I loved the premise, but unfortunately the writing style didn't work for me. I'd still be willing to read this author (and am interested in giving her fantasy series a try).

I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH!! Easily a five-star rating for me! From the get go, I was immediately intrigued with the MC. I love Trishara so much! I also found that I relate to her in many ways. From being burned from a bad/toxic relationship, to having a career in a male-dominated field, to being of Asian descent. And I truly appreciated all of the emphasis on diversity and inclusion throughout this novel. And I also appreciated the representation of a female working in a male-dominated industry, and the sexism and discrimination that often comes paired with that unfortunately. I truly felt seen. Not to mention, I looooooved Rafe. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope and Nisha did a fantastic job of building up the tension between these two characters and landing it once it all came together! Pun intended hehe. I loved the character development of both Trishara and Rafe, and I was empowered by their courage to not give in to societal / corporate ladder climbing pressures to achieve what they both had thought were there “dreams” or next steps in life. I will be recommending this book to all my friends! And I think the fact it gets published right before summer hits is perfect. This would have made a great read on a fun trip or vacation, especially one poolside / on the beach. Thank you to NetGalley and my friends at Forever Publishing for my eARC and physical ARC!!!

📚Work Rivals
📚Forced Proximity
📚One Bed
📚Chronic pain rep
📚Dirty Texts

The Hating Games 2.0.
It was extremely predictable, but a fun read anyways.
It felt like a character study in how women over-analyze everything men say and do… to their own detriment.
I was having a great time reading this up until about 70%. It became overly political and turned into a statement about females in the work place… I wanted a Rom-Com and this took me out of the story completely. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun rivals to lovers story! I loved the banter and one-upmanship between Tris and Rafe. The tension between these two was so so good!

I also thought the work retreat/vacation setting was super fun. It made for a nice change to a typical work place romance.

The commentary on the struggles of women in male dominated fields was also so important. I loved how well this was done.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the early digital copy!

Not Safe for Work is a spectacular entry into contemporary from beloved fantasy romance author Nisha J. Tuli!

Tris Malik (Trishara to those who don’t know and love her…yet) has put in the work…literally ALL of the work in her engineering roles and for some reason (read: sexism, racism, blacklisting, harassment, and more - our girl is going through it) it has yet to pay off at WMC Purcell. When the company announces a training trip for their brightest stars, Tris knows that Rafe Gallagher, son of a senior VP, job stealer, and her arch nemesis, will punch one of the golden tickets but is stunned to find out she has also been selected. The promise of 3 weeks in paradise immediately feels much more like a pain in the neck (and head and shoulders and eyes, this IS foreshadowing) since she knows that unfortunately after 5 years she wasn’t magically rewarded based on merit and over the pleated khaki wearing familial henchmen and their ilk.
Arriving on the island after sparring with Rafe for the window seat, Tris is met with the spoils of her triumph with…no that can’t be right - they CANNOT only have one room booked. Confines be damned, Tris vows to make the most of island time for herself and banish Rafe to the couch in their suite and any other group during training. Their shared experiences at the office and their too close for comfort quarters have the two publicly bickering and privately unraveling the lore of one another to discover that maybe they aren’t complete opposites or even on opposing teams. Vulnerable moments in the form of broken relationships and chronic migraines and out of control fear alike, have Tris & Rafe leaning in to mutual support from the person they both least expected to feel safe and understanding and finding that their not so secret attraction to each other might be more than surface level. What they plan to do is 100% violating someone’s HR policy but when opportunity to explore things comes along, who cares about keeping things safe for work?!

* I love you Tris Malik so very much and I want you to be my best friend IRL. You have the most incredible fixed sign energy and are so gritty and smart and lustrous despite the challenges of being a woman in STEM, a woman with a chronic condition, a woman of color, and hell sometimes just a woman at all. The tenacity of this character is admirable and inspiring because damnit she shouldn’t HAVE to be so self-reliant and calm on the surface and work 100x harder than everyone around her - she deserves to be vulnerable and desired and cherished just as she is (and so do you, reader) without all the added strife!
* Rafe Gallagher I love your forearms and talents alike. You are soulful and caring and self-aware in the best ways. Truly a lesson that the most important work we do sometimes is done for and on ourselves.

Thank you to the author & Forever Publishing for the prioritized review ARC and chance to gush about this story before official release on May 20 2025!

There’s something about Nisha’s writing that draws me in from the first page, and it was no different with her contemporary romance debut! Not Safe for Work is a cute and sexy feel good romance that I adored.

I’m all for a workplace rivals romance, and I loved the hate to love relationship and how they played petty games with each other. The tension is off the charts with the most immaculate "idk if she hates him or wants to f*ck him vibes." But she’s definitely obsessed with him.

I liked their whirlwind of a romance in a tropical setting. AND the spice was hotttt. What I would give to have Rafe’s POV omg. This MAN.

I am so proud of Tris for standing up for herself 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you f*cking go girl.

Also can I just say that I loved that Nisha was referencing her own romantasy books.

Forced proximity
Woman in STEM
Workplace romance
One bed
Enemies to lovers

4 stars!
This was such a cute fast pace read and I wish it didn't end.
Tropes: STEM setting, women of color, banter and angst (love the tension and build up), workplace romance, only one bed, and chronic pain rep
The FMC and MMC helped each other realize what they truly wanted with romance and in the workplace. They gave each other space when they needed it. They were able to talk to each other, no miscommunication on that end. The only miscommunication was their feelings for each other.
I LOVE how this represented women in the workforce, how eyes were turned when something happened. And for Tris to stand up for herself, *chef's kiss*
I do wish Rafe had more in this book. Yes we find out a lot about him (he's a hottie and a wonderful baker) but I wish we could've been inside his head instead of being told. i.e his conversations with Hannah and his father.

book releases on May 20th, 2025

This was just what I needed after my last read left me in a bit of a slump. If you are a fan of workplace rivalries, forced proximity, and some tension - this will be a fun read for you.

Tris and Rafe had great chemistry, and their banter kept the book moving and entertaining; however, I really would’ve loved to see some flashbacks or deeper glimpses into their shared past. There are references to history between them, but without experiencing those moments, parts of the connection felt a little instalusty and rushed—especially from an emotional level. The tension and stakes were there, but I think a bit more backstory would’ve made their dynamic more impactful.

Overall, this was a fun read and totally scratched the “I need something quick, spicy, and entertaining” itch. A great pick-me-up read when you’re coming out of a slump!

This was a charming and enjoyable read.
While I'll be honest and say the first half felt a little slow for me, as I struggled to connect with the characters initially, particularly Rafe, who was primarily described through Tris's repeated observations of his attractiveness, the latter half truly captivated me. I really enjoyed their evolving dynamics and the banter between them. The side characters were also a great addition, with Molly, despite her less frequent appearances, providing excellent comedic relief.

Tris wasn't my favorite character at the beginning, but I greatly appreciated her growth and how she stood up for herself, both in her interactions with Rafe and in her professional life. I did feel that her forgiveness of Rafe might have been a little quick, though I can't definitively say I wouldn't have reacted similarly (lol).

Overall, this is a sweet summer romance with a lot of angst in the early chapters.
As a side note, I absolutely loved the clever nod to Nisha's other series :).

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved "Not Safe for Work."

It was fun to read about this enemies to lovers trope set in the STEM world. As someone who is not in that world, I still found it to be relatable as a woman regardless unfortunately.

This was my introduction to Nisha J. Tuli and I am eager to read everything from her backlist and everything new going forward. I can already tell she is now an auto-buy author for me. I cannot wait to see the reception this book will receive on pub day.

Thank you Forever and Nisha J. Tuli for selecting me for this ARC.

Rivals to lovers forced to go on the same work retried, Not Safe for Work is a good entry into the romance genre for Nisha J. Tuli. I enjoyed how fierce the female lead was. I was horrified by the things she had to endure at work, knowing that is an all to real problem from many women in male dominated fields. This was a quick read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the free eARC.

I have loved everything Nisha J. Tuli has written. Her fantasy books are incredibly fun but her Adult Romance? Amazing!! I love forced proximity and find myself cheering for characters when they’re forced to be around one another every day. One bed, one room, a trip to Maui with a work colleague who does nothing but make you want to strangle him? Well you have a recipe for love and disaster! I had so much fun reading this. This is the perfect holiday romance book!! I can’t wait to read this again in the summer!

First off, thank you for the early Earc I appreciate it. I gave this book 3.5 Star. This book was not bad by any means, it just wasn't my favorite romance. I really enjoyed Tris and seeing her fight for what she wanted and what was right in her career. Having a job in a male dominated filed where you have to fight and grapple for everything and still not move forward would be so frustrating. I loved the representation of migraines and headaches, which i too suffer from. I just found Tris at times to be semi annoying and when the FMC becomes annoying to be I kinda lose interest. I loved Rafe and how he was broody but with a Cinnamon roll inside. It was so predictable and lagged a bit for me in the middle. The spice level was great it was not cringe or over done which I appreciate. I did enjoy the epilogue and seeing where all the characters ended up.

“I imagine them falling in love with their new favorite place or, best of all, sharing a kiss on top of a mountain at sunset.”
I’m a huge fan of Nisha J Tuli’s romantasy series so I couldn’t wait to pick up Not Safe For Work and when this ARC arrived in my inbox, I literally squealed.
Trishara is a talented engineer who despite her achievements and capabilities is constantly being passed over for promotions. Five years later, she has given up on advancing in her career particularly after a previous workplace romance damaged her reputation significantly. Rafe is the favoured son of a senior VP and destined for greatness. Tris is shocked when she wins a place on a training retreat and when she realises that it is a nod to diversity and inclusion that WMC is being pushed on, she uses this to her advantage. However, unbeknownst to her, her negotiated perks are extended to Rafe and they end up sharing the best suite at the hotel, the honeymoon suite.
Whilst Tris is ready to end her self-imposed celibacy at the retreat, Rafe stands between her and this goal, confusing her. He’s constantly taking calls from his ex, Hannah but also, is he as bad as she thought? Rafe shows her, his true ambition and supports her when she is scared, making her realise that he is also trapped in a sense. They finally act on their attraction and it’s explosive. Hidden glances and naughty texts make this a fun read, that you fly through.
However, just when Tris thinks that she will be able to achieve her career goals with the support of her idol, Diane Hart, a director at WMC, she realises how deeply the patriarchy at WMC runs.
I love how Tris eventually takes back the power in all aspects of her life, even though its scary and difficult. Rafe is sweet and caring but I was annoyed at his interactions with Hannah. While I understand the need for it, it just felt overly drawn out and annoying. I absolutely loved the friendships in the story, supportive and uplifting no matter the odds.
Overall, an excellent rivals to lovers spicy romance that any romance lover is bound to enjoy

I cannot even begin to explain how much I love tris and rafe!!! the way that man just yearns for tris. he’s just as obsessed with her as she is with him and thus I am obsessed with the both of them. their banter was so much fun and I was low-key embarrassed reading this in public bc of how often I caught myself smiling at my kindle like a fiend!!

this book had so many tropes that I love and they’re done in a way that’s silly and fun and really works for this story. I love that even though it’s only 350 pages, the slow burn actually did feel like it burned slowly and felt like we had earned them by the time they’d gotten together.

I loved tris’ journey to figuring out who she is, what she wanted, and how she was going to get it. what she did at the end felt so satisfactory and no doubt something a lot of people from marginalized communities wished they'd been able to do. there were so many important parts to the story and they all just worked really well together. I do wish we had gotten more of their life in the epilogue or even gotten to see more of how they got to where we see them in the epilogue, but that’s just how I feel about nearly every epilogue i’ve read.

I will say, rafe’s livestreams did give me the ick but we persevered hahaha still love him I swear!!

thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this digital arc.

Looooooved this quick lil witty read! I will definitely be adding more contemporary romances between fantasy reads because this was a DAMN GOOD TIME! 👏 looooved it, Nisha! Thank you for the ARC!

What I liked:
•workplace romance + enemies to lovers is always a favorite of mine!
•The highlight of sexism and racism in the workplace
• chemistry between Tris and Rafe was EXCELLENT
• good friendships between characters
• loved the ending

What I didn’t like:
• repetitive points- especially how much Rafe and Hannah spoke on the phone.
• not a dealbreaker, but the industry jargon isn’t necessarily universal and my eyes glazed over a bit when reading specifics of Tris’ job

Overall loved it! Will be looking out for future books from this author :)

Not Safe for Work marks my introduction to Nisha J. Tuli's writing, and it certainly won't be my last! This engaging romance follows Tris, an Indian American engineer navigating a workplace that favors nepotism and mediocre white men. Her work nemesis, Rafe, is the epitome of everything she doesn’t like about her workplace: the annoyingly charismatic boss’s son who has the job she should have. When Tris and Rafe are both selected for a three-week training program in Maui, Tris sees a potential career opportunity. However, her plans to keep her distance from Rafe are hilariously derailed by a reservation mix-up that forces them to share a hotel suite. Tuli masterfully uses pining, witty banter, and the beautiful tropical setting to drive this delightful enemies-to-lovers story, leaving you smiling and giggling as Tris confronts her growing feelings for Rafe. I particularly appreciated how Tuli seamlessly integrated the challenges faced by women in male-dominated industries with steamy scenes that felt authentic to the characters. Tris and Rafe's journey was a joy to witness, and I'm eager to read more of Nisha J. Tuli's books.

I’m a fan of Nisha J. Tuli’s romantasy books, and I was curious about her new contemporary romance, Not Safe For Work, so I was delighted when I received an ARC.

And I’m even more delighted to say this book delivers the goods. There’s something about Tuli’s writing style that just carries me along, and it makes it so hard to put the book down. I sacrificed sleep to keep reading long after I should have gone to bed.

Trishara is smart, but she’s lost her ambition, drifting in a career that doesn’t satisfy and passed over for opportunities by people with less skill than her. The racism and sexism (and nepotism) in her workplace keep her from realizing her potential, which is why she’s shocked when she’s chosen for a leadership retreat that involves spending three weeks in Hawaii.

The opportunity would be perfect if she didn’t have to spend those three weeks with her nemesis, Rafe. To make matters worse, the hotel is booked solid, and she’s forced to share a suite with Rafe.

A suite that only has one bed.

These two both have things going on in their lives, and they have a history of antagonizing each other. Trishara is focused on her career, and not on having a family, and that’s refreshing. Rafe is a guy who, from external appearances, seems to have it all, but he’s self-conscious and discouraged because nobody’s ever seen him for who he is and celebrated his talents and interests. Over time, they slowly start to open up and Trishara finds herself fighting her feelings because she’s afraid of being hurt. She has issues from her past to resolve, and concerns about her future. Rafe is under pressure to follow his dad’s career path, and under pressure from his family and ex-girlfriend to get married.

Both Rafe and Trishara have to face their fears and their feelings if they want a chance to be happy. The tension between Trishara and Rafe is electric. There were just enough legitimate obstacles and concerns that arose throughout to impede their progress, keeping me flipping pages to find out what happened next. I love stories that feature strong, smart women, and Not Safe For Work delivers an inspiring career-driven protagonist.

The following contains slight spoilers, so you may want to stop reading here.

It was refreshing to see both characters learn to embrace themselves, their priorities, and their happiness instead of letting others limit their opportunities. I loved seeing these two inching their way towards love, and I love the fact that both Rafe and Trishara had meaningful arcs that didn’t depend on their relationship for resolution.

Highly recommended. As is everything I’ve read by Nisha J. Tuli.

1.25

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Trishara Malik, an engineer, is overlooked for a promotion due to nepotism and reluctantly agrees to attend a leadership retreat in Hawaii but only to discover she'll be sharing a room and bed with Rafe Gallagher, the boss's son. The two are competing for a coveted executive training spot, and during so Tris starts to see Rafe in a whole new light.

Tropes:
-"Enemies to lovers" (not really he literally just says "I hate you" once out of no where)
-One bed
-Workplace romance

Review:
I absolutely loved Nisha's fantasy series 'The Artefacts of Ouranos', so I was excited to check out her debut contemporary romance. Unfortunately, this one fell very flat for me, and I ended up DNFing at 60%. The .25 is solely because of the scene when Rafe catches Tris reading a spicy moment from her fantasy book; that was genuinely funny.

It felt like 'The Hating Game' but in Hawaii without a plot. It was hard to get into, especially with the characters in their mid-to-late twenties acting and talking like teenagers despite being in a professional workspace. The FMC came across as overly childish, and the MMC didn't have any personality besides being grumpy and muscular. There wasn't much depth to keep me hooked.

That being said, I can see this working as a light, quick palette cleanser for someone looking for a low-stakes read.