It all started with an innocent rant about my boss...
A private tirade about Henry Sloane’s exclusive high-end clothing line that was designed for the rich and model thin.
But now, a video recording of my impassioned rant is making headlines. Amidst news of a national boycott, the company’s stocks have plunged, and protesters are flocking to Sloane’s Fifth Avenue store, demanding change, demanding his head.
All because of me.
Sloane is pissed. He wants revenge—retribution on the person responsible for damaging his brand.
He has no idea that person is me. Whoever leaked the video had the decency to blur my face—only now that they know I work for Henry Sloane, they want big bucks to keep my face concealed.
For now, my secret is safe—and so is my job. I just need to find $10K to keep it that way.
All books in the Naked in New York Series are standalone and can be read in any order.
Peyton James writes steamy romantic comedies and contemporary romance novels featuring strong heroines and equal parts humor and heat. She is the author of the Naked in New York series and several standalone books, including Chasing Lucy. In her spare time, you can find Peyton in the sunshine writing on her MacBook.
(audiobook+ebook) There’s a lot of details that I really enjoyed in this book, especially the positive messages about people in general–including sex workers, homeless people, disabled people, people of color, queer people… I loved how Hannah took charge of a project with confidence and dedication; she was not a weak woman. Though she has her insecurities and you can totally relate to her.
A couple of clichés bothered me though: the mean slim woman, the disgusting harasser… Even Hannah was a bit of a cliché, as she has curves, but still a tiny waist and just a little tummy, so she’s graced with an hourglass figure–not exactly repulsive.
Though the depiction of the clothes industry was accurate, and the critics so welcomed. Yes, even when you aren’t especially fat, you still have the hardest time finding something that fits. It was then inspiring to see a (fictional) brand become more inclusive.
In audio version, I found the narrator’s voice a bit flat, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying the story.
A swoony protective male, an insecure woman who hits the jackpot, a bit of suspense with a hateful blackmailer, you won’t put this book down!
Quickie
- Series: Naked in New York #1 (can be read as a standalone) - Hashtags: #billionaire romance #office romance #curvy woman #body positivity #fashion industry - Triggers: some unwanted seduction, depiction of eating disorders without naming them, fat shaming, blackmailing - Main couple: Hannah O’Keefe & Henry Sloane - Hotness: 3/5 - Romance: 4/5 - + the way Sloane revolutionize his brand to include ALL women (if only it existed in real life…) - – maybe the body positivity is a bit too on the nose
My first read of this wonderful author, I was pleasantly surprised how good the storyline was, how all the characters were likeable. With an issue of today’s clothing lines for curvy women! Hot lust filled chemistry between the two main characters, so passionate and erotic. I certainly can highly recommend this fun filled romantic, suspenseful read. Vi and Tessa Hannah’s roommates had me falling about laughing and the thoughts going through Hannah’s head made me giggle and sob with her body issues, that most women can appreciate! Geez there was everything in this superb read blackmail, betrayal with the tangled web of lies that will surely catch up with Hannah!! The funny, kind, perfectly handsome Henry Sloane blew me away! Eleanor’s nasty character had me jumping up and down with rage, I so wanted to slap her up the head! Who is blackmailing Hannah? Can Hannah betray Henry and can she take the risk of another broken heart? I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy
RUINED (for me) at 26%. - RECOMMEND I read to escape and I accept a certain amount of fantasy ,exaggerations, and/ or situations/reactions that are unrealistic but it’s a very, very small amount. I want it to be just on the verge of it could happen but I can still relate to the characters and/or storylines. Unfortunately, at 26% the author ruins this book for me. She has the male lead greet the Director of Fashion, an attractive women per the female lead’s internal monologue, and after acknowledging her he asks in a condescending manner how is “Travis”. It’s written in italics which implies along with the tone a slight. Immediately I realized that they had a past and this reads as if he’s still salty about their relationship. This doesn’t sit well with me knowing this is a story of Henry and Hannah and having an ex that works in the same company is not a a storyline I want in a romance. The author then has him drinking a scotch in his office in the middle of the day with the female lead, a subordinate. He then tells her he had a sexual relationship with the head of PR. This would NEVER happen. Also, the vast majority of mature, adult men know better than to speak to women about other women with whom they’ve been intimate. HUGE TURN OFF. I don’t like him and not mention I was already struggling with the doormat that is the female lead. Why do authors keep writing this female lead? It’s a no for me but up until this point I had not skimmed or skipped that much because it was entertaining. The 2 stars are for that and the foresight that other readers will not have any issues with the above. SEX SCENES - ??? Didn’t finish the book. There had been absolutely no intimacy or even acknowledged attraction between the main characters at 26%.
This book just wasn’t great. The writing wasn’t good and it felt like the “build up” between the characters was so awkward and then sudden. Also, I REALLY struggled with the disordered eating in the middle of a book that’s supposed to be about accepting and loving your body as it is.
Finally, the way this author chose to portray New York and speak about the people who live in the city was cheap and unrealistic.
I could not put this book down it was fantastic the only thing that would really add to this book was if the author added Henry's POV to certain parts so that we got more of an understanding of who his character really was and where he's coming from the story was a little lacking in chemistry and warmth when it comes to Henry and Hannah's relationship and for a romance book those are huge components to emphasize not gloss over without them it fell a little flat from time to time not to mention the god awful 'tell me what you see' mirror scene that's been so over done in this genre i had to deduct a star for it it was either that or throw the book out completely but Hannah was such a likeable character there was still a story to fall back on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lots of drama, emotion and blackmail in this story! by sewsummore
Wow! this book just made my day. Fashion for real women won me over as did the captivating story of a young woman eager to make a great impression during her three month work contract. When a angry comment made in private about her new employers designs explodes over the net. She is devastated and then she is angry when the man responsible blackmails her. Then her boss steps over the line and she cannot resist him, they spend nine weeks falling in love only to have it all fall apart when he find out she was the one in the video. Add lots of drama, emotion and blackmail and you have a story that will not let you stop reading until the end. I received a free ARC copy via Booksprout and have voluntarily reviewed this book.
Losing Manhattan is the debut book by Peyton James and she has written a fantastic story. This is a well written book with a nicely developed story-line and great characters with some depth and emotion to them. While I was reading I laughed, empathized, and cheered for the Hannah. Even though I wanted to not like Henry at times I still found myself liking him and then by the end I was with Hannah and loved him. This was a story that kept my attention from beginning to end as I was reading and found I had a hard time putting it down. I can't wait to read the next book by Payton James, especially if it is of the same quality as this one.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
This book is absolutely AWESOME and really enjoyable! I would like to give it 10 stars! The novel focuses on the relationship between Hannah O’Keefe, graphic designer, and Henry Sloane, her billionaire boss. The characters, both primary and secondary, are endearing and realistic. Losing Manhattan is well written with a storyline which is humorous, romantic, steamy, emotional, suspenseful, and intriguing. The plot keeps the reader’s interest from the first page to the end of the book. This is the first book I have read by Peyton James and I plan to read more of her books in the future. She’s a great writer! I highly recommend this book for purchase!
I received a copy of the arc Loved Hannah and Henry's story, though it was only from Hannah's perspective so we didn't a full round idea of Henry. The story is funmy, tearful and uplifting, with a little bit of intrigue and blackmail thrown in.
Would have love to have some of the story from Henry's perspective a I think it would have given a bit more depth and perhaps length to the story.
Loved Vi and Teressay and hope we get some stories round these feisty ladies.
What a great book! The characters are realistic and the story line focuses on Hannah, a graphic designer, Henry, her billionaire boss. It's well written, romantic, emotional, intriguing and has some humor woven in. The author has done a great job keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end. Highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Sloane comes from a wealthy family and is the CEO of a company Evans, Roth and Sloane. Hannah gets a job at Evans, Roth and Sloane a three month contract. Hannah has lied to the CEO Sloane and things start to unravel before her eyes. Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story hooked me from the start and made me laugh a lot. It was kind of a quick read but I didn't mind. I think I like the side characters as much as the main ones they were hilarious. If you don't mind some swearing and you want a fun book I recommend. I would read this author again. I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book in the series and the first book I have read from this author and I thought it was a pretty good quite funny enjoyable read. I liked the characters they were good together and were a lot of fun I enjoyed this book it held my interest all the way through.
This was my first time reading this author and I will definitely read more. This book was awesome. Perfect story line, characters, chemistry between them, ...everything.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the story of Hannah and Henry. She works for Henry as a graphic designer but he can’t seem to trust her. I really enjoyed their journey as they find their HEA. The road is fun, steamy, and filled with intrigue. Great story. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to read this book and OMG I loved it! To be honest, anything written from the talented Peyton James is worth your time!
A steamy, fun and romantic book that is sure to leave you wanting more... Highly recommended!!
I’m addicted to this. The way everything is put together is both satisfying and frustrating. The characters have so many facets it elevates their story to another level.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great read. This is my first time reading anything by this author, and this was a entertaining read. This book was well written, I liked the characters, and enjoyed reading their story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
She almost lost him because she was not honest with him. She was honest with him about everything after that for a change. Truth can hurt only if you don't tell. glad she figured it out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the quirkiness of the character . I especially loved Hannah’s inner monologue. They were hilarious.
This fantastic and well written book. An intense storyline that holds your attention as you get caught up in the fierce twists and hot chemistry. Lots of excitement. A thrilling must read.
The story started out well written and interesting. After a while, the strong theme of weight and being called overweight and unhealthy behaviors related to dieting got to be too much.
*Note: This review does not contain spoilers, but does mention parts of the story in detail, which some may consider spoiler-ish. Proceed with caution.
I had trouble staying connected with either of the MCs. What do they see in each other? I dont find either of them to have particularly attractive personalities. (And if a man initiates sex like Sloane does, he needs some serious romance lessons.) There is very little chemistry or sexual tension between them, so the story is more about the weight issue than the romance.
All women have self image issues, regardless of size, and I think it's fair to say readers put themselves in the position of the heroine as they read. Hannah is 5'6, a size 8-10, curvy, 34C. (Sounds pretty average to me, but today I could almost fit 2 of her in my pants, so there's that.) I had to look up the statistics just to see if I had a misperception. A quick Google search says a 5'6 woman size 10 would weigh 140 pounds and have a BMI of 22.6, which is average weight (18.5-24.9). In the story, Hannah defends herself to others as not being overweight, but her internal monologue and maybe more importantly, the entire story is a little different. She can't fit into the clothing line's max size, there are protestors demanding the company be more inclusive in their sizes, Eleanor is a snobby character that outright calls her fat to her face and in front of Sloane, she diets in an unhealthy manner, and I could go on... It's not just an issue of "this character is described this way and another character calls her fat one time." The whole story is about weight and society's perception and reaction to it. It was too much for me, especially when I don't consider the MC to be overweight at all!
Now about Sloane. Hannah comes across knowing more about business than he does. He makes public promises and she points out the problems to him. He's a millionaire CEO! Sloane gets in a verbal argument with the designer who works for *him*. Everyone tells him how to run his business, including the activists, and he does it.
At 68% I would have DNF'ed the book if I had not received a review copy from the author.
The narrator is a little slow, so I listened at 1.15x. She could use a little coaching to loosen up into the performance, but she was good. The chapter numbers are a bit jarring, too, but her French accent was excellent.
I didn't dislike the book at all, I just found some faults with it that put it solidly in the "It was OK" category for me.
I received a free audio review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Fabulous Story & Narration🎧 A Captivating Delight! Losing Manhattan: A Billionaire Boss, Standalone Romance Naked in New York, Book 1 By: Peyton James Narrated by: Lynn Devereux
I loved everything about this book, from Peyton James’ wonderful writing style to the story and characters she created to Lynn Devereux’s fabulous narration. The story is both original and interesting, it had me right from the start and captivated my attention straight to the end. The characters are realistic and easy to relate to. I adored Hannah O’Keefe, her two friends/roommates, Tessa and Violet, were pretty awesome too. Hannah is about to start a new job at Evans, Roth and Sloane, one of the largest corporations in North America. It is only a three month contract but she is hoping it will lead to a permanent job, she majored in graphic design and will be working on ads for their clothing line. She is passionate about her work, her first day in she makes an impression with the boss. She went into the wrong room and wound up sitting in on an executive meeting instead of her departments. A day earlier while shopping for clothes for her new job her friend videoed her complaining that the designers do not cater to all sizes, the problem is she was shopping in Sloane’s Store, whom she now works for. Luckily her face is blurred out hopefully no one will know but that video goes viral and causes an uproar with the people. Henry Sloane, a successful businessman and corporate leader is not happy about that his woman’s clothing line is getting such slammed in social media. But he gets some good ideas and insight from Hannah who accidentally sat in his executive meeting. He turns to her for her thoughts and opinions, likes what he hears and reassigns her to work to work on a new clothing line to appease all. I loved how everything plays out in this book, the story is well plotted and there is never a dull moment with plenty of drama, low angst, a bit of witty humor, a mysterious, blackmail twist, some heartfelt moments and a great romance. Peyton James, thank you for this fabulous and entertaining story.
I listened to the Audible edition, Lynn Devereux is a talented narrator and voice artist. She brings the characters to life, gives each their own voice and personality, as well as heart and attitude. She does a great job portraying the characters, humanizing them with their emotions and passion. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen🎧
Hannah goes shopping with her friends for work attire as she is starting a new job as a graphic designer. Things don’t go as she wished. She is having a hard time finding high end fashion which suits her hourglass body type. She goes on a small private rant to her friends how the clothes in this designer shop are designed for only skinny and rich women and how the designer is a hypocrite and how everyone should boycott his company. Little did she know, that small private rant goes viral and riots are happening against the store, Soane's Fifth Avenue store.
Oh did I mention, she is the new graphic designer in Sloane’s corporation. Oh Oh! Henry Sloane, the big boss, for one, is not happy about all of this negative publicity and is adamant to know the rising star starring in that video. At least the leaker of it had the decency to blur her face so no one at work knows its her in that video. Consideration or something else? Something smells fishy …
This was a super quick light read. I liked it but did not fall in loooove with it.
I feel it didn’t hit its intended target. There was a lot of missed potential with this one which I wished was there. Things felt super rushed and needed more exploring.
Enjoyable characters and an entertaining well written story. Liked reading those witty banter moments between the main characters.
Hannah was written and developed much better than Henry. Strong willed and independent but yet vulnerable. I loved how her insecurities was dealt with and explored in such a genuine way. It didn’t belittle those inner doubts and impact of harsh words and didn’t address them in any condescending mannerism. However, I wished we got to explore and see Henry’s character a bit more. Lacked the connection with him. Personally I feel as a result of so, their relationship for me had gaps in its depth and chemistry. On the other hand, the secondary characters, her friends Vi and Tessa, were amazing. Always good to have someone like them in your corner; part of your clique.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t erase the fact I had a good time reading this one.
Losing Manhattan is a clever story that takes the fashion industry to task through the character of Hannah O'Keefe and her most interesting roommates. Hannah is a new graphic designer at Evans, Roth & Sloane and it's their clothing line that she takes issue with. She can try on clothes all day, but there is nothing made to fit her hourglass figure and she doesn't hesitate to complain. Little did she know that a video of her rant went viral, including the digs she took at Henry Sloane, owner of the company. At work, Hannah finds herself in the wrong conference room and the meeting is being conducted by none other than Henry Sloan himself. She makes an impression on him and he keeps her on his team. Henry gets wind of a video in which a woman is complaining that his company's clothes aren't made for anyone other than size 2s, he doesn't know what to do. Hannah suggests a larger size clothing line and the idea takes off. What Henry doesn't know is that the woman in the video is Hannah! That can't possibly turn out well. She becomes the face of the new campaign, 212, named for the area code of Manhattan. I really laughed at the escapades in the fitting room with Henry and smiled as they fell in love. With a couple of bribery attempts along the way, this is a sweet and very clever story. The ending felt a little rushed and there is a HFN. I would like to see it extended to see how Hanah and Henry are doing in the near future. The narration was nicely done by Lynn Devearaux with characters that were clearly defined and with a dynamic voice that provided each with a unique personality.
Losing Manhattan: A Billionaire Boss, Standalone Romance Naked in New York, Book 1 By: Peyton James Narrated by: Lynn Devereux
Peyton James has a winner on her hands with this first book in her Naked in New York series! This book has a fun premise with realistic problems we can all relate to! Henry's company has had some bad press due to a viral video criticizing his clothing line. Hannah, the new girl in the wrong meeting, gives her opinion as to why the video has some merit. Now Henry has taken an interest in her, not only for her brains but romantically. But Hannah holds a secret that can unravel their relationship! Will things go south quick? Will Hannah win the heart of the boss? It's a fun office romance, but the topic of clothes is what really caught my eye. The truth is in the text! There is more than one shape to a woman! Hannah is bright and I love her spunk. She has great ideas, and she represents the normal, average woman. I enjoyed Henry too. He never looked down at Hannah because she was not model perfect. He was much deeper than that! Add in the fun friends of Tess and Violet and the story is filled with humor, good friends and good advice. Love the photographer too, what a hoot he is! It's a fast moving, fun listen!
Narration by Lynn Devereux is spot on. She adds so much value to the listen with her amazing story telling skills. Fabulous voices, including accents lead us through with great comedic timing and emotional tugs. I enjoyed her performance.