Bill Marshall might as well have been the Devil.Christina Lee Dodd needs Friday off work. Needs. She’s up to her eyeballs in problems.One of those problems is her boss, Bill Marshall. And Bill Marshall is an a**hole.The offer he makes is textbook inappropriate. An HR nightmare. But is it wrong for her to accept? Is it wrong for her to like it?Bass-Ackwards is a filthy wrong-way romance where two … like it?
Bass-Ackwards is a filthy wrong-way romance where two human beings make more mistakes than you can shake a stick at.more
Filthy. Emotional. Tender… Just how I like my characters. Ya’ll know me… I only recommend the ones I REALLY like 🙂
Man oh man, this book hit the floor running. I wasn’t expecting that and clearly didn’t know what exactly I was in for. At all. I mean what the heck did I just read and -lord help me- is there more? I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down.
There are key points in the story, from the start, that are hard to read. I’m pretty sure my mouth was hanging open. But the author told this story beautifully. The relationship started in all the wrong ways but somehow, I don’t know how, Bill and Christina became the story I want to read. I became invested in them and somehow wanted them to have their own HEA.
I mean, let’s be clear, this is a book. A fictional book. Not real life. And Eris Adderly wrote a unique, engaging, hopeful and riveting book.
I’d never heard the term wrong-way romance until this book. I wasn’t sure what that even meant then I met Bill. He’s been secretly in love it’s his employee and in a fleeting moment he propositions her.
Christina (while a blonde I keep seeing the girl from Grey’s Anatomy, guess it’s the name) needs this favor from her a**hole boss so she concedes to his terms. Dubcon aside that first sex scene at work is HOT AF! And the sex only gets steamier. The way Bill watches and commands is sinfully delicious.
Yes, there is a power dynamic that favors Bill.
Yes, Christina basically sells herself.
Yes, it looks like sexual assault/rape BUT is that truly the case when both parties consent? You decide.
Both parties feel guilty over what they’re doing; yet they still crave each other’s touch.
Both think about each other in the wee hours of the night and morning when wandering hands get the better of them.
So what I’m saying is don’t fret over the boss-employee thing. Hop on and enjoy the ride instead.
As real life as it could get
This was a new kind of read all together.
There’s an alpha you love to hate, our heroine is no damsel in distress, her indecisions on the choice she was given are what made this book the funny real situations a great read. I most definitely recomend.
Every once in awhile I’m delighted to read a book that is an all round genuine wonderful & thoroughly enjoyable read. The key words here are ALL ROUND. I’ve read many books I’ve loved but almost always there is something in each that tends to rub me the wrong way, & unfortunately it almost always is something to do with the heroine. Too aggressive vs assertive, TSTL, whiney, too snarky & smart mouthed, too angst ridden, pages of internal wallowing, etc . . . .
But I must say, there truly isn’t anything I found in this book that irritated or bored me, at all.
I read this one in one sitting, drawn into the lives of pragmatic, responsible, loving Christina Lee Dodd (heroine) & stern, serious & enigmatic Bill Marshall (H).
I absolutely loved the delicate touches of the author, that exposed the personalities of both Christina & Bill in measured bits that unfurled before the reader like a mat being slowly unrolled. The author gives the reader alternating peeks via 3rd person tense for both the main characters, assisting us to understand motivations but never quite telling us everything at once.
Christina does have a sharp sense of snarkiness, but it’s almost completely internal, we get delightful short stabs of her sense of humor that she is mature enough to know need to be unexpressed verbally. Especially relating to her pain in the posterior boss, Bill Marshall. But Christina has desperate personal obligations that keep her focused on ensuring she is making money in order to stave off disaster. And so she’s been working at Bill’s equipment rental business: Haul Ash for the last 2 years, never missing a day. But then comes a day she MUST have off, but of course Bill is a Grade A, #1 jerk & refuses to grant her request. Unless . . . .
Bill Marshall is a hard worker & a harder taskmaster. He’s never been known to smile, joke or laugh, he’s always serious, quiet, firm & confident. He puts his blood & sweat into his business & expects his employees to do the same. He doesn’t do small talk, chat or meaningless greetings; he is blunt, to the point & stingy with his words. When Christina asks for a day off his immediate answer is ‘NO’. Unless . . . .
It’s hard for me to express how much I did greatly ENJOY this story & the characters. Although both characters have their share of angst, the understandable as well as the unfounded, it was thankfully brief & not overdone. No pages & pages of a character wallowing in self pity, anger at the other, etc.
If this were a painting, it would be a watercolor vs a heavy Baroque oil; light splashes & dashes of color beautifully swept across a canvas: the lightest sweeps of palest pastels here with some deep dark brush stokes of prime colors there. Little thoughts & actions of Christina & Bill that told so very much about each one without needing paragraphs to do so.
I found the author created characters I was interested in, intrigued by & genuinely wanted to KNOW about & HOPED would find a HEA together. I had my fingers crossed for them as I was swept deeper & deeper into their lives & mutual journey & I really just flat out ENJOYED this book. It made me chuckle, smile, sigh & worry for two truly nice people who both needed someone special in their lives.
I’m still digesting what I just read and trying to figure out what to say because I can’t really think of anything that will do it justice. To say that it’s a clever story is a start; because it is that and more. If you read Ms. Adderly’s profile, she’ll tell you that she writes about criminals and outcasts (and more) and that her stories are “escape-from-reality romance” and I’m going to differ on that statement this time. After reading “Bass-Ackwards,” I feel as though this was exactly the dose of reality I needed. To be immersed in the everyday coupled with probably the worst attempt at courting I’ve ever seen or read. So much so, that I couldn’t stop grinning as I tapped those Kindle pages. So buy the book and read the story. Ms. Adderly makes the ordinary, extraordinary.
The writing is hysterical and clever. The main female character is sassy and sweet, The main male character is brooding and fascinating. The romance is unique and delightful.
I kept wondering what would happen next! Great read.
Just couldn’t finish this book.
This book was easy to read, funny and entertaining
The romance IS Bass-Ackwards! It’s one of the hottest books I’ve read!
Ugh
It’s a little choppy and lacks character development, but if you want a cute story with some great sex, this book is for you.
KU.
A friend of mine recommended this as a funny, quick, & dirty read. It is exactly what it claimed to be and I had a blast reading it. I’ll admit to feeling little unnerved by the very start of Bill & Christina’s sexual relationship ~ but once past that, I really enjoyed it. Alternating POV’s gives us insight into both of these quirky, yet lovable characters.
This is listed as the first book in a series and I’m looking forward to more when they’re released.
An exquisitely clever and disciplined indulgence, turning the tropes of erotic progression on its head.
I’ve been waiting for this book to come out as a complete unit since I first read it back on Lit. I was so excited, and I was not at all disappointed. It was such a great story with a perfect journey for Bill and Christina.
There were so many things about this, but one of my favorite is the fact that A-hole Bill, as all his employees call him, might not be the total a-hole that everyone thinks that he is. I think part of the problem is that he doesn’t really talk to anyone and he has to have his life orderly.
Christina is a truly good woman. She is loyal and loving, and she is willing to do what is necessary so that she can make sure that those she loves are taken care of.
I love the two of them together, and I would so love to see another book.
I need a Bill. Eris Adderly creates a realistic world with angst, hate, love, and all the freaking feels. Laugh, cry, she drags it all out. Bill and Christina – dang. This story is a total five star read.
If you’re looking for slow burn, look elsewhere. Like the title says, everything is indeed backwards in this incredibly well-written romance.
Eris Adderly’s writing is phenomenal, and Back-asswards is no exception. This reverse romance novel is unparralled in anything I have read and it just leaves me craving more. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance novel to break the mold.
So, I’ll be totally honest at first I was like….um, I’m not so sure about this. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I worried that I had made a mistake. BUT – I did not, no mistake made, shew! As I got more into the story I realized I was really enjoying it. It has a very different storyline than anything that I have read before. By the time it was over, I was totally invested in the book. It has a very high steam factor and my husband greatly appreciated the book even though he didn’t read the first page.
I first read this novel while serialized over on Literotica. By the time I was done, I was begging for it to be released someday as a full-length novel, and thank you sweet Jesus it finally has.
Listen, this novel is just impossible to describe in words that will do it justice. In the first chapter alone it grabs you by the scruff of the neck and says “Git yer ass over here, ’cause I got a story to tell you.” The premise is WILDLY improbable and inappropriate when you first read it, and there’s little doubt most readers (and I was one) will be going “Oh, come on!” But that’s part of the absolute beauty of this story. You’ll think you know what is what, even as you roll your eyes. But you won’t. You’ll be wrong. Ever so subtly, through descriptions and dialogue that ring so mother-blessed true to life, you’ll find yourself pulled into this story. These people solidify and become some of the most fully drawn and real people you’ll read right before your eyes. Where you were groaning and going “Give me a break…” at the beginning you are suddenly nodding your head going, “Yeah, I’ve felt that.” or “Boy, I remember doing something like that back when I was…” This novel takes what should be a godawful set-up and then it hooks itself into you before you’re fully aware, and then it drags your heart, your emotions and—yeah—all those tingly, sexy-feely places all over the map. Eventually you just give up trying to figure out where the author is going to take you next because, honestly, you won’t give a damn. You are just so caught up in these two stupid, blind, hilariously wonderful people and the journey they are on together that you’re just glad to be along for the ride. And that’s the thing; this novel is just such an incredibly beautiful journey, and the two main characters are so flawed and yet so relatable that you will alternately want to hug than and then slap them upside the head. By the end of the novel, you simply want to be able to climb out of a pick-up, head to the back porch, and sit a spell while the bbq is grilling and just talk with them. You’ll want to laugh over a beer and say “Yeah, you two were acting like such damn fools, but you were foolin’ no one but yourselves. We could all see it.” And watch their faces smile, and bask in that, because that’s just how damn good this story is.
Go. If you haven’t already read this novel, just drop what you’re doing and buy it now. You will NOT regret it.
I gua-ran-damn-tee it.