About the Book:
What happens when a handsome but stuffy, old-money bachelor with no people skills spends a night in Las Vegas with a shy marketing exec in the midst of a quarter-life crisis?
A black-eye in the shape of a dildo for starters.
Thomas Moore is known for being a grump with a condescending attitude and no sense of humor. He’s also known for being the golden-boy heir a luxury department store empire and one of the best-looking billionaire bachelors around.
When his family implodes, his top priority becomes reconnecting with his estranged siblings. Which currently entails being best man in his younger brother’s Elvis-themed wedding in Las Vegas, a concept that this modern-day Mr. Darcy loathes.
Recently promoted marketing manager Alice Truman should be celebrating her successful career change. Instead, after a lifetime of foster-care hard knocks, she’s thrust into insta-caregiver mode when her foster sister cuts town, leaving behind her ailing father and five-year-old daughter.
With new bills mounting daily, Alice needs her job more than ever. So when her boss, who’s marrying into the Moore family, invites her to be a bridesmaid in their crazy Sin City wedding, saying no is not an option.
At least everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?
Not exactly.
When Thomas and Alice wake up after a night of drinking their troubles away in the hotel bar, they find they have a whole new set of ball-and-chain consequences to drag home to New York.
My Thoughts:
Anyone But the Boss is a quick romantic comedy read. This is the second book in the series by the author but can be read as a standalone as I have come to understand. However, there are some references to many of the characters who appear in the story as well as context for the main character that would have made better sense if I’d read the first book.
The story follows Thomas and Alice, two people who come from very different worlds but supposedly have very traumatic or unhappy pasts. The first half of the story focuses on how they meet and then becomes a race to showcase each of their lives. This was a little rushed in my opinion and honestly, some of the humor in the first half did not work for me.
The second half of the story was much better and though the story is predictable, I loved reading about Thomas’s interactions with Alice’s six-year-old niece. As the characters further interact and grow, the story becomes rather sweet and ends on a good note. I have to mention the supporting characters who add so much life to this story and provide an interesting perspective to Thomas’s life. Overall, this is a decent one time read.
Note: I was provided with an eARC thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and the author. The above review is my honest opinion of the book.