Only with You

Only with You is the first book in Lauren Layne’s Redemption series, the contemporary romance trilogy that helped establish her as one of the steady producers in the genre. The premise is built on a familiar setup that Layne handles with care. Sophie Dalton has been telling little white lies on social media to keep her family from worrying about her single status, including inventing a fake boyfriend named Gray. When her family announces an unexpected visit, she has to either come clean or find someone willing to play the part. Gray Wyatt, the wealthy CEO of the company where Sophie works in a mid level job, somehow ends up agreeing to help her out for a weekend of family pretend.

The fake relationship trope is one of the most reliable in romance and Layne knows exactly how to use it. The pleasure of the book is in watching the artificial situation slowly become something neither of them planned. Sophie has reasons for the lies she has been telling and Gray has reasons for agreeing to a strange favor for a junior employee. Both reasons turn out to be more complicated than either of them initially admits, and the slow unfolding of why these two people are willing to do this is what gives the romance its weight.

Lauren Layne writes contemporary romance the way some people make pasta. The ingredients are simple and traditional but the execution makes the difference. Her dialogue snaps. Her chemistry is built through pages of actual conversation rather than just attraction at first sight. Her characters tend to have real careers and real concerns about those careers, and the work scenes feel researched rather than fudged.

The Redemption series continues with Made for You and Until You. For longtime Layne fans, Only with You is the foundational book of one of her most beloved trilogies. For new readers, it is a strong opening to a series and a fair sample of what Layne does best across her catalogue.