Applied Electromagnetism by Susannah Nix

Romantic Comedy

Publication date: 07/02/2019
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

My TBR list was ridiculously overflowing when this book came along, and I added it my list anyway. Why? Because it’s an office, road-trip romance with a STEM heroine and a grumpy hero. In other words, this book is my personal kryptonite. I was powerless NOT to read it.

Plot overview: Olivia is forced to go on the business road-trip-from-hell with her nemesis, Adam. Hijinks and hilarity ensue. 

This book is worth reading for the banter alone. Olivia and Adam’s banter was hilarious and had me chuckling out loud during many spots in the book. It kind of reminded me of the Keanu Reeves/Winona Ryder movie Destination Wedding. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the movie, it’s told from the point of view of only 2 characters and the whole movie is basically the two of them having hilarious, quirky conversations. It’s not for everyone, (I mean, if you’re looking for tons of action and complex plot, Destination Wedding is NOT the movie for you) but if you live for witty banter, which I do, it’s a definite must see. And Olivia and Adam gave me definite Keanu/Winona vibes and I loved every minute of it. 

Olivia is a GREAT heroine, too. She’s smart and great at her job, but she’s also vulnerable and has some issues to overcome, not the least of which is trying to succeed in a male-dominated profession. She was just the right combination of intelligent, quirky, and...real for me. She was super relatable. 

Adam was a tiny bit harder to warm up to for me. That’s possibly because the entire story is told from Olivia’s perspective, but also possibly because Adam is a bit of an a-hole towards the beginning of the book. As a reader you come to understand fairly quickly why he is the way he is, and I was easily able to forgive him. And I gave him major props for backing Olivia in a few work situations, even when he didn’t 100% agree with her, out of respect. After a few hiccups in the beginning when he really didn’t understand how she felt or thought, Adam was very supportive of Olivia, and it was super refreshing. Romancelandia is often overflowing with alphaholes, and I’m proud to say that Adam isn’t one of those.    

Now, I will warn the fans of super sexy romance and erotica that although Olivia and Adam have smokin’ chemistry, there isn’t much in the way of on-the-page sex in this book. I don’t mind fade-to-black sex scenes, and this book was plenty sexy due to the chemistry these two had, but if you’re looking for erotica, this ain’t it. 

But, long-story-short, I would highly recommend this read to all fans of smart rom com and character-driven romance. It’s a lot of fun, folks!

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author, free of charge.   

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
No rehab needed. This one’s clean and sober. 

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