As you may know, I am participating in the A to Z reading challenge, where I am doing both the title and the author challenges. One of the letters that I struggle with the most is Q. Plus knowing what my preferences (contemporary romance, maybe a little pnr) are that made it a bit difficult. So I headed to my library to see what I could find. That is when I stumbled upon As You Wish by Angela Quarles. According to the author's website, this book was originally published in 2012, and was named "Beer and Groping in Las Vegas". The blurb for As You Wish is what drew me to select this book over other authors who had the last name that began with Q. I love geeky references in contemporary romances!
Riley McGregor is a geek trapped in a Good Ole Boy body and as owner of a microbrewery, smart chicks never look at him twice.
Rejected by a geek who wanted to “trade up,” Mirjam Linna would rather immerse herself in work than be the girlfriend-of-the-moment. Stranded in a Vegas hotel, she makes a wish—a night of hot sex with the man of her dreams. It’s granted. She agrees to dinner, but afterward, she’ll say thanks, but no thanks, and see what’s on the SyFy channel. But when they meet, they’re surprised to find they had a shared connection in their past. Sparks fly as these two learn to be in the moment, be themselves and find love.
Fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Monty Python, Firefly and Marvin the Martian will enjoy this romantic comedy.
The moment I read for fans of Star Trek, I knew I had to read this book! While Next Gen is my preferred era of Star Trek, I'll be the first to admit that Enterprise is another one that I loved. (Next Gen is all because of Capt Picard, and Wesley Crusher.)
Mirjam is our heroine, and she is currently in Las Vegas where she just attended a conference for AppExpo. Mirjam's primary focus at the moment is work. Especially since she's not keen on dating. But while speaking to Jenn, the bartender, she makes a wish, and that is when things begin to change. Next thing Mirjam knows, she's headed out on a blind date. Jenn is seriously acting like her fairy godmother!
What could be more drastic than a blind date with a stranger arranged by some unseen force using a slot machine as it's mouthpiece?
Okay my geeky Star Trek loving heart laughed at this line:
She stuck out like a Redshirt on an away mission.
Dang Jenn is pulling out all the punches to make this blind date a success for Mirjam!
Riley has now arrived on the scene, and he just felt compelled to try the slot machine where he too received a letter that had his name on it. He's up for the adventure. After all it's been over a year since his last date, and his microbrewery takes up all of his time. Plus who wants to date a geek? Jim leaves him with one final piece of advice:
"Be in the moment and you will find the answer."
Once these two meet, that was when the story picked up. We learn about a past connection, and see them start to get to know each other. Then of course comes the steamy moments.
On to my thoughts about the book...
I absolutely loved the geeky references that appeared in this quick read. Even more so when it was Star Trek related. I also enjoyed the way these two found their way to each other. That magical element was intriguing. Who knew that a wish made in Vegas would end up this way.
That being said, I do wish there had been a better balance between the story and the steam. However the entire book is 55 pages, so there isn't really a lot of options available. Also the scenes after Mirjam received the envelope, until the time Riley received his could have been done away with. That time would have been better spent building a connection between the characters, or seeing more of their date, or even what happened after Vegas. That's just my opinion though.
At the end of the day, the geeky references were what drew me in, and really the story itself was just okay. Nothing really memorable, except maybe those Marvin the Martian boxers.
I went back and forth on this. My initial thought was 2.5 stars. As I sat with it more, I realized that 3 stars is more fitting. So for now, it's 3 stars.
Now the question comes, will I read more by Angela Quarles? The answer is potentially. I know my library has plenty of the authors books available for kindle download, so maybe. I mean, I'd be willing to read another book, but I think I would have to find a full length novel versus a novella. I need more character development, as well as more plot.
Have you read anything by this author? Have you even heard of Angela Quarles? Obviously I was new to Angela's writing, and I hadn't heard of her before perusing my library's ebook selection.
Happy Reading,
Laura
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