Her Grumpy Boss is the fifth instalment in the novella standalone series, Her Sweet Seduction, by Adele Knight. Paige is leaving for the trip of a lifetime, but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying every minute left at work, particularly trying to provoke her very grumpy and unfairly attractive boss from cracking a smile… and, of course, imagining he was the grumpy boss and her his secretary in every spicy book she reads. Parker is having a hard time not breaking his self-imposed fraternisation policy by bending the defiantly bratty Paige over his desk and, well, breaching said policy. Colour him even more intrigued when he finds out exactly what Paige loves to read in her spare time and occasionally company time; add in the fact she’s leaving in two days; and maybe some rules are worth breaking from time to time. It’s not like doing so will shake the foundation of both their lives, right?
As a reader and reviewer of spicy books, it comes as no surprise that I connected easily to Paige, who doesn’t imagine themselves as the main character in any book more often than not, so I loved that this was mentioned in this novella. But I fell for Paige even further just by the way she is; she is funny, a down-right menace, sexy, and just so relatable. I laughed every time she was bratty and defiant or thought or said something filthy. I just loved her immediately, and my love just grew as the novella progressed. She is as sexy as she is hungry for Parker, and trust me, that is saying something. All her little wanton desires are thoroughly seen too, and I was cheering the entire time, and I actually squealed when he finally gave in. I also loved that there was this tug of war when it came to control, and a lot of times when it looked like it was firmly in Parker’s court, even she could see that she was the one with it all, and how amazing that made her feel gave me the biggest smile. But as much as she thinks about him in a very unprofessional way, you can tell she does care for him more deeply; she understands why he’s so grumpy; she understands all that he does, and that just adds to her attraction to him, so while she definitely lusts over him, she sees him in a deeper way that I don’t think she cared to pay attention to too closely. I did feel for her in the last few chapters because they are perfect for each other, and their last interaction before she flew away hurt. I felt her longing for a strong connection, but even when she’s deep into feeling her emotional turmoil, she still makes it humorous.
Parker, or Mr. Carlson, as only Paige calls him, is just as obsessed with defiant Paige as she is with him. She is the perfect bratty sunshine on his powerful grumpy. I understood his need for his self-imposed fraternisation policy, and I think that’s what made him breaking it even hotter because he couldn’t let Paige slip out of his life without having her. I also loved that he wasn’t just attracted to Paige because of her looks or behaviour with him, but because not only was she really good at her job, she had this adventurous spirit, which made him envious of a piece of himself that he’d lost. Paige wasn’t the only one with filthy thoughts and desires, because Parker has all of them with a selfish craving that I was so excited to see him finally give into. When he finally found out what she reads all day, it was such a fun moment that led quickly to a raunchy one, and his ability to not feel shame over it while also feeling even more attracted to her was amazing. What a guy! I also loved how possessive and jealous he felt before he’d even had Paige like he had already marked her as his, and then him playing with fire by flirting dirtily with her was so much fun to read that I was grinning the whole time. But while he’s overcome with need and touching her with possession, he still has this tender, gentle side that makes it all the more intimate. Aftercare, whether in real life or fictional, is always rated highly, in my opinion. Apart from squealing multiple times, I silently screamed at some of this spice; it had so much to it that I loved, especially mine and Paige’s favourite line, ‘Good girl’. His control was wavering, his absolute need to have was selfish while also giving her exactly what she wanted, and he was greedy for her reactions to everything he did or said. Throw in his jealousy, and I was laughing. Parker fell fast and hard, and him realising everything Paige could be for him and add to his life was so lovely that his thoughts about doing just about anything to keep her made me grin, but of course he blew it, and I was angry with him, but thankfully not for too long. The fact that they ruined each other for anyone else just made this office romance even more of a favourite.
I adore office romances, particularly those packed with spice, but when they incorporate the grumpy sunshine trope, I become completely engrossed. Paige had me hooked immediately; she’s a spice reader and reviewer, and with her new boss acting and looking the way he does, her books are all filthy office romances. She was waiting for her grumpy boss to finally give in and give her all the raunchy moments she so desperately craved, and oh my, does Mr Carlson deliver. Don’t worry, Paige wasn’t the only one obsessed; Parker has wanted her more and more every day, but you know, he can’t possibly breach the fraternisation policy. Until, of course, he blissfully does. There is so much to love about this novella; I squealed multiple times; obviously, I loved the epilogue so much; and the nod to Her Wild Roommate made me chuckle. This is another Five out of Five stars read and a definite reread, but now I’m craving more spicy office romances.
As with every novella in the Her Sweet Seduction series, this is an over-eighteen-year-old read. I’d recommend Her Grumpy Boss to those who love office romances, the grumpy-sunshine trope, a bratty female main character, a slightly possessive and jealous male main character that has a lovely sweet side when he not only falls first but harder, both main characters having a filthy mouth, and a delightful mix of humour in amongst all of the heat. If you love it when the female main character is not only a reader but also a reviewer, you are particularly going to love this, and if you love HEAs, don’t worry, Adele Knight always delivers, and she especially delivered this time because Parker has found his way into my book-boyfriend collection. I finished this novella last week, and how much I already want to reread it is ridiculous. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series, Her Rockstar Ex, which is coming out in a few months.
Favourite Quotes
“The thought of never even getting a taste makes me want to claw at my skin and sell my soul.”
– loc 371
“Touching her felt less like an end to my obsession and more like the beginning of something.”
– loc 439
“”Miss Grier, I asked you a question. I expect an answer.” She bites her bottom lip and nods. I reach for the button of my pants. “Then get on your knees.””
– loc 490
“The emotion I’ve been fighting stings my eyes as I feel this strong-willed, morally driven man breaking his self-imposed rules to give me a fantasy I didn’t realize I desperately needed to have fulfilled.”
– loc 563
“She’s my devil, making me want more than I expected. I need my mouth on every inch of her skin, tasting, teasing, marking every part until her body belongs to me.”
– loc 695
“I want to devour her like the men in her books until every scene she reads is a fantasy she pictures the two of us in.”
– loc 700
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Finer Details
Title: Her Grumpy Boss
Author: Adele Knight
Pages: 81
Publisher: Adele Knight
Publication: 2024
Language: English
Rating: 5/5