The X Ingredient

by Roslyn Sinclair

Laurie Holcombe is out of a job, out of luck, and out of time. When a prestigious law firm hires her as an assistant to one of its senior partners, it feels like she might finally get back on her feet. All she has to do is put up with the whims of her infuriatingly icy boss, Diana. How hard could that be?
Diana Parker is Atlanta’s top lawyer and isn’t afraid to let everyone know it. She’s driven, ruthless, demanding, and stuck in a failing marriage. Too bad she can’t run her personal life as well as she runs her ordered office.
When a young assistant shows up with bright blue eyes, a cute Southern accent, and a streak of pink hair, Diana’s sure she’s all wrong for the job. And yet something seems to be pulling her and Laurie Holcombe together, drawing them into a secret, thrilling dance that’s far too dangerous for a boss and employee.
Can they make rules for this powerful attraction, a way to keep each other at arm’s length? But how do you resist the irresistible?
A smart, sexy lesbian romance about facing the truth about your desires…and risking everything.

Themes: ice queen · top lawyer · young assistant
103,000 words

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Audiobook, Queer, Erotica, Contemporary

285 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2019

About the author

Roslyn Sinclair knew she was destined to be a writer when her second-grade teacher took one look at her “What I did on my summer vacation” essay and said, “You wrote a novel!” It was all over after that.

She is married to fellow sapphic romance writer Carrie Byrd. They live in the greater Philadelphia area, weathering cold winters, hot summers, pollinated springs, and crisp autumns that make it all worthwhile.

You can keep up with Roslyn by subscribing to her newsletter. Subscribers get first access to book news, exclusive giveaways and promos, and a free steamy sapphic novella.

You can find Roslyn on all of her online platforms here.

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

'ARC provided by Ylva-Publishing in exchange for an honest review'

**'Storytelling reveals meaning without committing any error of defining it..You as a writer have to be yourself anytime you write..'

'THE X INGREDIENT' I think would be consider as both an interesting and challenging read because of it's premise -- which interweaves a multiple of storylines; the main one being that of a very mature married and goal oriented boss/partner with a quandaries of sordid longings, a deep infatuation and her anew sexual self-discovery for her simpleton but still self-assured Personal Assistant.
During the storytelling, readers will then notice the evolution of their (Diana & Laurie) working relationship onto their growing friendship to the many romantic rendezvous.
Neither being of sound mind in dealing with whatever consequence their frequent hook-ups will occur because its all about their sexual fulfillment and overwhelming need for each other plus both had this belief that their actions were harmless and innocent.
When it comes to Laurie, she appears confident and has this aggressiveness towards her pursuit of her boss. But then she still tries to contemplate between these meaningful tryst, her job and her life -- now her heart is in play and it's scary to get heartbroken again.
While Diana seems only intoxicated with lust for Laurie and her unfailing desire towards her. And what she knows is that this kinda relationship was new to her causing lots a inner stressful thoughts and dialogue. One thing for sure is that she knew she was not being fulfill with any passionate loving or intimate emotional needs in her marriage like what she was experiencing with her PA but still did not want to admit who she really was or want. Communication, indifference and intimacy are all potent and viable to any marriage.
Then a moment of recklessness in the wrong place did finally force both to make some critical decisions and also put Diana at a standstill that had her making many choices whether good or bad.

This story is filled with some edgy sexual interludes, expressions of raw emotions, an insight into the elegantly fierce life of working at a top firm and a free flowing narrative delivered in a delightful tone -- that might even be enjoyable to some readers or an average told story to others.

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. I’m definitely putting this in the enjoyed pile but can’t say that I loved this. Was it hot as Hell? Yeah, I still got some flames and little devils running around my living room. The chemistry is off the charts with so much good steaminess. My lack of a 5 star rating more comes from the rest of the story.

As most of you out there, I’m a fan of Sinclair/Telanu. Truth and Measure rocked my world and I was so happy she got signed with YLVA. I decided since Sinclair was going to be published, I would not read any more of her fanfic and wait until it was released in book form. That worked well since I loved The Lily and the Crown. Not only was it spicy, it tore at my emotions and I loved every second of it. I really had my fingers crossed that this book would grab me like her others did. Unfortunately, that didn’t really happen here.

One of the first things I noticed was this seemed a little too close to Truth and Measure. It screamed Devil Wears Prada, which is fine with me but it felt too similar to what I have read before. I than realized the difference was that this was a steamy-romance or an erotic-romance. The sex scenes are phenomenal. Sinclair is really right up there with Meghan O’Brien when it comes to fantastic, explicit, non-repetitive, and steamy as hell sex scenes. But the problem for me is that while the sex scenes were wonderful, the plot was lacking. I got to be honest and say that I felt that the plot had been done multiple times before and there was not anything that moved me (again besides the sex).

The two mains are great and all the erotic sex scenes alone were worth the read for me. I was hoping there would be more to the story so I could give Sinclair another 5 stars, but I can’t. I hope my review doesn’t discourage other readers because if you are looking to spice up your night, this is a perfect book to pick.

An ARC was given to me for a honest review.

[Corporate Slave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh WOW! I loved everything about this book!
This is my first read by this author and I really had no expectations, but i must say I’m very impressed.
So I’ve read some of the reviews and while I understand that this might be perceived as an erotic book, for me what was interesting is that I thought it was more of a romance than erotica! Yes a big part of the book was about sex under the umbrella of “an arrangement”.
But once I was done with the book, It got me thinking, mmmm no this was a romantic book with a kick ass side of an erotic angle to it!
There was an amazing storyline, there was unbelievable chemistry between the MCs, there was an interesting side to the business as well as some issues with the husband (don’t want to spoil) and a coming out story as well!
Now coming back to the sex scenes: WOW! I can’t remember a book with this amount of hot, insane and incredible sex scenes! And the most amazing part, none of the scenes was repetitive!
To be honest I was very impressed with this book and I’m giving this a solid 5 rating! Totally recommend this!
Tip: try not to read this when you’re commuting, in the office or at a park :)
I received this ARC for an honest review.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Phew, that was hot!

I wish I hadn’t known this was based on DWP fanfic, because it took me a while to get the images from the movie out of my mind and let new ones appear. Not that I have anything against fanfic but this is so well-written that it doesn’t need any visual aid.

Diana Parker is a hotshot lawyer in Atlanta looking for an assistant. Laurie Holcombe is a sociology student from Zebulon, Georgia, hoping to get to law school while paying her bills. She doesn’t seem like the right fit for the job but Diana soon learns that where Laurie is concerned, what seems wise might not actually be wise. Diana is so deep into the closet that acknowledging her attraction to Laurie kinda feels like the end of the world, and then feelings get into play and it gets even worse. But before that, the two women agree on some sort of arrangement that is supposed to protect Laurie from feeling used by her boss (and from getting her heart broken) and Diana from taking responsibility for her actions and admitting she might be gay (she’s married to a man and all that). It also inadvertently prevents them from talking about what they really want and feel. Which in a way makes the sex even hotter since it’s desperate.

So obviously the sex was steamy – and not repetitive, which is in itself remarkable when there’s so much of it – but what really got to me were the tender gestures, as reluctant as they were. Every time Laurie asked Diana if she’s okay, my heart sighed.

This ice queen / age gap / workplace erotic romance was my first book by this author, and this time I know why. It’s because I can be stubborn and foolishly snobbish when it comes to books (or movies or TV series) that everyone seems to love. It probably goes back to when I was a teenager and my way of coping with feeling different from every one else was to pretend I was above the hype. I’ve had Truth and Measure by Telanu (Sinclair’s fanfic pen name) at hand forever and never got around to reading it. Same with The Lily and the Crown. From the reviews I’ve read, they’re even more delightful than this, so my loss, obviously. The good news is, it’s never too late to set things right.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has read the original fan fiction at least half a dozen times now, I couldn't help but compare it to this long anticipated book. (Overall rating is 3,75*)

I think what surprised me the most was the amount of 'hidden' jabs in this version and I don't know exactly how I feel about them since I happen to agree with a lot that was written. The book mentions discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and even politics in various degrees. Having lurked on the author's twitter for news on the release of this book, the inclusion of those subjects shouldn't have been a surprise to me, yet they were.

I also wondered if maybe Ms. Sinclair would tone down the raunchiness that was in the original story including a certain sex scene but sure enough, whoomp there it is 🤜. I don't know why I thought I could possibly read this at work and not look like I was running a 40ºC fever. (Or 104ºF, yes I googled it.) This book and its multiple sex scenes is sure to leave you (severely) dehydrated. Don't say I didn't warn you.

As for the actual plot of the story, I can't say that I cared all that much for it. For me it would have been like picking up a copy of Playboy magazine for the articles. (Is that still a thing?) Oh well there was enough plot to tie everything together without there being a huge amount of angst involved. Although I was worried for a second when the moustache twirling Disney villains had their 5 seconds of fame.

If you're looking for a book hot enough to possibly make you hyperventilate, read this. That's all. 👠

[lov2laf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I’m not the typical reader for this one. I LOVE, I mean LOVE this author’s works so I sucked up all of the short stories that she wrote years ago that got folded into this book.

And, as a result, my mind was constantly comparing the previous reads to this one and seeing the parts that were changed rather than letting myself get fully sucked into the read. I’ll need to go back and reread it to get the full impact.

That said, I still bow down to Roslyn Sinclair and still give her the queen’s crown for writing the best erotic scenes. In my opinion, she’s better than Meghan O’Brien or any other author I’ve come across that doesn’t shy away from sexually explicit writing. She just nails it. The cover should already give you the hint to read this one in a non-public place and hey, since we’re in quarantine, it’s the perfect time!

This author excels at dialogue, character, and, in general, wonderful writing. She also takes characters and scenarios that in other writer’s hands would be trite on completely unique and refreshing paths. I also love the humor that comes across from the internal thoughts from our leads.

“The X Ingredient” delves into a workplace, boss/employee, age gap, ice queen, late in coming out in life f/f romance with plenty of erotica, throwing in a Southern aspect (it takes place in Atlanta) and some ethnic diversity (a lead is part Vietnamese and white).

I didn’t love this as much as “The Lily and the Crown” but I chalk that more up to needing that re-read.

Definitely recommend.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The X Ingredient is my first book by this author, neither did I read the fanfic version. But I did see the film The Devil Wears Prada which was fantastic. And this book was like a version of DWP, a good version. I would put this in the erotic-romance category.

Diana Parker is a top shot lawyer with her own law firm, married to her second husband (but still not really happy) and the image of an ice queen. When she hires Laurie Holcomb as her personal assistant, she can’t imagine what a special personal assistant can do. Laurie had a few hard years behind her and was looking forward to getting a job in the universe of the jurisprudence, later she wants to go into environmental law. I liked both MCs and they are well developed. The writing is good and well-paced and reminds me of Meghan O’Brien.

This is an ice queen and age-gap romance, without much fuss about the age gap, what was nice. Laurie is the first person who can melt the icy lawyer. Diana is unexpectedly drawn to Laurie, she’s confused about herself, because she isn’t gay, isn’t she? I very much liked the dynamic between Diana and Laurie, and I liked their power plays.

The sex-scenes are extraordinary hot as hell and explicit, and not repetitive. The song title that came to my mind reading these scenes was “Feeling Hot Hot Hot”. Maybe you shouldn’t read this book in public. The story itself is, as mentioned, not new and it isn’t a book with deeper meaning but it has enough of a plot for a hot romance.

Erotic romance for everybody who loves a really steamy story.
My rating 4 stars
Many thanks to Ylva Publishing for receiving an ARC for an honest review.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoargh!! A few years back, Roslyn Sinclair wrote a (unfinished) Mirandy fan fic that scored 5 out of 5 peppers on the scoville hotness scale. The premise was crazy (eating out your boss as a daily job requirement) and completely unethical but we all loved it and secretly hoped it would be re-worked for publication one day. But what you can get away with in a fan fic can be problematic for a published novel. So how did the author go about it?

Sinclair kept the title and that’s about all she did. The book is completely rewritten from cover to cover, sex scenes included (I think I spotted only a few lines that seemed familiar). There is not an atom of the original fan fic left, so if that was a thing that kept you from buying the book until now, you needn’t worry. It’s a complete new experience.

The X Ingedient was one of the few books I really anticipated this year and I was not disappointed in the least. It’s exciting, it’s well written (you can trust Sinclair to deliver great inner dialogue, pacing, the whole nine yards). And the steamy sex scenes (and there are plenty of them) are very imaginative. And also I want to point out that every scene/situation was unique. Excellent job!

Publisher Ylva said the book is already a best seller and I’m not surprised. Roslyn Sinclair is a keeper.

f/f explicit imaginative sexy times

Themes: Ice queen, lawyer office, demanding job, denial, asshole husband, arrangement, office sex, on the extreme down low, victim of your own rules, no strings attached doesn’t exist when it comes to women, coming out, panty melting hot.

5 Stars

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She’d kissed me like the world was about to end, there would be no later, and a kiss from me was all she wanted out of the rest of her life.”

The chemistry between Laurie and Diana is enough to power a small city. Diana, the iciest ice queen can be turned to putty just after an eye contact with Laurie. They were electrifying together. This book really gave me Lee Winter vibes and I loved it. Could have done without the many intimate scenes though.

[Joc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Sinclair writes, whether it’s fan-fiction or published work. I read the fan-fiction version and while there are some similarities, this version is a wonderful romance in its own right. Laurie Holcombe gets a second interview for a personal assistant position to Diana Parker, founder of one of Atlanta’s most prestigious law firms. Diana is cold and demanding but that doesn’t frighten Laurie off even when Diana is very reluctant to hire her.

I think I would have been inclined to change the title of the novel because Sinclair’s fan-fiction fans know who she is (and read whatever she writes) and this novel is different enough from both the fan-fiction and DWP that it stands alone. Both characters are given their own history and characterization and I found that I was seeing completely different people in my head than those from the movie. Often when fan-fiction is published the bulk of the explicit content is taken out, but not here. If anything this is steamier because of the connection developed on page between Diana and Laurie.

Written from both main characters’ points of view, their inner struggle with their emotions and desire is palpable. I liked being given a view to the ice-queen’s turmoil and the battle to keep up her persona. I really enjoyed that Laurie powerful, smart and in control. Both of these aspects created fantastic chemistry between them.

This is an erotic romance so it requires a much greater suspension of disbelief around practicalities and good sense. It falls somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for me.

Book received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

X marks the g spot.

I went into this knowing from other reviews that this was more of an erotic romance. I suppose I should have realized that as the cover has a nice looking pair of legs with some panties on the floor. I'm just not that observant. Glad I read some reviews before hand so that I could be prepared.

Laurie is beautiful young upstart who is looking for a full time assistant job because things haven't been going well for her the past couple of years. Diana is a hot shot lawyer that has built her own practice and in search of a new assistant. She is an ice queen and Laurie will eventually melt her, of course.

I watched Devil Wear's Prada one time and have forgotten it. I have never read any DWP fan fiction. So I think that I came to this story with little expectation and nothing to compare. I think that may have been a good thing as my experience reading this was much better than a lot of the reviews I've seen so far.

There is just something enticing about a forbidden relationship. Although, I really should say that this was an 'arrangement' made between the two of them. I was really into all of the clandestine encounters. The element of only one of them being in control was fresh and exciting. And when feelings eventually start to threaten the rules, it was carefully and believably addressed.

The only thing I wasn't comfortable with was some of the raunchy thoughts/dialogue. Specifically repetitive references to 'eating her out.' Just gives me the heebie jeebies for some reason. Could have done without that.

Oh, and like any lesbian book out these days, this was age-gap. Thankfully there wasn't really much attention paid to that.

This was a steamy and erotic romance that kept me engaged. I didn't want to stop reading. And I mostly didn't. Started and finished this entirely in one day.

I recommend to those who enjoy reading about erotica, romance, age-gap, emergency buttons in elevators, and remote pleasuring.

I received an ARC from YLVA for an honest review.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to Roslyn Sinclair's magnificent The X Ingredient were the best 11 hours I spent this weekend. I had forgotten just how good this was.

The narration, done by Anastasia Watley, was a revelation. What a voice! I'm in love!! Ylva, if you are reading this, please hire this woman for your next projects. I looked into her body (of work... get your minds out of the gutter) and all I see are covers with men showing off their abs and my poor gay heart just cries. She is a gem and we must secure her for the lesfic world like we did Abby Craden. The only other lesfic audiobook she did was Coming Home by Lois Cloerec Hart (my next read).

I had forgotten that Roslyn Sinclair is an absolute heavyweight when it comes to writing sex scenes. I was sitting at my computer punching the air when Diana and Laurie got down to business. So much fun. And Watley's moans and gasps... oh my * fans face *

It's available on Scribd. Bookmark it now!!

f/f some of the best eating out action in lesfic land

Themes: Ice queen, lawyer office, demanding job, denial, asshole husband, arrangement, office sex, on the extreme down low, victim of your own rules, no strings attached doesn’t exist when it comes to women, coming out, panty melting hot, I need more Watley in my life.

5 stars

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana hadn’t kissed me like she was going to regret it later. She’d kissed me like the world was about to end, there would be no later, and a kiss from me was all she wanted out of the rest of her life.

REREAD 2026. I've been wanting to revisit this for ages, especially since I've loved all of Sinclair's other books, and in the cases where I've reread them, my love for them has only increased. I liked this just the same as I liked it before: quite a lot! Still not a favourite. It's not exactly an erotica, but the focus is primarily on the physical relationship, and this isn't as slow burn as I usually love. But it's still such a FUN age gap, boss/employee romance; one that gets really sexy but still takes its issues seriously. I love seeing a bit of role reversal, and Diana is the type of ice queen I really like. Mostly. There are some things that will never appeal to me, and because of my own job, I do hate lawyers lmao. But overall, this was really lovely and hot, and I'm glad to have revisited it. Especially with Anastasia Watley on audio!

--

“Just once. Only once.” I mean it. I can live with once. I can’t live with never.

This was really fun and sexy! And age-gap office romance, kind of a trope reversal. Laurie is desperate for a new job, and is ecstatic to land one as an assistant for a powerful lawyer. At first, it seems like she and her standoffish, ice-queen boss have nothing in common, but there's an attraction sizzling beneath the surface that can't be denied.

So far, Sinclair is two for two on writing ice queens that actually, fully appeal to me, which I'm notably picky about. It can be difficult to land that perfect balance between a haughty, self-possessed, powerful and cold woman, without tipping right over into mean/cruel/annoying. Diana hit the spot for me, and that probably has a lot to do with the way Sinclair evened out the power imbalance. (Of course, in a boss/employee situation, it can never be totally even, but she made it work for me.) Self-discovery/coming out is super near and dear to my heart in romance, and the journey we take with Diana, who starts out super closeted, was so great. And like, really hot. Laurie not only thaws the ice queen, but also reduces her to a puddle. 🔥 This does border on erotica, and I sometimes found myself wishing they had more of an emotional centre, but because of the way the book is structured, and the way it ended, I still felt very much emotionally satisfied at the end. I'm honestly a fan of single POV romances, but it was nice to get some classic, dual 1st person POV for this. This was just so well-written, and really well-rounded in most, if not all ways. The B-plot was okay; perhaps a little too flat for me to really get invested.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Anastasia Watley, which was super charming. Her Southern drawl for Laurie was very swoony, as was her voice for Diana. If not for work obligations, I'd have probably sped through this in one sitting. A thoroughly good time. 

[Bugs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Telanu's fanfic of the same title first a while ago and had since been waiting in anticipation for its full publication because, first, "The X Ingredient" was so superbly written and told that when Telanu left me hanging at the end of the fanfic version with a promise of a full publication at a later time, I was beside myself with horror because....well, I really wanted to know what happened in the second act and Telanu spared no mercy with that cliffhanger! That was prolly 2 years ago?

As you know, Telanu is Roslyn Sinclair's fanfic pen name - and whilst we're at it, I HIGHLY recommend you to go get yourself some Telanu reads because they're simply a cut above, you'll never realise you're reading a fanfic piece! Her “Truth & Measure” (DWP)? Truly outstanding, one of my all-time favourite lesfic and I don't even classify it as a fanfic, really. Top notch quality writing. Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I think I just went off-tangent here! THIS is about Ms. Sinclair's newest book, "The X Ingredient," the finished product of its original incomplete fanfic piece, which, technically is not, since Sinclair practically overhauled the entire DWP-inspired setting, basically scrubbing off any trace of it, toned down the level of "explicitness" (you know what I mean!) but just little bit (no worries!), and reworked it into an office romance in a high-powered law firm with a new premise of the story. Now, if you've never read the fanfic, then you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about and it really doesn't matter because this book is practically a newly crafted book, really. So, you can ignore what I just said about the fanfic.

Having said that, the nature of the romance between the 2 MCs remained the same - age-gap, rich girl/poor girl, boss/assistant, forbidden love, coming out later in life (latebian), light D/s. For me as someone who read the fanfic first, I had to readjust to the change in the story setting initially but when I sank my teeth into it, I enjoyed it very much. I mean, who doesn't like an office romance, eh? Especially when it's devilishly written with erotic, delish effect!

Full commentary here... In Bugs' Own Words

**I was given, with much thanks and appreciation, an ARC of this book, by Ylva in return for an honest review.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair. It was my first book by this author, so I didn't have any expectations, but I definitely wasn't disappointed. This novel's got everything I like: an ice-queen, an office romance, an age-gap between the two leads and sexy, sexy scenes.

Elite lawyer, Diana Parker, needs a new PA. Against her better judgement, she hires Laurie, a determined young woman studying to become an environmental lawyer. Both women are instantly attracted to each other, but they obviously cannot act on it. Laurie can't risk losing this opportunity. Besides, Diana Parker is married and she isn't gay.

The X Ingredient is a steamy erotic romance with an actual plot! The sex scenes are seriously hot, plentiful and best of all, they don't feel repetitive. There's a dom/sub dynamics between Laurie and Diana and that's always a plus for me. I made the mistake of reading this while I was at work, and damn did I wish I was was anywhere but there. The chemistry between the two MCs is incredible.

The overall writing is really good and well-paced. The plot isn't anything new; it's been done many times before, but it is still an enjoyable read. At no point was I bored with the story or wished things would move along. The characters are likeable and well-developed, but sometimes Diana's voice seemed younger than 46 (or was it 48?). It didn't really bother me all that much though. It's just something I've noticed. It did, however, made me forget that this was supposed to be an age-gap romance at times.

So, apparently, this was originally a DWP fanfic? Maybe it's because I have never taken part in the fandom, read any Miranda/Andy fic or because I didn't know that Sinclair is Telanu, but I never would've guessed. Sure, it's got some of the same themes, but that's pretty much it. Anyway! If you don't particularly like DWP, don't let that stop you from picking this book because, from my perspective, it's very different.

I would definitely recommend The X Ingredient if you're looking for a great steamy read!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana Parker is Atlanta’s top lawyer, ruthless and unapologetic about it. Her professional success isn’t mirrored by her personal life as she is stuck in a failing marriage. As she searches for a new assistant, she meets Laurie Holcombe who doesn’t seem the most suitable for the job. Diana is intrigued by Laurie so she hires her on a whim and as they get to know each other, their attraction is hard to resist. But Laurie is much younger and Diana is straight anyway… or is she?

‘The X ingredient’ was born as ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ fanfiction and now is released as a full-length novel by Ylva Publishing. The appeal of this fanfiction is probably because of so many interesting tropes combined: workplace romance, age gap, and ice queen. Ms. Sinclair describes perfectly the power play between boss and assistant and its erotic possibilities when the tables are suddenly turned. I’m not going to be original with my statement but this book’s style is very similar to Meghan O’Brien’s with the amount and variety of very explicit sex scenes. The result is incredibly hot.

Ms. Sinclair can definitely write as it was shown by her debut book, ‘The Lily and the Crown‘ which was one of my favourites of 2017 and also based on the universe of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but with the completely different background of a space opera. Some readers who enjoyed her first novel might be disappointed with this one as it is more predictable and commonplace. However, if you are a fan of lesbian erotica with a plot to back it up, such as in O’Brien’s books, you won’t be disappointed.

Overall, a well-written workplace, age-gap, lesbian erotic romance. 4.5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

[Sprinkles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there anything left to say about this that others haven't? The original DWP version had been sitting unread on my Kindle on years, despite its glowing reviews. However, with this version, I get Diana, the ice queen lawyer of my dreams. Meryl Streep is awesome, but I prefer this imaginary hottie by far. Another thing that held me back was because it's 1st person POV. But, my goodness. Roslyn Sinclair's such an astounding writer that it didn't bother me at all. She has a cheeky mood to it⁠—I want more!

Also, I want Diana to step on me. Whew!

This is the erotic lesbian romance to end so many erotic lesbian romances. Once you think a sex scene is over, there's another right after. But then, there are so many feelings and longing and the drama isn't high in this one.

It got so hot that I had to take pause. Many times. I feel spoiled in the best way.

Hot femmes in business attire. Pencil skirts everywhere. I can't take it, so hot.

Has the taboo factor of boss/employee, which I love in fiction. There's an age gap, too, which is also sexy. And there are even dom/sub relations. A triple threat of hotness!

This lives up to the hype. Happy 2020 to me.

Five stars!

[gloria .☆ﾟ. · Rating 1 out of 5]

➥ 1 Star *:･ﾟ✧ dnf @ 61%

“God.” She rubs her nose into the smooth crook of my thigh and kisses me there, too. I squirm and whimper, trying to urge her back home, but she only nips me again. “You need it so bad.”

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

A bad sapphic book during pride month!!? 😭 Picking a good quote to feature is the only favour I'll be doing this book. Recently, I read Truth and Measure and Above All Things by this author and I felt that Sinclair had so much potential but that the plotpoints she chose to write around were...not good. I was under the impression that The X Ingredient would be a shorter, sexy novella but it was over 400 pages on my phone and was not sexy (other than that one line). I mean, what is this mess?:

“Stop it!” She smacks her palm down on the mattress as if she’s spanking it in place of whatever she really wants to spank. My buttocks tingle, like they’re volunteering.

I can rock with an office romance, but something about this book felt so cliched and cringy. It just felt so paralleled to the classic Anastasia Steele tripping into the boss's office. So dramatic, so boring. Then that's paired with the "plot" of the boss, Diana (h) going through a divorce and Laurie (h) involving herself with Diana. Gosh, there's even a dramatic kiss in the elevator moment, which is a common cliche but again present in Fifty Shades.

On the topic of the kiss in the elevator, which was their first kiss mind you, Diana randomly, impulsively kisses Laurie. There's no build up, there's really no sensuality to it and it's so out of place? Meanwhile, Diana still thinks she's straight YAWN, there's only so many headaches I can endure.

The characters themselves aren't compelling whatsoever, and whatever "romance" is forming is a weak and flimsy one. I thought this book would be a short, steam friends-with-benefits to lovers type thing, where there's steam and a gradual progression of romantic feelings (delicious). That it was not. The sex came pretty late, there was a lot of meaningless blah blah at the beginning of the book, and the sex that is present is just meh.

And by meh I mean boring. Again and again, Laurie gives and Diana doesn't reciprocate. I can't even explain the number of times I read the expression "God!" coming from Diana's mouth. Though being in Laurie's mind can be just as painful.

“Her bathrobe gapes open at the neck, and I can see the rise of her left breast. What color are her nipples?”

Ok, what? Top that with Laurie's obsession with Diana's knees and Diana's obsession with Laurie's supposedly shocking and impressive habit of standing up for herself and we get a BOOM 1 star 😹😽😊. Sorry Nic 🙁💘😁.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

[Agirlcandream · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my fiery goddesses, that was hot!

I can’t say enough good things about this narrator, Anastasia Watley. She turned a four star read into a five star audiobook. She gives Laurie Holcomb, fish out of water and newly hired receptionist a sweet and sexy Georgia drawl that makes you long for her to succeed in this law firm, even if she has to work for an Ice Queen like Diana Parker. Even better, she gives the stern and severe Diana sensual moans and groans during the many erotic interludes sending the listener off in search of their own sexual release.

Sinclair knows how to write with heat and humour. A terrific combination.

Some books are pure gold as audiobooks. The X Ingredient is one of those.

[Bárbara Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

28/08/2021: I started this book a while ago but stopped at 65% because, even though I loved it, the sex was super overwhelming and it happens a LOT and at that time I wanted something a little more tame, but a few days ago I discovered there’s an audiobook for this so i decided to start the book all over (this time listening) and it helped a lot and I finally finished this very steamy masterpiece! Hot damn!! Lori and Diana have such a powerful chemistry and the sex scenes are breathtakingly hot and their romance is just so perfect. They fit together beautifully. 100% recommend! Just wow!

22/02/2023 (reread): HOT DAMN!! I listened to this book from beginning till end again and it’s just as hot as I remember it 🔥😍 hot hot hot

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a good thing that I didn’t read TXI in the office or anywhere public. If I did, I probably would be red in the face...There’s a hint of insta-lust/insta-love, a hint of dom/submissive relationship in this office, age-gap romance. Not surprising that there’s a shift in power in the bedroom setting; the one with power relinquish power and be the submissive... But my oh my.... the sexy scene are really hot and steamy...more erotica than anything else, one might say. But it’s not all just the hot sexy scene, there is a story, which is nothing new but can be a tall order... it’s about accepting your sexuality, accepting who you are....

Ratings: High 4

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one steamy tale! The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair is the second book I’ve read by her. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Lily and the Crown , so I figured I might like this one as well. I did indeed enjoy reading this novel.

The story begins when we meet Laurie Holcombe, who is heading for a job interview at a prestigious law firm. She hopes to become the personal assistant to Diana Parker, the lead lawyer in the firm. Laurie really needs this job, since her current workplace is downsizing, and her job is being phased out, but with her youth and the pink stripe in her hair, she doesn’t look the part for the job. At least that is Diana’s first impression. Diana Parker is the ultimate ice queen. She can best be described as driven and unyielding, both at her job and in her personal life. She is on her second husband though the marriage is failing. Diana is not gay. She is positive of that…absolutely positive, even though she can’t get that young woman with the pink stripe in her hair out of her mind. Diana ends up hiring Laurie almost in spite of herself, and Diana’s life pretty much spirals out of her control.
Ms. Sinclair has written a tale with two very well-developed characters with a chemistry that is almost off the charts. I loved the way these two very different characters interacted with each other. This is, of course a character driven story as well as a workplace romance, age gap romance, and even a coming out story. I was able to connect with both characters, though they did surprise me in how the dynamics of their relationship unfolded. You will have to read the book to understand what I’m talking about.

This is a very steamy romance with a lot of sex scenes, but I was expecting that since Ms. Sinclair’s first book also contained its fair share of steamy scenes. I really enjoyed this story. If you love a good erotic romance with great characters and an interesting and sometimes unexpected story-line, then this is the book for you.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections:
https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

[K.D. Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid 4.5. Wow…so I had to marinate on this book for 24 hours or so and get my thoughts together. Like many other readers I’ve read The X Ingredient in fanfic form many times just as I have her other stories. With this book, she added depth to the characters through the use of 1st person POV. I am not a fan of this POV because writers have a tendency to get overly flowery with the prose but Roslyn did not. She made each voice distinctive and a pleasure to read. It was an excellent look inside each character’s head sans the eye rolling I do when things get over the top. The story itself, in my opinion, is about being unraveled or deconstructed to become something/someone new and it was done beautifully by detailing the characters anxiety, fear, jealousy and lust which led them toward an enlightenment of sorts. The pacing is wonderful and the book overall can be read in one sitting because it does have the tendency to suck the reader in. There are a couple of twists that you’ll know are coming but when they do you’ll still be shocked by them. This book was different and I like different in that there was abandonment of those cutesy moments instead Roslyn dove deep to show how sex can be a language on its own to the point where two people can become fluent in each other without the typical trappings. The only criticism I had is the transition to romance needed to be stronger overall like everything else was. Once they decided to go there, being able to be a part of that would have really solidified things. However, I have to say doing it the way she did it was different as well. That moxie has to be applauded too.

[Sky. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread: Even more delightful a second time around 🔥🥵

If you haven’t read this book yet, what are waiting for???
Also I just noticed that the first time I read it was May 18th as well 🤣, I swear it’s a coincidence 😭

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I first read it in 2019 and despite my friends were raving about the audiobook version, I kept postponing listening to it. I should have known better.

Diana Parker is Atlanta’s top lawyer, ruthless and unapologetic about it. Her professional success isn’t mirrored by her personal life as she is stuck in a failing marriage. As she searches for a new assistant, she meets Laurie Holcombe who doesn’t seem the most suitable candidate for the job but Diana is intrigued by Laurie so she hires her on a whim and as they get to know each other, their mutual attraction is hard to resist. But Laurie is much younger and Diana is straight anyway… or is she?

The X ingredient was born as ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ fanfiction and was released as a full-length novel in 2019 by Ylva Publishing. The appeal of this fanfiction is probably because of so many interesting tropes combined: workplace romance, age gap, and ice queen. Ms. Sinclair describes perfectly the power play between boss and assistant and its erotic possibilities when the tables are suddenly turned. I’m not going to be original with my statement but this book’s style is very similar to Meghan O’Brien’s with the amount and variety of very explicit sex scenes. The result is incredibly hot.

Ms. Sinclair can definitely write as it was shown by her debut book, The Lily and the Crown which was one of my favourites of 2017 and also based on the universe of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but with the completely different background of a space opera. Some readers who enjoyed her first novel might be disappointed with this one as it's more predictable. However, if you are a fan of lesbian erotica with a plot to back it up, such as in O’Brien’s books, you won’t be disappointed.

The audiobook was narrated by Anastasia Watley who doesn't have many lesfic books in her catalogue. As far as I know, she's only narrated three books by Lois Cloarec Hart. it's a pity because Ms. Watley's performance is outstanding. This is far from an easy book to narrate with so many sex scenes and many emotional moments but Ms. Watley nailed it. Her voices for the leads and even the male characters are spot-on. As a bonus, her southern accent for Laurie is perfect.

If you are looking for a hot erotic romance audiobook, search no more. Very easy 5 stars.

Available in Scribd

Length: 11 hours, 7 minutes

[JulesGP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fireball hot scenes but also a memorable main character. Anastasia Watley gives Laurie Holcolmbe a sweet, sexy Georgia accent while the author writes her as strong and straightforward. She may only be 25 but Laurie is determined to bring her dreams to fruition. Diana Parker is a high powered attorney, 18 years older than her new assistant, but quickly succumbs to Laurie’s direction. It’s an age old story but it’s told well and the intimate scenes are scorchers. Enjoy. 4.50 stars.

[Tierney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The iciest of ice queens, high-flying lawyer Diana Parker hires a new personal assistant, the young and brash Laurie Holcombe, and finds herself unexpectedly lost in the most unlikely of people.

Roslyn Sinclair’s story places forbidden desire at the forefront of the theme of finding yourself and accepting who you really are (not to mention, what it is you really want). While Diana is cold and authoritative at work, secretly she can’t avoid the fact of her growing crush on her new assistant. Which is crazy as she’s definitely not gay. Right?

For her part, out and proud Laurie, who has worked hard to get where she is and hopes to become a lawyer herself one day, fears that she can’t risk everything to give in to her ever-growing feelings for her new boss.

There is plenty to enjoy in Ms. Sinclair’s steamy romance. The initial slow burn suddenly ignites even before either character has even touched the other. But when they do, in the most unexpected of places, sparks really do fly. There were some delicious scenes and a lot of fun to be had seeing both these girls squirm and try to deny the inevitable!

Yet, for me, the real appeal of this book is that the author never loses sight of the characters as real people with real lives, with choices to make that can have adverse impacts on themselves and on the other. The trick, of course, is pulling that off and making it feel entirely organic and real, and Ms. Sinclair achieves this deftly.

No book can be perfect, and, to be fair, all the men get pretty short shrift here. But, eh! Who cares?! Because what shines in this story shines very brightly :).

Should I admit here that I’m a sucker for a girl in a tight skirt? Because… oh, that cover!

Thank you to the publisher, Ylva Publishing, for graciously allowing me to grab a very late ARC copy. As it happens, I found this on audio and I listened to as much of the book as the ARC text that I read, and I can add that the audio version, thanks to the narrator, Anastasia Watley, is excellent. She especially brings to life the accent and character of Laurie, as well as the cool detachment of Diana. Thanks, too, to author Roslyn Sinclair. This was my first by her, and I will quickly be back for more.

[Mekeia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I just want to say that I am a fan of Sinclair's fanfics. I've loved each and every one of them, and so I was super excited to read her published works. And I really want her to do well, I think she could be amongst my top favourites in lesfic in the coming years. So, this is more of a constructive criticism than anything else.

My issue with this story... so, like I've said, I love her fanfics. The thing is though, that reading fanfic - you go into the story with a very clear idea of what the characters are about. You already know them quite well, and because of that, you're already invested in the story. Not only are you invested, but the author doesnt have to work so hard to show you what the characters are about, you already know.

And that's actually one of the reasons I enjoy fanfic so much - it's like I'm getting a look into my favourite characters and their lives again and again and again. You can change the plotlines, the premise, the relationships, etc. But at the core of it, it's like coming back to old friends over and over again.

That very same positive, though, I feel, is what serves as a deterrent in this book. Sinclair's fanfic work is amazing. But here, I feel she falters and misses intrinsically the building blocks that turn characters into their own person. And that, in my opinion, is the main failing of The X Ingredient.

The writing, otherwise, is smooth. The sex scenes, steamy. The chemistry, decent. All in all, a fun read. But Sinclair can do way better than a "fun read." And I'm waiting for her to come into her own in the published world, so we can all experience the romance and magic I know she has the potential to create.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan2022 - 2nd listen. Still really good. Still wish the one sided nature of the “arrangement” ended a bit earlier. Still super steamy. Still wishing this narrator did more lesfic audio books.


I listened to this on Audible and at first I was concerned the Southern accent of one of the characters was going to annoy me but it turned out to be a non-issue. I loved this story but as if went on I started to be a bit concerned with the direction it continued to go but was relieved when the relationship started to be more then one sided. The ending was really sweet. I would love to read another book that continues their story. Also...It is hella steamy... like I am surprised my iPhone didn't burst into flames a few times. You've been warned. :)

[Patricia Foort · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 February 2020 Gave the book 3 stars after reading it (see reason at the bottom) Now i’ve listened to it, I have got to give it 5 stars. The sex were already hot. Listening to them....Jezus 🔥🔥🔥🔥. But now I felt the chemistry and I understood more what was happening and why. I even almost cried a couple of times. If you can do that, like narrator Anastasia Watley did, you did an excellent job narrating this. Her voice was smooth, sexy..telling. And as I said the sex scenes...oh my god!!! So yeah, it is 5 stars for me now.
NB There is one big mistake I noticed...Laurie was 18 younger than Diana who we found out early in the book is 46. That would make Laurie 28, but later we find out that she is 25. So that didn’t add up. For me she was more 28 than 25, so I kept it that way.

30 september 2019 Hmmm...okay yes it was hot, but I missed the emotional bonding, the emotional chemistry. It felt to much like only sex for me and that makes a book for me less hot than it could have been. So 3.3 stars. It could have been a much better book.