A review by way2gosmartguy
Covalent Bonds by Wendy Sparrow, Jeremiah Murphy, Charlotte M. Ray
4.0
Covalent Bonds is an anthology featuring nine short stories. The stories are all romance, with varying degrees of "heat," and they all focus around two geeks and their sprouting relationships. The geek each has their own specialty, whether its movies, video games, comic books, or even grammar. I enjoyed the book as a whole, with some stories more than others. Some of them were pretty funny. I am not a geek myself, but I still liked the stories and found myself laughing at some of them. Overall, 4 star book, and some of the authors I will be seeking out to read more.
Hacked Match by Wendy Sparrow:
Aubrey Lowen is a consultant for the FBI, and her boss sends her to a convention to have a consultation with a retired hacker, Seth Lawrence AKA Savage Lynx. She is to try to seduce and convince him to help the FBI, however she chickens out last minute, and misses her appointment. Seth calls her to reschedule, and offers to do the consultation over dinner. They really hit it off, and decide to spend the weekend together. The more they talk, they more they discover they have in common. This was a fun story, and kept me entertained.
Issues by Jeremiah Murphy:
This story was super short and quick, but I liked it. It made me laugh, and I liked the author style of writing. Emma came to the comic book convention with her friend Ted. She is trying to become a comic book illustrator, and uses the convention to network and get her geek on. She runs into her neighbor Max, who you get the impression they used to date, and things ended badly and they hate each other... but maybe that is not the case after all??
Addie-cted by Charlotte Ray:
Two gamers, who have been flirting online finally meet in person. Trent and Addie are in the same guild, but live two hours apart. When Trent's computer broke right before a big raid, Addie offers her spare to him, but he must come stay at her house for the weekend. Its their fist time meeting, and they both instantly feel sparks. Is it just the lack of sleep and adrenaline that comes from a weekend long raid or true feelings? This was a nerdy story, but I thought it was cute.
Spoilers by Marie Piper:
This was another super short one, ending before I was ready, but I liked it. It was cute and funny. Mike and Aliesha meet in line at a convenience store while buying snacks to see a film. He instantly stereotypes her, and makes some sarcastic remarks, but she volleys them right back at him. Turns out, they are both going to the same showing of the horror flick at the theater across the street. They decide to go and "watch the movie" together.
Rogue Trip by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This is a story of how first impressions can make or break you. Cassandra cant wait for the release of a new game and its merchandise, and has waiting in line for hours to be the first at the gaming expo. Adam works for the company releasing said game, but gets news the truck delivering it, has had some complications and wont make its deadline. The only way to get it to the expo on time, is to go pick it up their selves, and Adam and Cassandra get roped into that job. They had a bad meeting, but are going to be spending the next 20 hours side by side in a truck, whats the worst that can happen??
Critical Hit by Cori Vidae:
This story was another quick one, and a little more steamy. Terrance and Lila are best friends, and also game writers. They are playing a game of D&D and use it to role play out their feelings for each other, that they otherwise have been afraid to show.
Classification of Nerd by Mara Malins:
Emily is a video game tester at one of the best testing companies for computer games. A group from work go to the bar weekly to play trivia, including Emily's boss, Jack. He is normally cold and unfriendly, even rude, to her but then seems to have had a change of heart. One night he bought her a drink and offered to walk her home. He was just trying to be nice and sweet, but Emily sees it as domineering and controlling, and pushes him away. Soon after, they are sent out of town together for work. Will this be a disaster in the making, or the best thing for them to straighten out their feelings? This was a cute story, and perfect length.
Better than Chocolate by Tellulah Darling.
This was my personal favorite of the anthology, and I really liked the author's writing method. It was the perfect blend of sexy and funny. It all started with a bag of m&ms. Sadie and Nic went to high school together, and he has a reputation of the badboy. After having a crappy night, they both end up at a gas station, trying to buy the last bag of m&ms. That quickly leads to the decision of a rebound hookup. The odds are not in their favor tonight, and a meaningless hookup proves to be harder than it seems.
Girl Meets Grammarian by GG Andrew.
I liked the back and forth banter of the characters in this one. Elsa Stein is a poet recently hired as a professor at the University. She is giving her first speech during a seminar when she is interrupted by another professor- Dr Kunal Narang. They have polar opposite views on grammar and writing, and each makes it their mission to change the other's opinion. What started out as a fun rival, quickly turned a little hotter. After all, opposites do attract, right?
Hacked Match by Wendy Sparrow:
Aubrey Lowen is a consultant for the FBI, and her boss sends her to a convention to have a consultation with a retired hacker, Seth Lawrence AKA Savage Lynx. She is to try to seduce and convince him to help the FBI, however she chickens out last minute, and misses her appointment. Seth calls her to reschedule, and offers to do the consultation over dinner. They really hit it off, and decide to spend the weekend together. The more they talk, they more they discover they have in common. This was a fun story, and kept me entertained.
Issues by Jeremiah Murphy:
This story was super short and quick, but I liked it. It made me laugh, and I liked the author style of writing. Emma came to the comic book convention with her friend Ted. She is trying to become a comic book illustrator, and uses the convention to network and get her geek on. She runs into her neighbor Max, who you get the impression they used to date, and things ended badly and they hate each other... but maybe that is not the case after all??
Addie-cted by Charlotte Ray:
Two gamers, who have been flirting online finally meet in person. Trent and Addie are in the same guild, but live two hours apart. When Trent's computer broke right before a big raid, Addie offers her spare to him, but he must come stay at her house for the weekend. Its their fist time meeting, and they both instantly feel sparks. Is it just the lack of sleep and adrenaline that comes from a weekend long raid or true feelings? This was a nerdy story, but I thought it was cute.
Spoilers by Marie Piper:
This was another super short one, ending before I was ready, but I liked it. It was cute and funny. Mike and Aliesha meet in line at a convenience store while buying snacks to see a film. He instantly stereotypes her, and makes some sarcastic remarks, but she volleys them right back at him. Turns out, they are both going to the same showing of the horror flick at the theater across the street. They decide to go and "watch the movie" together.
Rogue Trip by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This is a story of how first impressions can make or break you. Cassandra cant wait for the release of a new game and its merchandise, and has waiting in line for hours to be the first at the gaming expo. Adam works for the company releasing said game, but gets news the truck delivering it, has had some complications and wont make its deadline. The only way to get it to the expo on time, is to go pick it up their selves, and Adam and Cassandra get roped into that job. They had a bad meeting, but are going to be spending the next 20 hours side by side in a truck, whats the worst that can happen??
Critical Hit by Cori Vidae:
This story was another quick one, and a little more steamy. Terrance and Lila are best friends, and also game writers. They are playing a game of D&D and use it to role play out their feelings for each other, that they otherwise have been afraid to show.
Classification of Nerd by Mara Malins:
Emily is a video game tester at one of the best testing companies for computer games. A group from work go to the bar weekly to play trivia, including Emily's boss, Jack. He is normally cold and unfriendly, even rude, to her but then seems to have had a change of heart. One night he bought her a drink and offered to walk her home. He was just trying to be nice and sweet, but Emily sees it as domineering and controlling, and pushes him away. Soon after, they are sent out of town together for work. Will this be a disaster in the making, or the best thing for them to straighten out their feelings? This was a cute story, and perfect length.
Better than Chocolate by Tellulah Darling.
This was my personal favorite of the anthology, and I really liked the author's writing method. It was the perfect blend of sexy and funny. It all started with a bag of m&ms. Sadie and Nic went to high school together, and he has a reputation of the badboy. After having a crappy night, they both end up at a gas station, trying to buy the last bag of m&ms. That quickly leads to the decision of a rebound hookup. The odds are not in their favor tonight, and a meaningless hookup proves to be harder than it seems.
Girl Meets Grammarian by GG Andrew.
I liked the back and forth banter of the characters in this one. Elsa Stein is a poet recently hired as a professor at the University. She is giving her first speech during a seminar when she is interrupted by another professor- Dr Kunal Narang. They have polar opposite views on grammar and writing, and each makes it their mission to change the other's opinion. What started out as a fun rival, quickly turned a little hotter. After all, opposites do attract, right?