Book Review: Even Odds by Elia Winters

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Even Odds
Slices of Pi #1
Author: Elia Winters
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: July 4, 2016
Review Source: Pocket Star | Netgalley

Geeky meets kinky in this first deliciously sexy novel in the Slices of Pi series by RITA-nominated author Elia Winters, which follows the romantic rendezvous of the employees at PI Games, a gaming company based out of sultry Florida.

As a design manager at PI Games, Isabel Suarez is no stranger to the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated industry. But when her team attends a gaming convention on the other side of the country, she figures there’s no harm in putting aside her professional demeanor for one weekend to participate in a risqué scavenger hunt. Why shouldn’t she let loose and have a little fun?

A careless romp soon turns into more, however, when Isabel ends up having a fling with Caleb Portland, an artist and animator, without knowing he has just been hired to partner with her at her company—and Caleb can’t bring himself to tell her. When they end up coworkers a few weeks later, they need to find a way to work together and keep things strictly professional. Caleb doesn’t want to take on a relationship and risk failure. Isabel doesn’t want to risk ruining the professional reputation she’s worked so hard to develop. But when faced with the undeniable sizzling chemistry between them, will either of them be able to resist temptation?

A sexy and witty tale of romance and modern workplace politics, Even Odds is the latest winning entry in Elia Winters’ unique and well-loved erotic novels

The story:  Even odds is the first book I've read from Elia Winters and the first book in her "Slices of Pi" series.  Even odds is a nerdy yet sexy book wrapped together in one. The story starts out with Isabel Suarez working on a brand new game. She goes with some coworkers from her company to promote this new game at a large, well known gaming convention.  She tries to be "asexual" to keep her focus on her work and be taken seriously and that's working at her current job for now.  Then Caleb Portland comes along.  She wanted a weekend to let loose and let her hair down but she never expected her weekend fun to follow her to her job as the new hire!

The likes:  I was happy with this book from the start. Right at about the time when Isabel packs her hitachi. At that point I knew I would love the book and that Elia was a girl after my own heart!  I love that Isabel is a bad ass female in a male dominated profession. I love that this story line is fresh and original.  The "geeky meets kinky" theme worked well for me and I was definitely entertained!  I like that the book was written in dual point of views.  It gave me a chance to get to know both characters better and their back stories.

The dislikes:  My main issue is that there was a bit of predictability to the story line.  I felt like after the first few pages, the story was already mapped out in my head how it was going to go.  While there were many HOT scenes, some of the interactions and chemistry between Isabel and Caleb felt forced.

The rating:  I give this story 3.5 stars because I enjoyed the book and thought it was funny, smart and unique.  I'm interested to see where the rest of the series goes.