3.5 Stars

I rec received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love indulging in this author's stories, her characters are so strong and likable and you just want to hang out with them. The Bangor did not disappoint and the pace of the story flowed easily.

This is the second installment from this series and it centers around Matt and Sabrina.

Matt and Sabrina share the same friends but they are not friendly to each other. Matt finds himself in a compromising situation and needs Sabrina's help to get him out of a mess. She reluctantly agrees but they agree that their alliance is temporary and will resume their dislike for each other when Matt is no longer in not water.

But..........they realize that they are attracted to each other but too stubborn to let the other one know. Will they guard their own feelings for a chance at love? This was a fun, easy, breezy story but it also had substance and the dialogue felt authentic to the storyline. I look forward to Late and Kenmedy's storyline. (less)

4.5 Stars!
At 28 Matt Cannon is one of the youngest most successful investment brokers on Wall Street. He’s worked at Wolfe Investments since he was 22, and continued to move up the ranks while making a name for himself. Unfortunately a recent scandal has tarnished that good name and landed him in hot water. The gorgeous golden boys reputation is in jeopardy, and some clients are starting to get a bit anxious. His bosses think he’s in need of an image overhaul, and nothing shouts reformed man like a plus one. They issue an ultimatum to get a girlfriend or a new job. He will do anything to keep the life he loves that he’s worked so hard for, so he decides why not play along till things blow over. He just needs the right woman by his side, to save his job. He picks the one woman who can’t stand him. The one he knows would never fall for him, so there’s no risk of emotional entanglements. Sabrina Cross is the perfect woman to play the part.

Sabrina Cross is the queen of PR. She has connections and is known as the fixer. She handles the messy stuff people get themselves into. She’s one of the most powerful women in Manhattan. She’s polished, beautiful, and good at her job. True love isn’t her thing, and marriage has never been part of her life’s plan. She’s happily single and always in control. The one exception to that rule is Matt Cannon. He gets under her skin and knows just how to annoy her. They run in the same social circle, and she hates she finds him so attractive. On occasion her desire for this man has overruled her common sense. Now he needs her and seems to think she’s the only person he can trust to help him out of a bind. He wants her to pretend to be a couple to save his career, and make everyone believe their in love. Neither do relationships so this should be easy. Wrong! Soon things begin to feel too real, and something deeper develops. Priorities shift as everything changes between them as they both realize they want more.

This was a fabulous frenemies to lovers romance full of sexual tension and angst about two people who are cynical about love that figure out they want the fairytale after all. It was funny, sexy, and packed with intimacy, emotion, and love.

Hard Sell is the second book in the 21 Wall Street series but it is easily read standalone. It is a fun, sexy, light read that I think everyone is going to enjoy. Matt Cannon, Wall Street whiz, finds himself in trouble at work after shenanigans at a buddy's bachelor party go viral. The only thing that will help his reputation is if he's perceived to be settling down and putting his wild ways behind him. Enter Sabrina Cross. She's a PR magician and will no doubt understand Matt's dilemma and help him or will their rocky relationship and prior sexcapades keep them from getting the job done?

A great read with the all the sass and humor this author is known for. I definitely recommend this one.

Hard Sell is the second book in the series 21 Wall Street. The stories follow three best friends who all work for the same firm.
In this book we get the nitty-gritty on Matt and Sabrina. They can't be in the same room without bickering and you want to throw your hands up and just say get it over with already. But they aren't truly enemies, just deeply cautious of what the other makes them feel. When Matt has some unflattering press it forces his bosses to take drastic actions, clean up your act or you're gone. Who else would Matt turn to but the "fixer" Sabrina. If you aren't rooting for them to fight their demons and find happiness then you probably shouldn't be reading this series.

What a fun story to read. I had not read this author before, so it was a real treat to love her writing and find I have a new go to author. I love this book. Matt & Sabrina have absolute distain for each other, but they are in the same circle of friends so they tolerate each other, barely. Matt is a high profile Wall Street broker with very wealthy clients. When his picture at a wild party in Vegas lands in the Wall Street Journal, his bosses and clients get antsy. He has to fix the problem and only one person can help him do it, Sabrina, the "Fixer". It's a contentious collaboration to say the least. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

Frenemies to lovers would be the best way to sum up the relationship between Sabrina Cross and Matt Cannon. Each character is heavily impacted by their families. Sabrina is the typical hard nosed career woman who has a rocky relationship with her Mother. As for Matt love appears an illusion particularly when viewing his parents. The two are well suited and easily one of my favorite LL couples. This is book 2 in Ms. Layne's 21 Wall Street series. I received an ARC trough Net Galley but the opinion is mine alone.

Could not put this down! Loved it even more than the first book in the series. I was intrigued by Matt and Sabrina when reading the first book so I'm excited to get his story. These two are so HOT ... although this book is a take on the whole enemies to lovers trope, I think it was so well done.
It wasn't just a series of petty arguments ... there was so much more than that. They are both struggling and their difficulty with vulnerability makes for a great story. I love the characters in this series ... they all work together so perfectly! You won't regret reading this one.

This one will be released on September 4th!

Hard sell was really good. It was a frenemies with benefits to lovers. Learning their past doesn’t define them or prove what relationships are or will be. Opening up and showing your true feelings is really scary but also could lead to the best things ever. Loved Matt and Sabrina’s Love story. Loved their banter back and forth. Loved reading about these two since you are introduced to them in the first book Hot Asset. Can’t wait to learn more about Kate and Kennedy. Love the friendships that are formed. Arc given to me by author.

Hard Sell is the second book in Lauren Layne's 21 Wall Street series, but it can read as a stand alone too. Layne is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors , and Hard Sell did not disappoint. Sabrina and Matt are frenemies-with-benefits. When Wall Street wunderkind gets some bad PR from his playboy ways, fixer Sabrina agrees to help his reform his image by posing as his girlfriend. Both believe that their contempt for each other will enable them to keep up the ruse without complication. However, when they both realize they are in over their heads, Sabrina and Matt have to decide if they can both get past there misconstrued perceptions of relationships to go after what they really want.

A fun and easy read with a great cast of characters and plenty of heat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I am hooked on this new series from Lauren Layne. First came Hot Asset, with Ian and Lara, and now we get to know Matt and Sabrina better. He's a guy with a calculator for a brain and a heart that refuses to believe in love and marriage, and she's a cynic who doubts that a happily-ever-after is in store for her. Matt needs Sabrina, much like Ian needed Lara, but what he doesn't realize--or doesn't anticipate--is the way he needs her.

Matt and Sabrina come from very different worlds, yet they share a fundamental distrust of everlasting love. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is how Lauren Layne shows how much Matt and Sabrina are alike, even with all of their differences. They fight and argue and bicker, yet underneath all of that brews a passion that neither can ignore, not that they want to, despite their protestations to the contrary.

You get a chance to check in on Ian and Lara to see how they are doing, and you also see a little more development with Kennedy and Kate. Lauren Layne introduces a new character, too, and I'm excited to see where she might take him.

Come join me in my Lauren Layne obsession, will you? The water is nice.

Scheduled for publication on the blog on Sept. 4.

Matt needs to turn his life around. One picture and article changed everything and faced wish an ultimatum he approaches the one person who couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. What he shared with Sabrina was an intense attraction but after his words were misinterpreted and a thousand apologies issued he remained in the background. Sabrina is reluctant to help Matt but she makes a choice that changes their lives forever. Great continuation of the series and I loved it!

Hard Sell by Lauren Layne is your typical love to hate, fake relationship book. While I did enjoy it, I do have to admit that there are several very obvious cliches, but it is still a very enjoyable book. It follows Matt, a playboy who needs to settle down, and Sabrina, a PR wizard who has no intentions of settling down. Together, they have to push back one of Matt's scandals, and I think we all know what happens in the process. I will say that I loved that the two of them had an actual history together, and that there were past feelings for the story to be based off of. Sabrina as the main female character was amazing, and I wish to have her intellectual prowess. She is just as powerful as Matt, if not more. I loved how both of them were dedicated to their jobs and how the setting of the novel was based mainly on their careers. And Juno is absolutely precious. Overall, this was a pretty average, but still enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a cute romance.

Matt is 28 years old and is the youngest broker on Wall Street.

Sabrina is a PR genius in Manhattan,

This is the first book I've read from Lauren Layne and I really did enjoy it.

I swooned a hell of a lot. Matt was just amazing and I seriously loved Sabrina xx

Hard Sell is the second book in Lauren Layne’s 21 Wall Street series and if you’ve read the first book, Hard Asset, then you’d be very familiar with Matt and Sabrina with their frenemies vibe and the sexual tension that always follows them around. And I loved it! I’m doing my review with a lot of SQUEE moments! The fake relationship trope has never been so well done with a couple that's made the bickering banter an art form! It’s funny, poignant, sexy and moments that are more touching since both Sabrina and Matt don’t even realize they’re doing the romance just by letting their guard down with each other. It’s definitely a frenemies to lovers story complete with a grand gesture suited for a Wall Street Wolfe!

When I start a Layne book I know I am reading a sexy novel of my new favorite characters. Banter is hugely important to my enjoyment of a book and Sabrina and Matt dish it out like mad. The enemies to lovers bit is fun as they try to get Matt out of a jam at work. There's no need to read the first book, they were recurring characters but their story really begins here. Ian and Lara had an exciting story, she's FBI investigating Ian for possible insider trading. Up next is Kennedy and Kate, is it really unrequited love or does he feel it too? Always a joy to get an early copy, my review was written unbiased and voluntarily.

My first read by this author but definitely will not be my last. Sabrina and Matt were frenemies with benefits. The love/hate relationship between these two characters had me laughing and routing so hard for them to realize what’s in front of them. The surrounding characters are well developed and the storyline kept me intrigued and wanting to know how everything turns out. I definitely recommend and will be looking forward to hopefully more in this series.

Charming amalgam of friends-with-benefits and enemies-to-lovers, mixed with faux relationship. A definite winner for readers who like a balance of humor, heart and steam in their contemporary romance about beautiful people living the good life in the glamorous city

Matt's a gifted financial wizard whose playboy lifestyle and absurd home life soured him on forever love, while Sabrina is a self-made fixer, er . . . consultant with no faith in love and no time for fairy tales. They met through mutual friends, discovered a fiery mutual attraction, but before they really got started, their connection devolved into an outlet to scratch an occasional itch. Both characters are sharp (both of tongue and of mind) and likable and I especially enjoyed the dynamic among the group of friends and colleagues.

I haven't read the first book in Layne's 21 Wall Street series (Hot Asset), but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of Hard Sell and there were no spoilers about the first book in this one (unless you count that the couple in book 1 got their HEA, which I don't, because duh).

2.5 stars

I'm sad to say that I could not connect with these characters at all. Two perfectly beautiful, super rich, boring people. Even after learning their back stories I felt very indifferent towards them both... there was very little substance to them or their interactions. The first half of the book is what really lost me... the second half is a bit better. I wish their backstory had been better developed - I wish I BELIEVED they hated each other at first. This is supposed to be hate-to-love, but it's not. They keep telling us that they hate each other, but it's never backed up in anything they think or feel or do... they obviously have feelings for each other from the beginning. Their "hatred" all stems from a past misunderstanding (that we're only told about in little bits and pieces) where Matt said something stupid to Sabrina (and it WAS stupid), and she was sensitive to it based on her past. He apparently apologized repeatedly, but she continued to hate him for it, and so he hated her too? Oh, but they continued to have no-strings-attached sex throughout the years. Sure.

If the first half had been re-written, so that we get to see them meet and really experience them truly hating each other (for better reasons than what we're given), then I might have liked this much better. The 2nd half was more enjoyable at least, but not enough to save it for me. Although, I was happy to see a very brief cameo from Georgie of Walk of Shame.

I think this Wall Street series is probably just not for me... although I am curious to see what happens in the next book with Kennedy and Kate. I don't plan on reading book 1, but I'll probably give the third book a try.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished a historical fiction novel that was on the heavier side so this was the perfect thing to read after that. I really like Lauren Layne's books as her characters are likable, funny and successful and the romances are fun and sweet. I really liked Sabrina and Matt from Hard Asset so I was pleased to see them get their own book. The book isn't perfect as I felt some things moved a bit too quickly when it came to realization of feelings, but it was a fun read and a nice addition to the contemporary romance genre. Now all I need is a story for Kate and Kennedy and my romance life will be complete.

Entertaining!

Matt and Sabrina are great together. I really enjoyed the bantering.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.