I should’ve listened to my instincts that a book titled, Gentlemen Prefer Nerds wouldn’t work for me.
However, I was compelled to hit the “request” button on Net Galley when I saw that,
- It was published by Carina Press, the massively cool e-publisher that’s doing a lot of creative things both in what they’re publishing and their marketing and DRM-free books;
- It promised a heist/caper sort of scenario and I am a giant sucker for heists and/or capers; and
- It’s set in Australia.
Unfortunately, those positives didn’t cancel out the numerous problems I had with the premise and characters in this novel.
The basic plot of Gentlemen Prefer Nerds is that nerdy (more on that later) girl gemologist Maddie Maloney is charged with caring for a pricey diamond known as The Rose (she also discovered the diamond in a mine in Western Australia). As part of her effort to find a nice man, she ends up being conned by a jewel thief known as The Chameleon into allowing him access to the stone, which is then—shocker!—stolen. Maddie is, obviously, suspected for the crime and winds up hooking up with a mysterious English dude who promises to help her recover the diamond and helps her escape from the police while they pursue the thief.
Okay, so the premise is pretty silly—but I’m often okay with silly premises!