In this installment of Vicky Lewis Thompson's "Nerd" series, a movie star-Zoe Tarleton-is paired up with token nerd, Flynn Granger, a Hollywood contract attorney.

Zoe spirits Flynn to a small town to give her nerd lessons for a role she hopes to land. When they arrive in a Bigfoot-crazed area, strange things happen. Is a blueberry cobbler supposed to foam up in the garbage disposal? And what about killer bees and crashing trees? This story promises hot romance with a thrilling hint of danger.

Promises and hints only take a reader so far. "Gone with the Nerd" gets high marks for premise, but low marks for believability. The two main characters in this book are fraught with contradictions. Zoe acts the selfish diva one minute, and is suffused with morals the next. Even in a fast-paced romance, it's hard for me to believe she falls hard for her attorney after mere hours, despite knowing him five years; and vice-versa with Flynn.

Flynn, the nerd, isn't as nerdy as one might expect. Wearing glasses does not a nerd make. As a woman married to a true nerd, I can attest that Flynn barely qualifies, especially after the book concludes. Flynn's motivations for being with Zoe are understandable for any hot-blooded male, but a nerd wouldn't handle it nearly so well. My husband agrees that Flynn would not be accepted into Club Nerd.

A reader may also be put off by how Zoe and Flynn deal with their morals considering his impending engagement to his girlfriend. Romance readers like their heroes and heroines to be heroic, but these two come up short, even if these issues are "resolved" at the end (which a romance reader expects). And if they are not behaving as they normally would outside of this weekend adventure, how can they really expect to be ready to get married after two days?

In the end, if you enjoy steamy romps that end happy, it's a decent read. However, if you are distracted by double standards and inconsistent behavior, there are many other reading choices available. C.W.

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