Toronto, On – “The Work Husband,” a novel by Author Rebecca Mardon, is a fantastically realistic story about a young woman, Kelly, who must make some difficult life decisions. Kelly, has a great life. The kind of life one might wish for, in fact. She has an upwardly-mobile career, and a stable, loving relationship with her college boyfriend, Rob. They’ve got a great condo, and he feels like they’re moving in the right direction. Towards something. Towards something, together. Except, the path in front of her might not be the way for Kelly at all, and the only person who gets it is Garrett, her “work boyfriend.” He’s the one who really gets how trapped she feels. When everything spirals out of control during the holidays, Kelly should be celebrating the future, except she finds herself questioning what she really wants from her life . . . and who she wants in it.
Many women will identify with Kelly in The Work Boyfriend and, as the story unfolds, readers will be dying to find out Kelly’s final decision for her future. Will she stay with Rob or tell Garrett how she feels about him? A perfect holiday rom com
“No matter how many boundaries are put in place, does human impulses override professional considerations, especially when it comes to love?”
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Key Talking Points:
*X-mas season is the most popular time of year for cheating. *57 percent said they cheated with a courier at the office holiday party.
*85% of North Americans said they experienced more feelings of passion and excitement during the holidays, which drove them to cheat.
*What is a “Work Boyfriend? Having a “work boyfriend” i.e., a male colleague at the office who you always go for lunch with, meet deadlines with and confide in about office politics, sounds innocent. But what many people don’t realize is this intimate workplace relationship can lead to.
*No matter how many boundaries are put in place, does human impulses override professional considerations, especially when it comes to love. Evil or human?
*The Grey Area: It’s easy to cross that line and create messy situations. People don’t go to work saying, “Hey! I want a work boyfriend.” Why do employees find themselves in this predicament?
*85% of affairs outside of marriage start at the office. Emotional affairs are the most common type. Are emotional affairs just as bad, or worse, than physical affairs?
*Main pitfalls having a “work boyfriend”: —your attention moves away from your primary relationship. The emotional connection is much riskier than the physical. Is the moment you share your heart with someone else infidelity? (when you should be saving that energy up for your partner/spouse at home?)
*A Study of 10k found that 57 per cent of women and 63 percent of men admitted to having an affair away on business, and the affair was with a coworker in 53 percent for men and 27 percent for women. Is this still true? Or more even?
*180 million employees in across North America believe workplace affairs are wrong but continue to engage. Why is this and why the URGE!
*57 per cent said they cheated with a coworker at the office holiday party, which is where the book starts the night after.
*Office policies? Are you risking your job. What are workplace policies? 41 percent said they weren’t sure what their company’s policy on workplace romance is.
* LOVE CONTRACTS? – Do they work? 75% of HR professionals say these are ineffective.
*COVID 19 Impact? —One study showed more than 1/4 of employees who are now in a workplace relationship have started a new workplace romance during the pandemic or continued an existing romance at work prior to the pandemic.
*Office romances can be distracting, awkward, co-workers, and 65% of those who have workplace affairs end up being caught.
*How badly equipped we are to talk about romance in the workplace and the power dynamics that it may affect. — IS unprofessional or a “a brilliant mistake?” to have “A WORK BOYFRIEND?”
*The holiday season is the most popular time of year for cheating. *
*In one study, 57 percent admitted they cheated with a colleague at the office holiday party.
*85% said they experienced more feelings of passion and excitement during the holidays, which drove them to cheat.
About The Author
Rebecca Mardon is the pen name for Deanna McFadden, Toronto-based author, publisher, and teacher. A lifelong reader and lover of romance, she can usually be found walking and reading. When not buried in a novel, she lives with her tennis-loving, musician husband and her hockey-obsessed son.
ABOUT RE:BOOKS
RE:BOOKS is a broad commercial independent publishing house based in Toronto, founded by bestselling author Rebecca Eckler. We believe “what’s good is read and what’s read is good.” — “RE:BOOKS will publish stories that I’d personally like to devour,” says Eckler. RE:BOOKS is committed to deliver interesting topics to readers and writers alike, and to help female authors get published. Eckler also has a newsletter with 35,000 subscribers, and offers author coaching services through her website. Call it a Canadian success giving back, or simply following her passion for all things books, RE:BOOKS Publishing includes the most talked about titles in Canadian publishing.
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