After the Kiss

Sex, Love & Stiletto #1

by Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne kicks off her Sex, Love & Stiletto series with a delightful short novel! In After the Kiss, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
 
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
 
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult, New Adult, Audiobook

233 pages, ebook

First published August 26, 2013

About the author

Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Hot Asset, Hard Sell, and Huge Deal in her 21 Wall Street series, as well as her Central Park Pact series. Her books have sold more than a million copies in nine languages. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.

Reviews

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“Julie almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the moment.Here was a short-term kind of girl begging for a long-term relationship from a long-term kind of guy who wanted a fling.”

Expectations
A funny fluffy read with a hot male lead and lots of banters and smexy times that would leave me smiling in a cute/creepy way.

Reality
A funny fluffy read with a surprisingly hot Wall Street broker with pant-melting dimples and lots of banters and smexy times and a little drama that left me smiling until my face hurt.
Mission accomplished.



The story

“Julie Greene had built a career out of falling in love.Staying in love?Not so much.”

Julie's articles on first dates and kisses have made her a celebrity in New York,and she enjoys every second of her job.Until she is assigned to write a story about the evolution of a relationship from toe-curling first kisses to comfy movie nights and her life turns into a nightmare because she doesn't do that.So,she decides to go undercover and have a relationship with a commitment-looking guy and who's better for the part than an uptight broker who cringes at the word fling?Only Mitchell has an agenda of his own,and he's accepted a bet that he will have a fling with Julie and nothing more.What could possibly go wrong?

Thoughts
Was it predictable?Yes.Did I get a How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibe?Yeap.Did I love it nonetheless?Hell yeah!

I felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie,you know a chick-flick that makes you swoon and even though you know things like these would never happen in real life you still wish for them and after the end you wallow in self-pity and you are convinced you'll die alone with your 72 cats that will probably eat your corpse?After the Kiss was an extremely well-written,light and entertaining romance that made me smile and fall in love! (yes yes I fall in love at least twice a week,so what I have a big heart!) Nothing too complicated,with only the necessary amount of drama and some seriously steamy scenes and then some chocolate-sweet scenes that made my heart melt!Sometimes,a pink cloud is all a girl needs!

“Love is not a game,ladies.Treat it like one,and you're bound to lose.”

I just loved the dynamic between Julie and Mitchell!They had absolutely nothing in common,they intended to use each other and be done with it until they realised that they clicked,they lost control over their hearts and their minds and started wanting things they dared not say.Angst,tension and tenderness defined ther relationship and I couldn't help but swoon because ohmigod Mitchell was a sexy beast.An ovaries-exploding-sexy-beast.


So yes,After the Kiss is a book I absolutely recommend if you want something to cheer you up and do funny things to your insides!
Here's a Henry Cavill gif because I could totally picture him as Mitchell (well I picture him as every male character I like but that's irrelevant)

[maria (catching up)]

┆ ⤿ 💋 ༝ pre-read:

Finally doing a br with bestie lore💓💓 I have been begging her for a month😔🤚🏻

anyways, this is actually a reread for me😝 but I enjoyed this so much when I read it so hopefully it is still as good!!

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 3 out of 5]

how to lose a guy in 10 days but make it a book. a fun and quick romcom!! excited for the rest of the series <3

[• Lisa • · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 KISS ME STARS.



Readers welcome to 'After the Kiss' a contemporary romance that swept me off my romantic feet. I think I may have just have fallen a little in love with this author, her books are made in kindle heaven. This adorable story is like a gorgeous combination of ' Sex and the city' meets 'How to loose a guy in ten days' with the like-ability and humour of 'Bridgett Jones' and here are my book thoughts ...

What's it all about?
Julie Greene is a successful journalist in New York city writing for the popular and equally famous Stiletto magazine, known in society as the publication princess of her expertise this feisty professional has no interest in falling in love. Flirting, dating and shoes are her passions so it comes as a shock when her demanding boss requests that she completes an article on taking the next step, Julie feels grossly under qualified for such a romantic task and turns to her two best friends for assistance and so the plan is hatched for Julie to find a man who she can test out the theory of taking that dreaded next step with. Mitchell Forbes is as serious about relationships as his employment on wall street, a night out with a friend ends in a bet that results in the meeting of Julie and Mitchell neither know they are the subject of their individual dating experiments and neither realised they would start to feel something for each other, a hilarious and romantic tale of these two loveable characters ensues which takes us right up to the possibility of a change of heart and a happily forever.



What did I love?
This book has hilarious banter by the bucketful, I loved the witty dialogue between the characters and as always I feel the bonus when a book hosts alternating character POV's, I felt I was able to connect more with the characters with the dual POV and connect I most certainly did, 'After the kiss' has a likeable and refreshing twist, in this story it's the heroine who is not interested in the happily ever after and the hero who would be happy to find the love of his life. The misunderstandings and troublesome parts of the story are amusing rather than annoying and all the drama and upset is entertaining and not at all angsty, a real treat in my opinion. This author definitely knows her way around my romantic heart, she writes characters that fall in love over time and builds true to life, swoon worthy relationships that make sense to me as I'm reading. Mitchell Forbes is a sexy, smart interesting character he makes a business man sound positively yummy and I definitely connected with his geeky handsome ways. Julie Greene is a quirky, amusing character who had me laughing out loud at her antics and the relationships with her friends had me already thinking I want future books to be made just for them.

Why not five?
Everything pointed in the right direction for a five star read but sadly around the 60% mark I lost a little bit of that loving feeling. I missed the banter and quick wit between the characters that was evident at the start but thankfully the ending turned a 180 and I got the butterflies I wanted. But make no mistake I really love this authors work and will gladly read everything she releases.

Final thoughts ...
I discovered this author recently with 'isn't she lovely' a fantastically gorgeous NA book, straight away I wanted to read some more of her romantic tales and came across this this little beauty, I was not left wanting, i'm convinced this author could write in any romantic genre and I'd enjoy it. 'After the kiss' is a sweet, sexy and funny tale of finding true love in unexpected places. If all of the above sounds appealing and you enjoy an easy going contemporary romance go grab it readers, enjoy ... Kisses.

*ARC generously provided by Random house publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[destini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel you, Rihanna. Where has Lauren Layne been all my life? Or more importantly, where have I been?

After the Kiss was all kinds of cute. I've been on a fantasy and YA craze for such a long time that this contemporary was such a nice change of pace.



Dating guru, Julie, works at Stiletto magazine for their articles on Sex, Love and Dating. Julie is all about the first kisses, butterflies in the stomach, and how to reel a man in. After all that, she cuts 'em loose. She all about having fun, staying light, and going where the wing takes her. As an accomplished journalist that deals with all the nitty gritty in dating, she makes sure to keep things causal and moves on when she has to.

Why stop something that good? If this was how relationships were supposed to progress, she wanted no part of it.
She had a major case of blue ovaries.

Mitchell Forbes is the exact opposite. He's serious about everything; his relationships, job on Wall Street, who surrounds himself with, where he goes. He has no time to waste on casual dating and frivolous adventures. Neither of them would ever seek each other out, but one bet and one article change all that.



I needed something cute and sparkly and reasonably angsty. This wasn't some half-assed contemporary novel either. There wasn't any forced humor or extreme cheesy-ness.

“Julie. What the hell are we doing?” he whispered in her ear. She felt a stab of relief. So this wasn’t normal for him either. She liked that she made him lose control. Liked even more that he made her lose control.

Julie had such a great voice that I actually found myself laughing out loud. She was such a likable character that you couldn't help but connect with her.

And Mitchell. What an alpha-male in disguise. He called Julie out on her bullshit and told lame jokes in the cutest way possible. He's probably one of the most endearing characters I've ever read about.

And in the bedroom . . .



I'd heard so many comparisons between After the Kiss and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days that I just had to pick this up. I was literally left with no choice. Nothing that's been compared to such and adorable movie can remain untouched by my eyes.

And it didn't disappoint. There were enough similarities to five me that fun and flirty vibe, but different enough that I didn't feel like I was re-watching the movie.



All in all, this was such a cute story ♥

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would've been perfect but for two things:

1. On (barely) date #2, Julie overshares about her dead family and the whole thing felt super contrived.

2. Well, I can't tell you #2 b/c SPOILER, but it was also extremely manufactured.

But pretty good for contemporary romance. Still, I'm rocking my EXTREME palate cleanse, so on to my next bit of fluff. *throws glitter in the air*

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fling became love.

I started and finished After the Kiss in one day.

This is a cute story about a journalist named Julie who writes about love in the beginning stages. Her articles talk about first dates, kissing and how thing should be done. She's an expert in the field because it's all she knows. Julie doesn't do relationships as she doesn't want to be boring and predictable like other couples she knows. Life is one big party and an endless supply of good looking dates. She loves her life and has no plans to change it.

Even though Julie is a successful writer, her boss decides that her articles need a shake up. She wants Julie to write an article on taking things to the next level. At first she is adamant she can't do it, but after a pow wow with her best friends and colleagues, Grace and Riley, she comes up with an idea of how to get the job done.

Mitchell works on Wall Street. He's just broken up from a two-year relationship and feeling on edge. At a fundraiser with Colin, a mate and work colleague, they talk about Mitchell's need to make every relationship a serious one. Mitchell decides it's time to shake thing up and change the plan.

From the beginning, this couple doesn't approach things in their usual way. She's looking for more and he's looking for less. They meet, don't particularly like each other, but are determined to get to know each other better. Both of them don't want their hearts involved so make sure to guard them.

Julie and Mitchell are keeping secrets from each other and unfortunately get found out. This puts a huge strain on their relationship.

This story was fairly short but long enough to give me what I need in a romance read. There is a decent amount of sexy times, some good laughs and a few tears. The additional characters were likeable and I look forward to Grace and Riley's stories. I really enjoyed After the Kiss.

To purchase After The Kiss from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1YNfDvy

[Alba and Her Secrets..♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.5 "The bet & the story" Stars!



After reading Irresistibly Yours, I couldn't stop myself and I decided on reading Lauren's Sex, Love & Stiletto series. And I cannot be happier about it! I am thoroughly enjoying it!!

After the Kiss is the first novel in this series and it is about Julie Greene (a very succesful journalist, expert on dating, and now a worried one because she has to write about something more) and Mitchell Forbes (a Wall Street worker who does a 'different' bet with a collegue and the subject of Julie's next story).

But this thing with Mitchell —and she really didn’t have a name for it— felt far too private. And she was afraid she knew why. She was falling for him. She was falling for the subject of her story.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Loved. It has an amazing storyline (as I said a previous time, I am really enjoying Layne's writing), its characters are full of emotions (I was literally crying so many times!) and the chemistry between the two main characters is of-the-chards hot! I mean.. THAT FIRST KISS (the fucking sexual tension, OMG). Amazingly done, Lauren Layne!

She wasn’t going to write the story.
Mitchell meant too much to her. And even if it wouldn’t break his heart to have their relationship splayed across Stiletto’s shiny pages, it would break hers. What they had was too precious to share with the world. It was theirs and theirs alone.

Am I the only one that sees a resemblance of this story with a quite famous American rom-com? I think I even enjoyed it more because of that, because I love that movie as well! LOL After the Kiss reminds me of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (the film staring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey) because of the story that Julie has to write and also because of the bet that Mitchell does with his friend! But still, looooooooooved it, loved these two together and their sweet and sexy moments!

“Mitchell.” Her whole heart was in the word, saying the words she couldn’t.
“I know,” he said roughly against her neck. “I know.”

Therefore, my final rating is 5.5 STARS because I really enjoyed this story and I cannot wait to read the next one! Still, I haven't given my special 6 stars rating because I was expecting an epilogue. But, for everything else, to me this was perfect! Highly recommend!! :D

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[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Sweet Stars! : )



Julie is a professional journalist. A modern city girl who has no desire to fall in love. Until the day her boss give her a new challenge: What happens after the first dates?
Julie now have to find out how to meet a guy… and keep him.
So she and her best-friends start scanning and the result is: Mitchell.



Mitchell is a “Wall Street Guy”, that was always serious about his relationships. Some of them even went way longer than it should.
So, now he decided to give up on the serious relationships and he as his friends make a bet: find a woman to have a no-strings-attached relationship. And the chosen one is Julie. Well, obviously.
When their interaction begins, neither of them knowing about the other one intentions, things starts to change and they start to find out, that sometimes bets are made for losing, and challenges that we didn’t even want… are exactly what we needed.



This is a sweet contemporary romance that feels like a mix between “Sex & the City”, “How to lose a guy in ten days” and “The Ugly Truth”.
It was fun, very romantic with very likable and sexy main characters and a pretty good background.
A “lift-me-up” book you will not want to miss ;)

[Kiki · Rating 1 out of 5]

She did NOT owe him ANYTHING!
This brainless bimbo actually apologised to him and then begged for a chance to this SOB.
Granted she was playing games with him for the sake of her career. What was HE doing? He was trying to win a bet by seducing her.
At least she had a purpose. His was for pure amusement.
Yet he had the gall to be offended?
The double standards in this book is the size of my ass!
And when she calls him out on his shit, what does he do? Calls her a prostitute in front of HIS AND her friends.
“You’re two steps away from a prostitute, except instead of money on the dresser, you want magazine fame, and instead of serving up sex, you serve up vapid little smiles. Oh, no, wait—you serve up sex too.”

And this is the apology we get:

“I—I realized I never apologized. Never asked you to forgive me.”
He leaned his forehead on hers and took a deep breath. “The truth is, Julie, I didn’t think about the bet when I was with you. I tried. I tried all the time, but when I was with you there was no room for anything but you”

How convenient. HE can forget about the bet, but she can’t forget that she’s playing a role? And notice how conveniently he doesn’t remember he called her a whore. This slut needs his balls ripped of and feed to sharks!

He went to her AFTER her friend made him read the story. Even though he DID the exact same thing to her, if not worse, he NEVER thought of apologising or finding out that may be they could work on something. This is AFTER she said ILY.

No. It had to be a sacrifice on HER side for him to forgive her.

When he was the bigger offender.

He claims he would’ve called it off. Well, buddy. We have no fucking proof of that. She’s also saying she’d have called her part off, what makes you so special that we have to believe your intentions over hers? The fact you have a penis?

Die you fucking slut of a man.

And the heroine! I can only say one thing. You bitch! You are such a big fool, you don’t deserve my sympathy. If you can’t kick someone on the balls when they treat you like a whore then you deserve to die in your misery! I make smoothies out of this kind of wimpy females and eat them for breakfast.

[Patty ~ Wrapped Up In Reading Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 OVER THE MOON IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY STARS!!!!!

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!!!
(BR with Melissa and Denisse)



I'm still just floating on cloud 9 after reading this one.
This is the second book I've ready by Lauren Layne, and I already know this lady is going to be one of my top fave authors.
Her stories seem to read like the really good rom/com movies of my youth with Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, and Drew Barrymore.
This story definitely had a "Sex and The City" vibe to it.






We have Julie Greene, who is 1/3 of a team of writers for New York's Stiletto magazine.
They're called "Dating, Love, and Sex" but also have another nickname which I loved - "Kiss, Cuddle, and Fuck."

Julie is the "Dating/Kiss" member of the trio.
She reminded me a little of Carrie Bradshaw, but I kind of liked Julie a lot more!!
She's beautiful, fun, and doesn't do relationships.
She's the serial "dater".
Dating many men who are gorgeous and mostly models.
Julie loves the first kiss, first date, and butterflies in your stomach feeling you get when you are with someone new.
The thought of settling down with one person and having "movie nights" on Fridays with the same man is utterly horrifying to her.

Mitchell is a stuffy, Wall Street broker.
He's a habitual relationship guy.
He usually dates women with high pedigrees and dull personalities.
Mitchell recently broke up with his girlfriend of several years.
He had planned on proposing but at the last minute he realized that there was no spark in that relationship and that he was just going through the motions.

The two meet at a charity function at the MOMA.
Both have their own agendas.
Julie's boss has given her an ultimatum, that she must write a story about how to get a guy to enter into a serious relationship.
She's freaking out because this is something she has no experience in, and neither does she want to as well.

Mitchell's friend suckers him into a bet.
The bet, is for Mitchell to date a girl but by a certain date, he must break up with her.
His friend seems to think Mitchell is always the "relationship" guy and can't do "casual dating".

The two meet and they're off to a rocky start.
They both seem to think they're not each other's type and Mitchell is pretty snarky and sarcastic, which throws Julie off her game a bit.

But early on, the chemistry is pretty apparent between the two.
It even seems that they are actually good for each other and maybe they learn that things they used to cringe at, are actually quite nice.



Julie is actually seeing that her old life might have been a bit empty and that she may even be falling a little for Mr Wall Street.






This one definitely had some pretty HOT sexy time scenes!!
Julie and Mitchell had smoking hot chemistry when it comes to sex and KISSING.
I just loved all the different types of "kisses" that Julie had catalog'd.

My favorites would be "The Hot and Hard," and "The Teen."


The Hot and Hard. A Favorite of alpha men. Typically a precursor to sex. Enough said.


The Teen. Reckless, a little messy, possibly in public. Hard to get right, but a personal favorite of Julie's when done correctly.


This one is not all "fluff".
We learn that Julie has endured a pretty HUGE personal tragedy early on in life and how Mitchell responds to it was so very touching and it explained why Julie never opened herself up to relationships before.


We have some angst because you need a little bit for the story to be a good one!!

The ending was just one word - PERFECTION.
I was reminded of the ending to one of my favorite Drew Barrymore movies, "Never Been Kissed".

I just can't say enough about how much I truly enjoyed and LOVED this story!!
I read this in less than a day and those who know me, know I'm a bit of a slow poke when it comes to reading!!

This reading experience was made even more fantastic because I read it with my girls, Melissa and Denisse!!
Love you girlies!!!
So much fun chatting online with you and talking about our favorite types of kisses.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a good pick me up.
You'll finish this with a huge smile on your face that lasts for days!!





Here was a short-term kind of girl begging for a long-term relationship from a long-term kind of guy who wanted a fling.


Everyone talks about the rewards of finding that one person. Nobody warns you about the pain of losing him.


Real love--the kind that matters--is giving your heart to someone even after he tries to hand it back.
And it's knowing that you'd give him your heart over and over again. If only he'd ask.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren Layne is my new favorite author! After the Kiss was the perfect blend of sass, humor, and spice all wrapped around a romance that will make your heart swoon! After the Kiss is only 180 pages long but I literally have nine pages worth of highlighted quotes/passages, evidence of how much I loved this story.

Julie is a writer for Stiletto magazine and specializes in writing about falling in love: the first date, first kiss, and all the highs you get from a new romance. She’s had plenty of practice at this, and brings her personal experience to her readers. But taking it to the next step? Not so much. The thought of being comfortable enough with someone that you’d stay in, *gasp* wear the typical comfy clothes, and have a movie night, spells horror and boredom to Julie. She’s content with having a few dates filled with fun and kisses, and then moving on.

This is where the trouble begins. Julie’s editor wants a piece about taking the next step, with her hallmark personal touch bringing life into the article. How is Julie going to tackle this? Well at the urging of her friends, and fellow Stiletto writers, Grace and Riley, she plans on snagging a typical “relationship” type of guy, and going through the motions for the purpose of the article. Julie thinks Mitchell is the perfect test subject, a boring relationship type guy through and through. Little does she know that Mitchell has his own agenda, and things do not go as she’s planned.

Mitchell is the relationship type of guy. He doesn’t want to waste time on someone just for a fling. When a co-worker eggs him on into a bet, saying that he can’t casually date a girl without having an eventual plan to marry in mind, Mitchell gives in to the taunts and agrees to the challenge. Have a fling, move on after he’s had his fun, and then gain prime season tickets to the Yankees.

Julie and Mitchell thought they knew what they were getting into, but when each of them plans to do exactly the opposite of their usual MO, both of them are surprised and unsettled. Mitchell isn’t the type of guy Julie can woo and win over with her usual routine of flighty, fun, and flirty. He only responds when the real Julie comes out and exposes her heart. Julie, in turn surprises Mitchell when she doesn’t act as the girl he’s heard about, and he finds himself strangely drawn to her no nonsense behavior.

I loved that Julie and Mitchell’s plans are thrown out the window because they’re both so taken by each other! The intensity of some of these scenes is toe-curling HOT!! I love that Mitchell turns out to be anything BUT the boring, safe “relationship” guy Julie assumes him to be, and she winds up craving the heck out of him! Same thing with Mitchell, he’s surprised and overwhelmed with how strong his feelings are for Julie.

“Julie. What the hell are we doing?” he whispered in her ear. She felt a stab of relief. So this wasn’t normal for him either. She liked that she made him lose control. Liked even more that he made her lose control.

I lapped this story up! Julie and Mitchell’s romance utterly consumed me! I’m in love with Lauren Layne’s writing! Her brand of humor, classy but oh-so-hot sex scenes, and gift for writing romance puts her in "authors-I-stalk follow" status. I can’t wait for poor Grace’s story next: Love the One You're With. December is too far away *sobs*!!

A copy was provided by Random House Publishing Loveswept in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG this book was just fun wrapped in bacon (because bacon makes everything better) To be honest...there was no bacon in this...BUT IT FELT LIKE IT!!!


You know those days that you just need a little dose of flirtation, love and cheese and that is the day that you watch romantic comedies that you have seen a million times that still just make you smile. Well THIS was that book for me. It had the feel of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days but the story is different enough that while it reminds me of that movie the book is its own entity.

Julie needs to write a story about taking relationships to the next level…but she has NEVER taken a relationship to the next level. How is she supposed to pull this off with her signature spin of personal touch when she has no idea how to do it? Easy, fabricate a relationship with someone and convince them to take it to the next level. How could it possibly go wrong?

A few of the things it did have that I absolutely loved were:

✘ - The BEST FIRST KISS in a single novel. It was slightly unexpected and so hot that I melted right there. My favorite kiss in any chic lit novel.
✘ - Fun, Feisty and Flirty characters. Mitchell (not Mitch, never Mitch) and Julie are easy to immediately like. Julie is great at the meet cute, butterflies and first dates but she never gets serious with anyone. Mitchell has no clue how to have a fling. Every girl he dates is a specific type that could be the Mrs. Mitchell in the near future.

. “You act like I get engaged to every woman I kiss.”
“No, I’m just saying that you plan to get engaged to every woman you kiss. You need to have a relationship that won’t end with you guys picking out wallpaper.”
“So should I just hire a robot? All women want to pick out wallpaper. It’s what they do.

✘ - Great Sexual tension and banter. This isn’t exactly instant love but there was a surprising chemistry that Julie and Mitchell felt for each other. A raw hunger that surprised them both and I ate it up in large spoonfuls loving every minute of it.
✘ - Hot Sex….Yep I said it! It isn’t overpowering or anything. Julie and Mitchell actually do things together and have hobbies, talk and stuff but when they have SEX it is hot.
✘ - Seven types of bad kisses including the The Heavy breather, the Labrador and the Poke and Swirl.

The Labrador. Also referred to as Bad Dog! Another tongue offender. Hint: if either party’s face is wet after the kiss, you’re doing it wrong.

This story flew by so fast and then I was finished it was over and I immediately bought the next three of the series because I’M IN. I had so much fun with the writing and the story progression that I know I’ll love the entire series after finishing just this one book.

☝-- I will be in cotton candy chic lit heaven reading the rest of the series.

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first time I’ve ever hated an LL book, but my god the hero was the absolute fucking worst. So condescending and hypocritical. He put in zero effort towards the relationship and didn’t make up for the awful things he said to the heroine at the end. She deserved so much better.

[jazmin ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Love is not a game, ladies. Treat it like one, and you’re bound to lose. Everyone talks about the rewards of finding that one person. Nobody warns you about the pain of losing him.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

⇢The Plot

Wow. Did I go into this book expecting to have a new series to binge read? Not at all. But that seems to be what’s happened because I need to finish this series and read the spinoff series IMMEDIATELY.

I love romances that focus on a work environment but that aren’t work romances (that makes no sense LOL what I mean is that the MC’s work is important but it’s not a work romance because the LI doesn’t work with the MC) and the fact that this series follows women journalists who work for the same magazine is something that I LOVE.

“Julie Greene had built a career out of falling in love. Staying in love? Not so much.”

This book was messy, just like books where the romance starts off for the wrong reasons usually are, but that made it even more addicting. It was just a really fun read, to the point where I don’t even have that many complaints. Usually I’m not a huge fan of shorter romance books because everything feels too forced, but somehow Lauren Layne managed to make it work, and work well.

⇢Julie and Mitchell

Julie was such a fun character. Not particularly relatable to me but somehow that didn’t keep me from sympathizing with her and being invested in her life.

Mitchell… not as great as Julie, but then again, the male characters in romances rarely are as interesting to me as the female ones. Honestly, my least favourite thing about him was his name 😭 (sorry if your name is Mitchell LOL). He was cool, and I liked that he wasn’t completely your typical LI. He had some surprises in him.

Together, super cute! Not my favorite couple of all time or anything, but a good couple :)

“Here was a short-term kind of girl begging for a long-term relationship from a long-term kind of guy who wanted a fling.
It was movie-worthy.
It was laughable.
It was . . . incredibly painful.”

⇢The Ending

Okay, I have to talk about the ending. As in, the VERY LAST PAGE. WHY?? The pacing of the book was great until that last moment. Anyway.

*3.5

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

MY LINKTREE ❦

BOOKISH PRODUCTS: USE MY CODE JAZ10 ❦

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

/ REREAD 7/19/2016 /

Yup, still as good as the first time! Lauren Layne is seriously such perfection, ugh. It still kills me that this series is over because everything about it is what I want in other romances.

Riley is my favorite of the girls, but Julie and Mitchell have the most addictive story. I highly recommend to everyone <3


---------------

LAUREN LAYNE, YOU ARE A QUEEN.

"Real love-the kind that matters-is giving your heart to someone, even after he tries to hand it back."

Despite being completely cynical about relationships and love in real life, I love romance books. It's my weakness . But I'm also tough to please because I hate the saaaame storylines that, like, literally every romance author uses. So many books reel you in with their dramatic blurbs and good reviews, but then you read it.. and it's completely unoriginal. I know it's hard to make a story of something so predictable be unpredictable and original, but I swear Lauren Layne makes it look so easy.

This. freaking. book. It's perfect, okay?

With the backdrop of NYC, and a smart & confident Julie Greene as the main character- you can't go wrong. She's the girl who loves the thrills of dating, and who writes about it too. She knows how to work every man into doing and saying the things she wants. Except when it comes to long-term relationships. So when her boss tells her to write a story about what to do after the first date, kiss, etc- Julie is utterly lost.

So she decides to "test try" a long-term relationship with a random guy and write about it. Easy for her, right?

Cue Mitchell. Cue heart melting. Oh my god. I was totally NOT expecting this man. He's a confident business man that is not falling for any of Julie's charms. He's the long-term guy, the respectful one, until a bet forces him to choose Julie as his new short-term relationship. His straight-forwardness and confidence is so attractive, but his sweet side is was made me fall so hard.

“Say something,” she begged.
“Did he kiss you?”
She licked her lips nervously. “No.”
“Did you want him to?”
Julie started to turn to face him, but he held her still. “No!”
“And you came home early. Alone.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Then I’d say I have nothing to worry about.”

They both think they're playing the other, and it's so interesting to see both perspectives and knowing what they both don't. It's kind of set up for a disaster but it's just so funny and cute, but they're chemistry is just everything. Would 100% recommend this to anyone, romance and even non-romance lovers tbh lol.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Kiss reads like a fun chick flick. If you liked the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 days then you'll like this book.

Stiletto Magazine is about sex and high heels and Julie's the expert on first kisses, getting him to call, butterflies in your tummy, basically the finesse of dating. Her boss has challenged her to write an article where she takes the relationship further than just first kisses...she's must become serious with a guy.

Mitchell works on Wall Street. He's a suit and tie type of guy. A co-worker bets him that he won't be able to just have a fling with a girl. DATE HER AND DUMB HER.

"I date a girl and dump, her, I get Yankee tickets. If I lose my mind and try to shackle her to my side forever and ever, you my office."

SERIES:

No cliffhangers. Spinoff. Each book will feature one of the three columnist.

**ARC courtesy of Random House, Loveswept, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[shirley ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Love simply was. Love was Julie.”

This was a cute, sexy and funny story.
I liked the book and loved its characters.

[Dali · Rating 5 out of 5]

#99cents #sale (06/28/2017) http://amzn.to/2tqHx6K
They started for all the wrong reasons. Will they realize that it never has to end because of all the right ones?

After the Kiss is a perfect chick lit book. It’s a charming and sexy story in which Lauren writes romance with just the right balance between sassy, playful, sexy and drama.

Julie Greene is one of Stiletto Magazine’s top columnists. When she’s forced by her well-meaning boss to write a story about how to take a relationship beyond “first kisses” and “butterflies in your tummy”. Julie who has “built a career out of falling in love” but not staying in love is having a hard time with her assignment. But together with her friends Grace and Riley they hatch a plan for her to go undercover.

Mitchel is a Wall Street Broker who loves to read, run and watch baseball. He’s also only interested in a safe commitment but is coaxed into betting he can have fun and just a fling for the sake of great Yankee box seats.

Without knowing of their hidden agendas Mitchel and Julie zero in on each other. Can they both come out on the winning side?

“A short-term kind of girl begging for a long-term relationship from a long-term kind of guy who wanted a fling. It was movie-worthy.”

I loved Mitchell, he gave me a Clark Kent/Superman like vibe. An alpha caveman hiding underneath the mild mannered Wall Street glasses and suit. He was smart, thoughtful and discerning, with a sexy take charge attitude.

And Julie… I think part of the great things I like about Lauren’s books is that she gives us strong successful women with character but also flawed and vulnerable that make them so endearing.

I very much enjoyed how Mitchell and Julie called each other on their bullshit, their quips and banter and of course their unplanned but very explosive chemistry. I liked that they were thrown off because neither was getting what they thought they wanted, but both were getting exactly what they needed. It was romantic and swoony.

“It was like the first kiss, the last kiss, and every kiss in between, all rolled into one hot, bizarre moment.”

After the Kiss is the first in the Sex, Love & Stiletto contemporary romance series with no cliffhanger. It can be read as a standalone. If you like stories like the movie How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days I’m sure you’ll like this one.

Amazon US -> http://amzn.to/1EmUZaU

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[Rozberry&#x1f353; · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stiletto series

After the Kiss(#1) - 3.25-.5 stars (not sure yet)
Love the One You’re With(#2) - 5 stars
Just One Night(#3) - 3.75 stars
The Trouble With Love(#4) - 5 stars

When it comes to series, I would say I tend to be a start at book 1 reader & go from there most often, but the times when I don’t, it’s that much more rare I go back to a book in a series I previously skipped. I skip usually out of disinterest, not because a later book sounds better. Here I have to admit, I forgot why I skipped AtK 🙈, so this is one of those rare times as I’ve already read the other 3 Stiletto series books & several Oxford books(the spinoff series).

Ideally, I’d love to say something to the effect of it’s a new favorite & Idk what I was thinking skipping it, but I can’t quite go there. It wasn’t a lost cause by any means, but tbh it is my least favorite of the Stiletto series. Nonetheless for being one of her earliest releases(maybe her first, I’m not sure), I still wanna give it its due as pretty solid for a new author.

I loved going back to the Stiletto magazine world - it’s one of my favorite girlfriends groups in a romance series. Part of me wishes LL would do another spinoff of sorts with a new group of ladies with a loose connection to Stiletto with small cameos from these ladies. At the same time, it’s been 6 years since the last & probably better to let it be. Anyhoo, it was a little strange reading a Stiletto book pre-Emma. I knew she wasn’t there yet, but without thinking, a few times I kept waiting for her to walk in when Julie was at the office or just hanging out with Grace & Riley. 🙈😂. Nonetheless I still enjoyed their friendship as a trio too (Emma just makes it better).

I would’ve preferred a little more detail & introspection of how Julie’s tragic past shaped who she is presently in AtK. Otherwise, She has an easy-going, fun magnetism about her with a tender heart tucked away. So Julie was easy to like & connect with as she found her way through new territory dating someone that meant more to her than a few fun times, flex her ‘flirt muscles’ & send a guy on his way a few dates later, like her prior dating life consisted of.

I think my issue was primarily Mitchell. I get he was supposed to be a more serious type & this was an opposites attract romance where in spite of all of that, he turns out to be the yin to Julie’s yang. LL’s idea of serious back then in this read to me more as very little personality. I just never had much of a sense of him when he wasn’t being a dick. Albeit a bit more lowkey, in the beginning, Mitchell was a dick a little too often imho. I almost liked the sparring banter they had early on - it was so close a few times - , but I didn’t quite feel the budding affection or attraction to Julie on his end of the banter that I should have. On two occasions in the second half, I thought he handled each situation immaturely, especially for a 34-year-old man. First by not manning up. The other by being temperamental & vicious. He wasn’t the best grovel-er either.
All that said & despite not being a Mitchell fan, he’s hardly anywhere near the worst of the worst heroes I’ve read if I ever made a list. Because he didn’t wreck the book, he just didn’t enhance it. Plus, to be fair to LL, he was one of her first heroes & thankfully all LL’s heroes have improved since - most are pretty good (even great in more than a few cases - i.e. Jake, Cassidy, just to name a few) & much easier to connect with. Mitchell himself is much better even in the small cameos he makes in the rest of the series.

So yeah, it’s not my favorite LL, but this came nowhere near turning me off of her books or anything remotely extreme. I don’t regret reading it. Honestly, it has me thinking about a possible reread the rest of the series in the near future. Grace & Emma’s are some of my favorite rom-coms(although Emma’s has some past history angst, LL never lets it go OTT).

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Hard Core, Surprisingly, Swoon Worthy, Fun Stars
Quite, It's Only $1.99!!!!
* * * * Spoiler Free-One Of My First 2013 Reviews
The setup is something we have read over and over again with different variations: girl makes a bet about a guy... guy makes a bet about a girl- they both work their angle.... shit happens- both fall for each other but due to the bet... both get exposed somehow and then it all comes together in the end.

Yet somehow, even though we know the format, this little tale works; and it really has some great moments.

Here is The Blurb:
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and "I do"—she'll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phoebe a chance at more.

Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie's "research." But what Julie doesn't know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he's looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he's exactly what she wants.

This was the best little surprise... no bullsh!t.. real people and true feelings and conflicts.

Here was a short-term kind of girl begging for a long-term relationship from a long-term kind of guy wanting a fling.

It ended up with her opening up to him and letting him see her, know her, and in that process, her learning about herself.
He in turn allows himself to experience life on the fly, from the gut, and not care about whether it fits a profile or spreadsheet.

The most surprising and satisfying element of this pair was the chemistry they had. He brought out the real girl in her and she brought the inner caveman in him.

And for the record, I am very willing to testify... there were a few scenes that just made me take a moment and go ..... ahhhh, as in yeah... that was good and hot... not ahhh, how sickly sweet.

The book was a quick read, got its point across and I really do think it is worth the time spent.

After the Kiss (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Love the One You're With (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just One Night (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Trouble With Love (Sex, Love & Stiletto, #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love simply was. Love was Julie.

Everything between 30% and 85% was cute and good. Then at around 85% things are falling apart drastically. Mitchell compares Julie to a prostitute in front of his friend and Julie's colleague. Yikes.

Like I could forgive him for saying that, if his grovel game was strong, but it was not. He says "I'm sorry" once and everything else is forgotten. Mitchell and Julie never talk about the bet he made with his friend which was not much different from Julie going undercover for her article. While Julie's mission blew up in her face, Mitchell's bet was swept under the carpet.

The ending was rushed and ruined the book. The book had such great potential cause Julie and Mitchell's banter were great. It seems like they dont have much in common, but they make it work. So why oh why do you have to be this asshole and destroy everything by calling her a prostitute??? I'm sad.

[Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

On second thought, Stiletto readers wouldn't be getting that little bit of wisdom. This was one memory she was saving for herself.
She was starting to worry she wanted to save it all for herself.

Aaaaaaah she's done it again. By now I assume anyone who has read any of my Lauren Layne reviews is rolling their eyes and saying...Okay, we get it, you LIKE the woman and OF COURSE you gave her book 5 stars. Well, to address issue numero uno-Yes. Yes, I ADORE Lauren Layne and apparently everything she writes. And to defend numero dos-No, it's not an 'OF COURSE' situation. There's way more to why I have been rating her stories the way I do. I don't go in thinking, 'Oh, this is SO guna be a five star, just like her others!!' It's more like, 'Aahh I HOPE this is another five star read JUST like her others and I HOPE it makes me feel the way all of her others did.' It was and it did.

Julie moved slowly, sliding his glasses off and setting them carefully on her coffee table. Her breath hitched as she got the first close-up look of his eyes. No wonder he kept them covered. Eyes like that could kill a girl.

So, there's this super popular movie called How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Heard of it? Yeah. I love that movie. Well, if you ever wanted more, if you ever wished you could have been inside their heads and hear what they're thinking-this is your opportunity. No, this book isn't a rip off of that movie, but it is a damn good portrayal of what could have happened behind the scenes. Julie works for Stiletto magazine, and Mitchell is a Wall Street stiff (With NERD GLASSES, might I add-yum). Julie is the 'first-date' guru of her magazine and now her boss has ordered her to write an article about the next step-a real relationship. Julie doesn't do relationships. Ever. Mitchell is recently single after a never-ending line of long-term relationships based on compatibility and what he believes is good for his lifestyle-his checklist, if you will. But when he is challenged by his co-worker/friend to engage in a meaningless fling where he can't get attached to a girl and has to break it off after a certain amount of dates, Mitchell refuses....until box seat Yankees season tickets come into play in exchange for participating in the bet. What ensues is a fabulous journey about finding everything you never knew you needed through a completely ridiculous search for what you thought you wanted.

He let out a sleepy snort, and Julie stiffened in surprise. He was asleep? She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. Then his arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer, and Julie's own eyelids began to droop.
Then Julie marked yet another first off her dating checklist: she fell asleep with a perfectly nice man on a quiet afternoon. Not because it was good material for her column. But simply because she wanted to.

One of the many, many reasons I deem these books five star worthy is because of how they make me feel. I can be a tad skeptical and overly judgmental about the books I read sometimes, which begs the question why these books touch me like they do. Why this contemporary romance author has brought me out of my hate for 'normal' romances. In truth, I don't know. Maybe it's because I read so many bad contemporary/NA/YA romances before deciding to swear them off and pledge allegiance to dystopian/paranormal romances, that when I actually picked up a good, no, excellent, one that I fell head over heels and gave the rest of her series a chance. I'm going to say it was a classic case of right book-right time, but it's more than that. It's her stories. They are the same stories that plague the contemporary romance genre, but yet she makes them her own. She has amazing, steamy, butterfly-inducing sex in the stories, and yet it isn't trashy. It's so utterly overwhelming that it curls your toes, but then she moves on with the story. She doesn't let the toe-curling sex command the story. No, she then can focus on what comes after: The cuddling. The love. That look the hero gives that says 'I'm falling in love with you.' Do you know how hard it is to make ME, ME see that look in a book? I never believe it. I love my books and I fall head over heels in love with stories all the time, but that look between two people where they are falling in love? That means something to me to be able to feel the gravid atmosphere of that situation. And that is why her books get five stars. I may not binge on NA/contemporary like my fellow friends, but I know what makes a good story, and Lauren Layne does it beautifully.

Mitchell's mouth turned sour at the thought of being just another of Julie's throwaway toys. But hell, that was why he'd picked her, right? This type of casual, meaningless dating was her world.
It was all she'd want or expect from him.
So just why the hell did that bother him so damn much?

I have this thing where, inevitably, I hope and I wish for a certain scenario to unfold and then I not so realistically hope and pray it will happen exactly the way I want....and then when it doesn't, I kind of pout and then move on. But with LL, either what I WANT to happen actually happens or...and this is 90% of the time the case...she does it better. She makes the ending or a situation unfold with more ferocity than I could EVER have dreamed up. And that is why I love her. Plain and simple. She does what I can't-She takes the things I didn't even know I wanted and makes them come to life...and makes them fifty times better.

"Probably for the same reason you balked at it last night," she said bluntly. "Because it means something."
He looked at her. Looked away. "I know what it means. Why do you think I suggested it?"
Julie didn't think it was possible to choke on one's heart, but it certainly felt like her heart had lodged somewhere near her esophagus. "But last night you said-"
"Last night I was a scared little boy who thought I'd be happy with a quick lay and a few laughs over the occasional dinner."
"And now?" she whispered.
His fingers drifted over her cheek, a whisper of a touch. "Now I'm a man, spending a quiet evening with a woman I'm crazy about."

I literally have to decrease my reading speed because I'm trying to absorb every word slowly so as to squeeze every little emotion out of the sentence as if the words will dry up the moment my eyes graze over them. I guess I hadn't realized I read VERY fast until the moment when I had to slow down to feel I was getting every sensation from the scenes before me. It's crazy to think a story (or in this case, this authors words) means so much to me that I'm willing to change my whole reading ritual.

She didn't blame them. She felt dull, listless, and irritable. And while a part of her longed to fix a smile on her face and fake her sparkle, the other part of her was tired of putting on the show.
She felt like she didn't have a single genuine sparkle left.

Is it weird that the two bets/assignments they had going on didn't really bother me that much? As in, if it were me and I found out, I don't think I'd be all, 'OMG, this is the end of the world! Why did this happen to me?!' I feel the answer to that question as to what that makes me would be unsavory...so I will ponder that little dilemma at a different time.

"Nothing has ever tasted this good. Never," she said with a full mouth. "How many calories do you think I burned? Two thousand?"
Mitchell nodded toward an elderly couple sitting on the bench across from them. "Seeing as they passed you about a half mile back, I'd say you burned around fifty."

So, hats off to Layne for making me give 5 stars to all five of her novels I've read. This one by far had the most painful explosion between the two leads, making my heart tear in two, but it was a beautiful disaster and I loved it. I've read all the way from frat boy to this successful Wall Street businessman, and I love each and every type of man she's created. See, but Mitchell? I think he surprised me the most. Major points for that, because I have never been so surprised by a character's persona...well...ever. He was a Wall Street guy and while I knew he'd be awesome, he was even better than I could have imagined...but I won't ruin why I was so shocked-you'll have to read to find out ;). In this story, it was so dramatic and painful that I had an 'oh, no she di'in't' moment with a dramatic gasp (The 'she' in question was not the main character, FYI-wanted to make that clear). I was being a tad over-dramatic (as I tend to get) and was a complete mess-pulling my hair out and grasping for them to make up. So, again, I loved this story, so now I need to chill the eff out and try to save literally THE LAST available novel by Layne for a dreary day, because after that it will be at least a couple months before her next release...five down, one to go.


For more of my reviews visit

[Elisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

tropes: fakeish relationship, opposites attract

if you've watched how to lose a guy in 10 days and you loved it, read this!
Julie writes a dating column but she never had an actual relationship, and now she has to write about how to maintain a relationship.
Mitchell has never had a fling, and his friend dares him to go on 5 dates with one girl and leave her.
Julie decides to fake date someone to write her story, who's that guy? Mitchell

At first, i was hating this book, because they both just weren't really feeling each other, but later they started having feelings for each other and it was so cute!

[. (not active on this account stop adding me) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i disrupted my long streak of f/f books to finish this but i’m not complaining because julie and mitchell are honorary gays ✊🏼🥺👋🏼

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ARC Provided by Netgalley)
(BR With Patty & Denisse)
(4-4.5 Stars)





Julie Greene is a senior columnist for Stiletto magazine in New York City. Julie and her two best friends/co-workers are considered the princesses of Stiletto's, and are in charge of writing about the dating, love, and sex departments of the magazine. Julie is a beautiful, successful woman who enjoys carefree dating, and has a different hot guy every week. She has worked her way up to the top of New York's social ladder, and is well known as the dating guru. She generally writes about dating, butterflies, first kisses, and getting a guy to call you.



Julie never gave much thought to what happens after the newness wears off. She always eventually gets bored, and never takes it to the next level. Julie's boss Camille decides she wants Julie to do a two page spread for their August issue called "How to Take Relationships to the Next Level"? This is unfamiliar territory for Julie, and she begins to panic about what to do. Her friends suggest she goes undercover, and find a nice guy to be her fake boyfriend. Someone who isn't her usual type, that is a relationship guy. They decide she will then pull the plug on the relationship before it goes too far.



Julie attends a fundraiser one evening and spots the perfect guy for the subject of her story. His name is Mitchell Forbes, and he is totally the opposite of what she usually likes. What she doesn't know is that Mitchell is also looking for someone to date that is his opposite. Mitchell is just getting out of a two year relationship. He is a more serious type of guy. He's a workaholic, and not big on the social scene. He works on Wall Street, and is a relationship kind of guy. His friend Colin thinks he needs to loosen up a bit, and bets him he can't have a meaningless fling. The deal is he is to go on a few dates, and then set her free before it gets too serious.



Mitchell spots Julie, and thinks she is the perfect girl for him to date and not get attached to. She is flashy, intense, and nothing close to his type. As they get to know one another, they grow to find their differences refreshing. All their well thought out plans go out the window, and they figure out they are a perfect fit. They simply enjoy each other without any added pressure, and it begins to feel natural. It isn't predictable, and they are able to laugh, have fun, and feel happy, relaxed, and content. The chemistry, and sex is amazing, and they really begin to fall in love, and find their home in each other.



I loved the funny banter between these two. I thought this was a fabulous, light hearted, fun, feel good book! This is the second book I have read by Lauren Layne, and I am definitely a fan! I look forward to reading the next two installments in this series! :D



-Being attracted to Mitchell was not part of the plan, yet here she was, quivering and wanting to rub against him.

-The hand on the back of her neck held her still as he took her mouth with devastating confidence. His lips brushed back and forth against hers several times, each touch making her more and more desperate to be closer.

-Her breath hitched as she got the first close-up look of his eyes. No wonder he kept them covered. Eyes like that could kill a girl.

-She liked that she made him lose control. Liked even more that he made her lose control.

[Lorena ♡ (semi-ia)]

pre-read 🧸:

maria was going to block my ass if i let another month pass without doing a buddy read with her, so here we are 🤪 first br with bestie 🫶🏼

i haven't read a lauren layne book in years but i've had this series on my tbr for the longest time. also, i've been told the first kiss scene is amazing, and i need to find out if that's true 🙂‍↔️

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic modern day romantic comedy that is fun, sexy and hilarious with a heart warming ending. I guess Amy had it right, this is quite similar to the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Julie Greene is a columnist who writes about dating. Her besties Grace and Riley wrote about Love and Sex. Julie is a serial dater and allergic towards settling for a relationship. A movie night at home with a guy equals total nightmare. But when her boss demands her to write a new topic about bringing your relationship to the next level, Julie find herself totally inexperience in that aspect. So she came up with an ingenious scheme to look for a boring relationship material guy for her research.

"The society pages call them Dating, Love and Sex. Privately, I think of them as Kiss, Cuddle and Fuck."

Here comes Mitchell Forbes who works at Wall Street. At first glance, he is an uptight, stuffy guy who take things too seriously including dating someone. To him, every date is a chance towards the altar. If not, why waste the time. I totally agree, Mitch! Oh, he wore glasses too. I bet he thinks chick dig his Clark Kent persona. Mitch had his own agenda too. His friend Colin make a bet with him saying he can't have a casual fling with a woman without wanting to propose to her. To prove him wrong and take back some of his male pride, he set out to have a fling.

Julie and Mitch met at an educational fund raiser and they both zoomed in on each other as their respective target and hit it off. Julie had her own 'Standard Operating Procedure' for dating, but Mitch isn't like any other guy she dated before. There isn't any seductive moves, teasing, foreplay and etc. He keep calling her bluff and ruin her game plan.

"Reading is my other favourite hobby, remember?"
"Not really. That little factoid was so boring that my brain had to reject it or risk falling into a coma."

Mitchell is not really into glamorous and glitter stuff. He don't wine and dine his girl. Instead his idea of dating is a morning run and buying you hot dogs. He is real and unpretentious. But oh boy, the man is a beast in the sack. Thank God this is not PG13, I was starting to worry in the beginning. The sex scene leaning more towards soft core, but with enough steam and hotness to satisfy me.

"Cute panties."
"I know they don't scream sex. But you try running in a thong."
"I could care less what your underwear looks like. Get them off."

As things progress steadily for their 'relationship' and both party started to feel more for each other, they struggle with their own guilty conscience and looking for a way to make things work. Why is a guy who is suppose to be wrong for Julie turns out to be so right.

She could not be in love with an uptight, baseball-watching Wall Street broker who thought reading was a hobby and running was fun.

From the beginning, I can smell the whole thing is gonna blow up in an epic proportion when one of them find out about the truth. Is quite predictable in a way, but it doesn't make the romance any less sweet and endearing to read.

How to know when he knows you: When he's formulated a solution to your screw-ups before they even happen.

Despite the short page count, the characters were fleshed out, the relationship progress naturally without feeling force and there is also some interesting secondary characters that tease us to follow the subsequent books. I wonder how did Lauren manage to do that with the limited pages, but she did. If you are looking for a romantic comedy read that is not PG13, this is a good choice.

The best part of love isn't about the giggles or the flirting or even the toe-curling first kiss.

The best part comes after all that.

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Kiss reminds me a bit of that old movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It is smart and cute. It is rom com. Miss Layne done a good job bringing the moral story alive through a bet.

I like Mitchell. He is quite, but not brooding and yet so sexy hero. He has patience. And I love patience man.
The chemistry is hot. The banter is sexy and fun. The reveal at the end is not dramatic but enough to close the story.

Overall this is a very enjoyable book.

4 stars

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I first read it 4 years ago and IDK what it was, I must've been feeling generous, but now I simply must lower this rating from 3 to 2 stars.

Why, you ask? Well, this read has some things going for it, I'll admit:

↗️ "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" - esque plot, which was done pretty well

↗️ overall cuteness and many adorable moments between Julie and Mitchell

↗️ female friendships

BUT there also was this:

She was attractive in a predictable, manufactured sort of way. She looked like California chic had collided with East Coast reserve and gotten it all wrong. Her pink dress fell respectably to her knees, but clung just a touch too tightly in the hips to be subtle. And her hair was a mess of light brown and yellow streaks. He hated hair like that. Women should either stick with their natural color (which was probably mouse brown in Ms. Greene’s case) or dye it and embrace their bottle-blonde status. Those colored strips—what did women call them? Highlights—were just so damned obvious.

Oh buddy...Maybe it's my own personal irk not shared by many, but this is basically me whether men (real or fictional) offer their precious unsolicited insights on women's make-up, hair or wardrobe choices:

Julie realized she was having the most depraved, unexpected sex of her life—with a guy from Wall Street, of all things.

"The MOST depraved" sex of her life and it's them making out on a kitchen counter, sweaty after a run, HALP 🤣🤣🤣 Forgive my dirty mind, but girl, that's like saying you wanna go crazy today and buying lemon ice cream instead of vanilla 🙃

“I still can’t believe you slept with him,” Riley hooted. “That is so geisha of you!”

No comment, really.

“She was hoping there might be a chance at a reunion. I told her no.”
Julie’s heart began to thud. “You did? Why?”
He gave a wicked smile and pulled her into the shadowy corner of the box, where they were out of sight. “Because Evelyn doesn’t put out at the Met.”

But if you think this was the end of Mitchell's charming ways, how wrong you are! We can now get to the main course, which is Mitchell being butthurt over Julie's plan to start dating him to write an article. NEVER MIND that at the very same time, he only started to date her as a BET to win Yankees season tickets and so that he could prove to his so-called friend and himself that he's capable of casual dating, as if there was something wrong with looking for serious commitment. To top that, once Mitchell learns the truth, he's the biggest hypocrite??? He doesn't even see how what HE DID was wrong too, he seriously thinks of himself as the sole victim of Julie and the situation.

Your Honour, at this time prosecution offers Exhibit A, B and C into evidence, as to prove this dude's utter douchebaggery:

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s not much to talk about. You’re two steps away from a prostitute, except instead of money on the dresser, you want magazine fame, and instead of serving up sex, you serve up vapid little smiles. Oh, no, wait—you serve up sex too.”

If Grace had come to plead her trampy friend’s case, he’d let her know exactly where she could shove her precious magazine.

His personal life was splayed all over a brainless women’s magazine, probably sandwiched between an article on Botox and one on the G-spot.

What can I say, find yourself that one special man who thinks your career is writing brainless garbage and who slut-shames you and never truly apologizes for it, it's just so hot 🔥🤩🥵

The prosecution rests.