Synopsis
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.
Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.
Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through – and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.
Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business – one that plays for keeps.
My Review
I enjoyed this book by Ali Hazelwood, though, out of her other books I’ve read so far, this one isn’t my favorite. Still good! But it lacks the comedy I have grown to love Ali Hazelwood for, which I think might be why it wasn’t a 4 or 5 star read for me. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it and the story itself is kind of sweet. It was nice watching Rue grow and challenge herself to accept love and love in return when it was something very difficult for her. This book also didn’t lack in the spice department! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I think my biggest issue with this book actually might have been that there was too much spice and not really enough plot. The book is kind of centered around Rue and Eli’s sexual relationship as they met through a hookup app, and for the most part, that’s what the majority of the book was. Don’t get me wrong, I love a book with spice, but I also feel like plot is important too, and this book just felt it lacked a lot and there could have been more going on outside of their relationship that made things a little more high stakes, maybe a little more drama with what was going on with her boss and her brother to keep things interesting. Without giving away specifics, the situation that goes on with her brother was kind of glossed over and hung mostly in the background. The situation with her boss and the company I feel like should have gone more in depth, there was potential for betrayal and a lot more emotional depth, but this book never reached that potential.
Ali Hazelwood did really well with her book Bride, as well as other titles like Love, Theoretically. What she had going for her in those books was the quirkiness and humor. Bride also had a really level plot I think mixed with spice. It was a lot more balanced. I feel like Ali should stick more with these kinds of themes. I applaud her for stepping outside of the box and trying different things, because I do think some of the things she’s tried has worked for her, but I feel like ‘Not In Love’ is a book that didn’t really work all that well and I’d love to see her write future novels that are more quirky and plot driven, as I feel that is what attributed her success in her other books.
Overall though, this was a good book and I did enjoy reading it, though, I didn’t love it so I definitely won’t be re-reading it at any point. A decent pallet cleanser if you’re just needing a break between book series.
The Cozy Cat Rating: ★★★
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