Even though "The Hookup Equation" is the fourth book in a series, it is a complete standalone, so readers (like me) who have not yet read the earlier stories will not feel lost at all by starting here. I really enjoyed meeting some of the characters from the earlier books, however, and plan to go back and read them now.
About "The Hookup Equation"
Teach me everything.
The Hookup Equation, an all-new romantic comedy that is “filled to the brim with laughs and emotion” from Roxie Noir, is available now!
My whole life, I’ve been a good girl. I follow rules like nobody’s business. I obey guidelines like I was born to it. Show me a line, and I’ll toe it.
I’m even a twenty-two-year-old virgin. Good is my middle name.
And then, I break one tiny little rule. Miniscule. Inconsequential.
Next thing I know, I’m trapped with an incredibly handsome stranger. He’s got eyes like cut emeralds, biceps that makes my head spin, and a smile that has me rethinking all my life choices.
We escape a bar bathroom together. We go on an impromptu date. We share the hottest kiss I’ve ever had, one that leaves me panting for more. We promise to see each other again.
Turns out, we see each other the next morning.
In my calculus class.
Which he’s teaching.
My handsome, sexy date is Professor Loveless, and we’ll be seeing each other plenty. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all semester.
There’s no choice but to call it off. We both have too much at stake: I could lose my scholarship, and he could lose his entire career.
But I can’t call off the way I feel.
I can’t call off the way he looks when he rolls up his sleeves and explains imaginary numbers.
I can’t call off the heated glances, or the way our hands touch when I hand in my homework, or the memory of his body pressing against mine that night.
I’m a virgin.
He’s my professor.
And if we give in, it could cost us both everything.
But I’m so tired of being a good girl.
Read an Excerpt from "The Hookup Equation"
“I’m sorry I was a jerk on Friday night,” I start over, moving closer. “I still think that what I said was valid, but I didn’t have to —"
He steps closer, leans in.
“—I didn’t have to be an asshole about it,” I say into his ear.
“I think I deserved it,” he says. His lips brush my ear, and my eyes flutter closed.
Don’t, I tell myself. Don’t do a single thing that isn’t apologizing for your behavior.
As if I didn’t seek him out. As if I didn’t drag him into this tiny, cramped back staircase.
“No, you were right,” I tell him, automatically reaching out, steadying myself against his shoulder. “I found you at the banquet. I kissed you later. I gave you a bottle of wine.”
“But I’m the one who should know better,” he says, and then his hand is on mine, holding it against his warm chest. My heart beats harder, faster.
“You think I don’t?”
“I shouldn’t be giving you rides and walking you home,” he goes on. “Pretending that those things are perfectly fine and innocent, because they’re not.”
We shift in the tiny space and suddenly our bodies are touching from shoulder to hip, the jolt of his heat like an electric current.
“We shouldn’t be seeing each other at all,” I tell him, even as I close my eyes, press myself into him so softly I can tell myself I’m not doing anything, my lips millimeters from his ear.
“No,” he says. “The more I see you the harder it is to pretend I don’t like you.”
A hand on my hip, his fingers touching bare skin above my too-small shorts.
“And the harder it is to pretend I don’t want you,” he whispers.
My heart’s beating so hard and fast that it feels like my ribcage is rattling in my body. Outside and from above, the organ hums thickly, surrounding us.
“What if it were my fault?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
I know I should walk away. I know that. I know my coworker Nathaniel got expelled for sexual misconduct and while I have no intention of making porn, I’m fairly certain that sleeping with my professor also falls into that category.
I know he could get fired and his career could be over.
I know a million things wrong with this scenario, and not one of them stops me.
“I mean,” I say, and plant a kiss on his neck, right below his jaw. His fingers curl into my spine.
“What if —" another kiss, higher up, “— it were my fault?”
The last kiss lands on his jawline, right below his ear, my fingers now woven through his hair, his slight stubble sharp on my lips.
He moves his hand until his palm is flat on my back, in the space between the shorts and my vest, underneath the jacket I’m still wearing. He swallows hard, his breath on my neck.
Then his hand is on my face, his thumb stroking my jaw, and he pulls me back, his green eyes nearly black in the dark, his lips parted, his gaze roaming my face. I don’t breathe. I don’t think my heart beats.
And he kisses me.
My Review
I loved "The Hookup Equation" by Roxie Noir. I'm not usually a fan of romances featuring forbidden relationships between professors and students, but the book description was very compelling, so I decided to give it a chance. I'm so happy I did because this book was well-written and engaging, and all of the characters were realistic and endearing. I was also a bit concerned because "The Hookup Equation" is the fourth book in a series and I hadn't read any of the previous books prior to starting this one, but fortunately it reads as a complete standalone and I didn't feel lost at all.
Based on the book's description and the main characters' hilarious first meeting in a bar bathroom, I was expecting a lighthearted and amusing story. It certainly did have its share of lighter moments, but there was also a tremendous amount of depth, well beyond what I would expect from a typical rom-com. The story deals with some very serious subjects in addition to the romance, including PTSD, drug addiction, tricky family dynamics, and choice/consent, among others. The result was a complex, emotionally layered story that gave me all the feels, and I had a difficult time putting the book down once I started reading.
I enjoyed the banter between main characters Caleb and Thalia, especially during their initial meeting in the bar bathroom. Thalia was endearingly awkward in her conversational efforts, and I was never quite sure what was going to come out of her mouth next! I also appreciated how hard they tried to resist their attraction after they found out about their classroom connection, but it seemed as if they stopped being careful pretty quickly after they finally gave into their feelings. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time, waiting for Thalia and Caleb to get caught, while at the same time hoping they wouldn't because I could tell how much they genuinely cared for each other. Thankfully, they ended up in a good place, but their path to happiness was not an easy one.
Thalia and Caleb were wonderful lead characters, but I also enjoyed getting to know Caleb's brothers and their significant others through their appearances as secondary characters in this story. I am very much looking forward to reading the earlier books in the series to get to know them better, as well as the next book in the series featuring Caleb's brother Seth.
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
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