**Disclaimer: I received an eARC of Hot Asset from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I wasn’t expecting much from this book. The summary was enough to get me interested and even the first few pages were entertaining enough. It was then I realized I had read the entire thing without even looking up. This book was smart, funny and the perfect amount of sexy.

I think these types of novels have come a long way, and the female characters are finally a bit more complex and more feminist. This is the same story you see all the time, the sassy girl hates the cocky boy and then falls in love with him. But… it’s done in a really smart way. The alternating first-person point of view was so helpful as a reader. It kept me engaged and really enhanced the story, being able to experience it from both Ian and Lara. I really did like both characters and I thought they were a great bit and I enjoyed their back and forth banter.
The specifics of the story, like the investigation and the careers of both main characters were a little flawed and unrealistic, but all in all, I think it was a wonderful slow-burn romance.

This was the first novel I’ve read by this author, but I hope to read more as I really did enjoy this book!

I've been a LL fan for a while now, but some of her last few books weren't my favorites of hers. I felt like this one was better for me, though! Not in my top faves of her books, but heading in the right direction. I'll be looking for the rest in the series!

For SEC agent Lara McKenzie this latest job is her make or break for her getting her lifelong dream – a position at the FBI. All she has to do is prove Wall Street’s golden boy is guilty of insider trading. She goes after Ian Bradley with a vengeance, but soon has doubts about the anonymous tip. With their back and forth banter, a huge attraction that she unsuccessfully tries to ignore, she finds herself proving he’s not guilty. With twists and surprises, this was a great story totally worth five stars (and more).
This is the first book I’ve read of Lauren Layne and can’t wait to read more!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title compliments of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

What a fantastic start to Lauren Layne's new 21 Wall Street series! I literally did not want to put this book down. Between the characters, the story and the jump off the page chemistry, I was sucked in right from the very beginning.

We find Ian Bradley, a successful stock broker and notorious ladies man, is suddenly the centerpiece in an investigation led by SEC agent Lara McKenzie. While Ian has made a lot of money and is great at his job, one thing he has never been is one to take shortcuts in his personal or professional life. Which is why when he's accused of insider trading he is stunned and can't understand where any of this is coming from.

Lara is the daughter of two FBI agents and that is her end goal career wise to make it into the Bureau. She knows that in order to get her foot in the door, she needs a big win and this case with Ian would certainly provide that. The only problem is that not only is Ian as set on proving his innocence as she is proving his guilt, the chemistry and sparks flying between them is undeniable. Will they be able to deny what is happening between them while the investigation is going on?

I connected immediately with this whole story and both of the characters. Lauren Layne is a new author to me, but I'm so glad I took the chance on this book. It was a well crafted story, kept me engaged with the ups and downs throughout and in the end the payoff was worth it.

I can't wait for the next book in this series and I highly recommend picking this one up!

They always want what they can’t have. Especially considering their jobs depend on them not getting personal.

To help her land her dream job, Lana needs to prove that Ian uses illegal means to maintain his dream. For one of them to win, the other has to lose. Big time. Ironically in their pursuit to achieve success, they realize how much they didn’t even know they wanted each other.

This story is a good slow burn romance with the added benefit of a little mystery and vengeance. If I had to complain about something it’s that it was too short!

Hot Asset is a simple, quick read.

I liked the office aspect in that Ian and Lara didn't compromised themselves during the investigation, but I still hated how all the doubts and fallout was faced by Lara when Ian was the one that kept pursuing her and when she had to move, he couldn't leave everything and go after her.

That was my only gripe.

But in the end, it worked out. There are two more books in the series.

a sweet, unicorn love.

3 STARS

***ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.***

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne is the first book in the new 21 Wall Street series.
Ian Bradley is the super rich and hot Wall Street investment broker. He goes through women like most people drink water, but it's worked for him, making long term commitments isn't his thing. With the exception of his last foster father, his two best friends Matt and Kennedy and his longtime childhood friend Sabrina, Ian doesn't do relationships. But that's about to change when he sees a pair of legs and the women is beyond intriguing.
Lara McKenzie , investigator for the SEC, and definitely not one to fall for a sexy face and a pick-up line. She may have met her match in Ian. Sparks fly from the beginning, yet she is a professional determined to do her job and find the answers, regardless of the outcome. And ignoring the blatant chemistry becomes more difficult by the day. Can she find evidence against Ian or clear his name and figure if they can make things work?

I loved this book so much! Every time I read a new book from Lauren Layne, I think - it can't get better than this, and then she surprises me. This new series was so refreshing and something so totally different than what I"m used to reading from LL. I loved both Ian and Lara and the plot was suspenseful until the very end. I love the way that Lauren Layne writes her steamy scenes, but I appreciated it even more in this book because they didn't happen immediately. I was drawn into the characters and the plot and honestly sometimes romance books get to the steamy parts so quick that you don't even realize what the plot is about. But LL had it all in this book, a great plot, suspense to keep you guessing and a great romance between the two leads. I can not wait to read the next book in the series.

After a few weeks going by with books I liked but not too much, I finally found something that hooked me from the first page until the last. This new series seems promising. This is the first book I've read by Lauren Layne despite I've shelved some of her other works. The story is set in New York and as you may think from the hot guy on the cover, is about men in suits, in this case Wall Street billionaires.

The protagonist of the story is Ian Bradley, a talented investor who has arrived where he is only with his brain and hard work. He is proud of the path he did to get to the top, and won't let anyone threaten what he fought so much to achieve. Enter Lara McKenzie, a talented woman who works for the SEC, and that comes to Wolfe Investments for an informal investigation against Ian. Is he guilty of a financial crime or is he not? You have to read to find out.

Ever since the opening scene, you'll be hooked to the book. I liked how Ian and Lara seemed to "talk" to me as a reader, as if they were recounting their story as I turned the pages. This book never bored me and I loved the banter between the characters. You may think Ian is the usual rich playboy, but he's more than that, and Lara isn't the average female character with no integrity. They were realistic characters and all of their scenes with the secondary characters were funny and entertaining to read. The dialogue never seemed off and it kept my interest alive until the epilogue because I wanted to read each of the characters' thoughts and smart remarks.

This is a love story that makes baby steps, meaning that the characters may appreciate each other after the first meeting, but they don't sleep together nor kiss too soon. The author was good at creating a realistic story that moved at a slow pace, not rushing things but giving time to each moment of Ian and Lara's story a proper timing.

Needles to say, I will check out the following book that will be about Matt and Sabrina. Can't wait about Kennedy and Kate's book as well. Ian and Lara's story is nice, but it was nicer not only because of them, but also because of the world of characters and places like Wolfe that Lauren Layne has created.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for giving me the chance to read this book.

Ian is the stereotypical hot shot Wall Street broker. He is hot, a manwhore, but with a heart of gold. Lara works for the SEC and is hoping for her big case that would help her become an agent with the FBI. They meet in the break room of Ian’s company, and Ian proceeds to hit on Lara. Of course Lara is there to investigate Ian for potential insider trading. The plot isn’t real deep, but Lara and Ian are compelling characters. The secondary characters, whose books will follow, were enjoyable as well. This is a fun, steamy read.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley for my honest review.

A brand new Lauren Layne series to fall in love with!!! Walking into the world of 21 Wall Street felt like coming home to new friends. Layne does an excellent job of building a new world without making it to heavy or cumbersome or stealing the spotlight from Lara and Ian...and boy do these opposites who aren’t all that opposite attract and need a spotlight. Slow burn, forbidden longing, whipsmart banter - it’s all there and yummy as you expect from Lauren Layne. Cannot wait for the next one.

Lauren Layne does it again!! First of all, I was in a reading slump and needed something to pull me out of it, Lauren Layne's books always successfully get me out of any slump I ever had, and this was no different! I absolutely loved this book! This is the first book in her new series, 21 Wall Street, and it reminded me of everything I loved about the Stiletto and Oxford series.

I was a little concerned about how this book would play out, usually enemies to lovers books don't have such serious hurtles to get over to getting the characters together. I wasn't sure how Lauren Layne would play this one out, but as usual she did it with grace and it worked out better than I imagined it ever could.

The main characters meet in the first chapter, and it was a perfect first meet, full of banter and chemistry off the charts. I love that Lara was so sassy to Ian in the beginning. It was so fun to watch. Lauren Layne always manages to make an assumed bad guy actually be a really great guy, and Ian was a perfect example of this. His character only got better throughout of the book, and I think I liked him best in the end. Lara was very sassy in the beginning, but got a little less confident throughout, and I didn't love that but it was necessary for the story to move the way it did. Also, the side characters had great interactions with the main characters, and I'm more intrigued to see them in the other books in the series.

I loved this book and absolutely recommend it!

I’m not a huge five star review kind of person but dang... this one hit every mark. I loved Lara and I loved Ian because he fell for Lara. I loved watching them find their way to each other. Men in suits as a starting point isn’t usually my thing but I got sucked into this book and finished it so quickly. It’s hard to find a really well written romance with strong characters who don’t compromise their identities and this one is just so perfect. Can’t wait for the rest of the series. This author has quickly become one of my favorites.

Great book, i did find it hard to submerge myself into the book in the beginning, but over all I couldn’t put it down. Lauren layne’s characters were realistic as well as relatable, i loved that we got to see both perspectives of each of the main characters, how could you not love Ian, I can’t wait to read book two

Hot Asset – Lauren Layne
***This review is based on ARC generously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. No compensation was paid to the reviewer nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher***
“Hot Asset” is the first of author Lauren Layne’s 21 Wall Street Series, and what a way to start!
To those readers who have read Ms Layne’s previous work , you will not be disappointed. Hot Asset follows the semi-enemies to lovers trope featuring the cocky, investment banker Ian Bradley and the tenacious and prim Lara McKenzie.
Their book basically starts the series off with a bang, as Lara, white collar crime expert who is aspiring to join the FBI tries to crack her biggest case of the year, which is finding Ian guilty of insider trading.
From the get go these characters are at logger heads, they have competing interests and they definitely have conflicting personalities. The more they interact though the clearer it is to see that they’re ideal for one another. Unfortunately Lara , who follows the rules to a T, is duty bound to keep her hands off Ian throughout the investigation process. This only serves to increase the tension that these two characters have to contend with and it sets readers up for a great solution to said tension in chapters to come.
In and amongst the romance element of this premise is the element of suspense-ish , where we/ Lara / Ian try to solve who exactly started this whole investigation process in the first place. It’s this complication that really draws the two protagonists together and along with them are Ian’s close friends Matt , Kennedy, Sabrina and Kate.
I guess this is best part of this book for me, I mean I really loved the romance between Lara and Ian but even more so I loved finding sneak peaks essentially for the books to come in this series.
For devoted fans of Lauren Layne this was just trademark Layne brilliance, with witty banter, and hot and ambitious heroes/heroines. I really really can’t wait for Hard Sell – Book 2 in the series to be released later this year! For readers who are new to Ms Layne’s work, I seriously envy you, this is just a taste of her brilliant work, but the great thing is that she has an amazing backlist full of heroes and heroines with the same snark and unique wit and you should probably stop reading this review and start reading those books!
Also the only reason I feel like this is enemies to lovers-ish is because I feel like the next book is going to definitely be enemies to lovers and this probably has elements of the trope but isn’t 100% that.

Another amazing book by Lauren Layne, who has quickly become my favorite author. Loved every page of this one. Predictable happily ever after but who cares? There's enough non happy endings out in the real world and it's nice to have an escape and that's just what this is. I loved all of the characters and I can't wait to find out what else happens to them as the series continues. As long as Lauren continues to write, I'll continue to read her books! 5+ stars!

Another absolute knockout from Lauren Layne and the start of another fantastic series! LL has been an instant one click/preorder for me for years now and I am never disappointed. This series combined the strong friendships and banter similar to the Stilettos and Oxford series and added a touch of mystery and a whole lot of intense chemistry and sexiness to produce this fantastic story. I loved the way the story flowed and Also the introduction of the side characters that I can’t wait to find out more about in future books in this series.

After recently devouring most of Lauren Layne's Oxford series, I was a bit disappointed with this one. I was not a fan of Ian's character. In romance novels, it's a common cliché for the male protagonist to be a womanizer and simply treat women as sexual objects. It's tiring and I really hate seeing men who treat women this way being rewarded by getting the woman who is way too good for him. Lara was a decent protagonist, but I felt like her character could've had a bit more depth. Since I wasn't into Ian, their relationship didn't really do anything for me. Maybe the following books will be more promising.

I have said it before and I will say it again….I LOVE Lauren Layne books. I am never disappointed when I pick a novel written by Lauren Layne.

Hot Asset is the first book in 21 Wall Street Series and it was AMAZING!! I am in love with this story and I can’t wait to see where she goes with this series. I loved all the characters that were introduced in this book. I also found the storyline refreshing. It is about a subject I haven’t seen in most books.

To me Hot Asset felt like a different kind of story from Lauren Layne. Yes we have everything we come to expect from a book of hers, but in this one she added a suspenseful element that had me turning the pages so fast to find out the answers to my questions. I loved that she had me guessing until it was all revealed.

Hot Asset is an opposite attracts forbidden romantic suspense novel. It is told in Dual POV and is a standalone novel. This series will have interconnected characters, so if you can I would start with Hot Asset and read them in order. I found the flow and pace of this story worked perfect. If you like a slow burn story then this is the one for you. Even if you aren’t a fan there is so much more to this story that the pace she takes Ian and Lara won’t bother you. The storyline is so captivating that you won’t even miss all the sexy scenes. Now don’t get me wrong, when these two do hook up they steam up the pages. I loved their chemistry.

In this book we follow Ian and Lara. Ian is a top Wall Street broker and Lara is SEC investigator assigned to investigate Ian. Ian is thrown off his normal “player” game when he first meet Lara and she isn’t instantly swooning over him. But he isn’t deterred even when he finds out what Lara is there for. He is actually more determined after that. I loved their banter. I also loved that Lara didn’t stand for an of Ian’s male magnetism. She put him in his place when need be. So what happens when they start feeling more for each other?? Will either of them be willing to forget about the job they both love to get their HEA?? Read this book to find out.

I would recommend this book to everyone. This is a great and fun start to a Lauren Layne series and one you don’t want to miss!!!!

Lauren Layne's back with a new series and I couldn't be more excited about it! Hot Asset is the first book in the 21 Wall Street series, and it was so much fun! I was and wasn't surprised by that. I wasn't surprised because Lauren Layne can do no wrong in my book. She consistently makes me smile with her writing. I always know what I'm going to get when I pick up one of her books: a fabulous time. Hot Asset was definitely a fabulous time!

As for being surprised, I was only surprised by how much I enjoyed the Wall Street setting. Wall Street is something that sounds a little boring to me, but L.L. made it exciting! Who knew Ian being investigated by Lara could be so entertaining? This storyline was something I haven't read before, and that was so cool.

I could not get enough of the characters and their relationships in this book. I adored the love-hate relationship that began between Ian and Lara when she started investigating him. There was some great banter between them. It made their road to love so much fun! I also really appreciated how supportive they ended up being with each other when it wasn't an easy thing to be.

I also really loved the other relationships in this book. The relationship between Ian and his best friends / co-workers, Matt and Kennedy was hilarious. The three of them were quite the group of cocky, wealthy men. They, along with their other friends Sabrina and Kate, were the perfect little group of friends. I loved the dynamics between all of them!

Obviously, I thought Hot Asset was amazing. It was the perfect light, fluffy, upbeat romance read. It was exactly the book I needed to put me in a great mood and get over a book hangover I had going on. After reading Hot Asset, I can't wait to read the rest of the 21 Wall Street books! I'm so excited for Matt and Sabrina and Kennedy and Kate's romances! They need to hurry up and get here.