Walk of Shame
Lauren Layne     
December 2021 Releases

Contemporary
Historical
Mystery

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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Love Unexpectedly
Book: 4
Heat Level: Hot

Sparks fly between a misunderstood New York socialite and a cynical divorce lawyer in this lively standalone rom-com from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Love Story.

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.

The minute I read the blurb of this book, I wanted to read it. Was dying to read it. I thought, you can’t go wrong pitting a spoiled heiress—and I mean spoiled in the best way possible—against a stodgy, workaholic, high-profile divorce attorney. And my pitting, I mean make them the heroine and hero of the book. Of course I was right. Georgiana Watkins and Andrew Mulroney belong together. It simply takes the better part of Walk of Shame to figure it out.

There’s nothing not to love about Georgie and first-person narration. She’s both infinitely relatable and lovable. Not one to take herself too seriously—or life—she’s not embarrassed or ashamed of her money and lifestyle. Yes, there are moments when she wonders if she should be doing more with her life. She’s involved with several charities but she doesn’t have a nine-to-five job and she parties many nights a week to the early offers of the morning. The latter is the person Andrew sees.

The two have this ritual. She returns to the apartment where they both live at 5:00 AM bearing donuts for the concierge/security guard Ramon. Andrew is down in the lobby at the exact same time, dressed for his daily workout. They exchange words and barbs—much of it sarcastic—and then go on with their day. They both moved in on the same day and because of fight over whose movers had access to the loading dock, they didn’t get off to particularly good start. But you know the deal, they bring out something in each other. Hence the daily 5:00 AM meetups.

There’s nothing I love better than this kind of conflict and tension. They’re not really antagonistic toward each other. Georgie teases him—sometimes mercilessly—and he’s formal and at times comes across as a humorless curmudgeon. Brood, baby, brood. I’m all for that. I love watching a hero come undone bit by bit. I also love getting into their heads—as in POV—to know what they’re thinking. I wasn’t sure I would see that with Andrew. His POV isn’t introduced until around 20% in and is peppered throughout the rest of the story.

Back to their daily morning meetups. This is basically the only time they’ve ever seen each other. Sometimes they pass like ships in the evening, Georgie going out and Andrew returning from work. Things between them change when she happens to see him out in the wild at a bar…with a woman Georgie knows. After Georgie deduces he’s there on business, she’s hurt when he pretends not to know her.

He laughs at something she says, and my world tilts sideways, just for a moment. I don’t know what to do with laughing, smiling, charming Andrew Mulroney.

Why can’t I coax that from him?

Why do I want to?

I’ll figure it out later. When I’m plotting my revenge.

Things start clicking from then onward, the two meeting up with each outside of their daily routine. Sparks. More tension. Extra heavy on the sexual part. Throw in a healthy dose of jealousy and pride, and we’re off. I truly loved watching these two get together. I savored it, and then I read it again.

Watch for Georgie’s family issues to take center stage for a wee bit. In a similar—but not—vein, Andrew’s brother and sister-in-law have a small side story that is bound to swell your heart. They’re not in the story a lot but their struggle does make an impact on it.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that it has a lovely fairytale feel to it. You’ll know what I mean when you read it. It’s quite enchanting and left me smiling (and sort of chuckling) from ear to ear long after I put the book down. And because I’m a sucker for epilogues, I was more than happy to see how Georgie and Andrew fared in the future. Sigh. I’m going to miss them and am eagerly looking forward to what Lauren Layne has in store for us next.