Say Yes to the Boss

New York Billionaires #3

by Olivia Hayle

My billionaire boss is the absolute last person I’d marry.
Until a deal with the devil forces me down the aisle... ready to say yes to the boss.

I once compared Victor St. Clair to Satan, but that’s unkind.
Even the devil treats his demons better than St. Clair treats me.
I know his schedule by heart. He can’t remember my first name.

So when he calls me into his office, I’m expecting another rant.
Instead he says he needs to get married to inherit the St. Clair fortune.
Oh, and the kicker? He wants to marry me. His assistant.

A one-year marriage of convenience to the boss I hate.

It means living with Victor’s dark stares and silences for a full year.
But it’s also a chance to quit my job and start my own business.
He’s a jerk, but he’s also a respected businessman. How hard can it be?

very. Because there’s more to Victor than I thought.
Things beyond learning his lunch orders and sending company memos.
And while the man is cold, his kisses are hot enough to consume us both.

He drove me crazy at work. Now he drives me crazy in bed.
But craziest of all is… I might get used to being Mrs. St. Clair.

Genres: Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Billionaire Romance, Workplace Romance

266 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2021

About the author

Hi there! I'm Olivia.
I write romance with billionaire heroes (despite never having met one in person). They're strong, ambitious, they don't need love... until they meet the women who change their minds.

I love witty banter, smart heroines, big cities and perfectly tailored suits. You'll find all four in every one of my books! 💜

➡ Explore the bonus content: https://oliviahayle.com/bonus-content
➡ Visit https://oliviahayle.com

READING ORDER
You can read any of the books as standalones, because each book follows a new couple. But if you ask me? This is my personal preference...

The Connovan Chronicles
- Best Enemies Forever
- The Perfect Mistake
- One Wrong Move

New York Billionaires
- Think Outside the Boss
- Saved by the Boss
- Say Yes to the Boss
- A Ticking Time Boss
- Suite on the Boss
- 12 Days of Bossmas

Seattle Billionaires
- Billion Dollar Enemy
- Billion Dollar Beast
- Billion Dollar Catch
- Billion Dollar Fiancé

Brothers of Paradise
- Dark Eyed Devil
- Ice Cold Boss
- Red Hot Rebel
- Small Town Hero

Standalones
- Arrogant Boss
- Look But Don't Touch
- The Billionaire Scrooge Next Door
- How to Honeymoon Alone

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75⭐️It was soooooooo slowwwwwwww my goodness. The characters weren’t all that likeable, the plot was barely there and I honestly skim read most of it. The only saving grace was that I LOVE workplace romance mixed with marriage of convenience so at least that gave me a little something. Other than that yeah no this wasn’t for me 😔

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe even 4.5 stars, but not weighty enough for 5

As “billionaire” books go, this was a cut above. Usually this trope requires a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief, and a contemporary marriage of convenience even more, but this came close to feeling realistic. A business deal between a boss and his competent assistant moved from reluctant agreement to growing appreciation to awareness to attraction to deeper emotions in escalating steps that felt genuine. The two characters, although Victor was definitely Mr. Grumpiness and Cecilia was definitely Ms. Sunshine, have enough common interests and ambitions that the reader can understand how they connect to start with, and the sexual chemistry between them seals the deal. Add honest and intelligent communication and you’ve got yourself a winning formula.

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in dilemma with Say Yes to the Boss. I thought it is going to be rom com. But it is not. It is not drama fill romance either. Not suspense romance. I am not sure how to categorize this book. The story has promised. Fake marriage is the theme and as you guess it, they fall in love.

What does not sink in with me is the pace, the writing style and the conversation between the characters. Nothing kicks in. Or putting the plot into climax. Everything in the story is just steady pace and no picking up on the climax. The smutty scenes are also luke warm.

Overall, not hating it, and not liking it either.

3 stars

[Shivani (shivsreads_ ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a chill billionaire romance with an asshole boss who proposes a marriage of convenience to his extremely competent assistant.

Victor is your classic ruthless boss who is a bit of an enigma in the beginning. He is extremely smart and expects excellence from all of his staff. But what really endeared me to him was when he realizes how intolerable he was as a boss to Cecelia and how he works to mend his ways, to impress her and woo her. That vulnerability and willingness to put in the work to make their relationship right rather than fly off the handle and jump to conclusions about her was beautiful to see.
Cecelia is a badass with big dreams and amazing determination to see that those dreams come to fruition. Her fearlessness to negotiate and get what she wants was wonderful to see.

In this marriage of convenience story, we see two people who are truly equal in the arrangement. One does not mistreat or emotionally hurt the other. Neither of the MCs use their pasts to justify making mistakes. The power balance between the two is perfect. I admire Cecelia for standing up and demanding what she believes is right for their agreement and relationship.
There isn't too much drama or conflict in the book, which I felt was perfect for the story flow.

Overall, Say Yes To The Boss was a fun read that you can finish in a day.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but it would probably have been higher if not for the terrible audiobook narration. The male narrator was…just awful. I could hear his mouth sounds, him breathing, and his female voice when narrating the heroine was LAUGHABLE. He really does have a nice voice when he’s just reading the male portions of the story, but the rest is just bad. The female narrator was much better, she should have just narrated it all.

So this story has been told before: the rich boss chooses his secretary to marry because he needs to be married as a condition of a will. They have worked together for a year, but in that time, he never even noticed her and was a huge asshole to her all along. The story basically begins with his proposition, and they eventually agree to a marriage of convenience. It obviously doesn’t stay that simple for very long - and they very quickly develop feelings for each other. Tbh, I’m not even sure what I felt about their connection… AND I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK! I think I was too busy focusing on the shit narrator to focus on the MCs completely. They do get a sweet epilogue with a HEA.

I might try a different book by this author in the future, but I will choose to read instead of listen.

Safety is mostly fine, but they did know each other for a year. He didn’t notice her, and he dated women who she set up dates for and sent flowers to. His reason for dating was to find a wife because of the will, so it does seem less bad for that reason. She never liked him, so it wasn’t like she was some pathetic heroine pining away. There’s really no explicit/detailed mentions of his sex life during this time, just a few vague comments. No virgins, they are both celibate after meeting but both experience some jealousy thinking they other is . No cheating, no scenes with om/ow, no om/ow drama.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm such a sucker for boss and marriage of convenience books! You'd think I'd be bored considering the trope is fairly done to death but they just make me all warm and fuzzy with the skewed power dynamic, mean boss and often sunshine h. Add in a dose of sexual tension and slowish burn and I'm in heaven.

If you are like me and enjoy this trope then you'll love this book. I enjoyed both the H and the h and found both to have interesting personalities which worked well together

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

I’ve been having a hard time focusing so I ended up putting down and picking this up multiple times. This is a romance where the H has to marry to secure his inheritance. After attempting to find someone through a slew of dates, he proposes a business arrangement with his assistant. Told in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (they agree they can discretely see others during their marriage, but neither does), neither were virgins, and bc discussed.

I think it would have been a solid 4 stars on a different day because I did enjoy how their romance slowly developed, esp given how each thought they had a handle on the other one but actually had a lot to uncover. Assumptions were definitely made at various times throughout the book. The romance doesn’t start until after the h is no longer working for the H. The H is reserved and a workaholic but slowly opens up. The h is warmer and has goals of owning her own business, which I liked. I thought it was slower burn for steaminess which fit their connection. I felt sometimes though as if the writing was a bit stilted, but that could be chalked up to my trouble focusing. Loved the epilogue several years out with their HEA and showing even more growth on the H’s end.

[Izzie (on pause) McFussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Such a cute read. I adore how the well-adjusted, sunshiny heroine rescues and tames her Grumposaurus. Can’t wait for the fourth book in the series.

[SHOMPA · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only got 78% through this book and that was me pushing myself. It was boring AF; even after finishing the book, I couldn't remember anything or what I had just finished. 

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage of convenience.
Story improves as it goes along . Mr Grumpy workaholic Boss, offers his assistance money for a 1 year fake marriage. She wants to start her own business and help her friend achieve her dream. Can this ray of sunshine bring Mr Grumpy into the light and improve his social skills.

[Mairi Swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a cute story, nothing extraordinary. If you expect any drama or angst, or some sort of betrayal before the hea you're not going to find it here. But it's a light reading. Though I got confused a little bit with the timeline.

[Canan]

Güzeldi.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This went from grumpy boss where I was being setup to dislike this guy and talking about his dating life (which was explained away later) to being one of the most heartwarming books I’ve read recently.

Living together makes them start to see the other in a different light. The few misunderstandings are resolved fairly quickly by people that want to be straightforward. Sigh. I loved this one so much.

They grew their communication pretty quickly and it made me so happy.

[Elisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you're looking for a marriage of convenience/ fake relationship with a little force proximity, this is the book for you.

in the beginning, i wasn't feeling this hero, but he grow on me, i love a workaholic hero that stops work for the heroine.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but weirdly paced.

[dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

if no one got me i just know marriage of convenience got me!!

[Cristine (aaron warner’s version) ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! And yes, it’s another marriage of convenience book (it’s safe to say that I always eat up this shit) lol. This was such a surprise because I didn’t think I’d love it this much! To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve read a marriage of convenience book that was so good.

Victor was such a douche from the start but I loved his character development! I think it was done really well and I also loved how his and Cecilia’s relationship developed. There wasn’t a huge conflict but I still loved it. At this point, I don’t have time for conflicts anyway 😂 and my gosh, Cecilia! I love her so much! Her personality is 💯 amazing.

I’m going somewhere so I may or may not continue writing a longer review once I get home later 😂

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light and sexy

So bingeable - another easy, sexy read from Hayle that hits the right notes. Fake relationships/marriages of convenience between boss and assistant are classics for a reason, and I kinda liked that neither of these characters had been secretly pining for the other. While I adore that in a romance, this felt unique in that they genuinely didn't care for each other when they got married. That made this a slower emotional burn, and the subtle shifts in their relationship were not overtly romantic, but it was fulfilling to see how much this hero evolved throughout the course of the book. It's business first, with a distinct office romance vibe and a great roommates to lovers feel. It remained a solid 4/low 5-star read for me the entire time, and I devoured it in one sitting.

The story follows Cecilia, a woman who cannot wait to quit her job. She's been working for a demanding boss for nearly a year, and she's running out the clock until she crosses that milestone - just to prove a point. So when her boss catches Cecilia working on her resume, she's sure that she'll be fired. Instead, Victor offers her a new position... as his temporary wife. Turns out, he needs to get married in order to inherit a property, and he's happy to treat it like a business transaction. Why wouldn't he? The man is married to his work, and neither of them sees that changing anytime soon. But when Cecilia moves in with Victor, they discover that there are sides to each other that neither would've expected. Yes, Victor is business first, but he also has a softer side. And while Victor always envisioned Cecilia as a boring, buttoned-up woman, seeing her in a more casual environment makes him realize that he never knew her at all.

This was a little lighter on the swoons than I'd like, but that's really my only complaint - this was easy to binge, and I stayed connected and engaged the entire time. It was interesting to see that neither one had considered the other a romantic option, and it wasn't until they got to know each other better that things started changing. There are subtle shifts in the dynamic throughout, and I loved the quieter moments between them. Victor is an intimidating guy who doesn't have much in his life other than business, so it was great to see him slowly open up to Cecilia. There's plenty of steam and a slow emotional burn, with just enough softness. I certainly wouldn't have complained about a few more swoony or intimate moments, but I really liked the story throughout. I've also been reading the series out of order, and that was not an issue at all, except for a few spoilers about the other relationships (that only made me more intrigued about the other books). It's not a standout read for me, but I enjoyed it the whole way though, and it left me ready to read more from the author.

Audio note: The audio was great! I've never listened to anything by either of these narrators before, but they were both solid. The voices were easy to listen to, and they enhanced the low angst vibe. Dual narration with a lighthearted feel. The book is perfect for bingeing, with a runtime of under 8 hours and a low angst vibe. I listened to it while working, and it made the day fly by. There are only a few steamy scenes, so it was good for the office environment, and I finished the book when I finished work for the day. Perfect. I would definitely listen to the rest of the series on audio, because I think the narration just made it an even stronger read.

[clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

THAT EPILOGUE?!?! screaming crying throwing up

[Lucca Powers Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my favourite in the series so far!

I’ve been really enjoying how binge worthy Olivia Hale’s two series have been. They’re nothing absolutely groundbreaking, but they’re a good time.

I will, however, say that Mercer Boffey needs to stop with those awful terrible horrendous female voices. If you can’t do one, then don’t try. It gets on my nerves so hard.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bah
Meh
So-so

[Crazy About Love 💕 · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars -

Three solid stars, mostly cause I did read the entire book and never skimmed, which doesn’t happen often for me. Overall, it was a somewhat decent read, but nothing too special.

This story is a repeat of every other marriage contract book I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot of them, as the fake marriage trope is my favorite.

The characters here are shallow portrayals of a single young woman and an executive-type male (who’s of course, wealthy). The author never gets below surface level of character development, and keeps their story arcs in the present moment in time, without delving too much into their innermost feelings. I feel that this lack of complex development contributes to the meh plot.

The romance here is superficial. I didn’t get the happy pitter patters at their final coming together as a couple. I wasn’t wooed by the Hero, and I didn’t exactly root for the heroine. There was nothing to really root for imo.

As I said, I did read the entire book, which I feel warrants the third star. Olivia Hayle is not a favorite author of mine, and her stories generally receive a two to three star rating from me. That being said, Hayle is a decent writer, but like the story here, not the best, and not the worst. Just middle of the road storytelling.

Would I recommend? Only if you’ve read all the other great marriage trope books out there (see my “trope-fake marriage” shelf for recommendations), and are looking for your next read. Otherwise, you can probably skip this one unless you need a beach read, or need to kill time at a doc’s office. It’s a good one to plod through.

Three stars. Would not reread.

[Chris ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I will never tire of the marriage of convenience trope and this was one of the best I have read lately!
This review will be very short because I honestly don’t have anything to complain about! 😂

Victor St. Clair (mmc) is Cecilia’s (fmc) cold and grumpy boss who makes her life a living hell. The only reason she is still working for him is to prove to them both that she can last an entire year as his personal assistant. Having only a few days left of said year, Victor finds out that she wants to quit and instead of getting mad, he offers her a marriage of convenience. She accepts in order to get the capital for her new start up and to help her best friend’s career. They get married in a very uneventful way and she moves to his apartment. And the rest is history!

If you want an engaging story with likeable characters, great banter with a dry sense of humor, spicy scenes and a very cute HEA, then this is the book for you!

Olivia Hayle, you never disappoint! Thanks for another great read.

[BP34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll love Cecilia and Victor's story as the third book in the New York Billionaire Series. It's read as a standalone but if you've read the other two books you'll recognize some of the interconnecting characters. She was his assistant and he was the boss from h.... She's surprised when he asks her to marry him for a year so he can inherit his grandfather's house. It was the house he grew up in after his parents and brother were killed in an accident and the connection was important to him. A marriage contract for a year, enough money so she can start her own business. My oh my, what could go wrong or right? This was a cute book and the chemistry between Cecilia and Victor was amazing. She brought a whole different side to him. An HEA and no cliffhanger. I read a free advance copy via Booksprout and voluntarily chose to review it.

[atomickitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ v. happy stars!!!

I loved
loooved
LOOOOOVED this book!

I'm not a fan of the title because it brings to mind another fluffy rom com. And, true, we do have great humour in this one, but we also have a fantastic, layered hero who battles his own demons.

I fucking loved Viktor St. Clair.

He's my new boo!!!

[lowkeyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

I don't know how I haven't read any books by the author but I need to get into reading more of her books especially this series. Tbh, going into this book, I was expecting something like Marriage for One. It has a broody billionaire, a sweet assistant, and a marriage of convenience. But it's more lighthearted but not in a fluffy and sweet kind of way. It still got a lot of emotions and depth to it with Victor's past and family stuff. And also with him fighting his feelings for Cecilia. So there was a lot of tension between them.

I loved both of them. They challenge each other to be better. For Victor to be less workaholic and Cecilia to launch her own business. Their banter is always fun. I liked that they're absolute opposites. They were just so easy to love even though Victor is a broody guy. They are both well-developed characters. Their story was just easy to read and a page-turner. I couldn't stop reading once I started reading.

[Duchess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audible. I didnt care for either MC's. The female was boring, weirdly close to her friend and naive. Dude was annoying. Felt no chemistry. Couldn't care what their outcome was. DNF at 75%

[Paloma FC (in my reading era) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐
3 / 5 🌶️
Spicy chapters: 14, 16, 17, 19, 26

First Person, Dual POV 🫶🏻

Victor (MMC) and Cecilia (FMC's)

Pros:
I love that Cecilia has a best friend who is adorable, supportive, and reliable.
Also, the housekeeper Bonnie, who is funny and bubbly, and on Cecilia's side 🍾

Once the spice 🌶️ finally started, it got deliciously hot, fast - wich I appreciated. There's a scene where Victor starts to touch Celcilia underneath the table at a restaurant with colleagues that is 🥵🔥😳

Cecilia carried the story well. I appreciate that she wasn't a damsel in distress or had to be coerced into marrying the MMC. Cecilia saw an opportunity and took it, stood up for herself, and negotiated her terms. She has a backbone, and even though the FMC felt intimidated by Victor at the start of the story, she still stood up for herself, setting boundaries and advocating for herself.


Cons:
Victor is like a robot 🤖, emotionless, dull and detached. He's charmless and has 0 charisma. 🤨🤦🏼‍♀️

This is the slowest & most boring book in the series so far. By the 1/3rd mark, practically nothing had happened, and the MC's had barely interacted. And the times that they did, it was either to attend a public event or at the FMC's insistence 😩🤦🏼‍♀️.

Victor has nightmares and when Cecilia sleeps next ho him, all of the sudden they disappear. I know that this is meant to be sweet, but I've read a version of this a million times before, in many other romance novels. It's not bad per se, just unoriginal imo 😑😴.


Final thoughts: Not a bad read overall, just a slow story and a fairly simple, low-stakes plot.

Happy reading! 📚

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, cute read. The chemistry between Cecilia and Victor was good and the concept was quite entertaining. I liked the way that the book approached the marriage of convenience plotline and how it allowed them to develop a deeper relationship; I also liked that Victor had to work to make up for his past behaviour.

As books go though this was quite gentle – the conflict is minimal, in my opinion, which is fine but I did like the parts earlier on in the book where they were being more antagonistic towards each other. But on the whole the book was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.

Content Notes: Boss/employee, workplace, forced proximity, bargains/deals/wagers, marriage of convenience, grumpy MMC, fake relationship.

Warnings: Death of a parent (in past), death of a sibling (in pst), death of a grandparent (in past), grief, fatal traffic collision (in past, described on-page), nightmares, references to head injuries, absent parent.

Other: On-page sex, unprotected sex No condoms used, FMC is on birth control, no discussion of STIs., OW drama Very mild – the FMC thinks that the MMC is sleeping with other women but it’s clear to the reader he’s out working., OM drama Very mild – The FMC’s best friend attempts to set her up with an OM and the MMC is jealous. The FMC does speak to the OM at a party but the OM ends up in a relationship with her best friend instead., pregnancy (in epilogue).

[Ignacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

This book was a nice read but after the previous book had me so high in love, I felt a bit underwhelmed with this one.

I liked how this marriage of convenience is not a enemies to lovers or a friend to lovers kind but a truly asshole boss and his assistant that has despised him for the whole year she's worked for him but they need each other and come to a truce and start this new partnership. And I loved that in this Marriage of convenience they were both truly equals in their arrangement.

Cecilia and Victor felt like ships passing in the night and for a while I didn't even know how they could work this out because the beginning was slow and i wasn't that into the story until we get a few glimpses of intimacy between them that transforms into them really getting to know each other and finally falling in love.

I loved Cecilia and Nadine friendship and there was a quote that I loved: "If we rise, we're rising together"