Bossed by Sloane Howell
Publication Date: March 28, 2017
Contemporary Romance
Loveswept

Reviewed by Kini

Blurb: He’s the boss. But she’s ready to take charge.

Jenny: Job interviews are a bitch under the best of circumstances, but when your potential boss is the world’s biggest prick, that’s when you should simply walk away. It’s just that I need this job so badly—and I’m mesmerized by Ethan Mason’s piercing gaze. Men like him aren’t supposed to exist in real life. But under the tailored suits and GQ looks, Ethan simmers with barely restrained ambition. And no matter how hard I work to fight the attraction, I’m going to get burned.

Ethan: You don’t become a top agent without learning how to close a deal. I always get what—or who—I want, by staying cool and in command. Then Jenny Jackson walks into my office with her lush curves and “screw you” attitude and blows away my intentions of keeping things professional. All I can think about is exploring the perfect body hidden beneath those conservative clothes or shutting her saucy mouth with one hot kiss. Jenny’s worth breaking the rules over—if I can convince her to break the rules for me.

I picked this up because I thought it would be a fun read and I like the trope of the main characters working together and struggling with their relationship. The hero, Ethan, is dirty talker. On a scale of “one to Tessa Bailey”, he’s pretty far up there.

Jenny is on the job search because she needs a better paying job to help out her ailing father. Her mother was not in the picture so Jenny and her dad have a close relationship. There was a little bit of martyrdom happening with Jenny taking care of her dad. The meet cute with Jenny and Ethan was interesting, they meet at a coffee stand- he is a jerk, she calls him out and then just minutes later she discovers he is the person she is interviewing with. The verbal sparring ensues.

Ethan is kind of a jerk to Jenny and his employees. He has a hard shell, but inside he is all squishy. One thing I love is when the hero falls hard for the heroine and we get to his internal struggle of how to be a hard, tough assholery of a man and be nice to the woman he wants. Ethan has some insecurities that he struggles with and it was fun to read. Although one of my notes to myself is that Ethan is “way fucked up”. But not in a horrible way, just a man struggling to find himself and love.

Throughout the book, Jenny calls Ethan on his bad behavior. At times it was refreshing, others like when he yells at him at work, felt heavy-handed and not at all true to life. Because afterward, she kept her job with no repercussions and all other employees were fine. And this bad behavior did lead to a cycle of back and forth between the two of them, it was a little more than I like.

Ethan has an amazing relationship with his BFF, Matt. I love a good male friendship in my books. The author did a good job with the best friends because they were in the story, but not too much. I foresee books for them.

The sex was HOT and dirty in this book. I have many NSFW quotes highlighted, but I will give you just one moderately warm one.

“Mmhmm, I bet. So fucking naughty” I leaned in and teased her slit with the tip of my tongue. She moaned. I smiled, knowing my tongue could get any reaction it wanted out of her. I reached up and pushed down on her lower back to give me a better angle.

Overall this was a satisfying read. It moved at a fast pace, but had a little too much back and forth for my liking.

Grade: C+

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