“You’re better looking than Hugh Jackman. You’d make a better Wolverine too. You’re an animal in bed.” – Jena Wade
Author: Jena Wade
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 94 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: Meek and mild Bruce Collins decides to set aside his life in technical support for the evening and try a wild night on the town. Self-described nerd Bruce meets suave Westley Taylor at a club, but the night doesn’t go as planned. When they run into each other the next day, Bruce is determined to get the details right and finish what they started. Westley is impressed and invites Bruce on date after date. Bruce figures they’re technically dating and might even be in a relationship, until he accidentally overhears a phone message intended for Westley. Every aspect of their time together comes into question. Now, it’s time for Westley to set the facts straight.
Review: Sometimes a short book doesn’t quite cut it…you don’t have a chance to get to know the characters, there isn’t enough story, it’s often unbelievable, or insta-love that doesn’t always work…but, Jena Wade’s Technically Dating didn’t fall into any of these traps. This was 94 pages of very likeable characters and a super cute story that left me wanting more in a good way.
I really enjoyed the set-up in this book. In the opening scene, Westley has gone to a club looking for “Mr. Right-for-the-night”, and shares a sexy dance with Bruce. The dance is hot and Bruce is even hotter. He seems ultra-smooth and knows just what he’s doing when he asks Westley to come home with him, but when Westley runs into him the next day at work, he is nothing like the confident man from the night before. They are able to get past the initial awkwardness, though, and begin dating.
As I said above, I really enjoyed these characters. Bruce is intelligent, a MASSIVE comic book geek, and aside from the confidence he possesses in the bedroom, is adorably unaware of how sexy he is. I would love it, actually, if the author would re-visit these guys at some point and give us more of Bruce’s backstory. She only slightly touches on this other ‘persona’ that he takes on when he goes out looking for some action, and also makes brief references to the difficult time he had in high school. In other words, it would be nice to get into his head a bit more. Westley also has a good head on his shoulders, and seems to know exactly what he wants out of life. He is taken with Bruce right away, and I loved that he was never afraid to show his interest or let himself seem vulnerable.
There is a conflict in the book – as all good books have to some degree – and though I did have a bit of “Man, why are guys so lame sometimes? Why can’t they just talk?” going through my head, I felt like it was just the right amount of drama. Also, the pacing of the story was great. Nothing happened too quickly, and the time jumps that were put in worked perfectly to move the story along. And, I definitely enjoyed the end… and loved the epilogue!!! That fun scene could have definitely been a bit longer!!
This was a perfect Sunday afternoon read. I would absolutely recommend it – especially if you’re looking for a great little novella! :)
You can buy Technically Dating here:
