Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
Audible Audio, 10 pages
Published
June 5th 2018
by Dreamscape Media, LLC
(first published May 30th 2018Narrator: Carly Robins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kristine's Thoughts:
When I was deciding on an audio book to listen to I went to Goodreads to check out the 2018 Best Book winners. The Kiss Quotient won in the romance category so I thought I would give it a try. This was the first romance that I have listened to. I usually listen to more dramatic, sweeping stories because audio books are expensive and I feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck. I knew nothing about this book or author when I started this book so I was going in blind with no expectations or clues as to what is what about other than the fact that it was highly rated and people seem to love it.
Stella was a thirty year old successful career woman with a less than stellar history in the dating and intimacy department. She was also living with Autism. What turns most people on made her skin crawl. She decided that she needed lots of practise so that it didn't interfere with future relationships. Her solution to was to hire an escort to teach her how to become good at it. This was where Michael came into play. He was escorting in order to help his family after his dad left them with nothing.
I'll start by saying that my opinions are not going to be popular. They are definitely in the minority.
The positive in this book was a heroine with autism. This is not something I have ever seen in a romance. Helen Hoang was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2016 so her journey inspired the book. Five huge stars for this! I found Stella very interesting and it was great to see the world through her eyes.
Unfortunately I thought it went downhill from there.
Am I the only one that thought this was a little too Pretty Woman? Michael was paid for services and then a relationship magically happens? Can you see the comparison? This irritated me slightly. Michael was paid for a service. This made their connection a paid connection and not a natural connection which is not at all romantic and one of the biggest struggles for people living with disabilities. The insta-connection was a little hard to believe as well.
I am not a prude but there was way too much sex in this book whether it was foreplay, the act itself or talking about it. Again, where is the romance in that? I expected some and would have gladly taken some but this book was all sex. When I listen to an audio book on speaker while doing stuff around the house, it doesn't work well. The synopsis, the title and the cover all hinted at a cutsie romance with perhaps a lot of kissing. That is not what it delivered.
Lastly, it was so completely predictable (back to the Pretty Woman comparison) that I wasn't even sure why I was finishing it. I am kind of really mad that I didn't love it like everyone else.
I am definitely in the minority so I encourage anyone debating this book to give it a try and form your own opinion. Just because I was underwhelmed and expected much more out of the 2018 Best Book in the romance category doesn't mean that you will be.
About the Author
No comments:
Post a Comment