Worplace Romance Books
There are so many things to love about a workplace romance–the forced proximity, the undeniable tension of a forbidden romance, the friction that comes from two people who are fighting – or fighting their feelings… This trope often leads to some very good tension of rivals romances. Here’s a list of workplace romance that will take readers from the boardroom to the bedroom!
The Spanish Love Deception
by Elena Armas
Spanish Love Deception #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- fake relationship
- multicultural
- rich hero
- sassy heroine
- slow burn
Blurb:
Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.
Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.
But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
It Had to Be You
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Chicago Stars #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- cold hero
- sassy heroine
- slow burn
- take-charge heroine
- alpha male hero
- sports romance: football
Blurb:
What if a woman who knows nothing about sports inherits a professional football team? The Windy City definitely isn’t ready for Phoebe Somerville, the outrageous York knockout who’s taking over their home town team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars’ head coach Dan Calebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. This is the book that began it all. The Chicago Stars are about to take the field… and they’re not the only ones playing for keeps.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
By a Thread
by Lucy Score
➥ Romantic Comedy
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- ceo
- enemies to lovers
- rich hero
- sassy heroine
- slow burN
- angst
- grumpy/cold hero
- alpha male hero
- forbidden love
- mature characters
- curvy heroine
Blurb:
Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether to chop me into pieces or pull my hair and French kiss me.
Dominic
I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job… in my office… after being hired by my mother.
So maybe her colorful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be the next Russo man to take advantage of his position. I might be a second-generation asshole, but I am not my father.
She’s working herself to death at half a dozen dead-end jobs for some secret reason she doesn’t feel like sharing with me. And I’m going to fix it all. Don’t accuse me of caring. She’s nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. If I can get her to quit, I can finally peel away all those layers. Then I can go back to salvaging the family name and forget all about the dancing, beer-slinging brunette.
Ally
Ha. Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.
Author’s Note: A steamy, swoony workplace romantic comedy with a grumpy boss hero determined to save the day and a plucky heroine who is starting to wonder if there might actually be a beating heart just beneath her boss’s sexy vests.
The Rivals
by Vi Keeland
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- rich hero
- alpha male hero
- funny
- forbidden love
Blurb:
A sexy, enemies-to-lovers standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.
The feud between Weston Lockwood and me started at the altar.
Only neither of us attended the wedding, and the nuptials happened decades before either of us was born.
Our grandfathers had been best friends and business partners, at least up until my grandfather’s wedding day—when his bride-to-be blurted out she couldn’t marry him because she was also in love with Weston‘s grandfather.
The two men spent years fighting over Grace Copeland, who also happened to be their third business partner. But in the end, neither man could steal half of her heart away from the other.
Eventually, they all went their separate ways. Our grandfathers married other women, and the two men became one of the biggest business rivals in history.
Our fathers continued the family tradition of feuding. And then Weston and I did, too.
For the most part, we kept as much distance as possible.
Until the day the woman who started the feud died—and unexpectedly left one of the most valuable hotels in the world to our grandfathers to share.
Now I’m stuck in a hotel with the man I was born to hate, trying to unravel the mess our families inherited.
As usual, it didn’t take long for us to be at each other’s throats.
Weston Lockwood was everything I hated: tall, smart, cocky, and too gorgeous for his own good. We were fire and ice.
But that shouldn’t be an issue. Our families were used to being at war. There was just one minor problem, though. Every time Weston and I fought, we somehow wound up in bed.
Two Weeks Notice
by Whitney G.
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- enemies to lovers
- rich hero
- alpha male
- sassy heroine
- funny
Tropes:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter to formally announce my resignation from Parker International (& the arrogant, condescending CEO) effective two weeks from today.
This was a VERY EASY decision to make, as the past two years have been utterly miserable. I wish his next executive assistant all the luck in the world (she’ll need it) and if my boss should need me to do anything over the next two weeks, kindly tell him that he can do it [his] goddamn self…
Sincerely (Not Really),
Tara Lauren
That’s the version of my two weeks’ notice I should’ve sent to my boss, because the more professional version – the one where I said I was “grateful for all the opportunities,” and “honored by all the rewarding experiences” over the years?
That letter was rejected with his sexy, trademark smirk and an “I highly suggest you read the fine print of your contract…”
So, I did.
And now I’ve realized that unless I fake my death, poison him, or find a way to renegotiate my impossible contract, I’m stuck working under one of the cockiest and most ruthless bosses in New York.
Then again, I thought that was the case until he called me late last night with an emergency proposition…
**This is a standalone contemporary romance.**
The Ex Talk
by Rachel Lynn Solomon
➥ Romantic Comedy
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- multicultural
- age gap
- secret relationship
Blurb:
Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.
When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.
As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.
Hate Notes
by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
➥ Contemporary Romance
Characters: Charlotte Darling, Reed Eastwood
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- enemies to lovers
- grumpy X sunshine
- rich hero
- sassy heroine
- second chance
Blurb:
From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story of secondhand hearts and second chances…
It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.
Something blue.
I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”
Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.
The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.
He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after.
But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.
Something new.
But I have no idea how this one is going to end…
The Boy Next Door
by Meg Cabot
Boy #1
➥ Romantic Comedy
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- mystery
- funny
- closed doors
- click lit
Blurb:
To: You (you)
From: Human Resources (human.resources@thenyjournal.com)
Subject: This Book
Dear Reader,
This is an automated message from the Human Resources Division of the New York Journal, New York City’s leading photo-newspaper. Please be aware that according to our records you have not yet read this book. What exactly are you waiting for? This book has it all:
Humor
Romance
Cooking tips
Great Danes
Heroine in peril
Dolphin-shaped driftwood sculptures
If you wish to read about any of the above, please do not hesitate to head to the checkout counter, where you will be paired with a sales associate who will work to help you buy this book.
We here at the New York Journal are a team. We win as a team, and lose as one as well. Don’t you want to be on the winning team?
Sincerely,
Human Resources Division
New York Journal
Please note that failure to read this book may result in suspension or dismissal from this store.
*********This e-mail is confidential and should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient. If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage mechanism.*********
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Boy Meets Girl
by Meg Cabot
Boy #2
➥ Romantic Comedy
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- funny
- chick lit
- closed doors
Blurb:
Meet Kate Mackenzie. She:
– works for the T.O.D. (short for Tyrannical Office Despot, also known as Amy Jenkins, Director of the Human Resources Division at the New York Journal)
– is sleeping on the couch because her boyfriend of ten years refuses to commit
– can’t find an affordable studio apartment anywhere in New York City
– thinks things can’t get any worse.
They can. Because:
– the T.O.D. is making her fire the most popular employee in the paper’s senior staff dining room
– that employee is now suing Kate for wrongful termination, and
– now Kate has to give a deposition in front of Mitch Hertzog, the scion of one of Manhattan’s wealthiest law families, who embraces everything Kate most despises … but also happens to have a nice smile and a killer bod.
The last thing anybody—least of all Kate Mackenzie—expects to find in legal arbitration is love. But that’s the kind of thing that can happen when…
Boy meets girl.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Terms and Conditions
by Lauren Asher
Dreamland Billionaire #2
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- alpha male
- possessive hero
- billionaire
- age gap
- marriage convenience
- multicultural
- grumpy & sunshine
- slow burn
Blurb:
Declan
I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.
Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Practice Makes Perfect
by Julie James
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- sports
- rich hero
- white collar heroine
- sassy heroine
Blurb:
Behind closed doors, they’re laying down the law.
When it comes to the laws of attraction…
Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are lawyers who know the meaning of objection. A feminist to the bone, Payton has fought hard to succeed in a profession dominated by men. Born wealthy, privileged, and cocky, J.D. has fought hard to ignore her. Face-to-face, they’re perfectly civil. They have to be. For eight years they have kept a safe distance and tolerated each other as coworkers for one reason: to make partner at the firm.
…There are no rules.
But all bets are off when they’re asked to join forces on a major case. Though apprehensive at first, they begin to appreciate each other’s dedication to the law—and the sparks between them quickly turn into attraction. But the increasingly hot connection does not last long when they discover that only one of them will be named partner. Now it’s an all-out war. And the battle between the sexes is bound to make these lawyers hot under the collar…
The Devil You Know
by Elizabeth O’Roark
The Grumpy Devils #3
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- enemies to lovers
- take-charge heroine
- alpha male hero
- cold hero
- age gap
- rich hero
- slow burn
Blurb:
There’s a devil on my shoulder, and every Monday morning she announces herself. She’s this delicious flame in my chest, a flurry of whispered suggestions in my ear. Suggestions I ignore…because every single one of them is about Ben Tate.
Ben—Stealer of Clients, Evicter of Homeless Women, Nemesis. Sitting across from me every damn Monday with his lovely, smug smile and his too-perfect teeth, the living symbol of everything I hate.
It’s been my policy to avoid him, but when a case comes into the firm—one that could change his career and mine—I make an exception. It means weekends and evenings by his side. It means enduring his smirk and his smart mouth and never taking the bait.
Until the night Ben says, “Beg.”
And that devil on my shoulder decides to make a few demands of her own.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Mile High
by Liz Tomforde
Windy City #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- funny
- secret relationship
- multicultural
- curvy heroine
- sports romance: hockey
- rich hero
Blurb:
ZANDERS
Chicago hockey isn’t complete without me – everyone’s favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.
What I don’t like is the new flight attendant on our team’s private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I’ll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she’ll be begging to quit her job.
But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can’t quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it’s more than that.
STEVIE
I’ve been a flight attendant for years. I thought I’d seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.
Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.
Everything but him.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Flawless
by Elsie Silver
Chestnut Springs #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- cowboy hero
- western romance
- forced proximity
- grumpy & sunshine
- enemies to lovers
- small town
Blurb:
The rules were simple . . .
Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.
But now I’m stuck with her . . . And there’s only one bed . . .
Oh well, rules are made — to be broken . . . aren’t they?
I’m the face of professional bull riding — the golden boy.
Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face.
Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”
But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter —
especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk,
and a mouth she can’t stop running.
A mouth I just can’t stop thinking about . . .
Because Summer isn’t just another conquest.
She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run —
she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.
She says this means nothing — but I say this means everything.
She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross.
That my reputation can’t take any more hits — and neither can her damaged heart.
I say I’m going to steal it anyway.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
The Stopover
by T.L. Swan
Miles High Club #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- boss & employee
- ceo
- age gap
- alpha male hero
- sassy heroine
- second chances
- class difference
Blurb:
A memorable night of passion refuses to stay just a memory in this sizzling and scandalous romance from bestselling author T L Swan.
I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.
The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.
The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.
He was suave and intelligent.
We talked and laughed, and something clicked.
Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.
With no plans, we made our own.
We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.
That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him—until today.
I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.
But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.
I just got an email.
He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.
Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.
What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Tangled
by Emma Chase
Tangled #1
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- enemies to lovers
- rich hero
- sassy heroine
- workplace
- love triangle
- cheating
Blurb:
Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?
He’ll tell you he has the flu.
But we all know that’s not really true.
Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything – or anyone – derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.
Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?
Can Drew Evans win at love?
Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
We Shouldn’t
by Vi Keeland
➥Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- take-charge heroine
- alpha male hero
- possessive hero
- funny
Blurb:
Bennett Fox walked into my life on one hell of a crappy Monday morning.
I was late for the first day at my new job—a job I’d now have to compete for even though I’d already worked eight years to earn it, because of an unexpected merger.
While I lugged my belongings up to my new office, a meter maid wrote me a parking summons.
She’d ticketed a long line of cars—except for the Audi parked in front of me, which happened to be the same make and model as mine.
Annoyed, I decided to regift my ticket to the car that had evaded a fine. Chances were, the owner would pay it and be none the wiser.
Except, I accidentally broke the windshield wiper while slipping the ticket onto the car’s window.
Seriously, my day couldn’t get any worse.
Things started to perk up when I ran into a gorgeous man in the elevator. We had one of those brief moments that only happened in movies.
You know the deal…your body lights up, fireworks go off, and the air around you crackles with electricity.
His heated stare left me flush when I stepped off the elevator.
Maybe things here wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Or so I thought.
Until I walked into my new boss’s office and met my competition.
The gorgeous man from the elevator was now my nemesis. His heated stare wasn’t because of any mutual attraction. It was because he’d seen me vandalize his car. And now he couldn’t wait to annihilate his rival.
There’s a fine line between love and hate—and we shouldn’t cross it.
We shouldn’t—but straddling that line could be so much fun.
The Worst Guy
by Kate Canterbary
Vital Signs #2
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- workplace romance
- enemies to lovers
- cold hero
- forced proximity
- funny
- alpha male hero
- possessive hero
- sassy heroine
Blurb:
Eight weeks of forced proximity is a long time to hate someone you’re trying not to love.
Sebastian Stremmel doesn’t need another headache. He has enough of his own without Sara Shapiro, the noisy new reconstructive surgeon, stomping all around his surgical wing with her chippy, chirpy cheerfulness.
But Sebastian doesn’t usually get what he wants.
No one gets under his skin like Sara – so much so a heated “debate” and an exam room left in shambles later, they land themselves in eight weeks of hospital-mandated conflict resolution counseling. Now they’re forced to fight fair…which quickly leads them to playing dirty when no one’s looking.
They know it’s a mistake.
They promise themselves it will never happen again.
They swear they got it out of their systems.
They didn’t.
Author’s Note: Grumpy/recovering people-pleaser sunshine. Introverts attract. Enemies-to-lovers in the workplace. Banter, bicker, and button-pushing foreplay. Don’t tell the friend group, get jealous when the friend group tries to fix her up.
Heat: rip her clothes off before you get the front door open.
Angst: big laughs, big feels, no ugly crying.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
Sinners Condemned
by Somme Sketcher
Sinners Anonymous #2, Part 1 of a duet
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- alpha male
- possessive hero
- mafia
- enemies to lovers
- suspense
- boss & employee
- rich hero
- slow burn
- sassy heroine
Blurb:
*PART ONE OF A DUET*
No good ever comes from a red-head in a stolen dress with her worldly possessions at her feet.
I should have known she was trouble when smoke and sin followed her into my bar and she challenged me to a game.
She may have won my watch, but she started a war.
As she slipped my Breitling off my wrist and onto her own, she gleefully announced she was the luckiest girl in the world.
Yeah, lucky to everyone but me.
Because the moment her muddy boots stomped down the stairs and up my spine, my empire started to crumble.
My cashmere charm is wrinkling.
My gentlemanly facade is cracking.
My enemies are closing in.
Maybe the gypsy was right:
The Queen of Hearts will drag me down to hell.
At least it’s wonderfully warm among the flames.
*·˚ Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order ˖*°
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