Synopsis:
Debut author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.
Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.
If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
My Review:
“Take the hoodie off. Please. I’ll only look with my eyes.”
OMG this book was SO funny!! Sweet and sugary but sexy and romantic, too. I devoured this confection of a story. I am absolutely floored that this was a debut novel! Every line was funnier than the one before. And the story was pure enjoyment! This book was the perfect antidote for me.
Lucy and Josh are co-workers at a large publishing company who end up competing for the same job. I am very picky about office romances because (a) I work in an office, and (b) they are usually so unrealistic and overly simple. Not ‘The Hating Game’. The author nails the workplace setting perfectly.
Lucy and Josh HATE each other. Like, they can’t even stand to be in the same room together. But they share an office! They are complete opposites in every way. He is cold and controlling, she is warm and friendly. He is REALLY tall, she is VERY petite. They tease each other incessantly.
“Stop calling me Shortcake.”
“Watching you pretend to hate that nickname is the best part of my day.”
The writing in this book was absolutely hilarious. The dialogue was fresh and original.
“I don’t like big guys. They’re too much like horses. They could trample you if you got underfoot. He is auditing my appearance with the same narrowed eyes that I am. I wonder what the top of my head looks like. I’m sure he only fornicates with Amazons.”
Lucy and Josh eventually end of competing for the same job which would mean a huge promotion for both of them. Lucy comes to realize that their mutual and VERY public dislike for each other just might actually be mutual lust. She can’t help but drool over Josh’s perfection every single day.
“Today is a magnificent black T-shirt day. Write today in your diaries. Tell your grandchildren stories about it. I tear my eyes away, but they slide back moments later. Underneath that T-shirt is a body that could fog an elderly librarian’s glasses.”
This book reminded me of ‘Tangled’ by Emma Chase. The writing is smart, sexy, funny and very sharp. Both characters here are fully developed and the secondary characters are just as interesting! I fell in love with both Lucy’s and Josh’s families. AND I loved the characters’ growth over the course of the book.
“I’ve got so much inside me I have no idea about. I’m like the mayor of a city I’ve never seen.”
I highly recommend this book if you are in the mood for a sweet and sexy modern romance with the perfect amount of wit and sarcasm.
“In the dark, I slide my body against his, feeling his sighs, and I tug him down to lie on me properly.
“I’m pretty heavy. I’ll flatten you.”
“I’ve had a good life.”
Read an excerpt from The Hating Games HERE