Walk of Shame
by Lauren Layne
Published by Loveswept
Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins
has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.
Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.
Spoilers ahead friends. You have been warned.
Genre:
At first I wasn't sure I would like Walk of Shame. I am not sure why. Maybe the title? Who know's? I will say, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I did like it.
Lets start with the plot. I like a good opposites attract story line ... as long as it is done right. Luckily for me, I was not disappointed. Walk of Shame is done right. Georgie and Andrew are on totally different ends of the spectrum of personalities. At first, they truly did drive each other nuts. Those mornings of antagonizing each other didn't take long to change into them starting to enjoy each others quirks, personality traits that they knew they lacked inside themselves. They started respecting those traits, even without fully understanding them. This story is done right, because these characters don't settle. They don't try to change each other. Instead, they end up together because they truly fell in love with each other ... opposite personalities and everything. The best part is, they balance each other out.
Which leads me to characters. I will admit, I didn't like any of the side characters in this book. Even the ones we are supposed to like, I found hard to connect to. The two characters who do matter, Georgie and Andrew though, I really enjoyed. Georgie, despite being an heiress, and could have easily turned into a vain snob, is actually very kind and compassionate. She is very intelligent, and its easy to relate to her when she has feelings of emptiness and sadness. Who hasn't gone through times where they were confused about what they were doing with their lives, and found what they were doing, wasn't making them happy? I know I have. I loved that when we meet Georgie, she is dealing with this. It makes her so damn relatable.
We don't get a whole lot of Andrew's point of view in Walk of Shame, but we do get some. Boy do I like Andrew. Fun fact about yours truly ... I like a rough around the edges, prickly type of guy. Case in point: my dear hubby. That aside, Andrew Mulroney is the very definition of prickly. He has a routine, that is is very rigid about. He is insanely smart, but not unfeeling (although he tries to appear that way), but tends to follow what his head is telling him, and not so much the heart. Which leads to months of fighting with Georgie. Despite his big ol brain telling him that she was a spoiled rotten princess that had no brains, his heart tells him otherwise (and after he gets to know Georgie, he knows his assumptions are wrong).
My score for Walk of Shame is 4/5. The only reason it loses a point is because it lacks a little bit of originality. It is mentioned often in the book that Georgie's favorite movie is Disney's Enchanted (which by the way, is an awesome movie). Enchanted is about a princess who is transported to the modern world, and falls in love with a prickly New York divorce attorney, who doesn't believe in true love. While Georgie isn't a princess, she is an heiress. And while Andrew isn't a single dad, he is a celebrity divorce attorney. Despite this, it isn't overly bothersome. Its a fun read, the sex is hot, and by the end, the story makes you feel good! Totally recommend!
Andrew: "Forget it. You're ridiculous."
Andrew: "I swear the lack of logic in your thought process never fails to astound -"
Andrew: "Stop acting like a child."
Georgie: "Stop acting like an asshole."
Georgie: "Can't take it anymore, huh? Going to off me, and drag my body out of the building in a big black bag?"
Andrew: "Don't be ridiculous, Georgiana. You're small enough that I could just put your body down the trash chute. Far more practical."
Georgie: "I'll prove I could Elle Woods the hell out of this city."
Georgie: "Worried it will kill you, spending all that time with me?"
Andrew: "Honestly? A little."
Georgie: "Someone's keeping track."
Andrew: "Someone's playing games. I don't like games Georgiana."
Georgie: "Which is why you need to play them, Andy."
Andrew: "Its Andrew."
Georgie: "Hmm. How about Drew?"
Andrew: "No. Georgiana."
Georgie: "Yes, Andy?"
Andrew: "I'm going to kill you."
Georgie: "So are we doing this?"
Andrew: "Your funeral? God I hope so."
Georgie: "Seriously? Okay. I'm done. I'm out. I hope the Wicked Witches flying monkeys carry you away and I never have to see you again.
Georgie: "Besides, I am a tiny bit sore."
Andrew: "Sorry about that."
Georgie: "See, your words say sorry, but your tone is just the tiniest bit self-satisfied."
Andrew: "I can neither confirm nor deny."