Book Review: The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

Title: The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl
Series: Geek Girls, Book 1
Author: Gina Lamm
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: March 5, 2013 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher...

An avid gamer, Jamie Marten loves to escape into online adventure. But when she falls through an antique mirror into a lavish bedchamber—200 years in the past!—she realizes she may have escaped a little too far.

Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington, has just kicked one mistress out of his bed and isn't looking to fill it with another—least of all this sassy, nearly naked woman who claims to be from the future. Yet something about her is undeniably enticing...

Jamie and Micah are worlds apart. He's a peer of the realm. She can barely make rent. He's horse-drawn. She's Wi-Fi. But in the game of love, these two will risk everything to win.

 

Why We Read this Book:

J9: Thanks for gifting me this book. It certainly had a fun premise! I love the idea of how a modern woman would fare if suddenly thrust into historical times. I’m a historical romance fan so this was of particular interest to me.

Brianna: You are most welcome. I am NOT a reader of historical romance but when I read the premise, it thoroughly intrigued me and I knew I had to give it a try. I just didn’t want to spend $5+ on a book that essentially would be a risk but when I saw it on sale, I had to get it. And I got you a copy because I knew I was going to need you to hold my hand with this book.

 

What We Liked:

Brianna: There were so many hilarious parts in this book! I loved it. Like the “shocking state of undress” in regards to the tank top and short shorts Jamie was wearing when she first arrived in 1816.

J9: LOL, yes! I loved what they all thought of Jamie when they saw her in her modern clothes.

Brianna: It was very interesting to see how people lived back in the early 1800s. No indoor plumbing (no toilet!), no toothbrushes, servants helping the ladies getting bathed and dressed - it was all so different from life today. The things we take for granted. And it was fun to see Jamie’s reactions, which quite honestly, were very similar to my own. It was that connection with Jamie’s character that made me like her even more. And on the flip side, it was also interesting to see Mike’s reaction to technology from Jamie’s life.

J9: I’m more used to historical romances so these kinds of rustic living didn’t surprise me as much as they did you but I loved Jamie’s reaction to them. Her reactions were so realistic from her modesty with having a maid dress her to her strong desire for a toothbrush and toothpaste. And I agree, Mike’s reaction to Jamie’s “proof” that she’s from the future had me giggling because it’s so how someone would react!

Brianna: And speaking of lack of modern items, were there really no condoms around back in the early 1800s? The pull-out method seemed to be commonly used as a form of birth control.

J9: Yep, nothing all too reliable there! Thank goodness for modern family planning and organized feminism that makes birth control possible!

Brianna: Another interesting facet of life in the 19th century were the rules society followed.

• A lady mustn’t ever speak to someone to whom she’s not been properly introduced.
• An unwed lady mustn’t ever appear in public without a chaperone.
• A lady discovered in a compromising position must immediately wed or join a convent.
• Even married couples didn’t touch each other in the presence of other people.

The rules felt so restricting. It’s sad to see how little rights women had back then. It’s as if women needed permission from men to do the silliest of things. I agree with how Jamie felt, she wasn’t worth as much as a person in 1816 as she had been in 2012. Definitely a different time.

J9: I liked that in such a light and humorous novel that the author still managed to convey the difference between women’s roles in 1816 and 2012. She did this while still keeping the tone light and the plot moving.

Brianna: I agree. It was also interesting to see how important society’s impression on you was back then in the 1800s. One’s reputation was extremely valuable and protected at all costs.

J9: This is what I’ve read in other historicals too so I’m assuming authors like this have done their research and that’s how society was back then. I have no knowledge of it since I’m not a scholar of the period but it fit in well with the storytelling and after all, we were reading romance.

Brianna: One reason I liked Jamie’s character is that she didn’t change who she was just to please everyone else around her. She remained true to her character, and though she tested everyone’s patience, it made for good reading.

J9: I agree, Jamie was still the same character at novel’s beginning as ending and I liked that.

Brianna: Some of the dialogue was funny to me. Like “Have you broken your fast?” instead of “Have you eaten breakfast?”.

J9: Again, that’s the contemporary romance reader in you, my friend!

Brianna: Yeah, this was definitely a different reading experience for me!

 

What We Didn’t Like:

Brianna: This is a personal dislike and has nothing to do with the book’s merit but I had to look up so many words in the dictionary! Things like: phaeton, countess, courtesan, chit, bupkes, and modistes, just to name a few (really). Some of the terms and phrases were either pretty easy to understand within the context they were used, or through the help of Jamie’s inquiring mind. But most often I had to look them up and refer to J9. But at the same time, the 1800s were a time when words had greater depth and meaning. Words were spoken with such profound eloquence.

J9: It’s funny how I never even notice that historical romance can have a different vocabulary, likely because my first romances were historicals.

Brianna: See, this is all new to me. And the difference in dialogue is the main thing keeping me away from historical romance.

Another thing I didn’t like was that this was an insta-love romance, which I am not a fan of.

J9: Yep, this was total insta-love. When Jamie had her big epiphany that she loved Mike it was like, whaa...what did I miss. Sure, he’s not kicking her outta the mansion but where did that kind of love develop? Mike’s took a little longer to develop but I think that was a product of his honor and duty, not because of his feelings needed time to mature. This romance was very flat for me.

Brianna: Yes! I need to see the romance develop, which sadly didn’t happen.

There were two elements to the story that were too predictable. Didn’t lessen my reading enjoyment but I like to be surprised.

J9: Yeah, this novel isn’t going to shock anyone. How Jamie travels back in time and how she returns isn’t gonna be a surprise and more than what happens at the end is.

 

Overall Impression:

J9: This is predictable and light novel that didn’t invoke too much thinking on my part and that’s okay sometimes for me as a reader.

Brianna: This was a cute and funny read but left a lot to be desired when it came to the romance. Still an enjoyable read and quite honestly, I just might be curious enough to read the next book in this series.

Brianna and J9’s Rating:

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