Book Review: Medium, Sweet, Extra Shot of Geek by R. Cooper

Title: Medium, Sweet, Extra Shot of Geek
Author: R. Cooper
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Mild
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Published: October 9, 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

Former soldier Octavio “Tavio” Reyes works as a barista, a favorite with the customers—especially Tommy O’Shaughnessy. An avowed geek, Tommy comes in daily to flirt, usually under the guise of Trekkie talk. Tavio hesitates; now that he's out of the army, he’s not sure how out he should be, or whether to take his chances on a geek devoted to sci-fi and comic books. But when Tommy compares him to an unemotional Vulcan, Tavio finally considers dating an out-and-proud nerd. Then Tommy surprises him again and introduces him to his daughter, whom Tommy loves even more than Star Trek or Tavio. Now Tavio has a whole new decision to make: Is he ready to romance a family man?

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Stellar unique read that captivated me from page one.

The Set Up: Tavio is recovering from his Army service and loves working as a barista. Tommy loves Tavio’s coffee drinks and to talk geek to Tavio. When Tommy finally gets the nerve to ask Tavio out, he then introduces Tavio to his daughter. Now quiet Tavio has to figure out if he’s ready for geeky Tommy and his daughter.

Why I Read this Book: I’m a proud geek so this called to me.

What I Liked: This novella captivated me from page one. Tavio and Tommy are both unique leads that I had never read in romance. Tavio is an injured soldier and he’s just trying to make a life for himself as he heals. Tommy is Tavio polar opposite but just as well developed as a character. Tommy is an unabashed geek who never stops talking to Tavio and others about the merits of Star Trek or the original trilogy (Star Wars for you unaware). These characters absolutely captivated me as I really knew who they were.

What I Also Liked: I also loved the romantic development between Tommy and Tavio. It’s slow but simmering. Tavio says more to Tommy via how he makes his coffee than he does with words and I adored this. This isn’t a romance with huge developments but instead minute and cautious leanings as Tavio slowly opens up to Tommy as Tommy keeps pushing. These two share more emotional connection in eye contact than most romances have in twenty pages of bedroom antics.

I have to also mention the atmosphere of this novella.  The coffee shop that is home to most of this novella is so well written. I could see the condensation on the windows, smell the roasting coffee beans, and hear the whirl of the steam on the espresso machine. The other baristas and Tommy’s precocious daughter are also lovely characters to round out the stellar atmosphere of this novella.

Finally, any nerd will be giggling as I did through out this novella. Tommy’s daughter wants to be Jayne from Firefly for Halloween and Tommy affectionately calls Tavio an emotionless Vulcan. I loved all the pop culture references and some, like the Jayne reference, had me giggling.

What I Didn’t Like: This is the most PG MM romance I’ve ever read. But having said that, it fit the characters and the romance so it’s more an observation than criticism.

IMO: I adored this novella and highly recommend it to fans of captivating and unique MM romance.

 

J9’s Rating:

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