Addictive Slow Burn: Managed by Kristen Callihan
Like a lot of romance fans, I read a lot. Some of the books are fun but forgettable, and some stick with me. But some books grab me and won’t let go. Managed by Kristen Callihan is one of those books.
Managed is the second book in a four-book series, a fact I didn’t realize until I opened the ebook. I would normally wait to read the rest of the books and review them as a series (the other three are in my queue and I’m looking forward to them), but I’m making an exception because I don’t care what the other books are like—this one has me, heart and soul.
How to savor a romance novel
When I finish a book I like, I often page back to reread my favorite scenes before I move on to the next book. I want a little more time with the happy couple, so I relive the highlights: first kiss, first sex, the dramatic breakup, the dramatic reunion. I do the same thing with romantic movies or TV shows, replaying my favorite scenes.
With Managed, that wasn’t enough. I found myself rereading more and more chapters until I’d practically gone back through the whole book again immediately after reading it the first time. I’ve only been this obsessed a few times: at the end of the Spanish series Gran Hotel, after reading The Hating Game and Boyfriend Material. So my recommendation for this book comes with a warning: you could get obsessed.
You had me at “blowjob”
Kristen Callihan’s Managed has a lot to recommend it from the jump: a very British, very rich hero and a mischievous, hysterically funny heroine who decides to have a go at him. The dialog between the two main characters is witty and charming and—best of all—unexpected. By the time Sophie Darling, unexpectedly upgraded to a first class seat, tells her grumpy seatmate Gabriel Scott she knows he’s acting tense so she’ll offer him a blowjob, shocking him out of his high dudgeon, I was hooked.
I was drawn in by the snappy dialogue, but the slow burn romance between Sophie and Gabriel hooked me and it still hasn’t let me go. Alternating each of their perspectives, Callihan draws the reader through the agonizing dance of attraction and resistance with perfect rhythm, never missing a beat.
I’ve read two other perfectly lovely books by a different author since I got to the end of Managed, but I find myself dipping back into it compulsively. I usually read a whole series and review the books together, but this book is so good, I don’t want to wait. I’m sure the rest of Callihan’s VIP series is great, and you should probably read them in order, but don’t miss Managed. It’s terrific.
Tropes: billionaire, thrown together, workplace romance, slow burn
Spice level: 4 out of 5
Humor level: Don’t be fooled by the cover. This book is laugh-out-loud funny!
Buy it at Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, or visit the author’s website. Or, better yet—get it from your local bookstore.
A bit of news about me: my first rom-com, Mia’s List of Don’ts, is out for submission. That means that my fabulous agent, Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary, is sending it to editors. Please send happy thoughts for my manuscript as it makes its way into the world — all grown up!