This is a fiery, second-chance romance, with witty banter, and a generous splash of chemistry. This steamy, high-stakes rom-com will take you into the world of cocktail crafting and dream-chasing, where the mix of ambition and old flames creates a cocktail of its own—part sweet, part bitter, and utterly intoxicating.
The story follows Cora, a fiercely independent bartender with dreams of opening her own speakeasy, who enters a cocktail contest for the prize money. Everything’s on track until she runs into Aiden Calihan—her ex, the man who left her heartbroken, now a brooding billionaire and the face of a luxury liquor empire. Aiden’s appearance sends sparks flying, and it’s clear their chemistry has never really gone away. But things take an unexpected turn when Aiden offers her a once-in-a-lifetime gig to create a signature nonalcoholic drink for his brand. The deal could fast-track her dream, but working with him? Well, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Aiden is the quintessential "grumpy billionaire," a man who’s equally as irresistible as he is frustrating. His aloof demeanor hides deeper layers that are slowly peeled away throughout the book. He’s not just the successful, wealthy businessman; he’s also the man who once shattered the Cora's heart. And though he doesn’t even remember her at first, his charm and persistence soon get under her skin. Cora's journey to open her speakeasy serves as a wonderful counterbalance to the romance, making the story feel even more engaging.
If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers tropes, grumpy-sunshine vibes, and a love story that promises both heartache and redemption, the I'd say you've found the perfect read. With its sharp wit, sizzling chemistry, and a hero who’ll have you both swooning and rolling your eyes, this is a romance that will leave you craving more.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoyed this one the most out of the Manhattan Bossholes series. Aiden is so much more pleasing than any other MMC and he is a really nice guy. He cares about his friends, his job, Cora and honestly it was just so refreshing to see that side of him! Cora is fiesty and I just adored her spunkiness as well - she challenged and helped Aiden to grow as well. Their chemistry was also completely believable!

Thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for this e-arc!

This is book 2 in the Manhattan Bossholes series but as they're all fairly self-contained it's not imperative to read the others in the series. I haven't read the first book but there is enough background information in this book to tell me what happened.

Cora is a mixologist with a rising social media presence as her alter-ego "The Masked Mixologist" and Aiden is the CEO of liquor company, Elixir. He needs a new line of non-alcoholic drinks creating and he wants The Masked Mixologist to come on board and help them create the flavours.

Cora is hostile from the get go, which is entirely understandable. He broke her heart once and she never got the closure she needed from that though I would expect after 15yrs she might have let go of some of the anger she held towards him.

I enjoyed this one. I really like Aiden as a character - even if it took him 15yrs to work out what he needs to do to control his emotions. I would have also liked for him to have pined after Cora a bit more after the way he dumped her in high school but he seems to have just written it off as being a long time ago and the whole "we were kids" kind of attitude, rather than realising he actually hurt Cora and he needs to make up for that.

I'm looking forward to checking out the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This book was just ok but not great. It felt a bit superficial and not in depth enough and not realistic. Cora just jumps back into a relationship with Aiden without asking why he dumped her before. Also he seems like a bit of a jerk - showing off and talking ab out his fancy cars. I wasn't really invested in their happy ending. It was fluff.

This pair kept me guessing. To say their story was an emotional roller-coaster ride to me would be selling it far short of reality. I was smitten with Cora from the moment this book opened. And she did an incredible job of making me not like Aiden very much. He did the rest of the job himself, because he behaves like a prime jerk a lot of times. It actually took a lot of convincing for me to believe that Aiden deserved someone as awesome as Cora. And he had me most of the way convinced, until he inevitably blew it. However, I loved the ending and now I’m more than anxious to see what the future holds for the remaining singletons of Nana Dee’s Lost Boys.

This is a delightful fit for readers who adore sassy, witty, and charming romance stories with a dash of humor, a pinch of entrepreneurial spirit, and a whole lot of heart, making it a perfect pick for fans of lighthearted, feel-good romance novels.

great book and I loved the action and the romance . I loved seeing the friends and family. I loved that they were able to figure things out. Overall a great book .

3.5 Zelda Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

This was a nice little second chance delight and while it's not perfect... I still enjoyed it.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Cora Newport is a masked bartender who’s pretty famous on social media. One day she is competing in a cocktail competition when she runs into the owner of an alcohol company who wants her help developing a new line of mocktails that his company is about to launch. The only problem is that this owner also happens to be her high school ex-boyfriend Aiden Callihan, who broke her heart years ago without giving her any explanation AND HE DOES NOT EVEN RECOGNISE HER IN HER MASK! (The Audacity). Aiden's basically the last person on earth she wants to work with, but his company’s offer is too good to refuse, so she agrees to partner up… and soon, their old high school feelings start resurfacing. The two need to navigate their past, figure out what went wrong, and see if there’s a future for them.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I enjoyed this one a bit more than Perfect Mismatch, because I liked Aiden way more than Vincent. He wasn't as rude or dickish. He genuinely cares about his friends, company, and work, and he cares about Cora too. Since the series is called “Manhattan Boss Holes,” I expected him to be more of a jerk, but he wasn’t. Like Aiden's biggest red flag was that he’s scared of his temper and how others might see that.

Cora was pretty feisty and spunky. She knows what she wants, and she has the kind of personality that draws everyone in, making them want to know her, which makes sense for a social media personality. I love that she challenged Aiden and their chemistry was believable!

There are definitely similarities between this and Perfect Mismatch and its funny as they are commented on in the book as going through the same flow... which was awesome but also a little confusing in direction as I felt I had already seen this plot and story before.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨::
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Second Chance Romance
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Age Gap (2 Years)
▶ Fake Dating
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Loves their smile/laugh
▶ Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
▶ Third Act Breakup

Basically, this book shows that sometimes, you have to shake and stir a relationship before it fully comes together, and maybe the second time is the charm. If you didn’t get it right the first time, who’s to say you can’t perfect it on the second try?

Thank you to Netgalley, Relay Publishing and Leslie North for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is the second in the series of Manhattan Bossholes. I didn't read the first book before reading this. Calling Aiden, the billionnaire liquor mogul, a bosshole is an understatement. He is grumpy and arrogant, and kind of rubs me the wrong way even though he is hot. Cora is talented at mixing drinks and has dreams of opening up her own speakeasy. Her dreams could come true by taking a job at her ex's drink company. They were high school sweethearts, but can Cora open her heart again to Aiden and still get her dream? I kind of think Aiden didn't deserve a second chance with Cora. She deserves so much better, then though this is a grumpy x sunshine romance.

This book was my first by this author and, although it is part of a series, it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. It didn't feel like I was missing anything from not reading the first book at all and I love that about a series! I loved all of the characters...except for Levi, ha! Plus, I'm always a sucker for billionaire (because why not?!) and second chance romance tropes. Thank you to Relay Publishing for an advanced readers copy of this book via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This second book in the Manhattan Bossholes series was a blast. I will admit I was put off by the title at first (come on, *bossholes?!* Imao) but Aiden and Cora's second-chance romance had me hooked from the start.
Former high-school sweethearts reconnect over a business deal, but old wounds resurface and the tension between them is electric. Aiden starts off a bit of a jerk (classic "bosshole" material), but as the story unfolds, I couldn't help but root for him to make things right with Cora. The chemistry is off-the-charts, and while some plot points feel familiar, the emotional rollercoaster kept me flipping pages. I loved Cora's strength and how both characters grow throughout the book. There is spicy content, but definitely less than other books l've read, maybe 2/5 🌶️. Overall was a fun, steamy read with plenty
of heart.

Mixologist with a Billionaire liquor brand owner, who happened to date back in the day. This creates a canvas for a story about heartache, emotions and love. I love how Leslie North brings her characters together in a fun and exciting way.

Thank you NetGalley for On the Rocks by Leslie North

Really good twisty, up and down story. Got me so much sucked in from the first chapter, that I was almost late for work because I didn't want to put the book down

Sparking A Second Chance

Aiden gave all American book boyfriend heartthrob. Cora had a bundle of adversities that had taken her life in the opposite direction and tugged on my heart strings.

But when dreams come true things didn’t always stay so hot in the lab.

I loved how these two just had fun enjoying life together-powdered donut prints and all. Many great examples of why someone shouldn’t run from love.

I received a free copy of this book from Leslie North and Relay Publishing. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Grumpy company boss and a mysterious bartender.

He does everything he can to get her to work for him, but they know each other from before.

Funny story with interesting twists and turns that is very entertaining.

Have fun reading it yourself!

The heat is on. Temptation burns bright. Emotions run deep. Heartache is inevitable. On the Rocks, shakes romance to the core. Fire and ice collide with love and hate to create a push and pull showstopper that will steal your breath and melt your heart. Love on the edge has never felt so satisfying. Addictive reading.

The second book in this series has Cora as the masked bartender, mixing drinks and winning competitions with her concoctions is making her a hit online and she is hoping for bigger and better, just not with Aiden who she calls Mr. Grumpy/ he is trying to get her to work for him and the history that they have is not helping. This is another good read with good characters and a very good storyline. Very much worth the read.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

This was a strong sequel in the Manhattan Bossholes series, it had that element that I enjoyed from the previous book. I was hooked from the first page and thought the romance going on worked. Joanne Ryan has a strong writing style and was glad I read this and wanted more.

I loved this book. Cora is spunky and principled while still being deeply attracted to Aiden, which is so fun to read. Aiden is weirdly confident and unsure, which totally works. I also love a slow burn and the supporting characters are so fun and engaging.