The customer always comes first, but IT consultant Brady Jansen loves to hate Nash O’Hara. Except the fine line between hate and attraction means sometimes Brady can’t help it when he crosses the boundary between professional and personal.Recently divorced, workaholic Nash knows he’s hard to please. When the smart-mouthed IT consultant he depends on to keep his office running offers a … no-commitment hookup, it seems like exactly what he and Brady both need to get through a busy summer at work. No one has to know about their arrangement.
But the more time they spend together, the more secrets they have to keep from the people around them—and from each other. The lies are piling up, until it’s hard to tell who’s fooling whom. If Brady and Nash want to find the balance between work and love, a little honesty will go a long way.
Work-Love Balance is a 70k contemporary MM office romance. It’s hot enough you’ll want to make sure the air conditioning is on in your cubicle, and heartfelt enough you’ll want to smack both characters before the end. HEA guaranteed
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Very enjoyable and very hot. Also…very Canadian!
I found Work-Love Balance a great read. Enemies to lovers, an age gap, and office romance, you can’t ask for more.
Brady and Nash are compelling characters, on the surface very different, but in reality not so much. Brady is working around the clock to keep his IT company running and has no time for relationships. Nash has been there, done that, and it cost him his marriage. He only Brady for the smallest IT-related things. And I must say he’s not the nicest and most patient man about it. Brady, on the other hand, is almost too good to be true and comes running whenever Nash calls him. But between the lines, you can read there is so much more than client and consultant.
Allison Temple did a wonderful job building up the relationship from business to personal. The air is crackling with sexual tension, and I was just waiting for their first kiss, and it still took me by surprise.
I loved the banter between them and how they tried to maintain they were just out for a hookup. It’s so obvious there is more than that.
Of course there’s drama, coming from Nash’s ex-husband. I thought Nash gave in a bit too easily, even though it concerned his children. But luckily, Brady didn’t care for it too much either and made it abundantly clear, and Nash gets his head on straight again. Both men are invested in their relationship, willing to learn from their mistakes, and take a leap of faith.
I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.
This book was sweet, sexy, funny, heartbreaking, and just so very good. I loved Brady and Nash, and I enjoyed tagging along on their bumpy road to happiness together. Each man was a workaholic in need of someone who understood them, even if neither fully realized that at first. Despite an age gap, they were pretty much made for each other.
With Nash’s guilt over not being around enough for his sons, and Brady’s panic attacks, things weren’t all roses and sunshine, but the end result was so worth it! This was a fabulous story, and I’m looking forward to the next book in this new series. Highly recommended!
I’ve not yet read a book by this author that I didn’t love and this one is no exception. Starts off with snarky banter and a sizzling hot sexual chemistry. Both Nash and Brady are workaholics and don’t have time for anything other than meeting for steamy hook ups. These intimate scenes are used to great effect to show the development of the relationship and how quickly it moves from a matter of convenience to something more like a relationship. Nash and Brady are both sweethearts and I loved their banter, the dynamic of their sexual relationship (which is not what you think based on the first few pages – there’s no daddy kink here), and the easy progression of their relationship.
Well written, fun, with a little angst.
Highly recommended.
I was swooned by this story and adored it. It had all the feelings a good balanced, emotional romance must have.
This story is told by both men’s different views and I loved them hard.
Snarky comments, rude, witty, funny, sweet, you name it and it’s here.
Brady Jansen has an IT company and one of his clients is Nash O’Hara of the company Out & About. There is always something going on there with their network, laptops, mobiles.
Nash yells and is demanding of Brady and Brady serves it up with a snarky attitude and a smile.
In all this commotion Nash kisses Brady hard to shut snarkiness up. Dang, that’s the start of a sexual relationship. The age-gap doubts in Nash’s head are all banged out of his brain in a blink.
It’s just hooking up, not dating, no expectations. Both don’t want anything serious. Just now and then and only for the sex. Just to escape their busy lives and enjoy each other.
But they fit so well and spend more and more time together. It all feels so honest and natural.
Nash’s two kids live most of the time with his ex, Dominic. When he claims Nash’s time and pressures him about his failure towards his children Nash has to make a heartbreaking decision.
Both Nash and Brady are lovable guys, Nash is chaotic and after his divorce, also feeling confused, guilty, and lonely. Brady has a big caring heart, in the bedroom is quite the dominant one. There are some delicious encounters to enjoy. Both men were vulnerable and endearing.
This whole story breathes love and compassion. Nash and Brady connect wonderfully.
The side stories as both their companies and families are greatly entwined in this story.
At times it was so funny I snorted hard. There were hot af and heartbreaking moments.
All inner dialogue and struggle were honest, with purpose and best intention.
A smoothly written, captivating, well developed, very lovable story which I surely want to recommend!
Allison Temple’s latest novel had me in stitches! I’m talking moments wherein I full-on snort-laughed. Thank goodness I read at home or else I’d have gotten looks, not that I would have cared all that much considering my attention was solely on Work-Love Balance, the first in Temple’s new Out & About series. This had a kind of work-place romance feel to it meshed with a bit of enemies-to-lovers and age-gap romance as well. I’ve read all of Temple’s full-length novels–and almost all of her short stories–and this new series starter is my favorite (so far!).
This was such a great and entertaining read. I couldn’t help the smiles that broke through and the laughs that bubbled over. Nash and Brady may have had being workaholics in common, but they had a slew of over things that they needed to work through. I loved seeing their relationship develop from being hook-ups to more, and Brady interacting with Nash’s kids was adorable. The supporting characters were memorable, but thankfully, they never stole the attention away from Nash and Brady. Work-Love Balance was a fab start to this promising series. 4.5 stars.
Wow I have been a fan of Allison Temple’s books and the stories that she weaves and this one was so much fun to read. I love how these two men have already known each other from previous interactions, but how taking a risk causes these two men to realize that they start to want more with each other. Adding to the emotions is the fact that the workplace environment is being pulled in causing them to deny or push aside what they have forming. This book was such a fun read, love Brady and Nash, and can’t wait for more!
I have to start with I always love a book in Canada, but I really did love Work-Love Balance. It was such a sweet romance. I liked the age difference, that was only a minor issue. I thought Nash’s twins were adorable and I thought how he dealt with being a divorced dad was realistic and positive. Brady was such an interesting man, trying to figure out how to balance work, life and love. Their romance was hot and sexy. I loved that it wasn’t full of angst, that they really did communicate (okay, not perfectly, but mostly) and they figured it out and I’m definitely looking forward to more in the Out and About series. I would totally recommend this book.
If hot and steamy office romances with an age gap are your trope, then Work-Love Balance by Allison Temple is for you! The IT consultant gets passionately involved with the business manager and sets your Kindle on fire!
Nash runs the Film Festival office and is technologically challenged. His divorce six months ago has left him grumpy and a complete workaholic (although that was a big part of the reason for the divorce). He’s a control freak who overthinks every decision and tries to balance his hectic work life with finding time for his twin sons. It’s a daily battle until he hears something he shouldn’t from his IT consultant…
Brady runs his own IT business and even though he’s young, he works his butt off to prove he can handle the demands of his clients – even being on call 24/7. One of his clients is Nash – a hot ‘daddy’ kind of guy whose grumpy demeanour only serves to turn Brady on.
The dynamic heat built between these two is scorching and multi-layered. It’s easy to identify with both men who are very flawed and authentic – right down to their awkwardness, humour and family dramas. The character development through the story is superbly done with the guys slowly evolving over the course of the read.
A little bit of nerd, a little bit of humour, a little bit of angst and a whole lot of heat make Work-Love Balance by Allison Temple a fantastic office romance read!
Allison Temple does it again with WORK-LOVE BALANCE – this story is heartfelt and cute, but delivers enough depth to be a truly engrossing read. I read this age-gap MM romance in a day, and admit to have let out a happy squeak when it landed on my Kindle (I preorder Allison’s books because I’m A FAN NOW AND THIS IS WHAT WE DO AROUND HERE).
Brady is the perfect cinnamon roll cutie with anxiety issues and too much work on his plate, and Nash is my favorite type of hero: a grump with a heart of gold. Their developing romance was delicious to watch, and I can’t wait for more from Allison!
Nash and Brady were smoking hot! There is an age-gap, and a boss/employee type relationship that just made them so steamy together. Struggling with his life after his divorce, Nash is snippy, arrogant, and harsh in the way he deals with Brady most of the time. The younger IT guy lives for the banter between them though, and pretty soon they find it hard to keep their hands off of each other. I also loved their banter, and almost died of laughter when Brady had to make a late-night visit to fix Nash’s computer after he “lost everything”… And when they realised there was something deeper between them, they were so so sweet… right up until I wanted to smack Nash over the head. Thankfully, Brady fights for what they both want, and they finally figure out a work-life-love balance that is just perfect.
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I liked this book, I liked it a lot, but I can’t quite bring myself to love it, I’m afraid!
I did love how Brady manages to push all of Nash’s buttons, and then some, and that was BEFORE Nash heard what Brady said! But I also loved that Nash was pushing all Brady’s buttons too.
Their attraction has been bubbling under the surface for months, and it carries right through the book. It’s powerful, that attraction and it makes both men go against their own laid out rules.
I didn’t find it especially explicit, but it is HAWT in places. I also didn’t find it overly emotional, to be honest. I struggled with both guys in places and as the blurb says, I wanted to bash their bloody heads together at some points!
I liked the supporting cast, both for Nash in his office, and Brady’s best friend. Nash’s ex is . . .difficult. . . but not really malicious in his actions, just one of those overprotective parents for their twins.
Both Nash and Brady have a say, in the first person. Each change comes as the chapter changes and is clearly headed.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, and the first I have read of this author. I would like to read more.
4 good, likable stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I loved it!
While I admit to having several books by Allison Temple in my overflowing digital library, Work-Love Balance is the first one I’ve read – and I loved it.
This is an age-gap story that doesn’t beat you over the head with the 14-year age difference. The story is told in first-person, alternating between Brady and Nash. This is pretty much my favorite type of first-person POV story as I enjoy getting both sides of a relationship.
The blurb for the book is great so take a look at it. Brady is a young entrepreneur running his own IT business. Nash’s company is one of Brady’s customers. While they both know that it’s not a good idea to get involved with each other, they can’t seem to help themselves.
Nash is a divorced father of twin boys and has shared custody with his ex. Both Brady and Nash are workaholics but somehow, they manage to find time for each other. Problems come into play when Nash’s ex tells him that one of their son’s is struggling in school.
There are some really hot, sexy scenes in this book – like scorching hot – but the story is also very compelling. The writing is smooth and easy to read; it really flows well. I loved how Brady and Nash’s relationship evolved and how they worked through their problems.
I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author and more books in this series.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
At the beginning of this book Brady and Nash were not just uncorrectable workaholics, but two men slowly losing control of their lives. There’ve been moments they seemed close to crawling out of their skins, battling anxiety. It was saddening to witness, but thankfully, at some point, when they needed an escape from their problems, they started running toward one another. Just for a few hours of sweating away all their concerns, *wink*, and losing themselves in each other. I liked the way they found comfort and understanding in one another, their encounters becoming more than the occasional humping between the sheets.
So, they had their bubbles of relative calm, away from the outer chaos, and I was really excited to see if they’d be able to make their relationship work in the real world. They definitely had the chemistry and the complicity. I was curious to see if they’d be able to make a drastic shift of priorities or whether or not finding the perfect – would be enough to guarantee them a future together. I have to say, they didn’t disappoint!
Really great book. Recommended
I loved these two man – their relationship was intense from the get go. I loved how the author made things work for and against them. I loved that despite being young Brady had a strong sense what needs to be done and hoe. And I could relate in so many levels with Noah with constant worries if I’m doing enough for my kids. What I loved was that when push comes to shove they knew they needed each other in order to get past the hurdles.
This author is seriously growing on me. This was my second book and I’m hooked. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
Fun and real situations, plus oodles of sizzle
4.5stars
This Canadian couple really worked for me and I am SO glad that Dominic maneuvered himself out of the way (eventually)! The problems with work-life balance and dealing with a splintered family and young kids were handled very true-to-life. Brady is much younger but displays a maturity, both in business and in his relationship with Nash, that had me on his side. And the wry humor of dealing with Nash’s laptop “disaster” before a big presentation: having worked with help desk professionals, I just nodded and smiled.
This story was well-written, with moderate angst, plenty of steam, likable main characters and a different setting. In my opinion, we don’t get enough stories set in Canada!
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Office romance with a twist. Nash is a workaholic, very dedicated and determined to succeed. He has lost his family to his work ethic. Brady is a young man with his own company making it in the IT world and he works for Nash. Their age difference, working together and their relationship seems like there is no future for them but the author rocks this story with a bit of angst, a lot of chemistry and great characters. I loved this book.