4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
some moments of hilarity but......, October 24, 2006
This review is from: Nerds Like It Hot (Mass Market Paperback)
Gillian McCormick is generally a shy, retiring Hollywood makeup artist but when she witnesses a murder committed by the stepson of a Mafia boss, she knows it is time to go into hiding. Her elderly-only-in-age friend, Cora, convinces her the best disguise is to mimic the flamboyant Marilyn Monroe while escaping on a cruise designated for nerds. Cora enlists the help of private investigators, Lex Manchester and Dante Fiorello, as bodyguards who must pose as nerds. Meanwhile, the murderer, Neil Rucker, has a disguise of his own- his secret lifestyle has everyone convinced he is the sinfully sexy Nancy Roth. What will happen when this bizarre cast of characters sets sail on the nerd cruise?
NERDS LIKE IT HOT has some moments of sheer ingenuity. The scenes involving the cross-dressing Neil Rucker/Nancy Roth were entertaining for the most part. Nancy's character, while bizarre to the extreme, was perhaps the strongest and best developed of all of the characters. Neil Rucker simply paled in comparison. However, one scene in particular between Nancy and Jared Stevenson, the organizer of the cruise, was a bit over-the-top and seemed unnecessary. The concept of a female impersonator as the stepson of a top Mafia boss was hilarious overall, though, and had this reviewer laughing through several incidents.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book isn't as funny and seemed almost like a farce. Gillian's metamorphosis into Marilyn Monroe wasn't believable nor was Lex's regression into nerdiness. While the physical chemistry between the two characters is evident, the story drags and this reviewer had difficulty caring about their romance as their personalities seemed to be more of a gag than showing real depth.
NERDS LIKE IT HOT displays some flashes of the comical lightheartedness for which Vicki Lewis Thompson is well known. The premise of the book had promise, but unfortunately the story seemed too long. Perhaps a shorter format would have made NERDS LIKE IT HOT more enjoyable.
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your $$, August 23, 2006
This review is from: Nerds Like It Hot (Mass Market Paperback)
I've read all the books in the Nerd series, and this is definitely the worst. I struggled to even finish the book. The characters weren't believable at all. The plot was shaky, at best. This book was very disappointing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A pretty good edition to the Nerd series, June 15, 2007
This review is from: Nerds Like It Hot (Mass Market Paperback)
On one level, I really did enjoy the book, but on another, it was just average.
The first VLT book I read was her third Nerd book, Nerd Gone Wild, which I absolutely adored. It was just such a new, unique concept. Most romance books tend to have perfect hero and heroines, but in the Nerd books, VLT gives you some nerdy traits. They're not hardcore nerds, the guys still have some alpha-male traits, and the females are still sexy and pretty. They're just geeky. It's still a great concept. I also enjoy VLT's writing. She writes some great sex scenes, and her language is very readable and fitting modern young adults. The characters think and talk like your average young person. It's nice to read. Plus, she's got a great sense of humor.
So I loved Nerd Gone Wild and went and got her two previous Nerd books, and since then have bought her next ones as soon as they came out. And while I enjoyed all of them, for the most part, the uniqueness wears off, and the whole idea gets a little old. Even so, Nerds Like It Hot was still pretty fun to read. This book, and the Nerd series as a whole, are just fun, light-hearted reads.
Character and romance wise on this one, I don't really have any complaints. I liked all the characters, and the romance - while not particularly cute or sappy - was nice. I believed the chemistry between them. The plot made sense and worked. I loved the whole Nerd-themed cruise idea and how she worked it into the book. That was fantastic. I wouldn't have minded more of that part of the story. And all the supporting characters were great. I loved Cora.
I had perhaps two complaints overall with the book. The first being the lack of any sort of guessing as to who was after Gillian. You know right off the bat who the bad guy is, and you know exactly how he plans to go after her. VLT even does POV scenes with the bad guy that let you know before hand exactly how he plans to attack her. It took any suspense out of the book. I think it would have worked better if she'd been more vague in that area so that the readers had more to ponder and guess about. And I could have done without all those in-depth scenes about the antagonist's activities
My second complaint is just a preference for me. I would have liked to see more down-time scenes between Gillian and Lex. Most of their time together was very specific and generally plot or sex oriented. They didn't have any sort of casual scenes where they just talked to each other or got to know each other. I think if they'd done that, it would have made the possibility of a lasting relationship between Gillian and Lex make just a bit more sense because really, a lot of their relationship was based on some heavy-duty sexual chemistry. If they'd known each other more thoroughly, I would have minded the ending quite so much, or thought it was just a little too abrupt.
Basically, and enjoyable, fun read. Probably what someone would call a "beach read". It's not meant to be serious or plot-y. It's hot and funny with a smidge of suspense. If you've read any of her other Nerd books, you'll like this one.
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