It was really easy to drop into this story and connect with both Pearl and Cord. I liked both of their characters a lot and could certainly understand why they felt like they did about love and relationships. I did get distracted by the back and forth between real time and their past. Just when I’d finally get into the emotional dynamics of Pearl in the current day the chapter would end and I’d have to try to connect and understand the past Pearl. I’ll admit flashbacks are not my favorite things to read and I did struggle with that aspect of this novel.

The thing I loved the most about our heroine, Pearl, is that she knew what she wanted and she was very focused on getting it. Specifically when it came to her career. A lot of time was spent informing the reader about how responsible, direct, and awesome Pearl was at her job. I love a strong heroine, but I kind of feel like a little too much time was spent with Pearl’s indecision about Cord. It didn’t fit with who she was in her business life. I wish she had figured herself out a little sooner because I became impatient with her emotional see-saw.

Needless to say, I felt pretty indifferent to our main character which made it hard to root for Pearl and Cord in their romance. Did I root for her to get the job? Absolutely! I just wasn’t sure she was the right person for Cord. He was ready to go all in from the get go and Pearl’s indecisiveness spoiled the romance for me.

A great second chance romance!

There’s so much to love here. The characters are complex and interesting, the diverse cast, the issues discussed and the STEM representation is all great. I always pleasantly surprised by the spicy scenes. I was not expecting that steam level here.

This is a quick read because you get immersed into the story. Everything blended together well to make an unforgettable story.

Williams brings readers a wonderful second chance forbidden workplace romance in Technically Yours. The characters, Cord and Pearl, are relatable. Their romance is so heartfelt and genuine. It's sure to have readers invested in their stories. There is a lot of chemistry between the characters and a bit of tension. Technically Yours is an amazing rollercoaster of a ride filled with a lot of emotion, heart and angst. Williams has a great way of creating a story that tugs at your heart and makes you think. There is more than just what is on the surface in this read. This is one of my favorite contemporary reads of the year.

don’t think Denise Williams can write a book I won’t love. The complexity, the secondary characters, the chemistry and tension, the incorporation of STEM and tech into romance stories. All of it is like being wrapped in a cozy and steamy hug - a story you won’t want to end.

We’ve been following Pearl and Cord since Britta and Wes’ book and (WHOM I ADORE and getting to see so much of them here made me 😭😍) I’ve desperately needed them to turn their flirting and subtle touches into more. It was great to see their relationship unfold 6 years ago as well as in a current timeline. Pearl is the embodiment of “you have to work twice as hard”: she doesn’t want to fail, and as a Black woman in tech who’s had claw her way up a ladder, her standards for herself come at the expense of personal relationships. Seeing her grow into recognizing she can be with the right person, the person who lifts her up instead of pushes her down, was just fabulous. And Cord. Of the toned forearms, sweet disposition, dedicated and loyal. Talk about a book boyfriend.

My favorite thing that Denise does is how she builds a complex web of secondary characters and there is always a standout for me. In this book it’s Tye, Pearl’s sisters child who is nonbinary, obsessed with tech, and ultimately becomes Cord’s mentee. Pearls relationship with Tye, and then Cord’s relationship with Tye, resonated unbelievably as someone who used to work at an education equity non-profit and was a mentor. Don’t get me started on the last 5% and Tye’s speech - @nicwillwrites I will never forgive you for making me cry this hard.

Denise is doing great things with her books. I can’t wait for yall to read Technically Yours

Are you into coding? I am not the most technologically sound person but I love reading a book about women in STEM. Technically Yours is the story of Pearl, a woman who has learned to protect her heart at all costs but when she gets appointed as the acting director of a nonprofit aimed at inspiring high schoolers to code, she gets reunited with a former crush. This book is spicy. Whoa. But it is also emotional and sweet and I love how much diversity and inclusion is included in this book - it is refreshing how it is naturally just part of the story without it feeling forced. It was just a fun read and I loved being back with these characters from Williams’ earlier books.

“Technically Yours” is a cute take on a second chance/work place romance. I was sold on the blurb of this book because I love a strong, determined woman working in STEM. I love when women embrace their intelligence and independence. The world still needs more representation of women who aren’t relying on someone else to take care of them, but to lean into their strengths and walk through life with confidence.


Character Development
Pearl is committed to learning from her previous mistakes and trying to be true to herself. She lives by this mantra of putting her head before her heart. Throughout the entire novel, Pearl is falling head over heels for Cord, but refuses to give into those feelings because she’s been burned before.

I can empathize, Pearl.

Cord’s face filled my mind. His sable-brown eyes and long lashes – lashes many people would kill for – and his hair that was always a little too long, falling over his face and tempting me to brush it back, the wayward strands begging for my fingers. He could have been the right man for me in a different universe.

For some reason though, I think Pearl takes it a step too far and it’s to her detriment. Unfortunately she’s so focused on avoiding getting hurt that she avoids feelings in general.

Cord is a heartthrob of a love interest, and we love a nerd who is in touch with his feelings. Cord has been in love with Pearl for years and his unwavering dedication to her is mostly romantic. It’s also slightly sad, because he’s been put off by the person who has his heart for so long, it’s hard not to feel for him. That being said, Cord had a hard lesson to learn throughout this novel that he needed to listen to what Pearl was saying and not just make assumptions.


Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash
The Representation
Women belong in the room where it happens.

Pearl being promoted to interim Director of OurCode happens at the beginning of the novel, and thankfully readers don’t have to wait for the entirety of the story to get the will-she-or-won’t-she promotion conversation. It more or less happens straight out of the gate, and throughout the remainder of the pages we watch how Pearl manages difficulty in a leadership position.

Additionally, the non-binary rep is really cool. There are two secondary characters who use the pronouns they/them, and Williams writes their characters and dialogue so seamlessly that it feels effortless.

The Romance
I loved the idea of Cord and Pearl as a couple. They’re both dynamic individuals and bring something different to the table, so together they could be a powerhouse duo. It’s crystal clear that these two not only have physical chemistry, but a strong, enduring emotional connection as well.

Ultimately, I felt like the development as a whole was okay, but I felt a little bit deflated while reading through the third act breakup and the relationship rescue mission at the end of the novel. With the large miscommunication at the end of the story, I would have expected a bit more of an apology or a grand gesture to express feelings of love. The level of passion at the end left something to be desired for this romantic heart, but maybe that was the point. The characters stayed true to themselves through and through, and maintained their personality to the end.

Final Thoughts
“Technically Yours” would be a wonderful romance to read for someone looking to connect with a fierce, independent badass woman who deserves to find love and happiness in a relationship and outside of one. The spirit of the underlying message of following your dreams resonates deeply, but so does the idea that you can work toward your goals and also find love and passion in a relationship. The split POV and the chapters of flashbacks are really well done and help the story build naturally while also giving a lot of context to character behavior. I also think this would be a great story to read if you like secondary characters and relationships apart from the main romance.

Final Final Thought – Tye’s speech in the epilogue might be the best dialogue in the entire book. They are definitely a show-stealer and I would love to see a book from their perspective up next!

Denise is always known for writing memorable and strong heroines who struggle with real issues that are related, and Pearl is no different. Pearl works at a coding nonprofit and pushes to make it more inclusive, giving us the much-needed representation we have been begging for. With the steam, banters, and secondhand embarrassment, Denise wrote another book for our shelves. I found some of the main characters' relationships questionable, but being in a fantasy lane is all that reading is about. Personally for me I wouldn't have had an affair in the office I knew someone got in trouble for but you do you bestie.

Tropes:
-STEM
-Second Chance
-Banter
-Workplace Romance

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Denise Williams (The Fastest Way to Fall is one of my absolute faves) so I was SO excited to read her newest! And this one filled me with all the joy and warm and fuzzies of her previous books.

I loved the emphasis on diversity and the characters overcoming their own struggles as they grew together. It was really quite empowering!

A truly realistic, easy to connect to and fast paced romance read!

4.25 stars

This was so good! I love how Cord was a man obsessed from the first time he saw Pearl. They first met working together at FitMi, which we saw in The Fastest Way to Fall. He then waited for eight years to be with her even while Pearl put her focus on work after being hurt before. After not seeing each other for five years, they end up working together again and getting their second chance, still having intense feelings for each other. Pearl was hesitant to be with Cord, but he always communicated how he felt about her and how he’d wait however long it took for them to be together. There was never any doubt about how Cord felt about Pearl which was refreshing. I also loved the separate relationship/dynamic between Cord and Tye, Pearl and Tye, and the three of them together. The third act breakup was a bit frustrating, but I still really liked this book!

3,5 Rounded Up. I LOVED the author's two books, How to Fail at Flirting and The Fastest Way to Fall so I was so excited to read this one. It was a good romance, just not my favorite of the author's. It's a workplace, second-chance romance and I loved the male main character. He was swoon-worthy in the way a reader wants a fictional character to be. Cord and Pearl met 7 years ago when Cord was Pearl's boss. They were friends and never crossed the line but then she moved out of town and nothing further happened. Now in present time, the two reconnect at Pearl's new job as she is promoted to interim director of a child coding company that has just dealt with a scandal.

I loved the diversity and the women in STEM aspect of this book. I was hooked form the first page and enjoyed the multiple POVs and the dual timelines and flew through the first half of the book. Unfortunately, it lost a little of its excitement for me and fizzled a little in the second half. I enjoyed this one but was hoping to love it more.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

My favorite thing about Denise Williams' books are her wonderful characters. They always just feel so authentic and fully fleshed out that I feel like I really know them. This was the case with Pearl and Cord in Technically Yours too. I remember meeting them in Williams' earlier novels and couldn't wait to get their story here, but then she went and had them break up in the very first chapter and broke my heart, haha!

Seriously though, I am an absolute sucker for a second chance romance so that one heart-wrenching scene, a flashback from several years earlier, was enough to get me fully invested in seeing how Pearl and Cord would find their way back to each other.

This is also a workplace romance, which is how Cord and Pearl reunite. Pearl is the acting director of a nonprofit aimed at getting more high school students into coding. Pearl was thrown into the position but rises to the occasion. She's smart, independent, but can also be too stubborn for her own good sometimes. Cord is a programmer who has also recently joined the board at this nonprofit. He is also major book boyfriend material, a true cinnamon roll who mentors kids and who just melted my heart.

I love scenarios like this because no matter how hard Pearl and Cord try to keep things professional, all of those feelings from years ago are still there just bubbling right below the surface. Williams uses flashbacks beautifully here to give us glimpses of Cord and Pearl's pasts and it's clear that they both have issues they need to work through from having been burned in the past. Those flashbacks had me willing to wait as long as I needed to for them to be ready to finally open their hearts.

Technically Yours is available now and is perfect for fans of second chance romances and workplace relationships!

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

I’ve been a fan of Denise Williams since her first book, so I always jump at the chance to read her books when I can. My favorite things about Williams’ books are that all the men she writes are cinnamon roll men and all the women she writes are strong, intelligent, and all-around badass women.

Technically Yours has some connections to characters in Williams’ previous books but can be read as a stand-alone.

Pearl works for a company that mentors kids from marginalized identities in IT. There’s a scandal that forces the director to resign and Pearl is promoted to interim director and is placed on the board of directors.
We met Cord in Williams’ Fastest Way to Fall. He’s Wes’ best friend and partner in their fitness app. He’s a software developer and, as a favor to a friend, he’s been wrangled into the same board of directors.

Five years ago, they were interested in each other, but Cord was essentially her boss, so a romantic relationship between them ended before it was even given chance to start. Now, Pearl is back in Chicago after working in LA for 5 years and it’s her job to show Cord around.

There’s so much tension in this one. You can tell their feelings are right back where they left off, but there are some roadblocks. In the beginning, he’s in a relationship (don’t worry, there is no cheating) and Pearl really doesn’t want a relationship. She put too much faith in her ex and doesn’t want to lose herself again. He wants her, so he’s okay with keeping it casual. (Yeah, you keep believing that one, Cord).

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. In addition to loving the MCs, I loved Tye, Pearl’s nibling/chibling (her sister’s NB child) and all their interactions with Cord. They’re a super fun character and almost have more sense than the adults. I liked that it went back in the past, so we not only could see their relationship evolve, but their personal evolutions as well.

Thank you to the author for the gifted galley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
4.5 Stars

Pearl and Cord met seven years ago in an elevator, and they were a perfect match. But their circumstances got in their way and it’s been five years without contact when they meet again as Pearl is appointed acting director at OurCode, a nonprofit organization recently embroiled in scandal. The time apart was merely a blip when it came to their connection, but Pearl’s experience with work and romance have her holding back when it comes to taking their relationship further than friendship.

Denise Williams is a phenomenal romance author with the perfect blend of heart and heat! Pearl is such a strong lead who has been taken advantage of in the past and is determined not to be dependent on someone else for her success. Cord has been so head over heels he can’t imagine having the capacity to support her dream and not acting on it. I loved the back and forth with these two learning how to show love and support in a way that their partner could receive it and the scorching chemistry throughout. The relationship with Cord and Tye completed this family image and it was so heartwarming to see Tye rooting for Cord and Pearl’s happiness too.

You’ll Find —
Second Chance
Workplace Romance
Alpha Heroine
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Dual Timeline/Dual POV

Thank you to Denise Williams, Berkley Pub, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy!

Denise Williams is back with her newest rom com, Technically Yours; the long-awaited follow-up to The Fastest Way to Fall, following Cord Matthews and Pearl Harris.

Technically Yours is a second chance, friends to lover’s romance filled with mutual pining, workplace spice and a career focused FMC.

Cord is the ultimate cinnamon roll. He is cat dad to Peaches, a 15-year-old hairless cat, mentors’ teens in STEM, cooks and helps Pearl study for her classes. He will do anything to be in her orbit and help her succeed.

Case and point:
“But if you’re asking what I want, that’s it. A chance to be your person. A chance to be yours.”

Pearl has a significant of trauma from past relationships, which makes it difficult for her to trust Cord. I get IT, but Cord is just the sweetest most genuine man, and I really wanted her to give him a chance sooner than she did.

The dual timeline, dual POV was helpful in getting a better understanding of their past emotions, it did cause the story to feel disjointed (at times, IMO).

My favorite things about this book were Cord, Tye and the many text exchanges with Pearl’s sisters. My favorite from Williams remains The Fastest Way to Fall. Britta and Wes are just my forever loves.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Read if you like:
•“It always been you”
•Workplace romances
•Cinnamon roll heroes

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the early copy; all thoughts are my own.

yet again Denise WIlliams crafted one of my fav romances of the year.

This book gave me all the feels, and somehow I could do nothing but read it. I was so sad that i finished it.

Five years ago, Pearl walked out of Cord's life for a job opportunity she had been waiting for. Now that she is back in town with the job of her dreams, she is determined to not let anything distract her from her career goals. Cord joins the board of Pearl's nonprofit and the fire between them complicates things. Soon they are giving into their feelings, knowing that their relationship could ruin Pearl's career and the reputation of her nonprofit. The challenge of keeping things casual and hush-hush may be too much pressure for them to bear.

From the first scene, I was hooked into the intense and fiery chemistry between Pearl and Cord. I love second chance romances and I especially enjoy ones with the level of intensity that Pearl and Cord had. This book had dual timelines, going back and forth in time between Pearl and Cord's past and their present. I gobbled up the chapters that dove into their past. Denise Williams did an awesome job of building their deep connection while they fell in love. And then she smashed our hearts when Pearl left that first time around.

The depth of Pearl and Cord's characters is what I look for in books. Cord was a sweet man who always tried to do what's right. He was the one who always said yes to doing favors and he wanted to help Pearl in any way he could. Pearl was an independent woman who didn't want saving. She had been burned and she was doing everything to avoid being burned by a relationship again. Unfortunately, that meant that she had to prioritize her head over her heart, as much as it pained her to do so.

Thankfully, Cole fought until he convinced Pearl to give them a chance, and they got a beautiful HEA that had me grinning from ear to ear.

Pick up this book for a stand-out second chance romance. This is Denise Williams' best book to date and it's a must read for you to squeeze in before the end of the year!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

I love Denise Williams' writing. She writes great romance with multi-dimensional characters and just enough spice to give you butterflies. She is quickly moving up on my auto-read list,

This second-chance, workplace romance had a great story. Cord and Pearl couldn't explore their relationship before because of the power dynamic between boss and subordinate. Many years later, when Cord is asked to be on the board of the non-profit that Pearl works at, their love is rekindled.

A personal bias I have is that I wished both main characters were Black. There is one part of the book where Cord is dreaming about Pearl being dressed as a black panther character. That read a bit awkward for me. However Cord such was a thoughtful partner.


Overall, I enjoyed this read. (3.5 stars)

I loved getting another story in the same world as The Fastest Way to Fall. Wes and Britta were among my favorite characters that year and getting to see them together in this book was perfect.

I also loved Cord though. I loved his style, his work ethic, his capacity to love, and most of all his willingness to volunteer even when he was swamped. So many characteristics I love in a man. I also loved his tenacity with Pearl.

Truthfully Pearl drove me insane. But her character growth was good and I loved how devoted to her job and her family she was.

This second chance romance includes a workplace aspect and it made it a little messy - but the happy ever after was really good - so if you like messy workplace romance I bet you'll adore this book.

If you loved The Fastest Way to Fall I really think you'll love this one too!

I received an advanced copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Another solid romance read from Denise Williams with great characters and a unique storyline set within the tech world. I loved the diversity and LGBTQ+ representation and how women and kids were so involved and encouraged to find success in coding. It was so great to see and really well done. I thought Cord and Pearl’s relationship was sweet and I liked that we not only got dual POVs but also the two different timelines. For me, as a reader, it really allowed me to see their growth, why they were so connected, and it really elevated that second chance romance factor!

I struggled a little bit with Pearl’s hesitation and internal struggle with her commitment to the relationship. It made sense at first but after getting more interactions with Cord and seeing how genuine he was, it felt like it was dragged out a little too long for me. However, despite the frustration with that aspect, the characters did engage in some deep, honest conversations that made up for that slow journey to a HEA that was worth the wait!

Thank you Berkley Pub and Berkley Romance for access to the advanced reader copy of this novel!