4⭐️ Hailee and Alex’s story is filled with tension, romance, and suspense.

Alex is Hailee’s boss and after Hailee has some safety concerns she moves in with Alex. This leads to Hailee and Alex getting to know each other and Hailee discovering Alex is more romantic than he seems. Overall, I loved all aspects of this book!

I can’t wait to read Sophia and James story next!

You’ll love this if you like
-office romance
-age gap
-brother’s best friend
-forced proximity

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was more of a 3.5 if not more for me. I thought the tension between Alex and Hailee was well done. I felt Alex's struggle to stay away from his best friend's sister. Hailee was a likable heroine and I appreciate her sense of ethics and even identified with her narcolepsy battle. Alex had a really surprising twist i didn't see coming and I liked the sense of danger that followed these two. I felt like this was a really enjoyable debut novel with lots of promise for a series!

This book sucked me in from the very beginning! Friendship, family, love, drama, lying, and intimacy keep you craving more. I read this in one day.

3 stars

A romantic suspense novel with a disappointing twist. It had potential to be so much more!
However, the relationship growth between Hailee and Alex was sweet and I enjoyed the ending.

Tropes: Slow burn, brothers best friend, boss, billionaire, forced proximity.

*NetGalley ARC review*

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun easy read. I didn’t expect that to be Alex’s secret! I loved the romance in this and thought the ending was sweet. I will definitely be reading the next ☺️

In Tempted, Maria Mesmer weaves a thrilling, emotional ride that captures the complexities of possessive desire, and sizzling chemistry. The story follows Hailee and Alex, whose relationship quickly escalates into a deeper, undeniable attraction.
This book hits all the right notes with its tropes—forced proximity, brother’s best friend, billionaire romance, and a possessive MMC—but it’s the tension between Hailee and Alex that truly drives the story. Their undeniable connection and the slow burn of their journey to real lovers kept me hooked from start to finish. Alex’s possessiveness adds an intriguing layer to their dynamic, intensifying every moment they share. What works so well in Tempted is how the author builds their relationship. The forced proximity trope is used to perfection, creating moments that push Hailee and Alex closer together, even when they’re both fighting it. The emotional depth that unfolds as Alex battles his own feelings for Hailee adds a layer of complexity that makes their relationship feel real. However, the pacing does drag a bit at times, and the tension can feel repetitive. There are moments where you just want the characters to finally give in, but that's part of the slow burn appeal. It may be a bit too slow for some readers, but for those who love the build-up, it’s worth the wait.
All in all, Tempted is a must-read for fans of billionaire romance and possessive love interests. Hailee and Alex’s story will leave you craving more, even if the pacing occasionally slows down. Their emotional journey is sure to resonate with readers who love tension-filled romance with a dash of heat. Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this advanced copy.

Alex needs to keep Haliee at arms length but that’s easier said than done, especially when his best friend needs him to protect her. However they don’t realise danger is a little closer to home!!! Has he made a real mess of everything or will he realise before it too late? Great first book looking forward to more

Every aspect of this book felt rushed, the relationship, the intimidate moments, through storyline. The storyline had promise, the non vanilla bedroom scene had promise but it just fell flat for me and I got bored.

I read this in one sitting (at 4am when I couldn't sleep), it did not disappoint! Forced proximity and possessive MMC oof, that will win every single time! The pace of the book was so good, I didn't feel like it focused on one aspect for too long or too little, I enjoyed Mesmer's writing style so much. Hard to believe this is her debut!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Tempted (ARC) by Maria Mesmer

“Now I’m wondering how I walked through life without this feeling. Without my stomach splashing like a magma chamber when Alex walks into a room. Without my heart ballooning until I fear it might burst when he presses his lips against mine. Suddenly I’m not so hard on myself for being a hopeless romantic the past few years. This is worth every bad date and picky left swipe. It all led me here. To Alex.”

I can’t believe this is Maria’s debut!
I love a billionaire romance book, I couldn’t put it down ✨
Excited to read more from Maria ❤️

Thank You @netgally for the ARC 🫶🏻

I'M LOOKING FOR A MAN IN FINANCE. Fun & spicy with some drama and angst thrown in for good measure. While this storyline was entirely new, it felt fresh and I enjoyed the ride. I always love a forced proximity troupe, and this story delivered on that.

If you love these tropes, Tempted is for you:
- Angsty Billionaire Romance
- Brother's Best Friend
- Forced Proximity
- Possessive MMC
- "Fake" Relationship


Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!!!!!

If you're looking for a guy in finance this is your read. As I wrap up my read of Tempted by Maria Mesmer I'm absolutely convinced the trip stumble into New York City elite society could happen to anyone with a well place brother. Slow burn moments and she's mine attitude, this MMC is for you if your cup of tea is broody and in charge.

Such an enjoyable book. The cover, the title, the characters... the writing was excellent and Mesmer made it all come together smartly. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, I did not expect to get sucked in as much as I did,

Definitely recommend to explore Maria work more,

tempted. haha that one bit of the blurb tempted me enough. and i was ready for this kind of book. i always have different genre moods for different points in my reading journey/moment/week. sometimes its romance. sometimes historical fiction. and sometimes its a bit of light relief or literary deep thinkers. and sometimes its for a book like this that makes me feel a little shy and little embaressed at how much i love them! and the "woke" in me sometimes doesnt want to love them so much.
but alas here i am. loved it. loved it loved it.
it was an easy read in the sense the writing and format of the story and chapters were just flying by. some books just have a real well thought out smoothness to them that allows the story to just be sat down and devoured. this was one of them. and thats harder to do than you think. ive read many a good book that is ruined by how bitty it feels to read.
im not going to give too much about the plot away as i think it would ruin it to write what i needed to.
but if you liked the blurb you will love the book.
and if you like this type of book you will love the book.

Corporate intrigue, power games, relentless paparazzi, and a tangled Cinderella story woven through it all. Interesting characters and complex p,ot keep things moving toward the eventual HEA.

Really enjoyed this book, the character development was great and I was hooked after a few pages, hence finishing it in a day!

Maria Mesmer has a great writing style and creates likeable and charming characters. Well worth a read.

****POSSIBLE SPOILERS****

3/5⭐️
3/5 🌶


While I loved the premise and forced proximity is a trope I like, Tempted was more than a bit predictable. The characters were well written but over promised and under delivered. Alex was basically said to be a dom but ended up being a very very soft dom. There was little dom-ness to the spicy scenes. The spicy scenes were the highlight of the book. Hailee was well written but annoying. The story had good bones but with the above ended up falling a bit short for me.

Okay, I wasn't expecting to get hooked to this book like I did. I finished it within a day. 🫣

The growing relationship between Alex and Hailee was lovely. Watching him go from cold, harsh billionaire playboy to the sweet, gentleman for Hailee was melt-worthy. HOWEVER, there was SO much whiplash between the two that I found myself groaning at them in some parts. As soon as you think they're good, together, in love - one of them does or says something that pushes them away even the slightest. LIKE KISS ALREADY.

Anyway - has a HEA, but it takes a while to get there. Loved the action and suspense throughout, and even though my heart broke at one part (you'll see), it was put back together by the end.

If you love these tropes, you'll enjoy this:
✨ Billionaire Romance
✨ Brother's Best Friend
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ "Mine"
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine

I'm also VERY excited on the prospect of a Sophia + James book soon!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Maria for the eARC!

I was not planning to, but this book hooked me and I ended up staying up all night reading it. This book has all the goodies, billionaire, brother's best friend, man out for revenge, gave up on love. Suffice to say, I was hooked! This was a great debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.