Thank you for having me here today. I’m so happy to be able to talk to you about my new book, WORKING IT, which is book one in my new Ringside Romance series. Don’t let the series title fool you, this is low on the boxing and high on sexual tension.
As an avid reader of all things romance, I personally love it when authors take chances and play around with what we consider typical romance tropes. Those situations that for whatever reason, really work for us as lovers of romance. One of my personal favorite tropes is the whole boss-assistant dynamic. There’s something wonderful about the tension that can be created when two people are working together, under pressure and in close quarters, that appeals to me.
I wanted to take this trope and do something a little fun with it. What would happen if both the characters were gay? What if they were so vastly different that under any other circumstance they probably never meet, let alone fall in love? What if they worked day in and day out in an office together?
In WORKING IT, Nolan Carmichael is working through the trauma of a serious car accident. He gets a job as Zack Anderson’s executive assistant, a position that no one at the company wants. Somehow the two of them work through their differences and fall in love.
I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Nolan Carmichael is getting a fresh start—new career, new company, new life. The only problem is, he liked his old life just fine . . . until an accident robbed him of his health, his job, his self-confidence, and his ability to go out in public without having anxiety attacks.
Zack Anderson has scared away his last four executive assistants. So when he hires Nolan on a whim, he’s not too worried, since Nolan will be gone within the week anyway. Two weeks later, Nolan has made himself indispensable, completely reforming Zack’s schedule, life . . . and libido.
But in a company already torn by internal politics, one wrong step could ruin both their careers. And not only are they working to reopen Ringside Gym, Zack’s retreat when he was a troubled teen, but they also can’t help themselves falling for each other. If only the rest of their lives could go as smoothly as things do when they’re alone together.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The past weighs heavily on two men who form an unlikely connection amidst the backdrop of machinations in the business world in this satisfying m/m romance. When a man full of anger gets matched up with a man who's overcome great adversity the sparks fly with readers rooting for their HEA every step of the way.
Nolan Carmichael was once at the top of his game in the business world until a tragic accident left him scarred and full of memories to haunt him as well as episodes of PTSD. He no longer recognizes himself as the accident shook his confidence and has him worried he'll never be independent again. An unexpected encounter at a job interview ends with him becoming the assistant to a man who's known for his rage, his tendency to overwork, and his chronic firing of assistants. Though the job tests him mightily it also helps rebuild his confidence in his ability to make decisions at work. It also reawakens his sensual desires as he discovers that there's more to his boss than meets the eye. With numerous life changes being hurled at him, both personally and professionally, will he be able to keep rising above it all or will he be left treading water? Nolan's immensely likable, never giving up, and I enjoyed seeing him gain strength as the story progressed. Assisting Zack was challenging but it had him standing up for himself when necessary. Before, he hid his disabilities, but with Zack he feels comfortable to talk about them and sees them differently through Zack's eyes. He met every challenge and I couldn't help cheering for him to grasp happiness wherever he could.
Zack Anderson's a grumpy man, full of anger and unhappiness, for reasons I never quite understood. He's exacting and demanding and is hated by most of the people in his company, but he's the one they go to when they need things fixed. For so long his life's been all about work, but meeting Nathan has him looking beyond that to his one true joy of re-opening the gym that was his salvation in his youth. He also starts embracing the warm feelings Nathan engenders in him, showing the heart hidden beneath his gruffness in subtle and overt ways. He found that trusting Nathan soon became freeing as not everything had to fall on him. Just as Nathan's starting to break out of the box his accident put him in, so too is Zack breaking out of the rage and frustrations of his youth.
Zack and Nathan, despite their many differences, are a formidable couple who gain strength from each other. Zack's hard to like at the start but Ms. d'Abo quickly humanized him through the care he showed towards Nathan during one of his episodes. Bringing Nathan to his place of solace was yet another sign of his growing faith in him and the location became a sign of their burgeoning relationship as they put their combined energy into rebuilding the gym. Their romance grew out of mutual respect and long days at work with the sexual tension growing ever closer to exploding. Once they finally gave in it was a fiery confrontation that was well worth the wait. These were two men left bruised by their pasts and I loved seeing that weight come off them throughout the story as they grew closer. Surrounding them, aiding them in their journey towards HEA, was a small but likable cast of secondary characters. From Zack's friend Max, to Nathan's sister Tina, these were characters who unconditionally supported those they cared for and I hope to see more of them in the future. On a whole this was an enjoyable m/m romance that was uplifting for how the main couple rose above their painful pasts. Their interactions ran the gamut of emotions which kept me enthralled with them from start to finish. Though the conclusion felt a bit rushed and incomplete, and the issues plaguing Zack were never addressed fully, I still found myself fully immersed in the HEA of these two damaged souls.
Nolan Carmichael was once at the top of his game in the business world until a tragic accident left him scarred and full of memories to haunt him as well as episodes of PTSD. He no longer recognizes himself as the accident shook his confidence and has him worried he'll never be independent again. An unexpected encounter at a job interview ends with him becoming the assistant to a man who's known for his rage, his tendency to overwork, and his chronic firing of assistants. Though the job tests him mightily it also helps rebuild his confidence in his ability to make decisions at work. It also reawakens his sensual desires as he discovers that there's more to his boss than meets the eye. With numerous life changes being hurled at him, both personally and professionally, will he be able to keep rising above it all or will he be left treading water? Nolan's immensely likable, never giving up, and I enjoyed seeing him gain strength as the story progressed. Assisting Zack was challenging but it had him standing up for himself when necessary. Before, he hid his disabilities, but with Zack he feels comfortable to talk about them and sees them differently through Zack's eyes. He met every challenge and I couldn't help cheering for him to grasp happiness wherever he could.
Zack Anderson's a grumpy man, full of anger and unhappiness, for reasons I never quite understood. He's exacting and demanding and is hated by most of the people in his company, but he's the one they go to when they need things fixed. For so long his life's been all about work, but meeting Nathan has him looking beyond that to his one true joy of re-opening the gym that was his salvation in his youth. He also starts embracing the warm feelings Nathan engenders in him, showing the heart hidden beneath his gruffness in subtle and overt ways. He found that trusting Nathan soon became freeing as not everything had to fall on him. Just as Nathan's starting to break out of the box his accident put him in, so too is Zack breaking out of the rage and frustrations of his youth.
Zack and Nathan, despite their many differences, are a formidable couple who gain strength from each other. Zack's hard to like at the start but Ms. d'Abo quickly humanized him through the care he showed towards Nathan during one of his episodes. Bringing Nathan to his place of solace was yet another sign of his growing faith in him and the location became a sign of their burgeoning relationship as they put their combined energy into rebuilding the gym. Their romance grew out of mutual respect and long days at work with the sexual tension growing ever closer to exploding. Once they finally gave in it was a fiery confrontation that was well worth the wait. These were two men left bruised by their pasts and I loved seeing that weight come off them throughout the story as they grew closer. Surrounding them, aiding them in their journey towards HEA, was a small but likable cast of secondary characters. From Zack's friend Max, to Nathan's sister Tina, these were characters who unconditionally supported those they cared for and I hope to see more of them in the future. On a whole this was an enjoyable m/m romance that was uplifting for how the main couple rose above their painful pasts. Their interactions ran the gamut of emotions which kept me enthralled with them from start to finish. Though the conclusion felt a bit rushed and incomplete, and the issues plaguing Zack were never addressed fully, I still found myself fully immersed in the HEA of these two damaged souls.
My rating for this is a B.
*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.
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Hmm mmmmm so many to choose from. ....
ReplyDeleteOK my fav would be
Enemies to Lovers
00ps forgot my email
ReplyDeleteLilah.chavez@att.net
Thx 4 the chance!
First, I want to tell Christine that I hope that she's having a blast on the release week of this first installment of her new series.
ReplyDeleteAnswering the question, my fave trope is FRIENDS to lovers. May-December is the close second.
Thanks for the impression, Jody! ^_^
Thanks for coming by to Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess, Christine! <3
mushyvince(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the review! Sounds like a good story and maybe some of the things that did not get addressed will be in the next book in the series.
ReplyDeletejen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
I like friends-to-lovers best!
ReplyDeletevitajex(At)aol(Dot)com
Congratulations on the release of Working It. I like a lot of tropes: friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, second chances.
ReplyDeletetankie44 at gmail dot com
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. As for favorite trope? I do enjoy a good friend to lovers story.
ReplyDeletehumhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks for the review, there's no doubt I will be reading this.
ReplyDeleteserena91291@gmail(dot)com
I enjoyed this post. Thank you so much for sharing this book. ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release & thanks for the review!
ReplyDeletelegacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com