Her Best Shot by Shannyn Schroeder Pages: 130
Published by eKensington on September 29, 2014
Series: Hot & Nerdy Trilogy #1
Genres: contemporary, Fiction, New Adult, Romance
Source: eARC from Publisher
With college graduation looming, three childhood friends vow to make spring break their last blast of pure fun. But at least one of them didn’t count on such incredible heat…
Layla Sharpe is definitely more math ninja than bikini babe, and her future has been calculated with razor precision. Convinced to let loose over spring break, Layla is finally ready to party—until her car breaks down halfway to her destination, leaving her stranded in Georgia with a mouthwateringly hot pool shark. She knows more than enough about angles to learn the game, but this week she wants him to appreciate her curves…
Phin Marks has never met a girl like Layla. She’s more Star Wars geek than seductress, and when he offers her a place to stay while her car is in the shop, he’s counting on the attraction between them to set the nights ablaze, no strings attached. But every moment he spends with Layla makes it harder to let her go. Can he persuade her to gamble in the most dangerous way possible…on forever?
Her Best Shot is the first book in the new adult Hot & Nerdy trilogy by Shannyn Schroeder. I love so many things about the way this trilogy is set up. First, I love that the books are releasing each within a month of each other- at the ends of September, October and November of 2014. That is perfect for people that don’t like waiting long in between books. Second, the books are told in dual narrative between each of the main guys and girls and I think you all know by now that is my favorite story telling narrative method. and Third, the trilogy follows a group of three friends. The books are each of their stories, BUT the cool part is that each of the books take place in roughly the same time period. For example, Her Best Shot is the story of Layla and Phin. Layla was on her way to spend spring break with her friend Felicity when her car broke down and she met Phin. The third book, Her Winning Formula is Felicity’s story and it takes place on their spring break trip that Layla was supposed to go on. What a cool concept right? I can’t wait to read the second and third books and see how they all fit together.
Ok, now let’s talk some more about Her Best Shot. As I mentioned, it is the story of Layla and Phin. Layla is super smart. She picks up on things almost immediately, she loves to be in control and she hates losing at things. She is beyond your average nerd. I mean, she goes to MIT and the book starts out with her getting a job as a code analyst. Phin could not be more different, where Layla likes to calculate odds and plan her moves out ahead, Phin is much more a fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. And this is defiantly a story of opposites attract. Most of the book takes place over 1 week so the attraction is pretty instant. They moved a bit fast for my tastes, but it was clear to see that they had a real connection. But Layla had a panic attack and did a complete 180 of her personality at one point. I was kind of thrown. I wish we had gotten a little bit more insight into her panic attacks so that I could understand her drastic mindset change a little better. It was a strange point in the story too, and while I completely detested Phin’s method, I actually think what he did to Layla was for the best. She was about to make a huge mistake in my opinion. It was right around this time in the story where everything stopped being predictable and started getting a whole lot more interesting. I really didn’t know where the author was going to take us next and I was so excited to find out.
Her Best Shot is a quick read. At under 200 pages it felt more like a very short story than a novella. It was fleshed out and felt complete, which is impressive for its’ length. The only thing I wish there was more of was some background on Layla’s panic attacks and then the outcome of the tournament! I want to know who wins! haha. Her Best Shot is perfect for when you are looking for a quick, pick me up read. The romance is great and the characters are likable. But like I said before, the real winner here is how Shannyn Schroeder structured the trilogy. I just love that all of the stories take place in the same time frame. I can’t wait to meet Layla’s friends and see what they were up to while she was off falling for Phin. The Hot & Nerdy series is a very cool concept, one that I would like to see more of in New Adult.
Hot & Nerdy Trilogy
Her Best Shot #1
Her Perfect Game #2
Her Winning Formula #3
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kindlemom1
I love all the points you listed for this series, definitely all bonuses to read it!