Her Best Shot

By Shannyn Schroeder

With college graduation looming, three childhood friends vow to make spring break their last blast of pure fun. But at least one of them didn't count on such incredible heat. . .

Layla Sharpe is definitely more math ninja than bikini babe, and her future has been calculated with razor precision. Convinced to let loose over spring break, Layla is finally ready to party—until her car breaks down halfway to her destination, leaving her stranded in Georgia with a mouthwateringly hot pool shark. She knows more than enough about angles to learn the game, but this week she wants him to appreciate her curves. . .

Phin Marks has never met a girl like Layla. She's more Star Wars geek than seductress, and when he offers her a place to stay while her car is in the shop, he's counting on the attraction between them to set the nights ablaze, no strings attached. But every moment he spends with Layla makes it harder to let her go. Can he persuade her to gamble in the most dangerous way possible. . .on forever?

35,000 Words

• Language: English
• Publisher: eOriginals
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781601833334

Reviews for Her Best Shot

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: One MIT girl heading for fun, and one pool shark avoiding trouble, what can go wrong?Opening Sentence: “Layla Sharpe held her composure until she reached her car.”The Review:Layla Sharpe is just about to graduate from MIT, when she makes a call to the NSA about an internship and it turns into a job offer. She calls her friends Felicity and Charlie and they make plans to celebrate over spring break. Layla decides spur of the moment she is going to drive all the way to Texas. While driving there her car breaks down, and she ends up in a bar for drink while waiting to hear how bad it will be, when she notices Phin playing pool with another person. Soon he is offering to help her learn, and help with her car! Then her backpack is stolen and Layla loses all her money.However, Phin comes to the rescue, as he actually works at the place where her car is being fixed, and he offers to let her stay with him. Soon they fall into bed, and Layla falls in love. So does Phin, but he doesn’t want her to make huge changes to her life so he takes some drastic steps to ensure Layla heads back to MIT to graduate. Will they see each other again? Will their love find a way?This was a cute quick read. My guess is the girls in this series are nerdy and hot, and all the guys are a little bit bad and smoking hot! I am not 100%, but that’s the vibe I got from this one. Since I am a bit of a fangirl, I did love this book. It was super cute, and while I am not a fan of instalove, I kind of overlooked it because it was such a good read. I will say I thought it was odd that a girl as smart as Layla would be willing to leave school and make huge life decisions five seconds after meeting a guy.That is my only complaint though, because Phin was a good guy and totally unwilling to have her ruin her life for him. Felicity and Charlie were only minor characters in this one, and I was hoping Layla would actually make it to hang out with them. I wanted to know more and learn more about them, especially since they are the focus for the other books.Notable Scene:“Phin nodded. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking, offering to play with this girl. She had trouble written all over her. He’d noticed her as soon as she entered the room.First, this bar rarely had pretty girls walk through; second, she paid as much attention to the game as she did the players, so he wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for.Her short, dark hair was a mess, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She wore her clothes comfortably, and he liked the Star Wars joke on her shirt. The problem was he’d managed to avoid trouble for a long time. She was different, and that alone caught his attention.”FTC Advisory: eKensington provided me with a copy of Her Best Shot. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[jeracafite · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this free eARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an interesting novel. At first I felt like it was too rushed and the reader wasn't getting the whole story about the characters. And I know it was because the novel is a short one, so the author was trying to cram in as much information as possible. I didn't really connect well with Layla. We are just too different. But I thought it was odd that she was willing to throw everything away based on a panic attack. It was almost like she was still a high schooler deciding that living as a grown up was too much. The idea of Phin being a gypsy was intriguing and I would have liked to have read more about their culture. As it was, this was an okay novel and I read it quickly in one sitting. Glad I got it early and I may just be interested in reading the other books in the series when they are finally released.

[bette_hansen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very entertaining read and the first in a new series. Three friends about to graduate college decide to make this a spring break to remember so they each decide to head to Texas. Layla, attending college at MIT takes off across country making it as far as Atlanta before her car breaks down. Her backpack gets stolen so she has no car, no cash, no place to stay. The hot bad boy she met is more than willing to help her out...

Really a fun read and I would definitely recommend it.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Her Best Shot by Shannyn Schroeder is a scorching hot new adult romance that is fun, flirty and drama free. This first installment in the Hot & Nerdy Trilogy takes place over a few days and focuses mainly on the lead characters' exploration of their sexual attraction but it is still a quick, enjoyable read.

Layla Sharpe is on her way to join her friends for spring break when car trouble leaves her stranded for a few days while she waits on repairs. She is drowning her sorrows in a dive bar when sexy pool player Phin Marks catches her eye. Layla impulsively accepts Phin's offer to crash with him and their smoldering attraction quickly burns out of control.

The characters in Her Best Shot are fairly well developed for a novella. Layla is a smart, sassy and independent heroine but she is wound just a little tight. Phin is charming and easygoing, but he is not very forthcoming about his past. They come from completely different backgrounds but this diversity adds dimension to the characters and the overall plot.

Her Best Shot is a story that requires a suspension of disbelief to fully enjoy. Due to its short length, everything progresses between Layla and Phin at an accelerated rate. They are quick to jump into bed and their lust quickly gives way to love. The only conflict in the story results from Phin's extreme reaction to Layla's unexpected decision about her future. They resolve their problems fairly quickly with little angst but the book's ending feels a bit abrupt.

All in all, Her Best Shot is an entertaining romance with likeable characters. It is a great beginning to Shannyn Schroeder's Hot & Nerdy Trilogy that will leave readers eager for the next installment.

[gengenbookblog · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest review.I have to say I enjoyed reading about Layla's character. At first, I thought "This is going to be one of those books where the girl takes the guy back instantly and it could get boring." Boy, was I wrong. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?Layla went to an internship interview and ended up getting the offer to work. Before starting to work, her friends and her decided to spend Spring Break together over at Texas. Unfortunately, Layla's car broke down and she ended up at a bar, watching Phin play pool. She decides to catch Phin's attention and goes to play pool with him, earning a few lessons from him.Phin is a guy that never stays in one place for long. He lives on his own, without having someone to order him around or dictate his future. At night, Phin goes to different bars and plays pool and it is how he earns a part of his money. He works as a mechanic where he is currently living and decides to help Layla out—even offering her a place to stay.The heat between these two characters is palpable right from the start. They don't waste any time getting things done, if you know what I mean. There's something more between them and once they realize it and Layla is changing her future for Phin, he makes a mistake.And this is where it will be cleared up what I said at the beginning of the review. Phin makes a mistake and Layla walks away for good, at the time. They meet again two months later at a pool tournament and Layla is determined to win the tournament to prove she is good enough at something in life. Phin is desperate to get her back but Layla turns her girl-power on (go, Layla!) and she gives a hard time—makes him sweat for it, which is what I loved about Layla. She didn't immediately fall back into Phin's arms as is expected in every Romance book, so kudos to the author for including this into the story.