Blog Tour: Smartasses: A Sexy Nerd Rom Com Anthology + Review & Excerpt!

 

There’s nothing better than a sexy nerd!

Except maybe 12 of them!

Smartasses, an all fun and flirty, romantic comedy anthology from 12 bestselling authors, is out now!

Because what's hotter than a sexy nerd?

Twelve of your favorite Rom Com authors bring you a new anthology
celebrating geeking out and falling in love.

Featuring Smartass Stories by:

Avery Flynn
Erin Mallon
Helena Hunting
Jana Aston
Jiffy Kate
Karen Grey
Kayley Loring
Krystyna Allyn
Penny Reid
Sara Ney
Sonali Dev
Susannah Nix

Fall in love today for 99 cents! 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vjxI8y 

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/Smartasses 

Apple Books: https://apple.co/38A9rDc 

Nook: https://bit.ly/3E4yPge 

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3jwNjvK 

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3cY1fyQ 

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3drYVAx

 Nook Paperback: https://bit.ly/3Ak0zxd 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3QE27Hn

 ***Smartasses Anthology is available for 99 cents until August 30th! Keep reading for a look inside Smartasses: a Sexy Nerd Anthology! 

NOT JUST A CRUSH by Helena Hunting 

The blustery wind pushes me through the door and causes a swirl of flakes to follow me. As soon as I’m clear of the door, she tries to close it. But the wind is strong, and she’s . . . tiny. The kind of tiny I associate with the girl on top of the cheerleader pyramid or those creepy semilife-sized dolls they sell in department stores. It’s clear she’s using her full weight against the door, yet she’s losing the battle. I lift a hand over her head—I don’t have to reach high to accomplish that—and push it closed. She stumbles forward a couple of steps, and her toe catches on the doormat. She recovers herself and spins around, her face a shade of pink I associate with embarrassment. She takes three large steps to the side, putting a few feet of distance between us. She pushes her glasses up her nose and glances from the door to me and back again. “Good fucking God, are you part bear? You’re huge.” Her hands flail around in the air, then find each other, then part again. “Maybe you’re just small?” I offer. My breath puffs out in the air with each exhale, and so does hers. It’s freezing in here. Which explains why she’s wearing a parka, a beanie, a scarf, and a pair of giant mittens. All in matching shades of pink. She looks like a chewed-up wad of bubblegum with a face and limbs. “Having trouble with the fire, then, Princess?” I motion to the hearth where the fire sits unlit. She crosses her arms. “My name is Dahlia, not princess.” “Dahlia?” I echo. I inspect her closer. It can’t be . . . Dahlia is not a common name. Tiny Dahlias with long, dark wavy hair and almondshaped eyes so dark it’s nearly impossible to see where her iris ends and her pupils begin seem even more rare. But the odds seem . . . implausible. “Yeah. Like the flower.” She pushes her glasses up her nose again with her mittened hand and goes back to crossing her arms. And I stand there, like an idiot, and keep staring. Because it is her. Dahlia Forest. Seriously, that’s her name. And I had the biggest fucking crush on her in high school. Like seriously, the biggest fucking crush. But I was on the football team, and she was a mathlete. We ran in different circles. I was a giant asshole with even bigger asshole friends, and she was a gorgeous nerd. One of my best friends back then, who I still talk to now, used to make fun of her all the time. It was juvenile. And dickish. I didn’t participate, but I also didn’t stop him. Which makes me just as bad, if not even worse. So far, she hasn’t recognized me. It’s been four years. Maybe she won’t recognize me at all. Maybe I wasn’t on her radar in high school. Maybe she was too busy being a fucking genius to notice the jocks. Although she did tutor a couple of my teammates along the way. I realize I haven’t replied to the whole flower comment or responded in general. “Looks like you had some trouble starting the fire.” I thumb over my shoulder. “I never got the fire-making badge in Girl Scouts.” I can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic. “Have you unpacked anything yet?” Man, my conversation skills need a serious workout. “No, I was too busy trying to earn my fire-making badge.” Her nose is pink from the cold, and her cheeks are already flushed, but the way she ducks her head tells me she’s pretty damn embarrassed by her lack of fire- making ability. I nod once. “All right. Well, let’s grab your bag and get you out of here.” “Out of here?” she parrots. “Yeah. I’ll take you back to town. Set you up at the motel.” I take my gloves off because my hands are starting to sweat. The great thing about my jacket is that it keeps me warm in subzero temps. The bad part is that now that I’m no longer facing -30 degrees and a face full of snow, I’m over here sweating my balls off even though it’s pretty freaking frigid in here. “Motel?” Her nose wrinkles. “Why can’t I stay here?” “You can, but they’re gonna close the roads soon, and when they do that, you’ll be stuck here until they open them again.” “Close the roads?” Apparently, she’s trying out for the role of parrot tonight. “Yeah. Unless you missed it, there’s a blizzard happening out there. We’re getting another twelve to eighteen inches between tonight and tomorrow afternoon. If I don’t get you off the side of this mountain soon, we’re both going to be stuck here until the storm is over and they’ve had a chance to plow the roads.” “Oh, my God. How long will that be?” I shrug. “Could be a couple of days, could be a week.” “A week?” Her tone is dog whistle shrill. “It’s a big fucking storm.”

Review:

3.5-4 stars

****

 Smartasses: A Sexy Nerd Rom Com Anthology is a cute anthology with each story featuring a hot nerd. The anthology has stories from some of my favorite authors, including Avery Flynn, Erin Mallon, Helena Hunting, Jana Aston, Jiffy Kate, Karen Grey, Kayley Loring, Krystyna Allyn, Penny Reid, Sara Ney, Sonali Dev, and Susannah Nix. There were many stories I really enjoyed in this anthology and a few I did not like as much. But, overall, I enjoyed this anthology. Here are my thoughts on the stories in this fun anthology:

Attracting Aubrey by Avery Flynn: 3.5 stars. This was a cute story, but it felt a little long and I didn't feel much chemistry.

Showmancing the Bone by Erin Mallon: 2 stars. This story was not my favorite for many reasons, including that it was G rated, cheesy, and kind of bizarre.

Not Just a Crush by Helena Hunting: 3.75 stars. This was really cute and hot. I just wanted more. I felt the ending to be kind of abrupt.

Central Park by Jana Aston: 4 stars. Aww, super cute! One of my favorites from the book. I was left wanting much more and felt the ending was a little abrupt. I would love if this was expanded into a full book.

The Doctor and the Dungeon Master by Jiffy Kate: 3.5 stars. This story was entertaining but a little dry. I liked the story but found the writing style hard to connect with. Still it had a cute ending.

What Happens in Carolina by Karen Grey: 3.25 stars. This had a very cute and off the wall premise. But I found it to be too open ended, was fade to black, and there was not much chemistry.

There is Also a Dog by Kayley Loring: 3.5-3.75 stars. This was a cute story. I did find it a little short and I would have liked the epilogue to not be in the dog's POV. But still enjoyable.

Comic-Compilations by Krystyna Allen: DNF. Unfortunately, this story was just not for me.

Pash No Rash by Penny Reid: 2.5 stars. This was not a bad premise, but it was really just one short, open-ended scene and not really a short story.

Things Liars Fake by Sara Ney: 3.25 stars. This was not a bad story, but the hero was very timid and I found that a turn off. The heroine had to pursue him and I felt they had no chemistry.

The Runaway Bride by Sonali Dev: 4 stars. This was really good. Definitely my favorite from the anthology and very well-written. I just wish the drama had not been OW drama about the hero's ex and hurting the heroine's self esteem and feelings so much.

Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind by Susannah Nix: 3.75 stars. This was a sweet and cute story. The hero had shy guy style and I was digging it.

Overall, I enjoyed this anthology and found it entertaining. Who doesn't love a hot nerd!? I enjoyed the stories and found some new authors!