Sophia Rose Reviews: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Today Sophia Rose returns with a romantic blast staring a neuroscientist and a NASA engineer. Sparks Will Fly!
Enjoy!

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Published:  8.23.22

Pages: 354

Rating: 4.5 stars

Flames: 3

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Berkley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuro-engineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

A neuroscientist gets teamed up with a NASA engineer for a project dear to her heart, but can she really co-lead the work with her worst enemy from grad school?  Clutching Marie Curie to spirit guide her and her secret messenger pal to keep her sane, Dr. Bee Konigswasser ventures forward to a career-making project. 

 

After the wildly successful The Love Hypothesis hit the book scene- minus me on the bandwagon for that one, I was all sorts of ready when I got the chance to read this latest standalone in the STEMinist Universe.  Ready, but also a little wary because the STEM world is not my sweet spot and latest second modern romances can be iffy as to relatability for me.

But, I hadn’t even finished the first chapter when the author’s writing style set my synapse on fire and I fastened my safety harness for the launch into an utterly foreign world to me.  It was all that I was wary about, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

 

From Bee’s perspective, this was an enemies to lovers romance and she went into it with all the defensive walls up and laser beams ready to dissect every expression, word, and action Levi Ward did.  When in truth, the reader is able to take a more objective look and see where yes, there is room for a wildly different interpretation of all of Levi’s actions.

Granted, as attractive, intelligent, and sexy Levi’s brains, looks, common interests, and respect for her are, he still wouldn’t have stood a chance against her titanium emotional walls protecting her heart from the potential of any more abandonments or betrayals.  Levi is up against multiple losses from her family to her fiancé and best friend betraying her with each other.  She was bounded around the world as a child with her parents and twin and then bounced more again as family members passed her and her sister around when they couldn’t keep them.  Bee won’t even get a cat because she doesn’t want to feel the loss when it dies in twenty years. 

 

So, this brilliant, vegan, hummingbird and Empire Strikes Back-loving Marie Curie aficionado had me cheering for her so hard when she slowly began to see Levi didn’t have horns and a tail or smell of Sulphur.

 

Love on the Brain read swiftly and easily with loads of humor, pop culture references, neuro-sciencing, and slow build attraction to red hot sexiness.  The first kiss left me dizzy and the first sex scene was written amazing well with the awkwardness of first time together and the crackling energy of strong attraction.  Bee is the sole narrator, but I loved the descriptions, dialogue, and the private messages between them that gave Levi full presence just like Bee. 

 

I wondered how the author would resolve the secret identity of their messaging selves and loved how that came about right when I was in agony during the dramatic part of the conflict.  But, what a surprise when another big money scene followed right on the heels of it and kept the angst to a few brief pages and right into a supremely satisfying end.

 

All in all, I thought this venture into Ali Hazelwood’s works was abso-fab and I will be going back for more.  STEMinist is most definitely an apt description for this particular contemporary romance where Academic world of science and math along with feminist ideology are banners that are waved high and proudly alongside a heartfelt, sexy romance pair.  I urge you to give it a go.

 

Author’s Bio:

My favorite thing in the world is to explore traditional romance tropes—and to picture how they’ll play out in academic settings.

Rival scientists falling in love despite their better judgement?

There’s only one cot in the lab?

Fake dating during faculty meeting?

Sign me up!

I’m originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. I recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies me. Oh, the sheer dread of being entrusted with the care of young minds!

When I’m not at work you can find me binge-watching shows with my feline overlords (and my slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy.

I’m represented by the amazing Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/alihazelwood

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/alihazelwood/

 

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose