A spicy contemporary romance with wonderful characters and a story I was very invested in! Love the representation of women in a male dominated space and I will be recommending this book this year!

This was adorable! I am familiar with Nisha J Tuli through her other romantasy series, so I was pretty confident that I would like this book as well. I loved how well her writing style fit so well to a contemporary setting! The story itself was simple but engaging. I loved the push and pull between Tish and Rafe, and found the character exploration of him to be awesome. Also, the setting and the fact that it look place at a sort of leadership retreat made me laugh out loud at the painfully true depictions of those activities. Overall, I enjoyed it.

ARC review thanks to Nisha being generous and having this available on NetGalley. This book is exactly what I hope for in a romance novel. Nisha’s writing is easy to digest making it a quick read while giggling and blushing throughout. The representation of different groups in this helps bring light to real life issues that many may not even know exist. Love the nod to Trail of the Sun Queen! I can’t wait to see what she does next!

I absolutely devoured this book. I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Tris and Rafe are amazing. I was smiling throughout this book because of how sweet Rafe was and how giddy I was reading this story. Tris really developed through out the story and really ended on a strong note (that email was so spectacularly written and gave me exactly what I wanted). Rafe is a caring guy with caveman tendencies. This book was spicy in the best ways but also address sexism and racism in the workplace so well.
I HIGHLY recommend this book. And ANYTHING Nisha Tuli writes.

Es un falso de rivales a amantes. Desde la primera página, te das cuenta de que Trishara siente algo por Rafe, pero no actúa al respecto porque él tiene novia y por una relación pasada con un compañero de trabajo que terminó mal.

Hubo varios aspectos que no me gustaron:

- Trishara ha sido ignorada durante años para diferentes ascensos, y se los han dado a hombres menos calificados. Esperaba que la historia se centrara en este tema, o al menos que se hablara sobre el machismo y el racismo en el ambiente laboral. Sin embargo, parece que lo más importante era que Trishara tuviera fantasías sobre Rafe y averiguara si seguía con su novia para poder lanzarse sobre él.

-El comportamiento de Rafe hacia ella ha sido grosero durante años, y ella parece que cada mañana le borran la memoria porque siempre le responde de manera amable.

-Por último, la exnovia no para de llamarlo, y él siempre le contesta, incluso cuando está comenzando algo con Trishara. Ella se da cuenta de esto, pero lo excusa. Hay una escena en la que Hannah llega al hotel para darle una sorpresa y pasar unos días juntos para reconciliarse, pero se supone que ya tiene una relación con Trishara. Nunca le puso un alto hasta que Trishara lo dejó (aunque no terminó la relación) para que pudiera poner fin a las cosas con Hannah. Ella le dijo que lo esperaría una vez todo estuviera resuelto.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Nisha and Forever publishing for this eARC.

Not safe for work is a fast paced contemporary romance that is perfect for people who love work place rivals,he falls first, competitive FMCs and MMCs, and women who stand up for themselves in male dominated work spaces.

Tish was a great FMCs she knew her worth and she wasn’t going to let anyone dimension it! Rafe was at first hard to like but he grows on you when you realize there is more to him than meets the eye!

This one had a lot of my favorite tropes!
Some of those are:
One bed
Rivals to lovers
Slow burn with a ton of tension
Angst
Both an acceptable level of obsessed with each other!
Spice
Comfort when scared

* Thank you Nisha and NetGalley for this eARC!*

Nisha has done it again, and this time in a totally different genre!

Trish, our totally BA FMC, is a force of nature in the best way possible. Our MMC is full of smirk and spice, and they clash so perfectly.

There is plenty of push and pull, slow burn, sideways glances, and toe-curling spice that I just cannot stop giggling after this explosively awesome read. What a delicious palate cleanser of a novel.

Thank you for another five star read, Nisha!

This is a quick, fun mix of workplace rivals and vacation romance. Tris and Rafe butt heads and have for years, but all they need is a little forced proximity, only one bed action to get them to work out their differences. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two of them a lot, and I always enjoy Nisha J Tuli’s writing. If you enjoy her other books, I think you’ll enjoy this one even with the change of genre. I do wish that some of Tris and Rafe’s back and forth, hot and cold dynamic has eased a bit earlier, but that didn’t take away from the story too much. Additionally, I thought y he way it wrapped up was very cute and done well!

I would be glad to read more like this from Nisha J Tuli!

This book was FANTASTIC! I know Nisha usually writes fantasy, but I'm so glad she followed what she wanted and wrote this contemporary romance! I absolutely loved the disclaimer in the beginning, it honestly set me up to better receive the story. I felt prepared for the book to cover heavier topics such as sexism, racism, and sexual harassment/assault. I also appreciated the note that said, "If you ever find yourself thinking, "People wouldn't do or say that," I can assure you they do, and they did." I'm not sure if I would've thought that while reading this, however, I realize I am privileged enough to be naïve about the world sometimes so again, this disclosure really set me up to better receive this story. The representation in this book was great. The pace was great, nothing seemed to drag, and there was enough going on to hold my attention the entire time. I stayed up until 4:00am reading this because I couldn't put it down! The story gave me all the feels, and I found it to be inspiring to boot!

The author created a wonderful, lighthearted co-worker romance! This book was an enjoyable read that flowed well enough that I finished quickly! I’ve enjoyed the fantasy series of Nisha’s that I’ve read, so I was excited to see a new genre option!

Rafe and Tris were great MCs, you rooted for them the whole time.

The side characters were (mainly) either charming and adorable or slimy and easily disliked. Hannah’s role was weird but necessary for the plot.

Thanks for a fun book!!

4.5 stars rounded up. This book contains badass BIPOC women in STEM, amazing rivals to lovers chemistry and epic F the patriarchy moments. This book is a love letter to anyone who’s ever been immensely let down in a male dominated field. I highly highly recommend!

I was able to read this as an ARC when it was available on Netgalley for 'Read Now' on Valentine's day and I just ate this up! As someone who graduated university with an engineering degree and has since been in male dominated workplaces, I absolutely loved this story!

Our FMC is an engineer and has felt stuck in her current job - she has been passed over for promotions time and again and has started to not bother to go above and beyond anymore. The latest promotion she was passed over went to her work rival and that was pretty much the last straw. Her company announced that they would be starting a leadership retreat for 3 weeks in Malibu and each branch would send 2 people. Knowing there is no way she is going to get picked and can't compete with the higher ups sons, she attends the announcement for the cake. But imagine her surprise when not only does she get picked but so does her rival - our MMC. Knowing that she was probably picked as the 'diversity pick' she decides to enjoy this as a 3 week all expenses paid vacation. But her plans go to the wayside when she finds out that not only does she get to spend the flight beside her rival but also share a hotel room together - where there is only one bed.

Overall, I absolutely ate this up! I loved the banter between the MCs and can't forget that tension! I thought the rivals to lovers trope was done so well! Loved how the FMC was an engineer too! And when the spicy came, it was spicy! I'm excited to seem more contemporary books from this author!!

Close proximity.. Hawaii…ONE BED…

I’ve read her Artefacts of Ouranos series and knew I needed to read her first contemporary romance novel immediately. I was not disappointed.

Not Safe For Work is a fun and flirty novel about two rival coworkers but dives much deeper into the trials and tribulations of being woman in a male dominated workplace. Tuli does a great job of balancing the spice and romance parts of the books with the difficult conversations that had to happen around micro and macro aggressions in the office.

As an adult educator (in the field of education), I’m constantly on the lookout for diverse reads that my students can add to their list of “fun books to read.”

I really enjoyed this foray into contemporary romance from Nisha Tuli. I’ve read her fantasy series so I knew to expect a badass FMC, and Tris did not disappoint. Rafe was a great MMC and even though it was rivals to lovers, it was clear from the beginning that Rafe clearly was going to fall first.

This was the perfect escape from reality/trip to paradise I needed in the dead of winter. The spice was steamy and the way Tris blows things up (iykyk) was so satisfying. My only nitpicky gripe is the ex showing up. The stage 5 clinger side plot didn’t always make sense, but I understood why it was done for plot purposes.

Overall FUN read and I was mad at how much my own job got in the way of me getting to finish this book. I can’t wait for another contemporary from Nisha!

Thank you to Forever for the ARC!!

What a fun and fantastic book!! Nisha may convert me to a contemporary romance reader with a gem like this.
The banter and the angst were perfect!
The FMC had so much strength and determination that she’s someone I would want my daughters (if I had them) to look up to.
I loved the easter eggs for her other fantasy book sprinkled in, they didn’t take away from the story if you didn’t understand them but they added that little bit of something special if you did.
I can’t wait to revisit this story and characters over and over again!

I loved this so much. For Nisha’s contemporary romance debut, it was perfect. Slightly different from her romantasy books, but it still had her trademarks in writing. There was so much heart, humor, real life situations, and more in this book. I had a great time reading about Tris and Rafe and their love story

I have been a huge fan of Nisha's work for awhile! I love both of her fantasy series and seeing her breakthrough in adult contemporary romance did not disappoint! I love that the FMC is bipoc stem girlie and the plot was so fun as someone who also works in the corporate stem industry. It was so nice to see representation here. The FMC and MMC had such fun banter and they had such a well thought-out slow burn romance. I have been recommending Nisha's book to everyone I know but I am incredibly excited to have NSFW to recommend to my non-fantasy reader friends!

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
ARC Pub Date- May 20th 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 Stars

I absolutely loved it. The romance is so swoon-worthy and I love the powerful commentary on women in the workplace! As someone with storm anxiety, I melted at that particular seen 🥹🥹🥹. Nisha’s writing is so fun and she made the best cast of characters. Not Safe for Work is out on May 20th 2025- set your reminders!!
I’m obsessed- Tris and Rafe 4ever 🧡I

4.

“Your ass is so fucking hot in that skirt, I want to fall to my knees and worship it.”

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ dislike/rivals to lovers
✨ forced proximity
✨ one bed trope
✨ jealousy scenes
✨ tension & yearning
✨workplace romance
✨ spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨ 3rd act drama


Quick Thoughts:

I loved the Spanish Love Deceptionwhen it came out, it made me realize at the time that workplace romance were top notch for rom coms. This book made me fall in love with workplace romance yet again. I was obsessed with the banter, headstrong FMC and the little forced proximity moments in the book. Please please please Nisha, keep writing in this world.

I loved:

Light Plot
The main “plot” is the relationship which I will talk about, but the secondary plot is Tris finding herself and leaving a toxic environment. I loved that Nisha was realistic in the nepo moments, the struggle for women in male fields and how women can be villains too. I was hopeful for Tris, and I was excited for how Tris handled the situations that were thrown at her.


Tris
I loved Tris. Give me another book of Tris. I love an independent girl with struggles that she is willing to admit. Tris knew she wasn't perfect, but she also knew she was good at her job and deserved more. I loved how she stood up for herself as well both towards Rafe and towards the company .


Friendship
I really enjoyed that added element of friendship in this book. From Molly back home who checked in constantly and was in the end chapters with Tris being home, to her finding friendship at the retreat. I feel like this gave Tris a more rounded character, and her development wasn't just focused on love.


The thing I disliked

Rafe
I know this is WILD because I genuinely enjoyed the book so much,so how do I not like the MMC? I should say, I am more neutral about him. I felt Rafe didn't have a strong personality to me other than how he looks. I know he likes to bake, and go to the gym but other than that nothing stood out to me. Yeah he had some good banter with Tris, but to be honest he was a bit forgettable. The Hannah drama could have made him more interesting, but it wasn't that detailed so yet again it left me very neutral. The ending was cute, but I didn't see enough of Rafe’s personality to really care about him.


Overall, I am buying this book when it comes out. I genuinely enjoyed Tris and her story too much to not have a physical copy.

I just finished this and it is easily one of my all time favourite reads for this style of romance. Rafe and Tris were adorable and scorching...the yearning, tension and banter was top tier. And the spice? Absolutely, amazingly top notch.

But the way Nisha dealt with the microaggressions of being a woman, especially one of colour, was absolutely spot on. I work in STEM, I personally have been fortunate that I work with really great people, but this take was everything. I loved that she showed the layers, the ways that it can be as simple as assuming you will be the one to take notes (or organize birthday cards 🙄). It isn't always overtly sexual, but it is insidious and present, and there is still a lot of work to be done. I also really appreciated how Rafe supported Tris, acknowledging the "caveman" attitude is not always helpful, that she needed someone to make her feel safe so that SHE could be brave. That letter at the end made me want to cheer out loud....I almost did!

I haven't purchased a lot of physical books recently, but THIS one I will be. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.