From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise Series… Three young women make a pact in high school—to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Lexi Blake’s Built To Last, which is out May 27th 2025.
Harper Ross has always dreamed of working on one of the magnificent brownstones of Park Avenue. Now one of her closest friends has bought the house of her dreams and hired Harper to do the construction work. She wants to showcase the renovation on a television show for her brand-new production company. It’s the same grand home she and her friends promised themselves they would be able to afford one day. Working on it isn’t the same as living in it, but it’s all a part of Harper’s grand plan to grow her father’s construction business into one of the biggest in the city. The only obstacle—the designer on the project.
Reid Dorsey believes in the balance between beauty and functionality. As one of Manhattan’s new voices in design, he’s excited to get to work on a true Gilded Age property. If only the owner had selected a contractor he enjoyed working with. Oh, Harper was brilliant and her work was excellent, but she has an opinion on everything—and it’s usually the opposite of his.
Over the course of the job, these enemies start to see different sides of each other, and suddenly their fights don’t seem so bad. But when the project is threatened, they might have to choose between their jobs and the beautifully designed future they could share.
I move to the windows again just in time to see a wretchedly handsome man walking in through the garden entrance. I’m pretty sure my eyes have gone anime wide. He’s dressed in a suit and tie. Dark hair and a jawline that looks cut from granite. Probably one of the producers Anika’s been working with. He’s got that look. Wealth and style. Okay, he’s gorgeous. He’s mouthwateringly masculine, and I kind of wish I’d worn something other than jeans and a T-shirt and work boots. I spent the morning at a construction site, and it shows. No makeup, hair in a ponytail. I might have some dirt under my nails.
I can glam up. I have some pretty dresses, and though not my favorite, I’ve been known to wear heels.
I’m not sure what I’m thinking, but I can’t take my eyes off him.
He’s joined by a slightly shorter man in khakis and a tunic. He’s handsome, too, but his vibe is artistic and not Wall Street like the other guy. His hair is lighter than Businessman’s, and his smile sunny as he points something out to his friend.
Then Businessman smiles and it changes his face. He goes from wickedly handsome to something softer, kinder. He likes the other man. It does something to me. I suppose I know what it means to be around ruthless. My father was fairly ruthless and didn’t find joy in much of anything. The smile on that man’s face is joy, and it attracts me like nothing else.
