Locked In With My Boss

by S.M. Jinx

Ashley is a 26-year-old management analyst in NYC whose life is unraveling just in time for Christmas. Her dreams of owning a bookstore are long buried, her cheating ex-fiancé just crashed her office with apology flowers, and her boss — cocky, caramel-skinned Ronnie — just witnessed the entire meltdown, when just a few nights prior, Ashley and her best friend performed their usual Friday ritual at a bar beneath a pizza the infamous "Hurricane Slaps," where women throw drinks and slap men for fun. But this time, the man Ashley slaps... is Ronnie.

Ronnie laughs it off — and buys her a drink.

What follows is a slow-burn romance tangled in office politics, unresolved trauma, and one very expensive nonrefundable ticket to the outskirts of Holly Springs, Colorado. As Ashley battles holiday heartbreak and regains her confidence, she asks Ronnie to join her on her trip and she begins to see Ronnie for more than his smirk and salary. But can a workaholic millennial and her billionaire Gen X boss bridge their age gap, agree that Christmas is the best holiday, get past their differences in pet preferences, and survive being snowed in together the rest of the trip and fall in love — just in time for Christmas?

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2025

Reviews

[Bree ♡︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i absolutely adore ashley and ronnie!!

their dynamic was absolutely perfect and i believed their feelings for each other from the very beginning. this short holiday read was filled with the perfect amount of emotion, banter and spice!

i would have to argue that my favorite character was freckles the cat and i would literally do anything for her ✋🏼

if you’re looking for a fun, fast paced read this holiday season, i highly recommend this one!!

thank you to the author for the arc copy 🤍

[Lauren Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you SM Jinx for allowing me to be on the arc team for Locked in With My Boss! This is my honest review.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy to read holiday, contemporary romance… LIWMB fits the bill! I love a good forced proximity, and as you can figure out from the title, this book does just that! Pushes two individuals who are already attracted to one another into a small cabin for a few weeks.

The book was lighthearted and full of Christmas cheer, however, I did think the two mc’s were missing the details in their romantic connection. They went from hating one another and bent annoyed with each other, to instantly in love with one another. The whole trajectory of their actual love story just didn’t seem plausible.

There were also a few editing errors. One example: there was a spicy scene & the mmc takes his shirt off, but a page later he takes his shirt off again. I usually don’t catch errors like this, but there were a few in this book and it was distracting to me.

Other than those issues, the book was fun, short, and a fun holiday read! Definitely something you’d read do the vibes!

[Rondi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted an ARC of this story, and I actually spotted the ARC opportunity scrolling Instagram. I followed the author and applied just before the deadline—and luckily, I got one.

I’m a fan of insta-love, but this isn’t really that. Ashley and Ronnie have been working together for about five years, and Ashley makes it very clear just how much Ronnie (aka the boss) takes care of his people. If someone needs extra time off, they get it. More vacation days? Covered. Struggling financially? Somehow, Ronnie makes sure they’re okay. It bothers Ashley… but secretly, she loves it.

When Ashley finds out her boyfriend is, well, a complete piece of trash, her boss steps in, and the two of them end up going on vacation together. She even brings her cat—despite Ronnie hating cats—which leads to some hilarious and endearing moments. There’s a little miscommunication here and there, but honestly? It’s just plain adorable.

This is a cute, cozy holiday romance that also sets you up perfectly for the next story featuring Ashley’s friend, Carly. I loved it, I enjoyed it, and I think you will too.

[Caroline M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley moved to New York dreaming of opening a bookstore, but ended up in a well-paid marketing job instead. Her life feels settled until she finds out her boyfriend has cheated. With a month-long holiday already booked at a snowy log cabin, she invites her recently divorced boss, Ronnie to come along. One cabin. One month together. What could possibly happen? ❄️🏡

I really enjoyed this book. It’s short at under 200 pages, but still incredibly adorable and packed with spice—making it the perfect festive read. I also loved having a confident, curvy FMC, and the fact that the billionaire MMC completely worshipped her made the romance even sweeter. And the chapter from the cat’s POV? Absolutely hilarious 😂😸

[Samantha McJunkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Alrighty. You’re right. Operation: Get the wannabe Grinch to be jolly is a go.”

The banter in this book! I freaking love our plus sized fmc and the way she is written in this book! The plus size rep is fantastic!!! 👏🏼 Our Mmc is Scroogey in the beginning but boy does he lighten up all with the help of Snowflake! Oh and of course Freckles who plays her role perfectly with these two! “Meow.” Loved this light hearted romance! That little twist hehe unexpected and makes me look forward to Carly’s book! 🤭 Thank you so much for this ARC opportunity!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC, and it was my first read from the author, which was her first time writing a romance of this type, as she normally does dark romance.
For the most part, the writing was well done. There were a few confusing parts, like Ronnie’s age, but once it was stated, things weren’t so confusing.
There’s a good amount of angst and spice, which I really enjoyed. I’ll definitely read the next book in this series.

[BombshellDanielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little cozy holiday romance with some bonus spice!!

I loved the MC's banter and dynamic. And Freckles is my absolute fav!!!