Marriage on Madison Avenue

Lauren Layne

Jan 2020 · The Central Park Pact Book 3 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A USA TODAY bestseller!

One of O, The Oprah Magazine’s “22 Romance Novels That Are Set to Be the Best of 2020” and one of Goodreads’s “28 of the Hottest Romances of 2020”

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne, the “queen of witty dialogue” (Rachel Van Dyken, New York Times bestselling author), comes the final installment of the Central Park Pact series, a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s perfect for fans of Sally Thorne and Christina Lauren.

Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on, and he knows that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother—announcing he’s already engaged…to Audrey.

But what starts out as a playful game between two best friends turns into something infinitely more complicated, as just-for-show kisses begin to stir up forbidden feelings. As the faux wedding date looms closer, Audrey and Clarke realize that they can never go back to the way things were, but deep down, do they really want to?

Ratings and reviews

I couldn't wait to read Audrey and Clark's story and Lauren Layne definitely did not disappoint with this gem! I loved it! I loved that she opened the story with some history from the past and how Audrey became friends with the women from the previous books. You get a great observation there about who she is, how she feels about the role she played and the circumstances that brought them all together. Audrey and Clark are long time friends, they are each others go to's and have a close relationship. In this story we watch as their friendship very slowly unfolds into something more. There were times however that they both made me want to shake them, they're totally clueless. Made for some good chuckles but still... wake up! When you two best friends are telling you what you need to hear, listen. Audrey has a lot of her own issues she needs to work through that were very real. All women have self doubts and those were written well, as were both Claire and Naomi from the previous books! I absolutely loved the men in this series. Good grief they were perfectly written, from the surly Scott to Oliver and now we get a closer look at Clarke. Yes indeed! This was a fantastic series, one that is not to be missed and I could easily reread again. Lauren Layne is a stellar story teller and this book along with the series made me love her writing that much more. Checks all the boxes, and must read. You won't be disappointed!! arc from NetGalley and Publisher for an honest review!

It absolutely sucks when a series that has been a bright light and provided everything you want: laughs, feels and lots of heat, ends. But, Layne left us with a wonderful story that brings the hope of love, the faerie tale wedding and a happy ending for ALL of our girls. Claire, Naomi and Audrey have managed to form a solid friendship after the death of Claire’s husband and Naomi and Audrey’s ‘boyfriend’ died unexpectedly – and Audrey has always been the ‘hopeless romantic’ not allowing herself to condemn all men for the crappy acts of one – and pushed both Naomi and Claire into their new lives and relationships. And Audrey was truly happy for them all – and celebrating all of their moments – but she’d decided that marriage and the “happy ever after” was not for her. Apparently, only Clarke and Audrey never saw what everyone else did – preferring to stay in their ‘Best Friends” mode, with neither taking ‘relationships’ seriously. Until an internet troll made Audrey’s life much more difficult than necessary, and an ex who really wasn’t al that important to her decided to do a “tell all” to the self-same gossip site (think Perez Hilton and his ilk) that things got dicey for her. With her life and career revolving around her “never off the clock” Instagram influencer title and popularity, something had to stem the tide. In steps Clarke, perfect timing for them both as the only woman he ever dated for any length of time is back in town, and his mother is determined the two should take another chance. Enter one fake engagement, several misunderstandings, the return of Alexis from The Wedding Belles, and a TON of moments to laugh, want to shake both Clarke and Audrey, and a few surprise moments of “squee” tossed in for good measure – the two finally decide to take the ‘fake engagement’ to a last minute “marriage of convenience” with the ‘ground rules’ set and clear. Neither expected the feelings to beat them about the head and shoulders, and nothing will surpass the smile you’ll have at the end of this series – even as you hate it to end. This is romance with all the good stuff – friends who really care for one another, plenty of moments to laugh (Clarke’s face at the lingerie shop – or the ‘security lockdown’ that he faced for a simple cake tasting) along with three happily ever afters and reasons to believe in the knight on the white horse. Reaffirming, engaging and above all – just damn fun – this series is a MUST read for anyone who has ever faltered in their belief that love is real, or possible, for everyone. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

We finally get Audrey Tate and Clarke West' story! Audrey and Clarke have been platonic best friends their entire lives and are willing to do just about anything for each other....including having a fake engagement to thwart off Clarke's mother. As Clarke and his mother keep playing this one-up-manship game, Audrey and Clarke start to see each other in a different light and real feelings start to get involved. Can two life long friends really find the person they were meant to be with in each other? The answer is a resounding yes! I just adored this story! It was so fun watching two friends slowly realize that there is more to their friendship than either of them thought. This story had parts that were sweet, sexy and even funny all wrapped up together and I just adored Audrey and Clarke. Of course Naomi, Oliver, Claire and Scott all make appearances in this wonderful story! I love this group and am sad that this is the last book in the series.

About the author

Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than three dozen romantic comedies. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, The Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.