Challenge Corner discussion

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through - and he's a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business - one that plays for keeps.

**This BOTM thread will be open until August 5th @ Midnight (in your time zone)**

Chapters 1-10
(view spoiler)[ I like the exploration of good insecurity. They clearly have parallel childhood traumas. I totally thought her brother was an ex until that was clarified. I like the set up but it's too insta lusty for me. Eli doesn't have much of a personality apart from wanting her, hopefully that changes. Rue's and all we learn about her job is really interesting. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 11-20
(view spoiler)[ Yeah this is losing me, Eli still has no personality and I'm not invested in the romance so I don't care about all the banging. The only thing that's keeping me going is that I want to know what went down with Florence and why they are doing this. I don't think Florence stole Minami's research, but I'm betting the professor they studied under lost his job because of Florence and claims she stole his research. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 21-30
(view spoiler)[ Well damn I was wrong Florence is the bad one after all. That's unfortunate. I really wish I cared more about the romance. I like all the characters and enjoy their interactions and I like Rue and Eli when they aren't banging but I just don't feel the connection. I've been told over and over that they do, but I don't. (hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ Yeah this was just not for me. I'm glad I had a library copy and didn't buy it. I'm not sure if I'm just getting tired of Ali Hazelwood or if it was this book specifically. Overall, it was fine, I didn't hate it, I just feel like it was a waste of time. I had high expectations for it which definitely didn't help. I know I already complained about this, but I really wish she would give her male characters personalities outside of pining over the female MCs. (hide spoiler)]

Jessica wrote: "Chapters 1-10
[spoilers removed]

Chapters 11-20
[spoilers removed]

Chapters 21-30
[spoilers removed]"

Chapter 1 to around chapter 20 :

I kind of get what you mean with it not being really grippy in the beginning... It was also a slow start for me but once their emotional romance picked up, I really sped through it, almost finishing in a single weekend. Ha ha.

In general I really like (view spoiler)[how their dating app encounter worked out and I really do think Eli is a walking green flag. Plus, I'm a sucker for curly hair, so consider me defeated.
Rue's first impression gave me "pick-me" girl vibes for some reason but I really grew up to love her. (hide spoiler)]
I also enjoyed how niche the chosen scientific field this time around was.

Chapter 5 to around Chapter 20 :

In the beginning (view spoiler)[I had a really hard them regarding their connection sharing that trauma-bonding aspect because I think it's a hard pill to swallow but it didn't bother me anymore towards the middle. I'm pretty sure I'm not a dark romance girl.
I'm also not at all a fan of the whole using-each-other-to-get-what-they-want subplot and I hope that they genuinly fall for each other soon. I really do enjoy the 2nd chance trope. (hide spoiler)]

Jessica wrote: "Chapters 1-10
[spoilers removed]

Chapters 11-20
[spoilers removed]

Chapters 21-30
[spoilers removed]"

Chapter 20 to 35
(view spoiler)[ Yeah, I was also kind of diappointed to read that Florence had tricked them and it about to trick Rue as well... She really does seem like a super egotistical person. In the beginning she made me really liek the found-family trope alond with Tisha. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Will Ali hazelwood ever write a book I don't absolutely loved ? Probably not. i'm a sucker for her shit. The ending was really cute : I'm happy they're happy. I'm happy they're together. i'm happy they're getting married - still a personal favourite of mine. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 1-10
There was an authors note that said this was more erotica romance than comedic and I think that changes the tone of the book... It's not going to feel the same as Ali Hazelwood's other books and I think that is true.
(view spoiler)[
Personally I'm not sure I love comedic romances, sometimes and I don't mean Ali's they can feel chick lit and this just doesn't.
I can see an insta-lusty situation set up but I don't think its a bad thing. I kind of like that its going to be hot and heavy seemingly very quickly.
I have a hunch that maybe what the boss Florence is hiding is maybe that her ex stole money from her as she mentioned he had sex with her accountant. Maybe that is what shes hiding?
If these two do sleep together, her boss is going to lose it.
(hide spoiler)]

Just starting this one now and it's my first Ali Hazelwood. Hopefully I like it.

Just finished chapter 3 and I actually really like how this has started off. (view spoiler)[ I like the flirty banter and the casual interaction that ended up feeling more than casual that the main characters had. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 26 (view spoiler)[ I knew they knew each other and Flo was being sus. I bet she stole their research and then got them kicked out (hide spoiler)]

Finished. (view spoiler)[ this was so good. I am not even sure what to rate it. While I have some problems with it, it seems that I have come into this book with an unbias towards Ali Hazelwood. (The reviews seem to not like it because it may be copy/paste (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 11-20
(view spoiler)[
Yeah I felt this was different to her other books.
I want to like this but its just not hitting the same. Theres no romance its just weird.
I also don't get the 'fucking' comment when they're not doing penetrative sex. So they're not fucking to me that is just fooling around or foreplay. It just feels odd. And I assume this is going to be related to the author's note and theres a really traumatic reason for this but its not hitting me that I should care.
(hide spoiler)]

Felicia wrote: "Just starting this one now and it's my first Ali Hazelwood. Hopefully I like it."

Enjoy but do know, as all the others mentioned before that it's not quite the average Ali Hazelwood romance.

Megan wrote: "Chapters 11-20

Yeah I felt this was different to her other books.
I want to like this but its just not hitting the same. Theres no romance its just weird.
I also don't get the 'fucking' comment w..."

Yeah, I also felt really weird following along their trauma-bonding and it took me a little time to get over it... Like, it's a little weird to tell each other horrible stuff before making out but maybe I'm just not wired that way x)

Chapters 21-30
(view spoiler)[
Ok so it picked back up. I have no idea why the chapters 11-20 felt so bad but they really did.
Finally they had sex sex. That was my favourite part without that sounding weird I just mean now we can stop saying they fucked when they didn't.
Also was interesting to have her issues about food explained more. I felt very sorry for her in that moment.
(hide spoiler)]

Isabel wrote: "Yeah, I also felt really weird following along their trauma-bonding and it took me a little time to get over it... Like, it's a little weird to tell each other horrible stuff before making out but maybe I'm just not wired that way x)"

Yes! So weird.. especially some of her stuff. Like how is that not some instant turn off!?

Finished
(view spoiler)[
So I do think this being different to her other stem romances plays a huge part. I don't think I loved the erotica side to it. It was different but she writes like a funny romance writer. She doesn't write like an erotica writer. The tones of books are different and this felt more like the intent had always been funny but she liked the idea of them being a little kinky.
I do like them both. Thought their characters were good. I also like the side characters.
This was a decent read but I've enjoyed her other stem romances more. I also felt like there wasn't as much stem stuff as there has been in other books it was really heavy into this weird fucking thing they were into.
(hide spoiler)]

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