Come Inside. ShanicexLola. 2020. SXL Publications. 144 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.]
Kiyah’s reputation as the office “Ice Queen” might be on shaky ground. After being tricked into attending her company’s masquerade party by her work BFF, she finds herself face to face with the man she lusts for across the board room table, Nixon. It’s certainly hard to turn down an open invitation to sate her curiosity, but then what?
The rapport and banter between Nixon and Kiyah is matter-of-fact, which makes their flirting more entertaining. Neither really holds any of their cards, so the result is refreshing while still leaving something to be anticipated. It’s clear that Kiyah can’t help but give in to her more carnal desires where Nixon is concerned, but she’s reluctant to give in fully at the risk of heartbreak. This presents most of the conflict in the book because she’s rarely fully invested.
Kiyah’s “Ice Queen” title is most certainly deserved; she’s a workaholic and only maintains superficial relationships with nearly everyone in her life. To that end, a lot of the book centered on her willingness and ability to lean more into life in general. She is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of her mother’s death several years ago. The fractured relationship she has with her father just compounds her issues where it comes to letting people close to her. Nixon’s presence and guidance around how he has addressed concerns in his life is a less-common viewpoint I see in books centering Black characters, let alone in a romance.
The peripheral characters in this book almost always are responsible for the comic relief. From siblings and family members to coworkers, each brings levity and laughs at moments that might otherwise be forgettable. It was easy to want to see more from these characters, so I’m hopeful that the get more face time in subsequent books.
This was a cute and short read. The author definitely packed a lot into this novella, but it was easy to fall into and binge in one sitting.
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