Losing Manhattan (Naked in New York Series)

By: Peyton James

Narrated by: Lynn Devereux

Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

An innocent rant about my boss went viral. Now, all that's stopping me from getting caught is the blur over my face…and a $10K ransom I can’t afford.

Henry Sloane is the epitome of Manhattan. Born into a wealthy family, he’s only known success. So when an online video creates waves on social media and damages the integrity of his business, he’ll stop at nothing to find the person trying to bring down his empire. In his quest for the truth, he finds an unlikely adversary in his new employee, Hannah. But when Henry catches Hannah in a lie, he must consider that she might be like all the other women he’s ever dated. A liar.

Hannah O’Keefe is used to working hard for what she needs. Raw talent and perseverance may have helped her succeed at school, but they didn’t prepare her for the politics that come into play in the real world. When she lands a three-month contract at Evans, Roth, and Sloane, she must learn to fit in with high society, even if it means fabricating lies about her life outside of work. After a video goes viral that could cost Hannah her job, she’s offered an opportunity to make things right. It just means lying to the CEO and hoping he doesn’t find out the answers to all his questions are right in front of him. As Hannah and Henry grow closer, her web of lies starts to unravel. Hannah is faced with losing more than just her job, she might also lose Manhattan.

All books in the Naked in New York series are standalone and can be listened to in any order.

©2019 Peyton James (P)2020 Peyton James

Loved It!!

No complaints from me, I enjoyed this story. I especially loved Hannah’s inner monologue.  A quick listen that kept me up all night. I'm looking forward to reading more from Peyton James. I loved how the story flowed and the characters were well developed and fun to listen to. You can feel the laughter, shame, love, hurt and some other emotions that the characters were going through.

Hannah O’Keefe has started working for a clothing company and decided to go to the store to buy clothes for work that is owned by the company she works for. The clothing line is made for women a size 2 or less, also the clothes are not designed for different shapes that women’s body has and the clothes are way overpriced. While Hannah is ranting about the clothes fitting her friend and roommate videos Hannah and post the video on social media. Henry Sloan one of the owners of the company sees the video and calls an emergency staff meeting to try to keep the clothing company from being boycotted by consumers because of the video. I adored everything between these two characters. (great love/hate relationship) I don’t want to give any spoilers, so you will have to give it a listen and see what happens for yourself, you will not be disappointed.I recommend this book to read and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Plot.:: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
Story.::⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars

Narrator.:: Lynn Devereux⭐⭐⭐⭐


**I received this audio book in exchange for an honest review.**

Sweet Romance!

This was my first Peyton James's book, and won't be my last. This is the first book in the Naked in New York series. Henry and Hannah's office romance is sweet, fun, and heartwarming. The story is filled with secrets, and a little suspense. Henry, a billionaire, is handsome. Hannah is lovely, and smart. The supporting characters are great. I liked Hannah's friends. Lynn Devereux did an excellent job with the narration. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to listening to Dating Brooklyn, the next book in the series.

What a Great story!!!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, Losing Manhattan Naked in New York Book One by Peyton James because it was such a great book about Hannah and Henry. Hannah was trying on clothes in an upscale boutique and the clothes really didn't fit well. She ranted about the fit of the clothes on her very curvy body and her friend ended up taping her rant and then posting it!!! That post went VIRAL!!! And her post made it to the eyes of Henry Sloane and he was not happy to say the least. He was determined to find out who the girl in the video was and there was someone that was blackmailing her as well. OH M Gee!! All of the chapters were in Hannah's POV. This story had a lot of drama, mystery and some steamy scenes. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering how everything was going to play out. The narrator, Lynn Devereux was great at all the parts in the story as well. I received an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion. I loved listening to it. I would recommend listening to it. It was such a great story!!!

GREAT READ!

I really enjoyed it! The narration was great and kept me entertained! The author did a great job with the character builds and plot! This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last! I look forward to reading more books from this author! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Cute story!

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.

Loved It!

I really loved this book! I loved the storyline and the characters. I loved the way both characters learned so much about themselves and each other along the way. I loved how there was serious conflict, but the angst didn't overtake the story.

The narration was also really well done! Once I started listening, I couldn't stop! This was my first by both the author and narrator, but I will definitely be checking out more from both!

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

A cute way to spend some time

This story is a nice, fun way to spend some time on a commute or, cleaning the house or, working in the garden. The story was interesting enough to keep you engaged, and the mystery blackmailer kept you guessing. The main character was very relatable in her frustration at finding high fashion to fit her non- straight up and down size zero figure, an issue 90% of all women have to some extent or another. The narrator was good and fitted the story but, not to my taste.

Sweet Billionaire Romance

This was a fun billionaire romance. It had a nice infusion of suspense to add to the story as well. Hannah and her friends trying to help her get ready for her new job one little turn of events gets out of hand. While the book was on the sweet side it was rather enjoyable! I will be checking out more of Peyton James books.

The narration was really good throughout this story.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer

THIS IS ME

This was the first book I've read and listened to by Peyton James. A shorter listen and went by to fast. The book was well written with a great storyline. I really liked the characters as well. It was a delightful read that had me smiling and frowning at times. I truly loved the message of the book. I guessed completely wrong about who was blackmailing. Great job! I look forward to reading/listening to more by this author.

Lynn Devereux did a great job narrating! Her voice is easy to listen to for longer periods. It ran like a movie in my head.

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

You won’t put this book down!

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!

Losing Manhattan

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.

Story well written and great narration

I was given this free review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Story well written and great narration.

Sexy and saucy

Sexy and saucy with some drame and laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed this fast paced girly book.

Excellent narration, stand alone story

Peyton James is a new-to-me author, but I will read more of her books in the future. I love that the story started and ended with a really positive body image message, even though it showed the struggles that can make even someone really comfortable with their body type question their image. It was really disappointing that the subject of a diet came up with a 5'7" person wearing a tight size 6, but that's more of a reflection on society than on the book itself.

I listened to the Audible version. Lynn Devereaux was a new narrator for me, but she did well and I would listen to her again.

#AudiobookObsession

Very enjoyable storyline

I really enjoyed this book. It has a diverse storyline, something that is close to my heart. It highlights that not all beautiful women come in size zeros. With likeable characters and some very funny moments this book is a great listen.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer

Fun! Fun! Fun!

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.