10/10 no notes! I DEVOURED THIS BOOK!!! 😮‍💨

I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. I just had to get the ebook to read alongside so I could highlight. I absolutely love Tris and Rafe! The narrator did such an amazing job with this book 😩 I wanna go back and listen to it again. This is my first book from Nisha J Tuli and it’s safe to say I am HOOKED and will be diving into her backlist 1000%

rounded up 4.75

Trishara Malik had big dreams when she started working as an engineer. She planned to be a trailblazer in her company, but after years of being overlooked for any advancements, she repeatedly watched people like Rafe Gallagher, the boss's son, receive promotions. Everything changed for Trishara when she was selected for the corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. She planned to avoid Rafe during the trip, but when she arrived in Maui, a booking error had them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite.

I couldn't put this down! I loved that we got the romance, but Nisha didn't let us lose sight of Trishara and her professional goals. Soneela Nankani's narration brought the story to life!

This was a really fun (and infuriating at times) book to listen to! Let me explain.

It was a fun concept overall, work trip in Hawaii with your rival, what could go wrong? Turns out a lot can go wrong and right.

There were many funny and swoony moments for sure that I grinned at hardcore and was laughing so hard at. The infuriating parts are seeing what women in STEM have to deal with when it comes to the workforce with it being male dominated. I was all fury during many parts of this book. I loved that the FMC is able to stand up for herself through.

While some of the things she did in the book were nice to see her do for justice, I also know there's no way some of those things would have flown in the real world. I also wasn't a huge fan of the miscommunication and felt they were both acting a bit childish at times, but this still made for a super entertaining read!

I had a better time reading this than the first few chapters lead me to believe. The story is cute and the pacing is good, but I felt some of the harassment scenes at work are laid on a bit too thick, to the point where it felt a bit ridiculous at times. Not that they're unrealistic per se, but the sheer frequency is a bit over the top. The voice actor is fantastic and I really enjoyed listening to this!

this was a really cute slow burn, workplace romance. the idea of Rafe & Tris starting their relationship amidst a corporate retreat was perfect! they both had skeletons in the closet that kept popping out to throw wrenches in their journey but together they made it thru! and their chemistry was truly palpable thru the pages!! super quick read that i enjoyed 😍

Trishara and Rafe are perfect for you if you like:
❌Enemies to Lovers
📥Workplace romance
👙Beach Vibes
🛏️One Bed
😅Forced Proximity
🌶️Spice
👩‍🔬FMC in STEAM

When office rivals Trishara and Rafe get sent on a work retreat for up and coming leaders in their company together, they vow to make the most of it. And they double down on that when they get to the retreat and have to spend even more time together than they thought. But as the weeks at the retreat go on, truths come to light and nothing is as Trishara thinks it is and she’s forced to see Rafe in an entirely different light.

I loved this on audio. The one POV really lets you connect to Trish and I didn’t find myself missing Rafe’s perspective at all. He’s open when Trish finally asks the right questions and it’s clear he’s been down BAD for her for a long while.

This has officially cemented Nisha as a “drop everything and read” author for me. I adored the Artefacts of Ouranos series—and now this? Holy crap. She can do no wrong!

As a woman of color in engineering, Tris has had her fair share of struggles—mostly involving all the men in engineering. So when she’s unexpectedly chosen to attend a prestigious leadership retreat—alongside her workplace rival, Rafe—she’s stunned. Three weeks in paradise with the devil himself? Fantastic. And to top it off… they’re sharing a suite.

But then Tris starts noticing things she really doesn’t want to—like the different kinds of smiles Rafe sends her way. She’s cataloging them. Looking for them. And when he starts to open up—revealing a softer, more creative side—the attraction she’s tried to suppress becomes harder to ignore. Maybe she can let him in, just a little. Just for now. No way she could actually fall for him… right?

This book is packed with banter, angst, and that irresistible push and pull—the kind of delicious verbal sparring that makes it impossible to stop reading. I devoured it. Tris is such a force, constantly fighting to be seen and heard in a misogynistic, male-dominated field. And Rafe, with all the pressure from his father to be someone he’s not.

Together, they peel back each other’s layers, see the insecurities, and then build one another up. They strengthen, encourage, and support each other—and it’s beautiful to watch.

Oh, and Rafe is a dirty talker. So that definitely didn’t hurt.

Visual review only! Link included! This book was a theee star read for me, as I just didn’t feel connected with the MMC at all.

Can’t say I liked this one. The characters were boring and the plot wasn’t it.

The plot didn’t sound bad, but actually reading it was something close to a nightmare.

Maybe I’ll give it another chance one day, though.

4.5 🌟I’ve been dying to read this book for the longest time, and when I got approved for the audiobook on NetGalley, I literally screamed. I knew this was going to be an incredible ride and it did not disappoint.

This was actually my first time listening to an audiobook without reading along, and while it took a bit to adjust, by the third chapter I was hooked. Fully immersed. Could not stop listening.

As for the story? I am absolutely OBSESSED. Nisha J. Tuli never misses when it comes to crafting fierce, unapologetic female leads. Tris is that girl. She stands her ground, doesn’t take crap from anyone, and oozes confidence and I adored her for it.🤩

And RAFE? (The MMC) Don’t even get me started. He is absolute perfection: sweet, sexy, swoon-worthy, literally chef’s kiss. I was smiling like an idiot Most of the time.😍🥹🤌🏼

The sexual tension between the characters!🥵. OH. MY. GOD. The chemistry between Tris and Rafe was unreal. I had to pause, process, fan myself—repeat. I was gasping, screaming, laughing, and punching my pillow from how intense and delicious those scenes were. Nisha knows how to bring the heat. 😍🥵

This was such a fun, steamy, and heartfelt read. Nisha J. Tuli has officially cemented her place as one of my favorite authors.😍🤩

Sarah's Thoughts: As a lover of Nisha’s romantasy books, I was so excited for this contemporary romance. It had everything I love about her romances: witty banter, undeniable chemistry, and so so much tension!! I loved Trish. Her tenacity, drive, and ambition were awe-inspiring, but she didn’t let climbing to the top change who she truly was, which can be difficult in a male-dominated field. And RAFE, good lord, that man is sizzling but as sweet as a macaron. Between the friends Trish makes at the retreat and the spicy romance, this story shows how connections and people help put us on a path to who we want to be.
🎧 The audio was perfection. Soneela Nankani did an incredible job and loved the emotion she put into the characters. I would highly recommend this audio!

Read if you love:
🤓Workplace Romance
🛏️One Bed
💜Work Retreat
🏝️Hawaii
💜Women in STEM
❤️‍🔥Nemesis to lovers

Oh boy do I love a forced-proximity-enemies-to-lovers-STEM-girlie romance! This book literally checked all of my boxes. 6 ft 3 HOT golden retriever MMC who is creative and comforting (check!) smart, driven, competent and strong FMC (check!) I was also pleasantly surprised by Rafe's dirty bedroom talk. Sigh... he might be perfect... he might be my new favorite contemporary romance book BF. I cannot say enough about this fun and flirty rom com. Do yourself a favor and pick it up!

I had such high hopes for this story! In terms of the content and the book itself, it just fell flat for me. The characters were a little immature at times, and the rivalry didn’t seem like such. The playful banter definitely saved the story from being a complete failure for me.

Now onto the narration… in my opinion, a duet narration would’ve helped this book. However, the narrator did a great job with the delivery.

This was my first Nisha Tuli book, and I had really high expectations coming into it I heard such great things about it. For me, it was more of a middle-of-the-road romance. I really wish I had read this instead of listened because I think I would have liked it better. Something about the narration seemed overly cartoony and cheesy.

Tris was a strong female lead. I enjoyed her perspective, especially in regards to being one of the only women in a male-dominated field. She really showed how hard and unbalanced a woman in that field can be. Rafe's character was more complex than I anticipated. He's being strong-armed by his family to follow the family succession in engineering, when he really has a passion for baking but cannot follow it. I did wish he were a little more dimensional. If he's a baker, he most likely doesn't have a "perfect" muscle body. I would have liked to see some diversity there. I loved the Hawaii backdrop for this story, and the luxury hotel they were stuck in together in the same room (call HR STAT!).

Enemies to Lovers is a really hard trope to do well, and I thought this one had its ups and downs. Sometimes it felt forced, while other times it worked beautifully. Sometimes they came off as immature and silly. Considering the title is called Not Safe for Work, I had high expectations for the spice in this book. I wouldn't say it was overly spicy or raunchy, but it had a handful of fun, steamy scenes towards the end.

Overall I'm glad I picked this one up, but I had a hard time staying connected in this one. Read if you like an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance set in Hawaii with a lot of forced proximity. Thanks to the publisher for the ALC in return for an honest review. This book is out now!

Really loved this one! It was a little slow for me at the beginning, but then I couldn't stop listening. First of all, the narrator was fantastic. I also loved the migraine/headache girly representation in this book - I resonated a lot with that! Rafe is now definitely one of my favorite book boyfriends, and I love an "enemies" to lover arc as well as when the FMC gets her revenge/what she deserves from a sh*tty company she works for, and realizes her WORTH.

Highly recommend <3

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Now this is how your burn slowly!🔥 as a slow burn/enemies to lovers girly I was hook from the very beginning. This story follows Trishara “Tris” Malik, an engineer navigating a male dominated tech work, who’s forced to share a suite with her arrogant rival, Rafe, during a corporate retreat. Highly recommend

Thank you Hachette Audio, Forever Publishing and Nisha J. Tuli for this ALC of this book. Forever grateful for this opportunity!

This is my first Nisha J. Tuli book and it didn’t disappoint! Soneela Nankani was a perfect choice to narrate the book.

What a great rivals to lovers, workplace romance. The tension and banter between Trishara and Rafe was chef’s kiss. Had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Can’t wait to read more from this author!

I could not stop listening to this book! What can be better than enemies to lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance, and a SLOW BURN that will suck you in! I ate this up!

Huge thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC via NetGalley.

The FMC Tris is a strong lead character and takes no bull from others. She knows what is right and what she believes, and she stands up for that. I would fist pump when she stood up to herself as a woman in STEM and the workplace fighting for a lead. The MMC Rafe was just ok for me but I still LOVED their chemistry. The slow burn and tension was so so good! I wish there was a little more relationship building between the characters.

I received the ALC and absolutely loved the narrators. Their voices made the story so much more enjoyable. I loved how the female narrator perfectly brough to life the voice of Tris. I feel like she made this book feel more realistic to me! It may be just me, but a good narrator makes books so much better! I think if I just had the book and no audio, this would still be a quick read. It feels like I could sit down and get lost in this story!

The good: I thought the narrator did a fantastic job with this! Pacing and emotion was on point.

The not so good: this is supposed to be enemies to lovers? But she was interested in him instantly. Their relationship was then instalove but lacked any substance. And this is supposed to be about mistreatment in the workplace? But our FMC objectifies her male coworkers just as much as they do to her. There is so much immaturity shown by all the characters it was impossible to believe they are supposed to be in their 30s.

3.5⭐️ | 2.5🌶️ | 10/10 narration 🎧

This was a solid workplace romance.

I’m usually not a fan of this trope because it’s too realistic for me—I like my romance books to be as delusional as possible 😂

But I’ve always wanted to read something by this author, and this book really piqued my interest.

I’m so glad I gave it a chance because now I definitely want to read more from them!

These two characters are completely crazy about each other but are held back by their own issues and insecurities. Then, throw in a work trip to Hawaii and a shared hotel room… and we get this steamy, slow-burn vacation romance I loved reading.

I would 100% recommend this book—it’s well written, has amazing characters, fun interactions, and touches on so many real, relatable themes.

The audiobook narration was excellent.

I received this as an ALC in exchange for an honest review.