Made For You, by Lauren Layne (Best Mistake series, #2)

In the second novel in the Best Mistake series, Made For You follows Brynn Dalton, and her arch-enemy Will Thatcher, as they discover there’s a thin line between hate and love.

Brynn has always had her life planned out – she’s overcome an imperfect childhood to become the perfect adult: She’s achieved her goal of becoming an orthodontist (one she’s had since she was a teenager), she keeps her life in perfect order, is always properly dressed and behaved, follows a rigid structure, and rarely deviates from her Life List. The List, her notebook filled with her rules and plans for her life, guide her decisions. Brynn never makes mistakes. Well…almost never. There was that one night she spent with Will Thatcher. In a drunken moment, she shows up on his doorstep, invites herself in, and has one night of wild sexy times with the one man that doesn’t fit into her perfect plan. Brynn and Will’s little tryst happened in the first book in this series, Only With You, however, there is a flashback in this novel so you don’t necessarily have to read in order.

Will is handsome, charming, and lives the playboy lifestyle. He’s carefree, is a self-proclaimed man-whore, and a successful entrepreneur. His favorite past-time seems to be antagonizing Brynn. As much as Brynn tries to avoid him, she can’t. He is BFFs with her sister Sophie, and is at her parent’s house for Sunday dinner each week. They bicker, exchange rude comments, insults, and evil looks. During the course of the book, you discover what happens along the way that makes Brynn hate Will so much.

The story begins the night of Brynn’s 31^st Birthday party – which is where the book begins. Brynn, not happy about the surprise party, hides out in the bathroom until her sister comes in, finds her, and drags her back outside. This is where Brynn sees Will, who has apparently returned after a three year absence from town.

Will has a plan, and is intent on winning over Brynn for more than one night. Those plans include moving back to town - right next door to Brynn.  Sophie discovers Will’s true feelings for her sister.

“I feel like an idiot for not seeing it before. True love hiding behind the squabbling couple is like the oldest romantic-comedy trope there is”.  

Despite desperately wanting to join in and play matchmaker, Sophie remains on the sidelines while Will enacts his scheme.  

Brynn’s boyfriend comes by end their two year relationship for someone that is the complete opposite of her, Brynn decides she’s sick of herself and her life and is going to make some changes and take a hiatus from her overly-structured being for a while. Her adventure into the wild-side includes radically changing her clothing styles, chopping off her hair and dying it a different color, getting a tattoo, and having a wild fling with bad-boy Will.  

As Brynn goes through her self-discovery phase, both her and Will discover their true feelings for each other. Although the author draws out the angst and conflict between them to the very end, there is a happily ever after.

I discovered Lauren Layne earlier this year and have read nearly everything she’s written, including her “Sex, Love, and Stiletto” series, and “Broken,” the first in a new Redemption series, which seems to focus on men that are flawed in some way. I thoroughly enjoy the connection between the characters, the unique personalities, snarky dialogue, and humor infused in her works.  If you want to check her out, here’s where to start: 

Stiletto Series: 

Just One Night

Love the One You're With

After the Kiss 

Best Mistake: 

Only with You

Made for You

Redemption

Broken

Purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other retailers

About the author: 

Lauren Layne used to work in e-commerce. She wore cute shoes and big-girl clothes like an adult. Then she was like, nope, changed into her pajamas and started writing romance novels.  She believes in sarcasm, weekday happy hours, and happily ever after. 
Visit her at http://laurenlayne.com/ and the following sites: 
Twitter: @_LaurenLayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenLayneAuthor

The After House, by Michael Phillip Cash

Remy Galway is trying to rebuild her life after her cheating ex-husband has cleaned her out. She moves into a seaside house with her daughter, only to discover that it’s haunted by a ghost.

Captain Eli Gaspar, is furious that people keep inhabiting “his” home. He’s stuck in the house and uses his ethereal form to influence the inhabitants for his own benefit.

“Nothing really horrific. He was, after all, a gentleman. Just a little something to scare her off the property.”

The prior tenant, Pat Redmond, painted authentic paintings of the Captains whaling adventures, guided by Eli’s whispers, the vivid pictures were prized among the artist community. Now, Captain Eli is trying to drive out Remy and her daughter, except the daughter, Olivia, is not only fascinated with the paintings, but can see Eli and isn’t afraid of him. As events start to happen to Remy both in the house and out, she starts to wonder who could be behind all of it. With the help of loving and meddling parents, the town Mayor, Hugh Matthews, comes to the aid of Remy and provides the answers she needs to solve the mystery of who is trying to hurt her, and help Eli find his way home.

The After House is the first novel I’ve read by Michael Phillip Cash, and I was genuinely thrilled at the suspense, plot twists, and humor infused in the novel. 

Get your own copy on Amazon!

About the Author

Award winning and best-selling author Michael Phillip Cash has eight novels to date. Stillwell won Honorable Mention for The Book of the Year Foreword Review 2014. Brood X was The Book of the Year for Readers Views and Rebecca's Reads. Cash loves writing about Long Island, its rich history and ghostly inhabitants. He currently lives on the North Shore with his wife and two children.

The Job, Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

In the continuing adventures of FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare and charming con-man Nick Fox, Kate receives a call while working undercover during a bank-heist Nick. He says four simple words: “I didn’t do it.”

This of course is followed immediately by a call from her boss, saying that Nick has broken his agreement to help the FBI catch bad guys and has gone bad-guy himself by stealing priceless art. Kate goes on his trail, and finds as she catches the thief, that the heist-master isn’t Nick at all, but a woman posing as Nick to draw him out. As a former member of his gang of criminals, she knows Nick’s style and uses his techniques to get him to come out of hiding, visit her in jail, and find out why she’s so desperate for to talk to Nick. Thus, a larger apprehension is under way in the form of an international drug lord who has had plastic surgery to disguise his looks. 

The two use their super sleuth skills to track him down via his overpriced vices and set out to find him and destroy his empire. Kate, Nick, and their merry band of wackos that includes Kate’s father, a quirky actor (that really believes he’s just playing an role), a brash southern woman who will drive anything just to say she has, and a special effects artists to help set up their scheme, all come together help to take him down. 

The premise behind these novels is similar to that of the USA Network’s White Collar meets Oceans Eleven. Throw in the quirk behind Lee Goldberg’s Monk series, and the humor and whit in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and you have the combination of mystery, 80’s pop culture references, comedic characters, and a fun read. This isn’t a deep mystery novel with international intrigue and suspense, and a bit of romance thrown in. It’s light, sometimes predictable, and a quick read. It’s more of a “something to read on a sunny day at the beach” material than book club discussion worthy. 

This is the third novel in the series, but there are also two very short novellas. This one can be read as a stand-alone but it wouldn't hurt to read in order to get introduced to the characters.  

*Received Advanced Review Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

About the Authors (From GoodReads):

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

New York Times Bestselling author Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include "Martial Law," "SeaQuest," "Diagnosis Murder,""Hunter," "Spenser: For Hire," "Nero Wolfe," "Missing." "Monk" and "The Glades." He's also the author of the Fox & O'Hare series with Janet Evanovich (The Heist, The Chase, The Job), "The Walk," "Watch Me Die," "King City," the "Dead Man" series, as well as the "Diagnosis Murder" and "Monk" series of original mystery novels.

Scandal S4, E7: Baby Made a Mess. AKA: "Because I'm Olivia Pope Bitches".

Okay, so random thoughts from this episode rather than a full recap.

1. President Grant is a dirty talkin’, late-night-booty-calling freak. He’s giving Olivia his sexy talk.  He’s a tease. He’s also a man, broken and in love with a woman he cannot have. Meanwhile, Olivia lays the smack down better than anyone. Hangs up on the sexy talk and demands to know where Jake is – she believes he’s innocent.
2. Huck finds his son! And he’s been online gaming with him! And the kid tracked him down via his IP address using those techy Huck genes. Omigawd! I’m rooting for Huck to find a happily ever after. His family. His home. He needs it. Needs it!
3. Quinn fins out that someone is following Olivia Pope, and will kill (daughters, themselves) to keep it a secret.
4.  Abby’s past comes back to haunt her in the form of her ex-husband, an abusive bastard now nominated to replace the senator who was seen in a freak fest diaper filled sex romp and ousted from the senate.
5. Olivia and Abby are fierce friends and don’t fuck with them! Seriously. Just don’t. They will Shut. You. Down. 
6. Abby finds an ally in Leo, who totally has her back after she tells him about her skeevy ex-husband. They share some hooch. And a kiss. Take THAT David Rosen. 
7. “You don’t have a father, you have Command.” OP learns that PP is Command first, Daddy…well, never.
8. Cyrus finds out his man-whore is playing for the other team. As in, Team Lizzy.
9. Mellie is manipulated again. Poor gal.
10. Word of the week: Yahtzee!

Next week:  With Jake and Fitz on her team, Olivia Pope goes up against Command. Jake and Fitz joining teams to help OP. Who will she choose in the end?