Reviewer: Holly The Trouble with Love (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #4) by Lauren Layne
Series: Sex Love and Stiletto #4
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 237
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating:
As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.
As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.
After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
For our Summer Reading Challenge, Rowena and Casee chose 5 books for me to read. This was one of Rowena’s picks. It’s been awhile since I read a straight contemporary and I’ve never read a Lauren Layne novel before. I’m glad Rowena chose this one. It was really good.
Emma and Cassidy have a pretty messed up past. They were once engaged, but he left her at the alter. Despite the murky details, however, they’ve managed to exist in the same social circle for years by mostly ignoring each other. Now, Cassidy is suddenly the acting editor-in-chief at Stiletto, the magazine where Emma works. As her direct boss, he’s in charge. His first assignment for her? Write about all her exes, himself included. Emma accepts the job, but she’s not too happy to be revisiting the ghost of relationships past. As she looks back at old relationships and explores her deeper feelings, she can’t deny things aren’t finished yet with Cassidy.
This was a really well-written, fun contemporary. I enjoyed getting to know Emma, Cassidy and their circle of friends. I felt their leftover pain from their past, and cheered for them to find a way to come together in the present. I struggled a bit with the pacing toward the end, and I thought Emma and Cassidy both acted the fool on occasion, but overall I really enjoyed their romance. I may go back and read the rest of the series now.
4 out of 5
Sex, Love and Stilettos
