Steal Me

New York's Finest #2

by Lauren Layne

IN HOT PURSUIT

Being a cop might be in Anthony Moretti's blood, but protecting and serving the city of New York has always been more than just the family business. If that means his love life stays locked up, well then that's just another sacrifice made in the line of duty. That is, until he sets eyes on the gorgeous new waitress at The Darby Diner and suddenly Anthony's morning coffee is leaving him a whole lot more hot and bothered than usual.

Though waitressing at The Darby isn't exactly Maggie Walker's dream job, it pays the bills and gives her time to work on her novel. Now if only she could stop fantasizing about gorgeous Anthony Moretti every time he sits down at her table, she'd really be in great shape. But when he needs her help identifying a criminal threatening The Darby—and Maggie recognizes her ex-husband—she fears her fresh start might be a pipe dream. Faster than a New York minute, Maggie and Anthony find themselves in one perilous pursuit that only gets hotter with each and every rule-breaking kiss.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Chick Lit, Suspense, Romantic Suspense

323 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 24, 2015

About the author

Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Hot Asset, Hard Sell, and Huge Deal in her 21 Wall Street series, as well as her Central Park Pact series. Her books have sold more than a million copies in nine languages. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.

Reviews

[• Lisa • · Rating 4 out of 5]

FOUR CAPTAIN MORETTI STARS

"She wanted him. All of him. Always."



This novel boasted the best in pure, undiluted, Lauren Layne style sexual tension. The lust combined with the sweet was the perfect style for me to get lost into with this latest by my favourite author. When I first 'met' the Moretti brothers in book one of this new series by Lauren Layne, I already found myself predicting this would be a series that I would happily find myself overly giddy with romantic feelings about and I'm glad to say that my predictions haven't been wrong for this author yet.

What's it all about?
Captain Anthony Moretti is more than happy at the prospect of staying married to his career and never giving love a chance to take up the spotlight in his life. Not once questioning that he is building a lonely life for himself, nothing surprises him more when a local waitress grabs his attention. Maggie walker can't understand why the moody captain is able to have such an effect on her, especially when said person hardly even takes the time to be friendly to her let alone be the next candidate for boyfriend material. Not ready to face her feelings for this Moretti brother it comes as a huge surprise when their lives, by pure coincidence get entangled together and this beauty has to decide whether it's worth the chance at giving away her heart. Follow this next heart stopping instalment in the New Yorks Finest series by the talented Lauren Layne and prepare yourself to fall for yet another Moretti brother.



What did I love?
I'm nuts about this author, that I can't hide. But what made me crazy about this book, you may ask? To start with this book hosted my favourite kind of hero; the grumpy, slightly clueless about love alpha who gets smacked in the face with the reality of finding a woman who he can't live life without. And if the fabulous hero status wasn't enough the heroine is also pretty much loveable all in her own right. Independent, selfless and ready to take on this moody New York police department captain. To be certain this book was all that I desire in a classic Lauren Layne style romantic romp and it featured all the brilliant family members that I loved so much from book one of the series. All in all there was not much not to adore about this book and I have near to none complaints about what turned out to be a well plotted, seriously heart racing romantic journey.

Why not five?
It's rare that I give this author's work less than a raving five star review, but here it is readers a four star for my number one author. However, it's nothing to cry into your daily cup of tea about. Because let's face it I have enough love for this novel to be giving a more than respectable solid four stars. But alas there is reasoning behind me dropping that one star and it all boils down to the feelings that this book provoked. As much as I loved this story it didn't leave me with the 'knock my socks off, can't bear to be away from this book' feeling that a five star normally would provide me with. But with all that being said, I'm still anxiously waiting for Lauren Layne to wow me with the next book in this series and nothing can stop me from being first in the queue for more from my number one.



Final thoughts ...
Whenever there is a new Lauren Layne book to be read I'll always be first in the queue ready to devour it. Something about her style and her seemingly effortless approach to putting together a romance saga suits my needs like a chocoholic finding their next fix. My time spent reading this author always takes me to my happy place and is a firm reminder of why I love this genre of reading. 'Steal me' was flirty, fun and with just the right hint of suspense I was once again sold by this authors ability to make me fall in love. Enjoy readers ... Kisses.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

His eyes were wild as they looked down on her, and the last thought Maggie had before his mouth slammed against hers was that Anthony Moretti completely out of control was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

I have a rule when it comes to Lauren Layne books: she writes them, I read them. Period. It doesn't matter what she writes, because each and every time I know I'll be in for a treat. Her New York's Finest series has quickly made its way onto my favorites list as well. I loved Frisk Me, and after the little peek that we got at the end of it into Anthony Moretti, I couldn't wait to see what the police Captain will bring.

The character that immediately caught my attention was the middle Moretti, Vincent. What can I say? I love the broody grumpy assholes, and Vincent sure fits the bill. What I didn't expect was for Anthony to give him a run for his money. The newly promoted Captain has no interest in relationships ever since a tragedy changed his outlook on mixing his career aspirations with a woman. He knows the two will never mix and he doesn't even want to try. So what if the beautiful waitress at the diner his family frequents instantly catches his eyes. It helps that she can't seem to help but dump food on him each time she sees him, bringing out his temper and loosing his filter so he can't help but be a grade a asshole.

Maggie Walker has dreams, and a waitress at a diner isn't it. But it pays the bills while she tries to make her dream of becoming an author come true. Having left everything behind to move to NY, she's starting over fresh. In her tiny apartment, with her adorable dog, she doesn't mind that it may not be the lap of luxury, because for once in her life it's all hers. But she can barely seem to do her job when the intimidating Captain Moretti seems to bring out her inner klutz. But when she just may be the witness to help him with a career making case, Anthony has no choice but to get to know the little waitress better. And that's when things get interesting...

He pulled back, just slightly, his breath hot and heavy against her face. "Say you want this."

I loved Maggie's sweet but sassy personality. At first I thought she'd be another introverted little mouse, but she really grew into her own as the book progressed. Anthony was the epitome of an a-hole for much of the book, which is actually, what ultimately brought my rating down slightly. It took him a bit too long for my taste to finally remove his head from his ass. And let me tell you, when it came to relationships, it was very firmly planted up there. You have to know it's bad when Vincent was giving him relationship advice.

The chemistry between Maggie and Anth was scorching. What I love about Lauren Layne, is nothing is instant. No insta-love or insta-lust to be found here. She really makes it stretch and burn, and it makes it that much more delicious when the sparks finally ignite. So as frustrating as Anthony was for me at times, it took barely anything away from the book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and can't wait until the next one....ESPECIALLY after that sneak peek at the end.

ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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[Alba and Her Secrets..♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 "Dreams" Stars!

ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.



I am always excited when I recieve an ARC, especially if it is from one of my new favourite authors. I decided to first read Frisk Me (the first book in the series), you know me I have to read in order LOL, and now it's time for the second novel in the New York's Finest.

Steal Me continues with the story of the eldest Moretti brother, Anthony "Anth" a.k.a Captain (he is the new Captain in the NYPD, he is gorgeous and reticent, and he is looking for a burglar called Smiley who happens to be related with the woman who he cannot stop thinking about) and Margaret "Maggie" Walker (the new waitress in the Darby Diner, a woman who dreams of becoming a writer and also a woman who is super atracted to our reserved male protagonist).

Damn it, he thought, watching as she seemed to cuddle into his jacket. Damn it to hell, because Anthony wanted nothing more than to tug her to him.
To drop his mouth to hers and taste her.
Damn this woman.

Obviously, again, Lauren Layne gives her readers amazing characters. Anthony is kind of a workaholic, a man afraid to show his feelings but who cares a lot about the people around him. And Mags is a woman who lived through a difficult marriage, who has transformed into a strong kick-ass person and who wants nothing more thant to have Anth with her. I loved these two together, they have a lot of sexual tension between them (yeeeeeeeah!) and they also give us some sweet and surprising moments.

“You’re hardly an open book, Maggie.”
She glanced up in surprise at that. “Yes I am.”
“Well, you’re a book I don’t know how to read,” he said gruffly.
“Do you want to? Read it? Read me?”
“More than I should.”

Again, what I really enjoyed (again) is the Moretti's interactions, again especially Nonna's. She is the best! She is my favourite!! She will have you cracking up, laughing like crazy! Her comments are to-die-for LOL And she is not shy about anything ;)

“Anthony Franco Moretti Junior, did you—”
“For God’s sake, I didn’t show Maggie Walker my wang,” he said.
“Well then why didn’t she show up today?” she demanded.
“Maybe because he didn’t show her his wang,” Luc muttered into the mouth of his beer bottle.

“I’ll bring my sharpshooter.”
“Question.” Anthony lifted a finger. “Do you know what a sharpshooter is?”
“Absolutely. And I’ll bring one.”
“Wrong,” Anth said, making a buzzing noise. “A sharpshooter is a person.”
Nonna scowled. “Well, fine. If you’re going to be particular about it, then I won’t bring a sharpshooter, I’ll be a sharpshooter.”
“Oh my God,” Vincent muttered.

What did I say? Awesome, this woman is awesome! haha I love the whole Moretti family and I cannot wait to read the next novel, which will be about Vincent and his police partner Jill (so exciteeeeeed!).

Also, Steal Me had more suspense than Frisk Me and I enjoyed that. All the case related to Smiley and how Anth and Maggie have to deal with it, I really liked it. Even though sometimes I wanted to punch these two because they are too afraid or proud!! Still, loved their chemistry.

“You’re…”
She looked at him through hazy eyes. “Hmm.”
“Everything,” he said quietly.

Sometime in the past few months, her dream had shifted. Grown more complicated.
She still wanted to publish the book. [...] But the dream felt…partial. It was a component of her dream life but not the heart of it.
Anthony.
Anthony was at the center of her dream.

Therefore, my rating for this novel is 4.5 STARS. I still enjoyed more Lauren's Stiletto series but I have to say the Moretti family already have an especial place in my heart, I love them! I really liked that Lauren gave us an epilogue on this one and as I said, I cannot wait to know more about these amazing characters. So, yes, I highly recommend this series and this author!!

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[Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**

"Maggie," he whispered, just as her eyes started to close.
"Hmm?"
He was silent for a long moment. Then, "Nothing. Go to sleep."
So she did. But in her dreams, he finished that sentence with something else entirely.

I am so so SO happy to announce that Mizz Lane has outdone herself...AGAIN. I can't make this stuff up, folks. It's not possible. Contemporary is hardly worth reading most of the time, in my opinion, so it's not even like I feel as if I should be forcing a smile and a good rating because I'm trying to stay true to myself. No, I simply read Lauren Layne...and it makes me the happiest person in the world-No matter how terrible I'm feeling. Which, frankly, has been a frequent state of mind lately-Helplessness. So, suffice to say, anything that makes me smile and laugh and swoon is a stellar piece of work-REALLY.

"You did something. I know you did something."
Anthony gritted his teeth and let out a small grunt as he pushed through another bench press. Eight.
"You either showed her your wang, or didn't show her your wang. And whichever choice you made was obviously the wrong one."
He blocked out the voice of his grandmother and pushed through another. Nine.

I always hesitate to pick up my Layne ARCs....because, ya know, like my fellow blog-mate said-It's as if we keep waiting for that first LL 3 star and we dread the day it comes. Will that day ever come? I'm starting to think it never will...Though, it's a terrifying thing to think about. But then we always pick them up and have the best time reading them. No matter where we are or, as stated above, what mood we're in, her works seem to lift us to another place. Or, at least, that's how I feel. I can be the most depressed person in the world, and then I'll pick up my favorite author's latest and greatest hit, and all of a sudden I'm just so happy out of nowhere. It's such a wonderful feeling. Cut the crap. Drop the gushing. These are just facts: It takes someone truly spectacular to control your mood like that. It's the purest form of mind manipulation, but you don't feel that way at all. It's the best kind of mind control, and after you come out of the trance, you can't help but feel as if you didn't get enough. It's crazy-it's almost like you feel as if you've lost a big group of friends after putting her books down. It's an ache that can't be filled. Well, at least until I get my hands on another book of hers.

"Big biceps won't help you with that girl. Do they have exercises for personality? You should do those."
"Bench presses aren't for biceps, Nonna. They're shoulders. Pecs." This from Luca, who was sprawled on the couch with a beer.
"Pecs, huh?" Maybe I should give the weights a shot. Then again my push-up bras do the trick just fine."
Ten. Anth scooted down on the bench, grabbing a towel from the ground as he glared at his grandmother. "We talked about this. No reference to your lingerie. Ever."
"He's right," Luc added, glancing over at them. "We did talk about it."

In case you've felt foreign feelings while reading an LL novel, I've compiled a list of symptoms that contribute to the Lauren Layne fever. They are as follows:

-Loss of breath
-Excessive lip biting
-Lack of drive to do literally anything else besides read her current novel
-Contentedness
-Grouchiness when bothered
-EXPLOSIVE butterflies
-So many feels they hurt

Have you encountered any of these symptoms? Tsk. *Shakes head and sighs* You've got it bad, bro. But believe me-You are not alone!! Don't feel the need to seek help-we here at Star-Crossed Book Blog are all too familiar with these symptoms (and phantom pains when one of her books isn't available yet) and we are here to help you!! There, there. It will be okay-come gush with us, we can't get enough of it. :P

Captain Moretti transferred his annoyed gaze back to Maggie, but she held up a weary hand. "Save it. Or add it to my list of sins. I don't really care. I'm going home. If either or both of you want to walk me to the subway station out of some macho display of chivalry, go for it, but under no circumstance do I want to chat. Got it?"
She walked away then, ignoring the rain, ignoring the hurt, and definitely ignoring the men behind her.
But she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, just once before heading down the stairs to the train platform, and somehow she wasn't at all surprised to see that Captain Anthony Moretti had followed her, hands shoved in his coat pockets as he watched her from several feet away.
And despite her bad mood, Maggie might have smiled. Just a little bit.

Now, I won't lie, I didn't really care to venture off from Luc and his story-no worries, he was a constant even though he wasn't a main character-Or so I thought. What a fool I was. What a sad and deranged fool. Because Anthony?? Yeah. Wow. I did NOT see this asshole comin'. He literally-I swear-eeked his way into my heart. I picked this book up and I was all 'Alright, let's get this started so I can see me some more Luc'. Yeah-Luc, who? I'm just kidding...but really. I loved and adored Luc, he was absolutely perfect-really-but what Layne does best is make you care about who the story is centered around in spite of the fact that you really were thinking you were going to stick to your guns and only love your first guy. No, no. When she writes a story, she comes to play-You can love your other guy all you want, but at this time, in this story, Anthony is the man, and you will not want for anyone else, because this mofo is all you can handle. Seriously. I think your feels would implode if you tried to squeeze another guy in.

"You're just going to lay here and let me read silently?" he asked. "You'll be bored."
Maggie tilted her head up and met his eyes. "It's been years since someone's held me. Trust me, I won't be bored."
His gaze softened before turning to the computer screen, where he began to read.

But here's the thing! When the other characters intervene? You aren't annoyed. You don't sigh because it's taking time from Anthony and Maggie. In fact, when Luc and Ava are there, it purely adds to the story-fully enhances it. So not only do you have a wonderfully well-rounded romance NOT bathed in sex scenes and cheesy dialogue, but a romance that embraces sexual tension and quirky humor between friends and family that never gets old. And the dialogue?? It makes you bust out laughing at the simplest roll of the eyes or the smallest deflection of Nonna-their outspoken grandmother who loves to push their buttons (and, ironically, push innuendos about sex towards her grandsons lol). There's such a strong substance to her works, and I always annoy people with my gushing, I'm sure, but I'm sorry-it's so rare to find an author who not only values a good romance, but the idea that a story doesn't need to center around sex to make you feel fulfilled by the end of it. Oh, and to be clear? There's sex. Oh yes. Don't mistake that-it's just not shoved down our throats every other chapter. Hmm. *taps chin* So refreshing. I swear she's my author soul-mate.

"You're..."
She looked at him through hazy eyes."Hmm."
"Everything," he said quietly.

And a quick word about my dear Anthony-Sweet, gruff, authoritative, quiet but in control, and kind as a person can get, he will surprise you. He has his demons, which, you know, would make him a tortured male lead (*holds hands up* hey, I totally didn't list that as a quality because I know I've SO overplayed it lately so shhh) and even more enticing than I even thought possible. But he has a lot of shit to work through, and it may aggravate you at times (I guess...I didn't care in the least *shrugs*), but he is nothing but loyal and protective and fierce. He'd do anything to protect this sweet, yet feisty, aspiring author (love that!). Oh, and did I mention he gets totally jelly? Yeah...he totally does. :DDDDD

"Hey," he said, touching a fingertip to her face. "Don't do that. Those cops outside are there for your protection."
"They're there to catch Eddie as much as they are to protect me," she pointed out.
"Yeah," he said, looking troubled as his hand found the doorknob of her front door. "The problem is, I care a hell of a lot more about the second one than I should."
Maggie opened her mouth, wanting to say...something.
But he was already gone.

Giggles. Hearty laughs. Smiles so large and so frequent they hurt my face. My stomach is STILL churning. Anthony, Luc, and their family are back at it again, bickering and meddling in each other's lives for the most sincere help they think they can offer. It was all so sweet it gave me a toothache...but no one makes my teeth ache better than Layne. It's the best kind of annoyance...and now I've got the fever AGAIN. I swear that pesky bug won't go away.

OH! And PLEASE ignore the cover-this is a total case of 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. Really. Don't. 'K Bye.


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[~♡AB♡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★ 3.5 Stars ★★★



This is the second instalment in this series of standalone romances based around a family of New York City cops, who are all larger than life and considered the cop royalty to those who are in their circle.

Steal Me follows eldest brother Anthony Moretti, who has recently been promoted to Captain. He is ambitious and focused 100% on the job, with dreams of becoming Commissioner like his father once was.

Despite being incredibly good at what he does, he is failing to catch a thief who is currently causing havoc on the Upper East Side and evading the police at every corner.

Maggie Walker is the waitress who serves the Moretti family on a Sunday after church. She is a recently divorced aspiring author who is struggling day to day to pay the bills, due to her parasitic alcohol fuelled father and brother who only ever seem to need her for money.

Captain Moretti intimidates her and she can't see to stop spilling food and drink in his lap, and whilst Anthony is annoyed at this clumsy woman, he can't help feeling drawn to her. His whole family seem to adore her and even though he tries hard not to fall for her charming and endearing ways, he subconsciously becomes her protector.

My favourite thing about this series, is the family dynamic of the Morretti clan, they are a fabulous bunch of diverse and colourful characters who always manage to keep me entertained throughout the book. A special mention goes to Nonna, who never fails to make me laugh with her inappropriate comments.

The romance element, as is usual with this author, a slow burning and passionate affair and although I didn't quite fall entirely in love with Anthony's gruff and closed off manner, Maggie more than made up with it when she vowed to fight for her man.

I am more than eager to read Vincent's book, I am sure that his book will be absolutely a winner for me.

Steal Me is part of a series of Standalone Contemporary Romance novels, told in third person dual POV.

ARC gratefully received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Loved this one! One of my favorite Lauren Layne books.

It was all because of Captain Moretti....*sigh*.

[Dali · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s supposed to catch thieves. He never thought an intriguing waitress would Steal his heart. A sexy slow burn and sweet romance that will make you smile.

Anthony Moretti has his priorities straight: family, the NYPD and the NY Yankees. And while number one and two are closely intertwined since most of his family is in law enforcement, achieving his career goals are what drives him. He can very well ignore everything else, including his love life. That is until the sexy new waitress at his family’s favorite diner can’t keep from spilling food over him, and only him. Leaving him flustered and intrigued.

Maggie Walker was a shadow of a person while with her ex-husband until she decided to claim her life and independence and reach for her goal to be a writer. She knows waitressing won’t get her published faster but it helps pay the bills, allows her to people watch – a handy skill for an aspiring author – and lets her meet pleasant new folks like the Moretti’s who have all but adopted her as one of their own. Except the surly, short-tempered, strikingly attractive “Captain” Anthony Moretti who she can’t stop thinking about.

“Has anyone ever told you that you go from docile and abiding to sassy and difficult in the span of a couple seconds?”

While at the diner going over a case that has him and the entire NYPD confounded, Maggie inadvertently identifies the crook Anthony’s after. Throwing them together in a chase that will test his resolve and their limits as every interaction stokes the flaming hot attraction between. But can their relationship survive their career oriented priorities?

As the older brother in the Moretti brood and bearing the expectation of following in his father’s footsteps, Anth is a bit brusque, uptight and even conceited. It was fun watching him try to figure out how his entire family was completely smitten with Maggie while he was mostly irritated that she always left a stain in his wardrobe and sexual awareness under his skin.

“You go from sexy to bossy so fast I get whiplash.”
“Rumor has it some woman find bossy sexy.”

The Moretti’s weren’t the only ones to be charmed by Maggie, I was too. Who wouldn’t root for a character that picks herself up after years of use and abuse from her family to try to make her life happy and whole, not just succeeding but also coming out still being a loving, caring, selfless person?

“She understood then what love was supposed to be. In its purest form, it was unselfish.”

The slow build up between Anth and Maggie was delicious and I loved all the sweet and tender moments they shared as well as all the support they gave each other. I enjoyed how Maggie slowly cracked his insensitive shell with sass and how she helped him overcome the guilt he carried from a previous relationship. Everything from him walking her dog or reading and supporting her manuscript to her wanting to be his partner and encourage his own career.

The story was rounded out nicely with the fun loving interaction between Maggie, Anthony and his meddlesome yet loving family which I can't wait to know more about.

Lauren Layne is a fixture in my sweet and sexy romance list. I know I can count on happy, satisfied smile when reading her stories filled with family, friends, sexy times and love.

Steal Me is the second book in the New York's Finest series by Lauren Layne. It is a standalone, full-length, contemporary romance. Told from both points of view, with a happy ending.

* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via NetGalley. The excerpts are from that copy. *

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[[~Ami~]♥Sexy Dexy♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Truly adored this one. When I was reading this I felt like I was reading a JJ book. Nothing about it irritated me. Loved all the characters. Loved the butterflies it gave me. Loved the tension. Loved the steam.

If I had to really critique something I would say the end was a bit rushed and I would have liked to kick Anthony a time or two. But when he says something like this how can I not swoon:

"I was kind of planning on giving you forever"

Also I noticed 3 out of my top 6 this year are hot cop books. So friends you know what to recommend me next year :) Thanks for making me read this Jeanne you know me so well!

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steal Me is the second in the New York’s Finest series and it sort of reminds me of Blue Bloods, the TV series, but funnier. This big cop family is loving and loud, and their eighty-five year old Grandma, Nonna’s appearances have me laughing out loud! She is one hip, feisty lady!

Captain Anthony Moretti is all about his job in the NYPD and things are on track for him to realize his ultimate goal of becoming the city’s Police Commissioner, a job his father had filled for years until his recent retirement. Romance, however is another story. Anthony’s last relationship ended tragically, something he blames himself over, and so he steers clear of any romantic entanglements. That is until the beautiful new waitress at Darby Diner keeps dumping coffee, and food in his lap just about every time his family visits after Sunday Mass. Yes, you wouldn’t know that she attracts and distracts him by his perpetual scowling, but his family isn’t fooled!

Maggie’s dreams never included waiting tables, and sore feet. She dreams of finishing and publishing her novel. Maggie also dreams of the sexy Police Captain, Anthony Moretti, but wishes she didn’t, because more often than not he’s scowling and rude. Worse, he flusters her so much that she always ends up dumping food in his lap!

As much as Maggie would like to purge Anthony out of her brain, their paths intersect when she recognizes a police sketch of the infamous Smiley thief. It bears a striking resemblance to her loser ex-husband she left a year and a half ago. Circumstances throw Maggie and Anthony together, and they can’t fight the irresistible pull of attraction.

Can their romance go anywhere when Maggie is an informant in Anthony’s police investigation? And when Anthony doesn’t think he can balance his job with a relationship? It was fun watching them figure things out with a little help, of course, from the Moretti’s. Advice is given whether wanted or not, lol!

I’ve been looking forward to Captain Anthony Moretti’s romance with the Maggie the waitress after reading the teaser at the end of Frisk Me. And I’m happy to report I enjoyed this installment even more than Frisk Me. Lauren Layne’s writing charms once again with her signature witty banter, laugh out loud humor, and a very steamy romance! A definite recommend.

A copy was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Geri Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the first. Plus Nonna is the bomb. And I really, REALLY, REALLY WANT Vincent and Jill's book.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 You Can Have It All Stars * * * *
Earlier this year I fell for the Moretti Family in the first book of this series,
Frisk Me. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
We were introduced to all of the Moretti's and they were wonderful with individual styles and swag. But with all of that going on, there was one universal theme happening and it was family will always be there for you.
They may not deliver the message the way you want or may get in your personal business one too many times... but the love undercurrent of their comments always rang true in the end.

In this installment about "New York's Finest", we have generations coming to terms about their place... a father who has retired from being the Captain of the entire force of this great city and a son on his way up the golden ladder to take the expected and coveted place.

We see the father needing to be included in the day today happenings on the force... with all of the grown children around the table discussing "beats", investigations and media focus. This is a constant whether it is the family's table at home or their home away from home, the Diner they go to religiously every Sunday morning with the same commitment as attending their place of worship with their own designated booth. They had the same waitress for decades until she retired and now there is this wisp of a gal who seems to always cause chaos whenever around Anthony Moretti.

Oh, excuse me... I forgot... it is Captain Moretti...as he corrected our new gal, Maggie Walker during the celebration party the family had for his promotion. This goal of Captain was just another step on the ladder to Chief. Anthony wants this more than anything and has sacrificed in so many ways to achieve it. He has lost a relationship the hard way, shutting his heart to any thought of human connection other than a controlled encounter. He will not let that painful feeling of being ignored or being put in second place happen to another woman... he saw what it did to his last relationship. His always being taken away from birthdays, anniversaries, romantic dinners...it took too much of a toll, with seeing the tears and frustration. He will not inflict that again.

So why the hell is he twisted about this Maggie Walker...It seems she cannot hold a coffee pot near without spilling on him and ruining his shirt or taking plates away with having all the bacon grease attach itself to his clothes...

And the worst...Everybody at the table, all siblings and parents...even Nonnie, LOVE her! Oh, Maggie... let me get that for you... don't worry, accidents happen...even gruff brothers who never even talk much, have a kind word for her...

But Maggie is in a place right now where she is just trying to make it... with the personal responsibilities of taking care of shiftless brother and active alcoholic dad, every tip counts. Between having to come up with repeated rehab funds for programs her father never completes and an entitled brother, she has the opposite family life of the Moretti's. She divorced the man she thought at first was going to be her life. That quickly was shattered when all of his scheming and constant drain on her took its toll. She finally got free of him...but she is always looking over her shoulder.

It is her awareness which is the big catalyst in bringing Maggie and Anthony closer. Anthony is using the Diner as an escape from his precinct. There has been a rash of home invasions with the culprit leaving a Smiley face as his signature to flaunt he was there. The force finally got a witness and a sketch is on the table when Maggie comes to top off his coffee. Shock and confusion hits her, wanting to know why he has a picture of her ex on the table...

This is starts the romantic ball rolling much faster...Now Anthony has a reason to visit Maggie outside of the Diner... now he can torture himself with more than just dreams of her...Because whether he will admit it or not, he is smitten.

This tale has intrigue and romance holding hands... The investigation of this rash of invasions and Maggie's knowledge of the suspect puts her under the microscope of all the law enforcement agencies involved. It also causes huge gambles with Anthony's career...for he cannot stay away from this amazing woman.

I am a huge Lauren Layne fan and this was a solid entry. Anthony was not always the easiest to love... his single focus of all or nothing re: career or love was a difficult pill to swallow sometimes. Maggie was the perfect fit for him and it just took a while for him to see the light.

The Moretti family humor and manipulations, though, lightened the feel and added so much to the story. This is a winning series with us being led gently down the Moretti path waiting for the next sibling to have their tale. With all the brothers and sis... I won't have to wait long.

~~~~ Before Reading
Must say...
I have met Anthony Moretti...
And he is one of New York's Finest...

He makes Maggie Walker's heart shake, rattle and roll...

Too bad it's always while she is serving him at the Diner...

Oh, what's a little mess to clean up when it is Antony Moretti's pants you get to touch....

Steal Me ...

You bet you can.... this November 2015

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[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review



Lauren Layne will steal your hearts in her newest installment to New York's Finest Series with her sizzling addition, Steal Me. Ms. Layne serves up a sexy, riveting, slow burn, and touching romance that will slowly steal the hearts of all those romance aficionados out there and will have you on lock down as she delivers a sweet and emotionally charged second chance romance.



For thirty-six year old Captain Anthony Moretti, there are three important things that he valued in his life. His family, the NYPD, and the Yankees. As the oldest Moretti brother, his priorities have always been his meddlesome Italian family and his job to the NYPD. His love life has always been on the back-burner since his job had always came first. So when Maggie Walker waltzed into his life, he never expected to be intrigued by this waitress who has managed to capture the hearts of his parents and siblings. But whenever Maggie was around him, she always seem to be accident prone and messing up on his orders. He was intrigued, irritated and lusted for this sexy and alluring waitress who has managed to get under his skin.

Maggie Walker didn't plan to be a waitress as a career but after divorcing her ex-husband, she always felt the need to help support her alcoholic father and dependent brother. She has always put her family before herself leaving Maggie with not much savings. Maggie dreams of becoming an author and hopes of getting her young adults genre stories published. Her life seems monotonous since all she does is go to work, take care of her dog, and work on her book. And as for her love life, it's nonexistent at the moment. But the only interesting part of her daily life, seems to her interaction with Anthony Moretti. She is well aware of the fact that she has a crush on Anthony but his brazen personality is a bit intimidating for her to get close to him. But all that changes when Maggie recognizes a police sketch on a case that Anthony is working furiously in solving. When she informs Anthony that the police sketch looks like her ex-husband, Anthony soon find himself getting entangled with Maggie as she could help him catch the infamous burglar known as "Smiley."

Soon they are thrown into a whirlwind of a relationship, when Anthony discovers that Maggie might be the key in luring her ex-husband. As Anthony spends more time with Maggie, he finds his growing attraction to her can no longer be contained. As passion, lust, and sparks of attraction collide, Maggie and Anthony find themselves crossing lines that begins to get blurred. As Maggie's feeling for Anthony intensifies, will she be able to reel and control her feelings? Will Anthony be able to let Maggie into his closed off heart? And will Anthony be able to capture the criminal Smiley before it's too late?



Steal Me is a prime example of why I love reading Lauren Layne's book. Her books always have a way of leaving readers like myself satisfied with her emotional, touching and beautiful love stories. So yes, Lauren Layne will steal your hearts in her newest release as she writes a story that reminds us all that second chances do exist. And for Maggie Walker, she didn't need a prince charming to save the day because she had already stole the heart of Captain Anthony Moretti and his brooding personality to last her a lifetime. So if you love book that is layered with family love, friendship, and palpable connections then I would definitely recommend Steal Me by Lauren Layne. Just be prepared to fall in love as Ms. Layne serves up the perfect crime: To steal the hearts of romance readers.



Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages: http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Lauren Layne

[Ⓐlleskelle - That ranting lady ッ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc offered in exchange for an honest review

More reviews and book talk at :

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I really enjoyed this one. The first book in this series, Frisk Me, was good but this one was even better in my opinion. This book was really the perfect combination of romance and suspense. Once I really had a chance to sit down and read, I didn't want to put this one down. I am falling in love with the Moretti men along with the heroines in these books. I kind of wish that this fictional family could adopt me because they are just a lot of fun.

It is the Anthony's turn to take the lead role in Steal Me. Anthony is the oldest sibling in the family and the highest ranking family member in the NYPD with his position of Captain. He is also the only member of the family who tends to get things spilled or dropped on him by the waitress during every Sunday brunch. This serious man that is completely career focused doesn't have a lot of patience for their clumsy waitress.

Maggie is the waitress that inevitably spills items on Anthony every week. Who can really blame her? He would make just about anyone nervous with his scowl and take charge mentality. And don't forget to call him Captain or you might see a bit of attitude. Maggie is working on writing a book when she isn't waiting tables. In her tiny apartment, she has made a life that she is enjoying along with her dog, Duchess. When she has important information regarding a case that Anthony is working on, they start spending a lot more time with each other. They find out that they both have a lot to learn about each other as they work together to catch a thief and keep Maggie safe.

I liked Anthony and Maggie a lot. I really can't say that related to these characters personally but I could see where they were coming from. Anthony has a really hard time finding a healthy balance between his personal life and family and he tends to try to fix everything. Maggie also wants to fix everything but she tries to do it by making everyone happy. They are both really good people. Neither one of these characters made any demands on really anyone and instead take responsibility for more than they should. I think that Anthony and Maggie fit really well together and I loved them as a couple. Their personalities just complimented each other perfectly and the chemistry between the pair made a heart skip a few beats.

I also really like the suspenseful parts of the book. The case that Anthony works on during this story seems almost too strange to be true. The more that is revealed about the suspect the more realistic it sounds. Maggie's story really was interesting. I came to feel a lot of respect for her character after learning about everything that she had been through in her life. During some of the most suspenseful parts, I wanted to slap Anthony a little but I do think that his behavior clearly illustrated his internal struggle. The pacing of the book was well done and the romance and suspense had a nice balance with both moving the story forward.

I just loved the writing. The secondary characters also added a lot to this book. Who doesn't want a grandmother like Nonna? I would take her as a roommate any day. The same group of characters that we met in the first book play important roles in this one as well. This book could be read as a stand alone but I think it would be best to read them in order. Who would want to skip the first book anyway? It's a good book....trust me, you'll want to read it.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romantic suspense. Lauren Layne is consistently able to deliver smartly written stories that will melt your heart. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this wonderful series.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Forever - Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I liked this one a lot. In fact, I liked it more than the first one. Anthony and Maggie were really great characters and together they were spectacular.

[Lyndy Ann ♫ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steal Me is the second book in the New York’s Finest series by Lauren Layne and I loved it.

Captain Anthony Moretti is the eldest of the Moretti siblings who is married to his career and climbing the career ladder to the top. He has no time for a personal life until a certain waitress gets mixed up in his first case as Captain.

Maggie Walker is a waitress at The Darby Diner every time she serves Captain Moretti she ends up dropping food on him which makes him glare/scowl even harder at her. She gets on great with the rest of the family but one shift while serving him everything changes.

Anthony begins spending time with Maggie walking her dog, cooking for her and soon things get physical between them but when things get tough Anthony always chooses his career over Maggie.

Anthony is scared to take a chance on love after what happened with his ex girlfriend and Maggie needs to move on from her waste of space family (my opinion) and get on with living her dream of becoming a published author. What will happen?

I love the Moretti family the banter and teasing the way only family can. I loved Anthony I love the brooding silent type and Maggie is a strong independent funny woman and of course I have to mention Nonna she’s hilarious and a star and I loved the epilogue.

The reason this is not a 5* for me is some of the story felt rushed and with a few LL books I felt the ending is to quick I would like a little bit more.

I can’t wait to get to know Vincent and Jill better (they are like Mulder & Scully will they won’t they).

[Syndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steal me? More like kidnap me. This book is boring. The story is typical cheesy romance. A brooding hero saving damsel in distress heroine. The character development is non existing. The plot is super cheesy. The suspense makes it more horrible.

The chemistry is also cold between the heroine and the hero. The smut scenes are minimum and sound very force due to lack chemistry.

2 stars

[Ksenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book!

Steam and chemistry – check
Humor – check
Strong family presence – check
Likable multidimensional characters – check
Thought-provoking scenes – check

Can’t wait for the next book in this series! Full review to come.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of a series and you really do benefit from having read the first. You don't have to, because you get enough background here, but it's worth the extra understanding, I think.

So Anthony (I love that they call him Ant because Tony is his dad) isn't really much of a surprise. He's gruff and work obsessed and dedicated and all that. So romance catnip, if you see what I mean. I wasn't happy with the stupidity from his background with the ex-girlfriend. He does the thing where you cling to a sense of responsibility/guilt over things you have no culpability for. And while some second-guessing in such matters is inevitable, having it play such a huge role this long after the fact just makes him seem kind of immature—particularly with his parents as the perfect counter-example to his whole "I can't have a relationship because I want to succeed at my job" schtick. That said, his natural care for Maggie was absolutely engaging. It's obvious that he enjoys taking care of her and is deeply emotionally invested. Even better, he doesn't even think about it at all, he just does all these things for her as if it's the most natural thing in the world to do so (because for him, it is). This instinct to care did a lot to overcome my annoyance when he'd remember he was supposed to be all constipated instead.

Maggie, on the other hand, is flat-out awesome. I mean, I was annoyed in the beginning that she's such a pushover for her manipulative father, but since at least part of the story is her learning to overcome that, it ended up not being as much of a drag as I'd expected. And I loved that she was cheerful and determined and working very hard to achieve the things that were important to her. I particularly love how she handles every setback handed to her, particularly how she handled being held hostage by her ex. I mean, it's one thing to know he isn't taking you seriously and planning to use that to escape, but to turn that into capturing him for the police was a banner moment. I fell for her all over again right there.

Anthony was the biggest drawback to the novel, but the plot didn't help, either. The whole "Smiley" burglar thwarting Anthony's department for that long was just lame. It made them look incompetent and the final resolution, where we learned the "how" of it, didn't help that even a little. Frankly, learning the "how" just shows how impossible it really was because it means he was slipping in and out of places under active surveillance pretty much at will.

So Maggie was the highlight and Anthony only partially sucked. I find I didn't care about the plot one way or another, so it didn't really detract from the four stars this ends up being. I could have done with less stupid with Anthony, but I'll take it for how well it ended.

Mostly irrelevant peeve: An unplanned pregnancy? Really? At least it was in the epilogue, but still. I didn't need that to convince me that Anthony and Maggie would end up in domestic bliss and it just felt so very, well, indulgent in that romance-author "all couples must end up in familial bliss" kind of way.

A note about Steamy: There are a couple explicit sex scenes and they were kind of short. So this is barely into the middle of my steam tolerance. I did like how well they reinforced the emotional attachment, particularly with Anthony (which we definitely needed to see).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

We're back with the Moretti family and I seriously miss a certain grandmother, Nonna . This old lady never fails to entertain me. I wish there is a novella on all her shenanigans and escapade.

"Did you show her your wang?"

"I'll bring my sharpshooter."

This time we have the story of the big brother of the family, Anthony Moretti. We had a little dose of him previously, mainly about his seriousness of his law enforcement career and a major hardass. Anthony is now a Captain, and working on his first case in the new position to catch the infamous Smiley, a non-violent burglar.

The heroine, Maggie Walker is an aspiring writer and a waitress at the diner often frequent by the Morettis. The family instantly like her and included her into their fold naturally, much to Anthony's irritation. It doesn't help that the she keeps dropping food on him and overflowing his coffee. Something about him that make her extra nervous.

When Anthony found out that Maggie might be the burglary case suspect's ex-wife. They both got more entangled with each other.

I think the main reason why this book works for me is because of the hero, Captain Anthony Moretti. He is such a serious, grumpy, tight ass. I find his constant scowling and frowning extremely sexy. He is the man who always want to be the best and do the right thing. I wish something will just threaten his iron clad control and see him feeling lost for once.

He try not to give in to his feelings for Maggie because she is now his informant and that will be extremely unprofessional. But the little things he did for her make it even more meaningful and endearing, not because it was anything special, but because he is Anthony.

It hurts to hear about how his last relationship ended in tragedy that left a deep impact to him. He was adamant that he can never be a boyfriend, much less a husband, if he wish to pursue a successful career all the way to the top. Of course, he had a bunch of nosy and caring family members that constantly tell him what a fool he is.

My only complaint is the whole burglary case is too mellow. I wish for something more dangerous and violent. Maybe a murder or a kidnapping case will be more dramatic. And with how it was solved, it feels anti-climatic too because Anthony spend the whole length of book trying to solve it.

What will make this book even better is if we actually get to see a functional relationship between Anthony and Maggie. We only get to see their desire, their longing, the ups and downs of them trying to be together and Anthony's struggles. Seeing that the most important thing to Anthony is a partner that fully support and embrace his career, I wish I can have more of their life together. In order words, I wish this book is longer, going beyond of them saying 'I love you'.

[Izy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating~ 3.5 stars

So I’m trying a new way of reviewing which starts off with first impressions of the protagonists of the book from the first two chapters, which is from the first two chapters I believe:

I still havn’t posted the review I wrote for the first book but lets just say I didn’t enjoy the family dynamics in that book. I still didn’t in this one either however I really felt for Anthony Moretti. He came across as worried, frustrated and tense about his work. He seemed really focused on his work which was good. Poor guy doesn’t like change from what I could tell from his response to the old waitress leaving.

Maggie Walker on the other hand, poor sweet child still believing in her family. life had delt her with some bad cards but she was managing and Ms Layne made me understand her plight without me pitying her. I could sympathise but admire her strength of character of getting out of a bad situation (her first marriage).

Moving on to the romance: I liked it, it started off as cute with their awkward drunk texting to each other and obviously they had chemistry which showed from their first one-on-one interaction. Ms layne can write some great passion between her couples.

Stuff I didn’t like: Apart from the chapter before the epilogue which should have been a bit longer because it made me feel like they had still unresolved issues, I didn’t like how Maggie misunderstood Anthony at times, it bugged me similarly with Anthony how felt like he had no choice but to be just a captain or be a boyfriend was just baffling after we find out what exactly happened with his ex and I still don’t enjoy the character of Ava.

Why just 3.5 stars: I really enjoy Ms Layne’s books and I adored the stiletto series, this wasn’t as great as those ones. Also because as a romantic suspense mystery/thriller reader, the whole petty thief plot and how he was caught did not work for me.

In conclusion: It was a good book and I’m looking forward to Vincent and his partners book. Happy Reading!

[Angie Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to FOREVER (GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING) and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

After enjoying Only with You from this author, I had hoped Steal Me would give me more of the same feelings. I get what the author was trying to do here – the close-knit Italian family where meddling abounds, but the execution just wasn’t there. I never felt the chemistry between Maggie and Anthony, and I’m still not sure why Anthony’s family was so drawn to Maggie. The problem with this book for me was the lack of feelings from the heroine. Over and over again she’s been a doormat for her father and brother; instead of coming off as caring and compassionate, it highlighted Maggie’s naiveté. And I’m OK with naiveté, but at some point in the story, the heroine needs to come to her senses and move on. This moment came too late for me in Steal Me, and ultimately, neither character was able to win me over. I think delving further into Maggie’s history with her husband could have made me care more about her, but we got the bare bones here. And even then, the whole thing with her ex- felt so contrived, maybe it wouldn’t have helped. As far as our hero goes, Anthony’s reservations about not being able to achieve a marriage/family and work balance just didn’t ring true for me. After all, his biggest mentor was his father, and he’d been making it work Anthony’s entire life. Characterization fell flat here, and unfortunately, Steal Me was a miss for me.

This review was originally posted at Badass Book Reviews.

[Anna's Herding Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I loved it. What a family! Loved the scowly hero and the fiery heroine.

Full review to come.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved the first book in the New York's Finest series and having loved everything that Lauren Layne has written, I was eager to start Steal Me. As usual, Lauren Layne exceeded my expectations and made me fall in love with the characters and the romance. Here are 5 reasons to convince you to pick up Steal Me!

1. Grumpy hero meets strong, kind and slightly clumsy heroine
I don't know about you guys, but grumpy heroes are my Kryptonite. I always find myself being drawn to them and a lot of my favorite romance heroes are grumpy men. Anthony Morretti was a gruff, sexy and grouchy hero, who on the inside was a big giant softie. It was impossible to resist this guy and I loved how he would always have a permanent frown etched on his face. I just wanted to poke at him until he cracked a smile! Lauren Layne allows you to see the inside of his mind though, and you realize just how much of a sweetheart he was even though he had had a terrible experience in the past with a relationship. His love interest, Maggie, was also adorable. She had just moved to New York and was working as waitress to make ends meet, while at the same time working on her YA novel. I loved that she was a writer and a very passionate one at that. She was also devoted, kind-hearted and had such a generous soul even though her family always seemed to use her to their advantage. I thought Maggie was the perfect addition to the Morretti clan and I was rooting for her and her happiness.

2. Smoking hot chemistry
Lauren Layne is very very talented at writing romances that are slow, but passionate. Maggie and Anth didn't start off at the right foot, with Maggie always spilling something on him at the diner which made him even grumpier than usual (which I was thought was so cute, btw!). There was a little bit of antagonism between them, but there was also no denying that the connection between them was sizzling with chemistry. I loved that they had a slow burn relationship, and you get to really see them become a couple and fall for each other. Some of my absolute favorite scenes in Steal Me involved Anthony reading Maggie's novel and encouraging her to chase after her dreams. They made each other better people and I loved that. And the kisses, you all! *insert 500 heart-eye emojis*

3. The Morrettis, one big meddling family
I feel like even if this series didn't feature amazing romances, I would still enjoy the heck out of it because of the Morretti clan. They were a hilarious bunch and I loved how they brought humor to the pages of Steal Me. I fell in love with them in Frisk Me, but I loved them even more her. The Nanna, who had a different beau every week, was especially my favorite. She made the funniest comments that had me cracking up and smiling all throughout the book. They are certainly a crazy bunch, but they were also fiercely loyal and protective of their own and loved each other no matter what.

4. Suspenseful story line
Since this is a series that involves cops, you can expect a suspenseful story line with Steal Me. It wasn't exactly an unpredictable story, because you find out who the burglar is early on, but Lauren Layne still managed to keep the story mysterious - you keep waiting for the perpetrator to do something dramatic and waiting for him to be caught my the police. I thought that the plot and the romance part of Steal Me were perfectly well-balanced out.

5. Lauren Layne
A book need only have Lauren Layne's name on it for me to want to pick it up. She's one of my favorite contemporary romance authors and she proves over and over again with her releases that she's talented at what she does. She's an author I highly recommend if you love romance that truly make you feel and root for the couple. Seriously, just pick up a book by her and you'll see how hard it is to put it down!

If you've read Frisk Me or any other Lauren Layne book and have enjoyed them in the past, there's no doubt that Steal Me will also be a winner. I have to admit though that I'm REALLY excited to read the next book in the series, Cuff Me, which features Vincent and his partner. There's a story there and I can't wait to devour it!

All images courtesy of Pinterest

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Moretti loves being a cop. More specifically, a captain in the NYPD. He has siblings as cops, his father was the chief of police - it's in his blood and it's his passion in life. So when a burglar who has been hitting random homes in New York City continuously escapes capture, it really irritates Anthony. This burglar has been named Smiley, because he leaves a yellow smiley face sticker in each home he breaks into. Stealing random things - sometimes valuable, sometimes just trinkets, the press has picked up on the Smiley case, and Anthony is getting heat from his boss to find this guy.

Anthony is very close with his parents, his siblings and his Nonna. Side note: Nonna has some hysterical lines in this book. A grandmother who loves to drink, have sex and talk about wangs to her grandsons. It's good stuff.

Anthony and his family meet every Sunday at a local diner after church. And every Sunday, the same waitress serves them. Maggie divorced her scum of a husband two years ago, and has put in a lot of hours at the diner to keep her finances barely floating above red. Her secret passion in life is to become an author, and she spends her nights writing her first book. She looks upon the Moretti family fondly. She wishes she has a family this close to hang out with. Her father and brother are both alcoholics who beg money from Maggie consistently. They always promise to go to rehab, so she sends money - but rehab never sticks. It's an endless cycle and one Maggie doesn't know how to escape.

So she loves the time spent with the Moretti family ever Sunday - except for Anthony. He is surly, and intimidating, and for some reason, Maggie always ends up spilling food or drinks on him by accident, causing even more dirty looks and strife between them. One day when Maggie was waiting on Anthony during a working lunch, she happens to see a sketch of Smiley - and her world turns upside down. The sketch of Smiley looks exactly like her ex-husband. Clinging to his only lead, Anthony starts working with Maggie to see if they can track down her ex - and those surly looks become sexy dirty ones.

What a fun story. Anthony is a big, tall, intimidating captain. He has a hard time separating work and pleasure, especially because most of his family are cops, so down time always involves work talk. His family makes this story so rich. Very close with his brothers, their banter made me smile. Constantly ragging on each other, but having that love deep down. His family adopts Maggie, and surprisingly to Anthony, he starts to get jealous how close they are with her, when he is left behind. But that grumpy nature and hard stares draws Maggie in. He knows he shouldn't get involved while his case is going on, but a kiss happens, and then other things happen, and Anthony starts to fall hard.

This is the second book in the series, Anthony's brother having his HEA in book one, but it read great as a stand alone. The suspense with Maggie's ex is done really well too. Great banter, hot romance - I had so much fun reading this one.

Grade: B+

[Rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steal Me is the story of a surly cop with ghosts in his past, and the woman he adores (who has balls of steel). No kidding, ladies and gents; this book has my favourite Lauren Layne heroine in it, and she's exactly the type of woman I want to be when I grow up!

Sometimes it feels like I am always saying this about LL books, but seriously you guys. This woman can basically excel at any trope she picks up. If you like your heroes grumpy, shy and adorably clueless about their feelings, then you are are going to love Anthony Moretti because he is all of the above and more.

The synopsis talks about how being a cop is in Anthony’s blood, but it does not even touch upon the fact that being a cop is quite literally everything to Anthony. He loves being a cop, and now that he’s made Captain, he’s quite possibly the happiest, most content man on earth. He wants to go all the way to the top of the hierarchy but for now, Captain sounds pretty damn good. And his first hurdle comes in the form of a criminal who goes by “Smiley.” Why that name? You’ll have to read to know :)

There are so many things I loved about Anthony Moretti, but the thing that stood out to me the most was how he was not a man who gave away his smiles just because he had to. He was continually grumpy and scowling and mean-faced in the book, but every time he smiled, it meant that much more. You actually had to coax a smile out of him, earn his smiles, and that was just completely heart warming. He was an intriguing character, not without his flaws, but just enough male perfection in him to keep the reader hooked. Anthony wasn’t the usual “ family guy” type of man, his gentle nature was just under his grumpy surface but never to be seen, making the reader wonder what exactly it was that could rattle Captain Moretti.

Of course, for those of you who have read Frisk Me , you already know what makes the good Captain lose his mind. In case you haven’t, here’s the rundown: As per the Moretti family tradition, on Sundays’ after Mass, they love to eat at The Darby Diner. And almost every Sunday, the absolutely beautiful new waitress Maggie Walker finds something or the other to drop on the Captain. Whether its scalding hot coffee or greasy bacon, there’s almost always a stain on Anthony’s pants when he leaves. And almost always, Anthony’s reaction makes Maggie want to cry.

Here’s the beauty part—she never cries. Anthony is a complete douche to her and not once does she cower and hide. And it is this gorgeous, absolutely fearless character who manages to capture Anthony’s full attention. Not only is she smart and driven, she’s also an aspiring YA author, and damn it, if it isn’t my weakness to see how real life inspires authors! Maggie has had a terrible childhood—with a mother who left, an alcoholic father who still mooches off of her, and a good-for-nothing brother who has also been digging into her meagre savings. And despite of all of this, maybe because of it, Maggie is cheerful and always wanting to be happy.

Combine perpetually happy with Captain McGrumpy, and you have an amazingly heart-warming story! Anthony and Maggie don’t immediately click for reasons I’ve mentioned above, but when Maggie’s ex husband may be “Smiley” after all, they are forced into an awkward relationship, which then turns out to be something they never expected. The book is a constant oscillation between Anthony’s workaholic habits that could destroy any relationship and Maggie’s struggle to keep up with his push and pull. Of course, the criminal element adds that much more thrill and excitement to a book that would usually only be a pure romance.

The Moretti family is probably one of the most important reasons you should read this book—they’re fucking amazing, is why. This is a family that supports and pushes and annoys and loves and that is the best thing—the only thing—a family is supposed to be. It was an absolute delight to see Luc and Ava (from Frisk Me ) and of course, the little snippet into Vincent and Jill, who will feature in Cuff Me . Believe you me, dear reader, this is a story, a series and an author you will turn to again and again, and who will occupy the "auto-love" place in your heart forever <3


 
I WAS PROVIDED A FREE ECOPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE OF AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DID NOT IN ANY WAY, HOWEVER, INFLUENCE THE CONTENT OF THIS REVIEW.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Pianka *call me PIU* · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

Ok… so I am not sure how I feel about this book. In general I am kind of bummed that this read did not turn to be as great as expected. The series started out great and the Moretti brothers are simply awesome, but I think the main problem with this book is the repetitive plot line. In the first book we have Luc battling with “I am a cop so I can’t have a relationship” woes and the same thing gets repeated again in this book. I was looking for something different but what I got was a grumpy “CAPTAIN” Moretti trying to convince himself that he can’t have both his job and Maggie. GOD!!! Did he learn nothing from his baby brother???



Another similarity was their past which led Luca and Anthony to feel that they can’t have a love life. Yes, both were completely different events but using the same “tragedy in the past” card did not sit well with me.

Now for the MCs. I never thought that I will dislike any of the Morettis but Captain Moretti pissed me off quite a few times. He behaves like an insensitive jerk to Maggie just when she needs him the most.



Maggie on the other hand I liked a lot. Her character was strong, smart and sweet. She was a dreamer and I liked that about her the most.



The entire plot revolves around this burglar “smiley” and that this is the first case for Anthony as a captain and he is failing in every way to catch the guy. The author tried for a crime backdrop to bring Anthony and Maggie together which may have worked for the couple, but as a parallel plot failed to be even a little bit “criminally”. The entire NYPD is not able to catch a simple thief, for whom this whole “smiley” thing is apparently the first stint as a criminal and he is able to outsmart the NYPD and the FBI. He is stealing from the same neighborhood again and again and no one is the wiser. The hostage situation at the end was a JOKE.

I am an avid crime/thriller reader, so even though I love the Morettis, I could not will myself to go along with the whole stupid “smiley” disaster.

I really expected more from this book after how the series started but I was gravely disappointed with how this book proceeded from start to finish.

I am praying that Vincent Moretti does not start with the same BS as his brothers. His HEA is with his partner so hopefully he won’t have the same issues. FINGERS CROSSED!!!

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I've found a new favorite Lauren Layne book! Steal Me was oh so sexy and oh so tantalizing. I was shipping this couple hard. Anthony and Maggie's dynamic - a sweet and fierce dreamer paired with a grumpy, tough as nails cop - had me from the beginning. Their romance is a torturous slow burn, but in the best possible way. Lauren Layne had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to just kiss already! Thankfully the payoff was well worth the wait. The intimate scenes were perfect and perfectly scorching. Of course, things weren't easy for this couple. Mostly because Anthony needed to pull his head out of his ass, thinking he couldn't have both a career and a girl, but it's also highly entertaining seeing him go against his own demands. I love that Lauren never softens him up too much; she keeps him scowling through the whole book, which makes his almost smiles and longing eyes all the more meaningful. Anthony was a wonderful hero. Even better: I adored Maggie just as much. She's so down to earth and likable, a girl I could see myself being friends with in real life. I love that she was able to find her independence after being treated so poorly by the people in her life, and that she had a soft, vulnerable heart that never stopped dreaming. Anthony is one lucky guy! We also get to see a lot of Anthony's family - Luc and Ava, from the first book, his brother Vincent and future love interest who will be in the next book (can't wait!), and my favorite, his irreverent "Nonna". I have a very New York family, so I can relate to so much of their dynamic.

Steal Me was every bit the romantic suspense story I was hoping for, with two amazing characters at it's center. Looking forward to more!

This review can also be found at Love at First Page.

[Lisa Filipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever picked up a book that you just knew was going to leave you with a huge smile on your face? That is what I can always expect from a Lauren Layne romance. Laced with sexual tension, perfectly timed laugh-out-loud banter and characters you can't help but fall in love with...Lauren's romances are not to be missed. That being said, STEAL ME certainly stole the show for me!

"Captain" Anthony Moretti is one sexy piece of Italian beef baby! I for one LOVE a hero who is gruff, a little grumpy, and just the right side of super sexy. No wonder Maggie couldn't help but drop or spill every time her was around.

Their romance is set on a slow sizzle as she becomes a key player in a huge case that could make or break Anthony's career. As Maggie and Anth spend more time together, and share some very hot kisses, the walls start to crumble, and we get to really see them at their most vulnerable. I loved that they were able to be their true selves at those quiet times when it was just Maggie and Anth, no case, no real world, no crappy jobs or family interruptions..just Maggie and Anth and those perfect moments of imperfect.

Anth has his moments of stupid male, but you can't help but love him anyway. I loved the individual growth, the courage to see beyond the everyday, and the way they encouraged each other to really push for what they truly want in life. Anth and Maggie are an amazing and very sexy couple who just shine! Nonna is a kick in the pants as usual, as is the whole Moretti clan!

Give STEAL ME a chance to Steal Your Heart!

[monica ♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

This book was indeed better than the previous one.
I had fever last night. I was supposed to sleep right after I took my medicine, but instead I stayed up late just to finish this book because I just couldn't put it down. LOL

I liked Captain Anthony Moretti. He's cold and grumpy on the outside, but he's actually really care and kind from the inside. Or Japanese people usually call it tsundere.

The story was good, not slow-paced and sexy.
But I found some similar 'pattern' from the previous book: the heroine comes from a shitty family.
I hope the next book would be different. Because I hate a book (in series) that has the same pattern with one and another.
There is some author that I used to adore, but now I ended up hating her because ALL of her books have exactly the same pattern.
I love LL writing so much, so I hope in the next book there won't be any heroine's shitty family issues anymore.

The epilogue though!!!! The epilogue was so killing me!!!
Why it was kind of cliffy?! I need moreeeee!!!!


I really can't wait for Vincent and Jill story!!
I hope Elena would have her own story too ;)