The Happy Hour Hookup

Insurance of the Heart #1

by Tristen Willis

Ruby Daniels had her life turned upside down when a surprise meeting at work informed her that she would be forced to move teams and work under a team leader that she absolutely despised, Aiden.

Being forced to work under Aiden stirred up mixed feelings from when Ruby and Aiden used to be on friendlier terms and Ruby makes a foolhardy decision one Friday night at after work drinks.

Now forced to face her bad decision and her mixed feelings, Ruby must decide if taking a chance and risking it all on someone she knows could be the ruin of her career is worth it.

This sweet, closed-door romance novella offers a fast-paced, heartwarming love story perfect for fans of 'insta-love' connections. At 100 pages, it's a bite-sized tale where the focus is on the emotional development of the couple rather than explicit scenes. If you're looking for a quick escape into a love story where the tension and connection happen in a flash, this novella is for you.

Genres: Romance

109 pages, ebook

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Tristen lives in Newcastle, Australia with her husband and two kids and works full time in the insurance industry, helping people get their lives back.

Currently, Tristen is balancing the joys and challenges of motherhood with an energetic toddler and a newborn. Despite her busy schedule, she’s still dedicated to her writing.

Recently, she released The Insurance of the Heart Novella Collection, a series of interconnected romance novellas. After this, she shifted her focus to writing Dystopian Romance.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

BETA reader review.

Firstly, thank you so much to the author for allowing me to BETA read another of her books.
This book was short and sweet, but overall so enjoyable. I really enjoyed the storyline and Ruby's growth towards the end of the story.
It was well written, despite being read prior to editing and i know that it's only going to improve once editing has been completed.
If you are a fan of contemporary romance you are sure to love this!

[Emmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Happy Hour Hookup is a short enemies to lovers coworker romance set in Sydney. I found the two MCs to share beautiful chemistry and loved the side characters. The novella had a sweet ending and wrapped the plot up in nice box with a bow on top with no loose ends. This is a nice quick read that I recommend.

[Brandy Hussing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and Hazel’s Book Tours in exchange for a read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is an excellent short read! Enemies to lovers and workplace romance tropes. This was a relatable book as it has a ton of workplace gossip that got in the way of
Ruby’s feelings. I could even picture who in my office would be Hannah and Hirem!

[Sarah Liemont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beta/Arc read.

Actual rating was 4.5 stars but rounded up to a 5.

I've never read a novella before but i did enjoy reading The Happy Hour Hookup.
If you like reading short books with tropes like: enemies to lovers, workplace romance and forced proximity you will enjoy reading this book. I know it's a sweet romance but i did feel this would have been better if it had spice in it as it's what i prefer in a romance, hence the rating. That being said, i still really enjoyed reading it despite the lack of spiciness and think about who enjoys reading romance will find this a fast and enjoyable read.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a brilliant, spicy little quick read that I absolutely devoured in one sitting.

Ruby and Aiden made such a cute couple. Although, now not friends, memories of happier times surface and the relationship develops swiftly!
I loved their banter throughout and the ease the story flowed.
A great pair who were quickly relatable and likable.

The writing style was light and fun and this made for a really enjoyable read with great pacing which had me hooked in from the start.

This is a great one to grab in your lunch hour or on the train to work.
Being such a short novella, I'm wondering whether there might be more books to come - a series maybe set in the same workplace, or another book following what happened after....

[Kim Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to BETA read this book.
Firstly, this is a short novella of approx. 100 pages and the author did an impressive job stuffing such a great story in such a small amount of pages.
I really enjoyed the banter between the main character Ruby and her friends. And of course the romance was well written and such a super sweet story.
Now, can she write another book about the BFF, cause i need that story!

[Brie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Happy Hour Hookup by Tristen Willis

Thank you to @hazels_booktours & @authortristenwillis for the complimentary copy of this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview. My thoughts are my own. This romance novella is available now.

Ruby Daniels has a job she loves on a team she enjoys. She finds her word upended when a restructure at work sees her being moved to work under her former crush turned workplace enemy she avoids at all cost. But when a happy hour to welcome the new members to the group gets a little frisky, the line between coworkers gets blurred. Will they see sparks or will things go up in flames?

This was a super fun, quick read! The story kept me intrigued and engaged. There was just enough spice to keep it interesting but not make you blush in the Target pickup line. I recommend for those looking for a fast-paced workplace romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

[Kailyn Glassmacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a super fun and quick read! It is perfect for you if you look for quick and easy read in one sitting. The happy hour hookup has dual POV of two main characters who fell in love in each other. The characters are so cute and so easy to loved. The book have very sweet ending and the author whipped the book with nice cherry on top to close the book nicely without any kind of unanswered thoughts/questions. The novella had perfect amount of spice to keep you interesting in book even if book have closed door romantic. I’m highly recommend you who looking for a fast paced workplace romance.

Thank you the Tristen Willis the author and Hazel’s Book Tours for the gifted copy of this great and fun book.

[Mia webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Hazelsbooktour and Tristan for sending me a copy of this wonderful book for an honest review!💗

Happy hour hookup is a book that draws you in straight from the start! 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 95 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.

I did think everything happened really quickly but again that’s due to it being such a short book; i would have rated this a 5⭐️ 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

All the characters were so loveable especially the 𝗙𝗠𝗖 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. Couple her with her bestie Hannah and they where a force; I loved there banter and the way they offered each other advice and the hard truths, it was so sweet💗

𝗙𝗠𝗖 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. I really enjoyed there 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀-𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, although it was more one sided🤭

There wasn’t much world-building in this book but I did discover that it’s based in 𝗦𝘆𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗮𝗹 😂 I honestly don’t think I’ve read a book that was featured in Australia and - 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 - made it so special to me☺️

The plot and overall story was super easy to understand which made me glide over the words without having to um and uh -𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 🙄- at all!

𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 100% 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘀𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽!

[Millsieey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy, short read, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I think the length of the book affected the story arc and ultimately my overall rating. I needed more time for the characters to develop before it jumped into conflict, resolution, and then sunshine and rainbows. I didn’t feel invested in their connection, and Aiden’s reasoning for things felt oddly inserted just to create conflict, only to be resolved too easily. I also didn’t enjoy the present tense narration—it was disorienting to have past events discussed as if they were happening now. It was very jarring. That said, I do love the cover art; it's what initially drew me to the book. It’s very cute.

[Shyanne Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast paced novella was completely worth the read. Ruby & Aiden’s “relationship” had me engaged from the first couple pages. It had spice that was pretty good for the length! and the characters plus the storyline were extremely enjoyable.

I loved the story from the start and I cannot thank Hazels Booktours & Tristen Willis enough for letting me read & review this arc because it really was a super cute & enjoyable short read that caught me from the first couple pages and kept me invested until the end.

I suggest this to everyone who is in the mood for a cute, spicy, short read! It took me by surprise and by the end, I was wanting more. (That is my only complaint!)

[Jessica Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Happy Hour Hookup Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and Hazel’s Book Tours in exchange for a read and review. All opinions are my own.

I quite enjoyed this book! I felt like I was a part of Rubys friendship group! I felt like one of the girls who was gossiping! This was a lighthearted story which was relatable!
I want to know more about the different characters who were in the book!
There was the tiniest bit of spice but it didn’t feel forced which was refreshing. The entire narrative felt natural.
I enjoyed this book a lot and I look forward to reading more from authortristenwillis

[Katey Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was given an advance copy of The Happy-Hour Hookup in exchange for my honest review! 🙃

Such a fun read! I love a good forbidden work romance, missed connection-ish and also kind of enemies to lovers vibe! Side note I hope everyone has work bestie like Hannah and Hirim! 😂 Adding a little bit of ✨✨ Spice towards the end was perfect! This book is super well written, flows nicely and would be a great Sunday afternoon read. Quick, cute and fun!

[Shannon Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute! And I love that it’s set in Sydney! We love a true hometown story!

I feel like it could have actually benefitted from being a full novel rather than just a novella just because of the actual love story felt a little rushed and Insta-lovey for me, but overall the story was cute and a fun quick read

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little workplace novella. Perfect for a afternoon read.

I enjoyed seeing both POV's of the main characters, but I do wish we saw more of Aidan's POV. I love hearing how a man falls in love with a girl. Its always so cute.

Other then that; I liked it. It was a cute story line, barely any smut, and just a happy little novella overall.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute!!!

This is the sweetest story!

I absolutely loved reading the Happy Hour Hook up!!

The plot was so cute and the novella had excellent pacing- once I picked it up I had no desire to leave.

The characters were likable and omg just so fun!

Definitely recommend for a fast sweet read!

[Nic Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, spicy fun time.

A fast paced novella with a delightful workplace romance.

The writing is easy to read, the characters were relatable and fun to read about.

The side characters added a little something to the story.

I read this in one sitting and it only took an hour so if you have a block
of time where you just want to cut off from the world for a bit and escape into a cute romance, this is the book for you

[Danika Bellemare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book by this author and I am amazed by how she is able to hook me onto the story within the first few chapters! This novella is beautifully written and really shows the reader the relationship between not only Ruby & Hannah but also Ruby & Aiden.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Hannah Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a steamy workplace novella with quite a lot of story packed into a little package. The characters are likable and relatable, and the company they worked for (and its many meetings) felt almost too real. My only real issue with the book is that it was labeled as a "sweet romance," and I would say it's too spicy to be called sweet. I would call it more of a steamy closed-door romance because there is one more-than-just-a-make-out scene and one closed-door scene, but that's just a technicality. Just a bit of a heads-up for readers who only read sweet romances!! I did enjoy the novella (read it all in one sitting), and it was written well.
3.5/5 stars, rounded up for goodreads.

Thanks to the author for an early review copy of the book!

[Alice Branch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute short story about a workplace romance. I don't remember reading a book by an Australian author before so it was interesting to see how social relations are in an Australian setting. I give it 4 stars not 5, because I would have loved a couple more breathtaking scenes.
I'd recommend this book for a quick romance read.

[Jessica (aus.fangirl.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can such a short novella, have me so enthralled with its characters!? Someone send help I’m addicted to them!!

The Happy Hour Hookup is 100-page enemies to lover's novella, filled with a lot of spice and a lot of story.
I was shocked at how much plot could go into a 100 page novella, and at how nicely everything was wrapped up by the end, no loose ends, just an adorably wrapped happy ending that made my heart fill so full.

I loved the main characters, they seemed like people I would see in my own office, working away, they were incredibly fleshed out and they almost seem to have been made for each other. I really enjoyed the side characters and how diverse the entire cast was, I wish we had more information and back story on some, but with this being such a short story, I guess we can only have so much information.

This was such an enjoyable read and I’ll be eagerly awaiting any future work from Tristen!

[Jake Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read which was fast paced and enjoyable--I read it in about 2 hours as I couldn't put it down and wanted to finish it in a single sitting.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated it a 3.5 ⭐️ and rounded up to 4.
This is a quick novella. I wished it was a full book so there was a tad more back story to it all so it flowed better.
Tropes -
Forbidden love
Work place romance

[Jenny Tabb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! A short and sweet romance. ❤️

[Shea Bloodworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick office romance read!! The banter between the love interests was nice. I love a good office romance. I hope there are more stories within this world!!

[Bryanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up to 4)

what a cute little workplace romance! im not a huge fan of novellas due to the fast pace, but once in a awhile they’re okay and this was one that i didn’t hate!

it was closed-door which i also normally don’t read, but the story didn’t need the door open, honestly. super cute! a sweet, quick read!

thank you tristen for the copy of this book in exchange for my review! 🫶🏻

[Padmapriya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novella has a very simple plot which could be easily understood. It was a quick and straightforward read. The author has managed to provide an easily plotted story. The book was a relax read for me, after many complex-plot books.

[cristinareadsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was actually really good!!! wish it was longer

[Stephanie Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute, fun read! I loved the banter and the characters. Honestly when it ended, I literally said “NOOOOOO” cause I wanted it to keep going 😂 such a great, quick read to keep me busy on the plane in my travels.

[Brittany page · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dnfd at 50 pages.