Strictly Personal

by Celeste Rivers

One anonymous night.
One forbidden connection.
One choice that could cost her everything.I never expected to see my masked stranger again until billionaire CEO Cole Ashford walks into my office as my newest client.He’s fighting for custody of his young daughter.
I’m the only one who can help him win.As a professional bound by ethics, I should keep my distance.
As a woman, I’m failing spectacularly.Behind closed doors, I watch Cole transform from ruthless workaholic to devoted single father, and the attraction between us becomes impossible to ignore. When the custody case finally closes, we give in to the desire we’ve both been denying.But loving him comes at a cost.Going public sparks an ethics investigation that threatens my career, my reputation, and everything I’ve worked for. Now I have an impossible choice to Protect the life I built…
or fight for the family I never knew I wanted.Strictly Personal is a forbidden workplace romance featuring a powerful billionaire single dad, emotional slow-burn chemistry, and high-stakes professional consequences.Forbidden workplace romance
Billionaire single father
Emotional, intelligent contemporary romance
Can be read as a standaloneBook 5 in the Strictly Series

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 18, 2025

About the author

Celeste Rivers writes contemporary romance featuring intelligent, strong female characters navigating second chances, forbidden attraction, and the complicated intersections of power, ambition, and love.

A Georgetown University Law Center graduate, Celeste spent three decades teaching bar exam preparation and authoring over 50 legal education books before turning her storytelling talents to romance. Her unique background as a former small-town mayor and Gulf Coast coffee shop owner infuses her fiction with authentic legal and political intrigue, workplace tension, and the kind of nuanced relationship dynamics that keep readers up past midnight.

The Strictly Series follows interconnected characters whose lives intersect across Seattle boardrooms, Manhattan courtrooms, New Orleans coffee culture, and Connecticut's political landscape. Readers who crave age-gap romance, workplace forbidden love, and emotionally intelligent storytelling with real-world stakes will find themselves binge-reading from Book 1 straight through to Book 6.

Celeste's own love story—meeting her spouse at her 50th high school reunion and marrying in 2024—proves she believes in second chances, late-blooming romance, and the transformative power of connection at any age.

When she's not writing steamy contemporary romance, you'll find her sipping exceptional coffee (a passion dating back to her coffee shop ownership days), analyzing The Bachelor with the same intensity she once applied to legal briefs, and plotting her next forbidden romance from her home in Denver, Colorado.

Connect with Celeste:
Website: www.celesteriversromance.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CelesteRiversRomance

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Sloane was a couples' mediator that was very burnt out and her assistant talked her into going to a private club where you are masked. She meets Cole at the club and is shocked to find out he is one of the parties that she will be mediating. She wants to recuse herself but he talks her out of it. They are wildly attracted to each other, but do not act on it at all. The mediation hits a huge bump and she talks them through it and eventually, they work everything out. I love that this couple in mediation started out angry and ended up friends again. The characters were charming and likeable and the story was very easy to read.

I got this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review

[BiblioDarling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating System (as of 8/14/2025):
⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF
⭐⭐: This could have been so much better.
⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book.
***********************************************************************
Triggers:
🚩Child Neglect

Tropes:
💕MF Romance
💕One Night Stand
💕Divorced Parent
💕Office Romance
💕Billionaire
💕HEA
💕Love at First Sight

**********************************************************************
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25)
🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing.
🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut.
************************************************************************
Quote:
"I want to forget," I whispered. "I want to stop thinking. I want to feel something other than empty."

Summary:
FMC is a mediator. She is burned out from work and not putting herself first. Her coworker convinces her to go to an upscale swinger's event to relax. MMS is in a custody battle with his ex-wife. He realizes that he has been neglecting his daughter and is trying to change. He goes to the same event to relax as well.

What happens when FMC is the mediator for MMCs custody battle? Their one-night stand could put her career in jeopardy as well as his case for custody.

Review:
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others in this series. The writer takes you on a well-paced journey full of emotion. You want the couple to come together immediately but recognize the risks. You applaud the couple for doing things the right way. You applaud the MMC and his ex-wife for how they are healing and placing their daughter first. You get a git upset when the FMCs career is put in jeopardy and cheer when it is resolved. This was an amazing journey, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

BIBLIODARLING | BOOKISH LIFE, TBRs & READING CHALLENGES GROUP (GOODREADS)
https://www.goodreads.com/group/invit...
*****************************************************************************
FOLLOW ME ON:
INSTAGRAM📢
https://www.instagram.com/bibliodarling/

SUBSTACK📢 https://open.substack.com/pub/mterron...

TIKTOK📢
https://www.tiktok.com/@bibliodarling...

WATTPAD📢
BiblioDarling (@BiblioDarling) - Wattpad

INKITT📢
https://inkitt.com/BiblioDarling

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

There was one very good and moving observation in the very first chapter of this book about the sad reality of the ending of relationships that was very profound and moving, but it was the only line in the whole story that made me feel something strongly. Everything that followed was simply too long-winded. The story would have been greatly improved if it were told in a more concise manner. For example, the reader knows that the FMC Sloane is struggling with the ethical implications of continuing to remain working on a custody case through her inner dialogue. While it's natural in real life to discuss these things with coworkers and friends, it's redundant for the reader to rehash the same arguments and observations four or five times through conversations with side characters and continuous inner dialogue especially when all these instances are all almost exactly the same.

I also noticed some inconsistencies in the storyline. For example, the main characters profess their love to each other fairly quickly after establishing their official romantic relationship. Shortly thereafter, Sloane accidentally says I love you for the first time over the phone. In between the actual first time she says it and the inconsistent passage of her saying it first over the phone, there is this gem: "I told [a side character] it's too soon to know for sure. But Cole... you know that that I love you. And if I'm going to risk my reputation for anyone, it should be for someone I could love." So is it too soon to know or is it true or is it just a possibility? This continuous thought is still somehow all over the place.

Overall, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I couldn't connect with the FMC because I thought she acted out of character for how she was established and I couldn't connect to the MMC because I thought he was selfish and didn't actually change much despite how many times the story tried to establish that he had.

On a five point scale, 24 out of 50 in the following categories:
First Chapter - 3
Protagonists & Antagonists - 2
Side Characters - 3
Dialogue - 1
Plot & Story Structure - 3
Storyline, Motivations, & Driving Factors - 2
Themes and Subtext - 2
World Building - 4
Last Chapter - 2
Writing Style & Reading Experience - 2

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

[Sydney Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up expecting a quick contemporary romance and that’s exactly what it delivered. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like watching a Lifetime movie - sweet, a little dramatic, easy to get invested in, and guaranteed to give you a happy ending. It’s definitely a little too steamy to qualify as a Hallmark movie, though. Think Hallmark… but someone occasionally remembers adults exist.

The story centers on a forbidden workplace dynamic when the FMC, Sloane, discovers that the masked stranger she shared one anonymous night with is actually her newest client - a billionaire CEO fighting for custody of his daughter. Watching the MMC, Cole, shift from intense, work-focused CEO to a genuinely caring father was one of the highlights of the book, and the emotional connection between the characters developed in a way that kept the story engaging. I also really enjoyed seeing how the co-parenting agreement between the ex Ashford's worked out in real time - it's nice to see both parents being portrayed as humans who care for their child instead of one being painted as the villain out to get the other.

That said, the book could have benefited from another round of beta reading or editing. There were a few minor wording issues and small continuity hiccups that occasionally pulled me out of the story. Nothing major, but noticeable enough to stand out.

Overall, though, this was a cozy, straightforward contemporary romance. Most elements stay fairly surface-level, but that actually works in its favor if you’re looking for something light and easy to read. The spice is present but mild, there are a few on-page scenes, but they lean more sweet than spicy.

If you enjoy forbidden workplace romances, billionaire single dads, and guaranteed HEAs, this would make a great palette cleanser between heavier or darker reads. Sometimes a simple, feel-good romance is exactly what you need.

[BP34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in the Strictly Series but can be read as a standalone. You'll love Sloane and Cole's story and once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down. The author said it might be her best book so far and I totally agree. Lily, Cole's six year old daughter was an adorable, mature and smart child who never missed anything. Her dialogue was spot on and almost unbelievable for a six year old . The story line was overflowing with emotion, twists, drama and angst. A chance meeting at a masked party brings two potential soul mates together. Their worlds are turned upside down when she turns up as the mediator in his custody case. Ethics concerns, a custody threat, work/life balance and a ex wife add to the drama. A great book that will keep your attention and is hard to put down once you start reading. Cole was forced to evaluate his life and wow, what a change he made. A great story that ends with an HEA and no cliffhanger. I received a free arc via the author and voluntarily chose to review.

[Michelle Kindell-Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forbidden love?

I enjoyed this book because it isn't the sappy 20-something who falls in love and there's a happy ever after. The female lead is in her mid-30's with a powerful position of mediator, looking for love. The male lead is powerful, a billionaire who has come to realize what is most important in his life.

The story is well-written and a reader can feel the emotions from each character throughout the story. There are a couple of time-line errors I found, but overall, I enjoyed the author's writing. This book is part of a series, but it is definitely a stand-alone book that can be read separately. It is a fast read, with a happy ending.