Love by the Numbers

Written by Karin Kallmaker

Narrated by Abby Craden

As a behavioral scientist, Professor Nicole Hathaway's work strips away the foolish mystique that surrounds the human mating dance. When her academic tome is treated as a viral "love manual" her ecstatic publisher books her to appear all over the US and Europe. Worse yet, her quiet, managed life has been shattered by a series of incompetent assistants. And she's certain this Lily Smith creature isn't going to be any less a burden than the last assistant they sent her. Or the one before that. Or before that . . .

Lillian Linden-Smith needs this job. With a relentless TV lawyer and public mob still out for her blood for crimes committed by her "American royalty" parents, getting out of the country is her only hope for anonymity. If that means cleaning up and presenting an antisocial know-it-all PhD for bookstores, clubs, and lectures, fine. Dr. Hathaway may have succeeded in driving away all the others, but not this time.

From their first meeting the sparks fly, and each is thinking: She has no idea who she's dealing with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666127720

Karin Kallmaker

Karin Kallmaker's novels span lesbian romance, lesbian erotica and lesbian science-fiction/fantasy. More than five dozen short stories have appeared in anthologies and standalone collections. Her writing career began with the venerable Naiad Press, continues with Bella Books and includes more than two dozen novels in print. In 2008, she joined Bella Books as the press's first Editorial Director. When she isn't writing books she is thinking about books.In previous lives, Karin worked as a non-profit accountant for a senior housing association and a low-income housing lender, and had a brief stint as a document processor on an oil refinery. She is the mother of two teenagers and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner. She is descended from Lady Godiva, a fact which she will tell anyone who will listen,and she likes her chocolate real and her iPod loud.Lambda Literary AwardsWinner, three Lambda Literary Awards for The Kiss that Counted and Maybe Next Time in Lesbian Romance and In Deep Waters 2 in Lesbian Erotica, with multiple additional shortlist nods for Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Erotica and LGBT Science-Fiction Fantasy works.GCLS Goldie AwardsWinner of the Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award for The Kiss that Counted, the 2011 Trailblazer Award, with another six awards won for Frosting on the Cake 2: Second Helpings, Above Temptation, Just Like That and Sugar in Lesbian Romance and 18th & Castro and In Deep Waters 1 for Lesbian Erotica, along with numerous finalists.BookmarksRichards LaBonte - Kallmaker transcends cliche with vivid characterization, logical plotting, and plenty of deep research...Friends and FamilyHer characters are so real you can't help but picture them in your mind...Lambda Book ReportCarol LeMasters - The best romances don't simply evade issues; they offer us another way of dealing with them. After all, the issues with which these women struggle--homophobia, mortality, barriers of age and class--are ones we all encounter. More than enjoyable diversions, they can offer humorous insights into how we conduct relationships and truths we can take with us into "real life." Situations may be cliché but not the authors' treatment of them, and no matter how far-fetched the circumstances, the characters' emotional experiences ring true.

Reviews for Love by the Numbers

[Maria Colonia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

(contains spoilers)
4.5 stars. A friend recommended this and with Abby Craden narrating.. I was really looking forward to this book.

To be honest, it started off a little demotivating.. Turned out I didn't really like the MC Nicole in the beginning and also this had a Goodreads rating below 4.0 and normally I don't read that anymore.

However, once I got into the story and Lily appeared, it got better. And then, with road trip I really really enjoyed the book.

Allow me a short detour. I usually have a lot of books I'm currently reading. One of them is Emily Noon's Aurora's Angel, which I stopped after around two thirds (I plan to finish it someday, this one can't be a DNF) - I loved loved loved the first third of the book, but then it somehow got all about sex and I was really bored and stopped caring. Anyway, why I'm telling this here is because I see a lot of similarities between these two books. Of course Aurora's Angel is a fantasy, and Love by the numbers is a contemporary romance. But otherwise..
The roadtrip.
The MCs, where the one is an anti social introvert, and the other one is as outgoing and extrovert as one can be (funnily, I had a really soft spot for Aurora and didn't really warm up to Evie, whereas it was the opposite with Love by the numbers, where I found Nicole hard to relate to but really liked Lily).

Back to topic. So, I really, really enjoyed this book overall.

One thing I particularly liked was Abby Craden doing British accents. Oh boy. I need more of this.

Why else? Because, I felt this was a character driven story where two people found each other, and it was somehow believable despite eveything. I really loved the places, the pubs, the Brighton lesbian festival. I also loved how the author didn't shy away from having the MCs have one night stands independently from one another and not have them have sex with each other until much later. I actually liked that they found out about each other only around three quarters into the book.

If there's one thing I didn't apreciate, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and.. a bit too much, but I can live with that.