This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Rivals to lovers, in a workplace environment, with lots of forced proximity!

I’m a big fan of FMC in STEM, especially when they stand up for themselves. I started out my college career in engineering, and though I switched out second year, I heard and saw the same things Tris mentions in this book. I appreciate the author wanting to make this a main point of her book.

There was so much delicious tension in this book, which was a slow burn, but also didn’t feel like one? I really enjoyed their romance, even if I do feel Rafe should have stood up for himself earlier in the story.

Overall it was a very enjoyable read!

This was a fun and quick read! The vacation vibes and enemies-to-lovers trope remind me of The Unhoneymooners, and I love the female friendships shown throughout!

So much fun! A women working in STEM and having to deal with sexist standards in the workplace.
There are a couple of twists that were fun!
Workplace, biracial FMC set on the beach at a work conference.

Thank you for the ARC!

A steamy work trip romance that expertly tackles heavier themes within corporate settings concerning sexism and the glass ceiling.

Disclaimer: I read this book as an audiobook via NetGalley and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Not Safe for Work is narrated by Soneela Nankani and runs 10 hours and 35 minutes long. I enjoyed this audiobook narration. I typically listen to my audiobooks between 2× to 2.5x times speed and I was able to comfortably read this book within that speed range. The tempo and narration was clear and concise. I enjoyed the audiobook narrators portrayal of the numerous characters within the novel. None of the changes in tone or voice between characters felt/sounded awkward.

In this novel we follow Trishara, an engineer who's unhappy with her current workplace. She's gone stagnant and been passed up for many promotions. She has a sneaking suspicion it's due to her status as not only a person of color at work, but a woman as well. She shocked when her boss names her to go on a three week workplace leadership retreat to Hawaii. Even though she suspects it's to check a diversity quota, she agrees to go and dismayed to find that her rival in the workplace, Rafe is also going. Of course he is, he's the bosses son. But the more time she spends with Ray out in Hawaii the more she realizes that he may just be as unhappy as she is. Will they bond over their shared dismay of the direction their lives are taking or will she end up drowning him out in Hawaii?

I really enjoyed the way that this novel balanced a steamy contemporary romance with some real hard hitting issues like a glass ceilings in corporate America. Trishara did a really good job of showing a powerful woman with a lot of confidence in a workplace where she is not appreciated. I really love the way she took multiple opportunities to advocate for herself. Even though it was clear, she faced some massive hurdles in her professional life. She did a lot of that with grace and confidence.

I really liked the chemistry and tension that built up between Trishara and Rafe. It was an absolute slow burn that built up from rivals to lovers. Add in that one bed trope and I could not help but kick my heels and giggle. There were numerous laugh out loud scenes and I loved how throughout everything Trishara continue to advocate for herself. The book was light on descriptive spice, but I really feel the main point of this book was the sexual buildup and tension with the slow burn and not necessarily focused on a detailed payoff. That being said, I was satisfied with the sex scenes that occurred within the book. They gave just enough to capitalize on that sexual tension while keeping it easy for a wide range of spice readers to enjoy.

This book also did an excellent job of representing anxiety due to inclement weather as well as migraine representation. Our main character suffered from a trauma that was weather related in her younger years that bled into her adulthood and was very anxiety inducing. In addition to the anxiety, the main character also had a issue with migraines that she was open about and it was very normalized for her to discuss medicating for her medical needs. I thought that both of those topics were handled well and just showcase even more of the confidence of our main character. Rafe was very accepting and understanding of her issues surrounding anxiety and migraines, and I loved how absolutely normalized it was for the FMC to admit she was struggling and for the MMC to comfort her in that aspect without trying to offer any kind of solution or "cure".

The storyline and plot flowed very organically and kept me entertained throughout the entirety of the book. I do wish we had had a few more interactions with the side characters as I thought some of them very interesting and hope that there might be some subsequent books that feature these characters so that we can get to know them better. There was a few downtimes during the book that my mind started to wander, but they were definitely not long or frequent and I was able to stay engaged for most of the story.

I cannot wait for the next release by this amazing author.

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: A steamy work trip romance that expertly tackles heavier themes within corporate settings concerning sexism and the glass ceiling.

Disclaimer: I read this book as an audiobook via NetGalley and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

In this novel we follow Trishara, an engineer who's unhappy with her current workplace. She's gone stagnant and been passed up for many promotions. She has a sneaking suspicion it's due to her status as not only a person of color at work, but a woman as well. She shocked when her boss names her to go on a three week workplace leadership retreat to Hawaii. Even though she suspects it's to check a diversity quota, she agrees to go and dismayed to find that her rival in the workplace, Rafe is also going. Of course he is, he's the bosses son. But the more time she spends with Ray out in Hawaii the more she realizes that he may just be as unhappy as she is. Will they bond over their shared dismay of the direction their lives are taking or will she end up drowning him out in Hawaii?

I really enjoyed the way that this novel balanced a steamy contemporary romance with some real hard hitting issues like a glass ceilings in corporate America. Trishara did a really good job of showing a powerful woman with a lot of confidence in a workplace where she is not appreciated. I really love the way she took multiple opportunities to advocate for herself. Even though it was clear, she faced some massive hurdles in her professional life. She did a lot of that with grace and confidence.

I really liked the chemistry and tension that built up between Trishara and Rafe. It was an absolute slow burn that built up from rivals to lovers. Add in that one bed trope and I could not help but kick my heels and giggle. There were numerous laugh out loud scenes and I loved how throughout everything Trishara continue to advocate for herself. The book was light on descriptive spice, but I really feel the main point of this book was the sexual buildup and tension with the slow burn and not necessarily focused on a detailed payoff. That being said, I was satisfied with the sex scenes that occurred within the book. They gave just enough to capitalize on that sexual tension while keeping it easy for a wide range of spice readers to enjoy.

This book also did an excellent job of representing anxiety due to inclement weather as well as migraine representation. Our main character suffered from a trauma that was weather related in her younger years that bled into her adulthood and was very anxiety inducing. In addition to the anxiety, the main character also had a issue with migraines that she was open about and it was very normalized for her to discuss medicating for her medical needs. I thought that both of those topics were handled well and just showcase even more of the confidence of our main character. Rafe was very accepting and understanding of her issues surrounding anxiety and migraines, and I loved how absolutely normalized it was for the FMC to admit she was struggling and for the MMC to comfort her in that aspect without trying to offer any kind of solution or "cure".

The storyline and plot flowed very organically and kept me entertained throughout the entirety of the book. I do wish we had had a few more interactions with the side characters as I thought some of them very interesting and hope that there might be some subsequent books that feature these characters so that we can get to know them better. There was a few downtimes during the book that my mind started to wander, but they were definitely not long or frequent and I was able to stay engaged for most of the story.

I cannot wait for the next release by this amazing author.

There were some cute and fun moments to this book, but as a whole it fell a little flat. I work in an engineering field and while i do believe these workplace harassment events can happen, it hasn't been as prevalent to me. Obviously it was played up a bit for the story, but I wish it might have focused more on the pain of being nominated for something as the token female rather than the blatant sexual harassment. I didn't ever fully understand why the two main characters hated each other, but who hasn't had a grudge for no real reason. Plus going from that to love in under two weeks was a little insane. If you can suspend belief on some of these details it is an enjoyable story and a good time.

I'd firstly like to thank Forever Publishing for a copy of this eARC.

This is my first book that I've ready by Nisha J. Tuli, and I'm so glad I was able to read this one, early! I've had her books on my TBR list for a long time, but if you give me a contemporary enemies to lovers, I will eat it up all day everyday. This will absolutely not be my last book by this author, and I can't wait to dive into her fantasy books!

We have an incredibly smart (engineer) FMC who is one of the few women in her office (surrounded by Khakis at work), and our MMC is the son of one of the bosses for their Chicago branch for their company. Both of our MCs are chosen to attend a 3 week long work conference to see who will get selected for a covetous leadership internship with the company. Of course, there are all kinds of competitions between the attendees, and this is where our MCs shine (and, of course, make it so everyone is watching them).

I'm not going to spoil the rest but if you enjoy these tropes, I think you'd like this one!

- Enemies-to-lovers
- Workplace Romance / Work Rivals
- Secret Pining
- Women in STEM
- Forced Proximity

This entire book was one giant nonstop HR violation. None of this would be acceptable professional conduct in any workplace. That said — and with my disbelief suspended about all of the circumstances needed for this story— this was a fun steamy nonsensical romp and I enjoyed the heck out of it. The banter is delightful, the setting is dreamy (Maui? Yes, please), and I absolutely devoured the book.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun!
I loved Tris and her ability to stand up for herself and be an absolute badass! The banter between her and Rafe was amazing, and I loved their tension and swoon worthy moments 🤭

This story was the perfect amount of lighthearted, cheesy, fun, rom com, fast paced, progressive and honestly just slayed tbh

“Not Safe for Work” by Nisha Tuli included many of the tropes I love: work trip, forced proximity, only one bed and enemies to lovers. Trishara is an environmental engineer who is fighting misogyny and nepotism at work. She is finally selected for a leadership work trip but only to make her office seem more diverse than it is. She is going with her boss’ son, Rafe, who got the team lead job over her and has been her nemesis since they have worked together. She intends to keep him in the enemy zone despite her growing attraction to him as she soon starts to realize he might actually be a good guy. Then fate and their feelings start conspiring against them and all bets are off.

I really liked the writing style of the author and the chemistry between the two MC’s that was pretty spicy. It was a slow burn and they stayed enemies for a good chunk of the book that led to a lot of good tension but also felt like it dragged on a bit at times. I loved the plot line of a work trip to Hawaii and all the little side excursions they did but I found Trishara unnecessarily unprofessional at times and it kind of irked me because it didn’t feel like it was how someone would act in her role despite all she had to put up with. In general I really liked the book and it had me hooked quickly and kept my attention throughout. A decent read in my opinion and one I would recommend but I didn’t love it enough to put it in my reread pile.

This was a super cute and quick read! I loved that the FMC is a South Asian engineer who faces challenges in a field mostly dominated by white men. She’s fiery, independent, firm in her beliefs, and I was constantly rooting for her. She puts up with so much and I was so proud of her by the end of the book.

This is my first introduction to this author and I know this is her first romance novel. I’m not entirely sold on romance being her genre, but I have heard great things about her fantasy series that she’s more known for. There were a mix of things that did and didn’t work for me with this book.

The romance itself was fine but the writing could have used alot more improvement. I found it hard to connect to the story since the plot was a bit repetitive and slow. Some parts were pretty predictable and the characters, while great on their own, were too immature for me. The banter was still super fun and I’ll admit that some scenes had me giggling. That epilogue was adorable!

I also really liked Rafe! He was so sweet, funny, and still managed to keep up his competitive streak with Trishara. I loved that reveal of his hobbies outside of work and thought that was such a fun addition to his character. However, I would have loved it if this was dual POV because it was a bit difficult to really understand his character at the beginning.

The slow burn, tension, and chemistry between them was so good, though. I loved how the author wrote their overall relationship and definitely will need to give her fantasy books a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book! It was a fun read while also hitting on some important topics. I always the “workplace rivals” dynamic and thought it was done well here.

⭐ Rating: 4/5
🔥 Spice: 4/5 – There’s a lot of spice in the second half, but it fits the story without overpowering it.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a fun, emotional, and satisfying rivals-to-lovers romance with depth beyond the banter. The characters felt layered and real, and the relationship progression was both believable and rewarding. I loved how the emotional growth of both characters was given as much attention as the romance itself.

Things That Stood Out:
- The rivalry-to-lovers setup worked really well. The teasing could be a little over the top at first, but once their walls started to crack, the chemistry really clicked.
- Both characters had deeper emotional layers beyond the rivalry. Rafe's complicated relationship with his wealthy, controlling family added a lot of depth, and Tris’s trauma from a past workplace relationship gave her hesitancy real weight.
- I appreciated how the author handled Tris’s fears about mixing romance and work again—showing both her anxiety and growth without brushing past it.
- Rafe was a genuinely swoony MMC. His patience, his support,, and the way he stood up for her and eventually, his passion for baking made him easy to root for.
- While the spice level was high in the second half, it didnt overpower the story.
- The ending gave a satisfying balance of personal and romantic closure, with both characters making choices for themselves first, and then choosing each other.

This is definitely one to pick up if you love a good rivals-to-lovers romance with depth, a lot of heat, and characters who feel fully fleshed out by the end. I’m excited to read more from Nisha J. Tuli!

Did this just become one of my favorite reads in 2025? Seriously I want to give it 6 out of 5 ⭐️ This had all the feels, and it had me absolutely hooked from start to finish. As always Nisha is the QUEEN of slow burn, and I seriously was ready to combust. Tris and Rafe’s chemistry is absolute 🔥 They somehow embrace the equivalent of grade schoolers picking on the boy/girl they like, and yet it’s appealing and fun.
This story reminds me a Spanish Love Deception, which is 1000% a good thing because that was the story that made me love Contemporary Romances. As with SLD, Tris is a woman in a male dominated field and unfortunately she deals with the bias and sexism that comes with it. I had no idea before this that Nisha was in STEM originally and her foreword was opening. It’s infuriating and heartbreaking to know this is still a reality for intelligent and driven women, but I love how Trish handles herself in NSFW and I hope there are women are there who are helped by this story.
All around an amazing story and production and I cannot thank Nisha J Tuli, and Forever Publishing enough for the ARC opportunity 🫶🏻

Ok , this book is the first one from this author for me.
The writing was really good and I enjoyed.
The plot was interesting and enjoyable.
Now the interactions of the main couple sometimes was great and sometimes gave me backlash.
Their bickering was cute at times and annoying at others .
But it was entertaining and the audio was really good and helped a lot with the backlash this two were giving me by being stubborn thru the whole book. I really did like that they both found their way to each other and to their real passions at the end of it

I was so looking forward to this one from NJT after DEVOURING Artefacts of Ouranos. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a chance to read prior to release on 5/20!

We love a good forced proximity romance, and this certainly delivered on that. Tris and Rafe, who have been coworkers for 5 years, are at a company retreat and somehow manage to be put in the same room with, you guessed it, only one bed. They start to open up to each other and have some great relationship growth.

I loved the Hawaii setting and the aforementioned forced proximity. I’m a huge sucker for rivals to lovers so that was fun, too!! As a female engineer, I feel some of Tris’s pains at being a woman in a predominantly male field, so it was refreshing to read!

I didn’t love all the Hannah drama but overall, this was a light cute read.

A great beach read set in a luxury Maui resort that is perfect for anyone who loves a slow burn with forced proximity! After loving Artefacts of Ouranos, I couldn't wait to read Tuli's take on a Rom-Com and it was exactly what I was hoping to read!

DNF at 39%. I’ve enjoyed Nisha J. Tuli’s romantasy books, but I just didn’t click with this one. I liked the intent with Tris and depicting her challenges as a biracial woman in STEM. However, I found the MMC bland and the fixation on how “hot” he was turned me off, especially without an inkling of anything else to latch onto,

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Nisha J Tuli is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. Her ability to develop characters and build romantic tension is exceptional.

As a woman in engineering there was a lot about this book that hit very close to home. With Nisha's history in the field, she touched on so many common indiscretions in the industry. While there is definitely a lot of blatant depictions in the book, I love how her personal knowledge gave her the ability to include a lot of more subtle or non-obvious hurdles women face in a historical white male field.

On top of that, this was rivals to lovers perfection in my opinion. It had the perfect amount of antagonistic banter, sexual tension, and build up. Nothing was rushed and the pay off was well worth the wait.

At this point I don't know if there's anything this author can't write. I have no idea what she is working on next but I want it immediately.

I adored this book! Not Safe for Work gave me everything I crave in a contemporary romance—real enemies to lovers tension that actually lasts the whole way through, a heroine who’s sharp, talented, and navigating a tough industry, and a hero with layers that unfold so perfectly.

Trishara and Rafe’s chemistry is off the charts, but what really stood out to me was how well Nisha J. Tuli explored what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated field, and not just that, but a woman of color. Trishara’s struggles were so real and relatable. You could feel the pressure she was under at every turn, and it was infuriating and validating all at once. She’s wildly capable, yet constantly having to prove herself, and that hit hard.

The single POV worked beautifully here. Getting the story solely from Trishara’s perspective let us experience her frustrations, her growth, and ultimately her slow discovery of who Rafe really is beneath the smug facade. It made his character arc even more satisfying once his real self started to shine through.

Also, can we talk about the migraine rep? It was so refreshing to see chronic pain handled with nuance. Trishara’s migraines weren’t just a throwaway detail, they were a part of her daily reality and added so much depth to her character and the challenges she faced.

And the forced proximity in this one?? Chef’s kiss. The whole “only one bed” and being stuck in a hotel suite together absolutely heightened the tension to a delicious level. Every scene between them crackled.

The ending? Perfection. No spoilers, but the way things wrapped up for both Trishara and Rafe was so satisfying and well-earned. It was emotional, empowering, and just… exactly what I wanted.

This was my first book by Nisha J. Tuli (I usually stick to contemporary romance), but now I have to check out her fantasy series. I’m officially a fan!

Also… can we please get a book for Molly? I would love to stay in this world just a little longer. Highly recommend this one, it's a standout in the genre and one I’ll be shouting about for a while!

Thank you to Forever for gifting me a physical ARC and eARC. All opinions are my own.

NSFW was such a fun surprise. Set against the sun-soaked backdrop of a company retreat in Maui, this workplace romance has all the good stuff: tension, banter, and a classic enemies-to-lovers setup.

Tris is guarded, which makes sense after a rough past relationship and a career of being overlooked for less talented (and usually white and male) colleagues. Rafe is gorgeous, mysterious, and always in her space, especially after a hotel mix-up forces them to share a suite. What starts as mutual annoyance slowly turns into something way deeper.

Once they started opening up to each other, I was all in. Their banter was sharp and fun, but the emotional intimacy pulled me in. One of my favorite scenes is when a storm hits the island, and Rafe takes care of Tris. It is so sweet, so sexy, and it perfectly captures that shift from tension to trust.

NSFW was my first time reading this author, but now I want to check out her fantasy books, too. Her writing is super engaging, especially when focused on vulnerability and connection.

If I had one complaint, it would be that both leads leaned a little too hard into the immaturity. It dragged out the tension longer than necessary, and I wished they would talk it out like adults. Tris' friendships were a huge bright spot, and Rafe’s social media presence was hilarious. Those comment sections had me cracking up. I would have loved even more of that.

Overall, this was sexy, sweet, and super-readable. It tackled workplace inequality with just enough weight while keeping things light, heartfelt, and fun.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.