Author: Helen Hoang
Genre: Romance
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 317
Series: Kiss Quotient #1
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin Random House Canada)
First Published: May 30, 2018
Opening Lines: "I know you hate surprises, Stella. In the interests of communicating our expectations and providing you a reasonable timeline, you should know we're ready for grandchildren."
Book Description from GoodReads: A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough date in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
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 crave all of the other things he's making her feel. 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.
My Rating: 4 stars
My Review: When I Tweeted that I was reading this book my description was 'steamy with a side of sweet'. And by steamy I meant 'hot, hot, so frickin' HOT!'.
Oh .. my .. gravy!
But included among the plentiful sensual scenes there is a wonderful sweetness to this romance between Stella, a high functioning person with Asperger's and Michael, the escort she hires to teach her a thing or two ... or five.
It must be noted that I am not a big fan of romance. While I have been known to swoon at certain literary characters, romance and I haven't seen eye to eye on many occasions. We respectfully coexist but rarely hang out together because I often find romance to be cheesy. I like cheese on a cracker but not in the pages I read.
Enter The Kiss Quotient, the debut novel by Helen Hoang. No one was surprised more than I was that this book utterly captivated me. The plot was simple (think Pretty Woman with a twist) but I was delightfully taken aback by the depth Hoang brings to her characters and how easily I began to care for them. I loooved the diversity among the characters (Stella's Asperger's, Michael is Vietnamese and Swedish - wowza!) but what really got me was how well Stella's Asperger's was conveyed to the reader as part of who she is, but not all she is.
Stella is a strong, educated and sometimes awkward woman who I found to be compelling and will remain a memorable character for me. I even found her math geekery charming ...
I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.”
Michael is from a completely different world than Stella. He's the escort with a big heart and lots of family issues and it's the inclusion of his complicated family life and how he interacts with Stella that sold me on his character. He is described as looking similar to actor Daniel Henny … only hotter.
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| Hotter?? Mercy! |
Overall, this is a fun, sexy and impressive debut novel that is a delightful combination of family and steamy romance told from the viewpoint of a unique main character.
Note: I recommend that you read the author's note at the end of the book.
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