Great story and characters, I read it in one sitting because the story kept me hooked and entertained, all the way through the end.

Marriage on Madison Avenue was a sweet, friends-to-lovers story completing the Central Park Pact series by Lauren Layne. Although this features Audrey’s happily-ever-after, the third woman in the pact, this book can also be read as a standalone.

If you’re new to the Central Park Pact – here’s a quick update to fill you in. Imagine being with a guy and then upon his death come to find out that not only was he married, but he also had a steady girlfriend and a mistress on the side. YIKES! What’s even crazier is that these three woman all end up ditching said wanker’s funeral and meeting each other on a Central Park bench whereby they end up forming a friendship (just go with it) and a pact to always look out for one another from that day forward and make sure that they don’t fall for the likes of another man like the one who duped them all. The pact has worked out well for Naomi and Claire in the previous two books, and now it’s Audrey’s turn to need the help of the pact to find her happily-ever-after.

The problem however is that poor Audrey, who was the girlfriend of the wanker, has sworn off finding her Prince Charming as she doesn’t believe she deserves him given her past nor does she want to risk her heart again. And who can blame this woman? I’m not sure I’d trust my taste in men either.

But even if Audrey doesn’t see marriage in her future any more, she’s thrust into the idea when her “engagement” is announced in some high society rumor rag. Ironically, her fake engagement is to her best friend since childhood, Clarke West, and it’s not their first fake engagement. Deciding to go with the fake engagement for her own reasons, this sets things in motion where both Audrey and Clarke begin to see their best friend in a whole new light.

I’m always a fan of friends-to-lovers romance books because I love that there is already an established history between the two main characters. Even from the previous two books in the series you could see what a close bond and easy friendship Audrey and Clarke had which I think can actually be pretty rare.

They lucked out in this story because although it was Clarke to “out” their fake relationship, they had others along the way who helped them to keep up the rouse which eventually got them to open their eyes and actually see their best friend beyond friendship. Nothing like a meddling mother who plans an engagement party and sets up a wedding planner, or an already planned ski trip, or a gossiping internet site to force proximity and intimacy. So even though I found some of that a bit far fetched as for reasons why to continue the rouse, I went with it because fake relationships are kindof my catnip in romances too. Plus, the moment when he tries to perfect her morning cup of coffee- priceless!

I was disappointed, however, in that when things finally turned the corner in their relationship from friends to lovers, we were just told that they had sex. It’s like, “OK we did the deed last night and now we’ve done the deed like 9 times in 3 days,” but moving on…. Umm….so I don’t need sex scenes explicitly spelled out for me in every romance book that I read but I felt like we needed more in this one. If I’m to believe that Audrey and Clarke have been thick as thieves, best friends for years and ONLY friends then I need to really understand their chemistry to be sold on their change of feelings. I mean, they’ve been so blind to each other for so long that even her new friends could see their connection and love for one another before they could.

It wasn’t enough for me to just be told that they started sleeping together and now there are feelings when introducing sex into a friendship has the potential to really change things for the good and bad. I just felt like I needed to understand more of their physical connection or at least have them talk about it more to each other to really believe and trust in their newly developed feelings. But I gather that this and Lauren Layne’s recent books are now gearing toward a more moderate, main stream audience so sex scenes are maybe a no-no. Whether or not that’s true, it seems like a trend lately in her books. I also think we could have gotten more in the epilogue since this was the final book to the series.

That aside, I would definitely recommend this read as it was a great completion to a fun series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

*Reviewed for Shelf Awareness, the review below is not the same*

Fans of Lauren Layne will be glad of the push-pull "marriage chicken" fake-engagement plot of Marriage on Madison Avenue, but perhaps also a little disappointed that it's largely missing the physical chemistry expected of her romances. Anyone who read the first two in this series has known that Audrey and Clarke belong together, so it's thoroughly satisfying to watch them slowly, so slowly figure it out. (There might have been some yelling at the book...)

The other two members of the Central Park Pact aren't as present in this book as in the first two, but they're on the page enough for this to feel like the conclusion of all three stories and to cement those first two HEAs.

I received an ARC of this novel from Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for my review. Marriage on Madison Avenue is the final story in the Central Park Pact series and although you can read this story as a stand alone, I have read them all and highly recommend that you do as well! In this series three women find out they have all been carrying on with the same smarmy guy and vow to have each other's backs in future relationships so they don't get burned again. This story focuses on Audrey Tate and her best friend Clarke West. They have been friends for years, can finish each other's sentences and so far have been able to fend off Clarke's match-making mom, but when Clarke's mom really puts the heat on him, Clarke and Audrey decide to have a fake engagement to buy him some time. It is a friends to lovers novel with lots of funny banter and a sweet ending. Of the three novels, this one felt like the plot was the least developed. With that being said, I'm such a huge fan of Lauren Layne that it really didn't matter-all of her books are worth reading!

Entertaining read. I didn’t know this book was part of a series, and will now go back and read the rest of the series, but it is also a good stand alone book. A cross between Desperate Housewives, with the scandal in the beginning, and Hallmark movies, with the dramatic realization of a forever love. Audrey and Clarke make you laugh and enjoy their realization that they have found forever.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partners

Friends to Lovers tropes are one of my favorite romances but its also one of the most difficult to write I would think. Especially the long standing friendships that has continued on from childhood. Such is the one in Lauren Layne’s latest, Marriage in Madison Avenue, the third book in her Central Park Pact series. Those who have read the first two books know the protagonists here, Audrey and Clarke. Childhood BFFs who've always had each others back from pretend engagements and back. So why is this latest pretense starting to feel a lot like the real thing? And when the charade ends were will these two stand in the way of before and after falling in love.... with each other.
As I said, friends to lovers are I think one of the most difficult to make a believable transition especially with long standing friendships but rejoice and behold Ms. Layne has managed it beautifully. Audrey and Clarke will delight, amaze and make you sigh with how the romance part of the friendship gradually unfolds between two people who love each other deeply but now has the courage to express how much they’re in love with one another. Marriage in Madison Avenue is fantastic ending to I think is one of Ms. Layne’s best series.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. This was a very cute, fun romantic read. Audrey and Clarke are best friends and like it that way. Clarke is tired is his mom fixing him up so he lies that he is engaged to Audrey. They continue the charade and plan a wedding. But as time goes on they realize deeper feelings. I definitely will be recommending this book to my book clubs and to all of my friends and family.
Thanks again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

It was super cute, but the characters seemed more developed in the 2 previous books. The characters were very dependent on reading the other 2 books to know more of their will they/ won't they tension.

Marriage on Madison Avenue is a fun and enjoyable final Installment in the Central Park Pact series. The novel easily stands alone if you haven’t read the first two in the series, as the author clearly outlines the connections.

Thanks to Net Galley and Gallery Books for providing a advanced reader copy for my unbiased review.. The novel is scheduled for release on January 28, 2020.

The main character of this novel is Audrey, a full time Instagram influencer who is being virtually harassed by the equivalent of an Instagram tabloid. She and her best friend Clarke decide to fake an engagement to distract from the troll’s commentary. From there everything sort of snowballs.

I really enjoyed this fun journey into the life of a high profile influencer as she inadvertently gets sucked into planning the wedding of her dreams. I also enjoyed the genuine friendship that Audrey and Clarke have. They’ve been friends since grade school and are each other’s solid support system.

As a whole the novel delivers a solid romance that will appeal to those that like snapshots into the life of the rich and influential. As a whole the novel doesn’t bring anything new and exciting to the romance world, but it does deliver a really fun story with likable characters.

I love any book by Lauren lane and Marriage on Madison Avenue is no exception. Audrey and Clarke's story is another best friends to lovers story, but told in Layne's unique prose. Run, do not walk to read this book!

this was very, very cute. friends to lovers isn't normally my favourite, but i love everything from LL so i didn't hesitate to request this. it was very cute, i really liked audrey and clarke together.
i really enjoyed this series from LL! i think the 2nd was my fave, followed by this book and the 1st was my least fave but it was still good.

For more book Recommendations , reviews and author interviews , visit my blog : https://bibliomedico.wordpress.com/
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Thanks For the Publisher and the Author for providing me with an advanced Reading Copy (ARC) and giving me the chance to read this book .
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" Patient ... Love is Patient , Love is Clarke , However I can have him .."

Lauren Layne has an incredible ability in writing the conclusion of a series .

I've read all of her books " Multiple times " and with every new series she follows the same strategy .

( During all the series , no matter how many books it contains , she keeps hinting ,teasing the readers and getting them all excited about the love story of a specific couple , which she always leaves for the final book of the series .)

And she NEVER disappoints .
When I read the first book of the " Central Park Pact " series " Passion on Park avenue" , I've found the idea of the pact really odd , but when I thought about it more , I fall in love with the idea, simply because I'm always with women supporting and lifting each other up , what our amazing ladies have done in this series was super impressive . Their friendship was goals .

" Marriage On Madison Avenue " was such a great and swoon-worthy romantic novel . "Friends to lovers " trope is my favourite in the romance genre . I like the relationship that is built on a great and honest friendship .

" Audrey and Clarke " relation was so amazing , while reading about them in the previous books , they had a special spark , Personally , I shipped them from their first scene in " Passion on Park Avenue " :P .

Lauren Layne combined " The marriage of convinance" and " The Friends to lovers " tropes incredibly . The story was lovely , sweet , emotional and beautiful .

Their struggles , Feelings . Their fear of losing each other , how they both fought their change of feeling was heartbreaking and heart-warming at the same time .

Only Layne Can Make you feel like this while reading a book .

The side characters were supportive , it was amazing to read about them again .

Recommended for Romance lovers .

" Almost as though home was whenever Audrey was "

This was so much fun! I really enjoyed the witty dialogue. This concludes the somewhat improbable series about three women who find out that they’ve all been sleeping with the same rat-guy. They formed a bond to protect each other from other stinkers. Now it’s Audrey’s turn. She is a cheerful woman who is a very successful Instagram influencer. Her best friend is the handsome and charming Clarke with whom she’s been good friends since they were in elementary school. He’s a player, but he and Audrey will do anything for each other.

They start off pretending to be engaged to help Clarke from the manipulations of his mother and to help Audrey about whom some gossip blogger is writing some nasty stuff.

It’s obvious where this friends-to-lovers pretend romance is going to end up. However, it’s the clever writing and the fun relationship among the three women as well as between Audrey and Clarke that make this a total delight.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Marriage on Madison Avenue is the third book in the Central Park Pack Series and it follows the story of Audrey and Clarke. Audrey and Clarke have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Friends is as far as it has ever gone between the two of them, and both of them know they can count on the other, no matter what. So, when Clarke comes up with a wild idea to throw his mom off his trail, he knows without a doubt, that Audrey will have his back....It started off as a simple white lie and quickly spiraled out of control. Lines will become blurred and friendships will be tested. Things will about to become more complicated than these two friends ever bargained for. As time goes on, the deeper Clarke and Audrey will fall. Nothing will ever be the same again.....

I don't know about you guys, but I have been waiting for Audrey's story to get here. As the third member of the Central Park Pack, I just knew her story was going to a good one and author Lauren Layne does not disappoint. She combined the friends to lovers troupe with the fake relationship one and totally knocked it out of the park. These troupe combinations are ones that I live for. They give me all the feels and keep me devouring each and every word. 

Clarke and Audrey had some amazing chemistry. Their friendship, the kind that stands the test of time. You could tell they cared deeply for one another and they would do anything for one another. I loved watching their story develop and their feelings change. These two kept me glued to the pages and I couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after.

Marriage on Madison Avenue was everything that I was looking for. It was a wonderful addition to this series and I loved seeing Audrey's story come to light. I laughed. I swooned. I fell head over heels for Clarke and Audrey, and hope you will too.

Marriage on Madison Avenue wraps up this series in a nice little bow. It's been fun to see these ladies overcome what brought them together. To see them build this amazing and life-altering friendship. To see them go through all the ups and downs life has to give and find their way out the other side stronger and happier than ever. The Central Park Pact Series has been a joy to experience and I am totally sad to see it go......

I really enjoyed reading the conclusion to this trilogy. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and it was nice to see the growth of all of the characters. In Marriage on Madison Avenue it is Audrey's turn to fall in love and she does so with her best friend, Clark West. While how they got together wasn't conventional I felt that it worked perfectly for them.

This is book 3 in the series. I read book 1 at my local library, had no interest in reading book 2 but couldnt wait to read this book.

This is by far my favorite in what I read of this series. The series premise is that one man dies and he is romantically entangled with threee women, one his wife (book2), one his new grilfriend (book 1) and his mistress (this book. They decide to help each other find love after him and not meet another jerk like him. This Audrey's story and its her story with her from childhood bestie, Cole.

While I enjoyed the fake engagement, and faking it so their parents would not bug Cole and his ex would go away I was a little disapointed how long it took for these two to admit they were in love. It was a fun journey but I hated that I had to wait til the very end to see them say the I love yous and that they wanted to be together.

Sweet fairytale ending.
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I can’t decide if this was my favorite story or not. They’ve all been great so it is hard to choose just one. This work is a spin on the classic fake fiancé and best friends turn lovers trope and it proved to be a winner too!

Layne created a delightful matchup with Clarke and Audrey and their friendship that has been so tight for so many years. I can understand the problem they are up against; when you cross that line you can ruin a great friendship. Or maybe because you know each other so well you wouldn’t even consider a romantic relationship.

But Clarke needs help and the only person that he knows that can help pull it off is Audrey. Audrey needs Clarke help and makes a deal. But oh, what a tangled web we weave and all that.…

This book is humorous in all the right places, intense in many places, and a perfect blending of friendship, awareness, and deep seated love. And while the ending may have you gasping a few times, thankfully, it ends beautifully.

Marriage on Madison Avenue offers a witty look finding “the one” even if you know you’ve lost your mind, best friends forever, snarky social media followers, and crafty family members who love to interfere. A sexy and sweet romance you will fall for!

I’ve been waiting for Audrey and Clarke’s book since book one, and I’m so happy we’re finally getting their story! I was even more excited by the trope of this book. Marriage on Madison Avenue has childhood friends with a fake engagement, which is one of my favorite tropes!

I love Audrey and Clarke’s dynamic; they know each other so well that this actually wasn’t the first fake engagement they’re done. But maybe it’s the last…honestly though, Audrey’s reaction to Clarke calling fake engagement was hilarious.

Also, both of them think they’re incapable of love, so they think that their friendship is the best they’ll ever get. Basically they’re settling for “mutual companionship” except over time, they realize that they might be in love with each other. It was interesting reading about both Audrey and Clarke feeling this way, and yes, my heart expanded 3 times with all the angst. There’s also some residual angst from Clarke’s ex coming back into their lives and the possibility of feelings between them.

I also liked seeing Audrey’s line of work being valid. Although I do have reservations about the culture of influencers, you can’t deny that most of them put a lot of work into it, Audrey especially. I’m also grateful that, while Clarke is a playboy, I didn’t have to read any overtly misogynistic attitudes.

It was kinda cool reading about all the wedding planning. If you’re going to do a fake engagement, and not just a fake relationship, you should go all in, and that’s exactly what Audrey does.

I also loved seeing more of Audrey and the other girls! They’re all so supportive of each other and know when to step in.

Overall, Marriage on Madison Avenue was an adorable continuation of the Central Park Pact series. I definitely recommend it if you like the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope or the fake engagement trope.

My first time reading this author! I loved that the steam was behind closed doors. Loved the plot and characters! Would definitely read this author again.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Life long best friends, Clarke and Audrey, had both determined that marriage wasn't in the cards for them. However, when Clarke's mother meddled in his love life and Audrey's name started popping up in the gossip columns, both agreed to a fake engagement in order to squash both situations. As the engagement progresses, both get caught up in the joy of it all, but will they finally see what had been obvious to everyone else?

Layne was saving the best for last with this book. It was my absolute favorite of the series, and I think it's because it was the most straight forward romance of the three. Though we learned about Clarke and Audrey's "baggage", it played a much smaller role than it had for the couples in the previous books. Therefore, more time was dedicated to getting to see these two slowly falling in love.

I had had the opportunity to see Clarke and Audrey interact in previous books, and I was shipping them back then. It was just easy to see that they belonged together. There is something so beautiful about seeing a strong friendship become more that never fails to move me, and this was a long and storied friendship, built on love and trust.

They knew so much about each other, good and bad, and they still loved and accepted one another. It was not hard to see that they were each other's "person", and Layne did a wonderful job taking me through this journey with them, as they slowly realized that, perhaps, they had always felt a bit more for each other. And, the little ways they showed their love hit me right in the feels. The depth of emotion they showed at times hit me so hard at times, and gosh! I really wanted this love match, and it was terribly important to me, that they got their HEA.

This book was also a lot of fun. We got to plan a big budget wedding, and we had the help of one of the Belles (I love a little crossover action)! I had a stupendous time hobnobbing with the wealthy Manhattanites and getting a peek into their world, but I also loved that Layne kept the friendships front and center.

Our three Pact members spent lots of time on page together, and as always, they were there to share in the good and the bad with each other. We also saw the men really embrace Clarke in this book, and I am always up for a good bromance.

I cried happy tears and felt lots of feels. What a wonderful way to end the series!