Tag: Zaida Polanco

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Saturday Smutty Six: More Bosses Being Bedded

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Happy Saturday, smut fans! If reading about all of these delicious (and…not so delicious) workplace romances has you hankering for more, here are six of our favorites.

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

This book is a delight. Portia does not have her life all figured out, but she does go intern at a Scottish swordmaker. There she meets Tavish McKenzie, irresistible silver fox swordsmith and also her boss. All that attraction has no outlet, though, because they definitely need to maintain that professional boundary. Right?

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt

Val is 100% villainous, and this is his love story, if not exactly the story of his redemption. Bridget is his housekeeper, mainly so she can foil his blackmail plots. Val notices Bridget because she doesn’t cower before him—and since we’re talking about alpha bosses, you know that someone standing up to him who really shouldn’t be is something that Val just can’t resist. (Yes, Holly recommended this book last month as well. Just read it, ok?)

A Taste of Honey by Rose Lerner

Robert (baker of fancy Regency treats) and Betsy (his shopgirl) both desperately want to get married (to each other), but of course neither has told the other. When Betsy steps in to help Robert fill a huge order for an important client, she decides that this is finally her opportunity to seduce her boss—and seduce him she does! This sweet erotic romance has plenty of kitchen sexytimes, but also provides a meditation on desire, self-sacrifice, and equal partnership. 

Swing Batter Swing by Zaida Polanco

If you’re looking for a traditional office billionaire/assistant romance that really leans into interrogating the power differential in believable but still sexy ways, then this is the book for you. Bonus points for airplane sex. 

By a Thread by Lucy Score

Look, you guys, it’s a grumpy/sunshine office romance…at Vogue. Ingrid will basically take every opportunity to recommend this book, it’s that good

Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh

In her contemporary series, Singh has some delightful bedding the boss trope action, but Sailor and Isa are just darling. Seeing Sailor landscaping at her school, Isa loses her sense and jumps his bones, only to discover that her mother has contracted him for a project. Oh, and Isa’s responsible for the project, since she’s technically still a shareholder. But professional boundaries? Never heard of ‘em.

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Saturday Smutty Six: Sizzling Contemporary Smut with Relationships That Don’t Make Me Want to Scream

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These books might be tropetastic, but they also handle the tropes with aplomb. And avoid ridiculous angst and miscommunication, because the characters talk to each other like adults. 

Click on the book title to go to the book’s Amazon page. Yes, these are affiliate links.

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole

Let’s start with: these two protagonists have ignored each other for years and then decide to have a fake relationship, so the only way for them to go is up. What with court(ish) intrigue and a fake relationship, there’s plenty of room for these protagonists to jump to conclusions and have misunderstandings, but they don’t. They demonstrate trust and kindness all the way through. It’s heartwarming and steamy.

Break the Rules by Roxie Noir

Yes, it’s a best friend’s sibling, small town romance, but Break the Rules digs deep to take us past all the standard romance noise and get the protagonists to ask the question: Is this relationship important enough to me that I stop thinking about what’s good for “me” and start thinking about what’s good for “us”? And I mean that in a healthy, relationships-take-compromise way, not in a subjugation way. Also, the sex scratches on his back are what give it all away to his brothers. Yowza. 

Swing Batter Swing by Zaida Polanco

Age gap romance is generally an Erin thing, because she likes paternalistic heroes, but Holly really enjoyed this one – mainly because the (much younger) heroine called out the (much older and also more powerful) hero on his paternalistic bullshit all the time. Especially when he thought he was “acting in her best interest.” Watching these two fight their lust for each other, and then build a true partnership among equals despite their different socio-economic and cultural statuses was deeply satisfying. And very very sexy. 

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

These two protagonists have some not great history, but the way they get to know each other again as adults is delicious. Both protagonists have some emotional baggage, but they manage to communicate with each other and not jump to wild conclusions when the going gets tough, which was lovely to read. Also, when they finally hit the bedroom, I was DED.

First and Only by Allie Winters

Eden is extremely sheltered and has had her entire life controlled by her father. So when she trades tutoring for lessons in seduction from the steamiest guy in class, one would THINK Eden would be in for a world of trouble–and a broken heart. But no. Not from sexy, swoon-worthy, thoughtful, supportive Jake. This book is a delicate, slow burn of appreciation for unappreciated skills and open communication. You’re going to think it’s almost TOO relaxing and enjoyable, but don’t get too comfortable–these lessons will get your heart racing.

A Good Man by Rosanna Leo

Here we have a sexy and complicated book featuring a SUPER sexy reality TV show carpenter who is also trying to figure out how to deal with PTSD after a traumatic incident, and a chef who is trying to rebuild her life after getting her hiney handed to her in a break up. Sounds like a hot mess, right? Well, yeah. Kind of. They are a mess, but they’re also human beings who are thoughtful and self-aware and who melt the walls with their chemistry.

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Saturday Smutty Six: Latinx Books We Loved

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In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, we’re highlighting awesome romances by Latinx authors that also feature Latinx characters. For the record, some of these books are our all-time favorites, and should be read any time you can get your hands on them. 

Book titles link to Amazon. 

Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

Julia’s family is warm and loving and supportive…but they are far away in NYC when she is dumped in Texas after moving there with her then-boyfriend. At least she has her job–until the foundation’s future is put at risk by corporate cuts. Rocco is the consultant responsible for evaluating the foundation, and can easily see the enormous benefit to the community. However! If he votes to save the foundation, he loses his job as a consultant. This book features just a ton of healthy and truly sexy dynamics and the writing just leaps off the page. 

Rep: Afro-Dominican author, Dominican-Puerto Rican heroine

Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez

Roxanne Medina needs to be in control. After all, that’s how she pulled herself from her humble beginnings and became a billionaire. But she also wants a baby, and she doesn’t want that baby to be saddled with all the baggage with which her childhood saddled her. What’s a billionaire to do? Buy a prince to use as a stud, of course! Lopez plays with gender roles and creates really interesting dynamics as these protagonists fall for each other and also rescue the hero’s bankrupted country. 

Rep: Latinx author, heroine with Latinx heritage, hero from Spanish-speaking European monarchy

Swing Batter Swing by Zaida Polanco

In the mood for a sexy work romance? Look no further! Marty and Jay have explosive chemistry, which they valiantly try to fight…until they don’t. There is a definite power differential between the protagonists (in terms of race, gender, class, and age, so we’ve got pretty much the whole shebang), and Polanco handles their negotiation of this dynamic particularly well. 

Rep: Afro-Dominican author, Afro-Dominican heroine

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

Lina is doing just fine after being left at the altar, but she’s still a small business owner with small business owner concerns. So when the opportunity arises, she sets aside her antipathy toward her proposal partner – the almost-brother-in-law who she thinks convinced her fiance to bolt – in hopes of getting something better for herself when she wins the job at the end of the proposal. Little does she know that she’s also in the running for a totally awesome HEA. Also, there are a gazillion awesome Brazilian cultural references in this book.

Rep: Afro-Brazilian author, Afro-Brazilian heroine

PS: We seriously love us some Mia Sosa – here’s a quick and dirty primer we wrote about her books. 

Kulti by Mariana Zapata

As many of Zapata’s heroine’s are, Sal Casillas is a hardworking woman from humble beginnings, the child of blue collar immigrant parents, but she’s also the best women’s soccer striker in the United States. When her childhood crush becomes her coach one season, she goes from unable to talk to him, to enraged by everything about him (talk about being let down by a personal hero!) to his best friend. Sal is fierce, and following her romance is kind of awesome.

Rep: Mexican-American author, Latinx heroine

PS: Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burns. If slow burns are your jam, here’s more info on Zapata’s other books. 

A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres

To round out our list, here’s a historical romance! Emilia Cruz, suffragette, helps to support her family by writing sensational stories under a pen name. Ruben Torres, rising literary star, pays the bills by running a gossip paper and writing mean literary reviews under a pen name. Of course, he is dying to expose the true author of these very naughty stories that have taken the island by storm…that is, until he actually gets to know Emilia (and gets over the fact that she has a tendency to push him into nearby bodies of water). Of course there are some shenanigans as everyone’s secret identity is revealed, but the characters and setting really shine.

Rep: Set on an imaginary island in the Spanish Caribbean. Latinx hero and heroine. 

Looking for more Latinx romance? We kept this list to six, because of alliteration, but we made a longer list at Bookshop.org.

Do you have a favorite Latinx romance novel? Let us know what it is – especially if it’s not on our list! We’re always looking for recs!