Review: Takes more than a rocket scientist to understand love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2013
Full rating breakdown at [...]This one took us by surprise – mostly because the book blurb only hints at the possibility of the book having a BDSM side. I’m sure this will take some readers by surprise as well, and some may not appreciate it or be shocked when a very sweet story suddenly takes a shocking twist.We, however, liked it, and it was all because the two characters – Ivan and Cami – were wonderfully written, enjoyably unique and had a wonderful chemistry.Cami and Ivan both work at a nearby university. Cami creates scripts for research and Ivan is an astrophysicist (yes, he’s a rocket scientist!) But, as Cami finds out, it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand love – because Ivan is completely clueless. Ivan’s character was so much fun to read and so very interesting. He is socially inept, something he asks Cami to help him with, and may suffer from borderline OCD and/or Aspergers. Cami, on the other hand, is also a bit socially awkward but is also patience, kind and open.  Together, they form a really unique friendship that leads into more than either bargained for.The BDSM elements hit about 35% in to the book. It’s a side of Ivan that neither Cami or the reader is prepared for. This is also where the style takes a bit of a dive. There are several BDSM explanatory info-dumps done through Ivan’s dialogue, making the book feel a little bit like a BDSM 101 textbook. It does, however, let the reader gain a comfort level and also gives more insight into Ivan’s complex character.Cami decides to be open and give Ivan a chance – both because she is curious and because she has fallen for him. Love is about trust, openness and being willing to explore new things – very parallel to BDSM. Cami isn’t just the trainee, though. Outside the bedroom, she is teaching Ivan how to deal with social situations. She finds a way to use Ivan’s Dominant BDSM side to serve as a common ground to help Ivan understand social situations. It’s a rather interesting dynamic and made the story unique.If you are open to giving BDSM a chance, I highly recommend this story. If you are a bit meh on the whole BDSM or erotica angle, you should read it for the story and great characters. If BDSM and erotic intimacy isn’t your thing, you may want to pass.  The book is free (at the time of this post), however, so you may just decide to give it a chance like Cami did.