inconceivably's review
4.0
The actual steamy parts weren't my thing, but I loved the plot and the characters!
readingpenguin's review
5.0
4.75 stars
Sometimes a book finds its way into your hands at exactly the right time in your life and, yeah, thank you Book Gods. I really needed this.
Our heroine, Emily, had her life, career, and marriage ripped apart by online trolls--all for daring to create a kickass video game with a strong feminist overtone. In the aftermath she fled, taking up a new identity on a smallish island. To the locals, she's a crappy artist and trust fund baby. But online she's the Pheonix, a talented and mysterious game developer. The Pheonix's true identity is the source of much speculation, and uncovering that identity would be the story of the decade within the gaming community. Enter our hero, Fox, an investigative reporter. He's tracked Pheonix all the way to the island, only to be distracted by his hot next door neighbor.
There is a lot of good here. There is intrigue, kinky sex, little dabs of geek culture, and girl power. I was most impressed with the author's portrayal of misogyny and how companies handle, or fail to handle, that specific type of bullying. I was as excited to see Emily stick it to her trolls as I was for the romantic happy ending.
Sometimes a book finds its way into your hands at exactly the right time in your life and, yeah, thank you Book Gods. I really needed this.
Our heroine, Emily, had her life, career, and marriage ripped apart by online trolls--all for daring to create a kickass video game with a strong feminist overtone. In the aftermath she fled, taking up a new identity on a smallish island. To the locals, she's a crappy artist and trust fund baby. But online she's the Pheonix, a talented and mysterious game developer. The Pheonix's true identity is the source of much speculation, and uncovering that identity would be the story of the decade within the gaming community. Enter our hero, Fox, an investigative reporter. He's tracked Pheonix all the way to the island, only to be distracted by his hot next door neighbor.
There is a lot of good here. There is intrigue, kinky sex, little dabs of geek culture, and girl power. I was most impressed with the author's portrayal of misogyny and how companies handle, or fail to handle, that specific type of bullying. I was as excited to see Emily stick it to her trolls as I was for the romantic happy ending.
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