After the Kiss
Stiletto & Oxford • Book One
🔥 Steamy
Dedicated journalist Julie temporarily ditches her bachelorette lifestyle to play the the part of doting girlfriend to an uptight Wall Street broker for the sake of story research, only to learn that the brooding Mitchell has some secrets of his own.
After the Kiss
Stiletto & Oxford | Book One
Trope: Grumpy Sunshine, Opposites Attract, Fake RElationship
Julie & Mitchell
🔥
Steamy
“If you’re looking for a light, fun, sexy contemporary romance I’d definitely recommend this one. It’s the most fun book I’ve read in quite a while." —Smexy Books
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.
about the story
if you're wondering...
Is this book for me?
This series is very glam. Think guys in suits, women in high-heels, and "aesthetic" lifestyle.
This book is written in third-person, with alternating POV. Some people only like first-person. You've been warned!
This series is great for fans of "found family" where friendships build over the series in FRIENDS-esque style.
Grumpy-sunshine and opposites-attract contemporary romance.
🔥 This book is steamy with explicit sex scenes.
This book is great in the mood for a light-hearted love story that still has plenty of stomach-flip emotion.
I TRY TO BE AS UPFRONT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT EACH OF MY BOOKS. EVERYONE HAS UNIQUE PREFERENCES!
reviews & praise
“Packed with loads of sizzle and Snickerlicious fun, Lauren Layne’s After the Kiss is a knock-your-stilettos-off, total page-turning treat that had me fan-girling up within the first chapter. I absolutely loved this read!”—USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly
“Funny, intelligent, and touching, Lauren Layne’s After the Kiss is a delightful debut.”—Ruthie Knox, USA Today bestselling author of Flirting with Disaster
“I loved After the Kiss! It was funny and exciting all the way through.”—Fresh Fiction
“If you’re looking for a light, fun, sexy contemporary romance I’d definitely recommend this one. It’s the most fun book I’ve read in quite a while.”—Smexy Books
“I loved After the Kiss. It was an adorable, sexy sweet story.”—Love to Read for Fun
“This delightfully funny little gem . . . kept me reading with its entertaining antics, light drama and sweet conclusion.”—Craves the Angst
“It’s a delightful story that will have the reader rooting for the happily ever after, and one I highly recommend.”—Janna Shay
“I thought this book was great! It was an interesting story line and had great and believable characters.”—Libby’s Fun Books
“I love this story so much that every reader should read it! It’s a must read!”—Abigail Books Addiction
Excerpt
She recovered quickly. “Well, that’s because I wasn’t trying to make you fall in love with me. If I was, you’d have for sure gone in for a kiss by now,” she said with a wave. “I thought I’d go slow with you. You’re so . . . stodgy.”
Mitchell’s cocky grin slipped. Stodgy? He wasn’t stodgy. Was he? Surely she was just getting back at him for his rejection last night. Then again, she did strike him as a woman who knew exactly what she was doing.
Was he being played more adeptly than he realized?
He cleared his throat. “So you’re telling me the only reason I’m not falling wildly in love with you right now is because you don’t want me to?”
“Exactly,” she said. “If I wanted you to fall in love with me, I would’ve never let you see me without makeup this early in the game. Seeing a woman without her armor should be a gift saved until at least the seventh date. And I wouldn’t have shown you my lack of cooking skills. If I thought you’d dig the domestic thing, I would have ordered in and then transferred it all into my own cookware. And I most certainly wouldn’t have let you see me in the ratty shorts that I save for PMS and cleaning days.”
Mitchell couldn’t decide whether to laugh or strangle the outrageous ego out of her.
So he did the only other he could think of that would catch her off guard.
He kissed her.
Signature Series
Stiletto & Oxford
Sexy, witty, and addictive. If you love glamorous office romance set in New York City, women in high heels, men in suits, and found-family, this 9-book series makes for the perfect binge-read!
" the ultimate escapism."
❗️This series is not available as a paperback or print version. Penguin Random House controls the print rights, and has declined to make a paperback available for my readers.