Alyssa Jarrett Recommends | Workplace Romances
Friend of the newsletter and debut romance author Alyssa Jarrett puts us to work!
Trying something new this week- a guest curator! Please welcome Alyssa Jarrett, who runs
and has her first book coming out soon (read to the end for a blurb and pre-order links!). In honor of her own debut workplace romance, she had three others to whet your appetite while you wait for Love Apptually to release.
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James (2009)
When I think of workplace romance, the first author I think of is Julie James. Although she’s most known for her FBI/US Attorney series, her standalone Practice Makes Perfect is an excellent gateway to see if her style is your jam. It stars two lawyers who are duking it out to make partner at their firm—a promotion only one person will receive.
It’s a quintessential enemies-to-lovers office rom-com, which is why I say Julie James walked so Sally Thorne could run. The banter is witty, the chemistry is electric, and James always balances humor and suspense perfectly. I’m also not the biggest small-town romance fan, and all of James’ novels are about finding love in the big city.
James has only published nine novels and is currently on hiatus to focus on other projects, which means you have plenty of time to work through her stellar backlist.
Rating: 4/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Chef’s Kiss by T.J. Alexander (2022)
Was anyone else as obsessed with the Bon Appetit drama and how it led to the downfall of the beloved podcast Reply All? Just me? Okay, well, if you love culinary controversies, then you need to check out Chef’s Kiss by T.J. Alexander.
I read this book for the Trans Rights Readathon and really enjoyed this exploration of gender identity. Simone Larkspur is a cis woman and pastry chef who gets pressured by her employer to pivot to video recipes and become the next viral sensation. She ends up falling for nonbinary test kitchen manager Ray Lyton, who encourages her to come out of her shell and loosen up on camera.
It’s definitely got grumpy/sunshine and black cat/golden retriever vibes, but it is worth noting that this book is the slowest of burns. Critics might even hesitate to call this a Romance with a capital R since their relationship isn’t officially established until the 95% mark. But while I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would’ve liked with these characters, the book is open-door, and their obvious infatuation had me rooting for them the entire way.
I will also give a content warning that workplace romances often tackle workplace discrimination. In a perfect world, nobody would be deadnamed, pronouns would come easy, and bigotry wouldn’t exist. But real life is messy, and this book handles that beautifully.
Rating: 4/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Preferential Treatment by Heather Guerre (2022)
I could talk for literal hours about Preferential Treatment, and I keep saying I’m surprised Heather Guerre hasn’t filed a restraining order because that’s how much I absolutely adore all of her books, but especially this one. I read it in February of last year, and it held the number-one spot as my favorite romance in 2023.
Preferential Treatment remains one of the most recommended books in the r/RomanceBooks subreddit, and it’s the reason why I joined Kindle Unlimited. If you’ve ever given a side-eye to billionaire romances in the past—this one is guaranteed to change your mind.
It stars Kate Pasternak, who comes from a working-class background and manages to keep herself afloat by working at Domovoy Technologies, founded by Mikhail Volkov. When Kate is accidentally rude to her CEO, she’s surprised that he takes an even greater interest in her. He eventually persuades her to be his femdom, and they enter a BDSM relationship where he can shower her with gifts and serve her in every way possible.
What makes this book unlike any other I’ve read is that it explicitly tackles class inequality and the inherent immorality of billionaires. Kate isn’t afraid to make Mikhail buy her things—she takes him for all he’s got and sexually frustrates him into donating huge swaths of his fortune. She challenges his beliefs about work and entrepreneurship and pushes him to be a better leader by eventually turning his empire into an employee-owned business.
And holy moly, is this book hot as hell! After the prestige TV show Succession ended, I needed to live out my Roman & Gerri fantasies. Preferential Treatment delivers the perfect submissive billionaire on a silver platter. Heather Guerre also writes paranormal and sci-fi romance that’s just as amazing, so I’m confident she’s the one to watch in romance—mark my words!
Rating: 5/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Oh, and one more workplace romance…
My own! If you’re interested in office romances that put the com in rom-com, I’ve got the book for you. My debut novel, Love Apptually, releases on May 21. It stars a celebrity stylist who’s hired to make over a stubborn tech CEO who doesn’t want her fashion advice and puts up roadblocks every step of the way.Â
When high tech meets high fashion
Celebrity stylist Casey Holbright is used to being the sidekick in someone else’s story. But when her biggest client suddenly decides to dump her right before Fashion Week, she needs to channel some major main character energy.
Casey’s ecstatic when she lands a gig making over Evan Chen, the eccentric founder and CEO of San Francisco’s next tech unicorn, Habituall. Her dream job quickly unravels into a nightmare, however, when she learns Evan never agreed to hire her and has zero intention of ditching his gym-rat attire—not for his own board of directors and definitely not for a fashionista who cares more about Prada than Python.
The most infuriating part of this whole ordeal? Evan’s got the rock-hard body to make even cargo shorts look good. But just when their rivalry turns into something more, Casey discovers a bigger threat than flip-flops at the office. To prevent Evan from losing the business he built from scratch, they’ll need to team up to save his startup—and his reputation.
Fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and Jasmine Guillory will love this satirical Silicon Valley rom-com that delivers big laughs with impeccable style.
If Love Apptually sounds like your jam, you can preorder the ebook on Amazon and the paperback on my new Etsy shop. And in the meantime, come check out my romance rants & raves on my Substack, Grumpy + Sunshine. Stay spicy, my friends!
XOXO Alyssa
Thanks so much, Alyssa! I hope y’all enjoyed this guest curation as much as I did. Next week, I’ll be recommending some of my favorite ruined into marriage books!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks so much for inviting me! I can talk about workplace romances all day :)
Would love to hear everyone else's recommendations!