12 Workplace Romance Books That Will Inspire You To Finally Approach Your Crush

Seven months ago, Davina Klein-Roberts’s husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms. And she still hasn’t figured out how to move forward—or even if she can. To stay distracted, Davina throws herself into her work, pushing her self-built skincare line to become a viral success. Now, Golden Oil Co. is on the cusp of clinching a major endorsement deal, but this newfound success is bittersweet without Lew by her side. When a meeting with Deke Bishop, the NBA star Davina’s courting for her brand, leaves her flustered, she finds herself grappling with feelings of guilt and hopes for the future.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers’ private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around the HR guy Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.

Rowan Kane is in the business of creating fairy tales. Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels. Everything could be his if he renovated Dreamland. After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, Zahra should have been fired. Instead, Rowan offers her a dream job. The catch? Working for the most difficult boss ever. Rowan is rude and completely off-limits, but Zahra’s heart doesn’t care. At least, not until she discovers his secret. It’s time to teach the billionaire that money can’t fix everything.

By day, Elsie Hannaway, theoretical physicist, is a professor teaching thermodynamics. By other day, Elsie offers her services as a fake girlfriend. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until Jack Smith, the annoyingly arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job. Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage, but… those long, penetrating looks? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in small town Rose Hill. Now, he spends his days balancing business while trying to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont. After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. And one desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat. Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

For Astrid Parker, failure is unacceptable. Ever since she broke up with her fiancé a year ago, she’s been focused on her career. When Pru Everwood asks her to be the designer for the Everwood Inn’s renovation, which will be featured on a popular HGTV show, Astrid is thrilled. However, Astrid never planned on Jordan Everwood, Pru’s granddaughter and the lead carpenter for the renovation, who despises every modern design decision Astrid makes. But somewhere along the way, their dislike for each other evolves into something quite different, and Astrid must decide what success truly means. Is she going to pursue the life that she’s expected to lead, or the one that she wants?

Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet at a Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire. But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants?

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important; it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer, naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie. But something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out. Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work… and ensure he makes them pay. After all, a good job is hard to find.

Gwen Jackson is a self-taught professional violinist. Xander Thorne is the exact opposite—a rock star cellist with a bad attitude. They both play in the Manhattan Pops, and their styles couldn’t be more different. When Gwen is offered first chair of the orchestra (a role Xander has coveted for years), she can’t help but notice a hostile sense of competition between them… but also an electric chemistry, as they’re forced to work together. As they compose and play songs together, it’s clear that their powerful connection could make for a performance that will blow everyone’s minds. But can their slowly growing romance survive the pressures of success?

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a ballpoint pen. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his stalker. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he goes home to the family’s ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. The more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. It’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Successful pediatric surgeon London Kelley just needs to find some balance and de-stress. According to her friends, what London really needs is a casual hookup. A night of fun with no strings. But no one—least of all London—expected it to go down at her high school reunion with Drew Sullivan, millionaire, and her archnemesis. Now London is certain the road to hell is paved with good sex. Because she’s found out the real reason Drew’s back in Austin: to decide whether her beloved hospital remains open. While sleeping with the enemy is one thing, falling for him is definitely not part of the plan.

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover and one remaining supporter. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. But Wells is technically her boss, and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?