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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The female protagonist is what makes this book. She’s got a heart as wide as the Atlantic, a ton of courage, and is witty to boot. I laughed aloud multiple times. The dark moment is a little contrived and the book dragged a bit before the climax, but in the face of the book’s strengths, these are minor quibbles. This one goes on my keeper shelf. I know I’ll reread it at some point.
When two unlikely people from two different worlds collide in an altercation what the worst that can happen? Dominic Russo is used getting what he wants when he wants it. Coming from a rich and privileged family he has never known nothing but. So when Dominic enters George’s Village Pizza disobeying the rules of “no talking on the phone”, never did he think that he would be scolded by the curvy, sexy, curly haired waitress Ally. Who did Dominic think he was? Ally was not charmed by his looks and physic, in her eyes he was a spoiled rich brat that looked down at others. So when the opportunity presented itself, Ally was more than happy to let him know just what she thought of him by expressing her feelings on his pizza. Let’s just say that dod not set well with Dominic nor George the owner of the pizzeria. Ally was fired on the spot and just when she thought that her luck had run out she was offered a job that would change her life forever.
What a surprise it was for Dominic to find the fiery Ally before him when coming into work on Monday morning. His mom, Alessandra Russo saw something in Ally that she liked. Finally a woman that challenged her son and since her son got poor Ally fired from her last job, she felt that what better to repay her, by giving her a job. Dominic was not happy and he was set on making Ally’s life as difficult as possible. However, he didn’t realize that with time Ally would become more than an enemy.
By a Thread is funny, sexy, and an all around great story. Lucy Score did a great job creating amazing characters that challenged each other but also brought the best out of each other. I really enjoyed every moment of the book and I didn’t want it to end.
I loved this book so much and that bonus epilogue was simply beautiful.
I definitely recommend this book and hope the author gives us more with this great group of characters.
This book was definitely steamy, and I usually love Lucy Score’s witty writing (this book was certainly packed full of that), but I just didn’t love this one as much as I have her others. It was enjoyable and I loved the romance, just didn’t pack a full punch for me.
One of the best office/enemies/hottest/funniest/couldn’t put it down romance books ever!! I enjoyed every single thing about this book. Period!!
Highly recommended.
By a Thread was my first Lucy Score book and there are no words!!!
Definitely in my top 5 reads of 2020! Maybe too 3! Ally and Dominic were everything and their story made me laugh and cry. I loved everything about this story and highly recommended that anyone who loves romance reads it!
Want a book to brighten your day, lighten your heart, make you smile, chuckle or laugh out loud? Then By A Thread is just what you need. The two main characters Ally and Dominic AKA Maleficent and Charming are extraordinary. Their journey from hate to love is filled with wonderful vignettes and scenes that will warm your heart. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though. There’s a powerful underlying story that ties into today’s MeToo m9vement. Things get very rocky between Dom and Ally several times. She’s stubborn and he’s grumpy but in the end it’s about love and finding your happiness.
I love the hard ass with a big heart who falls hard trope. Lucy Score does it to perfection in this book. I liked the dual point of view and excellent supporting characters. A little glimpse into the families of dementia patients and sexual harassment give a bit of timeliness to the story. This is a light read and I did not expect this to be a heavy part of the story line a different author may have beefed up the story with the legal part of the story. Lucy kept it light as a background element that motivated the characters actions.
Oh my days, I loved this book!
It has everything – wonderful characters, witty dialogue, plus all the feels. I laughed out loud numerous times reading this and it will most definitely be going on my re-read shelf. Matter of fact, I think I’ll even buy the paperback and that is high praise indeed from me. With limited shelf space, I buy very few books in paperback, but this is going to be one of them.
Wow. I loved it!
Every time I read a Lucy Score book it seems she has outdone herself. This book has a swoon worthy hero, a kick a$$ heroine, lots of laughs, and steamy romance!
Dominic and Ally do not meet under the best of circumstances but what starts with a bang just continues to build until the chemistry between them leaps of the pages. While I love all of Ms. Scores couples, this may very well be my new favorite.
When he inadvertently gets her fired from her waitressing job, his mother takes it upon herself to hire Ally to work for their company. This is just the start of their flirty relationship that turn full on steamy before too long. They use snark and sass to to hide their feelings.
Lucy Score is hands down one of my favorite authors and is always a 1-click for me. I will never not buy one of her books. If you haven’t read anything by her you are truly missing out!
What an ending!
I will be brutally honest. I liked By a Thread. Lucy Score went real life and gave us the fantasy too. By a Thread is about “an older couple” or what the rest of us call 40s. They fight like cats and dogs and try not to like each other.
It’s fun, sexy, and sweet. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t completely taken by our arrogant Mr Grumpy Grump Face. And yet, you are wondering about my rating. Let me explain…
Have you ever looked at an outfit and said hub, nice? Then added a belt and felt like a supermodel.
Or how about you wrote a letter and thought it was good but on your reread, you tweak it and its sensational. Now you are going to win a Pulitzer.
By a Thread is a good book but one line very close to the end hit me in all the feels I hadn’t yet be exposed to. I was enjoying the book. I like the characters. I liked the storyline. But I fell in love in one line that also made me sob like a preganant woman with no chocolate at an ASPCA commercial. With that one line, everything changed.
Loved the humor and relatable characters in Lucy Score’s latest. Kept me reading all night! Plus… the cheese references made it feel like Lucy was talking to me. 🙂
Love it!!!
I can’t express how much I loved this book. Dominic and Ally will melt your heart, make you laugh and make you cry. I was on the edge of my seat waiting, endlessly waiting, for these two to realize their feelings.
I loved Ally so much. She is working multiple jobs to provide for her family and she does not have an easy life, but no matter what happens, she doesn’t let it get her down for long. She was a truly selfless character with a lot of sass. I want to be friends with her.
Dominic is the opposite. He was born into privilege, but he doesn’t enjoy life. He’s tightly guarded and always has to be in control so that he doesn’t end up like his dad. His employees fear him and he rarely smiles. Deep down, he has a giant heart and he secretly gives to those in need. When Ally comes into his life, she’s a breath of fresh air.
The banter between Dominic and Ally was EVERYTHING! From their first encounter, these two just set something off in the other. They hated each other, but yet they were drawn to each other. When they realize there is something more beneath the surface, sparks fly.
This is slow burn romance at its best. These two characters are fully developed and they bring out the best in each other. Dominic and Ally’s story was one of my favorites and I highly recommend this delightful book.
I absolutely adored Ally and Dominic. Their witty banter, will they won’t they, push pull is exactly what I love in a book. It’s a satisfying slow burn full of heart. It tackles meaningful topics, and does it without make it you feel like it’s there to make you have a moral to the story. It’s integrated in a meaningful and beautiful way. You feel the emotions of Dom and Ally leap off the page. I can’t remember the last time a book was so dense with a myriad of emotions. I enjoyed this book so much. Thank you Lucy score for the gift of this book!
Dominic is having a bad day and when he meets his mother for pizza where he has it out with the server and gets her fired on the spot. Dominic’s mother “runs into” Ally at the bus stop and offers her a job to replace the one that her son just got her fired from. Ally is determined to make this job stick so that she can continue to pay for her father’s care. Once Dominic finds out that Ally is working at the magazine, he makes it his goal to get her to quit so he can get her out of his system and then go back to trying to save his family name after his father ruined it.
Dominic (Charming) and Ally (Maleficent) were amazing. I loved the witty banter and sexual tension they had and it that had me laughing through the whole book. Ally is an amazingly strong heroine and did a great job of cheering up the grumpy grump face. Dominic truly had a heart of gold, once you got to it behind his barriers. By a Thread is an enjoyable read, all be it a little long, enemies to lovers, workplace romantic comedy.
*ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review*
Five stars is not enough! I loved everything about this story. The characters are phenomenal with so much personality that you can’t help but feel connected to them. The plot and storyline are well put together and it flows so well you won’t want to put it down.
4.5 Stars
I really loved this book. I couldn’t put this book down. I found myself laughing out a lot while reading this one. The banter between Ally and Dominic was my favorite part of the book. They rub each other the wrong way at first. I loved Ally’s personality. She’s someone who doesn’t put up anything which Dominic will soon realize. Trust the tension between the two is going to make you gobble up this book. I loved the transformation of Dominic was also a favorite part of mine. He does have some jerky vibes, but he can’t help fall under Ally’s spell. She’s so good for him. This is a book you don’t want to miss!
By a Thread is romantic comedy at its best !
Lucy Score is a new author to me but that’s about to change because I loved everything about this book, I loved the characters, the plot and the witty banter that flowed throughout. This is one of those books that you know is going to be a special read from the first chapter, this author draws you in and this story doesn’t to let you go until you have the final line.
Ally Morales has just started working for Dominic Russo and already she is wondering why she is working for such a grump but Ally is strong and sassy and she won’t stand for any nonsense even if he is her boss. The arguments and the constant snipping add to the humour in this very funny read and once you add in the secondary characters you get a fun hilarious entertaining story. This book ticked all my boxes, I laughed, I smiled and I shed a tear or two at the emotional moments and as I said at the start of my review this is rom-com at its best. I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author. Great job Ms Score