the slightly breezy, smirky, easy going guy who has his own demons thanks to a horrible ex shredding his heart. Put them together and they shouldn't work, but they do, and they work really well once they get their timing right and once they get all their s*** together.

About the only thing I didn't like was that when Nick had to grovel, Taylor, in a complete reversal of her previous nature, didn't make him grovel too hard, didn't make him sweat it out much. I would have made him lick my feet and beg for my forgiveness. A little apology and a token of his love wouldn't have been enough for me to simply forget he left me when I was pregnant, and asked me to get a paternity test because he thought I had cheated on him...Nope, just nope. Flowers, some Louboutins, lots of begging, breakfast in bed, a massage or two, even a spa day, and maybe, just maybe I would have considered forgiving him ;) But, perhaps it was just that Taylor had done some maturing or growing up that she was so easily able to forgive his major faux pas.

I like this Oxford world thanks to Nick and Taylor and am looking forward to reading both the previous books and any new ones.

** spoiler alert ** Loving the return to the men of Oxford...I also hoped we would get more stories from this amazing world that LL created. We met Nick briefly, when he was the new guy dating Daisy, when Lincoln was going through his issues. I liked Nick and I always hoped he would get his HEA. Enter Taylor...a tough, though slightly broken woman. Taylor has a sad background...which makes her a little cold and standoffish. She get's called "bitchy" a lot...and I am just not a general fan of that word. I would use prickly, rude, hostile,lacing in social grace, etc. I liked their chemistry...the timing was mostly off for them, but when they finally figured it out...absolute fireworks! I think my favorite line was something to the effect of Nick telling Taylor "You should come with a warning label or at least an instruction manual." A very honest and heartfelt response to a very "Taylor reaction". There is one spoiler, so please stop reading if you don't want to know the ending. The only thing that kept this from being the usual 5 stars for me, was the pregnancy at the end. Taylor says she doesn't want kids...and then suddenly she finds out she's pregnant and she's overjoyed because she just didn't realize how happy she could be. That is not how people feel who don't want kids. People who don't want kids, don't want kids. Maybe it could better have been framed...she was unsure how she felt about having a family since she never had one...something like that. A touchy issue for me...but by no means takes away from another wonderful romance from the amazing and talented LL!

This series is hit or miss for me. I have loved some of the books (Irresistibly Yours and Someone Like You), others have been an utter disappointment.. This sadly falls in the second category.

The romance was very insta lust and then the most ridiculous obstacles came between them. While I understand the importance of timing and can see how two people may be the right ones for each other but might meet at the wrong time and nothing may come of it. Still, the conflict here felt forced. The situation with exes was bad, really bad - his was presented as crazy stalkerish, while hers, that was a whole lot of unnecessary drama. I hated how the heroine willfully chose not to see that her relationship was in fact not working. This blind insistence on something that was not there from the start made her appear childish. I see the problems with her upbringing and (lack of) real family and this is one of the elements I liked the mos in the story. Still, this cannot account for her frankly immature and annoying attitude to her romantic relationships.

I liked Nick, he was a curious mix of wild spirit, and professional and family man. I loved how patient he was with Taylor. Yet, he was not enough to save the romance for me.

After loving Someone Like You so much, my expectations of this book were sky-high and it turned out to be a major let down. It might work better for some but there were far too many little things I didn't like or outright hated in this story and they all added up to just an OK read.

Book Review – I Knew You Were Trouble (4 Stars)
“Ice Princess”, that’s a title Taylor Carr is not new to and it’s one that she’s worn for quite some time; but when Nick Ballentine hits her with it, it’s war. He’s smart, funny, charming, and hot as hell. As much as Taylor wants to hate him, deep down she really likes him. Worse he seems to be the person who’s there to help pick up the pieces whenever she hits a rough patch; and even worse, really is a nice guy!
Nick Ballentine is more than a pretty face. Yes women flock to him and he’s had his share of “fun” but deep down, Nick’ a family man and he’s a man that likes to see people happy. If he can help a friend he doesn’t hesitate. Taylor Carr has made it quite clear that she doesn’t want him as a friend or his help. He’s not quite sure why she seems to hate him so much but one think he is sure of; while Taylor may not want him as a friend, she most definitely needs him.
Taylor Carr + Nick Ballentine = FRIENEMIES!
Okay, I don’t know what rock I’ve been under that The Oxford Series has managed to slip by me but I most definitely will be going back to read the previous books in this series (this is book four). There are times when you see a title of a book and you think “eh” or your read the book and wonder how the title actually ties into the storyline. Well, my initial thought upon the title was pretty “eh”; however, this title was perfect! These two were so much trouble for each other and they were so entertaining!
From the moment I started reading I was hooked, I immediately felt a connection with them and I really liked them. The storyline was perfect and I absolutely loved the pace of the story. The evolution of their relationship was so well done. It wasn’t a two or two month progression. It happened over a significant amount of time and without realizing it the two actually became friends.
The best part about this book; the dialogue and the banter…the banter!!!!! I loved it. Not just between Nick and Taylor. The insults did fly between these two and each gave as well as they got; but aside from the insults there was that verbal sparring that was foreplay at its best. There was also the banter between the supporting characters.
I really liked this book and when I first started reading I didn’t realize this book was a part of a series but as I read I felt like it might have been; the good thing was even thought it was a part of a series, it was okay that I read out of order. I didn’t feel like I had to read the other books to follow this one. I will however be checking them out.
A definite beach read!

The men and women at Oxford are too hot to handle! Taylor and Nick were certainly no exception. Nick was just the right amount of bossy and understanding, and Taylor was able to be both aspirational and relatable. Loved it!

Taylor is having a moment. She struggles to connect on an emotional level thanks to the tough-as-nails aunt who raised her after she was abandoned by her mother and her father died; so when she thinks she’s finally found her content-ever-after, she is thrown off balance when he leaves her – by note- the day they were scheduled to move in to an expensive apartment together. Which means she now needs a roommate.

Nick is having roommate problems of his own, so when the chance to rid himself of his unwanted roomie presents itself, he jumps at it, especially since it also means pissing off Taylor’s dick of an ex. Moving in with his archnemesis may seem like drastic measures, but her hot body dulls the sting. He also digs her no-nonsense attitude and the challenge it brings.

It’s hard to fake it for long when you live with someone, so they both discover the hidden sides of each other. Taylor longs for love and acceptance, and being denied that most of her life caused her to develop the hard exterior. After being lied to and deceived by his ex, Nick has trust issues when it comes to women. He thinks he’s moved past it, but being with Taylor awakens feelings he thought long dead. The heat simmering beneath the animosity flares into uncontrollable flames, and in Layne’s trademark way, she developed the characters and relationship flawlessly. There are no easy fixes, but the love is strong enough to make it through.

Readers get their first taste of the two in Someone Like You, and the way Layne flashbacked was expert. It blended in smoothly with the previous novel, and I love how we got an extra taste of Lincoln and Daisy through this story, as well as explanation of why Taylor and Nick were so snippy with each other in the previous book. Brilliant! I’m always up for some of the Oxford men and their Stiletto women. I love this whole crew. I laugh, I cry, my heart melts. Taylor is definitely a forced to be reckoned with, but I love how her strength is just that – strength, and not bad attitude that needs an overhaul. Nick doesn’t back down from her. He gives as good as he gets, but somehow managers to still be a gentleman about it. They push each other’s buttons in the most delicious ways.

As always, I want more!

I Knew You Were Trouble: An Oxford Novel by Lauren Layne
This is Taylor Carr and Nick Ballantine's story.

Oh my goodness!!! This was a great story. I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Taylor doesn't know what it's like to be loved. Nick has a loving family but was hurt in a bad relationship. They seem to get on each other's nerves don't like each other. Well, the chemistry is so intense between them. Will they ignore this chemistry and put aside their stubbornness to take a chance on love?

A fun, steamy, and entertaining read with characters that were so relatable and fun. With Nick and Taylor I could feel the passion they had for each other and the pain they had suffered in their life. I just love how the author incorporates so many emotions in the story. This is a must read!

FYI, contains mature content. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I Knew You Were Trouble by Lauren Layne was a great read.
From the first few pages I was hooked.
I enjoyed getting to know both Nick and Taylor. They made me laugh with their banter and the slow burn, love/hate storyline kept me turning the pages. Lauren Layne is always at the top of my TBR list and her fans will love the latest installment to the Oxford series! Highly highly recommended!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Taylor has a plan and even when the plan goes awry, she's far from abandoning it. She'd rather hold tight to the plan than to look around to see what else is out there. Especially if that person is not the poster child for corporate America.

Nick is so not corporate America, but he has a strong work ethic, is kind to strangers, and knows how to kiss. When Taylor finds herself for falling for "not" the one, she doesn't know what to do. How can she trust Nick not to hurt her when the "perfect" man left her on the day when they were to move in with each other?

Nick can only be himself and only Taylor can decide if she wants what's right in front of her or the dream she's chasing.


Lee'Anne – ☆☆☆☆☆
After the first few pages, I quickly became obsessed with this book – couldn’t put it down!

Taylor Carr was raised by an aunt that taught her love and tears made you weak. This has caused her to grow up believing she’s unable to be loved. Taylor’s just landed her dream job at a magazine and thinks she’s also found the perfect man to finally love her – Bradley. Her and Bradley dated for a year, then on the day they’re set to move in together, Bradley bails and has Taylor back to believing she’s unlovable. Nick Ballantine is Taylor’s worst enemy at the magazine, they’re always arguing and have never gotten along the year the Taylor’s worked there. Then Nick finds out that Bradley’s left Taylor and finally sees his chance… so he volunteers to be her roommate and Taylor finds herself agreeing.

I absolutely love Taylor’s personality, she’s snarky, sarcastic, and all around awesome. Nick is perfect for her, not taking any of her crap and giving it back just as fiercely. The two together are hilarious – I had tears streaming down my face from laughter several times throughout this book. I’m not usually a fan of “flash back” books, but this one is done in a way that will have you on the edge of your seat and I really loved that! The book has a great pace, great characters, and a terrific storyline.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth in the series – and it is fun to catch up with the previous couples, even if only briefly. I think you could read this as standalone, although you might miss some of the 'in jokes.'

I like Nick, and that certainly hasn't changed! He is very interesting in the way that he approaches Taylor, and as he unpicks what her issues really are, it is difficult not to be impressed with his perseverance. That there is hotness between them is not in dispute, but that they have a future together definitely is...

I found this to be an easy, fun read which felt very much like visiting old friends and watching them struggle just like the rest of us do, with just how to be honest, but not too vulnerable.

4.25 Stars!!

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from LL! Seriously, She is easily one of my favorite authors! And, how about getting to dive back into the world of Oxford!! I forgot how much I missed those guys!! Ok, Ok, on to the review....

Taylor Carr just started working at Oxford Magazine on the advertising team. Nick Ballantine is a free lance writer who does some work for Oxford from time to time. There is an immediate interest or awareness of each other from the first time they lay eyes on one another, but Nick's quick wit doesn't mesh well with Taylor's 'Ice Princess' vibe she gives off, so the two become almost instant enemies. But, when these two strangely become roommates, those icy layers begin to melt away and they get to know the real person who hides behind those walls. And they just might like what they see...

This was a really great read and I jumped right in to the world of Oxford and didn't want to leave. Seriously, Lincoln Mathis and Cole are there!! Why would I want to leave??

Put this on your to be read list along with the other Oxford books and the Stiletto series!You will not be disappointed!!