Lyrical | April 28, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
★★★★
{ collective rating }
SOURCE: TASTY BOOK TOURS
Her Best ShotWith college graduation looming, three childhood friends vow to make spring break their last blast of pure fun. But at least one of them didn’t count on such incredible heat…
Layla Sharpe is definitely more math ninja than bikini babe, and her future has been calculated with razor precision. Convinced to let loose over spring break, Layla is finally ready to party—until her car breaks down halfway to her destination, leaving her stranded in Georgia with a mouthwateringly hot pool shark. She knows more than enough about angles to learn the game, but this week she wants him to appreciate her curves…Phin Marks has never met a girl like Layla. She’s more Star Wars geek than seductress, and when he offers her a place to stay while her car is in the shop, he’s counting on the attraction between them to set the nights ablaze, no strings attached. But every moment he spends with Layla makes it harder to let her go. Can he persuade her to gamble in the most dangerous way possible…on forever?Her Perfect GameSpring break is supposed to be a week of fun in the sun for three childhood friends about to graduate from college. But one of them is ready to get her game on somewhere else…Charlie Castle is an expert archer and a fierce warrior—in her favorite video game, anyway. But college life was a program she couldn’t quite master. To land a cybertech job without a degree, she’s entering a “hackfest” over spring break—where she also hopes to meet the sweet gamer who’s been flirting with her online. Instead, she runs into the hot guy who walked away years ago, and can’t fight the desire that comes rushing back.Jonah Best has never gotten over Charlie, whose kisses were always as deliciously creative as her coding. But now that they’re face to face again, he doesn’t know how to admit that her online admirer is really him—or how to convince her that he’s offering her a job for her incredible skills, not her sex appeal. Can Jonah cut through their communication glitches and persuade Charlie that the next level up for them should be forever?Her Winning FormulaSpring break was supposed to be a last blast of fun for three friends before the reality of adulthood set in. But for the trio’s science whiz, it’s an education in instant attraction…Chemistry major Felicity Stone can tell you everything about the way chemicals interact, but when it comes to social interaction, she needs schooling. Abandoned by her friends, Felicity is faced with spending spring break alone—unless she accepts a gorgeous stranger’s invitation to pose as his girlfriend at a family wedding. Not one to turn down a research opportunity, Felicity never expected it to produce such breathtaking results…Teacher and baseball coach Lucas Tanner is fascinated by Felicity’s potent mix of spirit and scientist, not to mention her delicious curves. When Felicity asks him to return the favor by teaching her how to pick up guys, he can’t refuse—but he’s not at all happy with the idea of her using a formula for flirting on anyone but him. Can he convince her that together they have the perfect chemistry?
Exclusive in Print: BAM
{ about shannyn schroeder } .
Shannyn Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the new Hot & Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends and their last spring break. When she’s not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to bake cookies.
{ excerpt } .
From: HER WINNING FORMULA
The movie was filled with killing and explosions, but couldn’t hold his concentration. The mousy girl in the bed beside him kept grabbing his attention. And she wasn’t doing anything but reading silently. She didn’t even move her lips when she read, but her facial expressions changed. Her eyes would narrow or her forehead crinkled. Sometimes a sly smile snuck up on her. He didn’t know how he knew, but it was like it surprised her when it happened.
He couldn’t remember the last time he read anything for school that had him feeling any kind of emotion, much less what she was experiencing. He paused the movie. “What are you reading?”
She didn’t look up from the book, but answered, “Research.”
He tossed the remote on his bed and jumped onto her bed, jostling her in the process. “Come on. Research isn’t that fascinating. What are you really reading?”
Annoyance crossed her face with his intrusion. “It is research. I enjoy research.”
“Let me see.” He held out his hand for the reader.
“No.” She hugged it tight to her chest.
Now he had to know what it was. No one guarded research material. He crawled over to her, and she scooted farther back until she hit the headboard. “Let me see.”
“No. Now go away and watch your movie.”
“This is more interesting than the movie.” He eyed the way she held it to figure out the best way to snatch the device.
She turned to get out of bed, presumably to get away from him, giving him his opening to grab the reader. He moved fast, and she stood looking in disbelief. Her mouth hung open and fear entered her eyes, but she covered it quickly with anger as she crossed her arms.
He hadn’t yet looked down at the screen. “I’m just playing. If you really don’t want me to see this, I’ll stop.”
“Whatever. Do what you want.” She knelt on the bed and then sat, pulling her knees up to her chest. She bit her thumbnail.
He glanced down at the screen and began reading. He smiled. Felicity was reading a naughty book. “You’re reading porn?”
“It’s not porn. It’s erotica or erotic romance.”
“Chick porn.”
“You’re such a guy.” She grabbed her reader back and turned away from him.
“Why did you call it research? Why not say you’re reading a novel?”
“I am doing research.”
“Sex research?”
She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.
“You don’t know…I mean….”
“Shut up, Lucas. I know how sex works. I’ve even had sex.”
“Then why research?”
She huffed and put the reader down on the bed. “These books aren’t just about the sex. They’re about human interaction, relationships. How people relate to each other and learn to understand each other.”
“That’s just part of life.”
“For people like you it is, not for me.”
“For people like me?”
“I’ve known you for less than a day, but I can tell that everyone likes you. You’re open and friendly, and you understand what people mean and what they need. I don’t. I don’t get any of that. I read these books because I get a picture of what normal people think when they see someone, how they interpret someone’s words or actions.”
He stared at her. He didn’t know what to say. During the course of speaking, she opened up. Her body language relaxed, and she was in the moment, not worrying about anything. She was honest and vulnerable. It was pretty fucking sexy. He lay down and rested on his elbow. “Does it turn you on?”
She rolled her eyes again. “Such a guy.”
She turned over on her stomach and went back to reading. He mimicked her pose and bumped his shoulder into hers. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“Sometimes,” she whispered.
{ review } .
Childhood best friends, Layla, Charlie, and Felicity, are going on one last spring break together -- or rather, they're trying. But as you will learn when reading each of their stories, each has a bit of a setback.
All three of these stories were super fun. The bottom line between them all is the great friendship these girls have, and the fear each has that their friendship will dwindle once their 'big girl' jobs start. I found the writing to be very easy to read. It flowed well and the situations were relatable -- well, all except the initial decision to go on this spring break trip. One phone call and Layla was re-routing her trip home and was headed south. The romances were quick -- even the one that bloomed between had-been-friends Jonah and Charlie -- but Ms. Schroeder did end the stories with a little time jump so that certainly helped. And when the insta-love becomes questioned by the characters, even, I appreciated how the author handled everything. Charlie was likely my favorite of the girls, but Lucas was my favorite of the men.
All three of these stories were super fun. The bottom line between them all is the great friendship these girls have, and the fear each has that their friendship will dwindle once their 'big girl' jobs start. I found the writing to be very easy to read. It flowed well and the situations were relatable -- well, all except the initial decision to go on this spring break trip. One phone call and Layla was re-routing her trip home and was headed south. The romances were quick -- even the one that bloomed between had-been-friends Jonah and Charlie -- but Ms. Schroeder did end the stories with a little time jump so that certainly helped. And when the insta-love becomes questioned by the characters, even, I appreciated how the author handled everything. Charlie was likely my favorite of the girls, but Lucas was my favorite of the men.
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