Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether to chop me into pieces or pull my hair and French kiss me.
Dominic
I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job… in my office… after being hired by my mother.
So maybe her colorful, annoying, … colorful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be the next Russo man to take advantage of his position. I might be a second-generation asshole, but I am not my father.
She’s working herself to death at half a dozen dead-end jobs for some secret reason she doesn’t feel like sharing with me. And I’m going to fix it all. Don’t accuse me of caring. She’s nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. If I can get her to quit, I can finally peel away all those layers. Then I can go back to salvaging the family name and forget all about the dancing, beer-slinging brunette.
Ally
Ha. Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.
Author’s Note: A steamy, swoony workplace romantic comedy with a grumpy boss hero determined to save the day and a plucky heroine who is starting to wonder if there might actually be a beating heart just beneath her boss’s sexy vests.
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A fun, sexy workplace romance! Don’t miss!!
Stunning stand alone!
I’ve already read this girthy emotional powerhouse twice, and it lacks nothing in the re-read. Massively powerful, emotional, sexy and funny as only Lucy Score can bring. And bring it she does. Her best book yet.
Dominic Russo has nothing to be happy or hopeful about. A job he thinks he hates, a mother he thinks he resents, underlings he lives to terrify. Days full of emptiness and meaningless meetings. Until one cold evening when he walks into a grungy pizzeria and goes toe to toe with the plucky Ally Morales. Hanging on by a thread Ally. Ally, who literally has nothing but nerve and guts to sustain her.
And so begins their dance. Not a beautiful waltz, nope. Not even a sensual tango. It’s a down and dirty grind as they spit fire at each other. Never have two people been so right for each other despite all their differences. Never has a love been so hard won. I dare you to read this book and not be moved by Ally and Dom!
Lucy Score has the golden touch when it comes to laugh-out-loud stories that hit you right in the feels. She proves it again in this grumpy boss, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romantic comedy. A great escape from real life, which we all need more than ever!
Dominic’s world is about to be shaken to the core when Grumpy Grump Face meets the sexiest piece of sass this side of Jersey. I was #TeamAlly from the first scene they share. She may be desperate to earn the money she needs to keep her life afloat but that doesn’t mean she’ll take his brand of bossy snobbishness. Honestly, I was laughing out loud so much with this book.
I was really intrigued with how similar Ally and Dom’s backgrounds were. Not that they had the same childhood, just that their childhood made such an impact on their adulthood. For Dom, it’s his relationship with his father. For Ally, it’s the lack of relationship with her mother. But more than that, I came to realize that it was the positive impressions made by their other parents that end up shining through.
Another plus for this reader, Dom and Ally aren’t just out of college kids just getting started in the world. They’re Gen X! I could totally relate to them on so many levels but the strained muscles after ‘strenuous exercise’ had laughing out loud for real.
While this is a romantic comedy, there are a couple of really not funny themes that are dealt with within the pages and handled very well. One steals our loved ones away while they still live and other creates such a gross disadvantaged work society that an entire modern movement was developed to combat it’s effects. Again, I thought Ms. Score handled both with dignity and honesty.
I’ve been a Lucy Score fan for a while and stalk her author page religiously for hints of new stories. This one in particular was fun to watch develop and I still wasn’t prepared for how much I fell in love with the characters until I read it. They click. As in the chemistry is so palpable, it jumped off the page with both sparks and smoke.
A great couple needs fantastic friends and side characters but also a villain. So I wouldn’t say this story has a true black hat bad guy. Don’t get me wrong, Dom’s dad deserves to chemically castrated but other than a single scene he’s mostly a background threat. It was enough tho. I instantly disliked him for how he treated Dom and his mother as much as I disliked him for how he treated others.
It’s always a good day when a favorite author releases a new story. Fans of Lucy Score as well as fans of really good story telling need this book.
Another SMASHING romantic comedy from Lucy Score! WOW
Grumpy boss / workplace romance AND enemies-to-lovers? Yes please!
By a Thread is Lucy Score’s best book yet. It was a perfect balance of light-hearted, funny, and sweet moments and ones that were more serious and at times heartbreaking.
Dom – aka Grumpy Grump Face – and Ally meet in an unconventional way when he gets her fired. His mother, who is editor in chief of the fashion magazine Label, hires Ally to work at the magazine. Label also happens to be where Dom works as well. One of my favorite romance tropes is the grumpy hero and sunshiny heroine, and Dom and Ally fit the bill perfectly. Ally is one of my all time favorite heroines. She is strong, caring, and hard working. Even though I have never been in a situation similar to hers, she was so easy to relate to.
Dom and Ally were fabulous, but just like in Bootleg Springs, Blue Moon, and Benevolence, Lucy created a whole cast of amazing characters. You will fall in love with everyone – well almost everyone.
The book is long, but there wasn’t a bunch of fluff or filler that was unnecessary. It is one of the rare times I think a book needed to be long in order to do the story and characters justice.
I cannot recommend this book enough!
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.
“It was humiliating to know that the man could insult me to my face and my body would till want to see his naked.”
I dare you to try and read this story and not smile, snicker or laugh out loud. Even Mr. Grumpy Grump Face wouldn’t be able to do it. The flying insults, witty banter and sexual tension between Dominic & Ally had me so engrossed I couldn’t stop reading…and that’s saying something…this book is long. So, just a heads-up, you’ll most likely end up with a book hangover, and it will be well worth it.
Ally is barely surviving, working multiple jobs and living on ramen noodles…or less. But you’d never pick up on how hard things are for her because she’s sweet and sassy and has such a good attitude. Until you flip her switch. Guess who flipped her switch? Yup, a total stranger who was having a bad day and took it out on her. She never backed down, even though he was the ‘customer’ and she needed that job. And later, when his mother hired her and all the other employees were bowing and scraping, she refused to back down or quit. Because that’s what he wanted her to do.
Grab some popcorn, a mango margarita, and a fan. Prepare to be entertained to within an inch of your life. They lasted much longer than I did as they fought each other and their attraction. I had to giggle-snort when she considered being “Enemies with benefits.” The slow burn is delicious but I was searching for some scissors to cut that thread or a match to light it on fire. I could feel their intense chemistry and I couldn’t wait for them to give in to their feelings. And when they finally did, I almost got carpal tunnel from waving my fan. Two thumbs-up and five iScream Cones!
By a Thread, written by Lucy Score, is a long book in terms of pages, but not in terms of the story; the story flies by. This novel is very complex on it’s exploration of a relationship of two people, Ally and Dominic (AKA: Maleficent and Charming, yes, their nicknames for each other, LOL). Ally and Dominic are in their 40s so they are “established” adults in the sense that they have life experiences under their belts and baggage too.
Dominic is from a well healed family that are in the fashion world of NYC, mainly, it’s his Mom who runs a successful fashion magazine and, due to some very bad situations, Dom has left his career in finance to work for the fashion magazine. Dominic is not without scars. He is, among lots of descriptions, mainly grumpy, but the reader will be very delighted to discovery that Dominic has a heart of gold under his grumpiness. Ladies, this is a book boyfriend you’ve been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, Dominic has flaws and screws up pretty big because he can be grumpy and presumptive, but most importantly, he is redeemable and he’s a caretaker; a very, very grumpy caretaker at times, but also a very sweet, forceful, heart bursting kind of caretaker.
Ally is on her own path, again a seasoned adult that, due to a series of family and personal issues, recently lost everything and is struggling in her own way, but honestly, she is OK because she’s doing what every other responsible adult would do to get things in order. She’s brash, opinionated, creative and very, very stubborn.
These two have a meet cute that isn’t really a meet cute at all and right off the bat my thought was, “I LOVE this chick!” I see some of myself in Ally, I can be stubborn and brash, I draw lines in the sand, I help people but don’t accept help in return very gracefully.
As an older reader (older that Ally and Dom!) what I really love about this story is that adults in their 40s don’t have all the answers; the magical mystery of “adulting” is still just that: a mystery. Dom and Ally fight, give and take, fall for each other, yell at each other, don’t talk to each other and in the end forgive, which a very important function of being an adult, but this is a story with a lot of real relationship elements.
As the pages of this story unfold and we are treated to some kind of wonderful in Ally and Dominic’s relationship, we are transported into this very real and wonderful relationship that’s full of imperfections and distrust of each other and themselves, and there is BANTER, very good, funny banter between these two; it’s like a hallmark of this author and it never fails to entertain and amuse. I won’t lie, there are times my heart hurt for both or one of them and I shed a tear; there are emails that tore my heart out, tossed it on the floor and kicked it around for a little while and it was a bit before the author picked up my dusty battered heart and gently handed it back to me. There is PIZZA, bus stops, tons of funny moments and secret random acts of kindness that are just heartwarming. The supporting cast is wonderful, Dom and Ally’s friends and Dom’s Mom all add so much to the story itself.
Also, as I write this, we are in the middle of the 2019/2020 pandemic. My personal note to this author: I greatly appreciate that you released this book during this very challenging time. This book gave me an escape from daily life and also gave me the feeling of normalcy and comfort, so a heartfelt thank you!
Bottom line: Grab this one and hold on to your hat, you’ve in for a bumpy ride with a hard earned HEA!
I loved this book! It had everything. It made me laugh, and it was also intensely emotional. Plus, a grumpy hero in a vest – talk about total catnip. Also, the grovel was very gratifying. Often I think the wounded character (whichever they may be) lets the other off too easy, but I didn’t get that here.
Lucy Score is at it again with another laugh out loud romantic comedy!
An Enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, which happens to be one of my favorite tropes. Funny and sexy. The perfect escapist read!
Lucy Score rocks! New one from her.
Ally and Dominic are MAGIC!
By a Thread is romantic comedy set in New York fashion world and it stands alone with a spectacular HEA.
Ally and Dominic, aka Maleficent and Charming, just became my favorite romantic couple EVER, and there are so many things I absolutely ADORE about this phenomenal story.
Dominic is a brooding, grumpy alpha with the heart of gold, and the more we learn about him and his upbringing, the more we fall in love with him.
Ally is a strong, lovable heroine, whose family obligations have her running full speed in several directions and managing multiple competing priorities.
By a Thread has a multilayered captivating story line that will pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh out loud; the character development and an amazing cast of secondary characters is simply extraordinary.
We first meet Ally and Dominic as he arrives at a pizzeria where Ally is his server. Their epic banter commences at the very beginning of this amazing story and never seizes to entertain.
“Sir, are you here for STD panel results or hemorrhoids?” she shouted in the vicinity of my cell’s microphone.
Once I started reading, I could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting.
Talk about couples goals – #ALOMINIC
By a Thread has it all – steam, swoon, witty banter, love, heartache, laugh out loud moments and the very best cast of characters I’ve read in a long time!!!
It’s a definite must read and highly recommend from me!
It’s not often I read an M/F romance that I rave about but By a Thread is one of them. It was the series title that drew me in and I laughed through this book. Out loud belly laughs. You want a book to make you feel better? This is the one.
My first Lucy Score book and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more!
Lucy Score just gets better and better with every book. This was absolutely wonderful. She walks the line between showing Dom’s hidden softer side and his very out there jerk tendencies in this grumpy soft for sunshine novel with Pride and Prejudice overtones. Watching him and Ally spar was totally popcorn worthy. Narrators Erin Mallon and Sebastian York absolutely bring this to delightful life and made me super sad when it ended. Two thumbs up and a squee cannon salute.
Score delivers with By A Thread. A wonderfully steamy, enemies/boss to lovers romance that will have readers up late to get in another chapter. I highly recommend this book to fans of the contemporary romance genre.
I loved this book so much that I really couldn’t put it down and when it ended I promptly grabbed the bonus epilogue. The setting was perfect for me (I love the fashion world) and mostly I was thrilled that both characters were a little bit ahead with their age. What really excited me most about the story was this escalating sexual tension that finally came to an end giving me just that thrill to calm down my heartbeat. This book made me realize that love can catch you by surprise no matter what your age is.
I loooooooved this book!! It was funny, sad, sweet!!! LOVED IT!!!