I adored the characters and real world issues that they faced. I loveeeddd that Charlie is the sweetest cinnamon roll of a romantic lead! It was refreshing to have a rivals story that didn't include a bosshole alpha male.

I had a good time with this one. It was relaxing and entertaining. It just didn't completely hit.

I liked the office banter and the overall vibe. Most importantly, I liked Emma and how she overcame her challenges with intimacy. That felt quite raw and original. Charlie was really great, too, and a total sweetheart. Their interactions were nice, and the chemistry was there.

The thing that didn't work for me was the overall flow of the story. It just didn't completely pull me in and didn't hold me in the story.

Although, I think it's still a good read if you're in the mood for an office romance.

This was a fun work place romance! I loved the tropes they are some of my fav! It was a cute quick read.

NetGalley review
If you loved The hating game then you will love this book.
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to lovers
❤️‍🔥Work romance
❤️‍🔥Enemies with benefits? 😜

Spicy 🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers Set The Mood Publishing, and the author Dani Mclean for letting me read along with review this advanced book copy. This is the first novel I have read within the out of office series by this author that is a three star book that releases Tuesday September 24th 2024. This novel follows two rivals Emma and Charlie who work at a tech start up. Their current rivalry is working together for one of them to get a promotion. This is an amazing steamy romance that had off the charts chemistry.

Dani is one of my favorite humans. They are such a bad ass writer and I’ve said this before but I feel cozy when I read their words. So talented and such a beautiful storyteller.

Charlie and Emma hate each other, but then get paired up at work in a project to vie for a higher position, things go awry. Sparks fly when they finally have a breakthrough and Emma and Charlie make a pact that will change their relationship forever.

Loved every minute of this book.

If you are a woman who has worked in the corporate world before today, or in the past this book is for you! As a corporate girlie, I felt so represented in this book.

Take it Offline follows Emma and Charlie, who work at a tech company and compete for a promotion. The story follows Emma who still has feelings for her ex Logan, and this is where Charlie comes in, she enlists him in order to help win him back. The book was a great example of rivals to lovers, banter, and workplace romance.

Emma as a character was great. She was a strong independent woman who strived to be more than just a pretty rich girl, she fought to make a name for herself and didn't let anyone stand in her way.

One thing that hindered the book for me was that there was almost too much work talk. I didn't understand a lot of what they were talking about when they were talking about the project and work overall. I still don't know what she does for work.

“My life turned technicolor the second you walked into it. Everything else pales in comparison.”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Take It Offline is a clichéd romance between lovers and office enemies. On the other hand, I find it more entertaining because of the he falls first cliché. Because he was so terrible, the boss in this book ended up being the main focus of my attention. This may be a real-life experience for women, but in my opinion, it detracted from the story's romance.

Charlie and Emma are colleagues/work enemies at a tech company who are forced to work together for a project. That's essentially the plot in one sentence.

I did enjoy this book and I liked the relationship building but I actually think Charlie was a bit of a dick. What kind of person claims someone else's idea as their own and then doubles down when called out about it?

I liked the way that Emma's struggles as a woman in tech were written and how real that was but I couldn't see past the fact that this guy was douchey enough to claim an idea as his own and let the company praise him for it - even if he is a good brother who rescues puppies.

I think if it hadn't been for that, I would have rated this book higher but that was really the most memorable part for me. Perhaps it's just me embodying petty bitch, but there's no way I would forgive someone for something like that.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book and I could have really enjoyed it with a few tweaks. Admittedly, it was enemies to lovers done right, instead of just some mild animosity.

Tropes:
- Colleagues
- Reluctant partners
- Enemies to lovers
- Woman in tech

An initial rival romance with close proximity. I love the workplace romance trope and this one was satisfying. It’s a romance that bridges 400 pages but there’s a lot going on and it was still a fast paced read for me. I enjoyed this one.

I adored the chemistry in this one. Charlie is insatiable for Emma and I love the way that becomes mutual as she opens herself up to him. The intimate scenes are hot and also honest and raw in places, there are a few moments I know will hit hard for some readers. I loved the way Emma’s inability to come with a partner is approached, the way Charlie makes her realise it truly isn’t anything wrong with her, and that it also isn’t something that is fixed forever.
I did however find it very jargon heavy at times when it came to Emma and Charlie’s work, it took me half of the book to understand what they were doing and I still don’t understand what their job entails. I also found the 3rd act conflict a little abrupt, it is in line with what we k new of the characters but I still was a little shocked when it happened?

As a woman in tech, the complaints about Power BI spoke to me on a spiritual level. Oftentimes romances are placed in fantastical, dreamy settings; it was incredibly refreshing seeing one take place in a place many of us are so familiar with- the office. Our main characters interact in the same manner you likely do with your work arch nemesis, the one you harbor a secret crush on, Take it Offline was a lot of fun and I could see myself and my daily life reflected back at me.

I loved the realistic representation of the gender discrimination faced by women in corporate. It was raw and relatable.

Surprisingly, the smut actually added a layer of depth to the story, something I never thought I’d say about that element in a book! But the work talk? That was tough. Honestly, I don't think anyone would understand that. I really tried to comprehend it, but it just was... Seriously, I don't even know what her job even was. While this shouldn't be that big of a problem, in this case it kind of was because their work played a big part in the story.

Their chemistry was off the charts. I really liked them together. Two other aspects that I'm not a fan of are 1) the insta-love or lust 2) the breakup scene—it just felt like they broke up for the sake of the story, not because there was an actual reason for it. I liked how mature and understanding the FMC was throughout the book tho.

Thank you Net Galley, Set the Mood Publishing and Dani Mclean for a copy of this arc.

This was such a fun, quick, spicy read! We even had peaks of Charlies’s dirty mouth, AKA why this book was so spicy. The enemies-to-lovers vibe was great and absolutely delivered on the tension and chemistry development between Charlie and Emma.

I was so glad when Emma finally came to her senses about Logan and chose Charlie instead, thank goodness. The one downside and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the third-act breakup. It felt like Charlie was just acting dumb about the whole situation, and it seemed unnecessary given how well everything had been developing between them. If you love a good, angsty enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of spice, this one’s for you.

Overall o enjoyed this read and would be willing to give others from the author. It was a fun and enjoyable read 🩷

This book is 1000% for the corporate romance girlies! Did I understand a single bit of what Emma and Charlie did for work? Absolutely not. But did I enjoy the insane chemistry and banter and everything in between? YES YES YES. This was the perfect amount of workplace enemies to lovers/sex lessons I've ever read in a book and I will forever be a fan of Dani's writing!

This was such a fun, quick, spicy read! Charlie Walker has a dirty mouth on him, AKA why this book was so spicy. The enemies-to-lovers vibe was *on point* and absolutely delivered on the tension and chemistry between Charlie and Emma.

I was so glad when Emma finally came to her senses about Logan and chose Charlie instead, thank goodness. The one downside and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the third-act breakup. It felt like Charlie was just acting dumb about the whole situation, and it seemed unnecessary given how well everything had been developing between them. If you love a good, angsty enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of spice, this one’s for you.

I am a huge fan of Dani McLean and was really excited when I saw that she's releasing a new book. The description doesn't reveal that much, but I still wanted to read it. A steamy rivals to lovers contemporary sounds like the perfect book for me.

It took me a while to get into the book and in difference to her others book, it wasn't easy to read for me. I'm not sure why that was the case. From time to time I felt a bit bored by the subject and all the talk about work. Most of the time I didn't really understood what they're talking about, and it disrupted the reading flow. I knew beforehand that it will deal a lot with the work (which is obvious because it's a workplace romance) but I hoped that it wouldn't discuss every single work problem into the smallest detail.

Emma and Charlie are the main characters. I couldn't really connect with any of them. I did like both but it was difficult for me to feel what they're feeling.

The story was really spicy but I already know that from Danis other books. It still took me a bit by surprise how early in the book it got spicy. As always the scenes are well written and also pretty detailed. Some other aspects in the story felt a bit rushed.

In the end I sadly didn't like the book as much as I thought I would. I still liked it but it was just not THE book for me. I would still recommend it to people who like workplace romances and like their book a bit spicier!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this EARC!

Take It Offline is a workplace enemies to lovers book where the 2 leads are up for the same promotion. The FMC, Emma comes from a rich family who are going through financial hardship, so she works to save her parents. On the other end, Charlie grew up in the foster system and is on the up.

Take It Offline is a stereotypical office enemies to lovers romance. However, the he falls first trope makes it more enjoyable on my end. The boss in this book ended up being the thing that took most of my attention because of how awful he was. This may be something women have to suffer through in real life, but it took away from the romance of the story for me.

I gave Take it Offline 4⭐️ and 2🌶️
I love the enemies to lovers trope and I love that he fell first.
The only down point is how much I hated the boss that my anger towards him consumed me over the romance.

The enemies-to-lovers chemistry between the leads is captivating and keeps the story engaging from start to finish.

While I did get a bit confused with what the characters are actually doing at work, the romance and heartwarming moments more than made up for it. Fans of contemporary workplace romance with humor and a modern twist will enjoy this fun read. I look forward to seeing what Dani McLean brings next!

Thank you, Victory Editing and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dani McLean hits it out of the park again!

Charlie is a caring, sarcastic, flirt with a tough past and Emma is a badass working her way through life and making it her own.