This is a fast-paced workplace romance between a heroine who sets out to lose her virginity... only to get halfway there at a sex club with a stranger, then later find he's CEO of an AI company, whose tool they're integrating into her workspace.

I thought the premise was great, because of the continued (and disappointing) rarity in Black and queer characters in traditionally-published romances, and a sex club setting felt unique for the same reason, since tradpub presents a very white, cis-het vision of sex club clientele. The follow-through, however, was mixed. While I appreciated the rep and the care with which Zakiya N. Jamal wrote the hero and his brother's experiences as transracial adoptees, the writing and characters felt flat and the romance lacked chemistry. I never really felt there was a connection between Max and Stella, nor was there a compelling reason they should be together beyond one night. There is no push and pull between them, nor is there any palpable spark to make both of them override all caution and keep seeing each other.

As for the sex club of it all, I don't understand why the setting was necessary, as the the club lent nothing at all to their relationship, nor do they return to it after that first night. Stella bumps into Max there, quickly propositions him, then they get a room. This could have just as easily happened at a bar or a mutual friend's party, and the outcome would be the same.

It's also A Choice to make the hero a CEO of an AI company, particularly in this political and economic climate. The hero claims the tool isn't generative, and more of a searchbot/virtual assistant that inputs preexisting, sourced data into the not!Buzzfeed quizzes and articles, though that doesn't prevent the (very real) fear the heroine and her coworkers have of having their jobs outsourced by AI. But the AI tool won't be writing whole articles, apparently! Just assist! Wonder how long that will last.... spoiler alert, it doesn't. Most of the blame, however, is pinned on the hero's brother, who runs not!Buzzfeed and wants to downsize after getting the new AI tool, rather than the hero, who is the actual creator of the tool. The plot avoids culpability on Max's part by only questioning the use of the AI tool, rather than the existence and need for such a tool to begin with.

The sex:

There are a solid handful of explicit sex scenes scattered throughout the book, starting with a very early sex scene that ends sooner than either of them wanted. My problem is, the sex itself feels very wooden despite the creativity of the acts (phone sex, toys are Employed), just because there doesn't seem to be any desire between these two.

Overall:

I wanted to like this book, but the progression of Max and Stella's relationship made little sense, and I was left questioning whether their "I love you's" had any real weight. Couple that with a story that barely grapples with the full implications of AI in the workspace, and I could not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy.

Rating: 3/5 Heat Level: 3.5/5 Pub Date: December 2nd