Enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes set in a luxurious Maui resort—nope, I’m not talking about White Lotus (this isn’t a dark comedy-mystery), but rather a perfectly swoony romance that every reader should escape into for a delightful break from daily stress.

This was a one-sitting, popcorn-read that I breezed through with ease. The story follows Trishara Malik, a young, ambitious engineer who has been working at WMC Purcell for five years following a traumatic experience at a failed startup that left her heartbroken and humiliated. Unfortunately, her current workplace isn’t much better—she loses out on a promotion to her boss’s entitled son, Rafe Gallagher, her arch-nemesis and workplace pain-in-the-neck. She deals with constant mansplaining and the inappropriate behavior of Rafe’s cousin Rory, while quietly dreaming of better opportunities elsewhere.

Just when things look bleak, Trishara is selected for an elite company leadership retreat—on the tropical paradise of Maui! But there’s a catch: Rafe will be there too. Still, she’s determined to use the trip to network and secure a coveted training opportunity in New York. She can ignore him for three weeks… right?

Except she didn’t count on a mix-up that results in one room, one bed. Now trapped in each other’s personal space, Trishara tries to keep her cool around the maddeningly charismatic man she secretly kind of has a crush on. But as the retreat unfolds, she begins to see a different side of Rafe—a man frustrated with his own family dynamics, aware of the workplace injustice she faces, and maybe not the smug jerk she always thought.

What if Rafe doesn’t hate her at all? What if their undeniable chemistry isn’t just a fluke? And most importantly, can Trishara risk her already-bruised heart for a second chance at something real?

Overall: This is an entertaining and thought-provoking romance with strong themes of workplace equality, earning a solid 3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars from me. “Aloha” to this charming escape—I’m excited to read more from this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a sweet, spicy romance. I enjoyed the chemistry between Tris and Rafe (the yearning!) and I was rooting so hard for them. I also really enjoyed how this book highlighted how hard it is to be a BIPOC woman in a male-dominated field (or any field, really). Tris was a fun main character and the ending left me so satisfied. This will be perfect for summer!

3.5 STARS

This book started out really strong in the first half with a really likable female lead character and lots of positive female friendships and good hate-chemistry between the leads.

At about the halfway mark the story slowed down significantly and I felt like I was reading a lot about a work retreat and not a lot about the furthering of this enemies to lovers romance.

Sadly, after these characters finally get together and we get a handful of really excellent spicy scenes, the end of the book kind of fizzled for me. The ending felt rushed and highly predictable and I really disliked the romantic grand gesture.

there were so many really good things about the story but in the end it turned out to just be a middle-of-the-pack read for me.

SPICE LEVEL: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
CONTENT WARNING: workplace sexual harassment, revenge porn
FEELS: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.
POV: Single - F - 1st Person

HOLY SHIT THIS BOOK WAS FUCKING AMAZING, I LITERALLY COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!! I NEED MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR IMMEDIATELY.

The setup: Trishara’s promotion went to her work nemesis (the boss’s son, *eye roll*) Rafe. After years of hard work as one of the few women and even fewer women of color in her career field, she is shocked when her boss selects her to attend a corporate leadership event in Hawaii. The 3 week long retreat could give her the opportunity to win a spot in their company’s executive training program. The catch? Rafe is going, too. No problem, Tris can just avoid Rafe. Which would have been easy except that the resort is fully booked and for some reason, the front desk put Tris and Rafe in the honeymoon suite together. The close quarters force them together and something more than animosity grows between them as they compete their way through the event.

My thoughts: Nisha’s touch is golden. I have loved everything I have ever read by her, and she does it again with NSFW. I’m convinced she can write anything! The banter, the representation of a bipoc woman in STEM, the tension in sharing a hotel suite with your hot workplace rival (sort of boss).. All of it is written so well! Literally made me want to kick my feet and giggle so many times. Nisha builds tension and relationship between her characters masterfully. If you don’t mind suspending your disbelief about workplace(ish) romances with a slight power imbalance, I think you’ll love this. (Though she did a great job of acknowledging those power dynamics and how they played out in Tris and Rafe’s relationship.) Tris gives very strong enneagram 3 vibes. Also there are some very hot moments in the resort gym.

The vibes:
Workplace rivals to lovers who are always competing
Shared hotel suite + forced proximity
Bipoc FMC in STEM
Light-hearted
Banter
MMC who loves to bake
Hawaiian resort
Corporate work event
Open door spice

I received this as an ARC, and my review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was a fun and tropical romance read! I enjoyed the story overall. I wished we got to know the characters a bit more and sometimes I felt the characters were a bit immature. There also didn’t seem to be a reason for them to hate each other. However, I enjoyed the tension and how their relationship grew. The spice was hot! A good poolside summer romance read.

Sparks fly between work enemies as Tris and Rafe are selected to attend a retreat in Hawaii. This was my first book by the author and I was pleasantly surprised at how much this romance worked for me! Just the right kind of slow-burn with great chemistry between the characters, killer FMC and swoony tortured hero MMC.

I thought Tris was super likable, very smart and relatable. The book is entirely from her POV and we really get to know her throughout the story. It’s a fun enemies to lovers romance with a STEM theme, they’re in Maui and the atmosphere was tropical and relaxing. I really enjoyed the work drama plot, Chapter 28 is particularly outstanding in the finale!

The romance started out slow, a previous work relationship and its fallout hang over Tris’ head, and her reluctance to purse relations with Rafe were a big hurdle. Once the characters got together it was fast and steamy, with a small wrench thrown in to add tension. Recommending this to fans of Summery enemies to lovers romances!

Thank you to Forever for the free review copy.

2 1/2 stars, DNF

Engineer Tris is a woman competing in a man’s world, in a job she’s not very happy in. After being passed over for several positions, she—and Rafe, the son of boss, who happens to be her nemesis—are selected for a three week leadership institute in Maui. After negotiating (blackmailing) the leadership team into arranging for first class accommodations and new matching, monogrammed luggage, Tris is looking forward to wearing her new tropical wardrobe and ordering umbrella drinks between sessions. The person who made their arrangements booked Rafe and Tris into a one-bedroom suite.

Always competitive at work, Rafe is something else on retreat: territorial, derailing Tris’s potential plans to hookup with someone and put an end to her long dry spell. I’m guessing his instincts are correct about the dude hitting on Tris, day one, and it’s Rafe who will break the dry spell, because just one bed is the Chekhov’s rifle of romance.

For those who love the excitement , power balance, and suspense that the fear of getting caught adds, Tuli brings all the drama (dating is, of course, forbidden at the firm). Tris lusts after Rafe, even as she’s repelled by his behavior, the nepotism, and the inequity of women’s labor. Part of Tris’s reluctance to engage is due to her cheating ex. The misogyny and bro-ey-ness of her workplace is all too believable and while Rafe doesn’t participate, he doesn’t step up and advocate.

The writing was a bit lacking. Knowing when to leave details off the page is vital; I only need a head to toe recap on every outfit worn by every character when these a fashion theme. It helps to establish character, especially if the author goes beyond just color for the description of the sneakers, but you don’t need a blow by blow on the OOTD every day.

A mark of skill is interweaving the action and dialogue, so there are chunks or text that are one or the other, creating a whiplash effect. Emotions were limited to the outer wheel: anger, lust, hate; I found conveying a death threat about a coworker over the top.

I didn’t think Tris’s voice firmly established itself as unique, or as anything other than a lusty, kind-of-mean, advantageous, chip-on-her-shoulder sort of person, and even with the backstory to support her point of view, she wasn’t likeable enough for me to pursue the rest of the tale. I put it down at 25% complete and switched to another book, where the voice of the protagonist and the immersive writing immediately drew me in.

I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #NotSafeForWork via NetGalley, courtesy of #Forever. A review will post to HLBB 5/30/2025.

4.5/5 stars rounded up
2/5 spice

Quick and fun read with lots of tropes and depth.

The slow burn really and truly was BURNING up and deliciously slow at that.

There were times with Trishara was very frustrating for me but given her backstory I think her character development was perfect.

***And Rafe, oh man, he is not exactly a man written by a woman for our fictional delulu world. He is a realistic man that’s thoughtful, respectful, and aware. And honestly that kinda hits harder than a man written by a woman just for our delulu dreams. ***

Their banter and how they open up to one another was honestly everything. Loved all their interactions. And while overtly focusing/salivating over physical attraction can easily be a turn off (for me), it’s handled pretty well and realistically without reading like an airport smut novel (no shade/hate to those novels; I’ve enjoyed them too but I prefer a book with more story and plot development).

Loved the FMC in STEM tackling the very real gender/racial issues and micro aggressions in such a real way.

This is my first book by this author and I would totally read another contemporary romance by the author!

Tropes :
• one bed
• workplace romance
• rivals to lovers
• forced proximity

Nisha J Tuli writes the dream bookish boyfriend every time. She is now an auto-buy, 100% recommended author for me.

Picked up this book to read before bed… four hours later it is midnight and I just finished the last page. My eyes feel like there are rocks in them but I could not wait to share how much I loved this book!!!

I cannot believe this is Tuli's first romcom! If there is one thing that Nisha Tuli writes well, it’s characters— and coming from reading her fantasy, I think she found strong footing in this genre as well. The rivals-to-lovers with mind-bending and panty-dripping tension had me howling while the banter, spice, tension, and HR violations had me screaming into my pillow for all the reasons.

Rival engineers dabble in personal chemistry while at a tropical company retreat in this smart, zippy romcom.
This was a good, bingeable enemies-to-lovers/forced proximity romance - and we all know I love a good forced proximity! Not Safe For Work follows Tris on a company retreat (that we all know she earned even if her company gave it to her unwillingly....) while she's paired up with the boss's son, Rafe. 
As we learn more about Tris and what her experience has been as a woman in STEM, I kept thinking back to the Author's Note at the beginning of the book and how this might be one of the most accurate portrayals I've read of these workplace situations. They felt real and unfortunately not exaggerated. Now the romance, it felt heavy on the physical attraction and while a slow burn, they wasted no time on the physical relationship of it all, too. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic felt a little immature at times, but I liked how Tris was reality checking herself throughout and almost calling herself out on the behavior. 
This was my first Nisha J. Tuli book and her first contemporary romance, but I've definitely added her fantasy books to my TBR after finishing! Thank you, Forever, for the ARC in exchange for honest opinions!

Already a fan of Nisha J. Tuli, I was excited to dive into this contemporary romance, and jumped on the chance to read the e-arc. I absolutely adored this book and its characters. The experiences of the FMC were 100% relatable. Tris deals with her frustrations and navigates roadblocks in a humorous and realistic way.
And Rafe! *swoon* The banter between them was top tier, the romance between them didn't feel so insta-lovey despite the one bed.

This confirmed that I continue to be a fan of Nisha J. Tulie across genres, and I need to go on a vacation with a dessert bar.

Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was a really enjoyable read! I thought that Tris was such a strong character and I loved her character development throughout. I thought that Tris and Rafe had such good chemistry and banter. This book has so many fan-favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, only one bed, forced proximity. I really liked the office retreat as the setting. Definitely add this to your summer tbr! It's a great summer read. It was really cute, fun, and lovable!

3.75 ⭐️ It was a cute story. I have never read a book from hers and loved the women in STEM and ethnic diversity aspects. I was surprised about the MMC storyline! I would have never guessed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌴ARC Review🖇️ 5/20 Release

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦💦
💗Something I Loved: You all know by now that I freaking love an enemies to lovers story and Nisha really delivered that angsty banter I live for. It wasn’t just mild dislike that quickly turned into love, but actual hatred (although somewhat one sided) that didn’t begin to morph until they were forced to get to know one another and had no choice but to throw away their preconceived notions of who they thought the other was. But before that happened… The amount of tension between them because of their rivalry was perfection and was made that much better by how slow the slow burn burned. Truly a 10/10 on the enemies to lovers scale. 🙌🏼
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: I’m sure if I was also obsessed with Rafe, I too would constantly think about his smile, not quite a smile, the upward tick of his lips, yada yada yada. So I get it, but also… WE GET IT! 😒
🥰Favorite Moment: I’m torn. It’s either when Rafe discovers her sex toy (I literally laughed out loud… then went and searched for the specific toy to see if I needed a new one in my collection), or when they are doing a team building activity and have to say three nice things about each other. TBH, I’m still a little worked up over Rafe’s 3rd compliment. 🥵
🌶️Spiciest Scene: When they FINALLY give in to their desires in chapter 22. There are several spicy scenes after this but this one was by far the most graphic.
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: Yes. While the resolution felt a tiny bit rushed for my liking, and I’d have preferred to know a little more about Rafe in general, I really enjoyed this book and even wondered if Nisha laced parts of it with crack because I couldn’t put it down. Did it make me angry as hell at times? Absolutely. But only because of the (sadly very realistic) misogyny and racism that Tris had to face. But… it also filled me with joy and giddiness as the rivals became lovers, and a sense of pride as Tris finally decided she’d had enough and gave them all the giant middle finger. I haven’t read anything else by this author but will definitely be checking out her backlog after this one.
🙏🏼Thank you to the author, Nisha J. Tuli, as well as NetGalley and Forever Pub for this ARC.
💬Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Only One Bed, Workplace Rivals, BIPOC Women in STEM
⚠️Quotes taken from an uncorrected advanced copy and may not appear in the finished product.

Not Safe for Work follows Trishara as she’s chosen to participate in a leadership retreat in Hawaii. Unfortunately for her, her rival, the boss’ son, Rafe, is also chosen. I was fully expecting to love Not Safe for Work, but it, ultimately, fell flat.

Not Safe for Work touches on themes of nepotism, sexism, and nonconsent in male dominated workplaces. More specifically, engineering.

Trishara is intelligent, competent, and funny yet frustrated because she’s been passed over for promotion after promotion. In contrast, Rafe is one dimensional. Since the book is told through Trishara’s perspective, readers only read about his physical appearance. Rafe has little to no personality. His secret hobby does not replace a personality.

Trishara and Rafe’s chemistry and angst is lukewarm at best. Their work rivalry coupled with a handful of retellings of their shenanigans did little to convince me they were unconsciously interested in each other let alone what happened at the end of the novel.

Spice level: 🌶️

Overall, Not Safe for Work started with an interesting premise and main character, but fell flat with the one dimensional MMC and lukewarm chemistry.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

If I thought I was a fan of Nisha J. Tuli’s fantasy books, her contemporary romance has blown me out of the water. If you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren of Camilla Isley style romance, Not Safe For Work is for you!!! Firstly the banter between Rafe and Tris was absolutely delectable- their ire for each other was addictive. NSFW was one looooong and torturous slow burn in the best way, and I sincerely enjoyed watching Tris change her mind about our misunderstood MMC. I also think that Tuli touches on an important issue too, about the discrimination seen in “male dominated fields” and how women are supposed to conform and cower to the “boys club”. I got so attached to Tris that every little slight reminded me of all the things myself and many other women put up with everyday and I was indignant on all our behalves. If you are looking for an adorable romance, with perfect spice and also shining a light on some serious social issues- I would highly recommend this book. Wish I could un-read it, so I could reread it again for the first time.

NSFW yet another amazing book from Nisha! This story is different from her other books but it was cute, cozy and a fast read! Definitely recommend the read for those who love a good contemporary romance 🩷