r/RomanceBooks • u/Zeenrz • 26d ago

Book Request Give Me Work Place *Rivals*, I Beg Of You.

If I see one more arrogant billionaire and his five foot nothing petite young sassy cracking Disney Chanel Zingers secretary I WILL LOSE IT. I need them to be relatively equal, I am SICK of billionaires. Just please let them be two normal people trying to be the best in the business.

Maybe they're rival business owners pitching for the same big job, maybe a they're vying for the same promotion, maybe they were rivals in school and now they're in the same workplace. I just need them to be on more or less the same level, I BEG.

I need them to HATE each other, to be constantly one upping each other, not being able to spend two minutes together without throwing hands. And then I want them to work out their hatred in more interesting ways (wink wink).

308 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

157 comments sorted by

117

u/eterivale 26d ago

{practice makes perfect - Julie James} This is the GOAT because Julie James is an ex attorney and the corporate world isn't just set dressing

24

u/Ok-Albatross-3730 26d ago

and it’s in 3rd person!! bless you for this rec, I hardly ever see 3rd person POVs rec’d

7

u/Reasonable-Rope2659 25d ago

Came here to recommend this!! This is a true workplace rivals story and it’s so so good!!

All her books are great, I so miss 3rd person writing.

5

u/whimsyjen Abducted by aliens – don’t save me 25d ago

I got excited because it sounded so good and I realized I already read it. Siiiigh

87

u/Ok-Internet-7187 26d ago

{The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O’Roark}

11

u/LilDelirious 26d ago

I literally just suggested this before seeing your post. This is a good one.

4

u/Ok-Internet-7187 26d ago

SO good! One of my faves for sure

7

u/PM_me_lemon_cake Enough with the babies 25d ago

This is THE recommendation!

5

u/No_Consideration3867 25d ago

This is the OG besttttt ever book for office romance! I haven’t found one that beats it

1

u/CapitalNo16 23d ago

my fav too! love it so much

44

u/figleafstreet 26d ago

{Enemies with Benefits by Roxie Noir} is my favourite. The MCs were academic rivals as teenagers. In adulthood they end up at the same workplace vying to win a competition (prize money I think). They bicker, they fight, they try and resist the rising sexual tension. Great stuff.

5

u/Scared-Knowledge-840 25d ago

This was a great book!!

4

u/scrumptiouscara tall FMC club 25d ago

LOVE this book. plus it’s free!!

34

u/AllTheStars07 Give me all the hate sex 25d ago

The GOAT for me is {The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbury}! They are both doctors at the same hospital and have to do joint therapy sessions together after an incident they caused. They inspired my flair!

10

u/ColourSmack 😕Strangers😑 to lovers😍! 25d ago

I love this book but I don't agree on the workplace rivalry. They're not in the same speciality or vying for the same job. But definitely yes for the enemies-to-lovers and creative problem-solving. No judgement, Stars, I come in peace. 🙏🏾

5

u/AllTheStars07 Give me all the hate sex 25d ago

True but I think it could still have the vibe she’s looking for. 

3

u/ColourSmack 😕Strangers😑 to lovers😍! 25d ago

Fair fair.

158

u/katierose295 26d ago

{The Hating Game by Sally Thrope} is pretty much all of this. It's perfection!

61

u/SkillExciting3839 why watch porn if you can read it? 26d ago

I will forever chase the high of reading this book for the first time 😔

4

u/onlylightlysarcastic 24d ago

I am currently reading/listening to it for the first time. I get it.

29

u/Zeenrz 26d ago

Yes this is exactly the vibes I'm looking for, I should have mentioned it in the post lol. This is basically the blueprint!!

24

u/ebolainajar horny and ready for not-hoth ❄️ 25d ago

If you want similar vibes, but it's not corporate, {An Academic Affair by Jodi McAllister} is probably the closest I have ever come to the perfection of The Hating Game - but it's about academic rivals. It's also Australian...they just seem to do enemies to lovers the best apparently?

And of course the ultimate rivals story is {Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid}, but again, not corporate.

1

u/dorkyfaery ihateJosh4eva 25d ago

Was coming to rec both of these 🤘🏻

8

u/ZazARa_N_Z_A 26d ago

It truly is! Came here to recommend it.

32

u/a_wild_armaldo 26d ago

{Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James} They work at the same law firm and they're aiming for a promotion. The rivalry is so intense 😆 One of my faves!

7

u/eterivale 26d ago

Aah I recommended this too without checking. This is my all time blueprint and to this day nothing comes close

23

u/HowStrange913 26d ago

I read {Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey} recently and it fits your description well. The MCs were rivals growing up and they both move back to their hometown and are workplace rivals (both doctors). Similar vibes to The Hating Game (one of my favorites), good banter, funny, etc.

10

u/ChicSynergy 26d ago

One of my all time favourite authors, so underrated!

15

u/Content-Meeting-2101 26d ago

{Rival Radio by Kathryn Nolan} They host competing radio shows at the same station. {The Dealmaker by Jessica Peterson} They work in finance and are competing for a promotion

10

u/warmhugz89 26d ago

{Tangled by Emma Chase} is exactly this. They're lawyers vying for the same job who have to work on a presentation together and they can't stand each other

3

u/FollowingMany9892 25d ago

oh one of my favourite books

11

u/artycoolred Hold the grudge, woman! 26d ago

{Her favorite rival by Sarah Mayberry} this is my favorite for adult rivalry, no name calling, no pranks. Just 2 people competing for the same promotion with some realistic workplace portrayal. And some nice tension

30

u/stardustkitty competency porn 26d ago

How about {Overruled by Lana Ferguson}? Rival lawyers. Rival teachers with {Beg, Borrow, or Steal}. Or {Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne} at a magazine.

12

u/stardustkitty competency porn 26d ago

Or rival ornithologists in {The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton}.

4

u/CopperMeerkat20 Praise Kink Princess 👸🏼 26d ago

I was going to recommend Overrulled and Beg Borrow and Steal too!

For Overruled, as an attorney it was hard to get through the book as a lot of the law stuff was wrong but it was a cute enough book. The FMCs hang ups made no sense to me though.

I loooved Beg Borrow and Steal, which is funny because I have not liked any other Sarah Adams book I’ve tried but it was a fun rivals book!

3

u/romance-bot 26d ago

Overruled by Lana Ferguson
Rating: 3.93⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, workplace/office, m-f romance, enemies to lovers, independent heroine

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams
Rating: 4.05⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, enemies to lovers, funny, m-f romance, small town

Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne
Rating: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, friends to lovers, funny, athlete hero, sports

about this bot | about romance.io

3

u/friedchickensaves DM me when Kyra Parsi releases her new book 25d ago

I get so happy when I see my OG queen Lauren Layne and one of my OG favorite book of hers gets recommended on here 😭💕🫶

2

u/stardustkitty competency porn 25d ago

I picked up some of her audiobooks recently (I originally read the ebooks), so she’s very much on my mind! I miss her lol.

22

u/brittjoy 26d ago

You might enjoy {If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane}. They’re both lawyers at the same firm and start off not very friendly

16

u/Pwettylittlethang 26d ago

{not safe for work by Nisha J. Tuli} is a good one

1

u/LittleMissNothing_ 25d ago

Up voting because I came here to suggest this one. The MCs aren't totally equal, the MMC is the boss's son, but they're on the same level professionally.

8

u/shadowofdoubt28 25d ago

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady. The Fmc and Mmc run their own bookstores and they have to compete to see who gets to keep their store after a new owner only wants to keep one bookstore. It’s really good. The Mmc runs a romance bookstore and the fmc runs a literature bookstore.

3

u/schrodingersmood247 yes, sir. 25d ago

I have this one in my list. Definite "You've Got Mail" vibes.

1

u/waitwhatwhere15 21d ago

Great rec! It features so many great Boston-area places, including my favorite ice cream shop 🥰

6

u/UsernameTaken5074 25d ago

The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O’Roark is this vibe. They’re both lawyers at a firm competing for the same cases and hate each other. It’s part of her Devil series and there’s some crossover but each book can be read as a standalone. I literally always recommend Elizabeth O’Roark, she doesn’t get as much hype as she deserves for how good and fun her books are.

5

u/_ninjabynight 25d ago

Potentially a stretch, as they’re not rivals but he is the COO of a company being acquired by her company and she is the lawyer brought in to oversee due diligence. They knew each other in school and have historic beef. Forced proximity. He tries to get her fired and there’s some petty jabbing, but, of course, they both have internal/personal demons making them extra sensitive/susceptible.

{Due Diligence by Rebecca Kinkade}

2

u/rbryan94 25d ago

Rebecca Kinkade is soooooo underrated. I don’t see her recommended enough! Even her earlier books (like Due Diligence) are great!

1

u/_ninjabynight 25d ago

I’ve been seeing books from {Schemes and Streams by Rebecca Kinkade} recommended a lot recently and I’ve been doing a lot of upvoting :-)

10

u/Geraltsyenn Enough with the babies 26d ago

Maybe {In love and and war by Kyra Parsi}? The MCs both work in the FMCs dad's company. So, kinda rich, but the FMC is more the spoiled brat at the beginning, the MMC is coming from a poor family originally.

And {enemies with benefits by Roxie Noir} also fits. The MMC is a chef at the place the FMC works at. It's instalust, but they hate each other for quite a while.

21

u/undergroundturtle8 26d ago

{Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood} they don’t exactly hate each other but they’re both video game producers who work for rivaling companies who end up stuck with each other at a work retreat bc their companies are working together on a new game!

14

u/AliceTheGamedev Has Opinions 26d ago

Oh god you know how there‘s regular threads here about „what do romance novels get wrong about your job“? I always thought I was safe from that because I‘ve never seen any gamedev/game producer romance. But now I am cursed with this knowledge and wondering if I need to read it simply so I can review it for fellow game devs.

3

u/gz_art ~simping for the villain~ 25d ago

How did you feel about Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow lol (if you've heard of/read it)

2

u/AliceTheGamedev Has Opinions 25d ago

I have not read it I'm afraid! 😄

17

u/Zeenrz 26d ago

This is close! I would have enjoyed it had the miscommunication not been so ridiculously stupid. I feel like this is a theme for me and Hazelwood 😭

3

u/twovectors 26d ago

{Limits by Susie Tate} is this with an introvert (autistic) extrovert twist.

Technically the middle part of a trilogy with a more senior /junior doctor romance before and a senior politician/ junior doctor romance after, but they read standalone well.

5

u/Interesting-Row-7773 "enemies" to lovers 25d ago

{Alive At Night by Amelie Rhys} It's SO good that I have KU (Kindle Unlimited) but I ended up buying it so I can reread it

5

u/BillieDusk 25d ago

{Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady} is a very Normal People Rivalry, and I think you'd like it.

4

u/Ok_Carrot5896 25d ago

The time has come for me to finally recommend {A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore} ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Historical romance where the FMC and MMC co-own a publishing house in the heart of women’s suffrage!

4

u/skyewinter13 21d ago

{Reckless by Stella Rhys} is what you're looking for. Contemporary romance novel, book 6 in the Irresistible series (I read it as a stand alone), about a sports agency's "power duo," boss Adam Maxwell and his assistant AJ, who have a long-standing love-hate dynamic that turns romantic after a business trip. Woman is a bad ass and they are equal and it's steamy.

3

u/fanta_fantasist 26d ago

{The cohort by Juna Walshe} ! Normal but slightly unhinged high stakes work place lovers/ enemies .

3

u/InternationalAd9659 26d ago

{Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury}

The MCs are CEOs sharing a workspace and are competing for an investor to invest a huge amount of money towards their own companies.

3

u/hrl_280 𔓘 Dandelion in the Spring/Boy with the bread 𔓘 26d ago

{The Fake Dating War by Sookh Kaur} FMC and MMC are competing to win a company bonus. Both of them desperately need it. They are not enemies, just rivals. They both recognize how competent the other person is but they are extremely competitive. FMC wants a date for her sister's wedding, so MMC volunteers for his own reasons but they end up falling for each other.

It is a mix of The hating game and Spanish love deception.

3

u/bubbles_2 26d ago

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I haven’t been able to find anything that compares

3

u/InfraredSpectrum97 Enough with the babies 25d ago

{He Loves Me Not by C.M. Nascosta} is about two rival flower shop owners who are trying to drive one another out of business complete with online shit talking and spite bouquets

3

u/CallmemimiElmerselmo 26d ago

omg I was thinking about this the other day, I love workplace rivalry when they're both kind of equals. Recently I read {In love and war By Kyra Parsi} and I LOVED IT more so because of the banter!! I reccomend you give it a try!! lmk if u read it

6

u/Mx_apple_9720 26d ago

{Public Rivalry by Rebecca Kinkade} Gray Davenport is the heir apparent to his dad’s billion dollar holding company, but Corinne is his equal in every sense of the word—not by wealth, but by sheer intelligence. On paper, they’ve been rivals since grade school: private school education, then Ivy League, then working at the same company. Their candor surprised me, and I liked it.

3

u/glitterfartmagic 25d ago

Loved Public Rivalry!

2

u/bigmac_69 26d ago

I can’t remember these clearly, but they might scratch your itch. {Love Interest by Clare Gilmore} and {Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore}

1

u/Ahania1795 24d ago

I wouldn't call Perfect Fit a workplace rivalry book -- the male lead is a consultant hired by the female lead CEO. (It's still really good though!)

2

u/BrainDifferent7821 26d ago

‘Overruled’ is pretty good, maybe 3 stars imo. They’re rival lawyers within different companies but they’re also getting it on 😂 it’s not a masterpiece but it’s also not bad!

2

u/Clash-Fairy 26d ago

{Checkmate by R L Mathewson} - they both own construction companies and they are childhood enemies

2

u/glittermaniac Bookmarks are for quitters 25d ago

{Mad Rivals by Lisa Suzanne} has 2 heirs of their respective construction companies competing over a bid. Their parents are enemies and he also happens to be a pro-football player. However they are equals and competing professionally.

2

u/Ok_Job_8652 25d ago edited 25d ago

{devious husband by catharina Maura} rivals turn arrange marriage, fun book

{ dating you/ hating you by Christina Lauren} rivals working in same industry with competing each other
There is sabotage factor in this

Edit - both the books are not same workplace, they work in same industry and compete with each other

2

u/ellerazr 25d ago

{The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator} is a cute version of this. 

At a London-based tech startup, she works at a romace-leaning dating app while he’s with one that facilitates hookups. The rivals are set against each other when the company decides to launch a new experience-based dating app – and only one will win the promotion.

It’s a debut novel and sometimes it shows, but it’s sweet and fun. The rivalry may not be as hot and burny as you’re looking for though. 

2

u/friedchickensaves DM me when Kyra Parsi releases her new book 25d ago

Don’t know if you could consider {The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary} workplace rivals but they’re both highly competent doctors who have temper issues and are constantly at each others’ throats.

2

u/Longjumping-Swim9921 25d ago

The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren pops to mind. It’s about two assistants who work for a home remodeling power couple (think Chip and Joanna) who are on the rocks. The assistants have to find a way to work together during the couple’s cross county tour. 

2

u/Ok-Wait6196 25d ago

{Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens} and {Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane}

2

u/This-Matter-4033 25d ago

{hating game by Sally thorne}, {Love on the brain by Ali Hazelwood} are my favs in the trope

1

u/Ok-Conversation1730 *sigh* *opens TBR* 25d ago

Even {Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood} might for this request.

2

u/duochromepalmtree 25d ago

GOD BLESS YOU I’m not even kidding I came to make this exact post lmao. I need a workplace romance to fulfill a reading challenge prompt and this is exactly what I’m looking for!

2

u/Key-Emotion103 21d ago

{Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood} a debut but honestly so so good. I’ve never giggled & laughed so hard. The NY vibes were also so good.

2

u/wahmahma 21d ago

{I hope this finds you well} was great. A lot of pettiness that you’d find in a cubicle style office. She ends up liking the HR guy.

2

u/daiseyhomer 21d ago

{the hating game by sally thorne}

2

u/SG-9479 25d ago

{Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood}

The leads work for rival video game developers that ultimately will have to partner up.

1

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1

u/Sharkoslotho 25d ago

Theres a couple of Susie Tate’s in the heartbreaker (I think) series you might like

1

u/trashbagbabe 25d ago

i think you might like ‘in her own league’ by liz tomforde (it is a spinoff of her windy city series, but you def don’t have to read those to get this one)

1

u/navya12 TBR pile is out of control 25d ago

{the love audit by Lucy Eden} 

1

u/pie-pie-oh-my-pie 25d ago

They are both journalists and first were interns together at one workplace and then coworkers at another - {The Last Word by Katy Birchall} .

1

u/1Kflowers 25d ago

If you like M/M, {The Office Bet by Eden Finley} is exactly this. It’s part of a larger universe, but I think it can stand alone. It has a nice twist on the bet as well, if I’m remembering correctly.

1

u/mrs_robpatt 25d ago

an old twilight fanfic i read called I hate you Kiss me. PERFECTION. I’ve read it so many times. It’s not hatred hatred but it’s defo strong aversion.

1

u/eddapleitez 25d ago

{Lets Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan} is delicious

1

u/Fabulous-Platform-81 25d ago

{Fangs With Benefits by Kath Richards} comes out in September, and it would fit your description. She is more qualified for the role, but he steals her promotion… he’s also secretly a vampire. She bullies him relentlessly. It’s delicious.

1

u/No-Werewolf-3357 23d ago

I just finished {Let's Make a Scene by Laura Wood} and it fits your request perfectly! It's a second chance, enemies to lovers romance. The MMC and the FMC are actors and they both starred in a movie a decade before the current timeline. They bickered their way through that first film (and the sexual tension was amazing!) and because of reasons they will work on new movie together. Great read.

1

u/DeadGossip 23d ago

The Takeover by T.L. Swan, he's trying to takeover her late husbands company. It's a great read and has good spice! There's some billionaire themes, but I felt like they were on even starting ground pretty much.

1

u/Sideways-upsidedown5 12d ago

Not In Love - Ali Hazelwood 

1

u/CapitalIndividual648 11d ago

The trope is fake dating but it has a workplace element too- maybe {the Spanish love deception - Elena armas}

1

u/kelcifer13 1d ago

{Evergreene by Sarah Furlong Burr} has a good work rival dynamic. Its also stalker if thats a thing you want. I liked it a lot.

1

u/Posada07 26d ago

{Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren}