Partnerships
When working together shows you how well you work together
I like competent, ambitious people (in an anti-capitalist way, of course) and I love watching them fall in love with each other. When they have a shared goal to build something that matters to them outside of their relationship, all the stakes get higher. And I love me some high stakes. Here are three of my favorite books with a partnership OTHER than romance at the center!
The Secret of My Seduction by Caroline Linden. The finale of this great series is a novella about the anonymous author and the publisher of the scandalous writings that set the first few couples into a tizzy for one reason or another. Bathsheba loves writing her naughty stories (and loves the financial independence besides), but she’s starting to experience a bit of writer’s block since she’s never, personally, experienced what she’s been setting London aflame writing. Enter: Liam, her big handsome publisher. He agrees to a sex lessons fling for his most profitable (and prettiest) writer, but of course, it doesn’t take long for feelings to take hold.
On the subject of partnerships, I just liked that their professional relationship came first and remains really important to them- this isn’t a scheme for either, this is the thing they love to do, and how wonderful it is that they can do it together! There’s no “now that you’re with me, no need to write your dirty books” nonsense. Just a lovely cap on a lovely series.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Undertaking Love by Megan Montgomery. Bombshell model turned mortician Bethany thought that buying into a family funeral home would bring her closer to her dream job and her daughter closer to a familial support system, even if it isn’t their family. Unfortunately, her business partner (and fellow mortician) George was not in favor of selling of part of his family’s business to this random woman, and he’s especially not in favor of all her newfangled ideas about modernizing their historic practice.
Though this is kinda sounding like the setup for an enemies to lovers workplace romance, which it’s not not, what I loved is that they are both incentivized for the business to stay afloat and they’re both invested in its success, even if they have different ideas for how that goes. It’s THEIR business, and there will be no immature sabotaging of something they both believe in. They just need to figure out how to run it together, and they do! I also loved how Bethany’s former modeling world is incorporated, without making it feel like a seedy thing she had to do as a single mom that she’s glad to be rid of. This is a gross book because of all the death stuff, but a great example of two stubborn and ambitious people who are forced to work towards the same goal, which is always a delight.
Sidenote I looooove the cover art for this series, the retro faux-worn design.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Finest Print by Erin Langston. American journalist Ethan has inherited a print shop in London from a distant relative, only to discover upon spending his whole savings account to take up shop there that the place is mired in debt and might go under before he’s had a chance to succeed. So he teams up with local mystery writer Belle who, due to her station and the whole “being a woman” thing, hasn’t had a real shot at publication. The team-up? They’re gonna print a series of cheap penny dreadfuls to test her writing in front of an audience and use the stores of slightly damaged paper they can’t use for anything else to save the shop.
Of course, feelings crop up, but so much more than money is at stake here for both of them- there’s pride, the ability to support themselves and each other, the ability to do the work they’re great at… and the ability for them to do all this on the same side of the ocean.
This was one of my late-in-the-year five star reads of 2025. It absolutely slaps and, once again, we get a super granular look at their partnership, which you know I love.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Next time, I’ll be recommending rivals to lovers books!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
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