The Intern's Gambit: An Enemies-to-Lovers Billionaire Romance

by R.M. Eekman

He didn’t just want to fire me. He wanted to break me.

I spent six months in hell.
My tormentor? Nikolas Stane. Billionaire CEO, arms dealer, and the most ruthless man in Manhattan.
To him, I was just another "mediocre" intern to be crushed under the heel of his Italian loafers. He tore apart my work, mocked my ambition, and watched me with dark, predatory eyes that missed nothing.

I hated him. I feared him.
But I never, ever backed down.
Then came the twist I didn't see `France.
Away from the boardrooms and the power plays, the cold corporate tyrant is looking at me differently. The hatred between us is shifting into a dangerous obsession, and I’m realizing his cruelty was never about hate.
It was a test.
He was stripping away my armor to see if I had the steel to stand beside him.

Now, the game has changed. The stakes aren’t just my career, they’re my heart. But in a world of high-stakes strategy and betrayal, falling in love might be the deadliest move of all.

Checkmate.

Perfect for readers who enjoy clean, low-spice romance.

Genres: Romance

283 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2025

About the author

Renée is a Dutch romance author in her twenties, currently living in Spain. Having lived in five different countries, she writes character-driven romances about complicated people and the messy reality of falling in love.

Her debut novel, The Intern's Gambit, is an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance featuring sharp banter, psychological depth, and a relationship that feels hard-won.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant gripping, funny and romantic story. Alexia is brilliant at her job, even though her current boss criticises everything she submits. Being an intern she can't wait for her tenure to end, so much so she's counting down the days. Nikolas sees her potential, he sees beyond the oversized clothes, the blending in so as not to stand out. He also sees her as a strong woman who hides herself. So is he harsh with his comments. Yes. Does he push her to be more out of the box on her reports. Yes. Because he knows how capable she is. When Alexia is offered a job at his main competitor, will she jump at it. Taking the summer to decide her options. Time with family in France is a perfect escape. Until he's now standing in front of her asking to dance. The chemistry between these two us off the charts. But can Alexia ever forget how he treated her. Will a new environment and no work place drama help see him in a different way. Not back and enjoy this brilliantly written story that will have you laughing and hoping for a hea.

[BookishRachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first 5 star read of 2026 and I couldn’t tell you how happy I am that THIS WAS THE BOOK!
It took me 6 hours to read, I couldn’t put the book down I just kept reading and reading, never wanting it to end!!

I was kicking my feet and giggling at the cuteness!
The character progression for Alexia was incredible, I loved seeing her grow in confidence and becoming the Lion!

I was immersed into a summer in France whilst also working in a defence contractors firm. This was the perfect enemies to lovers work place romance and it was just incredible.

[Victoria Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

I didn’t expect this book to hit me the way it did. It’s intense, emotional and way better than any typical romance. The tension built slowly, the characters felt real, and complicated. I found myself thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. Alexia’s growth felt earned. The dynamic between her and Nickolas kept me hooked the entire time. Definitely not a light read, but emotionally driven with a strong, slow burn. This one stays with you.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

!!!!!!Spoilers ahead!!!!!

Rating: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Tropes:

Enemies-to-lovers
He falls first
Billionaire mmc
Age gap (not specified)
Workplace romance


What I liked:

I was not expecting the twist, when Nikolas (our mmc) had to go back to New York to put out fires, I was dreading a typical third act breakup. I assumed the corporate espionage would be linked to Alexia (our fmc) and Nikolas would go back to his dick-ish ways. I was pleasantly surprised when not only did this not happen, but I didn’t foresee who the culprit was.

I liked that the reason Nikolas relentlessly (and aggressively) pushed Alexia was for her to do better, rather than the stereotypical ’it’s just who I am’ rationale. These characters weren’t your typical romantic partners, there was no true wooing of each other, just quiet acceptance that they were equal to one another.

The scene where Nikolas won Alexia’s papa over with a short, honest conversation was hilarious. I loved Nikolas’ smug ‘your dad likes me’ victory and Alexia’s ‘I’ll kill you both and smile while I’m doing it’ reaction.

I absolutely loved Alexia’s sister, Lila, she was fun and bubbly, but pushed her sister to want more for herself. Lila’s interference and jovial jabs at her sister’s blossoming love life provided much needed levity to the seriousness of the book.

What I disliked:

There were many conversations that felt very repetitive, it sometimes made it hard to believe there was deeper meaning to their relationship than mutual respect and attraction.

I was not expecting a sudden shift from corporate America to French high society, I wish there had been more of Alexia’s family info sprinkled in before she was suddenly attending French balls.

Alexia went from despising Nikolas to declaring undying love so quickly! I think it was around 2-3ish weeks? If this was an insta-love story, I could have gotten behind it but Nikolas was a dick (out of love) and Alexia hated his guts, so the time-line didn’t feel right to me.

There was so much delicious tension for the first 40% of the book, I was living for it! But all of a sudden, Alexia was agreeing to date Nikolas and the next 50%-60% didn’t grab my attention the way the first half did.

I wish there was more detail with the spice. It wasn’t a closed door or a fade to black situation, you knew they were having sex, but it was described quite broadly. I did feel that maybe for a romance book with little in the way of romantic gestures, explicit desire could have been beneficial. (I appreciate this is an entirely personal preference and many people prefer little or no spice.)

Overall, I think this was a great debut novel from a self-published author. There were some errors in the book, but if Eekman edited this herself (and I believe English is not her first language? Don’t quote me on this!) Then she should be mighty proud!

The author provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book within 2 days! The Intern’s Gambit takes the grumpy boss trope and actually makes it fresh. Alexia is such a relatable character. She's brilliant but totally hiding it because she's scared, and watching her finally stand up for herself was so satisfying.

The chemistry with Nikolas is honestly off the charts. He starts off as a total nightmare, but you slowly realize he’s pushing her because he sees how good she actually is. The transition from the stressful New York office to the French countryside was perfect and gave them the space to actually connect.

If you like enemies-to-lovers with actual substance and a heroine who grows a backbone, you need to read this. I couldn't put it down.

[FD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, the description on Booksprout made me expect a different kind of book. It suggested an intense, spicy office romance. I found it more of a story of growth and change, as Alexia herself reveals later in the story.
As an intern in Nikolas Stane's office, Alexia has a difficult time. She's the only intern constantly being criticized, never does a good job, is pushed to her limits, and more than once finds herself crying in a bathroom stall. After six months, the miserable internship is finally over, and she goes to her family in France to recover and figure out her future. Then, suddenly, Nikolas appears there, with a completely different attitude than before. The two grow closer and they both change, personally and professionally, into a close, loving couple who together tackle the inevitable bumps in their path.
Clearly developed characters, occasionally funny, and a good title for the book and the chapters. It started promisingly, then read a bit like an old-fashioned novel, and I am sorry to say, ultimately I found it to be boring, tedious, and repetitive. The writing style didnt captivate me; it didn't draw me into the story, and I also found the many corporate descriptions uninteresting.
I don't know if I've read a final draft, but I thought it contained flaws and illogicalities and could use some editing.
While its not for me, I can imagine it might appeal to others due to the character development and the different approach to romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cherie Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time reading anything from this author and overall I didn't like it. It was low on the intimacy which was interesting for a romance and more about business. Despite the description no office romance everything was after. The do get their HEA but I thought it was repetitive in too many pats to be enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Happyscribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a surprise read - the characters bring a fresh feel to typical romantic character arcs, and scenarios. In fact, I was often caught offguard with the choicest characters would make, as they followed their hearts often over their heads. Such a nice change!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.