Loved it. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Her writing is so smart and sharp. Dialogue that bites in the best way.

I wanted a little more out of the romance, and the cover is definitely not the best, btu it was a pretty good read and I laughed out loud quite a bit!

Huge thanks to the author gifting me an e-arc! I enjoyed this one.

The dynamic of the characters, the plot was realistic and definitely things seen in certain workplaces. The spice was woah, definitely for mature audiences but the flow was great! The steady pace of the story definitely kept me hook. Took me longer than I would’ve wished for because of my work schedule but this is definitely a binge worthy book.

I enjoyed the evolution of the characters, the different situations in the book addressed real life issues, the sexiness between the characters was woah… loved the banter! I will definitely be reading more by this author! I was looking for a cute romcom to read and I got romance, spice and a great story!

A great spicy escape read.!
Many thanks to Carina Press & Carina Adores and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Looking for a steamy -- only one bed -- office romance?

I really enjoyed this smart and steamy novel. It gave me Suits vibes. I was a huge fan of that TV show. I loved Perdie Stone. She was such a strong and smart heroine. I love romance novels with intelligent and career focuses women. And she definitely had a lot to navigate in her law firm. And her chemistry with Carter Leplan was palpable! Loved it! Pick up this book if you have the chance! @harlequinbooks.

Making a case for love has never been so complicated in this fresh, funny rivals-to-lovers romance.

Perdie Stone needs just three things in life: Her forever best friend, Lucille. Their adorable rescue pug, Bananas. And last but not least, a coveted partnership at her Charleston law firm.

A partnership she more than deserves when she goes head-to-head with hotshot Ivy League attorney Carter Leplan on a big case and comes out on top. She didn’t think anything would feel better than beating the annoyingly gorgeous lawyer at his own game, but that's before a freak storm leaves them both stranded.

Together.

In the last hotel room.

With only one bed.

It’s a one-night stand Perdie isn’t soon to forget…especially after Carter turns up at her firm and slides right into the job that should have been hers. And right back into her life—a life she thought she had all figured out.

Thank-you NetGalley and publisher for the chance to review this ARC.

This is Cat Wynn's debut novel so I was so surprised that it was such a well constructed book.
The characters had depth and I really liked them.
This is a very steamy book so if you're into that you won't want to miss it.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was smutty, fun and a little bit bonkers. I especially enjoyed Carter. He is my type of hero, very sweet but a little spicy. I did think that some of the behavior was unrealistic especially for how unprofessional it was but I didn't care too much. I think if someone was a lawyer it would bother them more. And as a woman in STEM I have experienced my own feelings of discrimination because of misogyny so I understood where Perdita was coming from. And if another book got published I would definitely read it, especially if it was Lucy's and Noah's book. However as I was finishing it I found out about The Partner Trap by Helen Wan, which had a similar premise. I don't have enough time to read that book to say how similar they were, however I don't feel comfortable posting about this book on my socials, due to those similarities.

The cover and the blurb were the only things I liked about this so I'm gonna say that to me the writing and characters were a mess.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You see that cute pug dog on the cover? Yeah, they die. No trigger warning for pet death. No trigger warnings for anything else in the book either. This book was a hot mess. The scenes jumped around without following a through line of plot. The book could probably be considered erotic romance as if the steamy scenes were removed the book would entirely fall apart. This couple could not have a complete conversation without it leading to the bedroom. However, the scenes were so disjointed that they were no longer hot. When I say that they could never have a conversation I mean it. They literally had zero meaningful conversations. The only one of note established a favorite color and that was it. This was an age gap romance with Perdie, the heroine, being the older party at 39, but she acts extremely immature. Somehow she was constantly worried about money and paying off her student loans, but was name dropping things like Louboutin shoes ($800), Louis Vuitton briefcase ($700 used or $3000 new), and La Perla lingerie ($200+) to name a few. I'm not saying people with debt can't have nice things, but I've read books about New York socialites that didn't name drop this many designer products. Without her age being on page, I would have put her in her early 20s, if that. Why couldn't we have an age gap romance with the heroine being the older one without falling into the patriarchal pitfalls of the man must be the mature adult and the more powerful one in the relationship. Speaking of the man, Carter was equally awful. I wish we could have had something from his POV as maybe I would have been more sympathetic to him, but I still think he would have been a jerk. Newsflash, having lesbian mothers does not make you immune from being a misogynist, which he very much was. I'm going to be mad about this book for some time.

I did not connect with this book, but I really did try. I definitely am not the right audience. I work in a male dominated field and my own experiences don’t compare to Pedie’s.

But the novel does have interesting characters, witty banter, and a ton of steam (fans self).

I did enjoy Cat Wynn's writing style so I will definitely be searching for other books by her. I just think the subject matter in this one wasn't for me.

This book reminded me of the hating game. And I just did not feel a connection with the characters. And I gace u half way through reading this one. I do not think I would suggest this.

Partner Track is a debut novel by Cat Wynn and it is spicy, spicy, spicy! Perdie Stone is an attorney awaiting a partnership at a Charleston law firm. When she is first introduced, she is leading a case in a courtroom and completely dominating. When she finds herself stranded due to a storm, she also finds herself in close proximity with the defense lawyer. Carter Leplan is gorgeous and has quite the way with words. Their chemistry is undeniable and their one night together will change them in unexpected ways.

Perdie is the the type of person who is very set in her ways. Meeting Carter completely flusters her. He is gorgeous and just gets under her skin. She thinks their time together was for one night only so it is a shock when she runs into him in Charleston. It is even more of a shock when she finds out he is the new partner of the firm - the very position she was trying to get.

Carter can't get Perdie out of his head. This is why he contacted the firm in the first place to advocate for her a defense lawyer. Instead her winds up securing the position himself and all that does is make the tension between them even stronger. So much tension which leads to many spicy scenarios. Well it does once Carter breaks down some of Perdie's walls. There are lots of walls there.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Perdie and Carter. They hit on several of my favorite troupes - one bed, enemies to lovers, and co-workers. Perdie drove me crazy alot of the time but, I think Carter provided the wake up call she needed. He forces her to actually step up, reevaluate, and come to terms with what is going on around her. Especially when it comes to the misogynist environment of the law firm she is working for. It was simply awful.

The other good spot in this book is the friendship between Perdie and her roommate/best friend Lucille. These two are seriously a "ride or die" pairing. They have been through so much together and support each other through it all. They just want to see each other happy. I would have loved to learn more about the origin of their friendship. Especially how they got Bananas, their adorable elderly pug. *sniff * Oh Bananas.

Partner Track is a fast paced debut. There is tons of spice, continuous tension, and banter between the main characters. It is the type of book you can read in one binge worthy sitting and honestly feel wiped out after. It is a complete rollercoaster of emotions.

I think this is a great book, and it’s amazing for a debut novel. I loved all of the characters- particularly Lucille and Perdie’s friendship. Because Perdie is a bit older than your average romance protagonist, she and Lucille have been friends for a few decades, and their relationship is more familial than anything else. All of the characters were really dynamic and interesting, and I hope that there will be a second book for Lucille and Noah.

Carter is an amazing love interest and I enjoyed him immensely. He follows the current trend of male love interests being all-in, which I love. I think he’s a bit of a flat character, but that’s because the story isn’t really about him needing to grow and change. His big arc is falling in love with Perdie, and also taking some of the risks he wouldn’t have normally. I think their relationship is written perfectly, the issues they face as a couple mostly stem from Perdie’s emotional problems. There are some external pressures, but for the most part, Perdie is her own greatest enemy. I like how emotionally complex Perdie is, and I do love that she pursues a healthier, happier life with therapy. We need more therapy in romance! I think Perdie’s arc is great, and I love how things work out, but I would have liked a bit more of a resolution. I love how much development Perdie gets, and she comes so far, but I wanted to see her thrive a bit more.


I do think that a lot of readers will be put off by this cover, which I do not like. The color scheme is fine, but the illustrated cover conveys a lightness this book really doesn’t have. This is a very steamy romance, and it starts out that way. Also, I know a lot of people were annoyed that the dog on the cover does not make it through the book. Though it didn’t bother me, I think he doesn’t belong on the cover. This book isn’t really a lighthearted romance, and I think a more down-to-earth cover would have conveyed that. It’s super funny, and I don’t think it’s a dark story, but it’s definitely not as light as it looks. I almost completely passed this one by, because the cover seemed kinda off to me, but I liked the blurb so I gave it a chance. I did love it, so I hope some folks can look past it.

What a great debut novel! This book was swoon and funny and the steam level was perfect! I love that the characters were so realistic and flawed. Makes them so much more relatable!

This is such a light read and the perfect palate cleanser after a heavy read. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Competing for a promotion is a trope I typically dislike, especially when, like here, the hero "wins." I initially appreciated the heroine's awareness of how their class differences had let to their uneven career paths. And she lets the hero know exactly what she thinks. Which also means fairly good consent.

But the friendship with her BFF made them both appear like vapid, emotionally stunted stereotypes. Like, extras from Sex and the City. I hated the way they talked about men, both desperate and dismissive. The main characters felt extremely immature, more like teens than people in their 30s.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

My feelings for Cat Wynn’s Partner Track are complex. There are some things I loved & then there are things that had me going what?! internally.

The book starts when attorney Perdie Stone scores a big victory against Ivy League grad, now defense attorney, & impossible hottie Carter Leplan.

A major snowstorm & not enough rooms at the hotel result in an only one bed situation which turns into—as these things often do in a romance—a steamy hook-up.

When Perdie returns home she soon realizes that Carter is a new partner at her firm, a fact that’s more than infuriating given how long she’s fought for a similar position.

But they can’t stay away from each other & things get heated between them again & again.

Other reviews mention the steam of this one & it’s true, it’s so hot 👏🏻. There’s one office scene involving red underwear that had me feeling all kinds of things. You can feel the heat coming off the pages & it is y u m.

The chemistry between them is explosive & it’s offered as a reason why the characters can’t resist each other, despite Perdie’s *numerous* attempts to break things off.

Speaking of Perdie, it was great finding an unlikeable heroine & seeing her ultimately pursuing the things that will fulfill her. I repeatedly got the sense that Perdie Stone doesn’t stay down for long. She’s in her late 30s & she’s assured & knows how to take her pleasure & I can only applaud her for all of those things.

Carter is beta hero heart eyes: he is extremely sexy, self-aware, & sensitive. Also a dirty talker.

But the romance arc is filled with frustrating & confusing mixed messages on Perdie’s end & often propelled forward by jealousy. In the end I didn’t feel super confident in the stability of their relationship though the last couple of chapters including the epilogue are cute & a nice touch.

The romance itself unfolds in a muddled, frustrating way for this reader but I really appreciated aspects of the characters & the scintillating passages that pepper its pages.

3 ⭐️. Out now.

CW: Sexism in workplace. Edible gummy & weed use; reference to coworkers using cocaine. Dog dies. Emotional abandonment by parent.

ID: an ebook sits on a white bookcase crowded with books.

4.25 Stars

First of all, I did not expect this adorable looking little romcom to melt the face right off my body with that HEAT! I am but just a puddle of horny hormones now. I throw around words like cute and hot rather easily, but when I tell you this was hot, I mean it was sheets-incinerating, conference-table scorching, bone-melting seggsy. Not because it was particularly kinky or erotic in the traditional sense, but because the author has a way with the amorous scenes. And because Carter Leplan is a Revelation. I mean the mouth on that man alone 🥵 A moment to applaud the dirty talks skills here. And other skills.

Anyway, I thought the insta lust aspect would turn me off, but it didn’t, because not only do Carter and Perdie set the sheets on fire, they’re also the cutest, with their banter and their bickering. While Carter is the straight out of a magazine pretty boy with the privilege of a wealthy heart throb, the body and mouth of a seggs god, and the heart of a golden retriever, Perdie is the older, driven, prickly commitment phobe. She’s self absorbed and has a ton of hang ups, a self admitted b-tch who thinks she’s hard to love. It’d be easy to hate her, but as a woman you have to appreciate exactly what made her. A woman in her late 30s with set ways and the insecurities that come with it and a reluctance to change? Sound familiar? Even though girl needed to learn to pay attention and listen to those around her stat. She’s like Sandra Bullock in all her romcoms, perhaps with less charm. And together, she and Carter rub and scrape and ignite like opposites usually do. Due to his significantly higher emotional IQ, the tables are turned and she has to do some serious work and grovel before their HEA, even as he loves her, prickliness and all. They’re giving Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, and I’m here for it.

Both of them are a little quirky and their backgrounds varied, but her found family with Lucille and Bananas and then Noah is as heartwarming as his little modern family. This story is funny and seggsy and just the right amount of inappropriate, with all the one bed and forced proximity and office romcom archetypes you could want, and may have been just the ticket to break me off my funk.

TW: for animal death by natural causes

Perdita (Perdie) Stone is a senior associate at a major Charleston law firm. She’s in North Dakota deposing a company CEO her firm is suing on behalf of a client and she’s up against hotshot Ivy League attorney Carter Leplan. Perdie outfoxes him, forcing them into a major settlement. After she agrees to share a ride to the airport with Carter, they find themselves snowed in and forced to also share the one available hotel room. Things get out of hand but Perdie decides not to worry since he’s west coast and she’s not. Thinking the meeting her boss sets up with her upon her return is to congratulate her and announce she’s being made a partner, Perdie is completely unprepared to find Carter in the meeting being introduced as the firm’s new partner.

Having seen this scenario played out so many times in real life, I thought I knew the probable path this story would take but spiced a bit because of what happened between Carter and Perdie in North Dakota. Unfortunately, nothing about Perdie was recognizable, at least for me, as everything she did felt improbable, immature and unprofessional.

This is definitely one of those situations where it’s me not being the right audience for this story. As someone who worked hard to rise above gender discrimination in male dominated fields, my own experience didn’t come close to Perdie’s behavior, or anyone else’s in my world (including lots of lawyers). I couldn’t get beyond the sexual interludes in the office, at company events and other extremely risky locales, along with excessive drinking and pot smoking. Not judging…they just didn’t fit (did I forget to mention that Perdie is 39 years old?). I never bonded with or respected her, even when she earned my sympathy. There are good bones to the story and it could have been something special, which is why I rounded up. It just wasn’t for me since there are quite a few positive reviews from an audience that seems more befitting. I’d check those out before you decide. 2.5 stars

I’m going to be perfectly honest here, when I finished this book, I was really torn as to how I felt about it and wasn’t sure I could actually write a proper review about it. After spending some time thinking about it, I’ve come to some conclusions regarding my feelings toward this book.

The reason I was initially so torn about this book is that for the first 88% of the book, I really enjoyed it. It had a messy FMC who was emotionally complicated and stunted when it came to feelings, a younger MMC who was a delightfully dirty talker and emotionally very open and available, and a workplace romance set against the backdrop of a fancy law firm, which given my own professional background, is always a draw for me.

The book is actually 2 love stories in 1: a rather fast-paced romance between Perdie, a 39-year-old attorney desperately trying to make partner at her law firm, and Carter, the 32-year-old golden boy attorney who swoops in to grab the partnership Perdie thought was hers; and secondly, a friendship/found family love story between Perdie and her longtime best friend and roommate Lucille…and Bananas, the pug they share. In fact, you’ll note that the pug is even featured on the cover of the book, a terrible cover, to be sure, but still, there stands Bananas, front, and center.

I’m always a little dubious about the heat level in books with such cartoonish illustrated covers but was delighted to discover Perdie and Carter engaging in sexy times within the first 15% of the book. It was a delightfully tropey book – two lawyers, initially on opposing sides, snowbound due to canceled flights leading to a hotel stay with only one room left which had, you guessed it, ONLY ONE BED!!! I thought I had hit the romance trope jackpot.

Secondly, I really liked them, both as individual characters and also as a couple. Perdie is, as I mentioned above, messy and complicated and as is eventually pointed out to her towards the end of the book, kind of selfish and self-involved. And I like that because far too often, we accept those things in MMCs and I like a FMC who is a bit of a hot mess and trying, perhaps unsuccessfully, to get her life together. Perdie’s inability to let people in stems primarily from her upbringing with a mother who was emotionally checked out and never really paid any attention to her daughter.

Carter, meanwhile, does have his life together, is blessed with a loving if a bit overbearing family, has already made partner, and basically reaped all the benefits afforded to him as a white cishet male living on planet Earth. You would think reading that sentence that Carter is a bit of an asshole but what I do like about him is that he’s not clueless and oblivious to his privileged existence. And so when he gets the partnership that Perdie was hoping to land, he earnestly assures Perdie he will do everything in his power to help Perdie achieve the professional success she so desires. And he means it! He truly does whatever he can to help Perdie.

So, now you’re probably wondering why on earth I rated this as low as I did. Remember Bananas, the pug? The one who is featured on the cover of this book? Well, at about the 88% mark, comes the truly dark moment in the book, when Perdie has walked away from it all, her job, her growing feelings for Carter, and in a scene that is as inexplicable as it is unnecessary, she gets news over the phone from her best friend that her beloved Bananas is not doing well. Cut to the next chapter and Bananas has died. WHAT EVEN??!?! It comes out of absolutely NOWHERE with no build-up and is basically trauma porn, gratuitous and emotionally manipulative. I’m not even bothering to put this in a spoiler because quite frankly, this will no doubt trigger some people and the book needed proper CWs and had none.

I have actually gone back to reread the section that follows Bananas’ death and one could potentially argue that the author uses that as an impetus to Perdie making some much needed life changes and even going to therapy. But, if that was the case (and it’s not but more on that in a bit), I would say that it’s unnecessary and quite frankly, lazy and cheap storytelling to use the death of a pet as a plot device to further character development. It could have been done in many other ways. But here’s the thing – Bananas’ death really isn’t the driving force behind Perdie making some necessary changes to her life. Yes, she’s sad, she’s downright heartbroken but it’s really her running away from Carter and her realization that she’s in love with him that forces her into therapy and eventually back into Carter’s arms. So then I have to ask, what is the point of having a dog in this story, a dog who is on the cover, might I repeat, only to kill him off at the very end? How does that further the story or the overall character development or romantic arc of this book in any way? To put it bluntly, it doesn’t. And so, a story that up until that point was edging pretty close to a 5-star review, crashes and burns all for a scene that, had it been taken out, would not have impacted the story in any significant way. In fact, I’ll add that Perdie going to therapy and facing some harsh truths about herself plus the professional moves she makes would have had a greater impact on the overall story had they not been preceded by the unnecessary demise of her dog.

Anyways, I was initially very excited about this book – terrible cover notwithstanding, I loved the MCs and the way their relationship developed, even if it felt fast, it still felt plausible. But I just can’t deal with a book that involves a pet death that serves no greater purpose to furthering the plot or the character development of the story. It felt unnecessary, trite, and cheap.

If you would never interrupt a reading experience to say “Objection! Your author- there are too many sexy scenes in this book!”... Partner Track may be a good fit for you.

Partner Track is a debut from author Cat Wynn, with two main characters who start off as lawyers on opposite sides of a case. Carter is an Ivy League grad, ridiculously good looking, and a partner at his San Francisco law firm. Perdie is 7 years his senior and still waiting on her shot at partnership at her Charleston, South Carolina firm. The two face off on a case in rural North Dakota, and after a slow start, Perdie obliterates Carter’s clients. Despite being professionally humiliated, Carter is immediately a goner for her confident competence. The two get snowed in together in a hotel with only one room and only one bed. After spending a surprisingly intimate (on many levels) night together, they fly back out to their opposite coast firms. Perdie is sure her big win will secure her spot as a partner, but she’s blindsided to find out Carter will actually be taking the spot she was sure she had in the bag.

Besides rivals-to-lovers (and the beloved only one bed…) we also have so many good tropes in Partner track: age gap, workplace romance, snowed in (twice!), and several more.

Carter, while firmly a beta, is an expert level dirty talker. There is NO shortage of sexy, steamy scenes in this book. Perdie is kind of a mess, but we find that Carter slowly but surely breaks down the walls she’s had in place for decades, and she finally faces some of her demons head on.

Perdie has the funnest relationship with her best friend and roommate, Lucille. The two are absolutely bonkers together, and if you’re lucky enough to have a BFF relationship like theirs, you’ll especially appreciate their wild and crazy times together. (If you don’t, you’ll totally be jealous.)

Overall, Partner Track is a fun time book that I easily read in a day. Thanks to Carina Press, NetGalley, and Cat Wynn for a digital review copy.