First off,
Jenny Trout is my hero. She's been recapping 50 Shades of Grey, doing a Big Damn Buffy Rewatch (which she rips apart even though it's her favourite show), being hilarious, writing novels, making nerdy videos (personal favourite: Drunk of Thrones), and uploading
The Boss, a serial novel that I am absolutely addicted to.
The Boss is now officially completed, and she's updated the frequency of the chapters to one a week, on Fridays. This is wonderful news, even though it's still difficult to wait with bated breath and clenched thighs for each instalment.
Yes, ladies (and gents, if you happen to be curious), Sophie Scaife is now totally having sex with Neil, and it's super hot. Like melting your girly bits hot. It's so well written, realistic, and gets you intimately caught in the moment. I wouldn't recommend reading The Boss if you can't have sex (with yourself or someone else) immediately afterwards. Or during. Because you're totally going to want to.
Before I get into the meat (tee hee) of the review, let me just say with absolute certainty: This book is what Fifty Shades should have been. This is exactly what I wanted when I picked up Fifty Shades, and I was sorely disappointed. The Boss almost makes me believe that there is a god, a god that is saying 'Oh damn, my bad, sorry about E.L. James!' and then brings Abigail Barnette into existence to shine the light of proper beautiful moisture-inducing erotica.
Ahem.
I reviewed chapter 1
here, and chapter 2
here, in case you missed those. Now, I'm probably going to say a lot of stuff that might spoil some of the plot. So if you'd like to just take my word for it that this is the sexiest thing ever and you'd rather read this review once you're caught up, click
here to read it. Right fucking now. :)
Back? Okay, here goes.
In chapter three, we see Sophie having a backbone, which is nice. She's all ready to face the day, even though she's pretty sure that she's not going to have a job, but she wants to be gracious and ready for it. Also, Holli refers to weed as 'Mr. Cheeba' and it made me laugh so fucking hard. Neil and Sophie have lunch to discuss the fact that they have had a past, and what to do about her job. I find Neil extremely likeable here, as he addresses and genuinely apologizes for his wrongs, and is very up front and to the point about his feelings and what he wants to offer Sophie at the company. He asks for her opinion and and considers her feelings, and even though at first she's not exactly fair to him (though she realizes it and adjusts her attitude, good girl!) it's a great scene between the two.
They also talk about their 'relationship', in which Sophie reacts to in such a believable way that my heart twists reading the scene. She feels like she has feelings for him, even though she barely knows him, and admits to herself that she has feelings for the 'idea' of him, because she's built him up so much in her mind all this time. I love that she can have irrational feelings but keep them in check at the same time. It's something that real women do all the time. (I'm not sure if dudes do this too, but they likely do.) In the heat of the moment, Sophie propositions Neil for a casual relationship, which she instantly innately panics about, and I love the narration here. There's a very entertaining reveal and the chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
In chapter four, when Sophie gets home from work, she's all jazzed to tell Holli about her day with Neil, but Holli is having an emotional crisis. Sophie, being the awesome friend she is, completely pushes away her own shit to help her friend. Which, to make her feel better, they get stoned and watch Norbit. Awesome friend. :) Of course, Holli berates herself for forgetting to ask Sophie about her day, and gives her some great feedback and advice on her thoughts.
Later, Neil calls to ask Sophie if he can come by to talk, and she does a hilarious panicky tidy-herself-and-the-apartment in the twenty minutes before he arrives. Yes, chicks totally do that. She describes his voice as "like whiskey, deep and comforting, warming my limbs and dizzying my head". Delicious. At the end of this chapter, the tension hits a peak and you want to smash your computer monitor. But don't, because you don't have to wait fifteen days for chapter 5 like I did. ^_^'
In chapter five, Sophie and Neil decide to have a no-strings sex relationship, but he's drunk and she doesn't think (even though she's completely ready to jump him) that she should have sex with him until they can talk sober. This shows some more backbone on her part. They're both open and honest with each other, and she takes the initiative to tell him that their relationship isn't going to start that night.
To which Neil says "what's another twenty-four hours?" in his sexy Giles voice and I'm jumping for joy because they're finally going to have sex.
Chapter six is one of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read in my entire life. And I've read a lot of erotica. If you're just here for sexy times, read chapter six. It's beautifully written, you can picture every detail in glorious HD, and Sophie's inner monologue is priceless. Also the playful way they interact afterwards is so refreshing, the chemistry is so there, and I found myself giddy with glee at the budding romance.
Chapter seven is one of my favourites so far, in which we find out that Neil has a kinky dominant side. He lays it all out for her very simply, and makes sure that she's comfortable with it. Then they play a little 'game', and the heat is on once again. The next day, Holli wakes Sophie up for the gym and they hash out all the details of Sophie's night, which is a fun scene. :) Also Sophie's all deliciously sore from the hot sex the night before. When she gets to work, her and Neil interview a woman (Deja) that will potentially replace Sophie, and she has nothing but nice things to think about her. Sophie even comments to herself about how if life were a competition, she should hate Deja. But she's so perfect and awesome that Sophie flat out tells Neil that Deja should get the job. Yay, secure and confident women!
Oh, and Neil makes Sophie take off her panties for the rest of the day.
In chapter eight, Neil feeds Sophie her lunch while she sits spread legged up on his desk. Then he gives her kinky books for the weekend and a bag of vibrators. "...there is naughty stuff to put on your junk to make it tingle." Seriously, Jenny, the love I have for you.
Sophie is a little down on herself because she thinks that Neil just gave her the other job because they are sleeping together, but Holli comforts her, and tells her that even if she feels that way, she knows that she can do the job really well, so to just do it and prove to herself that she earned it. I love this. Sophie is human, and everyone gets down on themselves from time to time, and it's perfectly believable that she would feel that way in this situation. And Holli's advice is perfect, rational, and rounded out with a hug that makes her friend feel better. Yay, proper female relationships!
Sophie does a lot of self-sexing at home for the weekend, and a few naughty things that are sure to stir up some fun with Neil next week. ;) Also they talk about being safe, so a yay for responsible sexing!
In chapter 9, Sophie starts training Deja to take her job, and she's so great about it that I wanted to give her a standing ovation.
Neil and Sophie have some sexy times in his office, and then she has a complete emotional meltdown. I was super surprised at first, but it's explained very well and makes perfect sense. It's believable that any woman in that situation would probably freak out. Neil is so understanding and feels terrible about it, they talk about it and he gives her the rest of the day off, wanting to talk later after work. He doesn't pressure her into anything.
Deja shows some great colours in the next scene, where Sophie tells her she's not feeling well and she's going home. Deja's curious about Neil and Sophie's private life, and admits her suspicions. When Sophie shoots them down, Deja recovers so adorably, admitting she was 'off-sides' and asking to start over.
That night, there are more apologies, and lots of information about what Neil can offer Sophie sexually. Also, they eat Chinese food, and Sophie pats her 'slightly rounder' stomach after eating and says "I hope you like a woman with a potbelly.". This makes me so happy, and I know my dear readers are probably so sick of seeing me write the word 'believable', but I can't help it. Sophie is such a relatable character, and this scene is one-of-a-kind to me. It's so natural, them sharing some food and her being full and joking about her 'potbelly'. He replies "I like you. Any way I might have you." and it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. There are no weight insecurities or body type snarkiness in this book, and it makes me happy as a beagle with a poop-cicle.
Chapter ten brings more hot sex. Like spanking and 'yes sir' kind of sex. And Neil's reveal! Tee hee, that rhymes.
All in all, up to this point, I'm severely loving this book. And you should too. Click here to read Abigail Barnette's sexy masterpiece!
Also, if you're into sexy short stories, she's also released Sex, Lies, and Inventions. If you like steampunk, hot sex, and suspense, definitely check this out!
Till next time! ;)
