We’re in the middle of the summer, so what’s better than a romance that takes place at a work retreat in Hawaii? I would sign up for that! Nisha J. Tuli has written fantasy romances before, but I believe this is her first contemporary romance. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Forever for providing me with an ALC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
Rival engineers dabble in personal chemistry while at a tropical company retreat in this smart, zippy romcom.
Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC’s corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.
Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?
Review
Not Safe for Work was a book I’ve been wanting to read since I heard about it, so I was so excited when I had the chance to listen to the ALC. Soneela Nankani did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and kept me hooked. I read Not Safe for Work in just about one sitting. This was my first book by this author and narrator, but it definitely won’t be my last.
Trishara really stole the show in this one. She’s tired of having to fight to show how good she is at her job as a colored woman in an office full of white macho men. She’s been through a lot and trusting the company will see her worth and even trust men isn’t something she think will happen. Seeing Trish become confident and believe in her own worth was my favorite part of this book. The ending had me clapping for her and it was just everything I needed.
Then we get this workplace, rivals to lovers, forced proximity romance which I didn’t know I needed. The fact that these two get stuck in the honeymoon suite together was just the best. Their banter hit all the marks, and I loved that in the end there was way more to Rafe. Trishara didn’t realize how much he was actually supporting her behind the scenes. I appreciated their vulnerable moments together and let’s just say that Nisha knows how to write a steamy scene!
Rafe was an interesting character that I think I would’ve been just a little bit more invested in if we had gotten chapters written from his POV. There was a lot going on with him at the company and him trying to figure out what he really wanted in life. I think that would’ve hit just a little bit harder if it had been from him personally. That was really my only “issue” with this book. and what would’ve made it five stars for me. The grand gesture at the end did hit me in all the feels. and the new friends were amazing and just the support she needed during this resort.
If this was Nisha’s first contemporary romance, I definitely need to give her fantasy romance series a try!
After loving Nisha’s first contemporary romance, I need more! If you’ve read the Artefacts of Ouranos series, what did you think? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
