3.75 stars. This book was so FUN. Billionaire boss and employee/friend's little sister romance.... sign me up. Hailee and Alex have amazing chemistry and the spice was great. This was a slow burn and nothing happened romantically until over halfway through the book. I devoured this book and loved that it wasn't just a romance novel it also had some mystery component too... which kept it interesting. What I liked about this book: how soft Alex was when it came to Hailee and I loved Hailee's character- she was funny, witty and confident. What I thought this book was lacking was I needed more. The storyline was quick, (which I usually like with these types of books) but I felt something was lacking. I wish the characters had a little more depth. I can't pinpoint exactly what was missing, but I overall liked this book and the author will for sure make a fun and spicy series. Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for this ARC. Of note the second book will be out in February per the authors note at the end and I cannot wait to read about James and Sophia.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Holy wow! I loved this book!

The writing style was easy to follow and flowed perfectly. It was easy to get lost in the story.

I absolutely loved the characters. Two people that came from completely different worlds and yet they clicked together so perfectly.

Alex is not your typical billionaire. I think the author did a brilliant job giving him plenty of depth. His backstory is heartbreaking and I think it makes him more relatable. On top of that, when we finally see his true personality outside of being the boss, it’s easy to overlook his ridiculous wealth and appreciate him as a person. Overall, he really was a damn good book boyfriend.

Hailee is the opposite of Alex. She doesn’t come from money and is a lowkey tree hugger. But between her personality and Alex’s, they are able to find some sort of common ground between them that makes them a beautiful couple.

The storyline was perfectly paced. There was always something going on and I never felt bored. I also never felt like it was rushed and we got a perfect amount of time with our characters as we witness their love blossoming.

The conflict in this story is completely believable if you can relate to billionaire problems lol. But seriously. I may not know what it’s like to have an unlimited amount of money, but somehow I felt like I could understand exactly why things happened the way that they did.

The ending was laid out perfectly. Not only were we able to see the depths of their love for one another, but we got a taste of them as a couple without conflict hanging over their heads. Overall, the story was wrapped up nicely and didn’t leave me feeling like it was lacking.

The whole time I was reading this, I felt like I was finally taking a breathe of fresh air. I haven’t read a book that has made me fall so effortlessly into the story in a long time.

All in all, Maria Mesmer has effortlessly become an instant read author for me. I enjoyed her writing and storytelling so much. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

I can’t wait to reread this one.

I would recommend to anyone looking for a billionaire romance that is about more than just showering the MFC in lavish gifts and showcasing how much money he has. There is so much depth to this book and more to Alex than the size of is bank account.

Tempted is a new billionaire workplace romance between self-made billionaire Alex and Hailee.
A quick synopsis of the book: Hailee works for Alex´mining company that is facing money laundering charges. One day she finds herself in the midst of a shooting which leads to her moving in with Alex to ensure her protection. Only he has one rule for their arrangement: Hailee is not allowed to tempt him.

The premise sounded interesting to me and I love me a workplace romance. Sadly the pacing of this book felt off to me and I found myself more intrigued in the actual plot than the romance.

The author said that she loves brining characters to life and I understand the vision, but I was not that crazy about the execution. I feel like the weird pacing of the book contributed to me having difficulty getting connected to the two main characters. I did feel more sympathy with Alex, than I did with Hailee. There was a lot of inner monologues from both of the characters, which is the best way to get a glimpse into the characters head but I wish there was more dialogues between them, in order to depict the dynamic between the relationship a little better.
That being said, the character development was quite nice to read about, especially Alexes. He had a lot of conflicting feelings and these really came through in the course of this book.
The third act breakup was very much based on miscommunication and not necessary, however the reunion was worth the break up.

I did like the main plot and mystery aspect of the story. Again, for me that was the most interesting part of the story and I enjoyed reading about the strategic moves of Alex. It almost reminded me a bit of dark romance but was not quite there yet.
I liked James and I most likely will also read book two.
This book helped cure my reading slump and that alone deserves its own star.
Overall this is a three star for me and since this is debut novel I feel like there is definitely room for improvement. I will be #sat for the next works of the author!!

This book had a wonderful plot and more to add that it was this author's debut novel. I honestly loved everything about this book.
The age gap, forbidden relationships, dirty talk, and the rules...The whole story was a slow burn, quite emotional with a great twist...

"I walk slow. Chase me...."

The more you get into the story the more you understand Alex the male main character. Why he is the way he is - emotionally unavailable, yet he can´t think of anything else but Hailee.
And Hailee trying not to fall in love with Alex, though the way he looks at her and cares about her makes that quite impossible.
I truly loved the whole story, it was a good and steaming one.

Maria Mesmer's debut novel is an impressive contribution to the genre. It features a slow-burn romance between a boss and an employee, characterized by a slight age difference and elements of forced proximity. The careful pacing ensures that the more intense moments are particularly impactful. I eagerly anticipate future works from Maria Mesmer.

This is a fun and light hearted part of an interconnected standalone series, my favourite kind of series especially when it comes to day to day lives. Billionaire Alex doesn’t seem to have a lot of personality but the story was very readable and the spice was spicing. Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This book is a billionaire romance where it’s a combination of brother’s best friend, boss, age gap, and forbidden romance. It takes you on a journey that has some mystery and adventure. It has spice and I mean the kind where he is never not ready for more. The FMC is fun and I love how she is able to open up and find something that she thought she would never find. The MMC was interesting to get to know and see insights from. He is grumpy and picky about his life and what happens in it. That includes never getting attached. The plot was okay. I feel like while you are waiting for answers you want to see them grow closer but we get moments of that and then it skips in time.
I definitely will read the next one that stars her friend.

Stars: 4
Review Release: 29/01/25 (GR)
Review Platform: Goodreads/Instagram
Review: In all honesty, this was not what I was expecting but I freaking LOVED it! Was it a bit more of a slow-burn then I usually like? Yeah. But damn, the sexual tension was glorious. There were so many times I was giggling and snorting at some of the dialogue.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. I expected the book to be a slow burn brothers best friend romance which it was but what I wasn’t expecting was the suspense element.

This was amazing read I gave it 5.75 stars and the tent was fantastic I would recommend this book to all my friends and Booktok

Slow burn love story with a lot of emotional drama. Great character development but a little slow on the build.

Short review:
The book has potential, as the set up is interesting, (some of) the characters are engaging and the writer (although this is her first book) clearly is talented. However, especially the second half left me feeling like the potential wasn’t fulfilled. Three out of five stars, as it is a promising debut and the writer exhibits talent.

Long review (spoilers ahead!):
Tempted focusses on Hailee and Alex.
Hailee is a 26-year old not quite living the dream in New York. She has dreams about adding to sustainability, but is stuck in the corporate offices of a mining company. She has a close relationship with her older brother after her father died, and has two close friends. She is funny, has acidic wit and is not afraid to stand up for herself. I liked Hailee a lot. Her inner monologue is funny and engaging, and something about her character felt original to me. The way Hailee was portrayed drew me into the story, and had me thinking in the second chapter: “This might turn out to be a lot better than just the standard best-friend-of-older-brother-porn-with-barely-a-plot story.”.
The CEO of the mining company is Alex, who also happens to be a good friend of Hailee’s older brother. He is devastatingly handsome, ruthless when it comes to business, and a playboy. Also: we find out in the first chapter that he apparently doesn’t have a refractory period (because God forbid any of the MMC in erotic novels actually have normal anatomy or stamina). I’ve got to say, I had a hard time liking Alex. He seems really one dimensional, very focused on sex, money and fame. Although we find out he is very interested in the FMC, it doesn’t really become clear why. Sure, she’s beautiful, and he seems to like how earnest and innocent she is. But really, that’s all there is to it.

Basic features:
- Age gap (10 years)
- Bad boy/playboy meets good girl
- Older brother’s best friend
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn (no action until about 50% of the book)

What I liked:
- Like I said, I really liked the portrayal of Hailee. Her deadpan humor had me cracking up a lot.
- The writer is clearly talented. She has a way with words that makes it easy to just keep on reading, and I finished this book in two days.
- I did NOT see the plot twist at the end coming.
- A lot of interesting side characters are introduced that make me want to read a next instalment in the series.

Things I didn’t like:
- The main problem for me was, that I felt the book changed genres about halfway through. It starts of as a classic erotic novel with a hint of plot and romance. But once they have sex, the book changes into a classic romance. All prior set up about Alex demanding total obedience and being scary in a sexy way are completely abandoned. And don’t get me wrong: I actually PREFER MMC that turn into big teddy bears around the FMC. It just didn’t make a lot of sense to me how he made a total 180 like that. Also: why set him up as dominant if you are not going to include it in the plot and/or spicy scenes?
- The basic trope (older brother’s best friend) plays a big role in the first 60% of the book, and then somehow stops mattering completely. There is no confrontation or even an explanation between the two friends, even when Alex bones his way through the French Riviera with Hailee.
- The age gap serves no purpose. It doesn’t add or change anything about their interactions. Also: Alex does not have the inner dialogue of a 36 year old at all. He might as well have been 24, for all his emotional maturity.
- The pacing really changes once the sexual tension is resolved. First, the pacing is quite slow and takes us day by day, and then all of a sudden we read how they have been having sex for three weeks. It felt rushed.
- The pivotal point in their relationship needed more explanation. First, they absolutely can not ever for no reason ever even kiss. And then, all of a sudden Alex decides he wants her to be his girlfriend.
- Alex running right back to his ex made 0 sense, and had basically no function in moving along the plot. Hailee’s reaction to it was even WORSE. She is so conscious of all the red flags, but now somehow blames herself? Get out of here.
- A lot of interesting backstory is never utilized. The sick niece? The dead parents? The brother who she is so close to? They are mentioned a couple of times and then somehow abandoned (for the next book?!).
Honestly, I could go on. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but I kept expecting certain plot points to be resolved and they just weren’t. The change of tone also didn’t suit me. I would have honestly preferred a more traditionally romantic setting with him secretly pining for her while trying to stay away from her versus the whole playboy-dominant-no-refractory-period-sexgod set up, and I feel it would have suited the second half of the story a lot better.

All in all, I give the story 3 out of 5 stars, as I do feel the writer exhibits talent and the book is definitely not bad for a debut. I will definitely read the sequel.

This story has a great combination of everything, spice, plot, character development, everything. It flowed perfectly and had just enough backstory for the Broody billionaire. Was it a bit predictable, sure but not in the really cheesy way.

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley
#Tempted #NetGalley.

Overall good slow burn story. It was confusing at times and I didn’t really connect to the characters or follow the backstory. Perfect HEA though.

Hailee is a 26 year old woman that is living in NY, just making ends meet, working a job that she is not passionate about.

Alex is a blue eyed 36 year old man that is a handsome rich billionaire and also Hailee's boss as well as her brothers best friend. He works in the mining business. He is all business and status. He is someone that does not believe in love and believes that family is a liability and would be used against him. He is also someone who has many secrets that come between him and those in his life.

This was a good story that was fun to read. It was a slow burn romance with some spice and mystery elements as well.

There were a couple writing mistakes on the ARC (at least when moved over to Kindle for reading).

It took me 8 days to read this book and I gave it 3.5 stars.

I fell into this book very quickly, the storyline was well written as it had a bit of everything I love: slow burn romance, tension, mystery and a sprinkle of Spice thrown in.
I would have liked the actual relationship between Alex and Hailee to develop a bit further, as it only plays out in snippets over a month. The eiplogue was needed!
All in all, a great debut novel.

Thank you to Victory and Net Galley for this ARC!

This is great debut for an author and the writing style was done very well. The story has good plot and there is amazing character development for both leads. However, there are quite a bit of unanswered questions that could have improved those areas further. It is suppose to be the brother's best friend trope but there is a lack of brother to actually be seen in the book. The book just keeps telling you that he is a protective brother but does not actually show it. It is the same for the friendship between the male lead and brother, you are told they are friends but it just seems like a lack of chemistry early on that they seem more like acquaintances. Once the first act breakup, the relationship between the MMC and brother should be strained but we kind of just ignore it. I wanted more out of the book and wish it delivered.

Overall, as an avid reader of the billionaire romance genre, this was a bit too cliche and not enough development. It is too similar to other works out there. However, I would recommend it to friends who are just getting into the genre and not wanting something too heavy.

I would never have guessed this was the author's first book! I picked this up as something that I could consume in the evenings after work. It only lasted two evenings because I read it so quickly! I just kept telling myself, one more chapter, but I couldn't put it down!

I felt that this story was well balanced. There was tension, a little bit of intrigue, pining and then of course, betrayal. I really enjoyed getting both point of views throughout the story, It was nice to see Hailee stand up for herself and to see Alex knocked back a bit and him reevaluate what is actually important in his life. This was a great, light read and I'd definitely pick up the second that was set up there at the end!

Not that you’d think a billionaire owner of a mining company & an environmentalist romance was realistic but between the extravagant gifts, HEA in only a month, never having birth control or safety talks, & the obsessed businessman dropping everything… it felt more like a fantasy book than romance. The spice was decent 2 out of 5. The writing was well done (not viciously repetitive) and the characters had as much of an arc as possible with a short book. #HEA #brothersbestfriend #forcedproximity #oppositesattract

This book hooked me instantly. I could not put it down until I was finished. The characters were perfectly written and you will root for Hailee to find what makes her happy. This story has romance, some spice, suspense, and funny parts. I loved the ending and can’t wait to read the second book about James and Sophia. I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.