NEXT LEVEL LOVE

Business and pleasure mix when an engineer discovers her icy boss is actually the charming gamer she’s bonded with online.

Elizabeth Gordon-Bettencourt is starting over. She’s setting boundaries with her family and taking the first step toward her dream job as a civil engineer by accepting a competitive internship. But since her stepfather is chief executive of one of the country’s largest movie production companies, she’s worried that her name is the reason she got the internship. Lincoln Carden prefers to work alone and isn’t thrilled about having to manage an intern. He’s no-nonsense and makes it clear he finds Elizabeth to be an extra responsibility he didn’t sign up for. What Elizabeth and Lincoln don’t realize is that they’ve already built a years-long friendship and flirtation in online gaming spaces. Elizabeth is pretty much the same online and in person, but Lincoln feels more confident with the anonymity his username affords him. No amount of prodding by Elizabeth (@pancakesareelite) has been successful in getting Lincoln (@theanswerisno) to meet up in person or even exchange photos. The couple’s tension at work combined with their secret online identities add some sizzle to this slow-burn romance, but the settings and lopsided characterization are a major distraction. The gaming elements are disappointingly thin, mainly a bunch of pop culture references and chat exchanges at the start of each chapter instead of a fully fleshed-out part of Lincoln and Elizabeth’s relationship. The chats rarely paint a larger picture of what their online community looks or feels like. Then, in the physical world, the power imbalance between the characters and the hostile work environment, in which Elizabeth is the victim of repeated harassment, casts a shadow over the story. Lincoln’s difficulties with ADHD are impactful and relatable, but Elizabeth’s family struggles and personal challenges aren’t treated with the same depth and detail.

An uneven entry into the STEM romance subgenre.