The Sterling Effect: A Contemporary M/M Workplace Romance

by Bree Hollis

Some hearts are worth the wait—even when they're still healing.
A workplace romance about second chances, healing from loss, and discovering that the heart has room for both memory and hope.

Seth Stratton thought landing a job as executive assistant to Seattle's most ruthless CEO would be career suicide. Reid Sterling has a reputation for freezing out assistants faster than Seattle's winter rain—six in eight months, all fleeing his impossible standards and arctic demeanor.

But Seth sees something others miss beneath Reid's icy a man drowning in grief, trapped by the memory of a love he lost fourteen months ago. When their professional relationship ignites into something deeper, Reid's carefully constructed walls begin to crack.

Torn between honoring his late partner's memory and embracing a future with Seth, Reid must remain frozen in the past or risk his heart on love again. Because some wounds need more than time to heal—they need someone brave enough to love all the broken pieces.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2025

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gut-wrenching read. For those of us that have lost a partner this can be a sad read at first, but it does get better, in a touching and gentle way. Reid's grief overwhelms him, he pulls on a barrier, a hard, 'don't talk to me" front, but then someone slowly breaks through. There are parts in this tale that are really hard to read, raw, blunt but beautifully written. An absolutely wonderful story.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute short read. Wish it was easier to get to the letter.