By a Thread: A Grumpy Boss Romantic Comedy

You know how I found this book? A screen shot of a one-star review posted in a book rec Facebook group. The reader who shared the SS said the review made her giggle (reviewer's name was blocked out from what I remember) and instantly one-click. Evidently, the reviewer thought this book would've been a perfect 5-star had it not been for the copious amounts of explicit smut. 🤭 👀 👀 👀 👀 To each their own and all that, but I meannnn...did someone say COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF EXPLICIT SMUT? I ran and one-clicked, too. 🤣 **shrugs** Unfortunately for me, the book then sat on my Kindle for several weeks while I raced through one of my own deadlines. BUT I finally got to it, and sweet baby Jesus—or cheeses as Ally would say—I must now read everything Lucy Score has ever written. When I tell you I was blown away—I was blown tf away. The writing style is absolutely immaculate. It flows and it's just so easy to read and follow. Miss Score is hella talented and I cannot wait to devour her backlist! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Okay, okay, I'm done rambling and singing my praises. 😅 Onto the story! "I knew many things in that moment. I didn't like her. I didn't want to like her. I had no intention of treating her as anything but an annoyance. Yet non of that quelled my desire to be near her." We all have a favorite trope, right? Mine will always and forever be enemies to lovers. The angst, the tension, the "I hate your guts but I wanna get IN your guts" is IT for me. I adore it. 😍 By a Thread was a perfect contemporary rom-comish version of it. I don't know if Lucy intended to make this a rom-com, but I lost count of how many times I literally cackled out loud. The beginning with the pepperonis had me on the floor. The banter between Ally and Dom was just 💋🤌🏻 Their chemistry—even during the hating phase—was 🔥 And when they finally got together? Oh, honey...I was swooooooning. "Was grumpy and rude suddenly the new hot? My v*gina seemed to think so." Ally is my kinda girl and the type of FMC I LIVE to read about in an E2L. She's not a doormat by any means, thank feck for that! She takes absolutely no shiz, isn't afraid/doesn't cower from Dominic, and...AND she's thick and curvy. 😩 YAS QUEEN. Plus, the last name Morales hints to the fact she's Latina and, helloooo, ya girl is Latina sooo... ✊🏻 #representationmatters Oh, yeah, and she's a graphic designer (another thing I have in common with her, so more bonus points there.) I also loved the fact that, despite everything terrible going on her life, she chooses to the glass half full and believes things will get better. Not in a naive way, just in a refreshing optimistic way. She's literally sunshine and fire, and I just adored her from head to freaking toe. Now Dominic... Dominic-freaking-Russo... The man is one delicious alphahole, I'll tell you that. But there were several occasions where I found myself wanting to strangle him—and no, not in the good way. 😒 The man is fecked up. He's been let down by his father and used by women in the past. He's got baggage, ya know? But he literally hauls that baggage around everywhere and uses it as a shield, keeping people away at all costs. I get wanting to guard your heart and spare yourself disappointment, but at some point, you gotta man tf up and realize that baggage doesn't make you. Watching him unravel for Ally, though, was a beautiful sight 😏 and in the end, he proved himself—and proved he had a huge, generous heart—which is all we can ask for in the MMC. "I was the beast to my mother's beauty. The monster to the heroine. When they looked at me, they saw my father." Some of my favorite background characters include Dom's mom (who had a very unique name), Gola, Linus, Ruth, and Missie. I liked Faith, too, but she wasn't around enough for me to really get to know her, which I did find a little odd since she's supposed to be Ally's best friend. In any case, I enjoyed something from each of these characters. They added that extra oomph to the plot with their presence and witty commentary. Overall, I fell head over heels for this book and these characters. I loved the fashion magazine part of the plot (had never read anything like that before) and the circumstances that led Ally to working there. As aforementioned the funny bits made me literally LOL, the angsty "I hate you" moments had me clapping excitedly in anticipation, the swoony moments were everything, and the smut...🥵 it was explicit but not erotica level, though there were quite a few scenes, so it was spicy enough for me. Now I will say, the last 20% had me stressed, and I do mean S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D. In the end, it all worked out obviously, but omg I was having a mini-panic attack. And the ending 😭💖 gahhh, I loved it so much! Charming and Maleficent forever! 💞 "This moment of heaven was worth a lifetime of misery." If you're looking for a contemporary E2L with a rom-com feel, you need this book in your life! 🥰 Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🌶🌶🌶 Drama: 🔥 Dark/possibly triggering content: None

By a Thread by Lucy Score is a workplace romantic comedy that pits Ally against her grumpy boss, Dom. Please note the following CW/TW: parent with dementia including aggressive outbursts, workplace sexual harassment/assault, absentee parent, financial/food uncertainty, and more. You can look forward to: -Workplace rom-com -Grumpy x sunshine -He gets her fired from her job then becomes her boss -Devil Wears Prada vibes at a fashion magazine -Possessive MMC and independent FMC -30s/40s MCs This is such a great story! It had wonderful tension and banter as you would expect from a Lucy Score novel. I adored the older MCs, and the serious topics that Score wove into the story. Highly recommend, but please be mindful of the the TWs.

This book is not at all what I expected, but Mr. Grumpy McGrump certainly lives up to his reputation. With this wordsmith's books, I usually anticipate a light-hearted romantic comedy with a good-guy hero and a feisty heroine, and this book is light years beyond that. Dominic Russo (the aforementioned Mr. McGrump) is a wealthy, cold, heartless anti-hero; Ally Morales is a driven, big-hearted heroine with the weight of the world on her shoulders and barely two nickels to rub together, and their story is incredible! Ally has four different jobs, trying to make ends meet and take care of her father. Until a horrible patron decides to get her fired for standing up to him and putting him in his place. His mother/dining companion wastes no time in offering Ally a job at the Russo's fashion magazine empire, Label. (Wait, whose side is Dalessandra Russo on?!) Ally is the gal who, like the theme song of an old sitcom, turns the world on with her smile. She quickly develops friends at Label and an easy camaraderie with the other employees. She's loveable, loyal and fierce, and she gives as good as she gets. And Dominic? He's the one all the girls love to look at, but the one who strikes fear in the heart of every employee. But he's a bit of a mystery, the man with no heart who anonymously helps others in need. Dom and Ally remind me of a push-me-pull-you, two stubborn, independent minds with conflicting ideas and personalities, but basically joined at the hip. The push and pull, the snarky banter, the tension between them, are exquisite. Torturous. Divine. Utter perfection. They drive this book and made my heart race and squeeze with the starts and stops. The one thing they have in common is an inability to trust. There's also their incredible attraction which both resolve to do nothing about. This is the part where I grin maniacally and rub my hands together in glee. We all know they don’t stand a chance of sticking to their resolve, and their journey to forever just got a lot more interesting. This book is filled with laugh-out-loud hilarity, I’m-standing-way-to-close-to-the-bonfire steam, and heartstrings being manipulated to play the most delightful symphony. Dom’s past hurts, wrongs he's trying to right, and his vulnerability will make you want to hug him (between the times you want to shake him) and Ally's grit and determination while hanging on by a thread to barely get by will make you stand up and cheer for her. Ally and Dom's story is love-hate romance at its finest, and the story will enamor you from the first page. It's a story that‘s impossible to put down with characters who will own your heart. Get your copy of this book and fall in love with a cranky, heartless, generous, vulnerable hero and his amazing, admirable heroine. You absolutely don’t want to miss this enchanting, hilarious, heartfelt, extraordinary read!

This is a tale of loathing at first sight. When Dominick walks into a restaurant with his mother for lunch and meets Ally, the pair are arguing with one another in a matter of seconds. His arrogance and her strong will combust into an encounter that leaves Ally suddenly unemployed. Finding Ally licking her wounds at the bus stop, Dominick’s mother takes pity upon her and offers her a job. The only catch? The man who just got her fired will now be her new boss. I read this because of a recommendation on BookTok, and honestly was not expecting very much from it. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a five star read for me. I am a sucker for witty banter between characters, and this book had that in spades. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC was palpable, and their slow burn, tension filled relationship was both angsty and heartwarming. One of the things that I loved the most about this book was the diverse collection of accompanying characters within it. Each of them brought their own earnestness to the action, and it really added to the feeling of found family that you get while reading what happens to them. If you like slow-burn, grumpy sunshine, or workplace romances, then you should definitely read this book. It was fun, spicy, and filled with love.

Lucy Score always writes amazing books! This book is long, but it was so worth it! Ally works many jobs; she has to pay bills and keep her father (who has dementia/Alzheimer’s) at a facility with top of the line care. She’s been swindled and had some unfortunate things happen. One day, she’s at a pizza place and Dom walks in to meet his mother. As he strides in, they see each other and a sizzle sparks. But, because he has a haughty attitude, she talks back to him. I was giggling at their banter! He treats her badly and she gets back at him by arranging his pepperonis in two letters: F and U. He gets her fired, and she runs out upset. Dom’s mom, Delassandra, notices this and gets her a job (along with someone else) at their Magazine- Label, a very well-known, respected business. Dom and Ally are like oil and vinegar, but the attraction between them is combustible. They can’t help but be sarcastic and a$$h@!€$ towards each other, not to mention that the sexual chemistry is nuclear. As time progresses, it’s evident that they gravitate towards each other more than they want to admit. He maneuvers situations so that she ends up working with him. Although their connection is visceral and raw in the most delicious way, they both have walls around their feelings/heart and little by little, the walls start cracking. They each have trust issues- not that they’re the type of people to be unfaithful; it’s more about letting people in and sharing the problems that they’re going through. Ally has a lot of pride, which is why she has so many jobs. Her BFF owns part of a strip club, yet she won’t ask her for money. She prefers to kill herself, have thousands of jobs and live in an ice box of a house before asking for help. Dom likes taking care of people, so he finds sneaky ways of helping Ally. He’s not as cold as he makes himself out to be. As time progresses, so does their closeness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are so many plot elements, so much description, which I appreciated, that I didn’t feel the length of the book- in fact, I was sad to see it end. Yes, there’s intimacy between them, but the buildup is so scrumptious that when it finally happens (over 50% into the book) it was satisfying (and hot as f 🔥🔥🔥). Both Ally and Dom have issues they need to work through in order to get to their HEA. I appreciated the groveling that happened... this book made me laugh, cry, swoon, and sweat. It was perfect!

I really like Lucy Score books. They are usually funny and pull at the heart strings. I do not understand blind devotion to authors who we like. As a reader of many books, not EVERY book a good author writes is going to be 5 star material. After seeing MANY adoring, "this is the BEST Lucy book EVER" comments on her social media - all before the book was even released (I mean, how many ARCS are given out?) I was looking forward to it. And at first I LOVED Dom and Alley and their banter and chemistry. It WAS NOT a slow burn - everyone knew right away they were insanely attracted to each other and for their own reasons, did not want to act on it. I actually loved Dom more than Alley - as he had legit baggage to hold him back whereas Alley was more of a whiny martyr when it came to her baggage. Also, as any good romance reader knows, sex scenes are an obvious part of the books, however I felt the scenes in this book were over the top. The middle REALLY dragged for me .... you can only take so much diversion, no communication, etc. Alley's "pride" was more of a roll of the eyes after a while and she never went after anyone - hello DEENA - except for Malina and even then, Alley got slapped not the other way around. DOM handled all of her martyr decisions ..... again except for Malina. He took care of Deena, tracked down her mother, bought her house only to give it back to her. I really liked the supporting characters , her friends at work, Faith, Christian, Harry, Delaney, Linus, etc. Overall, I did enjoy the read, and there were several amusing and heart tugging parts and really great one liners, I mean drunk Dom was awesome and the nicknames were on point. But overall, the story was too long, Alley lacked gumption, for me, and Dom, my favorite, also could have solved a lot of time and energy by just communicating with everyone in his life.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed the e-book so much that I bought the paperback. The story was well written, minimal typos/grammatical errors, and I loved Dom and Ally. (It has been a long time since I have read a book where I liked the male and female leads equally.) The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the author tries a little too hard at times to be witty/funny. In this story, it was the incessant use of quirky nicknames for characters. Every single side character was given a ridiculous name like, ‘Lady McFrowny’, ‘Bus Stop Buddy’, ‘Jumpy McJumperson’, etc. It was too much, but the rest of the book was good.

Hands down the best aspect of this book is the characters. They really carried the story and made it come alive. They felt like weird people that occasionally did weird or stupid things that didn’t always exist for the purpose of advancing the author’s plot goals. Their random goofy texts, charming emails, and sometimes nonsense arguments gave the story a charm that many stories are missing and seemed to exist purely to make the readers smile and laugh. My second favorite aspect of this book is the author’s way with words. She could take some boring, basic thing, like body glitter, and refer to it in a way that it suddenly becomes a fun, comical illustration of the story. I love authors that can take a basic, boring sentence, and turn it into something charming and hilarious. It really helps set the tone for the story, and the author never uses it to detract from the more serious moments. There are certain aspects I wasn’t completely fond of. It felt like the stuff near the end was glossed over. I am not completely clear what happened to Gola and Shaylah. If it was mentioned earlier in the book, it was so brief that it didn’t stick. It makes it feel pretty unimportant even if the author is saving it for their own stories later. I always find a female character’s resistance to help beyond reason very off-putting. The more I read characters like that, the more I am disliking them. There is a big difference in getting some help when you really need it to being a moocher. It makes your average person who has likely needed help at times feel like they are falling short somehow. And I am a very independent woman who lives by herself with no significant other or remotely dependable parents or siblings. So if I think it’s overkill, it is overkill. I am glad she finally relaxed some. I can’t say I am a big fan of stories with characters these ages either. Which if funny, because I am almost the same age of the heroine. I just hate thinking about their time together being cut short because they found each other later in life. That is also why I am usually a fan of alien and paranormal stories, because the usual rules of aging and death just don’t have to apply. I like as little as possible of the bad aspects of reality to intrude into my fiction. But that is just a big personal preference. Otherwise, it was fun and I will be checking out this author’s other books in the future.