True Colors: A Billionaire Office Love Story

by Maya Alden

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 31, 2026

About the author

A top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.

Reviews

[BiblioDarling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating System (as of 8/14/2025):
⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF
⭐⭐: This could have been so much better.
⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book.
***********************************************************************
Triggers:
🚩Child Abuse
🚩Domestic Violence
🚩Physical Assault
🚩Parental Substance Abuse
🚩Trauma and PTSD
🚩Trauma Related Mutism and Speech Impairment
🚩Emotional Abuse/Gaslighting
🚩Institutional Care/Foster System Experiences
🚩Workplace Humiliation/Ableism
🚩Mental Health Struggles: Imposter Syndrome and Anxiety
🚩Death/Murder of a Parent

Tropes:
💕MF Romance
💕OW Drama
💕Overheard
💕Neurodivergent Heroine
💕Betrayal and Grovel
💕No Cheating
💕Complete Standalone
💕Virgin

Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25)
🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing.
🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut.
************************************************************************
Quote:
She has a stutter, and I didn't even bother to learn that.
I just walked all over her.
I thought decisiveness would inspire confidence in a new CEO. But here I am--an expensive office, expensive education, expensive watch--fully aware that I've screwed up.

Summary:
FMC is an analyst at the company the MMC is now CEO of. FMC has had a traumatic childhood resulting in speech impediment. MMC is a new CEO and unaware of the FMCs impediment. He is also, unaware of what it takes to be a great leader. Their first meeting is horrific.

MMC finds himself intrigued by the FMC the more he gets to know her. This leads to relationship. They both find themselves falling in love. Then the MMC makes a decision that guts the FMC. The decision has to do with an upcoming presentation to a much-needed client.

FMC cuts ties with the MMC except for business. MMC finds himself having to reevaluate what it means to be a leader and protect those who work for him. MMC also learns what it means to protect the one you love. HEA

Review:
I have read almost all of this author's books. I have heard the criticism and praise of her as well. I myself feel as Maya Alden has found her lane and sticks in it. She pushes the boundaries at time and when she does---she does it well. This book is a prime example of that.

Lately, I have been reading a bunch of books with neurodivergent characters. I have only found a few that have written these characters in a realistic way. This book is one of them. You really get insight into how the FMC feels. You see and feel her struggles. You are so glad that she had support throughout her life. You want to cheer for her as she stands up for herself, as she steps outside her box. Literally, there were moments when I cheered.

The MMC is written in such a way that in the beginning you think---I am going to hate him. Then you realize he has his own insecurities and his actions reflect that. You will want to strangle him at times but then you will cheer as you see him change. As you see him address the problems in his thinking.

The writing draws you in from the first page to the last. The journey is emotional--and I loved it. If you have been following my reviews, you know I don't give out a lot of five star, I am honest to a fault about how I feel about a book---while trying to stay respectful of the author. This book deserves the five stars I am giving it. I hope to see more neurodivergent, special needs, etc. characters in future books by this author. She shows them the respect and care that they deserve.

Grovel to HEA Romance Authors Recommendations:
Groveltohea (Wattpad Author)
Maya Alden
Natasha Anders
Cate C Wells
Christine Michelle

Recommended Authors with Neurodivergent Characters:
Susie Tate
Maya Alden
Isa Oliver

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS AN ARC HOWEVER MY REVIEW IS BASED ON MY OPINION OF THE BOOK ITSELF AND NOT INFLUENCED BY THE AUTHOR, ETC.

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[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neurodivergent h, Anouk, meets her bosshole H, Luther and sparks fly. Well, at first, they are angry sparks bc Luther is a jerk. He’s feeling the pressure to make this company all it can be and not disappoint his father and his family’s expectations. While Luther’s Dad does want excellence, he wasn’t horrible or mean. He expects people to be able to do their jobs, and wants Luther to be the best man he knows he can. That means calling out Luther when it’s obvious he’s made a mistake at a presentation.

Anouk is a steady, smart woman who knows what she’s doing, but struggles with her voice failing her from past trauma. Luther at first looks down on Anouk bc he only sees her speech impediment and not what she brings to the table, regardless of the fact that she can’t control it 🙄. Stupid Luther. He starts to see Anouk’s light shine through, in spite of her stuttering, and they fall in love. But Luther still has expectations weighing on him and he mucks it up. Luther essentially tells the Erin (OW, Project Manager) that she can present the project, despite it not being her work or data model, and that he doesn’t think Anouk should represent them bc of her stuttering.

It’s awful! Poor Anouk is broken hearted bc the man she loves cast her aside based on something she has no control over and devalued her contributions. I was mad and I was devilishly gleeful when Erin gets called out on not knowing the ins and outs of the model during the presentation. Luther’s Dad calls him on it immediately and in the scale of optics vs performance, the performance was pretty rotten so the optics shouldn’t matter. Anouk is doing her job brilliantly and Luther is swanning around bc he doesn’t know how to fix it. Show up, be better, don’t do it again.

Luther works on showing Anouk she can trust him, by being a better leader and better man. Anouk is then left to decide if it’s enough and she should trust Luther again. Actions rather than words.

I loved Anouk’s fire so much! She’s muttering things to herself and thinking to hell with you thoughts during the grovel and I was internally cheering. She an awesome character and it was a good book!

[Priscila Aramburo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Anouk was amazing, I loved her. How strong and determined she was. Luther was great as well, dude made mistakes but he learned from it, and he was completely smitten with her from the start. His family! God they’re amazing! I love how they all took her side when he messed up. AND FINN!!! God I hope one day we’ll get to see him again. He deserves a happy ending as well. Such a great story, I connected with it a little bit more than I do the others. Firstly, I am born in raised in the Bay Area of California. So San Francisco trips came often, I loved seeing things in the book that I can remember having been to many times. The academy of sciences was such a popular spot for school field trips and I got so much nostalgia when I read it being mentioned. Next up was the stutter. I don’t have one, but I have a close family member who does, my uncle. I’ve heard stories about how much struggle he had growing up, how much bullying he went through, how much people underestimated him, saying he’d never amount to anything because of his disability. For as long as I can remember he has stuttered, sometimes more so than others, like when we switch from English to Spanish. But it’s also always just been him, I don’t see him differently at all. In fact he is one of my role models, despite what people have said he has done really well for himself. He is a P.I. And on tract to one day open his own business. He is someone look up to, his stutter is something that I’ve viewed as just completely normal. Reading this book I feel like I’ve gotten to see a little of what he may have experienced, or maybe still does experience. I like that I am able to learn a little from this book an in a way apply it to my life. Thank you Maya for that.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Author.

Angst = OMG the gut punch of how traumatized the h has been throughout her life and the hurdles she has had to jump to just be functional is agonizing to read about. It feels like any time the h has tried moving forward, she gets shoved back down by others misunderstanding her disability or just down right bullies. Thankfully she has Finn...everyone needs a Finn to show that unconditional love and to give out hugs!!

Grovel = H is h's boss and he is the new CEO who feels he has something to prove so is only looking for and demanding excellence. H discounts the h initially due to her speech impairment, but learns to really listen and realizes how amazing and whip smart the h is. The betrayal is overheard and said directly to the h by the H. H said some awful and disrespectful things to OW about the h, then tried to sugarcoat but yet reiterate directly to the h the same things. H comes to realize after seeing how spectacularly that fails and after hearing from others how much he messed up. H works to redeem himself and succeeds (but it may be more from how much the h loves him that for how much he grovels <3 )

OW drama = OW is a clout chaser who piggy backs off others and steals credit not her due. She is a bully to the h and a suck up to the H. H and OW had a brief relationship eight years ago and it is obvious to the reader that she is angling to restart that relationship. OW undercuts the h at every opportunity and goes so far as to try and take full credit for a huge project which leads to her own professional burnout. Comeuppance? H doesn't fire OW, but kind of does by re-assigning her elsewhere.

Highly enjoyable read.

[Athina · Rating 5 out of 5]

He didn’t fall in love with the loudest voice in the room. He fell for the one who’d taught herself to survive in silence.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Some stories crack you open gently. True Colors shattered me slowly - one soft page at a time.
Anouk Starling doesn’t walk into a scene - she slips in like a whisper. A woman who has learned to armor herself in silence and precision, she doesn’t beg for attention. She simply is. Quiet. Brilliant. Unseen. And it’s in this invisibility that the world underestimates her - until she’s forced into the spotlight and nearly breaks beneath it. Enter Luther Grant, a CEO who mistakes disruption for leadership - until he meets the one person his ambition doesn’t intimidate, because she’s already survived worse. Their love story isn’t grand or flashy. It’s fragile, hard-earned, and lined with shadows. It’s full of hope, and hesitation, and trust that gets broken not with infidelity, but with a careless moment that cuts deeper than betrayal ever should. What Maya Alden captures here is rare: the voice of a woman who doesn’t yell when she’s hurt, and a man who must listen harder to hear what he almost destroyed. This isn't just a story of second chances. It’s about the cost of carelessness when someone has entrusted you with their trust. This book isn’t loud. It doesn’t need to be. It’s a pulse, steady and true, buried deep beneath a world that rarely slows down long enough to hear it. But if you do - if you pause and listen - True Colors will wreck you ...and then it will rebuild you.

[Joanne Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: You know I am going to be reading this one again and again and …. well you get the picture.

Anouk shows an inner strengh that few of us ever acheive. This book that will make you pause to think before every interaction with someone new that you meet. People are rarely what they seem on the surface and we do ourselves and them an injustice when we assume they are.

Anouk had a horrible childhood and that has left her with a trauma-based stutter. She refuses to play the victim, instead she works daily to overcome her childhood and heal the visible and nonvisible scars it has left. Not once does she play the victim all she wants is to be judged on her merit.

Luther had a wonderful childhood and has grown up blessed but that can also be a double edged sword. He is now in the process of learning the ropes of his father’s company with the result being he will take it over one day. He is full of insecurity about this, and he also wants to be judged on his merit and not as his father’s son.

The difference in how Luthar and Anouk navigate being seen is what sets this book apart. Anouk refuses to allow anyone to talk for her, she does her level best to get her message across even though it is heartbreaking hard for her to do so. Luther is happy to let people talk for him but only those that communicate on what he deems a positive way. He sidelines Anouk when he thinks she will make him look bad making the biggest mistake of his life and career.

When Luther realises what he has done and what that says about him, he pulls out all of the stops to make himself a better man and a better person.

This may actually be my favorite Maya book to date and that is saying something.

[B Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

I am once again overwhelmed by the sensitivity Maya devotes to her craft. Living with a body
and/or mind that functions in the world differently, can and does have a profound affect on how one is able to navigate the world. Anouk is a beautiful example of how difficult her atypical reception on the world is recognized and valued. The odds, especially in the corporate word, are heavily stacked against her; yet, she not only endures, but thrives under the most challenging of circumstances.

Anouk has been shaped and remade by trauma. Her experience has redefined the makeup of her bones. Watching her find such fragile trust in Luther, is heartwarming to watch after such a devastating and fraught beginning. And witnessing her breaking by the very hands that claimed to love her is absolutely eviscerating.

I am always looking for books that delve into characters who live with any and all forms of disability (done well). And while I cannot speak to the lived experience of Anouk, I felt so much camaraderie as a chronically ill, anxious introvert. I adored this story so very much and I found myself wishing there were 100 more pages at the end.

Maya never fails to write a deeply impactful novel with flawed but redeemable characters. I cannot recommend this book enough and I hope you will dive in when it releases on August 31st. BUT, I implore you to please please please check content warnings as this deals heavily with trauma and its long lasting ramifications.

[emm · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Colors
This beautiful story is about Anouk and Luther. Anouk has had a traumatic experience in her childhood that causes her to stutter when she is anxious or nervous. A new CEO arrives where she is working, (Luther) and from day one she is caught of guard. He treats her badly in the meeting but later regrets how he conducted himself. Luther has been made the temporary CEO to prove to his father that he is ready to lead the family company, but it all hangs on this big account that he needs to present to his father and God father. Anouk is given the task to build the base model and then present it.
He gets to know Anouk and her amazing abilities as an analyst and slowly after a few months of them seeing each other they fall in love.
Fast forward to the big meeting that Anouk needs to present, Luther is convinced by Erin his right-hand person, to let her present instead of Anouk. She also uninvites Anouk to the meeting.
As you can imagine the meeting doesn’t go down well. Luther realizes that he has totally done the wrong thing.
Whist there wasn’t a lot of grovel he does acknowledge his mistake and he truly loves her.
I loved this story. I hope Finn gets his HEA as well.

[Dianne Laidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was lovely :)

Firstly, although Anouk had a difficult childhood and developed a stutter through stress, she was not portrayed as a victim, she knew presenting to the team at work would cause her to stutter but she practiced and insisted she was given the opportunity to present HER work.

Lachlan was her new boss, he was not convinced as he thought it would reflect badly on his leadership. They started a relationship.

LACHLAN: Was never nasty to Anouk which I appreciated, I feel it is harder to redeem a MMC when he is a horrible person, Lachlan fell hard and never doubted her, however his next in charge ERIN got in his ear and Anouk overheard that conversation.

ERIN: She was a past girlfriend and now co-worker, she is ambitious and mean.

FINN: Like a brother to Anouk and a fabulous character in the story, you will fall in love with Finn.

Overall I loved this book, Anouk was strong and stood up for herself through many challenges, Lachlan made mistakes but not unredeemable, the support characters were appealing and well written. I would recommend this book!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Modern Vintage Romance from Maya. I absolutely fell in love with both Anouk and Luther. When the story started I thought for sure I was going to hate Luther but I actually started to like him pretty quickly. He makes a bad call due to his on insecurities and as much as you hate what he did - you can understand where it came from.

This story made me think about my own internalized biases/abelism. I had moments where I thought "Why would Anouk even want to do this if she is stuttering" but then just as quickly I smacked myself and thought about how just because she stutters doesn't mean she shouldn't be able to present and work the same as anyone without a stutter. I loved that it made me reflect on my own thoughts and how I would handle if this was my coworker/friend.

The only part that I was a little iffy on is how would Luther have felt if the meeting didn't go so poorly with Erin running? If everything went smoothly with no issues then he would have been justified in his choice. Yes he would have felt bad personally because of their relationship but as a leader it would have reinforced it was ok

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh. The MMC. This man. I love a good rage read however and the FMC is lovely.

I love her - Anouk is brilliant, excellent at what she does but plagued with a stutter and occasionally mute because of an incredibly traumatic childhood.

Luther is a man-child eager to prove himself and incredibly ableist at times. He repeatedly doesn't show up for Anouk when it counts, and allows the OW to convince him allowing Anouk to present an important proposal for the board is a bad move because of her stutter.

Anouk polishes off her shiny spine, and with the help of her bestie and brother-by-choice Finn (he absolutely steals the show IMO) she moves on with her life.

Luther quickly realizes how badly he screwed up, and gets an ear full from all the people around him who are not conniving bigots. He has a lot of character development, but I honestly don't know how Anouk forgives him. He truly would have been SOL if it wasn't for his parents.

It's worth the read, be sure to heed the triggers.

[Lisbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is an emotional read. I shed a few tears a couple times, yelled at my e-reader in frustration and anger, cracked a smile and outright lauged! I am glad I read it at home!

Anouk is a briljant senior data analyst at the company Luther takes over.

Luthers family owns the company along with several others and he is out in as the CEO to start learning the rope of the business to one day be able to take over everything after his father.

Anouk is brilliant at her job, but she has a speach disorder, she stutters due to extreme childhood trauma.

When we first meet these two, Luther makes Anouk uncomfortable which makes her stutter even wors and he is determined to let her go. That is, untill he is showed and told how valuable she is to the company.

I really like Anouk and have such respect for who she is.
Luther is a good person, up untill he is not.

There is such a wonderfull dynamic between all the characters and I love this story, emotional rollercoaster and all.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anouk's story will tear you up and her character will make you fall in love with her. h is a survivor and has the scars to prove it but she doesn't let her story define her. She survived and thrived with the support of some amazing side characters and her own inner strength.
At first I disliked the H but Maya gave me a glimpse into his own insecurities which were what drove him to betray the h and then ultimately grovel for her forgiveness.
Although the betrayal was heartbreaking for the h, I found it to be a little light compared to the usual betrayals l prefer which have a bigger gut punch. However, I think it was perfectly fitting for the h, otherwise she may not have been able to forgive Luther, the H, at all. I think Maya truly followed the h's character and made sure she didn't give her more than she could handle. Otherwise, the h and H would not have gotten their hea which they truly both deserved! loved it! Well done Maya!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many things I really enjoyed about this book. The mFc, a brilliant neurodivergent woman with a ptsd stutter, has spent her life working to overcome childhood trauma. She falls for her boss, the billionaire ceo-in-training and lets someone close to her for the first time in years. When we combine overheard bashing with being told to “sit this one out” she gets sent right back into her trauma response of making herself smaller. Luther has a battle to get back the woman he fell for and then let down.
I will say I was disappointed with Luther’s grovel. I felt that Anouk was too quick to get past what he did. While his public apology was good, I felt like his family including her and the issues with her mom sort of allowed things to get glossed over and have her “get over” her issues faster. But honestly that was the only thing I struggled with. Otherwise another amazing Maya Alden story! And Finn (best friend) and Luther’s entire family are amazing

[Birty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alden has written another book about a wonderful person is not part of the norm. Anouk suffers from stuttering and selective mutism created from childhood trauma and abuse. But this does not mean that Anouk isn’t brilliant, crazy brilliant with numbers. So when her new boss, Luther, meets her, he has no desire to know her. She’s good just for his numbers and analysis. When pressured and put on the spot, Anouk’s stutter and mutism kick in and Luther only sees a weak employee to belittle and embarrass. This is the part of Alden’s writing that is always hard to read and experience. Humiliation is never enjoyable to read. But, Anouk has friends that love and support her and she continues to amaze the people who mean the most to her.

After a presentation where Luther looks incompetent and his favorite employee even more so, Luther realizes that he needs to take another look at Anouk and her abilities and see beyond her behaviors. He must earn her trust and show that he sees the amazing woman she really is.

This is another book in Alden’s Modern Vintage Romance series and a great read!

[For The Love Of Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Colors is another story in A Modern Vintage Romance series by Maya Alden.

This book tells us a beautiful story about Anouk and Luther. Anouk is a brilliant, kind young lady with a speech disorder caused by trauma. Luther is the new CEO, and Anouk's new boss. He is new in the bussiness and need to prove himself to his father. They fell really quickly for each other. I loved both main characters with all their virtues and faults. Yes, Luther make big, colossal mistake
and hurt Anouk, but he recognized his mistake immediately and start to grovel. I also loved Luther's family and their dynamics. His parents are very supportive of all their children, but they are also ready to point out their mistakes and help them with advice.

True Colors is probably the cutest story by Maya I've read, and I recommend this book to all the romance book lovers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[S K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just in time for my Birthday!

Anouk, the heroine, immediately had me by the heartstrings. Her backstory is devastating and the ensuing stutter is pain she carries as a result of one abusive parent and the other a murderer.

Luther, the hero, starts out self absorbed and more concerned about the appearance of being a great CEO to his father and others, than a man who prioritizes the woman he loves and her needs.

I appreciated that the author spotlighted the importance of understanding that a person's disability is not a weakness. That some of the most capable people in the world don't look or sound the way that the rest of society considers to be "normal."

There was a real sweetness to the love between these two.

ARC given in exchange for an honest review.

[Angel W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this story and I'm leaving this review of my own will.

this story was simple amd deep all at the same time bringing light to a struggle people deal with everyday that is not always talked about. while she likes to stay in the shadows because it's safe he is trying to prove himself to his family. when he makes an assumption because the wrong person has his trust he messes up so big that doesn't know if he can ever fix it. She has kept.to herself because being exposed makes things worse and when she finally finds the courage to stand in the front he destroys her confidence. this story gives full insight on both sides of learning to be strong on your own and learning the real meaning of leadership and support

[Jenlovestoread7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Anouk, she was such a quiet yet strong female character. I really enjoyed the dynamics of her relationship with him and I hope we get a book where Finn gets his HEA. Thee wasn’t a lot of grovel, it was more recognition of what Lucian had done, the impact it had and making things right.

I love how Maya always does her research and always seems so knowledgeable about the subjects featured in her books, I also love looking for the wine recs 👀😂

Another great story from Maya.

Read if you love:
🩷Workplace romance
🩷OW drama
🩷Betrayal and grovel

[Betty B]

Love this book! It is so refreshing to read a story about a real woman who is not perfect but yet she is. Anouk and Luther were an amazing couple because they grew together. She has a stutter due to a traumatic past and she learned to trust and open herself up more. While he learned that appearances are not everything. As usual, their family and friends only add to the tale. I adore this author for exploring new avenues with the best characters that anyone could imagine. Must Read!!!!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I love all of Maya’s series, the Modern Vintage Romance Series seems to consistently stay in my favorites, and this newest addition did not disappoint!

I absolutely adored Anouk’s character. Her strength, and perseverance were so admirable. The betrayal was tough to read, but the comeback made it all worth it as usual. Love, love, loved this book!

[Teresa Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved Finn! He’s the bff/chosen family everyone wants
Anouks past was terrible my heart hurt for her
I liked Luther even tho he hurt her, he new he was wrong and tried to fix the problem until he’s fear of failing let him down but I liked them together

[Sahana Ketheeswaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it but she keeps topping her books it's amazing

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable story from Maya Alden, the Queen of Angsty Romance!! Very well written and great representation for those of us who are neurodivergent.

In my humble opinion, of course 💙

[Hallie Vagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. No notes. Just read this book.

[Tina Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. Maya is the queen of writing about trauma and healing. Anouk and Luther's book is amazing. I love Luther's growth and Anouk's strength. A must read!