Not in Love
An Indie Next and a Hall of Fame LibraryReads Pick!
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.
Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.
Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.
Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.
- Pages
- 394
- First published
- June 11, 2024
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 20 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished June 15, 2024
Finished August 20, 2025
Finished October 18, 2024
5/5⭐ 5/5🌶️ Tropes -Slow burn -No third-act breakup -Forced proximity 📖My Thoughts God dammit, Ali! How do you make me love your books so much? This one has by far been my favorite out of all the books of hers I've read and I've almost read all of them. I was hanging on to every word and was so invested in each character's POV. I loved that it was different from her other books in that there isn't any miscommunication and the characters are both erotically and brutally honest with one another. The two main characters, Rue and Eli, have both been through so much in their lives that I was constantly rooting for their individual happiness as well as happiness together. Aside from their story, the plot itself was actually really interesting. I tried to make this one last as long as I could, but alas, all things end. I'm so sad it's over! ⚠️Triggers -Explicit sex scenes -Childhood poverty, neglect and food insecurity -Mentions of addiction (secondary characters) -Social anxiety -Parental death -Power exchange (pre-negotiated, during sex) -Attempted assault of the FMC by her brother -Pregnancy of a secondary character -Cursing and vulgar language 🌶️Spice The spice in this book is on another level compared to her other books. The author considers it erotica and honestly, I do too. There are sex scenes throughout and that is the main focus of the characters relationship for a majority of the book. Their sexual chemistry was so fucking good I was drooling. The way Eli was so dominant with Rue yet so gentle is amazing. Rue was so sex positive and comfortable in her body. We love to see that for women. This book is my kink!! 💖
Started October 16, 2024 · Finished October 18, 2024 · Read 2 times
JULY 2024 REVIEW EBOOK: I have read pretty much all of Alis books (minus 1 novella) at this point, and at first with this one I was slightly confused with the initial character set up in the first few pages, but after a few chapters I was completely hooked and could not put this down. While this is still a woman in STEM novel, I feel like this particular book sets itself apart from the rest. It shows growth and sex appeal that all her others lack. Well done Ali breaking away (mostly) from that formulaic mold and giving me complex characters, that communicate well, with layers and healthy sexual appetites. 🌶️ 4/5 I read somewhere this was supposed to be more erotica than romcom, I don't know if thats the complete vibe I got. Even as dry as the FMC personality was (possibly even on the spectrum, which I love to see), this was pretty romcommy imo. Was this one more sex focused than her other novels, yes. I felt it was a little clunky in some aspects and could have been more refined. Did I enjoy it overall? Heck yea lol I love to see sex positivity in a novel. Notes: Not a fan of the cover. OCTOBER 2024 REVIEW AUDIO: The first time I read this as an ebook, I will admit I was maybe a little too critical at tht time... We all have our moods OK... Rereading with the audio I'm just amazed at how good this was. Having read every Ali book published at this time (humble brag) its no secret I am a huge Ali fan and this is by far her absolute best book that I have read. The characters were complex and well thought out. The FMC waas raw and brutally upfront about who she was and what she wanted, and the MMC having all those qualities I love in a love interest - the chemistry between these two leapt off the page (or earbuds lol) and the narrators were so awesome. Originally I debated whether this was technically "erotica" or not - I still think by definition its not - BUT I do believe it is very erotic and would consider it an erotic romcom. 🌶️ 5/5 The spice in this was HAWT AF!! The narrators really brought it to a whole new level vs when I originally read it and it was such an enjoyable read I wanted to savor it and didn't want it to be over.
Started December 2, 2025 · Finished December 4, 2025
Finished September 1, 2024
it was fine. there was a lot of emphasis on business and patent law that I never really got. and while I appreciated that this book took a different approach to the tone and characters than most Ali Hazelwoods, it just didn’t land as well as I'd hoped it would, and I can't even really articulate why. I know she has some more "serious" romances like this one in the works, and I'm looking forward to seeing where she takes them.
Finished March 13, 2025
Finished July 25, 2024
Finished April 4, 2025
Rue works for Kline and is working on a passion project. When a company comes in looking to take over Kline, Rue and her co-workers and friends are worried what will happen to them. And when Rue finds out that one of the lead people for the other company is the man she almost hooked up with the night before, she is even more worried. Eli hasnt been able to get Rue off his mind and is pleasantly surprised when he sees her again. But he must determine what's more important to him, the take over or Rue. I really enjoyed this story. Ali has a way with her words that just does great things to my brain. This one was also wayyyy spicier than any of her other books I've read. While Eli and Rue were pretty different, they seemed to just work. And I loved that Eli wasn't afraid to really go for what he wanted.
Finished June 16, 2024 · Read 2 times
Second time reading, and it still hits just as hard. The obsession between Rue and Eli is unreal, and Eli is just… perfection, intense and endlessly caring. The chemistry is electric, the side characters are fantastic, and the whole story feels like it belongs on the big screen. Movie-worthy romance, no doubt.
