She has 30 days to turn her enemy into her boyfriend…
“<3 your enemy” just took a completely ridiculous turn.
Introverted computer engineer Charlie Forrester has coded an algorithm for love, a nearly flawless matchmaking program. But then she’s challenged to prove its accuracy – on herself. With her dream job on the line, Charlie has thirty days to forge a romantic relationship with her “perfect” match…her ex-friend and now-nemesis, Daniel Shawn. Since her dating experience is expressed in binary, she’ll need more than flirting lessons and a wardrobe overhaul to pull it off.
After falling victim to the same online matchmaking con he was investigating, reporter Daniel Shawn’s professional reputation went up in flames. Now he suspects someone has rebooted the scam, and he’s determined to expose the fraud and rebuild his career. Unfortunately, his efforts to get back in the game get sidetracked by Charlie and her adorable geekitude, even though she seems to know a little too much about digital dating for Daniel’s comfort.
And when fake romance crosses into real chemistry, Charlie’s formula for love might just be the perfect formula for disaster…
Links to buy:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LTUg48
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1KU9WQq
Kelley’s Review
Quirky, Cute, and Hillarious
I absolutely adored this read. The definitions of computer terminology that started each chapter were spot on and cracked me up. Lost in Geeklandia centers around a computer programmer named Charlie who has had her entire life mapped out since she was five years old. Just when she is on the verge of getting her dream job her very attractive childhood friend shows up and throws a monkey wrench into things. We are left wondering if Charlie’s career is toast.
Daniel is trying to rise from the wreckage of his career because of a story he wrote that blew up in his face. When he accidentally runs into Charlie after several years he finds himself home. He realizes how much he missed her and what a breath of fresh air she is. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two of them and according to Charlie’s mathematical calculations Daniel should be good for a fling.
The character development was superb and I adored the secondary characters almost as much as the hero and heroine in this read. Both Charlie and Daniel have skeletons in their closets that keep you turning the pages to see which skeleton is going to come out next..
Lost in Geeklandia is a fresh and fun lighthearted romance that will have you laughing out loud one minute and turning up the A.C. the next. I can’t wait to see what E.J. Russell has in store for us next. I really hope she writes Toshiko’s story next. I am going to have to brush up on my Star Trek Trivia for sure.
Excerpt
When Gideon flung open the apartment door for his usual grand entrance, Charlie was still curled up on the sofa with Lindsay hovering nearby, plying her with iced tea and Milano cookies.
“Lin, if you love me, scotch, and lots of it.” He stalked over to the sofa, sat on the arm opposite Charlie, and fell backward onto the cushions, flinging one arm to the side and the other one over his eyes.
Lindsay handed him two fingers of scotch in his favorite cow tumbler. “Did you have a bad meeting?”
“The worst. Charles,” Gideon tilted his chin and looked at Charlie upside down, “how long do I—” He sat up, the scotch sloshing over the rim of the glass and onto his hand. “What happened? Why do you look like Joss Whedon just quit show biz for the pro bowler’s tour?”
She heaved a sigh and struggled upright. “I have to get a date.”
“This is news?” He sucked the spilled scotch off his fingers. “I’ve been telling you that forever.”
“No. You don’t understand. I have to get a date. I’m required to get a date. I must get a date…” Charlie covered her face with Lindsay’s pillow, “or die.”
“Charles, as much as I appreciate hyperbole—”
“With Daniel Shawn,” she said, voice muffled by needlepoint hydrangeas.
She heard the clink of Gideon’s glass on the coffee table. “No. Fucking. Way.”
“Way. Stage Two commitment within thirty days.”
He pulled the pillow off her face, and she blinked in the sudden light. “You ran yourself through the program? For pity’s sake, Charles, why subject yourself to a process guaranteed to make you miserable?”
“I couldn’t help it. Bertha made me do it.”
“Bertha? Your Cluster Realms avatar?”
She nodded. “She may be strong, but her intelligence stat sucks.”
“Charles.” Gideon’s voice swooped in warning and Charlie toppled over sideways, resuming the fetal position.
“Shanna dissed my kung fu and I fell for it like a fool. Lord. I’m such a…a geektastrophe,” she wailed.
“Stop that. The role of resident drama queen in this apartment is permanently occupied by moi.” Gideon tapped his lower lip. “You realize what this means?”
She nodded. “I’m doomed.”
“Maybe he’s your match. Ever think of that?”
“Are you nuts?” She snatched the pillow back and tucked it under her chin. “Me and Daniel? It has to be a bug, or an artifact of faking my profile.”
“I don’t know, Charlie.” Lindsay perched on the edge of the coffee table. “I think you should give Daniel a chance.” She took Charlie’s hand. “If you believe you’ll fail before you even start, you’ll…what do you call it?”
“Invalidate the data?” she mumbled into the pillow. “Unduly influence the outcome?”
“Piss in her own pool?” Gideon said around a mouthful of Milano and both women groaned. “Lin has a point. You need to go into this in good faith. For pity’s sake, Charles, it’s not rocket science.”
“Rocket science was easier. I got an A in that.” She shivered, hugging the pillow tighter. “And when I lose? Even if Shanna the Annihilator doesn’t pull my name from consideration for the job, once she trumpets her win to the world, AGS will find out I’m the Fail Whale of digital matchmaking. They won’t let me empty their trash, let alone head their analytics department.”
“Then you’ll simply have to win.” He dusted cookie crumbs off his fingers. “All you need is the correct preparation and a stellar street team. I, king of the bar hookup, will turn you into a flirting machine. And Lindsay, who could make a dishrag and a tarpaulin look like haute couture, will handle your wardrobe.”
He rolled up his shirt sleeves and took command of Charlie’s laptop. “Thirty days, eh? A tight project timeline, but not undoable.” His fingers flew over the keyboard in a rapid rat-a-tat. “I’ve bookmarked a dozen websites. Study. Commit to memory. And then, my dearie-dear,” Gideon’s grin sent a spike of alarm down Charlie’s back, “we go live with Charlie Forrester 2.0.”
Author Bio
E.J. Russell returned to her childhood love of writing fiction after her twin sons learned to drive and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class. Her daily commute now consists of walking from one side of her office to the other — from left-brain day job to right-brain author cave. Her stories include gay and straight characters because her life includes gay and straight characters (as does everyone’s). E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.
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