Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, Bsc

Power, Tension, and a Billionaire We All Side-Eye First

There’s a very specific mood where I don’t want personal growth, healing arcs, or lyrical introspection. I want tension. I want bad decisions. I want a billionaire who is objectively a problem and a heroine who knows it and still walks straight into the mess.

That’s where Boss’s Off‑Limits Treat lands.

The setup hits fast and confidently. A private chef. A playboy billionaire boss. A situation that is very clearly off-limits and therefore irresistible. From the beginning, the story understands what it’s selling: power imbalance, attraction laced with irritation, and that sharp enemies-to-lovers energy where you’re not sure whether the characters want to kiss or throttle each other.

What worked for me is the tension. Real tension. Not the fake kind where someone is “mean” for three pages and then suddenly tender. The dynamic between the heroine and Tristan Grayson actually crackles. Their interactions feel charged, uncomfortable, and personal. I found myself paying attention instead of skimming, which is my unofficial but brutally honest reader endorsement.

There’s also something satisfying about a heroine who doesn’t melt on command. She pushes back. She notices the red flags. She still wants him. Which, frankly, feels accurate to real life and mildly concerning in a way romance readers understand deeply.

Now, because this is me and not a marketing blurb, here’s the part I’d whisper over coffee: early Tristan is a lot. Like, HR would like a word levels of a lot. I know the arc is redemption-through-emotional-reckoning, but there were moments where I wanted the story to linger just a bit longer on the consequences instead of fast-tracking to the heat. I wanted more discomfort before the payoff. More reckoning. More “sir, explain yourself.”

That said, if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers with power dynamics, sharp banter, and a billionaire who needs to be emotionally humbled before he earns the romance, this book absolutely delivers on the fantasy. It’s indulgent, tense, and self-aware enough to be fun without pretending billionaires are harmless.

This is the kind of read you pick up when you want controlled chaos, good chemistry, and the pleasure of watching two people make terrible decisions and somehow come out emotionally better on the other side.

And yes. I enjoyed it. Side-eye and all.

*This review is part of an indie author book exchange I joined at the start of the year, built around a simple idea: writers supporting writers without algorithms breathing down our necks. The goal isn’t inflated praise or forced positivity. It’s genuine engagement with stories we might not have picked up otherwise, and honest reflections shared with readers who appreciate nuance. I picked Off Limits Treat because its themes sit right at the uncomfortable intersection of day to day life, desire, and identity. Those are the stories that tend to linger, and they’re the ones indie fiction often handles best.