Charming amalgam of friends-with-benefits and enemies-to-lovers, mixed with faux relationship. A definite winner for readers who like a balance of humor, heart and steam in their contemporary romance about beautiful people living the good life in the glamorous city

Matt's a gifted financial wizard whose playboy lifestyle and absurd home life soured him on forever love, while Sabrina is a self-made fixer, er . . . consultant with no faith in love and no time for fairy tales. They met through mutual friends, discovered a fiery mutual attraction, but before they really got started, their connection devolved into an outlet to scratch an occasional itch. Both characters are sharp (both of tongue and of mind) and likable and I especially enjoyed the dynamic among the group of friends and colleagues.

I haven't read the first book in Layne's 21 Wall Street series (Hot Asset), but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of Hard Sell and there were no spoilers about the first book in this one (unless you count that the couple in book 1 got their HEA, which I don't, because duh).

2.5 stars

I'm sad to say that I could not connect with these characters at all. Two perfectly beautiful, super rich, boring people. Even after learning their back stories I felt very indifferent towards them both... there was very little substance to them or their interactions. The first half of the book is what really lost me... the second half is a bit better. I wish their backstory had been better developed - I wish I BELIEVED they hated each other at first. This is supposed to be hate-to-love, but it's not. They keep telling us that they hate each other, but it's never backed up in anything they think or feel or do... they obviously have feelings for each other from the beginning. Their "hatred" all stems from a past misunderstanding (that we're only told about in little bits and pieces) where Matt said something stupid to Sabrina (and it WAS stupid), and she was sensitive to it based on her past. He apparently apologized repeatedly, but she continued to hate him for it, and so he hated her too? Oh, but they continued to have no-strings-attached sex throughout the years. Sure.

If the first half had been re-written, so that we get to see them meet and really experience them truly hating each other (for better reasons than what we're given), then I might have liked this much better. The 2nd half was more enjoyable at least, but not enough to save it for me. Although, I was happy to see a very brief cameo from Georgie of Walk of Shame.

I think this Wall Street series is probably just not for me... although I am curious to see what happens in the next book with Kennedy and Kate. I don't plan on reading book 1, but I'll probably give the third book a try.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished a historical fiction novel that was on the heavier side so this was the perfect thing to read after that. I really like Lauren Layne's books as her characters are likable, funny and successful and the romances are fun and sweet. I really liked Sabrina and Matt from Hard Asset so I was pleased to see them get their own book. The book isn't perfect as I felt some things moved a bit too quickly when it came to realization of feelings, but it was a fun read and a nice addition to the contemporary romance genre. Now all I need is a story for Kate and Kennedy and my romance life will be complete.

Entertaining!

Matt and Sabrina are great together. I really enjoyed the bantering.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Hard Sell by Lauren Layne is an awesome 5 Star read - ❤️D this book!!

This is the second installment in the 21 Wall Street series where frenemies Sabrina Cross & Matt Cannon find out that maybe there is something to be said for - love - marriage - babies & the whole HEA thing !!

I love the corporate setting that this author writes so well . This book had everything for me - awesome characters - snarky & funny dialogue - great storyline & some pretty sizzling chemistry!! Highly recommend this book & series !!

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner! I have to admit that after reading the first in this series (not necessary, but will provide more context) I have been eagerly awaiting the second installment. I was thrilled to see more of Sabrina. This was the perfect summer read for me, light and funny, yet with enough substance to keep me interested.

Matt Cannon is a hotshot broker on Wall Street, and has it all: good looks, great friends, a successful career. The wunderkind is caught having too much of a good time in Vegas at his cousin’s bachelor party and ends up featured in a less-than flattering article in the Wall Street Journal. His CEOs and more conservative clients are not impressed by his philandering ways and demand that he rescues all of their reputations by getting a girlfriend. The idea here is that a Matt in a committed relationship is a more reliable Matt.

Sabrina Cross is a fixer, and exactly what Matt needs to return the shine to his image. Despite their contentious past, these two enemies with benefits enter into a contract that has Sabrina pretending to be Matt’s girlfriend for a fixed period of time.

This story kicks off with an intriguing start, then takes the reader on a fun ride filled with humorous and engaging dialogue, well-meaning interfering friends, unexpected situations, and moments of tenderness and sharing.

I am a big fan of Lauren Layne, and this book lived up to my expectations. I definitely recommend it.

I was very happy to receive this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope. However, this one took it a step further and gave me an enemies with benefits story that I couldn’t help but gobble up in record time. Sabrina and Matt were just too electrifying when together and it’s obvious that they either had to argue or screw because of their intense chemistry. And so, for the past four years they’ve had one volatile relationship. It was actually quite charming in a fun masochistic way.

Matt’s background was bizarre enough to warp any young man but Sabrina’s was horrifyingly tragic. Yet, watching these two together was pure enjoyment because despite their reasons for not believing in love, you know that’s exactly what’s going to happen if it hasn’t already. It’s just a matter of time before they become aware of it.

The banter between this couple was fun and witty, sarcastic and sharp but definitely them in their truest form. They were an original hero and heroine unlike any I’ve read before. While Sabrina was strong, successful and independent, Matt was casual and laid back, a bit carefree in spite of his work ethic. He also turned out to be an amazing jealous, possessive hero and was given the perfect set up to prove it. I would have loved him for sure in that moment if I hadn’t already.

I think this is a pretty fast paced read but because once I started I didn’t stop, I can’t say for sure because, you know…gobbling. The characters from the first book make a reappearance but you won’t feel lost if you don’t read it. This one can certainly stand alone. I do love the additional characters and I’m just so freaking antsy to get to Kennedy’s story.

The very end felt a bit rushed but everything leading up to it was perfect. I’m not sure what more I wanted, because the epilogue was sweet and highlighted this couple’s dynamic. I think I just wanted more of Sabrina and Matt and was disappointed to see them go. At least until they revisit in the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Montlake. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my! I am not sure what it was about this one, but I absolutely loved it! The bickering between Matt and Sabrina that was really just foreplay for them was spot on. And that ending for them...perfect!! I can't wait for the next one in the series. I really hope Kate ends up with Kennedy.

This was the most FUN I have had reading a book in quite a while. The power was out and I had nothing to do but lose myself in my kindle and that is what I did for about 3 hours it was me and Matt and Sabrina and oh my did we have F-U-N. Matt Cannon is young, rich, and jaded when it comes to relationships and he has been caught at a bachelor party in Vegas getting a lap dance and his partymates doing all kinds of things they shouldn't and it has made the pages of the Wall Street Journal. This does not go over well with his bosses, the Sam's, and they have set down the law...get a girlfriend, a "real" girlfriend by the time of the Wolfe Gala or he is fired. After some soul searching he comes up with Sabrina Cross as the answer to his problems. She is "the" fixer and has been his on-again, off-again, fren-enemy for years. The only question is will they be able to keep their "relationship" fake in private and real in public and not turn real for real. Oh, the trouble that ensues when hearts are involved or when a billionaire matchmaker decides to help out. I definitely recommend this one!

This was the second book in this series and you could get by without reading the first and call this a standalone but the first one was really good too so don't miss that one. I cannot wait to find out what happens with Kate and Kennedy, that can only be good times for everyone involved!

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

Wunderkid Matt Cannon is the ‘baby’ of the group, with his computer-like brain, good looks and never-ending support from the erstwhile Kate, Kennedy and Ian. Until a bachelor party in Vegas not only runs long, but ends up as a feature story in the Wall Street Journal -with Matt front and center with a stripper, liquor and the taint of illegal substances. Needless to say, a broker who’s bar tab is in four figures with a playboy reputation isn’t quite the image that Wolfe Investments wants to put forward, particularly after Ian’s mess just months ago. Matt’s in hot water and the Sams (his bosses and owners of the company) demand he clean up his act – clients are requesting his head, and moving their accounts to other brokers.

In a pickle and desperately in need of a “fixer” he’s going to have to go to the one person who scares him to the core: Sabrina. A ‘fixer’ in that nebulous context of the word, Sabrina is professional, connected, cool-headed and gorgeous. And Matt totally doesn’t want to ask for her help – she’s the only woman who ever got through his ‘marriage is a sham and I’m never letting anyone close enough to hurt me’ philosophy. Friends with Ian since childhood, he’s the only part of Philly that survived Sabrina’s reinvention of herself – a disinterested, if not outright competitive, mother and her early arrival to adulthood with the need to survive and raise her half-brothers left Sabrina knowing that to get anything done, she has to be in control of every eventuality and do it herself. She’s intrigued by Matt (why else would they have all-too-frequent hookups if it weren’t for the great sex) but personally they jibe and poke at one another constantly when together, making all their friends uncomfortable. But, it’s Matt asking, and while she could choose from a dozen different offers that pay better – she’s going to help him.

Oh these two – both of them scared to death about being vulnerable and allowing someone the power to truly hurt them – and nobody holds onto a grudge better than Sabrina. No one, not even Ian, knows her ‘whole’ story, and Matt’s colossal foot in mouth moment when they first met is something he’s never quite made up for. But, he’s got his own secrets, and one of them is that Sabrina, despite the arguments and not really ‘knowing’ her story or history intrigues him - not in a ‘she’s hot’ way – but in a way that makes him think that love and marriage doesn’t have to be what his parents have, especially since they claim to be besotted with each other – and now their lives are a mix of long and short term side-pieces with everyone ignoring the pink elephant (or his father’s long-term mistress) in the room. So many moments where the sparks fly off these two – perhaps enhanced by the ‘no hook ups’ rule that is broken not 3 weeks in – and their relationship goes from sibling-like banter and fighting to a recognition of one another’s suitability, desirability and true friendship that is building between them. Of course, Matt (being a boy) is supremely skilled at putting his foot in his mouth – but Juno (Sabrina’s dog) adores him – and dogs are never wrong.

With everyone frustrated with both Sabrina and Matt, and an unexpected challenge from the ‘whale” that every broker on Wall Street is chasing, a man who is Matt’s spirit animal and so similar to Matt that it’s uncanny, despite his being about 10 years older and a billionaire, the climax here is oh so sweet and utterly perfect! Two adversaries who have a friendship based on snark lose their walls and find a new definition of love and happy ever after for themselves, even if they never thought it possible. Another wonderful installment and my favorite of the series so far!

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9Za/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I must admit I’m a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers trope and when I’d “met” Matt and Sabrina in 21 Wall Street #1,, Hot Asset, FELT their chemistry amidst snarky banter, I knew I’d devour this book in no time. Lauren Layne didn’t fail me here!

Matt, the boy-wonder of Wolfe Investments, has one motto in life- never get married. Never fall in love, never ever. Sabrina is equally cynical when it comes to the whole “true love always” fairy tale. She wouldn’t mind getting married someday but she knows it’ll be more for trust, respect, companionship- not hearts and flowers forever love. So when Matt needs a woman to clean up his playboy image, he doesn’t hesitate to ask Sabrina. She’s a master in damage control, doesn’t believe in love, and he knows he’d be the LAST person she would fall for. Their sparking chemistry aside...

I love the push and pull of these type stories. It necessarily original but enjoyable all the same. We got to revisit Lara and Ian from Hot Asset and that’s always a bonus. This is a series chock full of friendship and sizzle and I can’t wait for the next book- hopefully Kennedy and.... it’s a secret!

<img src="https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1427478435/14274945.png"/>

<img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/394/18603960805_6375234501_o.jpg"/></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/readingescapadeblog"><img src="http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/designbolts/cute-social-2014/48/Facebook-icon.png"/></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/allipalk"><img src="http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/designbolts/cute-social-2014/48/Twitter-icon.png"/></a>

I was anxiously waiting for Matt & Sabrina's story after reading Hot Asset, Book #1 in the 21 Wall Street Series, and I can honestly say I am not disappointed! I love the way this author writes! As with Book #1, this is told in dual POV's which is my favorite. We met Matt & Sabrina in the first book but there's some mystery behind both of them that comes to light in Hard Sell and they definitely have fighting and flirting down to a science! Because the characters are so well developed, you feel their emotions, their struggles and their love for each other. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the spirit and friendship that these guys have for one another--they will have you laughing one minute and swooning the next. I loved Matt & Sabrina's story and I think you will too. "He's everything I need that I didn't know I wanted." Another winner from Lauren Layne! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

we first met matt cannon and sabrina cross in hot asset, and even then there was something between them. it was chemistry but also more. it was maybe hate but it was tinged with love. the bickering and the eyerolling clearly meant something that neither of them wanted to admit.

in hard sell matt needs a girlfriend when a reporter catches him behaving semi-badly at a bachelor party and the perception is worse than reality in this case. but the only women he could remotely tolerate spending time together as a pretend girlfriend is sabrina. she's the only woman he can trust to not want more with him. because they hate each other, right?

but the truth is that hate covers up a whole host of emotions. it's anger, pain, heartache. it's wanting to protect their hearts from feeling more for the one person they know is capable of breaking down all their walls. being forced to spend all the time together takes down those defenses and soon it is clear that matt and sabrina are perfect for each other. and it's just as swoony and dreamy as you would expect.

**hard sell will publish on september 4, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/montlake romance in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know how Lauren Layne does it, she writes about pretty, rich, successful people and makes them not only human but extremely relatable. Hard Sell seems like your classic long-time enemies to lovers novel. Sabrina is a New York City fixer who seems to live off her connections and street smarts. Matt is a math genius turned Wall Street broker who is in a tight spot after a bachelor party forces him into the spotlight, in a negative way.

Matt and Sabrina were explosive together, and their clashes were fascinating. There didn't seem ever to be real malice between them. Most of the time it felt like longtime friends bickering over old hurts. I enjoyed the small twist on the typical enemies to lovers tale. They were more frenemies than enemies which made sense because they shared a friend group. The best part about their bickering was the respect they both had for each other. The arguments were fun for a reader instead of stressful.

Side note: Sabrina might be my favorite Lauren Layne character to date! She is bossy, bold, and confident. I love how self-assured and fearless she was, even in the face of her own feelings.

At some points, I did feel like I had read this book before. If not this book, then these characters. The suave, yet charming playboy falls for the feisty and smart knockout are signature Layne characters. Luckily, I love both of those things. Ms. Layne gives me all the trope-y goodness I want with all the warm and fun characters I expect. Bonus points: her playboys don't make me want to punch them in their face with their arrogance.

I am waiting with breath that is bated for Kennedy's book!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

4.5 Stars!

Hard Sell features an amazing hate to love romance you can’t help but root for and a wonderful group of characters.

Matt Cannon is one of the youngest brokers on Wall Street and has the reputation of being one of the best to go with it. When Matt’s antics at a cousin’s bachelor party put him in the papers for the wrong reasons, his bosses at Wolfe Investments give him an ultimatum. Clean up his act and get a real girlfriend or look for a new job. Matt knows the perfect woman to help him and turns to Sabrina Cross with a proposal to fake being his girlfriend. But as Sabrina and Matt spend more time together, the lines begin to blur and they’re left wondering what’s real and what’s pretend?

Matt has always been a whiz with numbers and has done well in life because of it. Having graduated from high school at sixteen and then college at nineteen, Matt has always pushed himself to do more and be the best. He does have an aversion to relationships and marriage due to his parents’ marriage. Matt believes that love is only there to hurt you and that it’s unlikely for anyone to be happy in the long run.

Sabrina had a rough start in life which you would never know by looking at who she is in the present. Sabrina has made an effort to keep everything about her past, save her friendship with Ian, in the past. Sabrina is great at her job and knows how to help people get what they need. In her personal life, Sabrina is very guarded and doesn’t think fairy tale romance exists but she does hope for simple companionship one day.

Matt and Sabrina have the type of relationship where they can’t be in the same space for five minutes without arguing. After the two hooked up the night they met, a misunderstanding the following day caused their relationship to sour and the two consider themselves adversaries if not enemies. Despite the pretend aspect to their dating, they manage to have a lot of real conversations about themselves and open up to each other in ways they can’t with anyone else. There’s a ton of banter in their relationship which I loved. Plus their physical chemistry is insane and they work incredibly well together physically.

One of my favorite part about the books in this series is the friendship between Matt, Ian, and Kennedy. The trio are more like a family to each other than friends and I love the banter between them that’s in all of their scenes. Add in Ian’s fiancée Lara and Kate, the boys’ assistant at Wolfe, and you’ve got a great group of friends. They all care so much about each other and are incredibly close that you can’t help but love the scenes when they’re all together.

Hard Sell ended up being just as enjoyable as the first book in the 21 Wall Street series and I can’t wait for Kate and Kennedy’s book to come out. I highly recommend this series if you’re in the mood for a contemporary romance featuring a man who knows how to look good in a suit.

Well, that was a super cute, enjoyable read! This is technically the second book in the Wall Street series. We do meet both Matt and Sabrina in the first book, but this can still be read as a standalone. This was a frenemies to lovers trope with a little bit of fake dating added in. It was a really quick read. I liked both main characters a lot. Matt’s family was definitely something you don’t see in most books! I really loved all the exchanges between the friends, especially the guys. Overall, a really good addition to the series, and I would recommend.
* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I love Lauren Layne books. They are always the perfect choice to get me out of any reading slump. Hard Sell is the second book in the 21 Wall Street series and I think I enjoyed it even more than the first.

I love both Fake Relationship and Hate-to-Love stories and this book utilized both. In the first book of the series Matt and Sabrina were side characters and I wasn’t really sold on the idea of them being in a relationship, but I did end up really liking them together here. They’ve kind of had this dysfunctional thing for a few years and it was a slow burn to actual love and romance and I was here for it. I thought they were really well suited for each other and I liked how their friendship evolved, along with the romance.

Like all of Layne’s books there were a couple of scenes that were a little more graphic than I like, but other than that I enjoyed pretty much every moment of the book. I like the cast of characters and I am really looking forward to getting a book focusing on Kennedy and Kate. One thing I would’ve liked to have seen a little more, though, is Kate’s job. She’s a “fixer” so I felt like there were endless possibilities for a little extra fun or drama, but there’s really not much done with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hard Sell. Layne is easily one of my favorite Romance authors and I just love her more with each book I read. I definitely recommend this to Romance fans. While it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone, as well.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

Well after meeting Matt in Hot Asset I just couldn't wait to get my hands on Hard Sell.

When you land in Wall Street Journal and it's not for your way with numbers and stock markets then you know you're in deep. Matt's bosses have told him to shape up or he may very well have to ship out. It's time to clean up his playboy, extravagant ways even include a fake girlfriend if it means his clients will see him in a better light.

He knows there's only one woman who can help him and not have white picket fences and babies in her eyes but when you hate someone like they hate each other there's a very good chance she'll say no.

Sabrina may let her guard down enough to knock boots with Matt but there's no way she'll pretend to love him. Nope, no way, not gonna happen, until it does and maybe her don't do love ways may change along the way.

Oh these two were such firecrackers!! I just loved the chemistry between them even when they were hating on each other. This book was spectacular! Can't wait for Kennedy and Kate.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Matt Cannon is young, rich and one of the best brokers on Wall Street. It also looks like his partying ways have caught up with him. After a fun, wild weekend in Las Vegas for his cousin's bachelor party, Matt ends up in the pages of the Wall Street Journal with a barely dressed female on top of him. Evidentially, a WSJ employee saw him and thought he'd make a great story. As you can imagine, the Sam's (the owners of Wolffe Investments are not too happy. Matt is told to stop his playboy ways, get a steady girlfriend, or lose his job!

Matt does not want to settle down so he decides he must find a woman, willing to pretend to be his girlfriend for a short time, who also will not fall in love with him in the process. Who else but Sabrina Cross, Ian's best friend from his childhood. Sabrina is a fixer in Manhattan and one of the best. They may have a love/hate friends with benefits type of relationship but he figures if he pays her enough, she could pull it off.

Wow! These two together will so fun! Sabrina is actually someone who doesn't fall for Matt's crap. Yeah, she may enjoy the "benefits" with him, just as long as he doesn't open his mouth! Sabrina is fun, sexy and down right sassy and boy did she give Matt a run for his money.

As these two try to pull off faking a relationship, of course one truly starts to develop. It was so fun to watch these two as they tried to ignore the pull. Overall this story was perfect! I just adored both character and their story was both fun, sexy and totally swoon worthy. I just could not put this book down!