What do you think?
Men of Maddox Hill #2
Corner Office Secrets
Sleeping with the boss breaks all her rules
especially when he doesn't know who she really is…
Secret heiress Sophie Valente is desperate to keep a low profile at her new job—at the architecture firm owned by her long-lost father. But when she's forced to go on a business trip with her dark-eyed, gorgeous new boss, Vann Acosta, Sophie knows she's in real trouble. Separating business from pleasure is hard enough. But for two people keeping secrets from each other, the stakes couldn’t be higher…
especially when he doesn't know who she really is…
Secret heiress Sophie Valente is desperate to keep a low profile at her new job—at the architecture firm owned by her long-lost father. But when she's forced to go on a business trip with her dark-eyed, gorgeous new boss, Vann Acosta, Sophie knows she's in real trouble. Separating business from pleasure is hard enough. But for two people keeping secrets from each other, the stakes couldn’t be higher…
216 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 29, 2021
About the author
Shannon McKenna
120 books1,456 followersAlso wrote five category romances under the penname Shannon Anderson
::From The Author's Website::
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I started writing my first romance novel in secret. I was working a temp job in an insurance office in Manhattan at the time, and the office manager had made it clear that even if there was nothing to do, I still had to look busy-- never one of my big talents. I felt bad about the wasted time, though, and I needed something to round out my other chosen career, which was singing. Yeah, that's right. Most artists choose a more practical Plan B to back up their improbable Plan A. Me? No way. "Long Shot" is my middle name.
So I sneakily set up a Document 1 and a Document 2 with a spreadsheet on it. If my Boss du Jour walked by I could quick-like-a-bunny switch screens, and whenever the coast was clear, I went back to my story. Not that I was slacking, mind you. If there was work to be done, I did it. The sneakiness felt familiar, though, because I've been teased about reading romances since I was a kid. I think the day I finally grew up was the day I stopped trying to cover up what I was reading on the bus, train or subway. Let people think whatever they like.
It wasn't until I moved to Italy (details of that Long Shot provided later on) that I got serious about writing, though. I found myself with many long, quiet days alone with nothing to do, so I slogged my way bravely to the end of the manuscript and sent it out. Everybody rejected it-except for Kensington. I wrote for them for a few years, and then made a bid for an erotic novella for the new Brava imprint, and oh joy, they accepted it. Then I wrote BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. And so on, and so forth.
That's how I started. I can't think of anything I'd rather do. I never knew it would be so scary, and so hard . . . all that solitude and silence, a blank computer screen, and no one to blame. But still. It's worth it. It's great.
::From The Author's Website::
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I started writing my first romance novel in secret. I was working a temp job in an insurance office in Manhattan at the time, and the office manager had made it clear that even if there was nothing to do, I still had to look busy-- never one of my big talents. I felt bad about the wasted time, though, and I needed something to round out my other chosen career, which was singing. Yeah, that's right. Most artists choose a more practical Plan B to back up their improbable Plan A. Me? No way. "Long Shot" is my middle name.
So I sneakily set up a Document 1 and a Document 2 with a spreadsheet on it. If my Boss du Jour walked by I could quick-like-a-bunny switch screens, and whenever the coast was clear, I went back to my story. Not that I was slacking, mind you. If there was work to be done, I did it. The sneakiness felt familiar, though, because I've been teased about reading romances since I was a kid. I think the day I finally grew up was the day I stopped trying to cover up what I was reading on the bus, train or subway. Let people think whatever they like.
It wasn't until I moved to Italy (details of that Long Shot provided later on) that I got serious about writing, though. I found myself with many long, quiet days alone with nothing to do, so I slogged my way bravely to the end of the manuscript and sent it out. Everybody rejected it-except for Kensington. I wrote for them for a few years, and then made a bid for an erotic novella for the new Brava imprint, and oh joy, they accepted it. Then I wrote BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. And so on, and so forth.
That's how I started. I can't think of anything I'd rather do. I never knew it would be so scary, and so hard . . . all that solitude and silence, a blank computer screen, and no one to blame. But still. It's worth it. It's great.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 3, 2022
O sea, yo los hubiese mandado a todos a la verga, pero pues también la entiendo. Estuvo demasiado bueno, aunque empezó algo flojo. Creo que mis ojos son dos uvas pasas de tanta irritación por haberlo leído el mismo día.
July 18, 2021
This book kept me entertained on a cross country flight where I finished it in one sitting. It's very Insta-Lust giving way to Insta-Love, which I wasn't wild about - but the drama surrounding the heroine is compelling and The Black Moment is DEVESTATING! Seriously. I'm glad I read this for those final moments when the heroine feels betrayed (as she should!) and she leaves behind scorched Earth. It's fantastic. The office intrigue gets a bit melodramatic at the end, but it's worth it for heroine setting everything on fire and the hero (along with another secondary character) having to grovel. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
August 2, 2022
Vann Acosta is the CFO of Maddox Hill Archetchture. Sophie Valente is an IT Security Specialist for Maddox Hill and is working hard to suss out a company data leak she discovered almost immediately upon hire. But she has secret agenda too. She needs dna from Malcolm Maddox world renowned, now retired, but still very much in charge architect and founder of Maddox Hill and possibly- her biological father.
The Men of Maddox have a problem- someone is leaking information on latest designs and selling it to the highest bidder and suspicion has fallen on the beautiful cyber security developer working for them. To give security chief Zach Austin time to catch confirm suspicions against Sophie, they send her on a trip with Vann to translate for the lead guys of the architecture firm.
And she almost goes down for it when her secret agenda actions are misinterpreted as evidence of cyber espionage.
will Vann trust his instincts and help her clear her name- or will he send her packing into deep freeze, along with this heart?
There’s this scene when we come to the end of a long day of Sophie simultaneously translating Mandarin to English for the main men. They haven’t allowed her breaks, or offered her anything to eat- even while they ate right in front of her. She did her job without complaint though thinking no one noticed. But Vann did and he ordered her a meal delivered to her hotel room that night without her having to ask.
As a woman who has worked for and with men for a long time, got shit done with no complaints, but also with little recognition, well, I fell in love with Vann Acosta right then and there.
That whole scenario sucked me in and its why it makes it an almost perfect read for me. Forget the subplot of being accused of a crime she didn’t commit- although that gets me too. Even forget the secret agenda bit. Forget even the fact its a silly old category romance novel like back the Harlequin novel days. It hit me right in the I. feel. seen. So naturally Im hooked.
The Men of Maddox have a problem- someone is leaking information on latest designs and selling it to the highest bidder and suspicion has fallen on the beautiful cyber security developer working for them. To give security chief Zach Austin time to catch confirm suspicions against Sophie, they send her on a trip with Vann to translate for the lead guys of the architecture firm.
And she almost goes down for it when her secret agenda actions are misinterpreted as evidence of cyber espionage.
will Vann trust his instincts and help her clear her name- or will he send her packing into deep freeze, along with this heart?
There’s this scene when we come to the end of a long day of Sophie simultaneously translating Mandarin to English for the main men. They haven’t allowed her breaks, or offered her anything to eat- even while they ate right in front of her. She did her job without complaint though thinking no one noticed. But Vann did and he ordered her a meal delivered to her hotel room that night without her having to ask.
As a woman who has worked for and with men for a long time, got shit done with no complaints, but also with little recognition, well, I fell in love with Vann Acosta right then and there.
That whole scenario sucked me in and its why it makes it an almost perfect read for me. Forget the subplot of being accused of a crime she didn’t commit- although that gets me too. Even forget the secret agenda bit. Forget even the fact its a silly old category romance novel like back the Harlequin novel days. It hit me right in the I. feel. seen. So naturally Im hooked.
June 29, 2021
I really love it when I can't put a book down and I read it from start to finish until 5:00 a.m., and this advanced reader copy of Corner Office Secrets did just that. Although it's the second book in a planned trilogy, and although I have the first novel in the series, I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so fear not, this novel works as a standalone, and it gets 4 stars from this reader, primarily because I prefer Ms. McKenna's longer novels, and the Harlequin Desire imprint doesn't allow for that.
This is a novel about secrets, and the characters in it seems to have at least one, but thankfully, we learn some of those secrets at the outset. Sophie, the heroine, is a recently hired, smart, dedicated, and competent information security specialist at the Maddox Hill architecture firm, where she is tasked with trying to find whoever has been leaking company plans and secrets and selling them. She is also the biological daughter of the company's founder, Malcolm Maddox, a brilliant architect, who, 30 years earlier, had a brief affair with Sophie's mother, who only discovered that he was already married when she went to his home to tell him she was pregnant, and was greeted by his wife. Devastated, she left without seeing Malcolm, so Sophie is the daughter the now cantankerous and demanding older man never knew he had. Sophie's mother died from cancer a year earlier and her dying wish was to have Sophie meet the man who fathered her. Maddox is not a man it's easy to meet, and Sophie is looking for proof of paternity before approaching him, since he's not a man who is easy for someone in her position to see.
Vann is the company's CFO, tall, strong, and handsome, and he too is trying to find whoever is behind the information leaks, aware that newly hired Sophie is viewed as the prime suspect because of her computer security expertise. He's as attracted to Sophie as she is to him, and although he doesn't know her well, he simply can't believe that she's the culprit. Vann isn't looking for love, preferring short, uncomplicated affairs, and since Sophie is an employee, neither of the two act on their attraction to each other. However, when Sophie, who speaks fluent Mandarin, is called upon to pinch hit for the company's usual interpreter on a business trip, the two get closer to each other than either of them ever planned--a quandary for Vann, since he won't divulge the investigation and possibly hamper it by telling Sophie that she's under suspicion, nor does Sophie want Vann to know what she's really after is a meeting with her father and a sample of his DNA.
Corner Office Secrets is a well-written, complex, steamy (Ms. McKenna does steamy extremely well), and intriguing novel of romantic suspense, that doesn't give up all its secrets at once, and, since I avoid doing spoilers, the surprise twist at the end is the secret I'm keeping. If you're new to Ms. McKenna's novels, this is a very good introduction to her work, and I'm happy to recommend it.
As stated, I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
This is a novel about secrets, and the characters in it seems to have at least one, but thankfully, we learn some of those secrets at the outset. Sophie, the heroine, is a recently hired, smart, dedicated, and competent information security specialist at the Maddox Hill architecture firm, where she is tasked with trying to find whoever has been leaking company plans and secrets and selling them. She is also the biological daughter of the company's founder, Malcolm Maddox, a brilliant architect, who, 30 years earlier, had a brief affair with Sophie's mother, who only discovered that he was already married when she went to his home to tell him she was pregnant, and was greeted by his wife. Devastated, she left without seeing Malcolm, so Sophie is the daughter the now cantankerous and demanding older man never knew he had. Sophie's mother died from cancer a year earlier and her dying wish was to have Sophie meet the man who fathered her. Maddox is not a man it's easy to meet, and Sophie is looking for proof of paternity before approaching him, since he's not a man who is easy for someone in her position to see.
Vann is the company's CFO, tall, strong, and handsome, and he too is trying to find whoever is behind the information leaks, aware that newly hired Sophie is viewed as the prime suspect because of her computer security expertise. He's as attracted to Sophie as she is to him, and although he doesn't know her well, he simply can't believe that she's the culprit. Vann isn't looking for love, preferring short, uncomplicated affairs, and since Sophie is an employee, neither of the two act on their attraction to each other. However, when Sophie, who speaks fluent Mandarin, is called upon to pinch hit for the company's usual interpreter on a business trip, the two get closer to each other than either of them ever planned--a quandary for Vann, since he won't divulge the investigation and possibly hamper it by telling Sophie that she's under suspicion, nor does Sophie want Vann to know what she's really after is a meeting with her father and a sample of his DNA.
Corner Office Secrets is a well-written, complex, steamy (Ms. McKenna does steamy extremely well), and intriguing novel of romantic suspense, that doesn't give up all its secrets at once, and, since I avoid doing spoilers, the surprise twist at the end is the secret I'm keeping. If you're new to Ms. McKenna's novels, this is a very good introduction to her work, and I'm happy to recommend it.
As stated, I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
Read
June 2, 2021Categories
Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Men of Maddox Hill (Book #2)
Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Men of Maddox Hill (Book #2)
June 27, 2021
I received this ARC a few hours ago, and well, instead of sleeping, here I am at 5 am, giving my honest review.
I loved this story and really enjoyed it. I prefer this book to the first one (though both have interesting plots and twists) and I think this can be read as a standalone.
Corner Office Secrets is a very sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet romance. Both characters are smart, direct, independent, and successful with important careers. The dialogues are fun to read, so are some scenes. I had quite some laughs that I did not expect. The story starts as an investigation but is mostly a romance and continues as such until the end where evil people try to interfere and mess things up.
Here’s what the story is about in a few words:
Sophie’s keeping a secret from Vann because it’s none of his business… well, duh!
And he’s keeping a secret from her because he wants to spare her feelings… cute… but no!
The first secret doesn’t have major repercussions when he finds out. The second secret blows everything in their faces…
Lesson here? Trust your partner can handle it (and be ready to go broke when trying to fix your mistake – you’ll know what I mean when you read it)
Did Sophie and Vann remind someone else of S & R couple or is it just me?
Now that I said what I have, Goodnight! or is it good morning?
I loved this story and really enjoyed it. I prefer this book to the first one (though both have interesting plots and twists) and I think this can be read as a standalone.
Corner Office Secrets is a very sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet romance. Both characters are smart, direct, independent, and successful with important careers. The dialogues are fun to read, so are some scenes. I had quite some laughs that I did not expect. The story starts as an investigation but is mostly a romance and continues as such until the end where evil people try to interfere and mess things up.
Here’s what the story is about in a few words:
Sophie’s keeping a secret from Vann because it’s none of his business… well, duh!
And he’s keeping a secret from her because he wants to spare her feelings… cute… but no!
The first secret doesn’t have major repercussions when he finds out. The second secret blows everything in their faces…
Lesson here? Trust your partner can handle it (and be ready to go broke when trying to fix your mistake – you’ll know what I mean when you read it)
Did Sophie and Vann remind someone else of S & R couple or is it just me?
Now that I said what I have, Goodnight! or is it good morning?
July 26, 2021
Corner Office Secrets is the second book in Shannon McKenna’s Men of Maddox Hill series. It is one of the Harlequin Desire Insta-Lust morphing into Insta-Love stories and it is a satisfying quick read when you just need briefly escape the daily grind. I personally prefer Shannon’s longer and deeper stories but I see the appeal of these kind of stories as well as sometimes one just needs a momentary escape/feel good story.
Corner Office Secrets throws together Sophie, a secret child of the Maddox Hill architecture firm founder and a recent information security specialist at the company – she is trying to confirm the paternity and find a way to meet the man, and Vann, the company CFO and instantly attracted to Sophie. There are information leaks and Sophie is a prime suspect and you can just picture the mess that they both end up in. It is a fun and sweet read and you will enjoy the fact that the story is told from both Sophie and Vann’s POV! I think we are now ready for the final book in the series – come on Zack and Ava!
Corner Office Secrets throws together Sophie, a secret child of the Maddox Hill architecture firm founder and a recent information security specialist at the company – she is trying to confirm the paternity and find a way to meet the man, and Vann, the company CFO and instantly attracted to Sophie. There are information leaks and Sophie is a prime suspect and you can just picture the mess that they both end up in. It is a fun and sweet read and you will enjoy the fact that the story is told from both Sophie and Vann’s POV! I think we are now ready for the final book in the series – come on Zack and Ava!
June 28, 2021
Office romance book with heaps of sexual tension!
Corner Office Secrets plays off the trope of “workplace crush on the boss”. Sophie, a newly hired information security specialist and the architecture firm’s CFO, Vann. Each are drawn to one another, but fail to act on the attraction. Sophie, because she won’t compromise her standing in the company, and Vann because he likes to keep his affairs uncomplicated. But when Sophie is added at the last minute to a business trip, it puts her and Vann in closer quarters than ever. What makes it even more a thrill is each of them is hiding something, Sophie, her real reason for joining the company and Vann’s knowledge of an ongoing investigation centred around Sophie.
These characters are wonderfully developed—Sophie is calm, capable, smart and certain. She knows who she is and demonstrates it with confidence and never comes across as obnoxious even while being assertive. Vann also is crafted well—reasonable, loyal and very in touch with his emotions and feelings. He’s an alpha male, but there’s a sweetness to him as well that makes him irresistible.
A lovely read—I hope these characters make an appearance in the next book too!
Corner Office Secrets plays off the trope of “workplace crush on the boss”. Sophie, a newly hired information security specialist and the architecture firm’s CFO, Vann. Each are drawn to one another, but fail to act on the attraction. Sophie, because she won’t compromise her standing in the company, and Vann because he likes to keep his affairs uncomplicated. But when Sophie is added at the last minute to a business trip, it puts her and Vann in closer quarters than ever. What makes it even more a thrill is each of them is hiding something, Sophie, her real reason for joining the company and Vann’s knowledge of an ongoing investigation centred around Sophie.
These characters are wonderfully developed—Sophie is calm, capable, smart and certain. She knows who she is and demonstrates it with confidence and never comes across as obnoxious even while being assertive. Vann also is crafted well—reasonable, loyal and very in touch with his emotions and feelings. He’s an alpha male, but there’s a sweetness to him as well that makes him irresistible.
A lovely read—I hope these characters make an appearance in the next book too!
July 8, 2021
Corner Office Secrets was just what you can expect from a Shannon McKenna story. It was loaded with angsty intrigue and a great follow up to His Perfect Fake Engagement. Each story is a standalone in the Men of Maddox Hill series but I definitely recommend reading the first book so that you have a better connection to the supporting characters. Sophie Valente has an agenda and doesn't have time to be distracted by handsome CFO Vann Acosta. Vann takes his responsibilities to the company seriously and has never gotten involved with an employee before but he cannot keep from wondering about Sophie and what secrets she may have. As Sophie tries to keep her heart safe and Vann tries to keep the company safe these two just can't seem to stay away from each other. Corner Office Secrets is a perfect beach read and I highly recommend it to fans of steamy contemporary romance. It was told from dual POV and I look forward to reading more in this series!
July 9, 2021
I am a big fan of this author and one click her books. I would say that this story was a little tamer than her other works but still it was delightful read. Sophie and Van work for Maddox Hill, the story starts off with Van and his colleagues suspecting that Sophie may be a potential thief. Unbeknownst to them Sophie is actually looking for her father. From that premise the story moves along quite quickly as Van and Sophie and "thrown" together for business and pleasure. I likes Sophie, she was strong, quick witted and extremely capable of raking care of herself and I loved the scenes with her Malcolm. Van was a good ying to her yang,
July 20, 2021
Wow! This was such a great story with a mystery intertwined. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot of this book. Vann is given information regarding Sophie and decides to give her the benefit of the doubt, not to mention his off the charts attraction to her. Sophie is working at Maddox Hill with her own agenda; her father is the owner of the company. She wants to get close to him, and stumbles on some information that is being stolen from the company. As she and Vann give in to their mutual attraction, they are each working to resolve this theft on their own. There is definitely miscommunications and mixed signals. Love these guys at Maddox Hill!
February 10, 2022
Sophie is hiding the secret of her paternity and Vann is hiding the fact that she is under investigation for corporate theft. Neither can deny the heat that arcs between them. Both need to communicate so that they can get their lives on the path to happily ever after. Another good story in this series.
June 16, 2021
Love it
July 18, 2021
Love Shannon books for year. Another Fun Fresh book and great story. Loved it.
April 11, 2024
Good book I enjoyed it!
May 10, 2024
*Audiolibro*
Ay no que rabia con Malcom. Se termina de manera apresurada como todas las novelas rosas.
Ay no que rabia con Malcom. Se termina de manera apresurada como todas las novelas rosas.
June 11, 2024
Amped the drama up HARD at the end, lol good for what it is
July 1, 2021
A category romance that packs the punch of a full-length book! Vann and Sophie are well-matched. Loved reading their banter and interaction, the chemistry is undeniable. The corporate espionage angle is new and adds a layer of tension to the story too.
June 30, 2021
I really enjoyed this emotional and sizzling romance with a bit of suspense. Shannon McKenna totally drew me into this story and kept me hooked. It is a roller coaster ride with witty banter, push/pull emotions, and steamy passion which is everything I crave to read. Vann is the CFO of Maddox Hill, so when someone accuses Sophie, one of his employees, with corporate espionage, he wants to find the truth. He doesn't believe Sophie is capable of such deception, and makes a plan to have her work closely with him so he can learn more about her and defend her innocence. He quickly learns she is smart, confident, and dedicated, and is convinced she would never cheat or lie. He also is completely drawn to her and breaks all his rules to be with her. Sophie has a secret mission that she needs to keep focused on, but her sexy boss makes it impossible. She tries to keep her distance but the connection and chemistry between them is too strong. When strange events happen, and undeniable evidence incriminates Sophie, will Vann stick by her side or will both her mission and her heart be shattered? Vann and Sophie were so great together, they are smart, charming, and have so much in common, and their sizzling chemistry was off the charts. This hot and sexy romance is intriguing, and suspenseful, making it impossible to stop turning the pages. I am so captivated by these sexy Men of Maddox Hill and the strong women who love them, and I am excited for Zack and Ava's story next!
January 10, 2022
A fun and quick read - kept my attention the whole way through with the intrigue of finding out exactly who-dunnit (had that mystery suspense storyline too, in the background of the romance), and how it would all be resolved.
I love that the main character, Sophie, was a brilliant woman and multi-lingual, and that this was a hugely important part of the plot. Well done!
I love that the main character, Sophie, was a brilliant woman and multi-lingual, and that this was a hugely important part of the plot. Well done!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews