The New Guy

I remember once telling my little sister how I'm so tired of all these Indian dramas that have the same exact story. Tough, serious male CEO hates, but somehow falls in love with, the cute clumsy small town girl who can't seem to do anything right.

Just once, I want the woman to be the CEO. I want the woman to be successful, and sure of herself. Then it finally happened and guess what? They made the successful business woman a total psycho. As if a successful woman had to be too good to be true, they made her this incredibly toxic and drama filled character who was all kinds of evil. Ugh. I hated it.

Though I gave up on the quality of complex characters in writers' rooms for Indian dramas and TV serials, I didn't exactly give up on the idea of a story where the woman has the power.

So I was pretty excited when I saw The New Guy. Female CEO? Yes, please!

"Sam Huxton doesn’t do one-night stands, especially not with men she’s just met! But the hot guy at the bar was hard to resist and their one night together is one she’ll never forget.

But one night is all they share – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun…

Until the same guy walks into Sam’s life the next day as her new employee. Sam never mixes business with pleasure and makes it clear an office fling with Ryan is off-limits. But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?"

This was a little difficult to read in the beginning because Sam was dealing with a loss similar to one I had recently dealt with. The proximity to my own loss in that first chapter probably made me cringe harder than it would have otherwise. It just made me really sad.

But after that first scene I got really into it, and couldn't put it down! The characters were fun and flirty, but also individuals with story lines and character building outside of the romance. I love a romance book where the leads have their own thing that they're working through as well. Otherwise it's just a whirlwind romance, and how would the characters stick out?

So first, Sam, our female CEO! Sam is running a start up and this is crunch time. Everyone needs to focus and she's working not only to lead the team but to keep investors confident. Not so fun fact, start ups run by women tend to get a lot more speculation and pessimism from investors than start ups run by men. I promise this isn't a chip on my shoulder, you can learn more about the research here!

So here is Sam, and not only is she amazing and hardworking, as start up CEOs are, she's feminine. I hate stories that just replace all the he's with she's and call it ground breaking. This wasn't that. She wasn't your typical power tripping CEO. She wasn't Christian Grey in a pencil skirt. She didn't turn into this super macho masculine person who acted like a man to break through the old boy's club. She was feminine and she wasn't sorry about it! I love that!

She was someone who was in charge but not at the expense of femininity and I think it's awesome to have a character who can be both! Because ultimately we want to see that women obtain success, and see that their hard work and great ideas don't require them to be something they're not in order to find that success!

Then there's Ryan. I find it hard to believe that this amazingly attractive guy is shy around ladies. If I wasn't inside his head, seeing first hand how nervous he was about even suggesting it, let alone his own surprise about actually having a one night stand, I might not have believed it. From the beginning he's too cute. His insistence to make sure Sam is not too drunk and that she really is capable of consenting was so sweet. Ryan is the guy we all dream about, setting an example for responsible fun that you could day dream about for weeks!

Overall, I loved this book and I hesitate to say more because I don't want to give away too much. But the idea of having a one night stand and finding out the next day that they were recently hired to work for your start up is an awkward and clumsy set up that doesn't require the leads to stay clumsy! Both Sam and Ryan are thoughtful, likeable, lovable even, and well rounded. Their chemistry is amazing and doesn't feel forced. I loved everything about their story.

If you're looking for a great romance to read, this is it!

And of course! My recommended pairings!

First things first! If reading this has got you thinking "a one night stand sounds amazing, I'm heading out to find a Ryan Black of my own!" Please pause and first read this. This safe sex guide from Healthline is LGBTQIA+ inclusive. We're not here to shame any consenting adults about their sexual adventures, but we are going to encourage safety first!

Next, I've never had a one night stand so this isn't something I know from experience, but I would guess that you want to play it cool the next morning, right? Getting breakfast together may or may not be on the table. But! If you find yourself thinking about keeping this one around, you might want to impress them with a little magic in the kitchen as well!

I'm not suggesting you bring them breakfast in bed, but maybe avocado toast with a fried egg? I like to add everything bagel seasoning to mine and it's amazing! You can learn how to make the perfect fried egg here. And maybe you can wow the person who's wow'ed you! *wink*

Lastly, if my girl Sam Huxton should so inspire you to dream big and think about running your own business, you might want to adopt this little mantra: "I'm not Bossy, I'm the Boss."

You can get this awesome mug here, and even get it personalized if you like!

That's right! We're making moves and we're doing it with our heads held high and our confidence even higher!

I loved this book. I enjoyed the story and I adore the characters. If you don't want to take my word for it, you can check out reviews from other bloggers on The New Guy Blog Tour!

Happy reading!