“Hot Asset”’ launches Lauren Layne’s new series, “21 Wall Street,” set in the high stakes world of the fictional Wolfe Investments. (Get it?) So right away we know the hero will be alpha to the max, rich, hot and arrogant, and Ian does not disappoint. I don’t mind arrogance in a character so long as it’s backed up by the backstory and plot.

Ian’s world is perfect until he finds out he’s being investigated for insider trading by up-and-coming SEC agent Lara. Lara is the daughter of legendary FBI agents and she knows if she nails Ian (professionally) she can finally transfer to the FBI, an ambition that consumes her professionally and personally.

This is where the story goes off the rails for me. Authors don’t have any control over current events that might impact their plots or render them less believable. (And I am usually the first to complain when politics is brought into my romance.) But with these agencies in the news every day for chaos and discontent, I feel for Layne. Because to me Lara’s drive to work for the FBI just doesn’t make sense in current context. She does have another motivation, the “my parents were the best and they’re disappointed I can’t get into the FBI and I feel inadequate” theme. To believe that we must believe she’s got some little-girl-lost issues and at her age, 28, that’s not a good look.

However Layne’s gift for snappy banter and sexual tension on full display, and for all my complaints, “Hot Asset” is still a 4-star novel for me. Layne fans will be happy to know that all signs point to a great follow-on to the series coming this fall.

ARC supplied for an honest review.

I received and ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I am a big fan of Lauren Layne. Her stories are always filled with sexy characters and witty dialog-often predictable but in a "who cares?" kind of way. Hot Asset did not disappoint!

Ian Bradley grew up in the foster care system, but through hard work and determination he has made his way to Wall Street and is enjoying the money and perks that come with it. Although he is living out his fantasy life, he would never take shortcuts to get ahead. No one could be more surprised that Ian was, when the SEC launches an investigation into his trading practices. The investigation is led by Lara McKenzie, who is hoping that a big win on this case may lead to a job with the FBI. As the investigation continues, Lara ends up uncovering more than illegal trading practices! This belongs in your beach bag this summer. I loved it!

Despite being a prolific writer, the quality of Lauren Layne's work hardly wavers. While I am late to the Layne bandwagon, having read only eight of her novels in the past two years, I am definitely a fan of her characters, who frequently ring true-to-love with appealing qualities, even the prickly ones.

I've never been keen for the Wall Street suit-world, but Layne has written Ian as a man who has risen from nothing, yet has not become a ruthless shark. He gives back, and he cares, a definitely nice combination in someone who makes a 7-digit salary. 

Layne also isn't afraid of writing female characters who are strong and driven. She knows how to gentle the edges so that they are likable, as is the case for Lara, a nerdy SEC agent who's tasked with bringing down the perceived unscrupulous Ian Bradley.

Ian and Lara try to fight their mutual attraction because to do otherwise would jeopardize Lara's job and her aspirations to become an FBI agent.

Like other Layne novels, Hot Asset is humorous, classy, and sexy with a hint of mystery as to who is framing Ian Bradley. A good read for the upcoming summer, and definitely an excellent introduction for her new series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All I can say is yikes. I'm starting to notice a trend where I either love or seriously dislike my Layne reads. Once again we have a hate-to-love that was.. not compelling and was trying to sell the reader on an 'instantly overwhelmed by chemical reactions and cannot do my job/suddenly isn't a manwhore and wants to be in a serious relationship' vibe. And it didn't work (for me).

<s>I already forgot his name</s> Ian is totally unlikeable despite the fact that the author throws around the foster kid/hard knock life backstory, and all the good things he does with all his oodles of money from being a hardworking/hardplaying Wall Street dude. But he's a self-involved man-player who uses his abandonment issues as a reason for being how he is. He's whiny, snaps at <s>ohshit I forgot her name too</s> Lara when she tries to have reasonable conversation with him, and I just couldn't. That is not my kind of hate-to-love. That's called being an asshole.

Lara on the otherhand is a woman who has put her personal life on the backburner in favour of job advancement, wanting so desperately to follow in her FBI-parents footsteps, and is committed to her job as a Securities and Exchange Commission investigator. When a tip suggests Ian has committed insider trading, she is committed to proving Ian's guilt (but is equally open to proving his innocence if the evidence leads her to that conclusion) and refuses to let his good looks or charm distract her or make it personal. Which it kinda does become anyway as he continually railroads her and routinely acts less than professional but somehow manages to turn it around on Lara almost every time.

This is a quick romance, though somewhat of a slowburn, and the investigation portion of things kinda felt rushed and wrapped up in a way that didn't feel likely. As in, how was it likely a certain someone thought they would actually get away with it all. Lame villains are lame.

Along the way we're introduced to Ian's besties, two men who will obviously get their own books and the two women who will respectively bring them to heel (or make their lives hell along the way), and for the most part I liked them but ultimately one of them felt like an Ian clone, snappy and childish, whereas the other (Kennedy) has potential. I'll probably read them, too, but I have hopes for a more convincing storyline or at least chemistry to carry it.. something HOT ASSET did not have.

I have Layne's next <i>Oxford</i> novel in my ARC docket and I'm excited to return to her world of journalists because that setting is both more interesting and exciting and (for the most part) the characters are the same. This read was just a little too lacking in, well, laughs, steam, complexity.. pretty much everything.

Sexy and smart Wall Street hotshot in a forbidden romance with the SEC agent investigating him for insider trading? Completely irresistible premise, and there was no question I wanted my grabby hands on this book! What I found within was a solid start to this fun new series. Oh, and some delicious literary suit porn, of course.

Smartly written and full of the sort of snappy banter I've come to love about this author, it was so easy to fall into Ian and Lara's story. I might have liked to have a little more of that at times because in the end I felt like their love story moved very quickly and my heart didn't always keep up for the ride. I felt like perhaps I didn't connect with Lara the way Ian did, like I was missing something about her that caused him to fall so hard and so quickly. I might have liked to see more vulnerability there - though in the end my heart caught up and I was beyond happy with their happily ever after.

The secondary characters in this one book were so much fun to read, and their interactions and interference with Ian and Lara's story were perhaps one of my favorite parts of this book. I adored Ian's friends and the way they interacted with each other. They are funny, fiercely protective, fun - and I am so excited to dig deeper into their stories.

In the end, this was a great start of a new series for me. I'm definitely invested, and definitely want more where this came from. ~ Shelly, 3.5 Stars

This has got to be one of Lauren Layne’s best book yet. I loved this storyline and the chemistry between the two main characters. I was comparing it to her Stiletto series but this Wall Street background is so much more exciting. The two character had some great lines —sassy and sarcastic. It was so hard to put down. I have not had a great book read in a real long time. , I didn’t want the story to end. I would definitely recommend this one.

At first the reader meets Ian Bradley - self-proclaimed douchebag. He works on Wall Street, makes seven-figures a year and never sleeps with the same woman twice because he doesn't have to. Then the reader meets Lara McKenzie - the woman investigating Mr. Bradley for insider trading. Ian is as cocky as he is hot! However, Lara doesn't fall for his typical witty banter because she believes in catching the criminal. Is Ian that criminal? Can they keep their hands off each other long enough to find out?

Lara is a strong and independant woman who doesn't need a man in her life.. that is until Ian shows up. Ian is smart, sexy and hard-working. Just about everything he's wanted he gets. Their relationship was so easy to appreciate because they were complete opposites from each other. They were not the typical couple that someone might see in a smut.

Both characters can not stop thinking out the other one and the temptation that follows them until they are able to kindle the flame? So blisteringly seductive.

I even loved the side charaters and the slow burn towards their love interest has me pining away for the next installment of this series. Hard Sell will be the 2nd in the series following Matt Cannon and Sabrina Cross.

Rated: 4/5 stars! Definitely recommend if you are a Lauren Layne fan or a romance novel fan.

Sincerely, 3 star reviews are the hardest to write.

I was so excited about this book, the beginning was very promising, interesting, but this excitement in the middle of the book slowly fell, and I couldn't connect with the female main character, and that sucks because that never happened to me when I read Lauren Layne books, I liked all her characters in all her books.
It was a good read, but not the best.

Regardless of that, I'm quite excited about Matt & Sabrina Story, can't wait to read and hope it will be much, much better :)

Oh this book is a breath of fresh air, I loved the banter between Ian and Lara. The moment Ian finds out about Lara’s true identity was a laugh out loud moment for me because it just made me giggle at the truth of it. It shocked him and the whole story from that point is a battle of wills, and fact finding.

There are a lot of crossed wires with no logic to it, that just made me so frustrated because if they only just opened their eyes, they would see the evidence right in front of them. The chemistry though, was blazing hot and off the charts. This book has it all, attraction, anguish, drama and above all romance.

I loved this new series by Lauren and I’m truly looking forward to reading more.

4 stars

I am a huge fan of this authors and she did not disappoint me! I love the writing style and her humor!

Ian was super dreamy (along with cocky, arrogant, etc.) and then, there came this spitfire woman dressed conservatively who brings him to his knees. Lara just owned him from the beginning and I do love to see a man brought to his knees by the right woman.

I can't wait for Matt's story!

First of all, reading this reminded me of that tv series “Billions” albeit in more attractive package! Secondly, to be honest, I had a bit of a rough time starting as my first impression of Ian was not so great. His introduction scene had me gritted my teeth, in the same way Lara’s judgmental view made me. That “Hot Asset” is being told in alternate POVs as first persons between Ian and Lara really up said impact.

I was proven wrong of course! As it so happened this was exactly what’s going on in this first entry to Lauren Layne’s new “21 Wall Street” series. Ian Bradley was more than a pretty face Wall Street hotshot in designer suit. The author artfully divulge Ian’s many contradicting layers of personality, that pretty soon had this reader sympathize with him. I also got what Lara coming from; how her ambition battled with her conscience and the pull of attraction.

It’s not exactly a slow burn, though our MCs took their time from making a move out of respect of each other. That both didn’t let their actions being dictated by their nether’s regions really boost my approval of this book. This was making their story and character real, not just a round of explicit sexy times for the sake of having sexy times page after page.

My only issue with the storyline lied on resolving the problem part. I was hoping it’d be less easier than how it went here. Readers could practically smell the antagonists since they showed up, but the frame-up was practically boasting and all talk, the whole catching the bad guy approach felt too simplified to me.

As an intro to the new series, this book set an interesting premise of what the series is all about. “Hot Asset” also introduced a number of supporting characters who were not only enliven the scenario, but hinted on the other two couples to come who would go head to head in the next books in this series. And if the glimpse I saw here was any indication, I’m hopeful the following installments would be awesome! They can’t come soon enough, let me tell you.

Thank you to @netgalley and @_laurenlayne for my #arc of #hotasset book 1 in the 21 Wall Street series by #laurenlayne

Rating: 3.5

Ian Bradley is a wealthy, handsome, playboy, “Wall Street hotshot” who’s being investigated for insider trading. Lara McKenzie is the SEC investigator who is out to make a name for herself and earn a promotion to the FBI. Ian is fighting to prove his innocence while Lara’s trying to prove his guilt. Here we are given some mutual attraction, a forbidden desire, loyal friends and well made suits.

I liked it. I think I enjoyed the idea of the book more than the execution but it was good nonetheless. I need a little more depth and umph from the characters and the plot was so predictable that even the characters in the book state that it seems like B movie plot line... Even saying all that i liked it. I’m going to continue with the series and I’m looking forward to reading Kennedy’s story (Ian’s Friend, though my luck it’s not the next in the series 😫)
Check it out on its release day May 22nd look like it will be available on #kindleunlimited too!!!

Loved it!
Lauren Layne is now one of my go-to authors.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
The humor
Dual POVs
Part of a series: 21 Wall Street
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Ian’s being investigated by one of the SEC’s top investigators, Lara McKenzie. Not only is Ian one of the most successful traders at Wolf Investments, but he’s charming, cocky, and HOT! While Lara begins her investigation, Ian and his friends try to figure out who has set him up. Kennedy, Matthew, Sabrina and Kate all know there’s no way Ian did anything wrong, but trying to prove it is harder than expected when certain people will do anything to get Ian arrested. Without giving anything away you will not want to miss this first book by Lauren Layne. I loved the suspense in this Wall Street book. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.

The review for this book will appear on All About Romance closer to publication - but holy cats, I loved it.

I am fast becoming a huge Lauren Layne fan. Book after book she delivers and this book is no different. She avoided all the typical "misunderstandings" that often occur with books with this type of topic. Both Ian and Lara were mature and self aware. I loved their back and forth. the dialog between all the characters was snappy, ( lets all sing grease; Lara being a dork, internal reflections ( Lara being the long game) ( day cleavage, I learn something new every day) funny and sweet. I loved a lot about this book and cant wait for more in the series.

I really enjoyed this new one by Lauren Layne. I thought it strayed away from the typical Wall Street, Power Suit Trip and therefore I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Review goes live on May 16 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Hot and fun
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: New York setting, big bucks world of Wall Street finance.
Characters: Ian is very driven and successful. He came from nothing and achieved a lot, so big like there. He’s also kind of fucked up emotionally, so layered juicy stuff. I don’t generally like billionaire playboy stories because I dislike cocky know-it-all peeps, but this is a self-made one so I liked him.
Uuuuu, I love Lara!! Layered, delicious, edgy chick. Ambitious but with a heart, and very focused on doing the right thing – big like. She’s a bit stuck on rules and regulations, but it made her do the right thing even when doing the opposite would benefit her personally.
Plot: Very tense enemies to lovers sort of scenario, with a billionaire playboy spin too, and the chick investigating the guy to boot. Soo much delicious tension and much chemistry hotness!
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, his/her POV. Love the confident humor-filled witty voices and the snappy banter was delish.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy for my admittedly rarer Contemporary Romance moods.

I recommend Hot Asset to fans of Contemporary Romance with billionaire playboy and enemies to lovers mixes, plus hot chemistry, and awesome banter.

I've read more Lauren Layne books than any other author now and I can firmly say that she always succeeds in leaving me feeling content after finishing one of her books. The guaranteed happily ever after of her books reminds me of the same feeling I get whenever I settle in to watch a Hallmark movie. Hot Asset had all the elements of her other books; interesting characters, quick dialogue, and a beautiful love story. What I loved about this book was the added crime drama of the plot. Lara is investigating Ian for insider trading. She is determined to uncover the truth and he claims he's innocent, but there is so much more to the story! I cannot wait for the next books in this series and highly recommend Hot Asset to anyone looking for a quick, sweet romance.

Lauren Layne is my go-to author when it comes to a book that I want to read quickly and want to fall in love with either way.
Hot Asset wasn't any different. The story of Ian and Lara made me such a happy person.

I love books where the two main protagonists have a love hate relationship that turns all lovey dovey. This book was just that, it made my heart jump a few times when we were figuring out the story and who exactly framed Ian.

I recommend to everyone!