Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey

My favorite of this anthology, Elisa Gonzalez is startled to learn that the lead attorney her firm is bringing in is the same woman she had a crush on in law school, Parker Jones. They had had one night of heavy making out but Parker burned her the next day. Now they're both powerful women who are better able to deal with their emotions as well as the pressures of life.



Four stars



For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon

The Boss of Her by Julie CannonRiley Stephenson is a powerful CFO but she's awkward. Like, super shy and awkward. So she's astonished to find herself making the first move and ordering a stripper for herself after meeting her at a friend's birthday party where Jessie, the stripper, performs. I liked this story because the two were able to meet outside of work and Cannon really worked to make Jessie have her own agency in the romance. I wish we had had a better/softer ending to the story.



Three stars



Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich

Luca Garner is a stellar intern who is assigned to work under VP Stephanie Austin, known as the office ice queen. She works hard and eventually the two find that they appreciate each other both for their good working rapport and their mutual attraction.

This was the story that worked least for me. I'm not sure how we're supposed to connect to either character nor how we're supposed to believe they work as a couple. There was so much packed into this short story that I felt a little whiplashed from how fast emotions went from love to hate.



Two and a half stars



Four stars overall

This book comes out April 17

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

All the stories in this collection could be so much more, but they weren't. Even for short stories or novellas I don't think they were handled all that well.. three amazing writers, three great stories, three missed opportunities.

I'd pass this one

This is a well written collection of novellas, each of the novellas are about a couple of hours' worth of reading. I enjoyed the second and third stories more than the first, however they were all well paced with interesting characters and a well developed plot squeezed into novella length. I would definitely recommend this book.

All three of these novellas were enjoyable and well-written.

Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey
Elisa Gonzalez finds herself assigned as co-counsel to Parker Jones, out-of-town high-powered litigator and former law school crush. This is a nice easy read with two women trying to figure out if they can reconnect.

For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon
Riley Stephenson, a highly respected CFO, finds herself instantly attracted to a stripper at her best friend’s party. This has a fantastic sexiness and sense of anticipation but, as I’ve found with most of Cannon’s books, I feel as if my fingers get slammed in the book with the abruptness of the ending.

Opportunity of a Lifetime by M Ullrich
Luca Garner, an astute and hardworking junior forensic accountant, is assigned to VP Stephanie Austin as her assistant. ‘Stone Cold Stephanie’ is not known to have ever taken an assistant and her reputation precedes her. This was my favourite of the three novellas.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

The Boss of Her is three unique novellas written in three distinctive voices. Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey and M. Ullrich are top-notch authors so it’s no surprise that this trio has produced a very satisfying compilation of workplace romances.

The first short story, Lead Counsel, by Aurora Rey takes the premise that opposites attract, but rather than have the two main characters out of step with each other, they are quite compatible once they realize that at their core, they want the same things. A civil lawsuit finds Elisa working with Parker, a woman from her past whom she had a brief hook-up with. Elisa doesn’t know what to make of it, but realizes that she is still drawn to Parker. Parker has changed a lot since law school and once the women reconnect not only do they find out they have great chemistry in the bedroom, but they also see their futures following the same path. Rey balances the task of writing a credible legal novella while making it sexy and relatable. She gives Elisa an honest vulnerability and Parker a sincere charm. Rey also writes a great bedroom scene that is anticipated from the very start. Kudos to Rey for including a woman of color as one of her main characters.

The second short story, For Your Eyes Only, by Julie Cannon is sexy from the get go and the slow burn is palpable. Although Riley Stephenson is a top-notch CFO who excels in the business sector, she is a shy and retiring wallflower away from her corporate life. She meets Jess, a stripper, at her best friend’s 50th birthday and she is mesmerized by her beauty and raw sexuality. Jess becomes a drug that Riley can’t put down and she starts scheduling private dances with Jess on a regular basis. Imagine Riley’s surprise (and chagrin) when she finds out that “Jess” is actually one of her new hires, Dana Mason. The story is broken into three parts. There is Riley’s portion, which is written from her point of view in the third person. Then, you get Jess/Dana’s point of view of the same events. Finally, the third portion of the story picks up after they come face to face. This story is the ultimate slow burn. For me, the most interesting aspect of the story is how Cannon convincingly portrays the two sides to Riley. Riley is both the picture of professionalism; totally in control and at home in her skin while she is at work, yet completely ill at ease in her social life.

The third story, Opportunity of a Lifetime, by M. Ullrich was my favorite. This story is all about character development and Ullrich does this with perfect pacing and her wonderful sense of humor. Luca Garner finds herself landing the Personal Assistant position for the most revered forensic accountant on the East Coast, Stephanie Austin. Unfortunately, Stephanie makes it perfectly clear that Luca’s presence is unwanted. Stephanie and Luca’s early interactions are more than awkward, but Ullrich infuses them with such humor that Stephanie doesn’t come across as a complete bitch. The character development in this story keeps this from becoming the typical “melting the ice queen” trope and the miscommunication that disrupts the budding relationship doesn’t feel forced as in many stories in this genre. This story has all the makings of a full-length novel and is the strongest in the group.

Due to the fact that these stories are novellas, there are times when information is told rather than shown, but this wasn’t so problematic that it kept me from enjoying them. Sure these shorts follow the typical formulas of this genre, but they are romances so they wouldn’t live up to our expectations if they didn’t. This is not an in depth look at the complicated dynamics of the workplace romance, but if you are looking for a satisfying romance about capable, professional women then this book is for you.

I received this book as an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

I devoured this collection in one sitting. Yay for lazy Saturday afternoons.

Each story is unique, yet, as the title suggests, held together by a common theme.

While I'll enjoyed them all, Cannon's story stuck out as a winner for me.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.