Hot Asset kicks off a new series by Lauren Layne and its centered around powerful stock brokers! I have never had any interest in stocks or the stock market, but leave it to Lauren Layne to make it seem sexy!
Ian is a douche. He pretty much tells us that on the first page. He is rich, powerful, sexy, and he knows it. But he isn't the guy who cheats to get ahead, so he knows when the SEC comes sniffing around, something is up. Lara is trying to get into white collar crimes for the FBI and is cutting her teeth in the SEC. She is sure Ian is guilty of insider trading, but he has a way of making her doubt herself. In classic Layne fashion, the banter is on point. Both Ian and Lara are well educated and whip smart so their verbal repartee is just as witty as they are. Both are passionate about their jobs and I enjoyed that aspect of the story. While I know little about the world of wall street, these two are both deeply engaged in the good and the bad about it! I liked that both Lara and Ian found it important to be ethical. Their relationship felt more real because you can tell they are both good humans. With each chapter I fell more in love with them both.
Hot Asset gives us a blistering enemies to lovers in a world filled with adversarial relationships. I really enjoyed Ian and Lara even though I didn't expect to. They are driven and mature, which I really appreciated; sometimes I get so tired of the unsure, woe is me, angsty romance. I also loved that they are genuinely good, honest people. There was something sexy about that for some reason. Finally, I found the resolution of the story (before the epilogue) to be incredibly satisfying. I would explain, but... spoilers. Just know that once again, Layne gives me characters I loved with a plot I appreciated for its realism.
Side note: I haven't listened to the audio, but its narrated by Zachary Webber so I want to listen to the audio!!!!
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: enemies to lovers
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes with a great epilogue
The Allure of Dean Harper by RS Grey, Seducing the Defendant by Chantal Fernando, After the Dark by Cynthia Eden...then you will probably like Hot Asset!
See full review on The Book Disciple