Unbuttoning the CEO

The Suits Undone #1

by Mia Sosa

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE?As the CEO of a large tech company and a semi-reformed bad boy, Ethan Hill is used to calling the shots. But when he's sentenced to work two hundred hours of community service-for reckless driving, of all things-this chief executive needs to keep his real identity under wraps. Which gets increasingly difficult when he can't stop thinking about his sexy new (temporary) boss. The moment Graciela Ramirez meets Ethan, she's tempted to throw all professionalism out the window. She can't afford to get emotionally involved, but after a steamy session behind office doors, a no-strings-attached fling might be exactly what they need. He'll protect his secret. She'll protect her heart. What could possibly go wrong?***The Suits Undone seriesBook 1 - Unbuttoning the CEO (Gracie and Ethan)Book 2 - One Night with the CEO (Karen and Mark)Book 3 - Getting Dirty with the CEO (Mimi and Daniel)

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks, Audiobook, Adult, Latinx

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Mia Sosa is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have received praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, NPR, and more.

Booklist called her the “go-to author for fans of sassy and sexy contemporary romances,” and Entertainment Weekly described her trade paperback debut, The Worst Best Man, as "rom-com perfection."

A former First Amendment and media lawyer, Mia practiced for more than a decade before trading her suits for loungewear (read: sweatpants). Now she writes fun, flirty, and moderately dirty stories about imperfect characters finding their perfect match.

Mia lives in Maryland with her husband, their two daughters, a gentle Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and one rescue cat that rules them all.

For more information about Mia and her books, visit www.miasosa.com.

Reviews

[sraxe · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I started this book, even though I had my issues with it, I really didn't want to rip it to shreds. Being the author's first release, I wanted to be a little more lenient. I tried to ignore early problems, but I just got more annoyed as they persisted. A third of the way in, I already knew I was going to be giving this book a two, but I still wanted to finish it. However, with the stupid decisions of the characters and the super irritating heroine, I couldn't bring myself to give this more than a one.

Right off, I noticed the book's writing wasn't smooth. What I mean by that is that it's jarring when it comes to the flow of the plot. It's as if the author wrote down the major plot points, then simply went from one to the next. Days and weeks were skipped at a time, with no thought given to the events in between to give the story a more natural and organic flow.

When Ethan contemplates where to complete his community service. Mark, his friend, immediately has a place in mind.

[Mark's] eyes were bright. Too bright. “Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.” Before Ethan could stop him, Mark shot out of the chair and left the office.

...Mark returned and dropped a section of the day’s newspaper on his desk.

(...)

Ethan turned the page. The headline of the full-page article read, LEARN TO NET TEACHES STUDENTS AND SENIORS HOW TO SURF THE WEB.

A photograph of a woman and two young boys accompanied the article. The boys sat in front of a computer and the woman stood behind them, her arms draped over their shoulders. Her dark, wavy hair fell against her cheeks, and her brown eyes gleamed with excitement. He scanned the first paragraph, searching for her name.

Graciela Ramirez.

A dozen images hit him at once. All of them involved Ms. Ramirez in a compromising position. With him. He looked up at Mark, who studied his reaction to the photograph.

Immediately, I was confused. What's with Mark? What's with Ethan? My thoughts went to this maybe being a second chance story. Why else would Mark be so gleeful about Gracie? How else would Ethan's reaction to it be explained? Then, I thought maybe if it's not second chance, perhaps Ethan's previously shown an interest in her. All I felt was confusion at his sudden and inexplicable obsession with her.

After they meet and I realized it's not a second chance. In fact, they're complete strangers. They're getting all hot for one another upon their first meeting, which is when the chapter ends. Then? The next chapter opens and they've been working together for a month! Whaaat? Part of the fun is the initial development stage of a relationship! The early pining is some of the best stuff! Buuuut, the author skipped it. It also left me confused when it came to the relationship because of how underdeveloped it was. At one point, Ethan thinks that he "liked the way [Gracie] looked at him now." HOW does she look at him?? I ain't got a damn clue because the author skipped all of it!

As said earlier, it felt like the author wrote the story by going from one plot point to the next, disregarding in-between happenings. While most books are written like this, the issue here was the obviousness of it. Other authors at least make attempts subtly and blending, which may just be because they're experienced.

Then, Ethan and Gracie go on a dinner date. They end up kissing, but he pushes her away, not wanting to get into a relationship under a cloud of deceit. Cool. I'm down with that...but it doesn't make sense. If had no intention of starting anything while hiding his identity, why did he even want to do his hours here? The earlier passage with Mark only makes sense if he'd intended on sex with her. But if he feels like crap for the secret identity bit and avoids her...why did he start working here?

Anyway, a week passes, and then we're told that Gracie's sister, Karen, is visiting. I was wondering why the sudden visit...and then it became clear. At the stage play she takes her sister to, she sees Ethan with a woman. The next chapter opens with a week having passed and Gracie having kept Ethan at a distance, which then leads into a confrontation and them agreeing to an FWB relationship. So, like I said, plot point to plot point to plot point, with weeks simply mentioned to have elapsed in between.

Her sister's visit was out of nowhere. It was such an obvious plot device. Those tickets to a stage play? Apparently the board members of LTN gave them to her. Uh...why? LTN is floundering financially...and they're just throwing out free tickets? Why her? And all of a sudden? None of it's explained. Next chapter, her sister is magically gone. It's not mentioned how long she stayed, when she went back, or why she even came in the first place. Her visit was obviously a means to trigger the the FWB relationship conversation. Again, plot point.

And, because there's no buildup when it comes to the relationship, a lot of the conversations between Ethan and Gracie felt odd. After she confronts him about the stage play (which, btw, other than saying that “[he] went to that performance with her to fulfill an obligation” with that OW, there's no other mention of her. It's not explained who she was, nor do we meet her. She's never brought up again.), she feels relieved that he's single. And then she's spilling to him about her ex and how he cheated on her. What? Them having a sudden heart-to-heart was out-of-the-blue.

This was another lacking aspect of the writing. I've read books in which there's little to no relationship buildup, yet, I've still rooted for them. Why? Because the author wrote with emotion. The emotional aspect of the writing here was completely missing. I spent time with these characters and knew things about them, but there was no connection. Their sadness? Reveals? Gracie's mention of her cheating ex? They were anticlimactic. I ended up shrugging because I didn't care about them; the writing of the book never got me to do so. It's probably a consequence of the author going from plot point to plot point, not bothering to develop an emotional connection to readers.

Like the story jumps over large chunks of time, it does so during scenes. When Gracie and Ethan first agree to an FWB, Ethan plans bowling and dinner. We're given a glimpse of the bowling, then told they're in a cab thirty minutes later. This wasn't the first time it happened. During their first dinner, it also fast-forwarded. I guess they're included for flow, but they just left me annoyed. It was also a lost opportunity by the author to develop an emotional connection, dropped in favour of moving on with the plot.

While I'm mentioning the bowling and dinner...uh, it can't just be me who finds it odd, right? Like, who plans a date, with bowling and dinner reservations, with their fuck buddy? Seriously. That's not damn casual sex, that's dating! I would've found it a lot more believable if they'd started sleeping together, and later started blurring the lines. I assume the author didn't want Ethan to look like a douche, being in a relationship with someone while lying, so she decided to make them date, but just called it FWB.

However, he still ended up looking douchey at times. After they sleep together, he says that “when [he's] done, any man after [him] will pale in comparison” sex-wise. And:

“Actually, now that I think about it, you look good in my kitchen.”

Nic’s hands stilled, and the spatula hovered over the pan. “This is the extent of my skill in the kitchen. But don’t worry. One day you’ll find a man who’ll make you a three-course meal.”

Gracie received the message: That man won’t be me, Gracie.

He's so contrary. He says the above after showing up at her apartment unannounced. He got worried after she'd been absent from the office (because she got sick)...and then proceeds to say the above? Mixed signals, much?

This was another situation where it's obvious that this was anything but casual. Although Gracie was just reminded—again—that their relationship was casual, she asks him his birthday, if he can take the day off, and then says she wants to spend it with him?? How is that keeping a distance and not forming an attachment?

Then it's birthday-day. Aaaand? She's splashed bills and gotten him time on a racetrack. Because of course that's what you do for someone who you've been FWBs with for all of five minutes, right? Of course. And, of course, birthday surprises are what FWBs do, right? Of course.

During this time, Gracie asks Ethan if he likes to speed “because it gives [him] a place where [his] mind shuts down.” Uh...how did you come to this conclusion? If someone I knew was a speed demon, my mind wouldn't jump to them wanting to shut down their thoughts. And, with them, at least I KNOW them. She ain't know jack about Ethan, and she's all psychoanalyzing him? Didn't make any sense and was obviously another plot push.

Anyway, next day, Gracie is thinking: "Somehow their no-strings affair had transformed into a connection that tethered her to him, that made her want more." And I'm like, well no shit, Sherlock. How the hell is it casual when y'all going on dates and shit and planning birthday surprises? And it wasn't like it evolved in time. They started off with a bowling and dinner date!

At this point, Ethan pulls another sorta douchey move, but his kinda paled in comparison to hers. Ethan is adamant about keeping it casual (ha! Really? Should've thought about that before planning a fucking date.), so he felt bad she'd spent money on him while he's lying. So:

As she walked to her desk, Gracie turned the envelope over and slipped her thumb through the flap. Expecting a note, she gasped when she saw five hundred-dollar bills. Then she saw the note tucked behind the cash. It read, The thought you put into the gift was enough. Thanks for an unforgettable experience. It was signed, Nic.

Gracie licked the front of her teeth as she stuffed the note and the money back into the envelope. Then she dropped into her chair. She’d given him a gift, and he’d thrown it back in her face.

As douchey as it was, I understood. Her response had me siding with him. She's so dumb, immature, and reactionary, and doesn't think things through. After this, she's like OH I gotta show him! She feels used because he's treating the no-strings affair...like a no-strings affair. An affair, mind you, that SHE'd suggested to begin with. So, she goes to a bar to meet Ethan, acts like they're strangers, flirts with some random guy, picks Ethan, takes him to her car, fucks him, and then leaves him there to catch a cab home. Because HA!! I'll show him no-strings attached!! Very fucking immature.

She then decides to end things with him. Ethan then realizes he wants more, which he tells her. And? She rejects him, feeling that she let her relationship affect her career. So...he finally comes around and says he wants long-term, the lack of which was what upset her, and she says no? Nonsense.

Then, several weeks pass, Ethan gives her a gift, then they get back together. What was the point of even breaking them up? It just felt whiplashy, going from them being together, breaking up, then together again a few pages later (because, although it weeks "several weeks," it's really only a couple of pages for the reader).

Then, because the couple is back together, another plot point is needed. Suddenly Gracie is going to some awards gala thanks to Mimi. Conveniently, Mimi works for some foundation and was able to score tickets for Gracie. And y'all know what's going to happen, right? Especially because we needed more whiplash right after they got back together.

Instead, she was scheduled to attend a charity awards dinner at Mimi’s request.

(...)

He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and stared at the screen. “It’s Mark. Work interferes again. Listen, I have a work event this evening, but I’d like to see you later tonight.”

Predictably, she sees him before he can reveal who he is to her. The reveal itself was super anticlimactic. The writing lacked emotion, so his reveal didn't pack even the slightest punch. (The reveal doesn't happen until seven-tenths, btw.)

After this, the OM, Daniel, is used. (Side note: There's an OM. Her father wanted them together, but he's a nonentity because she makes it clear she's not interested.) I was rolling my eyes because, OF COURSE this OM is conveniently there for some God damn reason. Anyway, like with the car sex, she acts immature, dumb, and reactionary. She says she's going to confront Ethan. Then she asks Daniel to dance to her favourite song (she told Ethan it was her favourite). She asks Daniel to pretend like they're together to make Ethan jealous, even allowing him to kiss her on the jaw and escort her out when Ethan confronts them. Why? Because she's immature as fuck.

She kept referring to Ethan's secrecy as "betrayal." Well, what about what she did with Daniel? That was a betrayal, imo. If an H had done that with an OW (which plenty have), he'd be on my shitlist. So, this idiot is, too.

She tells Ethan not to contact her, leave her alone, and to complete his hours, then runs off to New York. While she's there, because he doesn't contact her, she comes to the conclusion that, it "only confirmed how little she’d meant to him." omfg. Are you fucking serious? She told him to leave her the fuck alone and then ran off! I hate when characters do this shit. Shouldn't it be good that he respected her wishes of wanting to be left alone? Unbelievable.

After moping around, she finally comes back and listens to Ethan's explanation. He tells her about his past, how he was a mess, and how he didn't want the tainting his present. He figured that if she knew both his past—in which he was a drinking, gambling, whoring mess—and of his CEO position, she wouldn't have given him the time of day, which she mentally acknowledges as truth. Then?

What a mess. But it was his mess, not hers. “Thanks for the explanation,” she said as she stood. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this. Closure, I guess.”

Ethan looked up at her and scrunched his face. “Closure?”

Gracie steeled herself. “Yes, closure. Ethan, I appreciate the explanation, but that’s all it was. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re not the man I thought you were. It doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me. That you started a relationship with me, knowing that you weren’t being truthful about yourself.”

He stood and paced. “Gracie, I understand why you’re angry, but I shared this with you because I want you to know everything, because I want to share a future with you. I told you everything that mattered.”

Her heart tempted her to forgive him, but her pride rejected the idea out of hand. “You don’t get to decide what matters, Ethan. A relationship means you share the important parts of yourself.”

He strode to her and placed his hands on her upper arms. “But that’s just it, Gracie. I did share the important parts of myself. My professional goals, my fears, stuff about my family. You can’t discount that so easily.”

Yes, she could.

I thought this was so stupid. All that he didn't tell her was that he went by Ethan, not Nic, and that he was a CEO. He didn't make up a name, and he was honest about everything else. She keeps saying "relationship," but all that it was supposed to be was casual sex. Babe...y'all didn't really have a relationship. Which, recall, was something SHE initiated after he tried to distance himself. He couldn't afford bad press as CEO, and he didn't know her enough to trust her. It was on HER suggestion that there was ever any entanglement, not his.

Though I didn't like how long the secret was kept, holy fucking overreaction, Batman! She needs to fucking chill. All of this would've been different if he'd been at fault. I would've thought he was completely shit if he'd been the one to suggest a no-strings affair, let her spend money on him, and then walked away without telling her anything. Instead, it's Gracie who'd suggested a casual affair, despite his earlier attempts to dissuade her. It was Gracie who was surprising him and spending money on him, treating him like a boyfriend even though they were casual. However, it was Ethan who approached her for more. It was then Gracie who refused to listen and then ran off.

He made one mistake, and he's the shithead in this book? Nah, son. It was Gracie. Yet everyone, including Ethan's bff, Mark, blames him. Gracie never apologized for treating him like a sex toy, which she admitted to herself was shit to do and felt bad. She never apologized for the gala scene. She never grovels for anything. It's all pushed on Ethan. And he feels like shit, he apologizes, begs, etc. I think her holding out was the author's attempt to make her a non-doormat h with a backbone, but I just found her annoying and undeserving of Ethan.

After Ethan tells her about his past, she's still upset about his earlier caginess. At this time, she thinks he's "this year's version of Neal." Yes, because Ethan not being forthcoming about being a CEO and using his first name is the same thing as her cheating bf. Gracie was insufferable.

Even by the end, she didn't redeem herself. I hated that she didn't come to forgiveness on her own. Instead, we get page after page of people contacting her and being all Yo, my homeboy Ethan over at Media Best? Yeah, he told me to contact you to help fund LTN. Isn't he fab?? Jason, a kid who uses computers at LTN, went on about Ethan's greatness. Gracie goes to a possible sponsor, and the woman sings Ethan's praises. Gracie capitulates at this point and is all Wow, Ethan sure is great, huh?? Then they get back together. Sex. End of story.

As I mentioned before, the writing lacked emotion. I didn't care for these characters at all. I ended up skimming at times, which never bodes well for a book. The sex in this book came off very instructional. The author was just detailing that they did this, then this, and then this. Like the rest of the writing, it lacked emotion. I tried to read the first one, but I ended up skimming. In fact, I ended up skipping all of them because none had any emotion.

There was also the mention of video game coding that bothered me. Teen-Ethan supposedly learned video game coding in first year high school programming. In the book, he's 32, meaning he was in HS between 1997-2001. He learned video game coding with 3D graphics then? His parents were shift workers at a factory, so he was in public school, not private or specialized. It bothered me because it was another thing on top of everything else. A student taking first year programming in public high school...and learning video game coding? With 3D graphics? When I took first year programming, I was doing Turing and other basic computer programming.

And then there was this bit of Ethan giving advice to Jason.

“Cool. Any advice on how to make myself the ideal candidate for a spot at a top school like MIT?”

“Yeah. Work your ass off. Get good grades. Rock the SAT and your AP classes. Try to get an internship in the computer industry. And make sure your admission essay shows how much you love computer programming. Easy.”

I swear to God, if someone game me shit advice like Ace your classes and you can make it!, I'd be tempted to sock 'em. What kind of shit and unhelpful advice is this?

Then there was this casual ageism thrown in there, too. This older woman jokes about sex, and Ethan thinks the image is "eye-gouge worthy" because, of course, older people aren't allowed to have sex. And Ethan is supposed to be 32, not some immature teenage boy. Grow the fuck up.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Even though this is a full length novel (albeit a shorter one clocking in at 256 pages), it really read similar to a novella for me. That's not a bad thing either because it was a quick read that I was able to enjoy in one sitting. Even with a shorter length, it still felt like the story was tied up neatly by the end.

It was a quick, fun, romantic, and hot read. There was nothing beyond what I expected, but it was still enjoyable.

This would definitely be a good choice for someone that's looking for a quick and steamy read.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 just okay contemporary romance stars. The book was really hard to get into and I found that while it had a decent story line, it just didn't make me love it. I read it easy enough but I wasn't wowed or completely sucked in. Having said all of that, the story is quite cute in a way.

Nicholas Ethan Hill has a speeding and ticket problem which leads him to be forced into community service. In order to hide his identity he uses his first rather than the name he is famous with. He doesn't expect to genuinely like and lust after Graciela, his community service hours boss, but that's exactly what happened.

Graciela loves what she does and does it even against the wishes of her father. Her father is old school and believes she should be married with children and return to New York. When she meets Nicholas she can't seem to stop her body's reaction or her eyes from lingering. He's good looking, genuinely kind, and damn good at what he does.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

CEO Ethan has a need for speed so after so many speeding tickets he is sentenced to doing 200 hours of community service. He decides to work with a non profit organization that helps seniors and kids use the computer. The only thing he wants to do is keep his identity under wraps until he finishes. The proves hard when he starts to fall for the Gracie who is running this organization.


I liked that this wasn't the typical CEO / billionaire book. I enjoyed the journey that the author took Ethan on. Throughout the book you can see he isn't all that happy about being CEO and wants to go back to creating things. The progress of him growing and wanting to change was a big part of the story.

The romance between Gracie and Ethan took its time since they were both attracted to one another but I liked that it started out as a fling while he was completing his community service and the fling would end when his time was up. But these two ended up falling in love.

This was a great book to start off the series and I'm interested in seeing where the author will go from here. The next book his Ethan's friend and Gracie's sister. I can't wait to see what journey they will take.

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Sosa's Acting on Impulse and wanted some breathing room before picking up the next book so I jumped to this series instead. It turns out Unbuttoning the CEO is Sosa's first novel, and it feels like it. Not bad - it won a Golden Heart award after all - but uneven plot and character motivations as well as a lack of communication annoyed me.

I was surprised to find the basic setup is exactly the same as Impulse - a powerful/rich guy who goes by his middle name in business uses his first name for Reasons, and meets a beautiful lady under these barely false pretenses.

Acting on Impulse uses the tropes well - when the guy is "outed" the hero and heroine get around to talking and working through it. Here Ethan keeps his secret much longer while having a 'no strings' relationship with Gracie, and neither is all that interested in communicating. They do things to provoke reactions in each other and read too deeply into the results. Gracie in particular does things that make little sense, like dropping a bunch of cash on a birthday present for her no-strings lover.

I'm glad I didn't read this book first. It reminds me that a so-so first novel can easily lead to great reads down the line, something always worth remembering.

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Nic Ojo (bujos_n_books)]

A strangers to lovers read that goes from zero to 100 quickly. Before you know it, you've read the last word on the last page. It's giving novella vibes.

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite everything going on Ethan is a sweet guy, "his nostrils flared. “ I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” He lifted his face to the ceiling and ran a hand through the back of his hair. “I just wanted you to know that you meant something to me. I thought you’d like this.” Ethan, he knows how to show his woman a good time:
He pressed his body close to hers as they circled out the door. “Coffee. Lots of coffee. And condoms. Lots of condoms.”
She raised her hand to hail a cab. “Spending the weekend in bed, are we?”
“Yeah. In bed. On the couch. On the floor. In the shower. On the kitchen counter. You get the picture.”
I liked this book.

[Rachel Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! Ethan was a totally swoon-worthy hero, and I absolutely adored Gracie. Their chemistry was hot, and I loved watching them battle their feelings for each other as their no-strings agreement got out of hand :)

I'm not always a fan of the wealthy CEO-type hero, but Ethan won me over right from the start. He was charming and hard-working and just a bit tortured over his troubled past and the fact that he's keeping his real identity under wraps while he completes community service hours at Gracie's non-profit.

Unbuttoning the CEO was fast-moving, sexy, and funny, but also heartfelt. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

[Rachel Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were certain things that felt abrupt or forced in the story (things just to create conflict, etc.). I liked the characters themselves and thought the situation was pretty unique, so it didn't need extra things.

[sahra (readwithsahra_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

a dirty office romance and the writer is mia sosa ? of course I’ll read

ive wanted to read this book for quite a time now and since I felt a reading slump/book hangover coming (after finishing dating dr dil) I thought it would be a good way to avoid them by starting it? not quite

i haven’t finished the book, even tho I liked it, because of that freaking reading slump I’m in. i maybe one day read it again just to give it another chance with a clear mind, but here’s what I can say about the story:

- even if it’s Mia’s first book (if I’m correct) you still can see some fundamentals of her writing style. the banter, the seggsy and funny sentences, elaborate and spicy scenes, a very powerful and badass female main character, a soft and whipped man
beside that, you can also tell it’s her first piece because the writing style isn’t as captivating as it is now

- the side characters are, as always, great addiction and comedic reliefs!

- the writing was less subtle and glazed and more raw, unfiltered which is something I really enjoyed!

but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep me hooked and I prefer to give it a chance another time. the problem being me and not the book itself

3.5/5
DNF at 40%

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like the hallmark channel. If you like that channel, you'll like this book. If you don't, well, don't read it. I considered powering through but stopped within the first couple of pages.

[MasterSal]

Putting this on pause / DNF at 16%

Nothing wrong with it but it wasn’t grabbing me - perhaps it’s the premise or that I haven’t read far enough. I definitely want to give this author a try as I really liked the heroine.

There are other library patrons looking for this so I’m going to return and see if I want to pick it back later.

[Truusje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I can only think of two positive things to say about this book: it has a Latina heroine and it’s not even 170 pages long.
So I guess I can move straight on to all the negative things. It’s hard to decide where to start because the story, the characters and the writing are all poor. But let’s begin with the latter since it affects the first two. The writing is all about explaining and telling and not about showing, which makes it very hard to connect to the characters and their stories. We are told about the hero and heroines business accomplishments and their backstories, but we don’t see much of it. Ethan supposedly worked his way through the ranks to become CEO but the only time we see him at work is when he’s signing stuff. I don’t quite understand how he never realised before that he preferred working on technical side of the IT business. Until we get to the Big Reveal about Ethan’s past, that’s about all we know about him. I never got a feel for him. We know a bit more about Gracie, but nothing to make her more than a two-dimensional character.
As for the romance it’s a case of severe instalust. They see (pictures of) each other and all they want to do is jump into bed. They just find each other so incredibly hot. It doesn’t take long for them to do the deed, even though Gracie isn’t someone for casual sex. There is some conflict because Ethan has been lying about his identity to Gracie and feels guilty. Other conflict stems from the questions whether they’re having a casual or serious relationship. For me it isn’t enough to make the romance even remotely interesting. What makes it worse, is that they don’t communicate. Gracie in particular sees/hears something and she draws conclusions immediately and decides on extreme acts, without ever talking to Ethan about it. It all just made me want to throw my e-reader against the wall. I didn’t of course. Instead I just sighed and rolled my eyes and complained to whomever who was unfortunate enough to be in the same room as me.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

When corporate CEO Ethan Hill turns his need to escape a job he hates into several too many speeding tickets, he is forced to perform 200 hours of community service without falling back on his money or his corporate philanthropy. The technology bigwig signs up at Learn to Net, a nonprofit that provides computers and training in parts of DC where residents need some help finding and affording an onramp to the information superhighway. But to keep his real identity under wraps, he signs up incognito. And that’s where the fun begins, as Ethan falls in love with Graciela Ramirez, the LTN director, and she falls in love with the man she thinks Ethan is. When the truth comes out, Ethan nearly loses the best thing he’s ever had. Not just because Graciela never wants to see his lying face again, but also because he’s discovered that the person he was pretending to be was much happier than the person he has been, and not just because of Graciela.
Verdict: Readers may think that this is a typical “marrying the billionaire” story, but it is much better than that. Graciela and Ethan start out as friends with benefits, only to discover they are a lot more than friends. But what makes this romance sparkle is the way that Ethan discovers himself in the midst of being “undercover” and that Graciela makes peace with the family that loves her and smothers her in equal measure. They fall in love, and they also transform their lives.

[JoDeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Unbuttoning The CEO we follow Ethan Hill and Graciela Ramirez (Who is also know as Gracie ).Due to some reckless driving Ethan find him self doing community service . and Graciela just happens to the director of LTN (Learn to Net) branch he will be doing his community service at and that is really were the story takes off.

Ethan and Gracie were such fun to read about . Both of them are wonderful characters it made me kinda sad when my time with them ended lol . watching there No strings attached fling play it self out was had me turning from page to page you could see that these two were perfect for each other, they just could not see it yet lol . by the time I got to the end of this book I was rooting for these too so hard to work out there differences and be together forever and ever and ever lol.

Everything from the setting the characters , the drama ,the steamy swoon worthy and emotional moments came together to make this one wonderful book !

Unbuttoning the CEO was so good it was romantic , funny, and sexy and if you love all of these things in your books I suggest you pick up a copy

[Michelle ♥ The Romance Vault ♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't go any higher than this was an okay read, it lacked some oompf and decent characteristics.

The often used missmash of misinterpreting things and the heroine was a tad immature. At some points I wondered at the age of the author and maybe the age divide between myself and the target audience was the issue, but I'm not sure.

I stayed with it to the end and didn't hate it, but felt the time jumps and flitting from one scene to another without any real depth for me to get my teeth into was more than likely why I felt like an outsider to the story the whole way.

I received this book via netgalley, I will try more books from this author to see how her writing journey is progressing but the bones are there for a good story, the deliverance of the plot will hopefully get better.

[Shaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!! This is an easy read that totally surprised me. It's NOT your typical CEO romance where the hero is a douchebag that turns into a romantic stud. Lol! It's a beautiful story about two people finding love and learning to grow because of it.

The premise was cute, the romance steamy, and several times I was surprised at the turns the story took. It was also refreshing to see a diverse set of characters (the heroine is Hispanic), and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a light, full of humor, sassy book.
not time for bullshit heroin, a surprisingly cute and kind billionaire who isn't a total jerk and wants to be a normal guy.
sweet and light read

[T. Rosado · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Jennifer Schultheis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at http://wp.me/p2F7IH-bLv

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%. I adored "The Worst Best Man" and "The Wedding Crasher," so I decided to take a look at Sosa's earlier books. That was a mistake. I told myself to power through it, that surely it would get better, that of course these characters would somehow make sense as the plot progressed, but nope, I just couldn't do it. Plot: I don't even know. Ethan "Nic" Hill is the CEO of some tech company who is ordered to do community service for speeding. He volunteers at a local internet-related charity run by Gracie. There's insta-lust followed by a romance so poorly executed I just had to give up. I think my major problem is that I didn't like either MC, neither of them acted like an adult, and the character development was so all over the place that I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to date either of these people. Take Gracie. She is, theoretically, a competent executive director of a nonprofit providing classes and internet access to the underprivileged and elderly. Great. Turns out the D.C. branch of said nonprofit isn't doing well financially and Gracie (who is originally from NYC) is brought in to turn things around. Okay. But somehow, after being there for something like a year, she has NO IDEA who this incredibly handsome, rich, CEO of a frigging tech conglomerate in her own city is. That just makes her bad at her job. Then she refuses to Google him because "she's not a stalker." Please. One of his community service tasks is to make a list of potential donors for the nonprofit because somehow she doesn't already know this (not killing it on the fundraising front Gracie) and decides to delegate that out. Sure. Then there is her whole borderline schizophrenic approach to this FWB affair she proposes to Nic. She wants it to be casual (sure she does), but she never behaves that way. She's so all over the place--one minute a sex kitten, one minute a hand-wringing Victorian, one minute a career woman who doesn't have time for romance, one minute only wanting romance--that I just couldn't deal with it and didn't understand why anyone else would either. Then there's Nic, who is determined to hide his identity from Gracie because his "board" doesn't want publicity surrounding his community service. So instead of looking at Gracie and saying "hey, look, I like you and want to be honest, so I'm really Ethan Hill CEO of Whatever, but I need you to keep that quiet," he launches this whole secret thing that felt so forced and contrived I couldn't bear it. And same criticism here regarding his character. One second he's all over Gracie, can't live without her, then he ghosts her or gets a bout of conscience because he's lying. So, basically, 30% of what I read was okay flirting, steamy scene, both characters lose their minds because they like each other and said they weren't going to like each other, and then wash, rinse, repeat. Nothing actually happens. The kicker for me was when Gracie does this insane over-the-top birthday extravaganza for Nic--the very opposite of casual--then oversleeps and misses a meeting with one of her most important donors. Nope. Not doing it. I just rolled my eyes, thought "get it together" and downloaded a new book.

[SmuttyBuddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time of this review, the book is seven years old with 61 reviews. Literally no one, in the history of ever, is going to read this. But that's ok, I will write it for me. And maybe for Mia, because I love her work and I wish I could read every single book she ever writes the second she prints it! Even though I love her work, this book was a solid 3 stars for me. There was nothing wrong with it, but it isn't an instant favorite of mine and I probably won't read it again. For me, it was a library book- One that I am glad I checked out at the library and didn't purchase. Good for a one time read.

Now that I have that off my chest, let's talk about the good things! This book starts with bad boy CEO Nic Ethan Hill getting his fifth driving ticket and being sentenced to 200 hours of community service. In order to keep his name and the company he works for out of the media, he decides to do his service under his first name, Nic, which he doesn't use professionally anymore. Since he is a tech genius, he does his service for a non profit organization called Learn To Net (LTN) which teaches the community to use computers and the internet. And I know y'all gonna be shocked by this, but the director of LTN is a hot woman and Nic falls for her before he even meets her! Her name is Graciela Ramirez, and she moved to DC to run this branch of LTN. But the branch is in trouble, and they won't be able to pay their bills unless they find a donor with deep pockets! Humm... I wonder how they are going to get the money for that! And, there is definitely going to be a huge conflict when Gracie learns that Nic has been lying to her the whole time, so don't miss out on that! Plus the steamy scenes are decent. Meh, I'm less and less in love with this book the more I write, so it may be time to stop. On to book 2!

Join me next time as I review Sosa's next book. Maybe I will fall in love with the book as much as the characters fall in love with each other!

PoV: Third person, past, dual
ToN (Type of Narration): solo by J.F. Harding
Audio book length: 6h 0m
Genre and Sub genre: Contemporary Romance
Location: Washington DC
Time(s): Current/Contemporary
Tropes: Workplace love, falling for your boss, secret identity, secretly rich, and employed by lover
TW/CW's:
Language Rating:
Sex Rating:
Representation: Latina h

Audio book review: I am not a huge fan of dual pov done by a solo artist. That has nothing to do with the artist usually, I just really like having two distinct characters when the chapters switch back and forth. That being said, I do like J.F. Harding's voice. it is kind of soothing. I'm not sure I like how acted some of the lines (there are sex scenes, and the last thing you want is a soothing voice.. Like, man, get excited about this! Or at least pretend to!) but overall it was decent.

**Audio book notes do not change my GR book rating, it is only here for reference. This entire review is also cross posted to Amazon and Audible**

https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't fault the book for having expected too much out of it. Still, I'm frustrated and disappointed.

The beginning was ok, later on, though I had to push myself to keep reading because instead of grabbing my attention more, deeper, it was blah. Even the "secret" and possibilities of how it will be revealed, the drama it might cause, wasn't exciting enough.

And I didn't much like Graciella as a person. She didn't 'speak' to me. An independent woman whose father would like her to only a housewife to a man and a mother to children. She works a hard job, constantly having to learn for investors to keep the community center going. I can appreciate that but once she meets Ethan - Nic - she's good only on paper. For me.

I hate the thing they have and how it progresses. No-strings-attached when they're attached from the very start. I wished a million times that a friend of theirs will jump out and yell "you're both stubborn, trying to one-up each other on who will keep it going longer as a simple affair, not admitting you're feeling more". It wasn't the kind of funny romance when you laugh at their antiques and attempts at keeping it casual.

And then it got worse and Gracie lost in my eyes completely. It bugged me he had to be basically crawling on his knees to her, for her forgiveness. Sure, he kept something from her but it wasn't the end of the world. I mean, I'd be angry too, maybe want retribution or put him through a world of pain in the form of some humiliating actions... or something. But she dealt with it as if he'd done something unforgivable and she dismissed everything she felt for him like it was nothing. As if she wasn't the one to come up with the casual affair, as if she wasn't the one to strongly convince him of it while he was reluctant due to "the secret".

I got along with Ethan but not with Graciela, she might've as well stayed in her parents' house and wallow over how pathetic she is. 3 stars are generous here and I'm sorry because I liked a different book of Mia Sosa and thought this series will be great. It completely turned me off about the other volumes, at least for the time being. Maybe when I'm desperate and have nothing else to read, I'll be back to Suits Undone.

[Francis M. Prensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the typical love story of a Millionaire that doesn't want his identity known and a woman he falls in love with a woman who isn't as rich, but very beautiful and an honest job. The fact that Ethan (Nic) had to resort to that? I totally understand, what was even more coincidental, was that her non profit was slowly going under. Gracie makes me feel like she is one of those "don't mess with me" type of woman, and of course shes a Latina, and we all know the stereotype of us Latina being fiery, and spicy. When Gracie goes for the plunge and tells Nic how she really feels, he couldn't turn her down.

This was meant to be an arrangement, for a short period of time, those of us who have read multiple romance novels know what happens after that. And can I say that their sex life is EXPLOSIVE!!!!! I am seriously loving the way the author did her thing with everything when it comes to those moments.

I loved the character's though, I felt connected somehow to them and their real lifestyles, and the need to help and how Ethan became this huge factor in other peoples lives and wanting to connect.

I wont spoil something like this steamy, even though we all know i could and would, haha. but wow!! what an amazing ending, I cant wait to read on to book 2.

[Paullette · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this contemporary m/f romance set in D.C., Ethan Hill is a bad boy tech CEO whose community service sentence for reckless driving forces him to work as an IT temp for an urban nonprofit. His new gig? Surprisingly fulfilling. His new boss? Inconveniently HOT. Does making out with your boss in her office count toward community hours served? Ethan is kind of hoping he gets the chance to find out.

Graciela Ramirez has enough on her plate with trying to secure funding for her nonprofit and respectfully sidestepping her Old School Puerto Rican father’s attempts to set her up with a suitable man. She sure doesn’t need to add an inappropriate attraction to her new employee, but… he kind of seems to be checking her out, too?

This audiobook leans more toward erotica than true romance since while its involving storyline might be a *padded* coathanger, it still mainly serves as the thin angsty scaffolding for a series of sex scenes. A decent surface-level listen, but nowhere near the quality of Sosa’s brilliant contemporary romance THE WEDDING CRASHER.

[Alexandria Parris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered Mia Sosa after reading “The Worst Best Man,” which I thoroughly enjoyed! After that I set out to read all of her works. I liked “Unbuttoning the CEO,” but not as much as I enjoyed “The Worst Best Man.” I’m not sure if it was the narrator or that it was written in third person whereas “TWBM” was written in first person and had a separate narrator for each of the main characters. For me there wasn’t enough character development or romantic buildup between the characters at the beginning. It got better as the book continued, but I didn’t feel like I knew enough about the characters’ motivation like I did with “TWBM.” Still worth the read though.

[HappyKT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author's writing style. This is the second book in the series I have read (out of order, sorry). The only complaint I have that keeps this book from having a 4 star rating is the fact both this and the other one I read end abruptly. Not that I have to have an engagement or even a prologue, it's like the author wants to leave the story open for a continuation series, but instead leaves the reader feeling like the end is missing. I do know in this particular series the characters pop in and out of the storyline, but it still feels like a partially unsatisfying ending.

[Tala · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about Mia Sosa's characters that are so comforting and fun to read. She manages to add layers and flaws without having them turn into assholes. Even with tropes I strongly dislike she manages to weave their perspectives together so you understand why they make the decisions that they make.
I did read the 2nd book in the series first and so far it's still my favorite. Mark and Karen <3
I'm kind of stunned that the third book puts Mimi with Daniel? Girls he is gonna eat him alive.

[Tamas Eszter]

Highly entertaining but CHEESY.
Until you don't confuse real life with fiction no problem. Beware ladies. Us readers should know best how easy is to confuse pretend with real and what happens with the heroine when she believes she can handle it. Maybe this part of the stories is true in real life too.