Yes. More of this please. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author. I felt like the character development allowed me to get to know them without feeling like I was being water-boarded with information.

3.5, rounded up because it's 1am and I'm feeling optimistic.

This sweet little book was a great way to round off my reading month. Easy on the emotions, barely 300 pages, and lush with the NYC/New Orleans settings. I found myself missing the South desperately, something I didn't expect in a story that literally has the word Manhattan in the title. But for New Yorkers out there, the Manhattan setting is rich (literally lol) and well-executed. You feel like you're in a romanticized version of the city with Violet.

When I lived in Manhattan in 2019 I was lucky enough to see My Fair Lady's 2018 revival at the Lincoln Center, so obviously I wanted this book immediately. This is definitely a My Fair Lady gender-swap, but with the Duchess/Duke talk, and how everyone in the story is filthy rich, I also had major Princess Diaries vibes. Were the characters relatable? No, unless you also live rent-free in an Upper East Side brownstone. But the chemistry was fantastic.

TW: death of a parent (helicopter crash, brief recounting of), death of grandparents/mother (off-page)

Layne crafted lovable side characters, especially in Coco the dog, and I adored Violet and Ashley's friendship so much. The unconventional family dynamic was fresh; how often is a romance lead raised by an old lady that isn't technically related to her? And the romance was rushed, but still sweet. I loved the banter, the only one bed, and the makeover trope. Too bad I was picturing him blonde the whole book until in the last 50 pages we learn he has black hair. 🤦🏼‍♀️

If you're looking for a romance that's more sweet than spicy this is the one. There's clear character growth as well, and it's done well. Honestly, can't ask for much more than that!

Thank you to Valentine PR and Gallery Books for the early copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Lauren Layne does it again with another great read. Loved the characters and story line. Lauren is great at drawing all of the characters together and leaving you wanting more.

Watch my livestream with Lauren here: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/c55c07e4-d7ad-485c-bc3a-7985febf2f84?ref=social&tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv

I'm all behind with my reviews but I couldn't resist picking up this book when I saw that it was inspired by the passionate movie My Fair Lady, one of the movies I love the most by Audrey Hepburn and how I love Lauren Layne's writing I threw myself into this challenge.

So sweet!

It was a lot of fun to watch the uptight Violet trying to transform the proud Cain into a successful CEO and within the standards required by high society. This challenge will not only change Cain but also sweet Violet forever, their hearts, their attitudes, their yearnings.

Lauren Layne brought the atmosphere of the film's plot and modernized it by creating a delightful romantic comedy. Special emphasis on the last chapter and epilogue.

4/5 stars

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: January 18, 2022

This one starts fun and fast paced and had me hooked after one chapter! I found the chemistry build up between our characters to be palpable and this will be a quick and delightful Valentine’s Day read if you’re looking for one.

It wasn’t without its flaws though—mostly with how horribly abrasive Cain is with Violet at times, yet sexy and brooding at others. It gave me a bit of whiplash and while you pass over it in a book sometimes, it wouldn’t be a healthy relationship off the page.

Similarly with To Sir, With Love—there are some NYC inaccuracies within this book as well (street corners mentioned that don’t exist) which I always find frustrating as a New Yorker.

TW: Parental death

Title: Made in Manhattan
Author: Lauren Layne
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.8 out of 4

Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly-discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company…but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement.

Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.

But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding—and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness…and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.

This was a decent read: predictable and there weren’t any surprises (except for one incident towards the end of the book). It was also a quick read, or I probably would have put it down; not because it was bad, but because it wasn’t distinctive enough to be truly attention-grabbing. But, if you’re looking for an opposites-attract romance with an HEA, this is a good bet. It just wasn’t what I felt like reading at the moment.

Lauren Layne is a bestselling author. Made in Manhattan is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

5⭐️

I'm a huge fan of Lauren Layne.

I loved every book that I've read from hers, so I was so excited to start this one. She's an automatic yes for me.

I've finished this book in one day... It's a little bit angsty but so swoon-worthy. Aside from the romantic side, it also touches on love of family and self-discovery.

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It's light and such a mood-booster!

Violet Townsend is your typical Manhattan upper east side princess, the real Blair Waldorf, but the one thing non of her perfectly planned and poised social cues could have prepared her for is rough & thought Cain Stone to take her world by storm. When her surrogate grandmother Edith Rhodes gives her the impossible task of transforming her long lost grandson from crass New Orleans lumberjack into a classy suit wearing upper east sider Violet didn’t quiet expect Cain to have such a profound effect on her. What happens when the perfect princess falls for the carefree wild card?

••

LOVED, I loved this book big time! I have been a huge fan of Layne’s books & Made In Manhattan is easily my new favourite. I absolutely love that this book had such big Gossip Girl feels but with a My Fair Lady twist. It was incredibly easy to get absorbed in Cain & Violet’s story, I loved the back & forth banter & constant underlying tension between these two characters.

••

Violet was such an amazing character, I loved that we got to see she grow as an individual & largely break out of her shell. I really liked that she was genuinely a nice person & had good intentions all along. Gosh damn the connection & chemistry between Violet & Cain was fire! These two started out by rubbing each other up the complete wrong way but this only made the rest of their interactions all the more steamy. I loved that as much as Vi was helping Cain transform he was actually helping her find her true self.

••

Cain was the perfect hero, I loved him big time. I really like that he proved the saying don’t judge a book by its cover, this rough& tumble guy was a complete softie. I loved that he didn’t just roll over all play doll, but he was full of life & fight &really brought a spark to Violet. I loved getting to see them grow closer & form a friendship. I really liked that he bonded with Toto/Coco, this was just too cute.

••

I absolutely loved Edith & Alvin & the little zings that they added to this already incredibly cute romcom. I love the way that Layne tied the entire story up, the epilogue was the perfect ending to Cain and Violet’s story. Made In Manhattan is a definite must read this book is easily one of my favourite reads of 2022!

loved this story! It was so fun— Violet the fancy, rich girl and Cain is the bad Boy Southerner.
She’s training him for an important job and the goal is to change him— until she quickly falls for him, exactly the way he is.
It’s a slow burn, the ending is everything you want and a very satisfying epilogue. This is another book that would make a great movie. 🤷‍♀️😆

I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MADE IN MANHATTAN - LAUREN LAYNE

ARC was provided by Valentine PR and Simon & Schuster for reviewing purposes.

She’s the princess of Manhattan, he’s the bad boy from Louisiana and theirs is definitely NOT love at first sight.

Violet Townsend’s life is completely calculated and perfected to a tee. Her clothing and manners are inpeccable, her privigeled lifestyle is to die for and she seems settled – she attends social gatherings, has a few work-related pursuit at her disposal. She’s content.

Tragedy marred her early years, so the mask of being the polite, girl-next-door, but a Manhattan queen bee persona is turned upside down, when the only woman she still considers family tasks her with the impossible:
Try to turn the bad boy from God-knows-where into a gentleman.

The tale of My Fair Lady gets a twist – it is him who needs a lot of polishing.

If he wasn’t a long-lost relative of a close friend, Cain Stone would probably be dumped within two minutes of them meeting. But Violet meets with sparks when the two of them collide, and after all, Cain’s grumpiness and unwilling nature isn’t all that there is about him.

They say opposites attract each other, oh, and how true it is for this pairing!

* "Do you want me to come in or not" Violet said.
"I'm not sure." He rubbed his neck, "You look cranky."
"I look cranky? Your name should be in the thesaurus under brooding."
He braced his arm on the doorjamb and leaned toward her slightly. "Thought women liked brooding."
"Obviously some of them must," Violet said a little testily. "Based on your busy social life." *

So between the snarky comments, the tension and disagreements they start to develop something special between them. I mean, he calls her DUCHESS, for goodness’ sake!

* She waved a hand. "Or whatever you like to do in your spare time." His expression turned smoky. "Duchess, what I like to do in my spare time is a hell of a lot more pleasurable than fishing." *

They give and take, the sizzling attraction, the unavoidable conflict, the small touches and great banter all lead up to them fitting into each other puzzles.

* "Haven't I?" Violet said, relieved her voice wasn't as breathless as she felt. "Handled you?" His smile was slow. Predatory. *

He makes her smile and open up, in return, he’s wearing tuxes and gets rid of some of his „rural” behaviour, revealing a big old teddy bear - only to make him even more appealing in her eyes. She’s growing through the past’s pains and aches, realizing her worth in the world, and he’s being braver and more confident, shedding the weight of his childhood in return.

It is a perfect read for cold, winter nights, when all you want to do is get lost in a love story, while shutting down the outside world. Lauren Layne is maybe one of my most read authors, and she always manages to pull me into her stories. She’s the Queen of New York Romances, let me tell you that!

This was one of my most anticipated ARCs, and it lived up to my excitement. I thought this was an amazing story, with two characters I fell in love with. It was almost perfect to me. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars was the pacing. It felt like Violet and Cain went from 0 to 100 incredibly quickly, and I would have preferred a slower burn and more authentic progression of their relationship. All in all, I will be purchasing a copy for myself and I will be recommending the title to all my friends! I'll update with my full review & link when I post on IG.

I love Lauren Layne's writing and Made in Manhattan is one of my new favorites from her! This was such a well-written, engaging story. If you have never read this author before, this is a great place to start!

When Violet lost her parents, she moved in with her grandmother and befriended her grandmother's friend, Edith.

Edith became her surrogate grandmother when hers passed on.

When Edith is ready to retire, she's set out to find out if there are any direct descendants of her family, to pass along the business too and up turns Cain - her late son Adam's son - which no one knew about.

Cain comes to Manhattan from Louisiana and Edith tasks Violet into helping him prepare to take over the company.

Cain is so good looking you just know that Violet isn't going to be able to keep her feelings at bay, especially as she's dating a real dud, Keith - who is also up for taking over the company.

Violet and Cain start spending a lot of time together, feelings develop but they don't voice them until an impromptu trip to Louisiana, where Mardi Gras happens to be taking place and well, what happens at Mardi Gras, stays at Mardi Gras.... Or does it.

They fly back to NYC, where Cain is to be interviewed by all board members to see if he's fit to rule to company, which he promptly declines after they choose him - he wants to start at the bottom and work his way up.

He wants Violet... And Violet wants him..

I couldn't put this book down, it truly hooked from the beginning. Lauren Layne is becoming one of my go to authors on new release day!!

I just reviewed Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne. #NetGalley

I’ve read many books of RS Grey and this tops the list! Rachel again delivered such an incredible book!! We meet Noah and Audrey in this hilariously entertaining, rom-com book set in Rome is of two middle school teachers who are mortal enemies. No one writes enemies to lovers quite as well as R.S. Grey and this was the ultimate enemies to lovers. They know the other better than best friends would, really. They both volunteer to chaperone the school's annual trip to Rome, in which they have to accompany 10 kids for three weeks in exchange for a monetary bonus. The hilarious ways that they got back at each other, their witty banter and smoking chemistry was perfect. Both Audrey and Noah were wonderful characters and so easy to love. Noah is one of my favorite R.S. Grey hero’s cause even though you don't get his POV, the descriptions of him from Audrey's POV are plenty to understand what he is feeling. Rachel nailed in the humor and romance!!
Thank you R.S. Grey and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review

I enjoyed this book and have seen such rave reviews so I went in with high expectations. Great chemistry, fun backdrop of NYC, brooding leading man, awesome banter. A great all-around sweet and funny rom com.

I loved Cain's southern roots and rough charm. At first I thought Violet was too agreeable and too soft but I loved how she found herself through the book and how Cain was the catalyst for that journey.

It was a 3.5 star for me that I rounded up because in the end it was such a feel-good sweet story and made me smile the whole day I finished it.

Made in Manhattan pairs a Park Avenue princess with a southern hayseed in this opposites attract story. Cain and Violet couldn’t be more different from each other. Violet is a blue blood who wears pearls and is always polite. Cain, a product of a one night stand, was brought up by his single mother and grew up in the south. Cain is rough around the edges and isn’t afraid to speak his mind and has no interest in living in Manhattan.

Cain and Violet's story is fun and enchanting. Even though they are total opposites they are perfect for each other and I enjoyed all of their bantering. They go back and forth between being annoyed with each other and fighting their growing attraction. Along the way, they realize they may have more in common than they realized.

I always enjoy everything Lauren Layne writes and this one is no exception. The characters are delightful and entertaining and I was hoping they would work out their differences and end up together. Cain and Violets story left me with a good feeling.

This is such a sweet story and play on My Fair Lady! This was also excellent on audio and I loved Cain and Violet's narrators. Cain's New Orleans accent came through so well! I was surprised the grandmother never found Cain earlier in his life but once she knew of his existence she did everything she could to have a relationship with him. This is a sweet, lighthearted read and highly recommend for contemporary romance fans.

LOVED this book! I did hate the use of the F word but the story was awesome. I was pulled in from the first page and was literally mad when it was over. Cain and Violet were both so easy to relate to and invest in. Read the entire thing in one day!

Ms. Lane has fast become one of my favorite contemporary romance authors and this book continues to hit and exceed my expectations. The story has been touted as a reverse "My Fair Lady" and the author makes reference to that in her dialog as well, but this is so much more.
Cain Scott is transplanted from his native Louisiana to sophisticated wealthy narrow Manhattan.  Violet is given the job of transforming him to fit into the narrow, colorless upper crust mode of his grandmother's world. Who will change whom?
Violet never rocks the boat, she dresses appropriately, eschews Carbs and goes to all the right social events. She's never really lived for herself or thought about her own wants and dreams. When she takes on the Cain Scott Rhodes project, he challenges her on every front making her think about who she is and what she wants from her life. Of course, her attraction to the man is off the charts and she definitely wants to find a way to scratch that itch. 
Cain is smart and successful; all be it he's had a hard life and wonders where his rich father and grandmother were when he was struggling to survive. He fights the big city transformation even as he finds a blend of the old and new into making him a new Cain. I am surprised that his grandmother for all the private investigators etc. never found out that he was running a successful distribution business with a 100 plus employees on its payroll even as she tries to mold him into an image that she believes is necessary to run the family run business that she leads. 
The cast of characters are delightful especially Violet's purse dog Coco and Edith's hypochondriac butler. The story is entertaining and witty. A wonderful tuck into a warm bed and enjoy type of read.

Grump/sunshine in Manhattan? In theory I should have LOVED everything about this book.

Unfortunately most of the characters fell flat up until the very end. I also hate when a romance uses a trope and then has a character call out the trope by name. It happened twice in this one and it was so cringy.

Thank you Gallery and Netgalley for sending a free copy of this book to my kindle.