AdCraft Creative Review

Tempting Boss

by Lilian Monroe

Contemporary Romance · New Adult Romance Heat 5/5 Manhattan, New York City; brief scenes in Charlotte, North Carolina; Italian destination wedding epilogue February 27, 2026
Nano Banana 2 · gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview · 2K

Headlines

#HeadlineAngleEmotion
1She sent it to the whole company.Reply-All Disastercringe-comedy / morbid curiosity
2I have a crush on my boss.Quotable / Reply-All Disastermortification / universal relatability
3He fell first. He fell completely.He-Falls-First Trope Hookswooning / romantic longing
4She said no. He flew to North Carolina.Grand Gesture / Curiosity Gapshock / desperate longing / 'wait WHAT'
5Grumpy billionaire. Sunshine heroine. One catastrophic reply-all.Trope Stack / BookTok Nativedelight / trope recognition / anticipation
6Touch her and die. He means every word.Possessive Hero / Dark Romance Hookheat / dark romance thrill
7He controls everything. Except her.Control Freak Meets His Matchtension / power dynamic fascination
8She left him. She didn't know about the baby yet.Accidental Pregnancy / Curiosity Gapdread / desperate curiosity / heartbreak
9Manhattan's most powerful man dropped to his knees.Emotional Payoff / He-Falls-Firstswoon / catharsis / earned romance
10Morally gray boss. She-won't-bow heroine. 500 pages of tension.Trope Hook / BookTok Community Signalexcitement / community recognition / anticipation
11He told her to shut her business down. She left.Betrayal Beat / Curiosity Gapfury / heartbreak / 'oh no he did NOT'
12She built her whole life to escape control. Then met him.Independence vs. Intimacy / Emotional Ironytension / irony / deep emotional resonance

Excerpt Frames

EXCERPT 1

She'd been lying to her whole family about the billionaire boyfriend — the one who was safely far away in Manhattan. Then she turned around at her parents' anniversary party and he was standing right there.

He said only one word: 'Hello, love.' And then he kissed me.

The moment the pretend became devastatingly real. Grab Tempting Boss now — link in bio.

EXCERPT 2

This is Callum Frost's internal monologue. The most controlled man in Manhattan. The billionaire who has never been caught off guard by anything in his life. She walked into his office and he never stood a chance.

From one second to the next, I was in love with her. It didn't matter that we barely knew each other, or that I was pretty sure she hated me. She was perfect, and I loved her.

He fell first. He fell HARD. One-click Tempting Boss — you will not regret a single page.

EXCERPT 3

She was alone in the hospital. In labor. She'd told herself she was done with him. She called him anyway — and Callum Frost, the most powerful man in Manhattan, dropped everything and ran. No private jet. No grand speech. He just showed up.

He crashed through the door an indeterminate amount of time later... He was here. I wasn't alone. Just like that, he was there next to me. He said something else, but I didn't hear it. I just grabbed his hand and squeezed it until the contraction receded.

This is the grand gesture that completely destroyed me. Read Tempting Boss. Link in bio — every single page is worth it.

EXCERPT 4

She convinced herself this was just physical. She told herself she could keep it simple, keep it contained, keep herself safe. A man like Callum Frost wasn't capable of wanting more. She was catastrophically wrong.

'It's not just your body I want, Deena. It's your mind. Your heart. Your soul.'

The line I read three times in a row and then had to go lie down. Get Tempting Boss — link in bio.

EXCERPT 5

She gave him everything. Her trust, her body, her heart. 300 pages of slow burn and healing and falling. And then he said THIS. I had to put the book down and walk away for a full ten minutes.

'I don't give a shit about your work!' ... 'You're shutting your business down, Deena. This has gone on long enough.' My chest felt like it was caving in. Cal stood before me, a pillar of swirling, aggressive, immovable energy. I felt small and weak and terrified.

You will throw your Kindle. You will immediately pick it back up. Trust the process — get Tempting Boss now, link in bio.

Characters

Deena Brand

Heroine / Female Lead

Black woman, early 30s. Wild, voluminous hair in shades of warm brown and honey-blond, usually half-tamed into a bun at the crown with tendrils framing her face. Big, expressive dark brown eyes. Full, lush lips naturally pink. Warm brown skin that flushes visibly when flustered. Curvy figure — generous hips and bust. Style is bold and deliberate: statement blouses with balloon sleeves, wide-leg trousers in jewel tones, coordinated monochromatic looks in burgundy or forest green. Multiple ear piercings including a helix. Rings on multiple fingers. Dangling gold filigree earrings. Carries a well-worn tote bag. Wears stay-up lace thigh-high stockings under pencil skirts.

"She built her entire life to escape control — then walked straight into the arms of the most controlling man in Manhattan."

Callum 'Cal' Frost

Hero / Male Lead

White man, late 30s to early 40s. Tall, broad, powerfully built — hours in a private gym visible in every movement. Dark hair, slightly tousled with a natural curl at the ends — appears deliberate even in apparent dishevelment. One rogue curl frequently falls onto his forehead. Eerie, pale, ice-blue eyes that are his most striking feature — cold at rest, burning with intensity when focused. Strong jaw, long aquiline nose, full lips. Clean-shaven showing a defined jaw, or light stubble. Always in perfectly tailored dress shirts (crisp white), bespoke trousers, or a tuxedo for formal events. Commands a room simply by existing in it. Smells of a complex, woodsy cologne.

"A billionaire so used to controlling every variable that he never accounted for the one woman he couldn't command — and couldn't live without."

Erica Frost

Supporting Character — Cal's sister / confidante

White woman, mid-to-late 30s. Pale blue eyes like her brother's, though warmer. Shares Cal's sharp intelligence and perceptiveness. During her cancer treatment, she wears a head scarf; later, has a short fuzzy halo of regrown hair. Thin and tired during treatment but radiant in remission. Wears comfortable, unpretentious clothing. Her smile when genuinely happy is reminiscent of their mother's — a detail that surprises Cal.

"The only person who can make the most powerful man in Manhattan listen — and the secret keeper of his worst wound."

Lila

Supporting Character — Erica's daughter / Cal's niece

Small girl, approximately 5 years old. Blond hair typically in two French braids tied with colored bows. A gap in her front teeth. Bright, expressive eyes. Radiates the energy of a tiny tornado. Carries drawings everywhere. Wears flouncy dresses. Gap-toothed smile that mirrors her cousin Riley's.

"A five-year-old who decorates a billionaire's gallery wall with crayon drawings — and makes his stone heart crack wide open."

Core Tropes

boss/employee forbidden romance forced proximity workplace slow burn with explosive payoff morally gray controlling male lead she's-his-boss-but-he-won't-admit-it he-falls-first touch-her-and-die jealousy (possessive alpha) emotionally unavailable man opened by the right woman accidental pregnancy grumpy-sunshine dynamic (grumpy billionaire / sunshine-sarcasm heroine) enemies-to-lovers fake dating / fake boyfriend found family broken hero with childhood trauma independent heroine vs. controlling hero push-pull praise kink / good girl dynamic power exchange (consensual) billionaire romance second chance / reunion arc