Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway: FRISK ME by Lauren Layne

 

Title: Frisk Me (New York’s Finest #1)
Author: Lauren Layne
Publishing Date: July 28, 2015 (Forever)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Source: e-ARC from publisher
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo 

After a photograph of Luc Moretti saving a tourist hits social media, he instantly becomes New York’s most famous and beloved cop. When a major network decides to run a special on the “American Hero,” Luc’s boss gives him no choice but to cooperate in the name of good exposure for the department. Luc doesn’t mind the celebrity status-what he does mind is the gorgeous brunette journalist who’s been assigned to follow his every move. Especially since she also happens to be the same knockout that rejected him rather publicly the week before.

Ava Sims is a woman who gets what she wants. And what she wants is to be CBC’s lead anchor-but to get there, she’ll need to nail the fluff piece on the playboy cop. Luc Moretti is everything Ava knows to stay away from: a stubborn charmer with a hero-complex. But the more Ava gets to know Luc and his oddball family, the more she realizes that beneath the swagger and the blue uniform is a complex man who makes her heart beat too fast. Soon, Ava’s doing the unthinkable, and falling for the best of New York’s finest …

 Follow the tour HERE.

 

I’d like to welcome again the amazing Lauren Layne on the blog!

 

6 NYC Locations You’re Likely to Run into the Morettis

by Lauren Layne

For those new to the New York’s Finest series, here’s a name you must know: The Morettis. In a nutshell, they’re NYPD royalty. Papa Moretti is the recently retired police commissioner, and four out of five kids became cops. Rounding out the cop portion of the family is the no-nonsense mother, the hot-yoga, bootie-call loving grandma, and the feisty sister, whose chosen profession of defense attorney puts her at constant odds with her cop brothers.

The Morettis are Italian New Yorkers through and through, and they’ve got a few haunts around the city that are definitely must-sees …

 

(1) Battery Park // The Moretti patriarch and matriarch live on Staten Island, which requires a ferry ride to get to. The Moretti children spend a LOT of time bickering as they wait for the ferry in Battery Park, but it’s a gorgeous place to fight with ones sibling as there’s a top-notch view of the Statue of Liberty.

 

(2) Church of St. Ignatius Loyola // For the Moretti clan, Sunday Mass is mandatory 🙂 The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola is this absolutely gorgeous Catholic church on the Upper East Side (84th & Park).

 

(3) Viand Cafe // My original inspiration for Darby Diner (which plays crucial part of the New Yorks’ Finest series!) was Viand on Madison, but it’s sadly closed! But don’t fret! If you’re over on the Upper West Side, you can hit up its slightly slightly classier sister restaurant, Viand Cafe on Broadway & 75th!

 

(4) dell’anima // In FRISK ME, Ava takes Luc out to a super sexy date in the West Village. The restaurant in my head is definitely dell’anima, one of my favorite places in the city. Their carbonara is just about the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

 

(5) Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market // This is where nonna buys her pancetta, so you know it’s gotta be good 🙂 If you’re looking for an awesome NYC butcher, head down to Bleeker (between Commerce & 7th). It’s over 100 years old, and delightfully old-school.

 

(6) Pony Bar // For beer fans, the Pony Bar in Hell’s Kitchen is a must. It’s an awesome mix of cozy and modern; the space itself is laid-back and casual, but the tap list is updated on a fancy reader board behind the bar, that, let’s face it … is just cool. Also, the green bean tempura is ridiculously good. And healthy-ish.

 

 

Why did I want to read it?

By now, you probably all know that I’m one of Lauren Layne’s biggest fans. So if she wrote it, I’m going to read it. Plus, it’s a brand new series from her… about a family of cops… in New York City!

 

What worked for me?

Lauren Layne does another fantastic job fleshing out all these characters, especially Ava and Luc. Her readers always know her characters even if they’re not together, if that makes sense. It means that Ava and Luc have their own characteristics and personalities apart from the fact that they are the two parts that make up the main couple in the book. I was also invested on how these two battled their own demons, so to speak; Luc, with his survivor guilt and Ava with the pressure coming from her family to reach a dream that might not even be hers to begin with.

I love how fate throws these two together and won’t just leave them alone. And I’m smiling widely, as far as my mouth can go, because there’s so much fun to be had, reading them suffer each other’s presence and at the same time finding time and again this twisting, almost powerful attraction between them even they can’t deny.  I love how they slowly got to know each other and this is another thing that Lauren does so well in her books. She gives her readers a chance to really get to know her characters and not just throw in plot twists here and there for effect.

I love the Morretti family. They’re loud and noisy and yet traditional in a way; nosy and yet they know when to give you the space to grow; and they’re protective and loyal as all out. I love it when family members meddle in the romance the way the Morrettis do it, subtly and yet not subtle at all and it all comes from a very good place.

 

 

What did not work for me?

It was almost book perfection for me except for that one bit towards the end, which I wouldn’t expound on as it’s a spoiler. It wasn’t a make or break thing for me although for a moment back there, I thought it had been. I got over it, thank the book gods. I didn’t get why that particular character had to push through with a certain action when I felt that there had been more choices to pick from. It diminished a tiny bit of my support for the romance and by the end of the book, I was glad that it didn’t ruin the fun I had while reading this one.

 

 

My over-all take on it?

I loved it! A new series from Lauren Layne is always, always welcome. This was a great start and I can’t wait to read the books to follow. Ava and Luc are a dynamic couple from beginning to end and it was another great reading experience for me to follow their romance.

My rating:

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from the author/publisher in exchange  for an honest review. Yes, these are my honest and personal thoughts on this book.

 

 

Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren’s gone on to publish ten books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015.

Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.

Connect with Lauren Layne:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

$50.00 Amazon eGift Card

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 Have you read Lauren Layne’s books? (You should! ^_^) Do you enjoy reading family series like this one? And what do you say about that antagonistic atmosphere between the main characters in the beginning? Hate it, not a fan, love it?