The Sweet Spot: The Board Room meets the Laboratory
- Ingrid Rivera
- Mar 13, 2024
- 5 min read
There is a reason we call this section The Sweet Spot. Whether you're curious about reading a spicy book or know you're not ready for it and want to dip your toes in the water, these are the books for you. While both picks stand out in their own right, you will find that they showcase intimacy in a carefully crafted way to aid the plot rather than detract from it. This month's picks will have you suiting up as you prepare for your first week on the new job only to find yourself struggling to resist your attraction to your new boss and then slipping on your lab coat as you step into the laboratory for an experiment in...love?
As a reminder, below is the structure of our Sticky Scale.
Wax
The first of the three ratings---and the one to which we dedicate this post---is Wax. Anyone who has previously handled wax knows it can be a slippery substance, but it becomes brittle when dried. Therefore, Wax books have no explicit sensuality. Physical romance
may be described in general terms or implied, but your innocence will remain intact.
Honey
Moving up a step, the second rating is Honey. As you can imagine, honey is significantly stickier than wax, but more importantly, it is sweeter. Honey's monthly section is The Sweet Spot because these books will be the perfect option for those looking for a more...
adventurous read while not devolving into spicy territory. In simpler terms, think fade to black. There is sure to be moderate sensuality, and physical actions will be described and detailed but will not be explicitly written. If you're unsure of whether you are ready for a
true spicy book, these recommendations are sure to help!
Nectar
At last, we have arrived at the last of the ratings: Nectar. These books are not for the faint of heart; I can guarantee you that. Nectar's monthly section has been deemed The Spice Rack (if you know, you know). These books will have your blood flowing, your palms
sweating, and your heartbeat racing. Whether you're into the sweet stuff, the taboos, or any of the laundry list of kinks out there, this section will surely have something for you! Be warned, our Nectar recommendations will have explicit sensuality and go beyond what is
appropriate for anyone under the age of 18. Sex will be written in graphic detail, and there is always a chance that acts beyond intercourse may make an appearance. So strap in, grab your favorite drink, and settle into your favorite spot as you venture into a world of
new experiences, or revisit your favorite smutty reads.
Follow The Rules
Rule #1: Don't Fall In Love With Your Boss
It's one of the oldest rules in the book. Most companies have rules against it. Some don't, but still make it known that it's frowned upon. Regardless, if there's one thing that ruins a relationship almost as quickly as cheating, it's a dysfunctional power dynamic. That's why all too often we are reminded that we shouldn't be dating our boss. Of course, sometimes, well, if everything aligns just right, you just can't refuse. We do concede, though, that while some may see it as a bit taboo, workplace romances always offer two things. The first, the excitement of keepign it secret, because let's be honest, that's how they all start. The second, a whole lot of drama. The best part of the boss/employee trope is that it's such a classic one that most authors are forced to find a new way to tell the story. It keeps everything fresh and new. There's just something about the irresistible nature of a boss that makes it all the more challenging to resist. But, at the end of the day, rules are rules.
Rule #2: Rules Are Made To Be Broken
That being said, we can all agree that some rules are just asking you to break them, and our first pick for this month's Sweet Spot category is The Rule Book by Jennifer Blackwood.
Starr Media Second-Assistant Survival Guide 1. Don't call your hot boss the antichrist to his face. 2. Don't stare at hot boss's, um, package or his full sleeve of tattoos. (No. Really. Stop!) 3. Don't get on the malicious first assistant's bad side. 4. Don't forget to memorize the 300-page employee manual. 5. If you value your cashmere, steer clear of boss’s dog. 6. Boss’s dimples are lust-inducing. Do. Not. Give. In. 7. “The elevator ate your clothes” is not a valid excuse for showing up to important meetings half dressed. 8. Don't break seven of the rules within the first week of employment if you, ya know, are in dire need of money to support your sick mom. 9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the boss. See rule eight about sick mom. 10. Never forget the rules. |
Jennifer Blackwood is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Oregon with her husband, son, and poorly behaved black lab puppy. She’s obsessed with llamas, DQ Blizzards, and the planner aisle at Michael’s. When not chasing after her kiddo, you can find her binge-watching shows on Netflix and locking herself in her office to write. You can read more about Jennifer and her work at her website jenniferblackwood.com.
The Formula For Lv (Love)
Step #1: Construct A Hypothesis
ny good scientists knows that the only way to a solution is through an experiment. For Dr. Olive Smith, who doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships, there is only one logical way to determine if she is correct: kiss the first man she sees. While we respect her enthusiasm, us literary scientists require a bit more...data. So let's help Dr. Smith out, and start by asking the question: Do lasting romantic relationships exist? We can;t forget the background research and as avid romance and chick lit genre readers, I am confident that each of us has put in mor e than enough time learnign about the subject at hand, so we may continue. It is time to create our hypothesis, as any good scientist knows, one must always make an educated guess of the results to conduct a proper experiment. For our purposes, we shall take Dr. Smith's belief at face value and say that our hypothesis is that lasting romantic relationships do not exist (who's going to tell her...). Now comes the fun part! It's time to put our hypothesis to the test, and Dr. Olive is already one step ahead of us, even though her spur-of-the-moment kiss might have jumped the gun a bit...or at the very least skipped a few steps.
Step #2: Test With An Experiment
If you'll direct your attention to the whiteboard, you'll find our second Honey pick of the month written beside our experiment detail: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope. |
Yes, that is a picture of Dr. Smith in a suprisingly well caught shot of the moment she got a bit ahead of herself. Nevertheless, what she lacks in tact, we make up for with our carefully crafted experiment for which she has already found the perfect candidate: Professor Carlsen, otherwise known as the man Dr. Smith jumped the gun with. Despite being involuntary selected to participate along Dr. Smith in our experiment, Professor Carlsen has agreed to assist in our investigation. As Dr. Smith and Professor Carlsen navigate their burgeoning relation---for scientific purposes we must add---we shall have to detemrine if our experiment is workign the way it should to give us the most ideal results. Regardless, if it seems our experiment begins to falter we shall not fret, for we must simply adjust our approach. At the end of the day, this is all just an experiment, right Dr. Smith? Dr. Smith? It seems she is otherwise occupied at the moment. We shall have to update the most recent progress at a later time.
Ali Hazelwood is riginally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When she's not at work you can find her binge-watching shows with her three feline overlords (and slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy. You can learn more about Ali and her list of novels at her website alihazelwood.com.
IF YOU READ ANY OF OUR MONTHLY HONEYPOT BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS, WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN THE QUEEN'S CORNER TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
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