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The Relationship Protocol: An MM Workplace Neurodivergent Romance
Dr. Magnus Cox has a protocol for everything, except falling in love.
Brilliant, autistic, and better with data than people, neuropharmacologist Magnus Cox believes every problem has a logical solution. Then Ryland Holt joins his lab, warm and intuitive, and still healing from a difficult past. Magnus soon discovers that some variables cannot be measured.
What begins as a structured collaboration becomes something deeper. Magnus charts Ryland’s smiles in spreadsheets. Ryland learns to read Magnus’s systems as quiet acts of care. Together they navigate the unpredictable, human side of connection and learn that love is not a formula but an experiment in trust.
The Relationship Protocol is a tender MM romance about two brilliant men discovering that the best relationships are not perfect—they are real.
Brilliant, autistic, and better with data than people, neuropharmacologist Magnus Cox believes every problem has a logical solution. Then Ryland Holt joins his lab, warm and intuitive, and still healing from a difficult past. Magnus soon discovers that some variables cannot be measured.
What begins as a structured collaboration becomes something deeper. Magnus charts Ryland’s smiles in spreadsheets. Ryland learns to read Magnus’s systems as quiet acts of care. Together they navigate the unpredictable, human side of connection and learn that love is not a formula but an experiment in trust.
The Relationship Protocol is a tender MM romance about two brilliant men discovering that the best relationships are not perfect—they are real.
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2025
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 29, 2025
2.5 rounded up. ~
I absolutely love the MCs in this. I loved the pining and I loved when they were slowly growing closer. And I absolutely loved that this was a slow burn. Their cocks weren't even mentioned AT ALL until super late into the book, I honestly thought I was reading something that was going to end up being fade to black. I loved it all so much! Even though I have a lot of gripes with the writing, I was still emotionally invested in the couple (proof: crying at 2AM when I got to the break up.) There's also the fact that they were MISERABLE during the break up, crying, not sleeping, losing weight. I love when the MCs feel like they'll die without each other. 😂
This could've easily been a 5 star read for me, there was SO much potential but the more I read the more I found that I disliked. Maybe the book was too long, there wasn't enough substance to fill the pages properly so there ended up being too much repetition. 😵💫
The repetition was BAD.
•Almost everytime they were about to fall asleep Magnus would thank Ryland, he'd list out what he was thanking him for and Ryland would respond with a compliment that Magnus would try to over analyze and then Ryland would tell him to just take the complement. It was very cute the first time it happened, but it got to a point where I started rolling my eyes when it happened again, especially when it happened only 1-2 pages apart.
•Along with the repetitive dialogue the MCs also started to feel more juvenile.
•Repeated phrases or words. Like the author forgot to edit out the parts they weren't keeping in.
• inconsistencies.
-The first one was Magnus texting Ry that he had arrived home safely...but Ry was the one that had dropped him off at home..
-Ry had to drive them both to the lecture because Magnus said there wasn't a need to take two cars. (Magnus doesn't have a license, he normally commutes to work) ...but I told myself this could be overlooked, maybe he could've been talking about taking an uber. (This was later confirmed when he got a driver to take them to the airport to fly to Chicago but then Ryland drove them home...?) 😵💫
-When Ben is having a heart to heart with Magnus there's section that's repeated with slightly different wording. (Like maybe the author wrote both to see which would flow better and accidentally forgot to remove one)
-The one that really made me scratch my head at the 30% mark.. Magnus usually stays till
7:30PM, and Ry is usually the one who leaves at 5PM unless he decides to stay late to hang out with Magnus. BUT Devin just told Ry that it's obvious Magnus likes him when he's been staying late just to spend time with him... after Magnus had made sure to leave at 5PM....????
I absolutely love the MCs in this. I loved the pining and I loved when they were slowly growing closer. And I absolutely loved that this was a slow burn. Their cocks weren't even mentioned AT ALL until super late into the book, I honestly thought I was reading something that was going to end up being fade to black. I loved it all so much! Even though I have a lot of gripes with the writing, I was still emotionally invested in the couple (proof: crying at 2AM when I got to the break up.) There's also the fact that they were MISERABLE during the break up, crying, not sleeping, losing weight. I love when the MCs feel like they'll die without each other. 😂
This could've easily been a 5 star read for me, there was SO much potential but the more I read the more I found that I disliked. Maybe the book was too long, there wasn't enough substance to fill the pages properly so there ended up being too much repetition. 😵💫
The repetition was BAD.
•Almost everytime they were about to fall asleep Magnus would thank Ryland, he'd list out what he was thanking him for and Ryland would respond with a compliment that Magnus would try to over analyze and then Ryland would tell him to just take the complement. It was very cute the first time it happened, but it got to a point where I started rolling my eyes when it happened again, especially when it happened only 1-2 pages apart.
•Along with the repetitive dialogue the MCs also started to feel more juvenile.
•Repeated phrases or words. Like the author forgot to edit out the parts they weren't keeping in.
• inconsistencies.
-The first one was Magnus texting Ry that he had arrived home safely...but Ry was the one that had dropped him off at home..
-Ry had to drive them both to the lecture because Magnus said there wasn't a need to take two cars. (Magnus doesn't have a license, he normally commutes to work) ...but I told myself this could be overlooked, maybe he could've been talking about taking an uber. (This was later confirmed when he got a driver to take them to the airport to fly to Chicago but then Ryland drove them home...?) 😵💫
-When Ben is having a heart to heart with Magnus there's section that's repeated with slightly different wording. (Like maybe the author wrote both to see which would flow better and accidentally forgot to remove one)
-The one that really made me scratch my head at the 30% mark.. Magnus usually stays till
7:30PM, and Ry is usually the one who leaves at 5PM unless he decides to stay late to hang out with Magnus. BUT Devin just told Ry that it's obvious Magnus likes him when he's been staying late just to spend time with him... after Magnus had made sure to leave at 5PM....????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
Such a beautiful story!
Magnus & Ryland were beautiful together. Ryland was so understanding & supportive of Magnus’s neurodivergent characteristics. They were both so adorable, both individually and as a couple. The inevitable 3rd act conflict broke my own heart as they each experienced heartbreak of their own. The reconciliation was beautiful, an example of putting the work in to make themselves grow, again both individually and as a couple.
One of the best representations of autism I’ve read. Highly recommend this lovely story!
Magnus & Ryland were beautiful together. Ryland was so understanding & supportive of Magnus’s neurodivergent characteristics. They were both so adorable, both individually and as a couple. The inevitable 3rd act conflict broke my own heart as they each experienced heartbreak of their own. The reconciliation was beautiful, an example of putting the work in to make themselves grow, again both individually and as a couple.
One of the best representations of autism I’ve read. Highly recommend this lovely story!
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