Scan barcode
A review by salimah
Hot Copy by Ruby Barrett
2.0
I did not buy into the romance at the heart of this romance novel because the problematic power dynamic was no less problematic because the woman was the boss and her subordinate a man. I also didn't buy their connection; there was no established emotional development. It wasn't earned when the "hero" initiated their first kiss and the heroine's escalation--right after being harassed by her superior? Not only did that not feel earned, it felt like a perverse sublimation of instincts.
These characters weren't developed enough. If you are going to write a credible workplace romance between a supervisor and someone who reports to him or her, you have to create a rationale, circumstances, and incredible character development to back that up. But honestly? I just don't think it can be done unless the romance is between peers or involves a scenario where one of them reports to someone else, in another department. In this very story, there was active, aggressive harassment of the heroine by her superior. But she justified her actions to herself because her subordinate was also into it. It was immediately discrediting.
These characters weren't developed enough. If you are going to write a credible workplace romance between a supervisor and someone who reports to him or her, you have to create a rationale, circumstances, and incredible character development to back that up. But honestly? I just don't think it can be done unless the romance is between peers or involves a scenario where one of them reports to someone else, in another department. In this very story, there was active, aggressive harassment of the heroine by her superior. But she justified her actions to herself because her subordinate was also into it. It was immediately discrediting.