REVIEW: Resisting the Bossy Billionaire by Michelle Smart

In Resisting the Bossy Billionaire by Michelle Smart, Victoria Cusack has had it with her boss, Marcello Guardiola. He has taken up all her time with his demands, interrupted her dates, and now he’s calling her on her precious day off to bring him a bagel and work his coffee machine at 5 am at the start of the blizzard of the century. Victoria marches to his apartment to let him know that this is it – she’s quitting. But when she tries to make her point by leaving to go home, she finds that she is now snowed in at his penthouse.
Marcello refuses to accept Victoria’s resignation, just as he refuses to acknowledge his long-hidden feelings for her. He suffered one harrowing loss in his past and intends to never risk such heart break again. Now he just has to stick to his resolve while the two are snowbound in close quarters…

Resisting the Bossy Billionaire by Michelle Smart book was so much fun to read! Category romances are some of my favorites with their soapy, over the top goodness and this was Harlequin Presents at its best.

Victoria and Marcello had the best back and forth banter that never lets up through the entire book. They genuinely felt like one another’s missing puzzle pieces, and I could not get enough. This is a boss/assistant romance, but it also felt like a friends to lovers romance in so many ways. It was such a delight to watch them finally figure it out and get together.

Marcello was a really refreshing sort of alpha. He had the all the usual alpha trappings of strong, sexy, smart, wealthy, with intense internal demons. But he was also very caring and FUN. I can’t remember the last Presents hero I read who had such an overt sense of humor. He has an intense backstory, however, and I would encourage sensitive readers to check content warnings. This backstory worked beautifully with the story conflict and character arc, though.

Victoria was a strong heroine with a rich, relatable background. I particularly loved the information about her “fire-breathing” grandmother and the close relationship the two of them had. She also never let Marcello have an inch unless she wanted him to have it in the first place. This made her the perfect partner for Marcello and helped drive the feeling that the two of them really worked as a partnership from the get-go, if only they would allow themselves to accept it.

Michelle Smart has a real gift not only for making characters feel real, but for making a situation like being snowbound in a Manhattan penthouse seem completely plausible. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. If you’re looking for a sexy, fun read full of banter to snuggle up with as the temperatures drop outside, Resisting the Bossy Billionaire by Michelle Smart belongs on the top of your TBR stack.

Book Info:

Publication: Nov 01, 2024 | Harlequin Presents |

A forced proximity, annoyance-to-lovers, billionaire boss, there was only one bed… romance by Michelle Smart.

Snowed in with her boss… and their forbidden desire!

Executive assistant Victoria Cusack is done with demanding billionaire Marcello Guardiola. After a predawn summons to his Manhattan apartment, she quits—only to get trapped by a snowstorm! But stranded with the man who’s no longer her boss, it’s easy to forget he was once off-limits…

Marcello has always prioritized his career—especially since a devastating loss—and he demands the same of Victoria. Unaccustomed to hearing “no,” he vows to charm her back to work. But their scorching chemistry leads to a very different kind of snowbound seduction…