Spotlight & Giveaway: Hot Copy by Ruby Barrett

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Ruby Barrett’s new release: Hot Copy

A meet-cute gone wrong is the start of a surprising courtship in this fresh, modern take on the workplace romance from debut author Ruby Barrett

 
Corrine Blunt knows what people think of her—she’s an icy, unapproachable executive. It’s the price she’s had to pay to get to the top. But there’s knowing you have a reputation in the office, and there’s hearing your new intern laugh when someone calls you “Blunt the C*nt” in the elevator on his first day.
 
She’d hoped to finally find an ally in Wesley Chambers, but she’s not about to let him off the hook for joining the office boys’ club. Taking refuge in the professional boundaries between them, she relegates Wes to assistant work—which would do the trick, if he weren’t so eager to prove he’s a decent human being.

Wes is sincerely apologetic, insisting it was a misunderstanding, and to her surprise, Corrine believes him. Being forced to work together was one thing, but long hours at the office with what turns out to be a kind, thoughtful man soon has their business relationship turning personal, and things get complicated—fast. Could this be something more serious than either of them dared to hope for? Or is their relationship just playing into the harmful power dynamics Corrine’s had to endure her entire career?

“An intoxicating blend of wholesome sweetness and tear-off-your-clothes steam…Ruby Barrett’s writing leaves me breathless.” —Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate

“Sexy, smart, and fiercely feminist.” —Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Hot Copy 

This elevator is sweltering. Or maybe it’s just the combination of my nerves and this suit that’s making me feel like the air is thick enough to choke on. I tug at my tie. After two years of wearing nothing but jeans and T-shirts, the silk feels like a noose. The only piece of clothing I am comfortable in are my socks.
I stand shoulder to shoulder with a guy almost my height, in a similar suit and tie. Though his looks much more expensive and he seems more at home in it. His blond hair and Rolex glare under the fluorescents. The volume on his phone is turned up so loud I can hear his horrible taste in music clearly through the earbuds.
“Hold the elevator!” a woman calls as the doors start to roll closed.
I step forward, pressing my hand to one side of the sliding doors as she darts in. Her head is down, her thumb scrolling quickly across her phone’s screen.
“What floor?” I ask, but she doesn’t respond, instead tapping the toe of her high-heeled shoe in a metallic rhythm. She sighs audibly, shaking her head at the screen. I shrug and step back again.
“You part of the Hill City internship?” Bad Music Guy pulls an earbud out. The tinny sound of his music fills the small space. What I wouldn’t give for the dulcet tones of the Beastie Boys’ mid-’90s discography so I could avoid conversation with him. I was such a nervous wreck this morning I forgot my earphones on my bedside table.
I nod and hold out my hand. “Wesley Chambers.”
“Mark.” He smiles wide, showing all his teeth. Like a chimpanzee. “Who’s your mentor?”
My father’s friend Richard Skyler is the CEO of Hill City Marketing & PR, one of Boston’s premier agencies. Dad considered his paternal duties fulfilled when he got me a spot in this program two years ago. After that, it was back to sporadic emails and missed birthdays. I’m not mad at him, though. My father is just a dick. He can’t be fixed.
Luckily, his buddy Richard isn’t an incurable phallus.
“Uhhh.” I scratch the back of my neck, stalling for time. “I actually interviewed for this internship two years ago and I was going to be working with Richard? The CEO? But…” I clear my throat. Sneak a peek at Mark. The sharp edge of his smile assures me that I will not explain the past two years of my life to this guy.
“But I had to defer it,” I say. “So, now I have to work with Corrine Blunt.” I can’t keep the dismay from my voice.
I’d met Richard Skyler when I was a kid and he’d remained friends with my parents until their divorce. When I interviewed for the program, Richard and I got along like old buds. And when I had to decline his offer of mentorship to take care of my mom, Richard promised me a spot when I was ready. And he kept in touch: emails, even the occasional phone call.
“Honestly, I’d assumed Richard would be my mentor again. But…it didn’t work out.”
I rock back on my heels, surprised by how disappointed I feel in this moment. The woman is a powerhouse, after all: graduated with an MBA from Boston College at twenty-four. At thirty years old, she’s one of the youngest executives at Hill City Marketing & PR and the only woman in the executive suites. She’s won countless awards for her marketing campaigns and was Richard’s protégé in the first Hill City mentorship program years ago.
Plus, I know I’m not supposed to think about my boss this way, but it’s not the worst thing that she’s pretty. In her picture on the website she sported a bouncy, dark bob and a bright smile. She seemed happy and welcoming and young, like whatever they mean when they say “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” I’d felt an affinity with her immediately. I shouldn’t complain about having to spend a whole year working with her. In truth, I’m excited, if not mildly intimidated.
I open my mouth to admit that but bite my tongue when Mark says, too loud in this small space, “Dude, your mentor is Corrine Blunt?”
I rub my hand over my closed mouth and wince through a nod.
“The lady boss?” Mark laughs, and the cruel sound sends a shiver up the back of my neck. I’ve been the subject of a laugh like that before.
“You know what they call her, right?”

Excerpt. ©Ruby Barrett. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: One (1) eBook copy of HOT COPY by Ruby Barrett (open internationally)

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Meet the Author:

Ruby Barrett’s romances center women who demand to be loved as they are and the good-natured, vulnerable men who earn their hearts. When she’s not writing about love in its many forms, she’s reading. And when she’s not doing either of those things you can find her chasing her tiny queen (read: daughter), doing (digital) marketing, drinking tea (never coffee), wearing pants (that aren’t jeans), (re) watching The Office, or exploring museums (in other cities). She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her aforementioned tiny queen, and her husband (who she kisses a lot).

Connect with Ruby Barrett
Website: https://www.rubybarrett.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RubyBarretWrite
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubybarrettwrite/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RubyBarrettWrites
Newsletter: https://www.rubybarrett.com/newsletter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20439134.Ruby_Barrett
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Barrett/e/B08Z1XK3P5
 
Buy HOT COPY by Ruby Barrett
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Copy-Ruby-Barrett-ebook/dp/B08HR1QXNG
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hot-copy-ruby-barrett/1137610207
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hot-copy/id1531094274
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ruby_Barrett_Hot_Copy?id=xSH8DwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hot-copy