Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Bossy

AUTHOR:  N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  220 pages

RELEASE DATE:  March 4, 2021

BLURB:

Michael Pietersen isn’t up for complications. He’s one of Sydney’s fastest-moving career-focused corporate realtors, and the only thing he has time for is one-night stands with zero fuss.

Bryson Schroeder’s back home from two years overseas with plans to leave his family’s hotel empire and begin his own business ventures. Out with friends to celebrate his return, he sees a gorgeous blond man across the bar, and with merely a smile and a raised eyebrow, they leave together for a night of incredible chemistry.

The rules are clear: no names, no details, no complications. But one night becomes one more night, and eventually the arrangement suits them both for weeks . . . until their professional and personal worlds collide. With their hearts already on the line, Michael and Bry need to decide just how complicated they want to get.

REVIEW:

He left with a smile. No goodbye, no thanks, no awkwardness, no regrets. I still didn’t even know his name. 

This book is SEXY!  

Bossy is a steamy love story about two Australian men who come to realize they want much more than a superficial arrangement for sex – they want the forever and always, something that never interested them before. I adore Michael and Bryce – there’s something magical about these men when they’re together. It starts with an anonymous night of sex. It’s too good to leave as a one-nighter so they agree to a Mutually Beneficial Understanding – anonymous fuck buddies meeting weekly. Uncomplicated sex with no strings attached; this is the basis for the plot. 

There’s an almost ethereal quality to Michael and Bryce’s relationship, beginning with the night they meet. It’s effortless. Michael’s looking for a hookup in a Sydney bar one Friday night. He’s a highly successful corporate realtor, aggressive and in control during the day, but in bed he likes to let someone else take the reins and manhandle him. He catches the eye of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome across the room. Bryce has just returned from two years spent working in Singapore in one of his dad’s hotel empire properties. He stands out from the corporate suit-wearing crowd in skinny jeans and an old band t-shirt, which appeals to Michael. It’s just minutes before they’re back in Michael’s apartment and the clothes go flying. It’s rough, filthy, and fiery. It’s desperate. I had to catch my breath. 

They lose control even more when they meet again the next week (I won’t mention if I also lost control…)  It’s soon apparent it’s much more than sex. 

Maybe it was easy to be with him because I knew so little about him. Maybe the no-complication rule made it tangle-free. Maybe my heart rate kicked up a notch when I saw him— when I thought of him—because this whole arrangement was exciting and because I knew the sex was going to be off the charts. Maybe my heart liked the way he laughed or how he kissed or how he would casually touch me. Maybe the butterflies that swarmed my belly were all about anticipation. 

Many weeks later, they are blindsided when Bryce becomes one of Michael’s clients. Neither knew the other’s name so it was completely happenstance. Now that they need to spend time together outside the bedroom, they both decide they want something more. We get to see their hearts become involved, and watch the evolution from fuck buddies to lovers to something much, much more. They flirt (great banter!), hold hands, go on dates, meet the families. They stand by each other and provide support in business and personal matters. They experience nervous anticipation and butterflies in their stomachs. I experienced nervous anticipation and butterflies in my stomach as I watched them oh-so beautifully and effortlessly fall in love.  

N.R. Walker has always been versatile. In her writing, that is. 😉 She has an ability to write across a wide variety of sub-genres with finesse. Walker seems to favor a slow burn, but in Bossy, she shakes it up with smoking hot sex starting on page five. The chemistry is immediately apparent. I prefer plenty of unrestrained sexual tension myself, but Bossy’s bedroom acrobatics right off the bat made me completely appreciate this approach. Although the sex is plentiful – given that it’s the basis of the story – it’s never gratuitous and doesn’t overwhelm the narrative. 

This is a very low angst book, and thankfully, there are no major misunderstandings or communication problems. This is Michael and Bryce’s world, and as such, there’s not a major contribution from supporting characters, with a few exceptions. As a reviewer, I read a lot of books and it’s often difficult to remember character names, even from books I really like. It’s like my brain can only retain a limited amount of MM romance data. I do know, though, I won’t be forgetting Michael and Bryce and their visceral dynamic. Bossy is a standout love story that I know will be among my top reads this year. There’s just something special about them. 

RATING: 

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