I am obsessed with the ladies this series is about. If you haven't read book one yet, I highly recommend you do, but you don't have to in order to get into this book. This book gives you plenty of the backstory in order for you to fall for these ladies.

Claire, Audrey and Naomi all meet at Claire's husband's funeral. They find out he was actually dating all three of them and they form an unlikely bond and friendship. I love them so much!!!

In this book we're about a year after the husband's death and Claire is ready to move on with her life. I loved that this book was about her taking charge of her life and finding her purpose again.

The book has a sexy/sweet/slightly snarky combination that I've come to associate with Lauren Layne. Her books are just super fun to read and highly bingeable.

The love interest in this story is Scott and I loved him so much. He's a grumpy contractor with commitment issues and an adorable dog. Scott and his dog worm their way into Claire's life while he renovates her home.

I loved that she found things that she'd never found appealing before, appealing in him and the way that he gave her what she wanted and needed and gave her room to figure out what that was.

This was a super fun read and I'm excited for Audrey's book!

This I give a solid 4 and I’m super stoked for Audrey’s HEA now!

I don’t know if it was because I was already familiar with the world and characters or because I just liked/related to Claire better than I did Naomi - but I enjoyed Love on Lexington Avenue more than Passion on Park Avenue almost immediately. From the way that Claire wanted to find herself again and the way that it affected her choices, to the stage in life that she’s in - it was just really easy for me to get into her headspace and I consumed this story like it was air. I’m a fan of gruff heroes and not only do we get that with Scott, we also discover (with Claire) that he is far more (and better) than meets the eye. Seeing them both deal and overcome betrayal and learn to move on is a completely cathartic experience. I just wish we got a little more heat. I also know that that’s going to bug me when I get to Audrey’s book, especially since we’ve been prepping for this coupling since book one. I’m still so ready for it :) 4 outo f 5 wine glasses.

This book was so cute! Grabbed the other two in the series instantly! Love that it’s a simple love story and is sweet and predictable- exactly what I love about romance!

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is, in a word, adorable. A quick, fun read about finding love where you least expect it.

5 out of 5 stars. Recommend reading for snowy days.

Love on Lexington Avenue is the second book in the Central Park Pact series by Lauren Layne. The series is focused on three women who found at a man's funeral that we all involved with him at the same time. The heroine of this book was his wife.

I know that the book is supposed to be more about Claire rediscovering who she is, but did she have to date and kiss other men for the first 2/3 of the book? Besides the "Click Lit" the book is also categorized as romance and it ain't romance if the "hero" of the novel is helping her dress for a date with another man. Honestly, Claire should have focused more on the kind of person she wanted to be. Or find a profession. She was living from her husband's paycheck and then his insurance and she didn't really have a life before the story began. She was plainer than vanilla. No hobbies, no friends, nothing. We didn't even know what her favorite color was because she got a weird obsession with pink until she had a confrontation with Scott. Claire's character was not a favorite of mine. I disliked her a lot and she was not the kind of person I would want in my life. I appreciate that this book is about her growth as a character, but I am still not 100% sold on her. Scott had as much development as her in a shorter time.

***ARC Provided by the Piblisher via NetGalley***

4.5 Stars

This was my favorite book in the series. I loved Claire and I loved the dynamic she had with Scott. I loved watching her come into herself, to learn what did and didn't matter, and to figure out who she is, after the marriage and because of what happened.

Of all of the women, she is the one that Brayden could have broken the most, and she is the one who was betrayed by him, and the one who married him. Yes, Audrey and Naomi were also betrayed, but Brayden hadn't made promises, taken vows, with either of them...so, it's different, I think.

So, watching her find her way to be with Scott, to fall in love with him and to open herself up to love (and strawberry lemonade) was a lot of fun. It was also very affirming. This book was believable because I honestly believe that Claire, and anyone in that situation, would be able to come back from something like this...but it would take determination, and willingness, and friends.

The book, like the rest of the series, is fade to black, although there was some light description of some of their sexual encounters so that made this one feel a little different than the others, although this was not why I liked this one the most. Really.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

On the day of Brayden Hayes’ funeral, three women who knew him intimately meet in Central Park: the wife, the mistress, and the girlfriend. They didn’t know of each other before his death, but form a strong bond post-mortem. The result? A pact that they will protect each other from any more womanizers. In Book Two of the Central Park Pact series, we get to know Claire Hayes, the widow. A year after her husband’s death, she takes a hard look at her life and realizes that it’s boring vanilla. So, the first step towards adding color and vitality is to renovate her dated brownstone and purge it of every reminder of her late husband. Scott Turner, a sexy, gruff, ill-mannered contractor, is doing his friend a favor, agreeing to meet with Claire. When he sees the challenge in front of him and a woman who intrigues him, he takes the job. It’s a refreshing change from his typical corporate and high-end hotels jobs, even if he has to tolerate a spoiled, damaged debutante. As he transforms the house and she makes over herself, their skittishness and sniping morph into respect and then undeniable chemistry laced with a healthy dose of witty, snarky banter. Layne is a queen of contemporary, sexy, steamy romances set in New York City. She injects just enough conflict and tension to keep us guessing, but the bumpy road to HEA is so worth the trip. Stay tuned for Book Three in which Audrey, “the girlfriend”, may finally realize that her Prince Charming is right under her nose.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Love on Lexington Avenue was a cute and swoony read. Claire is still reeling from her husbands death, his betrayal and recognizing and dealing with the fact that she didn't truly love him. In her efforts to start over she hires Scott to do some significant renovations on her home.

Scott is a bit surly, but I liked that about him. I loved all of the renovation chatter between them and it made me itch to do things around my own house. Scott isn't interested in love either, but definitely interested in scratching an itch with Claire.

One of the highlights of this series is the friendship group of Claire, Audrey and Naomi. I always love a good series that highlights friendships. The three of them continue to grow into their new friendship and it's one of my more enjoyable parts of this series.

While I love the series I do wish there were more sexytimes, as in her other books. But if that's not your jam, then this book definitely is.

While I was super excited about this book, I was a little bored at first but I think that was the point. Layne makes a point to show off Clare's boredom with her own life. As she finds herself, her life and the book become more exciting, even a little sexy.

Layne doesn't mess around with timing, we get straight into Clare's issues and we are introduced to Scott Turner, her new contractor that is going to rip her house to shreds and rebuild it. In my head, I pictured Scott as a Luke Danes (Gilmore Girls) type of character and I'd be curious if that was intentional in the writing.

Throughout the book, you are rooting for Scott and Clare to get together but can understand what is keeping them apart. Personally, I wasn't sure where we were going to end up in this relationship because it was so up and down throughout the book. Even towards the end, what happens I didn't see coming and it was so shocking.

I loved Clare's character development throughout the book, and how we saw more of the relationships between her, Naomi, and Audrey. You see Clare go from heartbroken widow to determined woman. She is ready to accept and move on from her broken marriage while also dealing with what she wants her life to be. It can only be described as a Cinderella story in a way, and it made me so happy.

I loved this book so much I would read it again; it was comforting, uplifting and heartfelt. It was definitely up to par with Passion and I can only imagine how good Marriage on Madison Avenue is going to be.

I am completely in love with the Central Park Pact series and if you have not read the books yet, please go do so. You won't regret it, they're amazing.

i am super late on this book - life was a big ol mess when it came out so i didn't get to it on time. i quite liked the first one in the series, though it wasn't my favourite of hers. but, LL is still an auto read author for me, so i jumped at the chance to read this one. i liked this one much more than the first, right from the beginning it just clicked with me. i adored the characters, the story, everything. wee bit bummed about the level of steam (aka, none) but i kind of expected it from the first. the ending was LITERALLY the cutest ending to ever end in the entire world. cannot wait for the next one - which i already have lol - though friends to lovers isn't normally my jam, i'm sure LL will make it enjoyable.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED this book. Scott and Claire make a wonderful couple, and I thouroughly enjoyed the banter between them. A great second book in a fun trilogy.

I was enchanted with Book 1, Naomi/Oliver's story but I completely fell in love with Claire/Scott's story in Love on Lexington Avenue.

Claire Hayes is the wife and widow of the d-bag whose specialty was sticking it into as many woman as he can find on a tiny island of Manhattan. After taking a thorough look at her bland and vanilla life to spice things up Claire decides to renovate her UES brownstone apartment (one of the two good things to come out of her marriage to the cheater. Second being her close friendship with the two women her deceased husband cheated on her with). On a recommendation of her new friend's Naomi's boyfriend she hires an unfiltered-mouthed contractor Scott Turner. Now sure who I fell in love with more Scott or his giant dog.

As Claire tries to reinvent herself while Scott is reinventing her house a romance blossoms. It's not all roses and sweet words, if anything it is the opposite of that as Scott is a very rough guy on the outside. With him it really holds true that you should not judge a book by its cover. While the man looks fantastic in flannel he looks even yummier in a tux.

While both try to scratch that itch, they don't even realize how perfect they are for each other until things come to a head. All that sassy, romantic, and sizzling chemistry is not just transient but may be something they both not necessarily want but definitely something they need to achieve their HEA.

Again, this was a fabulously quick page-turner read that delivered a solid story of enemies-to-lovers romance.

I really thought that the main characters in this book were super easy to connect with. Claire and Scott are a slow burn romance seeing as how they both have huge baggage in their past. There was the perfect amount of humor and romance, and I will also mention that this is a fast-paced laugh out loud story.

Claire Hayes is going to remodel her ageing brownstone. On her 35th birthday she decides that she need to remodel her life as well. Out with vanilla she is going to be strawberry lemonade. Scott Turner is the grumpy contractor who is going to transform her home. He's blunt, bad tempered and has a dinosaur for a dog. But as the two spend more time together they just might have to remodel their lives for love.

I really enjoyed Claire's story. She got the raw end of the deal with her jerk of a husband and she is caught between being mad and grieving. This was her coming out of her shell and it was wonderful. Scott had is own baggage and it was only through Claire that he realized he had to deal with it. It was cute but so grounded at the same time. Plus Bob was awesome.

Another charming read from Lauren Layne. I enjoyed this book even more than the first book in the series and I cannot wait to read the next! The main characters Claire and Scott were so easy to connect with and love. There was the perfect mix of humor, becoming ones true self and romance.

Widowed Claire Hayes decides a makeover is in order both in her upper East Side brownstone as well as in her vanilla life. This is a fast paced, laugh aloud story as readers accompany Claire on her quest.

It's the vanilla cupcake that starts Claire on a spiral to add more spice into her life which she interprets as all things pink. Her quest for a remodel of her brownstone brings talented burned out designer and contractor Scott Turner into her house and life. Scott showed up at Claire's brownstone as a favor to his friend and ended up staying thanks to Claire.
Claire does not seem Scott as anything but her contractor even though his hunky handsomeness appeals to her. Claire's determination to explore life and bring in spice as her investigating dating, kissing and potentially looking for a spicy affair. I know I had a hard time keeping a straight face and often times busted up laughing as I read the book.
Scott and Claire are a slow burn romance since they've both got significant baggage in their past but it all comes togethre like a charm. Supported by a great cast of supporting characters I can't wait to see Audrey find her happily ever after.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and I would highly recommend that you read them in order – partly because it will give you a richer experience, but also because Naomi's story is well worth reading!

Here we have Claire, Brayden's widow, getting her chance to put the past to rest and start a new life. She has spent the last year planning her house renovations – done to her taste and style – but there is still a room in her house full of all of cheating Brayden's possessions. Along with her new but dearest friends, Naomi and Audrey, we get to watch the subdued Claire blossom again.

Suggested by his good friend Oliver, the man who is going to do those renovations is going to restore more than just her building. Scott is enjoying a very successful life, travelling around the world designing interiors for huge corporations. However, he misses his dog, his friends, and knowing where is waking up in the morning – so, he has taken on a job that is not going to make him any money but gives him a break. Even after meeting Claire, he has no clue that his whole life is about to turn upside down!

Once again, Lauren Layne has given us some wonderful insight into the lives of those who live in New York and how thinking changes along with the street that you inhabit. It is refreshing, fun, and the women provide a fabulous place to escape to from the everyday.


Jordan – ☆☆☆☆☆
I am a huge Lauren Layne fan and I have read several of her series, which I’ve enjoyed immensely! I always find myself completely drawn into her books and so easily invested in all her characters. Honestly, I am absolutely loving Layne’s The Central Park Pact series! I loved Naomi’s story in Passion on Park Avenue and I was so excited to get to read book two, Love on Lexington Avenue, which I also adored. The stories are set up so that they don’t necessarily have to be read as a series, but I think part of the charm of The Central Park Pact series is reading them all in order and I would recommend reading the first book, Passion on Park Avenue, before diving into the next.

I am always so pleasantly surprised with how easily Layne seems to grab my attention and hold it page after page. Also, I have to admit of the three women in this series, I was kind of the least excited about Claire’s story, but then I read Love on Lexington Avenue and I found myself totally rooting for Claire’s happily ever after! Plus, Layne’s main characters are always so easily relatable and exactly the kind of ladies I would love to spend the afternoon sipping mimosas with on the UES. Now, by the end of Claire Hayes’ story I was completely smitten with Scott, the love interest, but more importantly his dog, Bob. I loved everything about Scott and his dog, Bob!

I am more than ready to finally know Audrey’s story. Seriously, I am so beyond ready for Audrey’s book, Marriage on Madison Avenue, and I am certain it will surpass all my expectations! The Central Park Pact has definitely risen towards the top of my favorite series by Layne.

This was such a fun read! It is hilarious in some parts and uplifting in others. I love the characters in this book and following their adventures in love.  Though this book is primarily about a relationship developing, I still found that I valued the friendships in the story just as much. While this is technically the second book in the series it easily be read as a stand alone.

Great romance! Author Lauren Layne is very new to me. I haven’t read the first of this series but I’ll definitely be reading them soon, then I can fill in the missing pieces!

Claire's turn to find herself, lose the baggage, and discover love. I bet you didn't think she had it in her after the devastating blow she had last year. (Let's be honest we all thought she would be last to find love again...for the first time!) I honestly had bets Audrey would go second because...duh, she already knows Prince Clarke even if she fights it. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Claire gets brownie points for finding love and finding herself at the same time. Poor woman was a meh white...or a boring beige. No longer though! Claire is rocking the perfect strawberry lemonade version of herself.

I love the crazy yet succinct way that Layne describes Claire's "post cheating scumbag's death crisis." I love it almost as much as I love these women. They are a force and a sitcom waiting to happen.

Lexington Avenue's prestige and a flannel wrapped contractor are just what the hopeless romantic ordered with a side of ridiculous of course, I mean who doesn't love Home Depot runs!

Love on Lexington Avenue is the Happily Ever After- Claire Edition.