I will always love a workplace, enemies to lovers romance and this was no different! I loved watching Trishara come into her own and know her worth. Rafe was dreamy and I loved his character development too! All in all, this was a fun time!

“Not Safe For Work” or NSFW as the internet is affectionately calling it, might be Nisha J Tuli‘s best work yet. Known for her Artefacts of Ouranos series, Tuli temporarily steps out of her fantasy world and lands on the warm sands of Hawaii to deliver us a steamy, lightning-filled pages of electric rivals to lovers. Her first contemporary romance, but with the reception that it’s already getting in just a few days of being published, this surely won’t be her last.

Add this to your summer reading list today. NSFW is perfect for reading on vacation, on the beach, or even just out in the yard to help you set the scene for a staycation.

Tuli’s first contemporary romance builds from all of those tropes that we’ve come to swoon over in our love stories. Rivals to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, only one bed. All of these on their own are enjoyable. Tuli, though, weaves all of these together to build an incredible story that had me flipping page after page to see what would happen next.

One trope that I haven’t seen talked about much is hurt/comfort, which is so skillfully and subtly done, but spoke volumes to me. I think I’m in my hurt/comfort era, and a specific scene where Rafe comforts and cares for Tris that had me moony-eyed. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for the grand gesture, but there’s something about finding love in the small details that seem to make a big impact.

Additionally, Tuli should also be commended for not falling into the insta-love trope in this story. It would have been easy for these two characters to be on a work trip for a week and fall in love. Tuli took measures to build out the story over 3 weeks instead of one, giving more opportunities for our characters to work through their rivalry and learn about the real person underneath.

Trishara is a woman that we all can empathize with. She’s intellectual, driven, goal-oriented, and passionate about her career and future. The obstacles that she has had to work through just to be treated in the same way as a man in her same position is staggering.

As a reader, it was hard for me to read her experiences that are so familiar to me and people I care about, but it’s important to be shown. Tuli ultimately gives readers a sharp, electric romance and it would be easy to dismiss Trishara’s struggles. Women, women of color, and marginalized people have to fight harder and longer just to get less than their white, privileged counterparts.

I found that reading this book as an ebook was the best option for me, but there are so many of my friends who enjoyed the audiobook as well. Soneela Nankani narrates the audio in just under 11 hours. Grab the audiobook if you like to earball read.

“Not Safe For Work” is out now!

This was fine. I felt like I didn’t love how they were towards each other at times. It felt like they took it too far but she was always lustingover him since the beginning and it didn’t feel like a true “enemies to lovers” I also felt like there was way too many descriptions. It went a bit overboard and the constant non smile comment was annoying, definitely a fun summer read tho

This was your typical enemies to lovers vibe for sure which we all appreciate!!! BUT I just feel like the premise to that was not all that convincing & the story just fell flat for me! I was so excited to read this due to loving her other series. It just wasn’t really my cup of tea

What do you get when you put 2 work rivals on a work trip, who are both smoking hot, and the guy secretly is a softie for the girl?

Nisha Tuli’s romcom debut was a fun, light, kick your feet while giggling, good time. I love a slow burn, and yes, this book was definitely NSFW .

Rating: 2.5 ⭐️ (rounded down to 2)
Spice: 1.5-2🌶️

I had high hopes going into Not Safe for Work—the setup is rich with tropes I usually love: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and the classic one-bed situation. Add in a woman of color navigating the corporate boys’ club? Sign me up. But sadly, this one didn’t quite land for me.

While the banter between Tris and Rafe was enjoyable at first, the pacing really dragged. The one-bed moment, which should have been a highlight, fell flat. Honestly, for two characters supposedly in their 30s, their behavior often read like early-20s emotional immaturity—especially around conflict and communication. I did appreciate the exploration of Tris's challenges as a woman of color in a predominantly white corporate space—those moments had authenticity and heart.

I wish this had been written in dual POV, especially since the audio narration was strong and could have carried both voices well. Unfortunately, what could’ve been a sharp, tropey rom-com with depth turned into a bit of a slog for me.

Thank you to Forever and Hachette Audio for the ARC and ALC. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a steamy book where you kind of have an enemy to lovers vibe. The interaction between the main character characters from the beginning, even when they don’t like each other send off such sexual vibes. It’s interesting to see how a workplace type of romance where there is competition beforehand while the characters really are falling for one another happens. There is banter and the characters are fantastic. This book is a must.

This was a pretty enjoyable read. If you've ever been a woman in the workplace, especially one with a lot of stem type functions you will probably resonate with at least some of the FMCs experiences. I love stories where you can just tell he is downed and she has nooooo idea. So cute.

Nisha J. Tuli swaps romantasy for office drama in her contemporary romance debut, and honestly? She crushed it. Not Safe for Work is flirty, fast-paced, and full of the kind of banter that makes you grin like an idiot in public.

The chemistry between the main characters is off the charts. It’s enemies-to-lovers with just enough spice to keep things interesting. If you like your romance smart, funny, and a little chaotic, this one’s a win.

Total fun from start to finish. More of this, please!

Live this book. Love everything Nisha writes. Emersive, seductive, left me wanting MORE!

This is a sweet, sexy, funny rom-com that had me kicking me feet, giggling, turning the pages as fast as my Kindle would allow.

Read if you like:

Workplace romance
Rivals to lovers
Forced proximity
Only one bed
Fierce FMC

My thoughts:

Oh,  how I wanted to completely love this one. Not Safe for Work had so many things going for it but still ended up right in the middle of the road for me. It was an enjoyable read but it had it's flaws.

I'll start with the absolute best thing about this book and that's Tris. She is a badass in every aspect of her life. She's smart and capable and takes no shit when it comes to knowing her worth. She is in a male dominated field, not just as a woman but as a woman of color. Seeing her experiences described and knowing they were inspired by the author's own experiences made her story hit even harder.

With that being said, there was one thing I disliked about Tris and that was her treatment of Rafe. There were times when she was just downright mean to him. Don't get me wrong, Rafe gave as good as he got and I didn't like it about him either. Most of the book I felt like they genuinely hated each other and, because of that, I didn't love them together. Yes, they grew somewhat over the course of the book but they felt quite toxic together. Some of their interactions, especially in a workplace setting, made me cringe. I also would have loved to have seen Rafe's point-of-view. As it was, Rafe felt a bit one-dimensional and their relationship one-sided. Tris may have been vocal of her dislike of Rafe as a person but she was also vocal in her appreciation of his looks.

As for the spice, I'll give credit where credit is due; it was extremely hot. The tension between Rafe and Tris was palpable. Some of the early spice scene, when they were still fighting the attraction, were some of the best I've read. There two had definite chemistry in the bedroom.

Also, I want to call out how well the workplace aspect was handled. While this takes place at a work retreat in Hawaii, giving it a fun summer vibe, the work part of it still remained vital to the story. Tris was very driven in her career and it showed. However, she faced challenge after challenge and you can tell that she was reaching her breaking point. It's impossible to overlook what Tris had to face in her career and this is definitely a story that will make you reflect on the imbalances facing women in the workforce.

Overall, Not Safe for Work is a great romance to pick up if you're looking for the perfect balance of spice and more hard-hitting topics. Nisha J. Tuli did a wonderful job with this one and I look forward to reading more of her work. 

TL; DR

Not Safe for Work is the perfect blend of tension, spice, and swoon worthy moments set against a gorgeous Hawaiian backdrop. That's not to say it doesn't also address serious topics such as equality and nepotism in the workplace. While I didn't completely love Rafe and Tris together, the overall story is definitely one that will stick with me and has me eager to read more from Nisha J. Tuli.

Enemies to lovers? Check. Forced proximity in a honeymoon suite? Double check. Tropical tension with a side of corporate sabotage? Sign me up.

Trishara Malik is done playing nice in a boys’ club where promotions go to mediocre men with fancy last names. Enter Rafe Gallagher: nepotism poster boy, walking HR violation in a suit, and... inexplicably hot. When these two are forced to share more than just an ocean view, sparks fly, professionally and personally.

This romcom is a spicy, smart-talking slow burn with the kind of banter that could power the entire island of Maui. If you’ve ever fantasized about outwitting your work rival and maybe making out with him in a cabana, this one’s for you.


HR says it's not safe for work, but I say it’s required reading.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nisha J. Tuli really hit the nail on the head with her contemporary romance debut! Not Safe For Work gave enemies to lover banter and workplace tension while balancing themes of sexism, racism, and burnout in a male dominated STEM world.

I think that women, and especially women that work in male dominated fields, understand the micro-aggressions, sexism, and “boys club” mentality that Tris encounters on the day to day. It was frustrating how relatable this was, but it had me rooting for her up until the very end (and she really did her big one, go Tris!!)

I love that both of our main character have so much depth to them. Rafe may seem like the golden boy cliche, but he is really just a big cinnamon roll with a mouth that gives us the best rival to lovers banter. This book perfectly balanced tension and whip-smart dialogue, with vulnerability and empowerment. I truly ate this up!

🌸 enemies/ rivals to lovers
🌸 forced proximity
🌸 only one bed
🌸 slow burn
🌸 workplace romance
🌸 women in STEM
🌸 mostly set in Hawaii

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy! Nisha Tuli is one of my favorite authors. The Artefacts of Ouranos is my all time favorite romantasy series and I will now support her through hell enough water. Problem is contemporary romance isn’t something I reach for most of the time. But like I said - though he’ll enough water.

After reading Not Safe for Work Tuli’s longstanding experience in the contemporary romance genre and why her mix of fantasy and romance work so well is evident. She writes romance plot lines with conflict and resolutions that are satisfying but come together sometimes in unexpected ways. I was not expecting to get the kind of depth we saw regarding Trishara’s experiences with sexism and racism with the work place (of which I have experienced myself and can confirm that some times people really are that bold and that disgusting). And just like with the kick ass heroines she writes in her romantasy series, Trishara first faces the internal, comes out on top, and radiates her strength on the external.

I also love a good enemies to lovers and I absolutely loved the actual *disgust* I felt between Trish and Rafe that lasted until basically the HALFWAY point - yes! That’s what I like to see. I think I wish I got a little more about Rafe’s relationship with his mom, and some insight into why he was able to resist the influence of his father’s…assholery…but that’s me.

I think I have to go back and read Tuli’s romance backlist now!

I really enjoyed this! While this romance was steamy and full of so much tension, this book also speaks loudly about the struggles that woman, and especially BIPOC woman, face in corporate settings. I think every woman can relate to the character’s experiences and frustrations on some level. This was bold and spicy and I devoured it in two days!

WOW! I will admit, this is the first extremely spicy book I’ve ever read. But it was very tastefully done! The sexual tension between Tris and Rafe was INTENSE! Their relationship is so sweet when they aren’t fighting lol!

this is THE book of the year!!!

i had never read anything from nisha j tuli before as i am not a huge fantasy reader but as soon as i heard she was writing this one i was SAT!!

tris and rafe had me completely enthralled by them from page one. workplace rivals to lovers is such an underutilized trope and nisha knocked it out of the park with this one!!

tris was such an incredible character and didn’t deserve half of what she was put through, but handled it so well. i was fuming for her through it all.

no sooner than i met rafe i knew he was going to be a man down bad. the fun twist of them being absolutely obsessed with each other the whole time with it disguised as “hate”.

so grateful for forever and hachette for this arc + audio!!!

I really enjoyed this one. Enemies to Lovers is not one of my favorite tropes, but this one was convincing.

A perfect summer romance!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 🌟

This was such a fun read! If you love workplace romances with rivals-to-lovers vibes, tension you can feel, and a sunny Hawaii backdrop, this one’s for you.

Tris and Rafe had me hooked right away. The banter? On point. The forced proximity? Yes! One room, one bed. You already know. 😏 But what I really loved was how their relationship evolved. He helps her work through her trust issues, and she pushes him to go after the career he really wants. There’s so much heart underneath the heat.

Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a fast, spicy, feel-good romance.

What a fun cute read! Read this on vacation and it totally made the vibes work. Def recommend for someone looking for a light romantic read.