Nisha J Tuli

Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?

Not Safe For Work

This felt like a lot of different romance books and their elements I have read before all put together into this one. It was a quick, fun summer read but nothing crazy in my opinion. I think the start of the book was stronger than the end of it. The end just felt too rushed and was a little annoying with how it played out. This one is a give and take. I’m glad to read it to explore more of Nisha’s writing and can’t wait to read more. 

Priscilla Stanfield

4/5⭐️ • 2.5/5🌶️

This felt like a lot of different romance books and their elements I have read before all put together into this one. It was a quick, fun summer read but nothing crazy in my opinion. I think the start of the book was stronger than the end of it. The end just felt too rushed and was a little annoying with how it played out. This one is a give and take. I’m glad to read it to explore more of Nisha’s writing and can’t wait to read more. 

Tris and Rafe are work rivals.  He is the boss's son, she's the overlooked and overworked Asian female engineer.  When they're both sent on a leadership retreat, Tris decides to get a little revenge on the way.  After calling out just why she's finally being recognised for her work, she exerts a little blackmail and scores a few upgrades.  Sadly those upgrades are going to come back and bite her on the a$$!

Tris is smart, ballsy, fed up and ready to start a revolution.  She has put up with a lot and she's been smart in logging evidence to back up her claims.  And when push comes to shove she's my kinda girl - she'll burn it all down! She sees injustice, she calls it out and she doesn't care if that person is a so-called superior or not.

Rafe could have been just another cookie cutter, smirking office hottie but he actually hides a bit of a squishy core.  I really felt that he was a great MMC as he wasn't afraid to stand up for Tris when she didn't think she had any support.  He knew she was well able to look after herself but he lends her support, he doesn't try to fix things for her all the time.  He is very aware of his privilege and how toxic some of his family members are. 

These two have chemistry and I'm here for the slow burn.  They tease us mercilessly but when things finally boil over - whew!!!!  The setting is perfect and I really enjoyed some of the secondary characters that we meet along the way too.

I thought that things were wrapped up well and the HEA was good for both characters. The major themes are so well crafted and I raged along with Tris through the story.  I dare any female, especially my darker skin toned girlies, not to feel the rage through this book.  The daily struggle to be seen as equal, something other than a workplace quota.  I felt some of these deep scars down to the bone and I was like a cackling hyena when the blackmail kicked in - if they won't take you seriously - take em to the cleaners! Tris says down with the patriarchy and I'm screaming YES! I did feel Tris deserved an entire chapter of an apology - like an in court/on TV/ FBI recording this crap scene but I got my HEA.

Nicola Sarah Brooks

Tris and Rafe are work rivals.  He is the boss's son, she's the overlooked and overworked Asian female engineer.  When they're both sent on a leadership retreat, Tris decides to get a little revenge on the way.  After calling out just why she's finally being recognised for her work, she exerts a little blackmail and scores a few upgrades.  Sadly those upgrades are going to come back and bite her on the a$$!

Tris is smart, ballsy, fed up and ready to start a revolution.  She has put up with a lot and she's been smart in logging evidence to back up her claims.  And when push comes to shove she's my kinda girl - she'll burn it all down! She sees injustice, she calls it out and she doesn't care if that person is a so-called superior or not.

Rafe could have been just another cookie cutter, smirking office hottie but he actually hides a bit of a squishy core.  I really felt that he was a great MMC as he wasn't afraid to stand up for Tris when she didn't think she had any support.  He knew she was well able to look after herself but he lends her support, he doesn't try to fix things for her all the time.  He is very aware of his privilege and how toxic some of his family members are. 

These two have chemistry and I'm here for the slow burn.  They tease us mercilessly but when things finally boil over - whew!!!!  The setting is perfect and I really enjoyed some of the secondary characters that we meet along the way too.

I thought that things were wrapped up well and the HEA was good for both characters. The major themes are so well crafted and I raged along with Tris through the story.  I dare any female, especially my darker skin toned girlies, not to feel the rage through this book.  The daily struggle to be seen as equal, something other than a workplace quota.  I felt some of these deep scars down to the bone and I was like a cackling hyena when the blackmail kicked in - if they won't take you seriously - take em to the cleaners! Tris says down with the patriarchy and I'm screaming YES! I did feel Tris deserved an entire chapter of an apology - like an in court/on TV/ FBI recording this crap scene but I got my HEA.

❓ What's your favorite book featuring a woman in STEM?

🦇 Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. When she’s chosen to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii, it’s a dream-like chance to revive her stalled career, until she realizes Rafe is her co-attendee. When they arrive in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along? 

💜 SA-WOON. Where can I get a sugar-sweet man like Rafe (with those ARMS) or a sassy smart woman like Tris? Be still, my chaotic bi heart. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (4/5): Trishara Malik is intelligent, headstrong, done being trampled on by white men (The Khakis) in corporate America, and I am HERE for it. Girl has style, too. And Rafe? Man has all the layers of a multi-tiered cake, but there's hot hot spice hiding under that sugary exterior. Unfortunately, the side characters Tris encounters during their trip are TOO real (they bring the ick, but as Tuli's disclaimer notes, people say and act exactly like that). Loved Tris' ferocity and guardedness given her backstory. 

✨ Plot and Pacing (4/5): This book deposits you in Maui like a little vacation from the real world. Despite this being a slow burn, the pacing never stalls; it'll sweep you off your feet as well as Rafe does Tris. Love seeing women crush male-dominated industries, despite the bittersweet reality that we're STILL trying to bust that glass ceiling. Thank you, Tuli, for shining a light on these issues and reminding everyone of something essential: we need to do better.

✨ Romance (5/5): You KNOW I love some sassy banter, and this book DELIVERS. Beyond that, I absolutely loved Rafe's protectiveness (specifically, the tropical storm scene). This slow burn scorches in the best way.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): There's some strong figurative and descriptive language at the beginning, but it tapers off too soon.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Sonali Dev and Nisha Sharma.

⚠ Trigger Warnings: sexism, racism (including racial microaggressions), nonconsensual touching, mentions of a past incident where an intimate photo was leaked and shared, blackmail

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #NotSafeForWork

He tucks his phone in his back pocket and strides past my cube, throwing me a smirk that conjures up images of fairy tales, villains, and maidens locked in high stone towers.

He’s Lucifer, wearing the disguise of a Ralph Lauren model.

Jazelle H

🦇 Not Safe For Work Book Review 🦇

❓ What's your favorite book featuring a woman in STEM?
 
🦇 Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. When she’s chosen to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii, it’s a dream-like chance to revive her stalled career, until she realizes Rafe is her co-attendee. When they arrive in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along? 

💜 SA-WOON. Where can I get a sugar-sweet man like Rafe (with those ARMS) or a sassy smart woman like Tris? Be still, my chaotic bi heart. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (4/5): Trishara Malik is intelligent, headstrong, done being trampled on by white men (The Khakis) in corporate America, and I am HERE for it. Girl has style, too. And Rafe? Man has all the layers of a multi-tiered cake, but there's hot hot spice hiding under that sugary exterior. Unfortunately, the side characters Tris encounters during their trip are TOO real (they bring the ick, but as Tuli's disclaimer notes, people say and act exactly like that). Loved Tris' ferocity and guardedness given her backstory. 

✨ Plot and Pacing (4/5): This book deposits you in Maui like a little vacation from the real world. Despite this being a slow burn, the pacing never stalls; it'll sweep you off your feet as well as Rafe does Tris. Love seeing women crush male-dominated industries, despite the bittersweet reality that we're STILL trying to bust that glass ceiling. Thank you, Tuli, for shining a light on these issues and reminding everyone of something essential: we need to do better.

✨ Romance (5/5): You KNOW I love some sassy banter, and this book DELIVERS. Beyond that, I absolutely loved Rafe's protectiveness (specifically, the tropical storm scene). This slow burn scorches in the best way.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): There's some strong figurative and descriptive language at the beginning, but it tapers off too soon.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Sonali Dev and Nisha Sharma.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🌴 Forced Proximity
🌺 Hawaii Retreat
🌴 Only One Bed
🌺 Workplace Rivals to Lovers
🌴 Women in STEM
🌺 Contemporary Romance
🌴 Slow Burn
🌺 Banter
🌴 Women of Color (South Asian FMC)
🌺 Spice

⚠ Trigger Warnings: sexism, racism (including racial microaggressions), nonconsensual touching, mentions of a past incident where an intimate photo was leaked and shared, blackmail

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #NotSafeForWork

💬 Quotes 

He tucks his phone in his back pocket and strides past my cube, throwing me a smirk that conjures up images of fairy tales, villains, and maidens locked in high stone towers.

He’s Lucifer, wearing the disguise of a Ralph Lauren model.

Not Safe For Work

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