Juicy Pickle

The Pickle Cousins

by J.J. Knight

Can you imagine getting stuck alone on a deserted island with the person you hate most in the world? And no end in sight?

Well, that’s me. Bailey Johansson, former assistant to the absolute worst boss ever to boss in the boss world. Stranded on a tiny island owned by a cruise line in an abandoned party hut.

In a tropical storm.

This is not a love story.
It’s not a tale of redemption or heroism.

It’s a revenge drama. No — a revenge COMEDY.

Because I’ll get the last laugh. The cruise ship leaving early due to an approaching storm while we yelled at each other on the opposite beach was a SIGN.

I’m going to get that man back for everything he did to me. I’ve decided that Mr. Juicy, as my old coworkers called him (yeah, THAT’S a story), is going to rue the day he ever fired me.

And no, I’m not going to fall in love with him.
Not on your life.

__

Juicy Pickle is the wildest not-love story that ever became a love story between a boss and his former assistant, stuck together on a private island with a manual-crank margarita machine and a ten-gallon bucket of pickles, surviving primarily on adrenaline and stress-banging. It’s part of the Top 100 bestselling Pickleverse, but you do not need to read any of the other books before this one. You can start your wild adventure with the Pickle family right here.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Humor, Workplace, Rom Com

306 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2024

About the author

JJ Knight is the Kindle All-Star and USA Today bestselling author of romantic comedies and sports romance. She’s a fierce mama bear for all the humans under her care: biological, adopted, and those in need of mom hugs. Her books portray characters who learn to push through hardship to find love and belly laughs. For more information visit www.jjknight.com.

THE PICKLEVERSE OF BESTSELLING ROMANTIC COMEDIES:

- Big Pickle: Secret Boss
- Hot Pickle: Brother's Best Friend
- Spicy Pickle: Fake Engagement
- Second Chance Santa: Pickled Holiday Rom Com

- Royal Pickle: Marry a Prince in 7 Days
- Royal Rebel: Princess and Guard Secret Love
- Royal Escape: Secret Identity Princess

- Tasty Mango: Billionaire and Single Mom
- Tasty Pickle: Billionaire Opposites Attract
- Tasty Cherry: Boss and Intern

- Juicy Pickle: Stranded on an Island
- Salty Pickle: Surprise Baby
- Hold the Pickle: Unexpected Roommates

- Wicked Pickle: Bad Boy Biker Bar
- Tricky Pickle: MC Club

ROM COM DUETS:
- The Wedding Confession
- The Wedding Shake-up

- Single Dad on Top: Billionaire Surprise Dad
- Single Dad Plus One: Billionaire Secret Baby

ROM COM STANDALONE:

Not Exactly a Small-Town Romance: Sunshine-Sunshine Work Besties to Lovers

- The Accidental Harem: Yup, what it says. It's...a lot. I went nuts.

SPORTS ROMANCE SERIALS:
Grab individually or in boxed sets.

COLT AND JO
- Uncaged Love 1
- Uncaged Love 2
- Uncaged Love 3
- Uncaged Love 4
- Uncaged Love 5
- Uncaged Love 6

COLT'S FRIEND PARKER AND MADDIE
USA Today bestselling series
- Fight for Her 1
- Fight for Her 2
- Fight for Her 3
- Fight for Her 4

JO'S BROTHER HUDSON
- Reckless Attraction 1
- Reckless Attraction 2
- Reckless Attraction 3

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and funny deserted island romance!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌏
Character development: 🙂🥰😎 😃😋

The heroine: Bailey - she was recently fired from Dougherty Inc. for something that was not her fault. Her former work bestie Viola was the one at fault and for that they are no longer besties. Add to that, the fact that she was fired just two short weeks before the entire company was going on a cruise to celebrate the company anniversary, and Bailey was not a happy camper. She had gotten her reservation before she was fired, and she still planned to go on the vacation despite the fact that her cranky boss Rhett fired her. After putting up with him for more than two years, she deserved this break.

The Hero: Rhett - After getting on the cruise ship, he thought he spotted his former assistant Bailey, but he must have been mistaken. She did something that was damaging to the company, so he’d had no choice but to fire her. He was glad it happened before the cruise because he had enough trouble with his attraction to her in an office setting, being with her on a cruise would be downright painful. He planned to keep caught up on work during the four-day cruise anyway, despite the fact that the whole company was on the ship and the office phones were being manned by temps. Though he would have to join the others a few times and show his face since he was the head of the company and the right-hand man of Dougherty (his uncle).

The Story: Rhett had fired Bailey based on the word of Viola that Bailey had been embezzling money from the company based on a fraudulent marketing campaign. Bailey didn’t know why Viola did that, but she was no longer speaking to Viola. Rhett hadn’t really had time yet to investigate the charges fully, but he intended to do that while on the cruise. However, when they go to a private island for the day, Bailey and Rhett each go off on their own to the other side of the island when a storm comes up out of nowhere and the rest of the passengers and crew return to the ship and the ship leaves the area.

I liked this deserted island romance. It was cute and funny and I loved that the two main characters had at least some amenities, even if it was only a few things, and the fact that they knew even if they weren’t missed by their coworkers, there would eventually be another cruise stopping by the island, so they didn’t have to worry about never being rescued. The fact that Rhett had always held himself back from wanting Bailey because he thought she had a live-in boyfriend named Maxwell added something to the plot as well. Especially since Maxwell was Bailey’s cat.

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[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

what happened to Kenna?

Bailey was fired unfairly by her overbearing boss Rhett two weeks before a company cruise. Since she still has a boarding pass she is determined to go. Rhett has tried to always keep himself aloof from the company because he’s afraid he’ll revert back to his younger self who was obsessed with partying and women, especially when he met Bailey. He’s also insecure about his uncle giving him the company. And he’s angry because he thinks Bailey stole half a million dollars.
When Bailey realizes that her so called friend, Viola is the one that got her fired, she’s livid and vows to never trust her again. When she sneaks on deck to get food, she sees Viola with another coworker named Kenna. Kenna sees her but promises that she won’t rat her out. Later in the story, Kenna gives Bailey bad vibes when she seems too interested in the inquiry into what happened to the missing money.
The reason I didn’t give this five stars is because after Bailey suspects Kenna, she’s never mentioned again. However, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to everyone.

[BookAddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever read anything from this gifted wordsmith, you’ve been eagerly awaiting this next Pickle romance, and if you haven’t yet, you’re really missing out! Knight pulls out all the stops on this one, and Rhett and Bailey's story is guaranteed to make you a fan for life!

Bailey Johansson is having a bad day, well a bad life actually, after getting fired by her terrible, awful, horrible boss, but she's not going down without a fight. Or at least a tropical cruise. One that the whole company will be going on, and Bailey still has the boarding pass that will give her access to the cruise ship. She just needs to hide out and stay away from other employees until she can disembark on the private island and enjoy a day in the sun.

Except her former boss, Rhett Armstrong, spots her on the island, away from all the others, building a sandcastle. This results in a huge argument and inadvertently getting left behind by the cruise ship. With a bad tropical storm blowing in, these two enemies will have to work together to survive the night on a deserted island. Let the thunder and lightening commence!

Rhett and Bailey are truly glorious together, as misunderstandings get resolved and sparks are ignited. Amidst the laugh-out-loud hilarity are sweet, poignant moments, providing for the most delicious emotional whiplash. An phenomenal addition to an epically awesome series, read this delightful, hilarious, heartwarming romance first and then catch up on all things Pickle!

[Ilze Van der Merwe · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn’t even funny bad, just bad

[Nate Brightman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juicy Pickle is the latest book in what the author refers to as her Pickleverse. With each new story the connection to the original concept of the Pickles trilogy about the family that operates some very successful delis whose success is partially built upon the pickles they serve gets more and more tenuous. I enjoyed this story but at the same time a had a lot of problems with it. In this story the male protagonist, Rhett Armstrong is the nephew of Pickle Patriarch Sherman Pickle who appears towards the end of the story. Sherman is the silent majority partner in a business he created for his nephew (who had previously been a self-admitted partier and a slacker) to run. We’re never really told what exactly the business is. Only that its become very successful and grown very quickly. Rhett struggles to blend the person he has always been with the person he thinks he needs to be to be worthy of running the company his uncle gave him. He adopts a no nonsense, unapproachable personae which is far from who he has always been. When he hires the over qualified Bailey Johansson to be his administrative assistant because he’s attracted to her, he doubles down on his over demanding, professionally distant personae to avoid acting on his feelings because he knows he shouldn’t fraternize with his employee. Bailey is a bit shocked and disappointed that after a couple of weeks on the job Rhett doesn’t seem to be the same easy-going boss he was when she interviewed for the job. She finds him a tyrant who is constantly finding fault with her performance no matter how hard she works. But Bailey needs the job so she works her ass off to excel at it despite Rhett’s constant negative feedback. When Viola, her work BFF brings information to Rhett that indicates Bailey may have been defrauding the company of half a million dollars Rhett quickly fires her without doing a thorough investigation just a couple days short of her two year anniversary with the company. And Bailey is pissed both for being wrongly accused of and fired for bilking the company, and because it happened just a couple of weeks short of the planned celebration that will take all the employees on a four day Caribbean luxury cruise she was looking forward to going on. She decides she’s not going to be denied the vacation she feels she deserves and sneaks aboard the ship believing once it’s left port there’ll be nothing anyone can do about her being there. My least troublesome issue with this story is why Bailey who lives in Florida acts like she needs to go on this cruise to put her feet in the sand on a sunny beach. I mean isn’t warm temperatures and sandy beaches what Florida is famous for? As the tender takes the passengers to the cruise lines small private island for a day of fun in the sun she makes her presence known to her former co-workers. Somehow, she and Rhett manage to get themselves forgotten and stranded on the island when everyone else is hurried back to the ship because of an approaching tropical storm. During their time on the island Bailey tells Rhett her side of the story and who she believes set her up and why. She also gives Rhett a very blunt critique of what she feels his weaknesses are as a boss. He begrudgingly acknowledges he was wrong to fire Bailey without doing his due diligence and that her criticisms are not without merit. Rhett confesses the reason he’d been an ogre to her was because he’d been attracted to her. But now she no longer works for him so they’re free to act upon their mutual attraction. He proves to Bailey many times over that she is capable of having an orgasm and with this discovery of her sexual satisfaction Baily is insatiable. They spend the next couple of days waiting to be rescued working together doing what they need to survive and banging each other’s brains out. But what will happen to their new relationship when they return to the real world? There are plenty of red herrings in the story as Rhett and Bailey work to discover who set her up to look like she was embezzling funds to get her fired.
My problem with this story is not the romance between Rhett and Bailey. It’s everything else. My real problem with this story is that the author brings up a lot of workplace and social issues but ultimately doesn’t seem to come down on one side or the other of the issues. Like nepotism in the work place or just the unfair advantage of needing to know someone to get a foot in the door. Bailey went to college to earn a degree in political science. She had dreams of someday working in politics. Perhaps as a speech writer. But by her junior year when she can’t get a decent internship to help get her land a job after graduation because they all go to fellow students with family connections, she’s totally disillusioned about her chances of living her dream. Rhett of course feels guilty because family connections is exactly how he found himself running a company he feels totally unqualified to lead. By the end of the story the author seems to be telling us that nepotism is just a reality of life and there’s nothing really wrong with it. It’s not how you got the job but what you do with it that matters. So I guess the message is people like Bailey who come from humble working class beginnings should just work hard and hope for the best and not resent people who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths for getting jobs they are less qualified for.
Then there’s the whole fraternization in the workplace between a boss and a subordinate issue. I’m not trying to downplay the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and bosses trying to take advantage of the women that work for them by either threatening their jobs or promising special treatment for sexual favors. The reality is after the “Me Too” movement men have been afraid to even have a non-work related conversation with their female co-workers for fear of being accused of sexual harassment. Rhett and Bailey continue their relationship after their time on the island when they return to work. It should be fine because they are two consenting adults. But like nepotism it brings up ugly questions of how appropriate it is and casts dispersions about the qualifications of those involved. People wonder unfairly or not, did Bailey fuck her ex-boss to get her old job back? Like people who get their jobs through family connections or any reason other than merit, its just not a good look for anyone. Somehow, the solution to this problem Rhett comes up with Bailey gets promoted from her position as Rhett’s Admin. to a VP position hardly seems like something that would quell those ugly rumors of how she got her job back or how she’s keeping it. In this story the author makes a issue of when its discovered that Rhett was left on the island, no one had even thought to wonder where Bailey was. And when they’re rescued everyone greets Rhett like a returning hero for surviving the ordeal while no one says anything to Bailey. And Bailey was the person at work that made an effort to get to know all the other employees and show an interest in what was going on in their lives. Not the mostly aloof Rhett who only knew what Bailey told him. Rhett notes to himself the unfairness of it but that’s as far as it goes. Just like nothing ever happens to the VP who wrongly advised Rhett to quickly fire Bailey before doing a thorough investigation into the accusations against her. Rhett writes it off as just because of the work culture she came from. I don’t want to spoil the ending of the story so I’m putting this final complaint in a spoiler. Yes, Bailey gets a ring at the end of the story but she’s also quitting her job as VP to pursue a post graduate degree in political science which she hopes will lead her to her dream job in politics. Why she can’t continue to work while pursuing her Masters is one question? Another is how is she going to support herself while in school if she’s not working? And lastly, if she gets her dream job and has to leave Florida for it, what happens to her relationship with Rhett whom she’s just accepted a marriage proposal from? It’s just my humble opinion but in real life dreams change. Bailey seemed more qualified than Rhett to run the company. To me a far better ending would have been if Bailey stayed on and was perhaps promoted to President while Rhett takes the job of C.E.O. or some other equivalent capacity where he could use his own strengths to compliment Bailey’s. Not having her leave the company all together.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen this author’s name before and owned a few of her books. It wasn’t until this one that I actually read one of them! This book was hilarious and now I want to find more books by this author and the Pickle family adventures!

[Misty Ludlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfect example of don't judge a book by the cover/title! It was a cute summer read. Deserted island. Enemies to lovers. A pickle company. What more could you need for a summer read?!

[Kim (Chipperbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhett and Bailey

I love love love the Pickle world. Cannot get enough.

Rhett is the cousin to the main Pickle man Sherman. His brother is Axel so you know the connection. It’s Rhett’s turn to run a company and he is doing so but he doesn’t want anyone to know the family connection. So he is doing the best he can with what he has at the moment.

When Bailey is hired as Rhett’s assistant, he knows he must stay away. Too much drama to get involved with her although it doesn’t stop his mind from going there. He has liked her from day one but now two years later, he finds himself firing her. It has been brought to his attention she is part of a coverup. Well this firing goes down right before the company cruise and Bailey feels like she deserves this cruise. Never mind Bailey didn’t do what she was fired for but what’s the point..no one will listen. So Bailey concocts a plan to get on this cruise and vacation for a few days on the company dime. And things are working for her until everyone must get off the main ship to go to a small island. One thing leads to another, a storm hits, and she misses the part of everyone getting back to the cruise ship. She is now alone, on the island, during a storm..until she sees Rhett. He too missed the ship and they are stuck together.

Such a fun and entertaining story. Definitely recommend for a light and fun read. I highly recommend all the books associated with the Pickle world.

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The joke was on me! I liked the first chapter, very much, with Bailey sneaking onto a cruise ship for a well deserved company holiday. That he had been recently fired by his uptight and unkind boss was the quandary that Bailey so deftly maneuvered around in humorous and well written scenes. There were a few little things I noticed, like Bailey ran and hid in the ladies room(smart, no one would look for a man there), and got very upset about his toilet water soaked pink shoe which matched the sundress that he was going to wear(hmm, he must have an out and proud femme side). I wish I could remember when the penny dropped and I realized that femme Bailey was a woman, lol.
I don’t think the author was using pronouns for those early scenes. I realized that I was reading an MF. It is very interesting how your perspective of a book can change depending upon if it’s an MM or an MF. I had some disappointment as female MCs can be badly written and can make or break an MF, and often break it, which is why I read MM almost exclusively.
I still wanted to read this as it is a stranded on a deserted island. Oh, yes, there’s my reading jam! 👍🏝️🥰
After realizing that Bailey is an F in this MF and I was liking very hot Rhett, I kept reading and was pleasantly surprised that Bailey was well written and likable. Her emotions about being unjustly fired and seeing her coworkers and employer again were written with honesty and empathy. I felt for her and those were good scenes. Bailey was a mix of bravery and anxiety.
I loved the discovery scene on the beach when Bailey is far away and alone and building a sand castle and Rhett stumbles upon her. Bailey’s focus on building the sand castle while Rhett is ranting was an amazing scene. Very different than what would be the usual. I liked that scene and all of the island scenes.
Why the 3.5 rating? Because they left the island, were rescued after two days. Yes, they still wanted each other-and the hurt comfort island sex between them was superb!-but, I didn’t like any of the office intrigue scenes as to who framed Bailey, liked even less when Rhett’s nepotism was exposed, who cares? It was an awkward office meeting scene. Speaking of office, I kept imagining Gloria as Phyllis from ‘The Office’. Gloria was a good character.
Rhett runs away to his family in another state, leaving Bailey behind. There was scene after scene with his family. Bailey was back at the office with his older relative.
I didn’t enjoy any of this. To me, it took away from the relationship.
The book became ‘Working Girl’ and Melanie and Harrison, I mean, Bailey and Rhett, had a happy ending complete with her becoming a VP with an office where they had regular sex that a female assistant tolerated. This was an unbelievable premise and I dropped the rating for that, too.
I needed more 🏝️and a lot less 🏢 ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

[Daisy Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder

This was my first book by the author (and my first experience with the Pickle clan) but won’t be my last. Bailey has been a model employee for the past two years despite being the assistant to a demanding boss, so she’s shocked to be fired. She’s been accused of stealing almost half a million dollars from the company and nobody even asked for her side of the story. Well, she wasn’t Rhett’s biggest fan in the first place but now she really doesn’t like the boss man. The worst part is that she was fired just weeks before the big company cruise and she deserved that trip because she’d earned it. Well, Bailey isn’t going to miss out, so she concocts a plan to get onto the cruise ship and confront Rhett about firing her once they’re out at sea far enough that they won’t take her back to land.


She spends the earliest stages of the cruise in hiding, plotting her revenge, but things don’t go according to plan when Bailey and Rhett get stuck on a private island in the middle of the cruise. They quickly realize that a lot of the tension between them comes from their mutual attraction and decide to act on it while stranded alone together. They intend to solve the mystery of who set Bailey up and why, but life isn’t so simple off of the island and unraveling the truth isn’t as easy as they’d hoped.


I really liked Bailey and her thirst for revenge. She had great ideas and wasn’t afraid to carry out her plan. Rhett was likable too but not as confident as Bailey, so he had some work to do on himself. Their story is silly and fun with a lot of heart.

[Tammy Moldovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Messy sweet love and pickles

I loved Rhett and Bailey’s quasi-enemies to lovers, stowaway, forced proximity, boss-employee, imposter syndrome romance with a side of office intrigue. This story had the perfect balance of humor, heartwarming love, real life issues, light mystery, and spice. The internal and external conflict was enough to move the storyline but not enough to cause the story to veer into overly angsty. Reading this romance made me happy and I smiled through the majority of it. Rhett is a cousin to the Pickle deli empire and as such he is “given” the Dougherty company to run by Uncle Sherman. He sort of feels stifled by being the boss and having to act a certain way. Bailey takes a job as Rhett’s assistant right out of college as a last resort. After working for him for two years she thinks Rhett is a controlling, bossy jerk. When Bailey is fired for allegedly mismanaging money two weeks before the planned company sponsored cruise, she decides she deserves the cruise and sneaks on board. A set of unfortunate and unforeseen events result in Rhett and Bailey being marooned together on a small private island in the middle of a tropical storm. Thus begins the acceleration of their HEA journey without the labels and expectations getting in the way but life off the island is more complicated and definitely requires baggage unpacking. The story was well written with witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline as shown through the sweet moments, steamy scenes, laugh out loud moments, supportive family, office politics, painful pasts, healing, and all the heart squeezing love. And even though there is no deli here, there are dill pickles. I love the Pickle family and am looking forward to reading the next family member’s story. 4.5 stars.

[Sunny Shelly Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading the Pickle Family books from the beginning, and I love that JJ Knight has extended the Pickleverse with the cousins. In Juicy Pickle, we have Rhett Montgomery, brother of naked hiker Axel from Tasty Pickle. Rhett is the CEO of a successful company, silently and secretly backed by Uncle Sherman (from the OG series). Two weeks before the book begins, Rhett had fired his assistant, Bailey, over a marketing snafu without ever investigating the claims.

The book opens as Bailey is sneaking onto a cruise ship for a company anniversary sailing. Sure, she's not supposed to be there, but where is the fun in that? She manages to pretty much go undetected Day 1 and 2, and makes her grand reveal to her former colleagues on Day 3 at the private island. Of course, when Rhett sees Bailey, he goes ballistic. Not only because he fired her, but because he's had the hots for her from Day One, and now she's wearing just a bikini. Then the fun starts: The two accidentally get stranded on the island when an unexpected tropical storm rolls through, and need to put their hate for each other aside in order to survive.

There's a fine line between love and hate, right? It gets crossed pretty quickly. As it turns out, the only reason Rhett was so prickly with Bailey the past two years was because he mistakenly thought she was unavailable. When the hate-fueled tension between these two combusts, it's electric!

Once Rhett and Bailey get rescued, will their island romance survive? Will they discover who was behind the snafu that led to her firing? And what will Rhett do once his true identity is revealed?

I loved this book. It was funny and spicy, and had the same charm and humor that the earlier Pickle books have! Well done!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to the pickle books, I have loved them all so when JJ Knight mentioned she was working on another pickle book of course I got super excited! Juicy Pickle didn’t disappoint, this book is about Rhett and Bailey. Bailey Johansson is a former assistant to Rhett who is the absolute worst boss you can think of!! These two are sworn enemies turned to lovers. When it comes to the time that of the company trip Bailey seems fit that she has the right to go on the trip too, even though she doesn’t work there anymore. So Bailey secretly sneaks on the trip. They are stranded on the alone on a deserted island and you know what she is there with the one person she despises the most. How they got stranded you ask? They were island exploring when the cruise ship they were on leaves early due to the fast approaching tropical storm. Now that they are stranded on the island Bailey has a few things up her sleeve to get the not so good ex-coworker back at all the things he has ever done to her. Juicy Pickle is not your normal love story these two are enemies at its finest. But if you want to know what happens between these to that are started on a private island (that is owned but he cruise shop), not much food, or drinks but a bucket of pickles, a margarita machine that you have to hand crank to get it to work. You know what I’m not saying anymore you will have to read Juicy Pickle to find out what happens with these two enemies on the island. 

I couldn’t put this book down from the time I opened the cover to the last page! It had my attention from the beginning and wanting to turn the page to find out what happens! You won’t be disappointed with yet another Pickle Book!

[lowkeyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently had the pleasure of reading Juicy Pickle by JJ Knight, and I must say, it was a truly enjoyable experience. This 4-star read is a testament to the author's skill in crafting a captivating story that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

The story follows the journey of Eden, who finds herself in a world where her dreams can come true, but at a cost. The plot is full of twists and turns, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the story.

Eden's character is well-developed and relatable, making her journey more believable and engaging. The supporting characters are also vividly portrayed, adding depth to the story and contributing to the overall enjoyment of the read.

The story takes place in a world where the concept of "The List" and "The Game" is prevalent, adding a layer of intrigue and mystery to the narrative. This unique setting enhances the story and sets it apart from other books in the same genre.

JJ Knight's writing style is witty and engaging, making the story a pleasure to read. The author's ability to blend humor with suspense creates a light-hearted tone that balances the darker aspects of the plot.

In conclusion, Juicy Pickle is a fantastic read that combines elements of suspense, romance, and fantasy to create a captivating story that will leave readers eager for more. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and engaging read that will entertain and delight.

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this Pickle world as there hasn't been one of these books that didn't make me deliriously happy. Bailey has hit a rough patch after getting fired from her job for something she didn't do, especially after working for the worst boss plus she got fired right before the company sponsored cruise which made it even worse if possible. She decides she's going on that cruise to have a go at her former boss which started her on a crazy new journey that's for sure. She's been hiding from everyone until the right time, but it ends up biting her in the behind when she's stranded on an island with Rhett (former boss) with a tropical storm rolling in. These two had me laughing a lot throughout this story especially Bailey as she was going to get revenge no matter what. However, this is probably the best thing to happen to both of them since now they can put it all out on the table and maybe just maybe life will change for the better for both. These two definitely have a ton of sparks flying, and anger to get rid of not to mention how will they clear her name?! Well you'll have to read it to find out, and trust me, everyone needs this book in their lives as I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhett and Bailey are a perfectly vanilla romance. It's not quite crack-fic stuff, though I think it tries to be, but it's definitely a suspend your disbelief sort of situation.

Bailey worked for Rhett as his personal assistant. Rhett fires her after some irregularities come up with some requisitions. Bailey, thinking she's due the anniversary cruise for putting up with Rhett's B.S. for two years, stowsaway on the ship anyway.

So, it's a crack fic sort of premise. And there's a virago of a former best friend who we think may have set Bailey up. And a bunch of cardboard cut-out co-workers. Really, it could have been an over the top sort of thing.

Especially because Bailey's never had an orgasm. It's unclear whether she has had one by herself, or if she's saving her golden vag for the magical unicorn cock of our friend Rhett, but either way, Rhett gives it to her, which of course has her changing her tune. No longer is he the awful boss she's had to tolerate. No. Now she's in love.

Honestly, the book's written better than that little synopsis. Rhett and Bailey are both fairly well-written and I liked this book enough to give it four stars. Worth a re-read? Meh. Maybe. Do I feel the need to binge the rest of the series? Nah.

[Mary Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another story in the Pickleverse that is as funny and cute as the others.
Bailey is headed on a cruise with her work but she was fired two weeks ago. She will try and sneak on board because she has her boarding pass and if she can get into her cabin, she will stay there until the ship is out to sea. Surely they will not turn around when she reveals herself.
Rhett can't believe he is on a cruise with his employees. It's a good thing he only has to show up for a few things. Then he can look over the books he brought to see if Bailey did what he fired her for.
Part of the cruise was the passengers were taken to an island for a day, but when a storm came up the crew gathered everyone back to the ship. Or so they thought. Rhett and Bailey are stranded on the island during the storm. And afterward, they talk and other things. To survive they eat oysters and pickles. The cruise ship returns after an employee realizes Rhett is missing.
This is such a sweet and suspenseful rom-com. I think this might be my favorite so far. I highly recommend you read this one and don't forget to read the others. You will not regret it.

[Kissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was selected by the other members of a book club I am part of, so I wasn't sure what to expect. While the premise - former employee and her boss get stuck on a deserted island - was intriguing, I had a hard time making a connection to the pickle aesthetic of the book title. Despite this book being the first of its particular series, I did feel a bit lost on who the Pickle family was and how Rhett's business was related to it. Aside from the distant family name, the bucket of pickles, and the occasional pickle-related puns, the pickle aesthetic seemed an afterthought to me; it felt like it was some writing prompt - "Write a story that mentions a pickle" - and the author was so focused on everything else and just tossed in the pickle aesthetic at random. The pacing of events felt a bit too fast for me, especially in relation to Bailey and Rhett's romance in correlation with their constantly changing work relationship. Plus I got a bit annoyed by how often they were intimately coming together especially at their work. Overall, while it wasn't exactly terrible, I just wasn't that impressed and don't have any interest exploring the rest of the Pickle universe.

[Sarah Poulton-Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this Pickle family and all the ways pickles can be featured in a romance book (this story features potentially life saving Pickle juice).

Juicy Pickle is the story of Rhett and Bailey. She is the disgruntled ex assistant who feels scapegoated and let down by her ex boss. She worked hard for his Pickle adjacent business and wants a big dramatic scene as revenge for being let go. So she sneaks aboard the company cruise. Rhett can't quite get over his assistant and has unresolved anger that she potentially cost the business money.

What ensues is a rom com that can only happen in a romance novel as Rhett and Bailey are abandoned on a private island during a tropical storm. Lubricated with leftover margarita mix , truths are revealed and clothes are shed. These two have resisted their chemistry for so long that when the clothes come off the sparks were always going to fly.

As with the rest of the Pickleverse, this book has the trademark fun and sparkiness alongside fantastic characters and all the Pickle heat.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bailey was the assistant to Rhett for two years, before she was unexpectedly fired. Happening a couple weeks before a big all company cruise, Bailey takes her ticket and decides to sneak on the cruise anyway. Hiding away the best she can by sneaking around once they board, Bailey finds that the ship is going to be docking on a private island. Upon arrival on the island, Bailey makes her presence known and the head of HR informs her that she should take a walk while Rhett is informed. However, Rhett discovers Bailey prior to being told, and a storm starts stranding the two of them on the island when the rest of the group is evacuated. Having to work together to survive, they come to a truce, and finally talk.. Rhett finding out that he may have acted to quickly and without all the facts.. through the twists and turns of their journey being stranded and working to survive until they are rescued, Bailey and Rhett start to realize their true feelings for each other.. another amazing read by this author in the Pickle universe!

[Tracie Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one Juicy, juicy pickle story. Bailey was Rhetts assistant till shes fired so fast it makes your head spin. Why you ask? Well someone brings Rhett paperwork saying Bailey is stealing money from the company. Rhett fires her just before the company cruise. Bailey decides shes still going on the trip and sneaks on the cruise ship. Now shes stuck to sneaking around so no one catches her but shes determined to enjoy this cruise and find out what is going on. When they get to an island stop, Bailey takes the chance of going to the island. Yes this means people seeing her but hey shes deserves this. When she gets there she goes off to makes sandcastles away from everyone. When Rhett shows up she knows her times up. They argue like no other but boy the chemistry is off the charts. Now though add a storm into the mix and these two are now stranded. Will they survive being the only two? Will they figure out what happened? Will they give into desire? OMG Read this book. I can't give it all away but read it I know you wont be disappointed.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comedy-yes, sexy-yes, revenge gone wrong- double yes. This book starts out with a revenge trying to head in the right direction, but instead it heads in the wrong direction, in all the right ways.
I absolutely loved this book, oh my did it seriously hit everything right. There was a brilliant blend of hilarious and realistic comedy to open the doors for this book. it started with a sad opener, that led to a genuine enemies in close proximity situation, which escalat d with comedic effect, including gherkins, lots of alone time and the crazy need to work out all the kinks, with a little kink.
I really enjoyed the characters and how much the author gave us time and details to really get to know them. The flow of the story and the way it progressed and relationships grew was realistic for proximity and still had a comedy layer to it.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed a good laugh out loud or two, with this read.

[Xee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few chapters, I settled in for wat promised to be a good time. Alas!



I was bored by 30%. The characters, the motivations, their romance, none of it mattered a jot to me.
It was subconsciously making me so mad , I wanted to smack Rhett every time he opened his whiny mouth. Th island smexy times , basically saved it from the one star it had slid into fast.
Maybe if i hadn't enjoyed the writing in the book i read just before this, I might have felt more generous.

anyhoos, moving on to better stuff hopefully.

[Claudia, Cmarie927 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Pickleverse!

This is just as entertaining and engaging as all the other books in the Pickle Universe.

While this is a stand-alone, IMO it should be read after all the others, to avoid spoilers.

I really appreciate Bailey's boldness and self valuation. She is a strong woman and fun to read. She's exactly what Rhett needs.

Rhett is a nephew to Sherman - the man who started all the Pickle businesses, but he's not sure he's up to the task of running Dougherty.

I enjoyed the chemistry between these two characters and their time on the beach. This storyline is easy to connect with, and the underlying mystery (although not totally resolved) was interesting.

I recommend this author, and all of her Pickle books, as they are all wonderful and worth your time.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK read.

This was an okay read. Some issues with continuity. The plot seemed a little far-fetched. Assistant (our FMC) gets fired for a supposed 1/2 million dollar snafu by her boss (our MMC), and no one investigates it thoroughly. Instead, let's go on a company cruise. Fired girl sneaks onto cruise. No one finds out until she shows up at an island excursion. Storm hits, everyone but our main couple, flees the island. They get stranded.
They actually communicate and figure out both were not really doing a proper job. There are lots of spicy times on the island. They're rescued. She gets her job back. They finally investigate money issues, and the person they instantly thought to blame after the first time is not the culprit.
Far-fetched plot but brought on lots of laughs when reading, so I give props to the author. I liked that she had our couple discuss issues without a lot of ranting. There was a small amount but not enough to stop reading. Hopefully, the next book will be thought out a bit more.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute rom-com that will tickle your pickle! JJ Knight knows how to write a great story that will keep you on your toes and rooting for a happily ever after!

The two main characters, Rhett and Bailey start off as Boss and Assistant. Bailey is fired on the spot after being accused of costing the company a half a million dollars. She decides to stow away on a company cruise that all of the employees were attending two weeks after the firing. Her big reveal was cut short when an unexpected storm rolled in while on a private island and everyone was evacuated. Unfortunately or fortunately the brawling couple was accidentally left behind and had to weather the storm. So many things, both bad and good can and do happen! Don’t miss this amazing adventure!

[Kari Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most people getting fired would mean the end of the relationship both with her boss and the company but that isn’t the route that Bailey has chosen. Instead, she is about to become a stowaway on a company trip and use that time to convince her boss that she isn’t guilty of what she is being accused of.

When Rhett sees the employee, he fired on the company trip he just wants her gone. Unfortunately, his attempts to make that happen leave them both stranded on an island which will gives them plenty of time to discuss what happened and to see where they go from here.

A little intrigue, a little angst and a whole lot of fun as the sparks of antagonism between them turn into an inferno that neither expected.

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEA
Standalone, interconnected characters
Enemies to Lovers, Deserted Island
Pickle Family


Bailey (mfc)
Rhett (mmc)
Viola (ex-best friend of mfc)

Bailey was Rhett's assistant until 2 weeks ago when Viola messed things up for her. She stows away on the company cruise to get revenge on Rhett for firing her. Once they are all on the deserted island, she revels herself. Then disaster strikes by way of a storm, and the boats leave her and Rhett behind. This deserted island isn't big enough for two people this mad at each other. Can they sort their differences in order to survive? How long will they be stuck there? Will she get the chance to prove Viola lied?


The Pickle Family books are almost always funny, a little on the slow burn side, and mild drama. This one fits right in.

[Laura Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranded with the Enemy

Juicy Pickle is the first book in the Pickle Cousins part of the Pickleverse from J. J. Knight. Every book in the Pickleverse can be read as a standalone, but I get more enjoyment out of reading in order.

Bailey and Rhett work together at Dougherty, Inc, the company that Rhett’s uncle gifted to him. Well, they did before Rhett fired her two weeks ago. Now Bailey is trying to sneak on the company cruise and the hilarity begins. What happens when you combine a termination that shouldn’t have happened, an uninhabited island, a tropical storm, some pickles and margaritas? Some truths, surviving on raw oysters and some crazy sexy times!

I loved this book! Highly recommend!

[Corinne Akers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juicy Pickle

Man, oh man! First, let me say this is my first time reading a book by the author, and I absolutely love this book. It was funny. It was a great storyline, and it keeps you guessing as to who the corporate is throughout most of the book. Rhett is Bailey’s boss, and Bailey has been working for him for two years when someone accuses her of embezzling money from the company. Rhett promptly fires her. And what is after as a crazily compacted plan for Bailey to get revenge. She tries to get revenge by sneaking onto a cruise that the company is taking even though she was fired two weeks earlier. I really love reading this book. It was a quick read and I highly recommend it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️