Member Reviews
5 โญ 4 ๐ถ
I have always loved Dani's stories and spice, but they took it to a whole new level with Take It Offline. This storyline was so much fun and the spice was amazing. We get a chastity cage. A ROOSTER CAGE MY FRIENDS! And it was insanely fun (although I forgot to go incognito on chrome when trying to find out what they look like, so I'm sure my ads will be interesting for a bit ๐).
The hate to love, albeit one ish sided, was freaking fantastic. The banter was so amusing and I loved getting to see Charlie play the game while secretly pining for Emma.
Logan is the worst and while I do wish we got to see a bigger downfall, him simply ceasing to exist was pretty amazing too ๐ The way Emma felt so broken because of her issue made me want to commit serial things against the men of her past and give her the biggest hug ever. Charlie was just so perfect for her, especially in this regard.
I'm really hoping Dani feels inspired to write Ivy's story next because I feel like there was a definite setup for it and I would absolutely adore more from this world. Regardless, I know I'll be picking up their next story and loving it to bits.
๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค
5/5 โพ๏ธ
๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ. ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐. ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ค ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค ๐๐จ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ?
53 annotations. Do I even need to say more? (Do I need to explain how long it took me to figure out my quote above?!) DANI MCLEAN does it again!! I LOVED this book so much. I didnโt want it to end, but also devoured it so fast because I couldnโt help myself. Charlie & Emma were ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ณ๐โฆ.
Hereโs everything I loved:
๐ป this is a workplace romance with women in STEM
๐ enemies to loversโฆmy FAVORITE trope of all time
โค๏ธ Dani & I share our love of supernaturalโฆ.I pictured Felicia Day (aka Charlie) as Reese!!
๐ถ loved that Charlie was a dog lover & helped at his sister Reeseโs animal rescue
โจ Emmaโs tough exterior & warm gooey centerโฆI fell in LOVE with her!! Charlie stood no chance from the get go. Obv, he falls first. (I pictured Margot Robbie as Emma)
โ๏ธ โMorning, sunshine.โ
๐ Charlie is my new fav book bf! (my fan cast for Charlie is Chris Evans)
๐๏ธ the sides stories in this were realistic & so well written. It felt like I was watching the next hit romcom movie!
๐ง itโs okay, CharlieโฆI also eat cheese right out of the bag when my anxiety is bad
๐๏ธ how women are treated in the workplace is real in thisโฆI used to work in the restaurant industry in management & I was never treated as equal to my male counterparts. Iโm so thankful & lucky to no longer have to work in that toxic environment, but I feel seen reading stories that represent this struggle. ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐น๐ข, ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฏโ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ข๐บ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ธ๐ช๐ง๐ต
๐งโโ๏ธ โHow long would you last in a zombie apocalypse?โ
๐บ the reference of The Boys
๐ okay, I could truly go on & on. JUST GO READ THIS BOOK!!
๐ Take It Offline is available September 24th! And will be available on KU!!
Yaโll these two are so hot.
Like 10/10 chemistry.
Dani never ever fails with their writing. Ate the whole thing up and left no crumbs. I loved every second of it.
Fighting the patriarchy and prejudices with women in STEM.
Bondage, toys, a cage (? never knew that before), audio play, and so much more.
This was my first book by Dani McLean and it wonโt be my last! This was the perfect read especially for those in the corporate world (lots of businesses talk). I devoured this Take It Offline and loved the tension and banter between Emma and Charlie!
Thank you Dani and NetGalley for the read! I look forward to seeing what Dani writes next!
I'd recommend this book if you like:
- an intelligent, kind-hearted fmc
- boy obsessed
- a bit of wine talk ๐ท
- unconventional families
- dynamics of office work at a large corp
This is my first read by this author, and I was pleasantly surprised to read about characters working in operations like myself ๐
Charlie was willing to take Emma any way he could and he was a man obsessed. I also love that he was an animal lover and a fierce protector of his younger sister ๐ฉท
Emma comes across as very intelligent and professional in the workplace. What I liked most was that she was human enough to snap at others when frustrated, but kind enough to turnaround and apologize for it. It's always validating to read about the extra hurdles women go through in the office, even if it's equally as frustrating.
The characters had good communication, the story was paced well with a nice balance between the plot in the office vs their romance, and there was some top notch groveling ๐๐ป
I'd recommend this as a fast, fairly low-angst, modern and relatable romance!
Another sleepless night, that's how good it was. A thousand ways heartbreaking as heart mending and lest not forget the steamy scenes, that are just perfection.
.
Dani writes they characters in a way that it is impossible not to get under your skin. In my case, I fell for Emma, โโevery part of being a woman in the corporate world or having a job surrounded by chauvinistic men in higher positions, grr..yes, I felt it in every fiber of my being bringing back memories of another time in my life.
.
So at first I had my doubts about Charlie, but page by page he showed that he was so much more and it make me change my mind.
Also the banter of two enemies to lovers in the same work environment, competing for a position that can change their lives drastically. And this book is a pure fireball ready for any fan of the trope.
.
Charlie works in a large company and is surrounded by bosses who question every step she takes, but not only does she have to fight every coma in her work for being of a different gender, she also has a last name for which she is typecast as a nepobaby.
.
But the truth is deeper, and she got to her position through many hours of hard work. That's why when her boss tells her that a new position, a promotion, is opening up, she doesn't expect it to be so easy.
.
But she hadn't imagined having to compete with Charlie Walker. Favorite of the bosses, another man in an elegant suit willing to take credit at every opportunity. And even worse, having to share the office with him for six months while they work as a team.
.
My only questioning, and that's why it's four stars, is that the breakup or third act conflict appeared out of nowhere, or at least that's what it seemed to me in the conversation they were having. I don't know if it was necessary for him to roll into such a big ball just with words. I always thought I was going to circle around who got the promotion.
.
The level of spice and the scenes were perfect as always in their books, Dani Mclean writes the chemistry and connection between they characters so well and they always leaves me intrigued with the rest of the characters and what things are going to happen with their stories, I hope one of them is Ivyโฆpleaseee, can it be Ivy?!!
.
Thanks to Dani Mclean and their team for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to rate and review this book.
Rating: 4 stars
Spice: Low to medium depending on your preferred smut level
Tropes: close proximity, enemies to lovers, office romance.
Emma (FMC) is a used to be rich girl, working in a corperate tech company that undermines her consistently and dismisses her constantly.
Charlie (MMC) is one of those office boys with a good suit who can play the game and seems to be the golden boy of the office.
Both are only seeing the surface and neither shows any inclination to dig deeper until their boss makes a competion for a promotion they both want. But instead of competeing separately they are being forced to work together.
Emma believes she will do all the work and Charlie will take all the glory. Charlie believes working with Emma may kill him, because he doesn't hate him, in fact she drives him to distraction.
So I liked the book don't get me wrong. The characters were engaging and it hooked me from almost the first page. The story flowed well but in the last few chapters it lost its flow. It felt very rushed to finish the story.
The conversation between Emma and Charlie and her confessing her feelings, went south very quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. The make up scene, where the hell did Logan go. He was there, he never left and seemed to be forgotten about, granted he was an ass but still. Then the last two chapters that were like 2 epilogues jumped wildly and to be honest, did either one of them get the promotion? I know there were redundancies but ????
It left me with a few questions and I went back to where I had gotten confused a couple of times, wondering if my eyes skipped over anything, but no, I am still a little bewildered. Maybe it was just me I just felt things weren't really tied up in the end.
As I said though the story moved well and I very much liked the characters and I hope McLean writes a second because I really, really want to find out more about Ivy and I really hope she gets a book.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ 3.75-4/5 ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ 3/5
Tropes:
๐ Enemies to Lovers
๐ Office Romance
๐ Opposites Attract
Emma Conway is a trust fund princess until she isnโtโฆ her family is secretly not as well off as everyone assumes and she is left picking up the pieces. Emma is strong and knows exactly how capable she is, while faced with a misogynistic boss that micromanages her at every turn, she handles it with grace and continues doing her job #boss.
Charlie Walker grew up in the foster care system and his whole life has been dedicated to finding a level of comfort and safety for himself and his sister. Charlie is well respected at work and admired by his coworkers for always going the extra mile and helping everyone out so when Emma asks him to enter into a โ friendsโ with benefits situation with no stringsโฆ of course he canโt say no.
Emma and Charlie had their wires crossed from the start, they both had the complete wrong idea about the other and I really enjoyed both characters being vulnerable and revealing that actually everything the other person thought about them was wrong, it made me admire them both and I really wanted them to get together.
The only reason this wasnโt a 4+ star was I struggled at the beginning with the pacing, there was a lot of work lingo and information I couldnโt tell you what it meant ( except they worked on a group project together to fight for a promotion) but I do think it was necessary to illustrate how important both Emma and Charlie were to the company and that they were pretty darn good at their jobs.
The spice was โจchefs kissโจ and was open door,once things started heating up between Emma and Charlie it went from ๐ถ๏ธ to ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ real fast. I really enjoyed this book and if you like a good office romance with a tonne of spiceโฆthis book is for you.
Ivy and Lincolnโs story has to be nextโฆright?
(please)
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing & Dani McLean for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for book 2.
3.75 / 4 โญ๏ธ
I feel like alllll the reader corporate girlies should read this because theyโll definitely identify with the FMC!
Dani truly writes the most relatable and fun characters! I really enjoyed getting to know our MCs and watching them fall for each other.
I am NOT a corporate girly and while Dani includes lots of corporate talk, i wasnโt confused or deterred. It gives what it needed without going over the top to make it unenjoyable.
THE SPICE. this is absolutely Daniโs best spice book! The spice is SPICING & def well done.
While i really enjoyed this book, it definitely wasnโt my favorite Dani book! It was a fun, quick read but didnโt resonate with me too much so i think that it will be a bit forgettable for me. BUT i think if youโre a corporate girl youโd ADORE this book.
If youโre looking for rivals to lovers, workplace romance, he falls first, & friends with benniesss!
I would definitely recommend it to my audience! & I will always go back to read alllll that Dani puts out!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.
This is the perfect read for any corporate girlie who's looking for a break for their normal day to day. So much of this book and the characters were so relatable and the terminology was always correct. Emma and Charlie were so fun to read and while some of the issues facing Emma in her job were too relatable it made the story more interesting cause I felt like I could be talking to one of my coworkers or friends.
If you are a woman who work in a corporate world before, today, or even curious, this book is for you! As a corporate girlie, I felt so represented in this book.
Emma and Charlie were forced to work together to be promoted. They were enemies in the office because of their own assumptions of one another but as they both continue to work, they saw a whole different side.
I love both of them as a characters, and they are proof that there's more than meets the eye. Emma's resilient and so strong amidst all the misogynistic encounters in her job. How she stood tall, worked the extra mile to achieve her goals is how I wanna be when I grow up. I resonate so much towards her.
Charlie, I get him and with his background as a foster kid, he made a name for himself and he worked very hard to lift himself up. He deserves everything and more.
I love their dynamic, their banter and the flow of their story. The pacing from hostile, to reluctant coworkers to being friends and eventually lovers was great! Dare I say, I might read this author's works from now on.
This book really gave me The Hating Game vibes!
Ahh I absolutely adored this book, I think I devoured it in about 3hrs!
It all starts in the workplace! It's more than a workplace romance - It very much showed the very real scenarios some women face in a male dominated career. I don't often hate a character within a book, but I very much did hate Karl.
Both Emma and Charlie were well written, and I would say the development of Emma from the start to the end was great, she already was a smart, hardworking, and capable, but by the end her confidence in dealing with different situations was great to see. Not saying that Charlie wasn't any of those as well... he just had other issues to work through. The chemistry and intense attraction between Emma and Charlie leapt off the pages and the steamy scenes... well...
My only thing I would say I felt the end was a little bit rushed - like we jumped from one thing to another... but other than that, it was such a great read. This eas my first by this author and it won't be my last
This was a lovely and refreshing love story!
I liked how honest it was about such a sensible topic like money and family and how nicely it built a charming love story. An office enemies to lovers, through very hot encounters and heartfelt ones this story got its solution without much drama.
At times it felt like the chapters were a bit sketchy and small, which would make this perfect to be transformed into a movie.
What I liked the most about the whole story, other than how well defined and likeable were the characters was how full of love and deep understanding they get over their issues. Even the money issue gets such a heart warming solution.
Overall, this was a nice read, which I'm grateful to have received in order to share my view of.
AHHH WHAT A DELIGHTFUL AND ALSO ๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ READ
Charlie and Emma's chemistry and banter was so fun and hot. It literally had me squeaking while reading.
Workplace rivals having to fake date will never get old and this was such a good one. Charlie is a perfect book bf and Emma is who i want to be when i grow up!!
Read it. Really tho, trust me on this!
*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review
โผ๏ธMy review might contain some spoilersโผ๏ธ
Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Spice: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ (the second and the last spicy scene๐ฅต)
Emma Conway comes from old money. But nobody knows that her parents made several bad investments within the last few years and she had to help sell paintings and summer houses to pay off their debts. And sheโs working and living paycheck to paycheck, while living in a run down apartment complex. She works hard and even has a hand in the changes around the office, but sadly her nemesis gets the accolades and again sheโs overlooked.
Charlie Walker, a foster home kid that didnโt go to college, now has a good job, great apartment and designer suits that he likes to wear to work every day. He works hard and has been for 8 years. So when he gets the change to climb the corporate ladder, he doesnโt say no. If only he donโt have to work with herโฆ
Sparks of hatred fly between Emma and Charlie, as their boss puts them on a project together to see who will come out as the winner and get promoted, while still working normally in their own departments.
At the beginning we learn a lot about the company Emma and Charlie work at. Itโs a lot of stuff I didnโt really understand as to what exactly they were working on. This goes on throughout the book and at the end it kind of fizzles out to where we are told about redundancies and that he should put his notice inโฆI didnโt understand who works there anymore.
Noticing the way Emma gets treated by their boss and other men in charge, Charlie gets the feeling that itโs already a done deal that heโll get the promotion. So he offers a truce and that they work together and be friendly. But Emma has a more pressing (very personal) problem that she thinks Charlie might be able to help her withโฆ.to get her ex Logan back.
The way he falls first but is also the scared one is heartbreaking. I loved Charlie in his suits ๐
Emma and her โissueโ is a very common one and I want to thank the author for shining a light on this and that itโs ok, but also not and that the typical Logan reaction to it, is really sad.
Thanks to NetGalley, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked the chemistry between Emma & Charlie. I usually like workplace romances but in the beginning, there was too much of detail about what's going on in their office so it was a bit hard for me to feel engaged. I liked both Charlie & Emma and their rivalry was good to see but the miscommunication and the third act break up in the end was so off putting tbh. And the last chapter was the epilogue due to which I felt like some of the plot points were left unresolved. Still, the characters were strong, smart and well sketched and the intense attraction between Charlie & Emma was also well portrayed. Overall, this was a good read and the issues discussed were also solid but some details in the last two chapters felt vague tbh.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
Take It Offline by Dani McLean is book one the Out of Office series.
I thought his was a super cute story.
With the best cast of characters. I loved Emma and Charlie so much. And their chemistry was amazing.
I love Dani McLeanโs writing. It never fails she always keeps me so entertained and coming back for more.
The story captured my attention, but the steamy and cutesy romance kept me interested.
A steamy, rivals to lovers contemporary romance.
This can also be read as a standalone.
I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for book two!
i thought this was a really cute read! i think that emma and charlie had great chemistry, their banter was *chefs kiss*
however, i unfortunately found myself feeling the same way quite a few others reviewers did in the sense that the work related content made this a bit hard to enjoy in the beginning and the end felt like there was really no conclusion.
Iโm a sucker for workplace romance and this book delivered! It was a quick and easy read that kept me kicking my feet, the banter was bantering and the spice was definitely spicing!! Definitely recommend this book to get you out of a slump or if youโre looking for a cute, romance that flows quickly!
This was a very fun, witty, chemistry filled workplace romance between two rivals, Charlie and Emma, who arenโt what they seem. I loved how McLean really highlighted how appearances arenโt always true and that there is so much more to people than what meets your eye. Charlie was a fantastic male main character with heart of gold. He has a difficult back story which makes it hard to be open and trust others but once โhisโ, he is protective and loyal, like with his sister and then Emma. Emma is equally awesome with her sense of humor, confidence, and intelligence. Also loyal to her family, she works so hard and just wants to be taken seriously in her role and not just seen for her familyโs money. I loved that the rivalry aspect quickly turned to a partnership and a friendship, with a little intimacy pact on the side that, of course, turned to more. I loved that the two characters really grew to respect each other and that miscommunication was not the drive to their conflict but rather their own personal feelings that they had to work through. This was my first McLean but I really enjoyed how she wrote banter and the quick pace of the novel. I did feel like there were some continuity issues or places where the story jumped. I really enjoyed this novel though and would recommend to it contemporary romance readers and those new to the author!