REVIEW: In Bed with the Boss by Alexa Bravo

In Bed with the Boss by Alexa Bravo: Hot elevator sex. Grabs your attention, doesn’t it? If you are looking for a book that starts out with a bang, this is for you. Trish Carter is a mid-level executive on the rise. She has been asked by company heads to give a presentation at the executive conference for Donnelli-Smith, the heath care company for whom she works; Trish has revitalized the rehab division in her own branch of the company, and now the entire company was planning on remodeling the rehabilitation branch with her model. Trish is a little nervous, but excited. And then she gets on the elevator to the 32nd floor. And sees him. Never has she responded to a man in such a way. Their eyes meet. Her entire body is on fire for him.

All at once her breath caught in her throat and for a few seconds that felt like an eternity…her eyes had been caught by the most incredible dark blue gaze, freezing her thoughts and stopping all movement. Despite the fact he was standing at the back of the lift, behind several other passengers, the man’s eyes drew Trish’s undivided attention, like a magnetic pull she could no more resist than the increasing pull of her lungs for her next breath.

It turns out that the man in the elevator feels the same undeniable attraction.

Her face glowed with colour and vitality and he sensed her fascination and also her embarrassment. But there was something else, a heat radiating from her that seemed to speak to the core of him, starting in the richness of her light brown gaze and lashing out to capture him, hold him silent and stunned.

Gradually the other elevator passengers leave and they are alone and that’s all it takes. Trish and the unnamed man are in each others arms, the emergency stop button is pushed, and it quickly become hot, heavy and very intimate. When they are finished, however, Trish is mortified, and before she can say anything to him the doors open onto the executive suite and she is shocked to discover that “Mr. lift-man” is none other than the co-owner of the company Keith Donnelli. Keith is a man with a very difficult recent past, having just recovered from a car accident that killed his pregnant fiancée. His company is also in a very poor position, and he and his co-owner are counting on Trish’s program to revitalize the company. He knows it was not well done to have intercourse in the elevator with Donnelli-Smith’s up-and-coming star manager, but he couldn’t help it, and now he is at a loss of what to do. The situation gets worse when Trish discovers that the national roll-out of her plan involves her and Keith flying around the country for two weeks, virtually alone together. They both know they shouldn’t be together, however, they can hardly take their eyes, let alone their hands, off each other. What will happen to this high-flying couple?

Trish is not in the best headspace during much of the book. Although she’s is a raven-haired beauty, she doesn’t realize how attractive she is. Divorced three year earlier, her husband and her could not have a child and that was a source of stress and belittlement. At work, she has problems with another manager, ill-will caused by her rapid promotions. Additionally, once Trish finds out that Keith’s late fiancée was a fashion model and expecting, she feels that there is no way she can ever equal her in Keith’s mind. Of course, Trish doesn’t know the truth about Keith’s and Claudia’s relationship, or the secret depths and possession that Keith feels towards her.

This is an interesting book. Because of the way it is written, you learn so much about Keith’s and Trish’s backstory, internal thoughts and motivations. As far as characters go, it may not be possible to learn more about them. There are decent secondary characters too, such as Becca, Trish’s executive assistant, and Greg Robson, an equipment supplier who wants to have a relationship with Trish. There is also Liz who is the “bad guy” of this novel. On Keith’s side, he has a very good relationship with his co-owner and friend, Brendan Smith, who doesn’t seem that upset that Keith is pursing a relationship with their star employee.

What I really liked about this book is that all the primary characters are unabashedly over forty years old. How refreshing that folks over forty are sexy, have sex, think about sex, and enjoy sex! It’s a revelation. Also, In Bed with the Boss is a book set in Australia, and it’s aways fun for North Americans to navigate Australian terminology like “lift” and “surgery.”

What I didn’t like about the book is that so much of it is in the character’s heads. They think all the time. They think about what they did, what they would like to be doing, why they shouldn’t do what they want to do, and what they think the other person is feeling and thinking about. What they do not do enough of is talk, especially talk to each other. Perhaps all their important talking is done “off screen” but it really seems as if they have sex, think a lot, have sex again, and then think some more. It makes a relatively short book seem much longer than it actually is.

In general, this is a pleasant read, and is highly character driven. The interpersonal relationship is definitely on the hot side and is very intense!

Book Info:

Published May 1st 2014 by Escape Publishing

A high-flying corporate romance that’s sure to add ‘elevator’ to your list of erotic destinations!

Trish Carter is chasing the career opportunity of a lifetime, and nothing is going to stand in her way. After a failed marriage and years of self-doubt, she needs her business proposal to succeed — but there’s one hurdle left: presenting to the Board of Directors and charismatic CEO, Keith Donnelli. So then it can only be the stress and extreme tension that leads her to jump the hot stranger in the elevator…

But the unexpectedly explosive encounter puts all her plans in jeopardy, when the stranger isn’t a stranger at all. Now, her whole future rides on how well she can resist the temptation of sleeping with her boss. Will Trish finally have the chance to make her secret dreams come true or will following her heart destroy her chance at a future?