A funny, sweet, romantic series comes to an end.
The Central Park Pact Series
Lauren Layne
January 28, 2020
Gallery Books
Blurb: 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?
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From the first novel in the Central Park Pact series, it was pretty much guaranteed that Audrey and Clarke would finally realize at some point that they were in love with each other because everyone else already knew. At last, in Marriage on Madison Avenue, we have their story.
Audrey and Clarke have been best friends forever. They have always looked out for each other, been there for each other, and tried very hard to make sure that the other never got hurt. They just never looked at each other as anything more–until the fake engagement. Suddenly, everything’s off-kilter.
Lauren Layne is without a doubt one of the best writers of romantic comedy and Marriage on Madison Avenue proves it. While many writers would offer stereotypes, Layne offers real people. The ex-girlfriend isn’t unfeeling and vindictive; she’s a real person who shows her feelings. The mother might be tough, but it’s because she loves her child. It’s this ability to take a character and see all of their sides that really makes Layne a wonderful writer.
In the Central Park Pact series, she’s take an idea that seemed crazy and turned it into something wonderful. How could three women being played by the same man come to like, no–love–, each other? Trust each other? Help each other? Each of the women is different sharing only good taste in shoes and bad taste in men until they each meet their soulmate.
Marriage on Madison Avenue is the perfect culmination. I loved Audrey and Clarke’s story because it moved me, made me happy and sad and ultimately satisfied. I could feel Audrey’s joy and sorrow; Clarke’s pain. I just wish the series didn’t have to end.
If you love romantic comedies but haven’t checked out the Central Park Pact series, you should. Layne is at the top of her game. I could tell you that Marriage on Madison Avenue can be read as a standalone, and it truly can, but why miss out on all of the fun of reading all three novels? I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rating:
5 out of 5 butterflies