Ratings55
Average rating3.5
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.
Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.
Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.
Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.
Reviews with the most likes.
If you like Ali Hazelwood's other books I think you will enjoy 'Not In Love'. Be aware that this book is definately more adult as it covers some more serious topics but also more frequent and intense intimacy. Overall, I enjoyed reading this! It isn't the best book in the world, nor is it trying to be, but I had fun on the ride. I read this as a buddy read with my best friend, and we were kicking our feet and giggling as per usual with AH.
So for a romance novel the plot wasn't bad - girl works for a company, dude comes in doing a hostile takeover and they realise they're into each other. Otherwise though I just skimmed over all the smut, and the guy is a huge simp for the girl which is pretty cringe too.
Really solid. I do think I need to take a wee break from Hazelwood. Her novels are all GREAT, and very spicy, but there is a tiny bit of sameness across books (maybe it's the STEMinist stuff, which I also love, so take this with a grain of salt) that I just need a pause from. Still, this was no exception to her general excellence, and might be my favorite, sexiest couple. Hazelwood really compassionately portrays neurodivergence (and not from a deficit perspective), and I think this is her kinkiest yet. So I'm sure I'll be back before too long.