A review by lezreadalot
The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair

4.0

“Just once. Only once.” I mean it. I can live with once. I can’t live with never.

This was really fun and sexy! And age-gap office romance, kind of a trope reversal. Laurie is desperate for a new job, and is ecstatic to land one as an assistant for a powerful lawyer. At first, it seems like she and her standoffish, ice-queen boss have nothing in common, but there's an attraction sizzling beneath the surface that can't be denied.

So far, Sinclair is two for two on writing ice queens that actually, fully appeal to me, which I'm notably picky about. It can be difficult to land that perfect balance between a haughty, self-possessed, powerful and cold woman, without tipping right over into mean/cruel/annoying. Diana hit the spot for me, and that probably has a lot to do with the way Sinclair evened out the power imbalance. (Of course, in a boss/employee situation, it can never be totally even, but she made it work for me.) Self-discovery/coming out is super near and dear to my heart in romance, and the journey we take with Diana, who starts out super closeted, was so great. And like, really hot. Laurie not only thaws the ice queen, but also reduces her to a puddle.