I loved every word of this book. Jenny is beyond perfect for Ethan. I loved how she could give right back to him everything he tried to throw at her. That job interview, oh to be a fly on the wall. But there was no epilogue. I wanted more of them. Needed more of them.

I like the snark of Jenny and her family, I like Ethan's wit. Together, they are on fire, when they aren't acting like immature teenagers.
The plot leaves a bit to be desired with the immature nonsense. Communication people! It became a bit much with the silent treatment on a loop for things that would have easily been rectified with a few sentences to each other. It was unnecessary and unbelievable angst in order to cause drama in the plot, but I simply got annoyed and bored with it. I put this one down.

All Jenny Jackson wants is a better job. Her father is terminally ill and his bills are piling up, so when she gets an interview for a position offering twice as much as her current salary, she jumps all over it. Too bad she runs into the biggest jerk of her life as she’s lost and rushing, trying not to be late. They exchange some choice words and Jenny tries to brush off the encounter, but lo and behold, the guy is there to interview her.

Turns out that the cocky jerk, Ethan Mason, is the owner of the agency. Jenny’s interview is awful. Ethan fires question after question at her, not giving her a chance to show her knowledge since he’s obviously already formed a negative opinion of her. Convinced that she’ll never get the position anyway, Jenny corrects Ethan’s mistaken baseball stats and gets ready to storm out. Ethan, against his better judgment, hires her.

--SOME SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD--

I actually feel really conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed both characters at the beginning of the book. Jenny was spunky, sassy, and didn’t put up with any crap from Ethan. Ethan seems like your typical cocky young millionaire (you’ll find his type in almost any new adult book these days), but he’s sharp-tongued and quick on his feet.

On the other hand, the characters were not consistent.

As the book goes on, Jenny loses her spunkiness. She’s no longer sassy. Demanding, maybe, but not spunky and sassy. And even though she’s demanding, she (in my opinion) puts up with a whole lot of nonsense from Ethan. She continually gives him chances that he does not deserve and then acts surprised when he does something that hurts her.

Also as the book goes on, Ethan turns into a very weak character. Given the way he’s presented at the beginning of the book, I would never expect him to con Jenny into a date, but that’s exactly what he does. He pretends that they have a client meeting and then expects her to be okay when he basically says, “Just kidding, but I figured you’d say no if I asked you out for real!”

And Jenny, with all her spunkiness and sassiness, is like “Heck no! I don’t have time for this!” and she runs away, but then ends up hooking up with him in a car like a teenager? And why? Because he’s cute? Lots of boys are cute, Jenny. This particular boy has some growing up to do.

I had no sympathy for their relationship. Although the sex was hot, that’s not enough to sustain a relationship -- or even a romance novel plot. To be honest, the plot and the characters left a lot to be desired. I think this type of book would be enjoyed more by someone who has not worked in a corporate environment. As I was reading, I just kept seeing red flags flying.

I mean, there are the blatant things, like Ethan’s constant harassment of Jenny at work. At one point, he literally calls her into an empty conference room and rubs his dick against her. Like, they’re not even dating. Not even having any kind of thing yet. He claims that he acts like a tyrannical ass at work because he’s paranoid about losing his company, but then he goes and rubs his dick on a cute new employee, all because he gets some kind of ~vibe~ that she likes him? That’s a good way to go to jail.

And even setting that aside, there’s this weird offhand comment by one of Jenny’s co-workers that basically amounts to fraud. She buys Jenny lunch one day while Ethan is out of the office, and pretty much says “I’m going to hide this meal in my expense reports! Hahaha! Perks of being an accountant lol!” I mean, as someone whose office has had problems with shady accountants, that really rubbed me the wrong way. Again, for Ethan being so paranoid about something happening to his company, I cannot believe that his accountants can just hide stuff in their expense reports!

And finally, we have Ethan’s whole “I expect the world from my employees and they have to always be here and always do their best work! Nobody can take a sick day!” attitude, but Jenny is allowed to stay home for weeks at a time? Sometimes for no reason other than she and Ethan had a fight? I mean, I thought that Jenny needed money? And I thought that Ethan was supposed to be really heartless about any exceptions to the rules?

So, anyway, you’re probably wondering, if you made it this far into the novel I’ve written about my opinions on Bossed, why did I give it three stars if I had eight paragraphs of complaints about it? Well, here are four reasons:

The writing was good. I might not have been a huge fan of the characters or the plot, but there’s no denying that Sloane Howell knows how to write a book. Even in my advanced copy, there were no noticeable errors.
The banter between Jenny and Ethan at the beginning was great. I loved that she gave it back to him just as much as he gave it to her.
I liked that Jenny was intelligent and didn’t just claim to be a baseball fan to get the job. She actually knew her stuff and wasn’t afraid to correct Ethan if he messed up a statistic.
OF COURSE, the sex scenes were hot. They weren’t terribly repetitive and I didn’t cringe even once.
So, in some ways, this book was good. In other ways, I was disappointed. Bossed might not have been exactly my cup of tea, but I would absolutely be willing to try out another of Sloane Howell’s books.

Final rating: ★★★☆☆

Thanks to Netgalley and Loveswept for the ARC!

3.5 star review

Jenny is running late for an interview to a job she desperately needs due to her father's medical bills piling up. She falls into a hot stranger on her way to the interview and is instantly annoyed by his cocky attitude. Jenny was raised by her father and doesn't take crap from anyone and mouths off to this gorgeous stranger only to find out he is Ethan Mason...boss and owner of the company she walks in to interview for.

Ethan has a bit of a past as well but can't fight his insta-attraction to Jenny. Not many people, if any, will call him out on his crap and that draws him even closer to her.

I have mixed feelings on this one. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think some of the drama was a bit childish and stated to annoy me. This book didn't give me that build up or angst I always enjoy while reading. For me, there was just something missing....

Terrific book! Loved the interaction between Eathan and Jenny--fun, snarky, touching and at times hysterical! Also loved the supporting characters--- best friends, looking after, supporting and sometimes kicking a little butt. Would like to hear more about them too.

This is another great book written by Sloane Howell. The writing is witty and humorous. I will recommend this to my bookworm friends.

First off - I lurve the cover but then I felt a bit dirty because he looks like a hotter version of the guy I sit opposite at work (awks!).

I couldn't decide whether this was a four star (for the start) or two stars (for the second half) so I compromised on two stars.

So this started out really cute and sassy. Jenny Jackson is a book-keeper, nearly but not quite CPA, going for a job interview with a sports agency. The interview was set up in a hurry, she didn't have time to research the company, she can't find the office and she's running late. To add insult to injury, she bumps into a hot guy in a suit and drops all of her resumes. Instead of the usual polite apologies the guy is uber rude and the tow of them end up having a snarky bitch off in the middle of the park. This is SUCH a great scene, it drew me in and got me invested in Jenny as a character and she seemed like a quick-witted, resourceful woman, ready to stand up for herself. Of course, the reader already has a damn good suspicion that Mr Nasty in the park is going to be at her interview.

Despite the fact that Jenny is applying for a lowly staff accounting position she is being interviewed by a board room full of people, including the owner of the sports agency, Ethan Mason, and of course Ethan Mason is Mr Nasty. Ethan continues the aggressive, confrontational approach to the interview; asks loads of inappropriate questions and then basically dismisses Jenny as unsuitable. Again this is a great scene and I was L.O.V.I.N.G. it, especially when Jenny owns his ass and corrects him in front of the rest of the team.

The book is told in alternate POVs between Jenny and Ethan so we can see why he acts the way he does in the interview and why he decides to hire her, despite his own misgivings. Gradually we see the antagonistic interactions between Ethan and Jenny soften as they become closer - as expected in a romance.

So, all good right? So I had some issues professionally with certain behaviours in the book which I freely acknowledge would probably go unnoticed by most other people (or not, who knows). The first is when one of Jenny's colleagues buys her lunch one day and decides to "charge it to the firm and hide it in the office expense account". First, and most important, that is theft. Second, what a cheapskate 'friend' who buys you a lunch (to eat in the office) and charges it to the company. Third, in most companies in the UK (I can't speak for US firms) employees can buy more junior employees lunch or coffee and legitimately charge it to staff entertaining or some such expense code. So as an accountant (CPA equivalent) I found this very off-putting, especially since Jenny says this is a 'perk' of being an accountant.

The second issue is more spoilerish, especially since it occurs near the end and is linked to the inevitable 'conflict'.</spoiler> Jenny makes a mistake in a report which Ethan relies upon in a business negotiation. The mistake is there to be seen, he just didn't spot it at the time, although he did get a niggling feeling that something was not 100% right. Ethan completely loses the plot over this mistake and throws his toys out of the pram (as we say in the UK). Now I appreciate that if a boss is a jerk he would do this sort of thing, but a real boss would take responsibility. As the owner of the business, if Ethan too busy to check the report properly then frankly tough shit. One of my more infuriating bosses once said to me that it was his livelihood on the line and he was ultimately responsible for anything that went out in his name. If he didn't check it properly or missed something, the buck stopped with him. </spoiler> So I found Ethan's behaviour childish and unattractive.

But these niggle aside, what disappointed me most about the second half of the book was Jenny. What happened to that feisty woman who stood up to asshole Ethan in her interview? She turned into a whiny drip. Nothing more so than when she berates Ethan (and won't speak to him) because, and I quote, "Yeah, I'd told him to go on the trip ... but how could he let his cellphone die?". Now there's more to the story than that quote lets on, but really?

Sadly, this great first half, so-so or worse second half seems to be a bit of a theme with books recently, I don't know if it is because writers think that strong, sparky women don't fit well with the romance half of the book? Surely not?

Maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed if the first half hadn't been so damn good!

This was my first book by this author. And I found that I really enjoyed this book. Jenny and Ethan were made for each other. I really loved Jenny's outgoing personality and the way she wasn't afraid to lay it all out on the line. And I totally loved have Ethan was sometimes clueless in trying to get Jenny's attention. But deep down Ethan is a rally good guy and perfect for Jenny.
Jenny is trying to get to an interview for a job she totally needs. Her fathers doctor bills are piling up and she needs to pay for them. So she will do anything to get this job. What she doesn't expect is the hot, arrogant man from earlier in the morning to be the man she is trying to get a job from.
Ethan is shocked to see Jenny strut her stuff into is conference room. Something about this hot, sexy woman turns Ethan inside out. But she doesn't only have looks, she has atitiutde and a lot of it. Plus Jenny isn't afraid to put Ethan in his place.

I'm between 3 and 4 stars. It was good, but it lacked depth. Jenny has a mouth on her but doesn't really back it up and Ethan is kind of the same way but in a needy way. It's almost too sweet at times. I enjoyed the banter, but Jenny was too much, then Ethan was too much.

Let me count the MANY ways I disliked the two MCs:

1. He's an arrogant ass who jumps to conclusions and runs hot and cold. Typical H.
2. She's unbelievable. I know I should be sympathetic because her father is terminally ill but she makes no sense:
A. Desperately needs a better paying job to pay for her father's medical bills. During the interview she tells the H, her to-be boss, to "f" himself. Then gets the job. Ok.......
B. When her boss who is an ass verbally rips into a co-worker who made a mistake she yells at him in front of everybody to apologize. Sure......
C. She doesn't go to work for days at a time to take care of her father/to hide from her boss and doesn't think there's anything wrong with that.
D. She seems to think she's in charge at work even though this is HIS company that he built from the ground up.

It was just too much for even this hardcore romance reader to ignore.

Interesting premise, but too much explicit sex for my taste.

I've been in a bit of a book slump lately. This book - it changed everything. It was the perfect mix of fluff, angst, humor and tears. I ran the gamut between laughing to crying to feeling right along with Ethan and Jenny. The smut was perfectly done and well timed. Truly, it was a fabulous read.

Now can we get a Matt and Kelsey book? ;)

This was a boss/employee romance which had promise, but sadly didn't quite deliver for me.

I love Sloane Howell's writing as delivering female characters with sass and strong minds and the guys are usually swoonworthy but with a quick wit who love strong women.

The story began with Jenny Jackson on her way to an interview and literally bumping in to future boss Ethan on the road outside. They traded insults then she thought nothing more of it until she sits in the interview room and realises who he is. There were similarities to Bared to You amongst others with this beginning - not particularly original but I was prepared to let it go as I like to see how an author develops the relationship.

And so begins Jenny's employment working at Ethan's company. Ethan is a tough employer and doesn't suffer fools gladly, but is intrigued by Jenny, who is the only employee who dares to stand up to him and point out his shortcomings. Throw in mutual sexual attraction (albeit with reluctance to admit it to themselves)
and it is only a matter of time before they get 'down and dirty'.

Jenny's reason for taking the job is to cover the medical bills for her terminally sick father and she shares his care with her good friend Kelsey. This aspect of the story is well written and it is very endearing to read how they all get on so well. She comes clean to Ethan that she often needs to take time off to look after her father and he allows her to as long as the work is done.

This is one of the aspects which did not seem to gel for me. Ethan is a strict boss who made such a major exception too easily. I hated how badly her berated another employee and allowed Jenny to give him a dressing down in front of the other staff (never mind the fact that if she needed the job so badly she would not have spoken out of turn so soon after starting there).

Although there were several occasions where the author made reference to why Ethan was so determined not to make the same mistakes as his father when it came to women, it could have been explored further.

The relationship between Ethan and Jenny blew hot and cold a little too dramatically for me and her not speaking to him over a flat phone battery was over-the-top to say the least!

That being said I would recommend the book and I have been critical for the purposes of honest feedback.

Bossed is a an office based employee/employer storyline and for me I thought it was really good. The story kicks off with a real fun meet between the H/h and had me hooked there on in.

I actually loved the characters in this book. Ethan was the grumpy hard nailed boss but behind the facade was a real vulnerable guy. It was a real change to read about an hot alpha boss who was actually quite insecure without coming across wet. Jenny was just as enamouring. She's going through a really emotional time but she's such a fighter and I was really won over by her. Together these two had great chemistry and their back and for and the will they wont they really made me chuckle. Add in their best friends and there is some great banter and dialogue in this book to make you smile.

I thought this was a super fun book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.I would happily recommend this stand alone book.

I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley; there was no obligation or inducement and I have voluntarily left a review.

Well I must add her to my top authors I'd like to read and hear from. Looking forward to more of her upcoming books

Bossed sounded really good but it did not turn out that way for me. The hero, Ethan was just an asshole there was no rhyme or reason to it he just was. I also found him quite juvenile and lacking in redeeming qualities.

As for the heroine, Jenny every time I think I could get behind her she goes and gives the hero another chance that he clearly was not deserving of. She was too weak for my tastes. The hero constantly messes up and his best friend, Matt always steps in to smooth things over with Jenny. Ethan never grovels which might have made him more likeable instead he gives what comes off as half hearted apologies. There was nothing endearing or sexy about him. Nothing whatsoever.

What really put the nail in the coffin with this book for me was the fact that the heroine's and the hero's best friends told her that the hero really liked her when he was being an ass, no just no. Being an ass to someone is not the way to show them you like them. I really disliked that this story perpetuated that and it's ultimately why this book did not work for me at all.

Oh Em Gee, O.M.G, oh my freaking god! This book is a full 5 stars and more! It had me laughing out loud right from the start. You experience every emotion through out this outstanding novel! From witty banter to whole body chills of sadness. This book was far from predictable and is a definite must read.

Jenny meets Ethan in the park before her job interview and they immediately dislike each other. Words are exchanged and they part in a huff... until Jenny meets the boss of the job she's applying for and their conversation they started in the park continues.

This was a cute read, had some dramatic elements, but my favorite part were the exchanges between Jenny and Ethan. The conversations and tone of the book read more as a YA style and just didn't seem to flow very well. It was a nice read and I like the story's premise, but the story was hard to get into at times. I received a free copy of this book for my unbiased review.

"There’s nothing sexier than a woman who can hold her own in the wits department"

This is an employee-boss to lovers romance that I had a hard time connecting with.

At the beginning I thought it would be a light fun read with amiable characters. I loved their witty banter and insults flying over. But in the end I did not like the heroine, at all.
She started to be a nice smart mouthed female character with a sense of humour. But when things do not go her way she becomes a selfish whiny bitch who did not deserve Ethan, at all! Throughout the book it is clear she was in desperate need of the job but she did not behave like an employee. She was rude and undermined Ethan’s position in front of the staff and I did not understand why he did not acted on it. The way she acted it did not look as if she indeed needed the job.

And Ethan? Yeah, Etan is supposedly this CEO that everyone is afraid of and IMO he is a pussy!
The sex though? Hot and off the charts!!!

I really hate to give this two stars, because I do like Sloane Howell’s work. This one just did not work for me, although it was well written and gave me some laughs.

I always enjoy a contemporary, urban romance between two smart, attractive people. That is how this one started out. We have Ethan, a wealthy sports agent who runs his successful agency with a ruthless hand. He meets Jenny on the street and the sparks fly as she answers his rudeness with some snark of her own. Then they find out that she’s interesting to be an accountant/analyst at his agency. He’s rude to her in the interview and she gives it right back to him. She even out-stats him on George Brett’s numbers from 1980. So, of course he hires her and then lusts after her.

I enjoyed the witty dialogue and simmering sexual tension between them just about up to when they give in to that tension and then just have typical male-female misunderstandings and miscommunication. It’s rather like TV series like “Moonlighting” and “Cheers” that are fun as long as the H and h don’t give in to their attraction and just keep unleashing their sarcasm on each other.

Ethan’s supposedly torn up about getting into a serious romance because his mother left his father when he was young and then forced his dad to liquidate his small business in order to cash out of the marriage. He saw his dad’s dreams trampled and doesn’t want to ever risk losing his dream business because of a woman. Ok, fine. Heroes in romance novels often need some sort of trauma that keeps them from committing to a woman until they meet the right one. That’s the basis for over half the romance novels out there.

What did irritate me was that this guy supposedly paranoid about a woman taking his business (because he never heard of a pre-nup) is fine with clearly and admittedly sexually harassing a woman in his employ. He’s lucky that Jenny is pretty cool about it, but I kept thinking of how much money he could have lost if she’d sued him for sexual harassment. He even thinks about it for about one sentence as he pushes her against the wall and grinds up against her. Then he just continues acting rather piggishly toward her. That’s all standard fare for millionaire romance heroes, but not for a guy so paranoid about what a woman could do to his business.

The other thing that irritated me was that he’s supposedly this hot shot sports agent and we barely see him doing sports-agent things. He has all this free time to hang out with Jenny. They’re constantly taking days off from work without any interruption. That just doesn’t sound like any sports agent, real or fictional, that I’ve heard of. It seems more like a plot device to pair together a rich guy and a smart woman who both like baseball.

I found myself liking both of the main characters’ best friends more than I did them. They’re, apparently, going to be the subject of the next novel and I look forward to reading their story. There were hints about Jenny’s best friend and their relationship, but not enough to explain how she came to be taking care of Jenny’s sick father while only working part-time. I’d like to find out more about her and Ethan’s best friend, a baseball star, is a much more likable guy than Ethan. I’d look forward to finding out how they deal with each other.

So I can recommend this book, especially for the first half, but then I found them both a bit tiresome while I waited around for them to figure out their problems.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.