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Review

4.5 Awesome stars

“Do you always talk like that?”
“Like what? Like awesome?”
“Yeah, like awesome.”

I loved this first part of the Elements of Chemistry series. Leave it to Penny Reid to give us a smart, funny, sweet but just-a-little-bit wicked NA romance. It sucked me in from the very first page, and I devoured it.

Kaitlyn and Martin have been chemistry lab partners for two semesters. Their interactions are purely academic, but they have both secretly lusted over each other from the day they first met. Complete opposites, Kaitlyn is sweet, naïve and nerdy, while Martin is a gorgeous, athletic, popular billionaire playboy.

Martin Sandeke, unrepentant man-whore extraordinaire and kind of a jerkfacedbully.
Martin Sandeke, my year-long chemistry lab partner and all around most unobtainable person in the universe; who I never spoke to except to ask for beakers, relay findings, and request modifications to the heat level of my Bunsen burner.
And by Bunsen burner I meant, literally, my Bunsen burner. Not the figurative Bunsen burner in my pants. Because I hoped Martin Sandeke had no idea that he affected the heat levels of my figurative Bunsen burner.

There is a definite spark between them and we are dropped right into the story at the point where Martin decides it’s time to finally make his move.

I love that the story begins on such a high note. With just a little bit of backstory, Martin’s seduction of Kaitlyn is instantly exciting. Both hot and heartfelt, he works hard to break down her barriers and convinces her to join him for a week away during spring break so they can get to know each other better. She’s inexperienced, and scared to get involved with the known player, and I love that she’s unfailingly honest with him about how she’s feeling.

“You’ll make me cry.”
His eyes widened a little, moved between mine. “I wouldn’t.”
“You would. I’ve seen it, I see how you treat girls.”
His hand at my waist tightened. “I wouldn’t do that to you. You’re not – I know you’re not like that. We wouldn’t be that.”
“I don’t trust you.”
He sighed, but not with impatience. “I know.” He nodded. “But you will.”

But he does make her all tingly and, with a bit of convincing (HOT!), she agrees.

He growled, “Say it. Spend the week with me.”
I moaned, because…aroused.

And so, they’re off to a private beach on an exclusive island with her best friend and his rowing buddies for a week where they will get to know each other and explore the possibility of a relationship. This first instalment covers the lead up to, and the first few days of their time away and it provides a fantastic beginning to what I’m sure is going to be a great story.

I’m already in love with these characters, and I particularly love Kaitlyn! She’s highly intelligent, delightfully nerdy, unrepentantly honest and has a dry sense of humour. She’s confident in who she is and absolutely charming, and I found her perspective really refreshing. Each little interaction between her and Martin is absolute gold! Even when it’s not romantic, just their conversations had me giggling.

“Where are we going?”
… “Just this place I know with a waterfall and a cave. It’s part of the estate, so no one uses it.”
“How nice,” I said … “We have a garage at my house. It holds a car and some of my dad’s tools.”
Martin glanced at me, equal parts amused and confused. “Oh?”
“Yes. And a hammock in the back yard.”
“Is that so…”
“Yeah.”
“So no waterfalls?”
“No. But this one time, when it rained a lot, the gutter broke. That was similar to a waterfall.”

But there is romance, and it’s gorgeous! Martin is obviously more experienced than Kaitlyn -“The blood of a thousand virgins has been sacrificed at the altar of his sexual prowess” – and though he may tease her, and there are definitely some steamy moments, he’s willing to go slow to make sure she’s comfortable with what’s happening between them. But he is also new to the whole relationship thing, so it’s a bit of a learning curve for the both of them and they still have a lot they need to figure out.

And then there’s that ending – WTF IS GOING ON??? OMG, I’m so…. AARRRGHHHHH!!!! Going straight on to book 2

Can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

I loved it – 4.5 stars.

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Elements of Chemistry series