5 Stars!!

Lauren Layne has done it once again. She pulled me into this story from the very first page and I didn’t want to come out. I started reading this book yesterday afternoon and neglected all kinds of chores and sleep by finishing it in 1 day. But....it was worth it! Soooo worth it!!

Sabrina Cross is a fixer. She has connections and the ability to fix any problem, no matter the size. She’s that good at it. Matt Cannon is a Wall Street big shot. He handles big clients and even bigger money, but a bachelor party is Vegas has him spread all over the Wall Street Journal in a terrible light, and now his bosses and clients are second guessing him. He is in need of a fixer, and Sabrina’s is perfect for the job!

I absolutely loved these two! I’ve loved them from Hot Asset and couldn’t wait to dive into their story. You don’t have to read the first book in the Wall Street series, this can be read as a stand alone, but you should. These books are classic Lauren Layne awesomeness! Now, I’m waiting, not so patiently I might add, for Kennedy and Kate’s story. Their story just might be the best one yet!

Hard Sell was unputdownable! Lauren Layne writes the best characters and this book was no exception. The banter between Matt and Serena was hot and hilarious. I really, really loved this and can't wait for Kennedy's book!

ARC generously provided by Netgalley.

After finishing Hot Asset, I wasn’t sure the story could get better than Ian and Lara, but I was so wrong. I loved the attraction and frenemy dynamic between Matt and Sabrina. This book had me going from laughs to cries and let me say, it’s hard to put down. I finished both Hot Asset and Hard Sell in one day.
This series is definitely not what I expected, but I absolutely loved the story lines and I’ve grown to love every character. I can’t wait to eventually hear Kennedy’s story. If you’re a sucker for a good happily ever after, you need this series.

Love Lauren Layne and love that she didn't complicated this pool of characters much more than necessary, unlike the Stilettos & Oxford series which I thought expanded waaaaay too much. When I read the 1st in this 21 Wall Street series, we all completely knew where this small group of incestuous friends was going to go. She doesn't hied who's going to hook up with who.

The story line and characters were easy enough to track and there were some interesting bits thrown in (Matt Cannon's family situation, etc.) to make it not quite cookie cutter frenemies to lovers. However, what I really respected was Layne's end note that she wasn't sure she'd get around to Kennedy and Kate's story. Which is fine. I think we know they're each other's end game. I'm ok not having their story until it's done right.

This is the second book in the 21 Wall Street series and I was so excited to dive in. I loved the first book, Hot Asset, and couldn't wait to read Matt and Kennedy's stories. Matt was a fun hero and I loved Sabrina's character. We had briefly met her in the first book but we finally get the backstory between why she and Matt are constantly bickering despite them both being good friends with Ian.

The chemistry between Sabrina and Matt was HOT! I felt bad for Matt because when we finally find out why she's been so angry and mean towards him it felt a bit blown out of proportion. So once she finally let's go and their relationship starts to transition from enemies to more lovers I was so happy for Matt. You could tell he's a great guy and he truly felt bad for his past comments to Sabrina.

All in all this was a solid romance but I have to admit it's Kennedy's story that I'm really on pins and needles waiting for.

I love this new series. Matt and Sabrina have the perfect enemies to lovers story. I’ve read all of this author’s books and I’ve yet to read one I haven’t throughly enjoyed.

I have been eagerly awaiting Matt and Sabrina's book since I first "met" them. They did not disappoint. A great couple, great story, and perfect continuation of the series!

Ms. Layne once again pulled me right into the story with her captivating writing style. I then devoured every single word and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. This frenemies-to-lovers story is the second book in the Wolves of Wall Street series, and it focuses on Matt and Sabrina, whom we met in Hot Asset. I loved Sabrina--like Ms. Layne's typical heroine, she is strong, independent, and takes no crap from hotshot Matt. And Matt goes down kicking and screaming, as expected, but the way it happens is delightful. Lauren Layne has become what I consider one of the most trustworthy authors in terms of providing a well-written, enjoyable read with likeable characters, great dialogue, and an interesting plot every single time.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing an ARC for review.

Matt and Sabrina have unbelievable chemistry. They are either fighting or fooling around but when Matt needs help redeeming his reputation Sabrina comes through for him. This is a true wonderful Lauren Layne book with all of the secondary characters being just as important to the story as the main characters. I can’t wait for Kennedy and Kate’s story and I hope there’s one for Jarod! Don’t forget to read Hot Asset but not necessary before reading Hard Sell.

Hard Sell, the second in the 21 Wall Street series, is fantastic. It's Matt Cannon's turn to realize he is not invincible to love. He just thinks he is. Sabrina Cross is the amazing friend of Ian, to whom we were introduced in the first book. Sabrina is the woman Matt trusts to help him out of his PR mess. She is, also, Ian's best friend. Sabrina and Ian grew up together in a difficult place and time.

Matt and Sabrina fight against their combustible relationship as they work on cleaning up Matt's image. One of their difficulties is the 'enemies with benefits' relationship of falling into bed together. Part of the problem is the way in which their relationship began four years earlier. Their conversation and relationship is strong and witty. They are a perfect fit. Matt is jealous when another man shows interest in Sabrina, but still refuses to believe he might be in love.

Ms. Layne has written another super enjoyable book. Read and enjoy how she takes these two through their strong attraction to each other toward an amazing HEA.

"I've been thinking the hardest part of this whole thing will be faking being in love when I don't even believe in love. Now I know better. The hardest thing is going to be keeping my hands off the only woman I've ever wanted."

Hard Sell is the second book in the 21 Wall Street Series and it follows the story of Matt and Sabrina. Matt is young and amazing at what he does. He's on top of the world or so he thinks. When his wild night in Vegas makes headlines, he's forced to do the one thing he's never wanted to do. He needs a girlfriend and fast. If he can prove to his bosses that he's changed and put the wild man to rest, his job will be saved...if not, it's the ax for him....Sabrina is known as the fixer. There isn't any situation that she can't find a way out of. She is the very best. So, when Matt comes to her with his problem, she knows it will be a challenge, but she can't possibly say no. With rules in place and their game faces on, will these two stick to the rules or will they cross the uncrossable line??? There's only one way to find out....

I loved the idea of Hard Sell. I'm a sucker for fake relationships and an even bigger sucker for those enemies to lovers story-lines. And I thought Lauren Layne's take on it was really interesting. I mean Matt and Sabrina couldn't stand one another, yet at the same time, they were kinda sorta maybe friends??? Overall, I thought that Matt and Sabrina had some good chemistry. I loved seeing the two of them go off on each other and couldn't wait to see the tension between the two of them explode. That being said, I would have loved to have seen some flashbacks of Matt and Sabrina. It's clear to the reader that two of them have a past and I feel as though I would have understood these characters more if we had gotten to see some of that past. What happened to them? What led them to hooking up? When did the deep hate grow between them? I feel those issues were vital to the story and by not seeing the whole picture clearly, it left me feeling like something was missing.

Overall, I thought Hard Sell was an ok read. It's not my favorite from this author, but I still found it to be an enjoyable and engaging read. I loved the friendships between Matt and his buddies. I loved the banter between Matt and Sabrina and loved the steamy moments between the two of them. The story-line itself was a fresh and fun take on the whole enemies to lovers/fake relationship troupe. I just felt like something was missing. Maybe I needed some more angst; some more drama. I'm not really sure. I think Hard Sell will be one of those books you either love or you hate. For me, I didn't love it, but still had a good time reading it.

I adored this book!!!! I didn't want to finish reading it because it was simply amazing!! I wanted more!!

4 stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟
Romantic comedy, an enemies to lovers story and book two of the series.
Lighthearted and easy reading.🌞
Lauren Layne does this style of rom-com so well. She had me thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
I have noticed that her books always seem to be full of attractive characters, the pretty people, no plain Jane's but I couldn't care less about that fact as they are so engaging and simply fun to read .💕
Matt and Sabrina were explosive 💣💥together whether they were flirting or fighting .
I liked this story a lot. 🌼
Now, I am really looking forward to reading the next book "Huge Deal" and finally getting Ellie and Kennedy's story. I loved all the glimpses we get of these two characters in the first couple of books, so I have very high hopes for this romance.
This is DEFINITELY one of her best series, my other favorite being the AMAZING "Love Unexpectedly" series.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series. The first book in this series Hot Asset was Ian and Lara's book. I loved that book it was a 5 star read. This book Hard Sell just blew me out of the water from the very first chapter. I have to say that Matt and Sabrina's story was a least a 10 star read if not more. Matt and Sabrina both came from different but not a really great family life growing up. Both of them had walls so high and so thick that they did not even realize the extent of what they had been feeling for each other since the moment they meant. Instead they let a misunderstanding put them at odds and they had this enemy and friends thing going on. When Matt finds himself in hot water he goes to Sabrina for help. She agrees to helps him. Somewhere along the way the reasons for doing what they are doing gets forgotten. Feelings become involved and then all the drama starts. During all this you have your best friends who love you and guide you in the direction you really do not understand. I found this book to have it all and then some. Honestly I cannot wait until Kennedy and Kate's book because I have a feeling it will blow this book out of the water too. I find whenever you start a series by Lauren Layne each book in the series becomes better then the last. She never ever disappoints. Thanks so much NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. I'm very picky and impatient with romances, so it says something that I read the whole thing and in one weekend. The ending was a little abrupt and disappointing, and the heroine's friendship with Ian was a lot of telling not showing, but for the most part, it was really enjoyable. The female friendships were great. Sabrina and Matt are likeable and have great chemistry. Layne has been compared to Julie James, which is quite accurate, although Layne's style is more angsty. I've discovered that her other books seem to contain quite a lot of my specific brand of catnip, so I will be reading more from her and I look for forward to Kate and Kennedy's book in this series.

This is a tough book to review because I LOVE this author A LOT. She is an amazing author and she is great at creating wonderful characters in NYC. On one hand I loved this story between two enemies Sabrina and Matt, but on the other hand it was never explained what actually happened.. It is left very vague and so we really miss the why and what happened.

Essentially Sabrina has been besties with Matt's bestie and they had a one night stand some 4 years ago where Matt offended Sabrina and since then its been HATE. Matt lands himself in a PR mess and asks for Sabrina's help and she agrees to for a price.

Meanwhile their friend is getting married so they are thrown together for that. This was a wonderful story. It is well written with wonderful characters I loved getting to know. But I felt the depth of getting into the characters heads was not there. And it all starts with what happened 4 years before.

I did enjoy the story, but some things were missing from this authors normal work.

I liked this book very much.

Matt is a very successfull broker with a penchant to get in trouble.

And Sabrina is a sassy woman, full of life who doesn´t let her feelings for Matt get in the way of what she wants. She was a firecracker and was always saving him from his own stupidity.

We could say he was the damsel in distress and she kept saving him. Hilarious.

If something is going to capture my attention, it is an enemies-to-lovers romance between a scandalous investor and sassy public relations specialist. And that is what happened here with Hard Sell, my first, but not last read by Lauren Layne.

However, while the characters are engaging, there were certain areas within the story that needed some finessing to make this, what to me would be, a more complete and gripping romance.

"Who else, besides Matt Cannon, would ruin my appetite for a perfectly good croissant?"

Charming and wealthy, at twenty-eight year's old, Matt Cannon is Wall Street's youngest broker. Numbers come easy, women easier. But when Matt makes headlines featuring his latest fling, his clients become anxious and his bosses propose an ultimatum: appear to be settling down with a "real" girlfriend, or leave the company.

Easier said than done.

"The hardest thing is going to be keeping my hands off the only woman I've ever wanted."

One woman is capable of keeping her distance and maintaining professionalism: Sabrina Cross, PR specialist and known fixer in Manhattan. Everyone knows they detest each other though. He's too conceited, she's too stubborn. While Sabrina agrees to assist in cleaning up Matt's sordid reputation, she has a stipulation of her own: no more hookups.

Posing as Matt's pretend girlfriend should be easy.

"She is the last woman on earth to be at risk of falling for me. Because Sabrina Cross hates my guts."

Sabrina and Matt have very interesting chemistry, or rather a long history of loathing and antagonism. What makes an enemies-to-lovers story gripping and captivating is witnessing the angry banter, experiencing the passionate animosity and seeing the conflict the characters undergo.

I loved the premise of Hard Sell, but the execution fell flat. I'm still unsure what actually transpired between our leading characters to make them intense enemies, or rather, I don't understand what prompted Matt to be an abhorrent jerk towards Sabrina.

My favourite thing about enemies-to-lovers romance is watching the relationship transition. I crave that intense passion and the burning hatred shared between the two characters. While the mutual love-hate transformed, I wish I knew more about their history to really connect with that change.

"At least you acknowledge that it'll be the end of the world before I feel anything other than tolerant loathing for you."

This was a surprise. Sometimes I get a Romance book and I'm so hopeful it's going to be a good book and then I'm so disappointed. The book was NOT a disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and characters and thought the dialogue was brilliant.

Book Review: Hard Sell by Lauren Layne

A few months ago, I read and reviewed Hot Asset by Lauren Layne which is book 1 of the 21 Wall Street series.

Characters: This book follows Matt Cannon a Wall Street wunderkind who has a crazy weekend in Vegas that is featured in the Wall Street Journal. Matt's bosses give  him an ultimatum find a girlfriend or you would get fired.

Matt is anti-relationship so he has to find a woman who would be open to play the role but not get attached. Here comes Sabrina who is Matt's frenemy. Both Sabrina and Matt has an explosive relationship, they are frenemies who have each other's back. 

Plot; Over the course of a month, the relationship progresses from a fake girlfriend to a true a relationship. I love how much Matt and Sabrina fought. It made the relationship interesting. Their chemistry was explosive. 

Romance:  The romance was on point. This was a steamy book and the chemistry between Sabrina and Matt was perfect!

My feels; I love that we got to see Ian and Lara as they plan their wedding. I really want to read Kate and Kennedy's book. I read this book in one sitting just like other Lauren Layne's book. They are my favorite kind of books. 

Book Review will be posted on September 4, 2018 on What to Read Next Blog.