I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. My love for the art, fun dialogue and character stories is eclipsed by how squicky the Hades/PersephoneI'm not sure how much more of this I can take. My love for the art, fun dialogue and character stories is eclipsed by how squicky the Hades/Persephone romance makes me feel.
It's not even the age gap. It's the astronomical maturity gap. Watching them is like watching a father deal with a toddler that oscillates between hysterical tears and wide-eyed excitement. Persephone even stares out from the page, all wide dorky eyes, like a mindless beanie baby. And, yeah, it's super icky when he talks about Demeter, Persephone's mum, as a "sexual prospect."
I can't imagine shipping them at this point. I may read on for the other characters, I guess, but I'm taking a break for now....more
So I did enjoy this. Love the art style, some good banter, etc, etc. but I am not yet sold on Hades and Persephone in this retelling, which I thinHmm.
So I did enjoy this. Love the art style, some good banter, etc, etc. but I am not yet sold on Hades and Persephone in this retelling, which I think is supposed to be the whole point. Are we constantly going to be reminded throughout about how sweet and young and oh so naive she is compared to how very old, grumpy and experienced he is? It's creeping me out, to be honest.
I like them individually, especially Hades and his dogs, but I dislike relationships with weird power dynamics. I can't stand poor innocent damsel / big bad man romances. Does nothing for me.
I loved this book. It was funny, charming, sad and clever... but the overwhelming feeling I’m experiencing as I sit down to write this review is anger.
Anger at all the people who rated this book 1 star and screamed "plagiarism" after reading a title and blurb, and anger at all the mindless sheep who rushed to copy them.
I'm trying to stay calm and collected, but I confess I'm furious about what has happened here. Bradley has been hounded on twitter for a baseless accusation and had people spam-rating her not-yet-published book on Goodreads. This is not okay, guys.
I will fight to the death for your right to say if you think a book is crap. I say it all the time. But plagiarism is a serious accusation that can ruin an author’s career. I’d hope someone throwing it around would do the bare minimum… like actually reading the book. It is obvious no one here has done that because this book is so dissimilar to El ministerio del tiempo-- a Spanish TV series about time travel (it's fun, I recommend)-- in plot and overall tone that the accusation is laughable.
Anything more than a cursory glance would make it obvious that the two are not similar at all. This is a funny and charming love story between a biracial British-Cambodian translator and Commander Graham Gore who was part of the failed Franklin expedition to the Arctic. El ministerio del tiempo is a historical adventure series in which the main characters journey back to many different time periods to deal with incidents caused by time travel and ensure no one uses time doors to change history. In The Ministry of Time, we don't see any characters travelling back in time.
I don’t know what the complainers think has been plagiarised here. They fixate on the title (El ministerio del tiempo means The Ministry of Time in Spanish) but titles are not protected by copyright*. Neither is the concept of time travel, which— I gotta tell you —Javier and Pablo Olivares did not invent. They did not even invent the concept of a government agency dealing with time travel.
The TV series Seven Days (1998-2001) follows a secret branch of the NSA which has developed time travelling technology.
The movie Timecop (1994) sees the creation of the Time Enforcement Commission to police the threat of time travel.
The premises of both of these are far more similar to El ministerio del tiempo than this book and they predate it by about twenty years.
Then in 2017, two years after the first airing of El ministerio del tiempo, Neal Stephenson published his The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., in which the Department of Diachronic Operations uses time travel to benefit the US government.
But I guess it’s okay when white men write about time travel.
I've seen some people actually trying to frame the argument against this book as being about Big Bad Britain being their good ol' imperialist selves and stealing from other nations! Guys, this is SO FUCKING IRONIC it's almost funny. Because if those people had actually read this book they would know that it's a book by a British-Cambodian writer in which a British-Cambodian woman explores themes of colonialism/postcolonialism.
So far as I understood the British Empire, other people’s countries were useful or negligible but rarely conceived of as autonomous.
*Takes deep calming breaths*
It's annoying that I can't just gush about how much I enjoyed this book. It deserves a review that isn't all me screaming onto my keyboard. I'll try to do that now.
Time travel and government drama are the backdrop here to some truly marvellous characters. Imagine what you would get if you put a near-future British-Cambodian woman and a man who was raised at the height of empire together in a house. It makes for many scenes of hilarity and important conversations about the changes that have taken place. The dynamic between the MC and Graham is just delightful.
“You’re a musician. How can you have no sense of time-keeping?” “You are a larger instrument than a flute.” “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
It is primarily an introspective novel and slow-burn romance, at least until the last 25% or so, but the scenes are driven by dialogue so the pacing doesn't lag. Bradley explores themes of colonialism, slavery, language, being mixed-race, being white passing, exoticization of other cultures, and inherited trauma. The MC carries the inherited trauma of the Cambodian genocide with her and it sneaks into her everyday life and thoughts in unexpected ways.
I adored the secondary characters, too, especially Margaret.
It is rare to find a book that is equal parts entertaining AND contains so many important messages. I thought I wanted more from the ending but, having sat with my thoughts a while, I think it was a good example of an author finding that sweet spot of wanting more before it tips over into too much. And the last part of the book is written so beautifully I wanted to quote it, but I won't do that to you.
*I love how some are claiming the title is too weirdly specific to be coincidence when it's not specific at all. It’s actually very generic. Countries have used the title “Ministry of…” throughout history, and the UK still uses it for the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice. If someone tasked me with coming up with a name for a government department dealing with time travel, I wouldn’t need to dig into Spanish television to arrive at "The Ministry of Time."...more
Ah, now I get it. Imagine Squid Game but everyone is young and hot. Does that guy with the scars and muscles want to kill you or shag you? Who can sayAh, now I get it. Imagine Squid Game but everyone is young and hot. Does that guy with the scars and muscles want to kill you or shag you? Who can say?
I tried, for old times' sake, because it's Marie Lu, but I have definitely outgrown stories like this. I'm too old, grumDNF - 20%
Yeah, I can't do it.
I tried, for old times' sake, because it's Marie Lu, but I have definitely outgrown stories like this. I'm too old, grumpy and sleep-deprived to suspend disbelief for teen secret agents whose beauty we need to be constantly reminded of. The last straw was:
Everything about him—dark eyes and thick lashes, the rich black hair that looked effortlessly perfect, the pillow-soft lips, the tattoos that decorated his forearms down to his left hand, the grace in his stride, the lines of his figure—drew the eye.
Come to think of it... I'm pretty sure I disliked descriptions like that at sixteen too. Not to worry. There's plenty of folks who'll love this....more
All these years spent thinking I had superhuman self-control, and now I realise I just never put anything I wanted too badly in front of myself.
Ye
All these years spent thinking I had superhuman self-control, and now I realise I just never put anything I wanted too badly in front of myself.
Yeah, I agree with the general consensus that this may be the author's best yet.
I actually felt so-so about Henry's People We Meet on Vacation and almost gave this book a miss, but my friend convinced me to pick it up and I am glad I did. Book Lovers checks all my boxes for romance-- fun banter, hardass heroine (can't deal with blushing damsels), a guy who might have his broody moments but isn't a d*ck, and steamy encounters.
I'll get my one complaint out of the way and say I think we could have safely lost fifty or so pages of family angst, which pretty much always feels like filler in romance books like this.
Outside of that though, this was a hit. In addition to the usual stuff I like, I also really appreciated how the author made use of their careers-- she a literary agent, he an editor --to challenge, point fun at, and subvert the romance genre's tropes.
As a badass, hardworking city gal, Nora has been left by multiple past boyfriends for wholesome country women who bake and dutifully pop out kids. She's the b*tch in this trope; career-driven, ambitious, and particular about the shoes she wears, obviously not the kind of woman someone wants to be with in the long term. When her sister suggests a getaway to the country and, who knows, maybe her own country romance, Nora reluctantly comes along. There she meets, not a sexy lumberjack, but none other than Charlie-- a fierce editor from back in the city.
I love how this book doesn't change Nora or punish her for being ambitious and hardworking. It's so true that men are allowed to be obsessed with their work, whereas women who do the same are too often treated as if they have an illness. I'm glad that's not the case here. I always hated to see powerful women tamed....more
I'm going to confess: I did not read the last 50-60 pages of this book. I'm sorry. I tried to finish. But I also knew that even if those last couple oI'm going to confess: I did not read the last 50-60 pages of this book. I'm sorry. I tried to finish. But I also knew that even if those last couple of chapters were AMAZING, it would not make a difference to how I feel about this whole book.
The first mistake was my own. I truly thought King of Battle and Blood was a fantasy, likely with strong romantic elements. Not a vampire erotica. But this is basically a book of sex. The fantasy politics and wishy-washy mythology feel like filler around the sex scenes.
I told myself I didn't mind that much at first. Hell, I've read worse plots than "nekkid vampire sex" for sure. But it is super cringey. From the use of the pet name "sparrow" ...more
"I thought you were obsessed with winning!" His blood felt too heavy for his body. He could barely think through his still abating panic. She made hi
"I thought you were obsessed with winning!" His blood felt too heavy for his body. He could barely think through his still abating panic. She made him feel like he was unraveling. "I am," he yelled back. "But I'm more obsessed with you."
You might want to open a window 'cause this book is steeeaaamy! (Why, yes, I did say that). I slept very little last night so please excuse this review, which will basically be me giggling like a horny teenager.
The Intimacy Experiment is one of the best romances I've read in recent years. I'll be the first to admit that I'm super picky when it comes to romance. I just have so many pet peeves, hate so many of the tropes that feature heavily in this genre. But this one balanced sexiness, sweetness, and feminism so well.
The MCs are a former porn actress and a rabbi. You heard me right! Naomi and Ethan's chemistry sizzles from their very first meeting until the book's close, and one thing I like about Danan is that she knows when to stop. I have no interest in reading about 80 year old couples getting their flu shots together (yes, okay, I know that never happens. I'm exaggerating.)
Ethan is a young ambitious rabbi, but his synagogue is in trouble. If he can't turn things around and get more butts in those seats then his shul will have to close for good. So he teams up with Naomi Grant, whose sex and relationship seminars could possibly attract a younger demographic.
I cannot deal with romance novels without a decent plot outside of the romancing, so I really enjoyed reading about the synagogue, its politics, and listening to Naomi's speeches on dating, her sex-positivity, her critiques of slut-shaming... and I LOVE her, is it obvious?
There's a lot being said about sex, consent, respect, dating, and breaking up in this book, but its all done very well. I didn't feel like I was being given a sermon on a set of issues, though I guess I kind of was. But Naomi is so charming, so charismatic, so fiery, so sexy, that is was very enjoyable to sit through her seminars. Also, the sex scenes, and that one not-quite-a-sex-scene, were really HOT.
I think I just really liked that this book did something a bit different and broke a few of my rules along the way. I'm an atheist, for one, yet I still wasn't turned off by the talk of Judaism. For another thing-- facial hair. Kinda not my thing, sorry. I'm pretty sensitive to texture and that prickle is not for me. Still, hello Ethan, come prickle me you sexy hairy beast!
I told you I'm tired, right?
Anyway, read this one romance lovers. It's good....more
The hype made me try this one, but I'm sorry to say The Ex Talk was just not my cup of tea.
I'll give some credit where it's due: Solomon writes steamyThe hype made me try this one, but I'm sorry to say The Ex Talk was just not my cup of tea.
I'll give some credit where it's due: Solomon writes steamy sex scenes. None of that fade-to-black nonsense. This part of the book was done well, but it was a shame that I never warmed to the main couple - Shay and Dominic - like I was supposed to. I imagine if I'd been madly shipping them that it would have been all the more exciting.
Problem is, this supposedly funny romance was not that funny to me. There was something about the dialogue and jokes here that reminded me of tumblr memes. I know the parts where they're bickering on live radio were probably meant to seem a bit scripted, but their off-the-air chatter felt equally wooden. Jokes ripped from memes, constant pop culture references (Team Angel? Come ooonnn), none of it did much to convince me this was a relationship to become invested in.
Shay herself felt like an internet personality with her "oh shucks, I'm so millennial" quips, gasping at the racism around her that she had "no idea" about, and always apologizing for her whiteness. Once? Maybe a decent ally. More than once? Someone wants a woke sticker.
Outside of this, a couple of things turned me off this relationship. One was the way they started bonding during an "I'm so lonely" pity-party. These are two educated middle-class professionals who are surrounded by caring friends and family. Forgive me if I don't whip out my kleenex just yet.
The other actually baffles me. I don't usually care about age differences, as long as the characters are consenting adults and not, like, boss and employee, so the five year age difference between Shay and Dominic should not have been an issue at all. And it wasn't at first. Then Shay kept going on and on about it until it did start to feel a bit weird.
Suddenly he looks very, very twenty-four.
“Were they even still popular when you were a kid?”
“I can’t believe I was out of college when you were still in high school. Way to make me feel ancient.” He sits down next to me. “Did you have dial-up? And CDs? What was your CD collection like?”
Way to really drive home the cradle-snatching vibe. Would this have been made into such a big deal if their ages had been reversed? I wonder.
The best bit of this book, without a doubt, is Steve the dog:
On our drive home, Steve vomits in the car carrier. When we get inside, he vomits again on a rug I never really liked, pees on my coffee table, and poops on the living room carpet. If my house felt empty before, now it’s teeming with chaotic energy. I set up his bed in my room, and he humps it for a solid forty-five minutes before finally turning around in a circle four and a half times and curling himself into a tight ball. When I try to get near him, he growls, baring his underbite. Steve, it turns out, is kind of a hot mess.
Methinks Solomon just might not be for me, unless, that is, Steve gets his own book ...more
I enjoyed reading If I Never Met You, though I think it fits more neatly into "contemporary" or "women's fiction" than it does in romance.
It's the stI enjoyed reading If I Never Met You, though I think it fits more neatly into "contemporary" or "women's fiction" than it does in romance.
It's the story of thirty-six-year-old Laurie and how she gets her life back together after the break-up of her long-term relationship. She has been with the same boyfriend since university and had accepted that they would have children and grow old together, but now he wants out. It's a devastating blow for Laurie, understandably. She suddenly feels like the clock is ticking if she ever hopes to have the marriage and children she always dreamed of. She's so far out of the dating world that the mere thought of Tinder is mind-boggling.
When her ex quickly shacks up with someone new and she's still forced to see him at work, she's even more humiliated. To rescue her pride, she does the only thing she can think of: teams up with the office playboy for a "pretend relationship". He gets to look respectable by dating a highly-regarded colleague and she gets to look like she's SO OVER her ex. Win-win.
You can spot the romance trope right away, but I was fine with it. The fake-turned-real relationship is a classic and, if you ask me, it still kinda works. No, my main source of disappointment was how tame and squeaky clean the romance was. I liked both characters and was honestly relieved to discover this "playboy" wasn't your typical misogynistic asshole, but far too much of this book is given over to moping, IMO. The characters bond over grief and heartbreak, not flirtations, which is not really a boat-floater for me.
There's also (view spoiler)[absolutely no smut, on-page sex, or hot make-out of any kind (hide spoiler)]. Shame. Parts were sweet, though. A few parts were funny, too.
I like my romance with more sizzling chemistry and flirtatious banter than I got here, but I did appreciate the messages about self-worth and the way the book dealt with post-break-up grief and insecurities....more
I did what any reasonable adult woman would do when confronted with her college rival turned next-door neighbor. I dove behind the nearest bookshel
I did what any reasonable adult woman would do when confronted with her college rival turned next-door neighbor. I dove behind the nearest bookshelf.
I really needed this book. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I was giggling along with all the awkwardness and banter and feeling like I'd been taken away from the dark, dreariness of this lockdown. It's exactly what it seems to be: a very cute, sweet romance.
Beach Read is a warm, summery story about a romance writer (January Andrews) and a vair vair serious literary writer (Augustus Everett) who have been long-time writing rivals ever since they attended college together. They find themselves in neighboring beach houses for the summer, each trying to write their next novel whilst doling out perfect comebacks to each other. What could possibly happen?
As they get to know each other a little better, they decide to strike a deal: Augustus will write a happily ever after and January will turn her talents to the serious world of literary fiction. Whoever sells their manuscript first, wins.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between January and Gus. It's not quite love/hate because the author stops short of really making them tear into each other, but there's a lot of tension created by their competitive history. The banter is funny; a little snarky at times, but good-natured. Emily Henry has also perfected that blend of broody and sweet with Gus-- it turns out Romance love interests can be both darkly mysterious and not assholes. Who'da thought?
The story is told entirely from January's POV, which I personally like. I prefer single perspective romance novels because I think a good portion of the tension comes from not knowing what's going on inside the other person's head.
I will say that I might have been more critical of some aspects of this if I was in a different mindset right now. While I expected the novel to be cute and a little cheesy, it is a bit more cheesy and sentimental than I usually prefer. I would have been happier without things like this:
"I don't need snowflakes." He kissed me. "As long as there's January."
I also expected it to be a little more saucy, lol. There’s sex scenes, for sure, but they’re cute and kinda dorky rather than tense and exciting. I know that a lot of people prefer that; I just thought the whole competing authors dynamic was pretty hot and would have liked to see that played upon a bit more. And I loved the jokey banter… I just sorta wanted them to stop the jokey banter DURING sex.
But, fuck it. This was such a heartwarming feel-good book. I had a good time, that's all I can say.
How much of what people say is genuine and how much is politeness? Is anyone really living their life or are we all reading lines from a giant scri
How much of what people say is genuine and how much is politeness? Is anyone really living their life or are we all reading lines from a giant script written by other people?
I gave The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test five stars, so now I need a sixth star to emphasise how Hoang's latest book was my absolute favourite. The Heart Principle was everything I wanted, and so much more. Hot, sweet, sad, deeply personal. This is a big claim, but it genuinely might be my favourite romance novel ever.
As always, Hoang's author's note explains her personal reasons for writing this kind of story, but I suspected early on that the raw emotions the book explores, and the sad places it goes to, were inspired by her own experiences. For one thing, The Heart Principle is written in first person, not third like her other books, which I generally prefer for romance anyway. For another, I felt completely immersed in this story, pulled so entirely into Anna and Quan's world, their feelings and experiences seeming so real.
There's a lot going on in this book; a lot more than a romance, though that is done excellently too. Anna and Quan are so lovely (I think “I’ll wear rainbows out with you" is the most romantic thing I've ever heard a guy say) , so kind, their vulnerabilities so real, yet the chemistry between them sizzles off the page. One thing Hoang continues to excel at is writing sexy romances where neither of the protagonists are assholes.
As I said, though, there's a lot more than romance going on here. It is about a woman being diagnosed with ASD later in life and beginning to make sense of everything she had previously struggled to mask. It's also about caregiving for someone who is terminally ill, and I really appreciate the discussion Hoang has opened with this. A lot of caregivers find themselves struggling and unable to cope, though they feel too guilty to ask for help. Nobody should feel too ashamed to ask for help when they need it. And the book is also about depression and anxiety, how they can make you feel immobilised, and the long journey of fighting against these illnesses.
It's also, I think, about the burden of expectations. From society, to perform a socially acceptable role. From family and friends, when it comes to caregiving. And from an audience, when you've gained a certain amount of popularity. It makes me sad to think this quote from Anna might reflect Hoang's own feelings:
The truth is art will never be as effortless as it used to be, not now that people have expectations of me.
It's another beautiful emotional book from an author who seems to put so much heart into everything she creates. ...more
In my search for cute sexy romances that don't make me want to kill one or both love interests, Christina Lauren is usually onWhyyy that ending? Ewww.
In my search for cute sexy romances that don't make me want to kill one or both love interests, Christina Lauren is usually one of the first to be recommended. I've wanted to read their books for a while now, and seeing as it is so highly rated, I picked Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.
It started very fun. I want to stress that I enjoyed a lot of the book and currently have several other Christina Lauren books on hold at my local library. Hazel is a hilarious spitfire of a character. She's got that whole clutzy and embarrassing (in a funny way) romance heroine thing going on, but she's also unapologetic. She's not willing to change for any man, and she's happy with who she is. Of course she has insecurities like everyone, but it was nice to see a woman not constantly berating herself over everything.
Josh, too, is a likable character. At first, he and Hazel seem totally incompatible. He's more serious, more straight-laced, more in control of his life. In Josh's life, everything has its place; in Hazel's life, she has to somehow navigate through the mess and pets to find anything. Josh only speaks when he has something important to say; Hazel blurts out pretty much every thought she has.
The two are thrown together and, strangely, their opposing personalities seem to complement each other and a friendship evolves. They would never date each other, of course. Instead, they decide to set each other up on joint blind dates. Many funny and awkward encounters follow and, with every disaster date, it looks more and more likely that Josh and Hazel are ignoring what is right in front of their eyes.
It's not an original plot, but it is fun for the most part. There are some pacing issues, I think, with the time between them becoming friends and, um, later developments being too long. But the smut is awesome when it does arrive.
It was probably going to be a 3.5 rounded up, but that ending just made me cringe. What is this, a 1980s Harlequin romance? Not only was it ridiculously rushed, but that is just not my brand of sexy fun. Also, (view spoiler)[I was really disappointed that they didn't even decide to be together before Hazel got pregnant. So it sort of seemed like they were forced together by the baby. Not my idea of romantic. (hide spoiler)]
I can treat this trip like an actual vacation on a tropical island. Yes, it’s with my nemesis, but still, I’ll take it.
Guys, I don't think it's wo
I can treat this trip like an actual vacation on a tropical island. Yes, it’s with my nemesis, but still, I’ll take it.
Guys, I don't think it's working out. I'm trying so hard to get on the Christina Lauren fanwagon, but there are just lots of little things that aren't floating my boat.
The Unhoneymooners is not bad at all. It's quite funny and enjoyable for the most part, actually. It's just... well, I'll start with the first thing I noticed. This is only the second Christina Lauren book I have tried, with the other being Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, and yet right away I realized that the characters were virtually identical. Both Olive and Hazel are klutzy, embarrassing heroines who don't know when to stop talking, each with notably amazing boobs. Ethan and Josh are both aloof, cynical guys who supposedly view their respective heroines with disdain until they, um, don't anymore. And they are both - I'm quoting here - boob men (curious - does this boob thing come up in all their books?).
Boob joking aside, Olive and Ethan could just as easily be Josh and Hazel. They read like the same couple. Also, I see a lot of reviewers talking about this promised "enemies-to-lovers" romance, but I'm just not that convinced. I am a sucker for the love/hate relationship thing, I'll be honest. I don't know why. Add it to my list of issues. But whether it's Jardan or Spuffy or the good old Fitzbeth, I'm all for a bit of "I hate you, let's fuck" angst.
Olive and Ethan, though, are not enemies. Sure, she calls him her "nemesis" and declares how awful it's going to be going to Maui with him, blah blah, but it seems pretty clear to me from the beginning that they really love bickering with each other. They don't hate each other! They're not enemies! Their first conversation makes them seem like an old married couple bitching at each other. In fact, I find it weird how Olive basically fabricates some faux-hatred at the start, but is later very easily forgiving when, in my opinion, Ethan was completely in the wrong.
So far this has definitely sounded more negative, but it is a fun, easy read. I like how both Olive and Hazel are unwilling to apologize for who they are and the way their bodies look. I like the back-and-forth between Olive and Ethan:
“Ethan, I’m a terrible liar.” “Really? You hid it so well.” “It’s never been my strength, okay? Those of us who aren’t summoned by the Dark Mark consider honesty to be a virtue.”
I also really liked the single perspective of this story. Seeing as almost every romance novel these days has multiple perspectives, I must be in the minority on this one, but I actually find it much easier to enjoy a romance and fall in love with the object of the MC's affections if I'm reading a single perspective. Getting inside the other person's head dampens some of the tension for me.
Oh, and I also liked the super hot massage scene. For obvious reasons.
Hell, I don't even know at this point. It's not like I'm not having a bit of mindless fun with these books, but with so little time to read, do I really want to keep spending it with 3-star reads? Huh. Maybe I'll try one more.
The first time Aeden saw me handling a pipette he walked away and for the rest of the day did not speak to me again.
This might be the most sterile
The first time Aeden saw me handling a pipette he walked away and for the rest of the day did not speak to me again.
This might be the most sterile and lifeless romance I have ever read.
I thought it sounded great. What happens when a woman in STEM gets caught up in a romantic relationship with a colleague? When her research and her love life come into conflict with one another, which does she choose? I expected it would be bittersweet. The author is a scientist herself, and this is 2019, so I figured that this wouldn't be another scenario with a woman giving up everything she's worked for in exchange for love. Good - nerdy and feminist are kinda my thing.
But I don't even know what to make of this. There are two main aspects to the plot: the olfactory research and the romance. The former is detailed, but not exactly exciting. I could have forgiven that, though, if the romance had balanced it out. Instead, the romance - if it can even be called that - is more dull than the descriptions of lab work and research.
There's no chemistry, no spark, no puns intended. Aeden starts by being rude to Emily, and this eventually leads into some very cold and detached sexual encounters. There's no emotion or desire in it at all. In fact, it's odd but the first time they have sex, I didn't actually realize what was happening at first. Most disturbingly of all, one of their sexual encounters doesn't seem to be consensual. Emily clearly tells him "no" and Aeden continues anyway.
I really disliked everything about Aeden. I think I'm supposed to want them to be together, but I honestly just wanted Emily to run in the opposite direction.
There's this constant questioning if "people like her" are destined to be alone and live isolated lives, focused only on their work. It's heavily implied that Emily is on the autism spectrum, though the A-word itself is treated like something taboo.
Autistic or not, I think the question about whether some people are just better suited to solitary lives is an interesting one and worth exploring. However, instead of exploring this with any nuance, the author quickly tags on an ending that implies an answer to the question and it feels pulled out of thin air and unsatisfying. It annoyed me instead of giving me the closure I longed for.
Can anyone please suggest some adult romance that is sexy but where the guy isn't a douche?