Teach me everything.
The Hookup Equation,
an all-new romantic comedy
from Roxie Noir, is available now!
My whole life, I’ve been a good girl. I follow rules like nobody’s business. I obey guidelines like I was born to it. Show me a line, and I’ll toe it.
I’m even a twenty-two-year-old virgin. Good is my middle name.
And then, I break one tiny little rule. Miniscule. Inconsequential.
Next thing I know, I’m trapped with an incredibly handsome stranger. He’s got eyes like cut emeralds, biceps that makes my head spin, and a smile that has me rethinking all my life choices.
We escape a bar bathroom together. We go on an impromptu date. We share the hottest kiss I’ve ever had, one that leaves me panting for more. We promise to see each other again.
Turns out, we see each other the next morning.
In my calculus class.
Which he’s teaching.
My handsome, sexy date is Professor Loveless, and we’ll be seeing each other plenty. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all semester.
There’s no choice but to call it off. We both have too much at stake: I could lose my scholarship, and he could lose his entire career.
But I can’t call off the way I feel.
I can’t call off the way he looks when he rolls up his sleeves and explains imaginary numbers.
I can’t call off the heated glances, or the way our hands touch when I hand in my homework, or the memory of his body pressing against mine that night.
I’m a virgin.
He’s my professor.
And if we give in, it could cost us both everything.
But I’m so tired of being a good girl.
~ BOOK REVIEW for The Hookup Equation ~
****(4) out of 5 Stars!
This book gives us insight into the life of Caleb, who is one of the quieter and (up until now) less understood brothers of the Loveless clan. While we do see him reveling in numbers, as he has many times before, we also learn more about other facets of his personality, his feelings and motivations, as well as some secrets that he keeps.
Thalia is an adoreable addition to this crazy clan! And she fits right in, once she's given a chance to do so.
Their meet-cute is definitely unique, and their first "date" just as much so. But both of them have a delightful time and are totally smitten with the other. And this when each normally has hard time finding someone who fits well with them.
"I think there's something to be said for believing in magic... I like that moment before logic and reason kick in, where you see something astonishing and you think, maybe there really is magic in the world and maybe anything is possible."
And then... everything comes to a screeching halt the very next morning when Thalia walks into her calculus class -- only to discover that her dream date from the night before is her teacher. As sad as they both are by this turn of events, they do try at first to be good and maintain just a professional relationship. But both of them are miserable with this situation. Then comes an opportunity for Caleb to be a real friend to Thalia, where he helps her with a situation that has serious meaning for him as well. Even then, they could have still avoided each other and bypassed the position that they later find themselves in. But that wouldn't have made for much of a story.
As it is, there's quite a bit of turmoil and angst that occurs. But the relationship that is developing between Caleb and Thalia while it is all going down is a truly special one. We also get extended glimpses of his family, and it is so fun to revisit things with all of them and catchup on their lives. (Although it is somewhat troubling to see the direction that Seth is going and think of the heartbreak that might be ahead for him!) It is also interesting to meet Thalia's family, particularly her brothers Bastien and Javier, especially when they finally get introduced to some of the Loveless clan. (I really hope that they and Silas all make repeat appearances in the next volume of the series so that we can learn what becomes of them.)
I still don't believe in magic. But this, I know is magical.
Ultimately, while it was still undeniably good, I did not like this volume nearly as much as the prior three in the set. Mostly due to how much angst was involved here from a number of different fronts, especially how things turn out for Caleb in the end. While I'm glad that he and Thalia get their happily-ever-after, I was highly disappointed at the way that transpired.
I received a free eBook copy of this title from Social Butterfly PR,
and have willingly provided an honest review.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Excerpt:
“I’m sorry I was a jerk on Friday night,” I start over, moving closer. “I still think that what I said was valid, but I didn’t have to —"
He steps closer, leans in.
“—I didn’t have to be an asshole about it,” I say into his ear.
“I think I deserved it,” he says. His lips brush my ear, and my eyes flutter closed.
Don’t, I tell myself. Don’t do a single thing that isn’t apologizing for your behavior.
As if I didn’t seek him out. As if I didn’t drag him into this tiny, cramped back staircase.
“No, you were right,” I tell him, automatically reaching out, steadying myself against his shoulder. “I found you at the banquet. I kissed you later. I gave you a bottle of wine.”
“But I’m the one who should know better,” he says, and then his hand is on mine, holding it against his warm chest. My heart beats harder, faster.
“You think I don’t?”
“I shouldn’t be giving you rides and walking you home,” he goes on. “Pretending that those things are perfectly fine and innocent, because they’re not.”
We shift in the tiny space and suddenly our bodies are touching from shoulder to hip, the jolt of his heat like an electric current.
“We shouldn’t be seeing each other at all,” I tell him, even as I close my eyes, press myself into him so softly I can tell myself I’m not doing anything, my lips millimeters from his ear.
“No,” he says. “The more I see you the harder it is to pretend I don’t like you.”
A hand on my hip, his fingers touching bare skin above my too-small shorts.
“And the harder it is to pretend I don’t want you,” he whispers.
My heart’s beating so hard and fast that it feels like my ribcage is rattling in my body. Outside and from above, the organ hums thickly, surrounding us.
“What if it were my fault?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
I know I should walk away. I know that. I know my coworker Nathaniel got expelled for sexual misconduct and while I have no intention of making porn, I’m fairly certain that sleeping with my professor also falls into that category.
I know he could get fired and his career could be over.
I know a million things wrong with this scenario, and not one of them stops me.
“I mean,” I say, and plant a kiss on his neck, right below his jaw. His fingers curl into my spine.
“What if —" another kiss, higher up, “— it were my fault?”
The last kiss lands on his jawline, right below his ear, my fingers now woven through his hair, his slight stubble sharp on my lips.
He moves his hand until his palm is flat on my back, in the space between the shorts and my vest, underneath the jacket I’m still wearing. He swallows hard, his breath on my neck.
Then his hand is on my face, his thumb stroking my jaw, and he pulls me back, his green eyes nearly black in the dark, his lips parted, his gaze roaming my face. I don’t breathe. I don’t think my heart beats.
And he kisses me.
About Roxie
I love writing sexy, alpha men and the headstrong women they fall for.
My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.
I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband
and two hell-raising cats.
Connect with Roxie
Hickville Crossroads
Author Bio:
