Nadia Lee

I've found a new favorite trope which is Grumpy/Sunshine and there are no better representatives than Griffin and Sierra. They are made for each other with their instant attraction and their messed up upbringings that have shaped them differently.

Sierra is a confident CEO of a sex toy company. A divorcee with a stalker ex. A daughter unwanted by her selfish jerk of a father. And a woman who has always wanted to have a beautiful and happy family of her own. After an unforgettable one-night show more stand with a mysterious and handsome stranger, she gets her wish but is he the right man for the job?

Griffin is a respected award-winning economist with a secret. He's the son of two famous, obnoxious, and selfish parents which he prefers to be kept secret. However, his life is about to become very public with a certain woman he thought he had put behind him. But his brain is addled by her apple scent, her joy of life, and her unwavering support. But she is partially responsible for humiliating him and ruining his career by nicknaming her next sex toy line after him. It's unforgivable....or is it?

I love this story as fate hands Sierra and Griffin an opportunity to be happy and break the cycle of mistrust and loneliness. Sierra's positivity is contagious as she loves her job, loves her employees and friends, and works hard to look on the bright side despite her uncouth and mess of an ex-husband, and her unloving family. I could feel her joy when Griffin flew her to Tokyo and I cried when he gave her the surprise birthday gift of her life. Griffin, on the other hand, has a lot of resentment that spills out into his personal and professional life. He earned his place as a tenured professor and he wants to maintain that respect and not be accused of using his parents' fame to get ahead in life. His anger at Sierra is uncalled for and I find it interesting that it is his mother who makes him see that. May I say that Griffin's grand gesture is endearing though I felt it was a bit rushed at the end. However, it's a happily ever after for both.

I adored Griffin's brothers and can't wait to read about their stories. In fact, I wouldn't mind reading about Ellie in a future book.

If you love seeing a grumpy man get wooed by a very pleasant and confident woman, give this book a try. I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Ms. Lee for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less

There is nothing I love better than to read a second-chance romance where the reprehensible asshole gets his just desserts and has to grovel big time to be forgiven. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here. Don't get me wrong; I loved this book, I just wanted revenge for what he put her through.

The book is divided into past and present. I was relieved to read about Aspen and Grant's past on how they met in college and what happened to split them up. A lot of times authors will write a prequel show more to a story and then write a new book assuming people were in the know. The aftermath of their budding relationship is so tragic and 14 years later they are both still empty husks of themselves.

Their first meeting is in college. Aspen is an orphan on a scholarship to a prestigious college with two loving grandparents who teach dance at their studio. Grant is a trust-fund child of two famous self-absorbed parents. Aspen works several jobs and studies hard while Grant plays polo and blows off his courses. As they are forced together as partners in a class, it doesn't start out well. Aspen is a loner who is focused on getting her degree and making something of herself to make a comfortable life for herself and her grandparents. Grant is a cocky, self-serving rich boy genius who just wants his mom off his back and breezes through the classes with his family "royalty" earning him passing grades. As the two enemies become friends and then lovers, the combination of an off-hand bet Grant makes with his gross and nasty roommates and a personal tragedy that happens to Aspen, the two go their separate ways with shattered hearts and no further contact until 14 years later.

Aspen's desperation to take care of her grandfather places her in the precarious position of Grant's assistant. Let the hatred begin! They both feel betrayed by each other regarding what happened in college, but they don't have all of the facts. Their hearts are still broken and the attraction is still strong.

Grant is a freakin' dick as he makes yet another stupid bet to make Aspen quit her job, but Aspen is made of stronger stuff. The hateful words and actions of Grant are so awful and inexcusable. He thought she was a gold digger in college after a misunderstood incident. In his defense, his heart had been protected before he met her because of his lonely upbringing with his unloving parents. It was an ultimate betrayal to him thinking she lied to him and wanted him for his money.

Aspen is so proud and private and she won't give in to Grant's bullying tactics to make her quit. She's working to help her grandfather and doing her damnest to stay calm and control her loathing of the man who broke her heart and ruined her life. I couldn't wait until Grant found out the truth about why she left so many years ago, but I was wrecked when everything came to light. It was so crushing to both of them knowing all of the time they lost. Trying to forgive and make amends for all that had gone down was going to be an insurmountable task, and Grant had a lot to make up for. In the end, after many tears and revealing truths, love conquered all.

Supporting characters include Aspen's grandparents who are so loving and accepting. Grant's many brothers make an appearance who are very protective of each other. The antagonists in the story are so nasty including the snotty, vindictive Sadie from college as well as Grant's entitled roommates.

What an emotional rollercoaster! I laughed, cried, and wanted to kick ass. All in all, I couldn't get enough of this story. Yes, it was probably a little too long and repetitive, but it was worth the read. Pick up this book! It's a great addition to the Lasker Brothers series. Also, check out my review of book 2 in the series, My Grumpy Billionaire. It's Griffin and Sierra's story.

Thank you to Ms. Lee for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner show more Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
Baby for the Bosshole is the first book in the "Lasker Brothers" series and after having a fun time with Contractually Yours, I just had to jump back into this series and this was delicious sexy fun! I am always on the lookout for some fabulous rom com's to enjoy and this author is definitely going on the list for authors that I need to be reading so much more of. Her writing was so engaging and I couldn't stop laughing at this one, especially the dialogue, was so entertaining. If you are always on the lookout for a sexy opposites attract, than this is a story that needs to be on your radar because Nadia Lee really brings in the humor just write to balance in perfectly with a sexy romp of a read.

First Line
I'll Show Him

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Emmett Lasker
Billionaire CEO of finance, one of the Lasker Brothers, smart and cunning in business and a bit of a workaholic.

The Heroine: Amy
Amy is driven, independent, and has a caring nature and devoted to her father.

Summary
Amy is a driven workaholic but her boss drives her crazy with all of his demands and long hours that he expects. He has a level of confidence that borders on conceit and even though at times she finds him charming, she also finds him insufferable and makes her want to explode at times. When she catches him masturbating to thinking of her, well one action leads to another and they have hot sex in his office. At first, Amy thinks its just a fling and very casual, but things starts to get more serious especially when she finds out that she is pregnant. But Amy has a plan, and now her plans are a hot mess because she is falling hard for Emmett and doesn't know if she can trust this man with her heart...

What I Loved
I had such a blast with this book, it was just fun to read. And sometimes you just want to immerse yourself in a fun sexy read that has little depth and just entertains for a while. And that is what I found with this one. It was completely different from "Contractually Yours". This was a true rom com feel so some readers might be thrown off by this one. But I found it lively and entertaining. Does that make it a perfect read? haha definitely not. However, I think I was in just the right frame of mind to really enjoy this one like I wanted to. I also found that this one really portrayed a story that just worked for me in many respects. I wasn't a fan of the heroine at times though and the way that the third act was executed could have been done better in my opinion. I actually fell so hard for the hero, he was a delight. But the way that the heroine was going to betray him just because of her sign on bonus was weird to me. And she didn't do ANY grovel. Like come on, while the hero isn't perfect, you also wronged him girl. But alas, what I wanted for this story didn't quite happen. However, I truly enjoyed this book and very eager for the next one.

What I Struggled With
I mostly struggled with the heroine in this book. From what I have seen so far, the heroes that this author writes are just delightful to read. But the heroine was a piece of work at times. The whole is basically about her planning to betray him and go to another company even after they get together. Like what girl? Seriously? And the reason behind it was strange. And the way she acts in the third act conflict didn't quite match up either to the way that the relationship was going. She blew a gasket over something that didn't make sense in the end. The poor hero, he was just as clueless as I felt haha

Overall View
Despite some issues, I found myself being entertained from beginning to end with this one and I can't wait to get to the other brothers!

Favorite Quote(s)
I love you too. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, and do all the things I would do, but better,"

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance. Romantic Comedy
Character Types: Billionaire, Jerk Hero,
Themes: Hot Smexy Times, Family Bonds, Class Difference, Laughs and Giggles, Witty Banter
Tropes: Boss and Employee, Accidental Pregnancy, Marriage of Convenience

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship conflicts are more present

Song This Book Inspires
Don't Go Breaking My Heart-Glee Cast

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as standalones if you want to

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship. show less

At first, I thought THE LAST SLAYER was going to be my new favorite urban fantasy. Ten, fifteen, twenty percent of the way through the book, I was glued to the page, thrilled to my toes, ready to squeal with glee. I adored Ashera because she seemed to be effortlessly in control of her life, in peace with herself and her place with the world.

One of the first things we learn is that she's plain bordering on ugly, but she shrugs off the sting of being mocked for her looks by being a savvy and show more competent demon hunter. She's aware of her true value and secure in herself, so much so that she's got a great relationship with her very, very beautiful sister Valerie. Likewise, she's an orphan and foster child who was adopted into a very wealthy family where she was never quite treated as an equal. But she's grateful for the blessings she received - a fine education, for example - and not resentful about her lot in life.

Ashera balances corporate savvy with savage martial skills, and the first few scenes show us Ashera at her most competent. Overworked but sharp and snappy, she dives into a dangerous fight with a demon and comes out ahead. Things start to go wrong when the dragonlords arrive in town, supposedly for a meeting with a pharmaceutical company. Ashera attends as part of the security detail, but it soon becomes apparent that the dragonlords - powerful demigods - have their own agenda, and cooperating with the suits is not on their list. Actually, they're looking for Ashera.

Most of the stuff that happens after that point veers off into spoiler territory, so I can't go into specifics. Ramiel shows up, and Ashera's wishy-washy emotional monologues about him provide the first hint of where the book is headed. He helps her, but can she trust him? Is he interested in her as a person, or is he only helping her because he swore some sort of vow? Ashera changes her mind about him every chapter or so. Ramiel, for his part, is painfully consistent. He bends over backwards to protect Ashera, he offers her help and hospitality, but the second he's even the tiniest bit withholding or fails to lavish her with affection, she assumes he doesn't care about her and throws a tantrum. A tantrum! What happened to the kickass Ashera of yester-chapter?

In fact, the deeper we get into the book the less kickass demon-fighting action there is and the more long baths and wardrobe changes there are. It gets to the point where even Ashera thinks to herself, "Gee, I seem to be taking a lot of baths," and, oh-em-gee, that could pass for ironic understatement. She takes a bath at every single residence that she visits over the course of the novel, and at the really fancy palatial destinations, she takes several (to sample all the different tubs, I suppose). Once she dries off, she begrudgingly dons some sort of fabulous gown, grumbling all the while about how she's a slayer and doesn't care about such finery. It's around this time that she stops seeming like someone who can rise above her own plain looks and starts seeming really, really superficial. Once the quality that drew me to her the most corrodes into something so unattractive, I was done rooting for Ashera.

The story itself mostly amounts to Ramiel telling Ashera what she needs to do, and Ashera wavering a bit before she decides to follow instructions. Another thing that makes the formerly kickass heroine seem passive and weak.

By the end, this book that had me on the edge of my seat had turned into a chore. Not recommended. show less