Nerd Meets Curvy
by
A.C. James
Paranormal Romance / Shifters
Publisher: Swoon Worthy
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
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SYNOPSIS:
Coralie dreads starting over, but Mystic River beckons her home like a siren's call. Armed with determination and a toolkit full of DIY magic, Coralie sets out to revive her grandmother's worn-down house. If anyone can breathe new life into the old walls, it's her. And with lifelong friendships awaiting her, she has a support system as sturdy as a bear shifter's embrace.
Little does she know that her homecoming will launch her into the wildest roller coaster ride of midlife dating and a mating bond that makes her head spin faster than a tornado. Coralie certainly hadn't signed up for this level of excitement, but here she was, courtesy of the enigmatic mastermind herself, Mrs. Wilde. The queen of matchmaking and the architect of the notorious Peculiar Hearts Dating Agency promises Coralie a spicy rebound for her upcoming high school reunion.
Enter Jax, a scorching hot bear shifter haunted by a love that's gripped him since high school. Just when he finally has a shot at settling down, a pesky ex-harpy swoops in, flapping her wings and causing more drama than a forest full of squawking birds. Tired of the chaos, this bear is ready to throw in the towel and hibernate for good!
But as they say, fate has a wicked sense of humor.
Beneath the surface of his chance to make things right and rewrite history are secrets that could detonate like a ticking time bomb, threatening to shatter their fragile bond. Coralie holds a haunting secret buried deep within her heart. It shapes the choices that molded her into the fierce, curvy woman she is today. As for Jax, his past is a murky labyrinth of pain and darkness. Lives and love swing on a high-stakes pendulum as danger closes in.
Can Coralie and Jax beat the odds, untangle the mystery of the danger stalking them, and build a future that defies the limits of their pasts?
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READ AN EXCERPT:
Coralie smoothed her hair, taking a deep breath to gather her courage before rapping her knuckles against the door. This whole situation was stupid-crazy, maybe even certifiably insane. She couldn’t believe she allowed Jessie to convince her to go along with it. She mentally questioned her sanity and wondered how she always found herself in these absurd situations.
The door swung open, revealing a pint-sized dynamo with a fabulous white bob that would make Cruella de Vil jealous. Except this woman’s hair was tinged with a hot pink streak, and her beaming smile could power a small city.
“Well, hello there, honey! I’m Eleanora, but you can call me Elle. And goodness gracious, you’re even more stunning than Jessie’s wild exaggerations. Step right in, my dear. I was just about to have a cup of tea. Care to join me?”
Following Eleanora’s lead, she found herself in the heart of the home—the kitchen. The bubbling pot on the stove released a fragrant symphony of tea leaves.
Eleanora gestured towards a chair with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Darlin’, have a seat, and let’s tame those wild thoughts with some good ol’ tea magic. Milk, sugar, or a dash of devilishness?”
Before Coralie could respond, Eleanora poured two cups with practiced precision. She handed Coralie a cup, the warmth radiating through the porcelain. “Here you go, love. Sip away your worries.”
Coralie’s nod was accompanied by the comforting warmth of the teacup cradled in her hands.
“Thanks,” she murmured, cautiously taking a sip from the oversized cup. The rich, flavorful tea danced across her taste buds, offering a soothing embrace like a warm hug on a chilly day.
REVIEW:
5 stars!
Great introduction to this sexy new paranormal romance
series!
Nerd Meets Curvy is the first book in author A.C.
James’s sexy new paranormal romance series, the Peculiar Hearts Dating
Agency, and it is a wonderful start, featuring shifters and other supernatural
types, and hits the right notes and emotions. The engaging main characters are
both vulnerable, having recently ended awful relationships, and I was glued to
the story to see if this second chance at love would help heal their wounded
souls.
Coralie has returned to her hometown of Mystic River after
leaving a physically abusive relationship, and the author carefully ensures
readers understand what she went through, how it affected her and others, and
the appropriate actions that she took. Violence is described as part of the story,
so readers sensitive to this should be forewarned. Jax, on the other hand,
experienced a different manifestation of abuse by his harpy girlfriend, Bex, an
almost crippling case of emotional manipulation. I liked that these two had
been attracted to each other as teenagers and that neither had been able to
muster up the courage to make their feelings known to the other, and I hoped
from the get-go that they would be able to make this work.
As this is the first book in the series, quite a few
characters are introduced whose backstories are brushed upon. Some are
additional members of Jax’s clan, but there are other animal shifters, as well
as a harpy and a witch, to name a few. My guess is some will feature in their
own story at some point in the series’ future, and I’m really looking forward
to following up on this. I loved the whole premise of Mrs. Wilde being this
gifted matchmaker to the supernatural. In the case of Coralie and Jax, though, she
did have help in pairing these two up from their friends, Jessie and Mason. Their
meeting and courtship were fun, flirty, and oh-so-sexy. Yes, it seemed a little
insta-love, perhaps, but these two weren’t coming from the stranger zone. They
had that sweet puppy love past embedded in their psyche, which I felt put them
on the immediate fast track.
Besides the sexy, romantic vibe, the story has a constant
edge of suspense that kept Coralie and Jax (and me) looking over their
shoulders. They could immediately sense someone was watching them. Then, when bad
things start happening, the tension escalates even further, and it definitely
kept me up late and turning pages!
I recommend NERD MEETS CURVY to paranormal romance readers,
especially those fond of storylines featuring shifters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author A.C. James writes paranormal romance and erotica, including Eternal Ever After (rebranded as Eternal Lover), featured in the bestselling Spice Box anthology. Her Ever Dark Immortals Series, which begins with Eternal Lover, has been described as “brimming with sensuality” and “romantic and sizzling hot.” The Isle of the Horse Shifters series starts with Ride: Awakening and is “lighthearted,” that is a “joy ride from beginning to end.”
She resides in the Philadelphia suburbs with her adoring husband Ron (aka Mr. A.C. James), who loves her imaginative yarns and punny sense of humor. She’s also a domestic violence advocate and discusses intimate partner violence and addiction to raise awareness on social media and through her writing. Many of her books include themes like alcoholism or addiction. If you love books that feature underdogs and redemption, her stories will capture your heart.
She spends most of her time drinking large vats of coffee while wrangling kids by day and writing by night. Recovering video game beta tester and tech geek who grew up going to cons and watching SmackDown. There’s probably some cosplay pictures around somewhere of her dressed up as Bloodberry from Saber Marionette J. Just don’t tell anyone.
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