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The Stakes Have Never Been Higher...
An avid gamer, Jamie Marten loves to escape into online adventure. But when she falls through an antique mirror into a lavish bedchamber—200 years in the past!—she realizes she may have escaped a little too far.
Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington, has just kicked one mistress out of his bed and isn't looking to fill it with another—least of all this sassy, nearly naked woman who claims to be from the future. Yet something about her is undeniably enticing...
Jamie and Micah are worlds apart. He's a peer of the realm. She can barely make rent. He's horse-drawn. She's Wi-Fi. But in the game of love, these two will risk everything to win.
"Lamm's wonderfully quirky romance brings fresh humor to a familiar trope, with snappy writing and characters who share a surprising, spicy chemistry. " - RT Book Reviews
"The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl is a light romance with plenty of passion and conflict." - Historical Novels Review
"If you enjoy funny, smart, thrilling, scifi, supernatural, SMEXY AS HELL books, then I expect this to be added to the top of your tbr pile." - Under the Covers Book Blog
"If you're stuck in a romance rut, this book might be able to pop you out with it's magical twist." - Book Munchies
"This is a hoot. " - Book Lovers Inc
"All in all, this is a fun and light read that you'll enjoy if you love romance novels." - drey's library
"The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl is an amusing, heart wrenching and sometimes very steamy twist on the standard time-travel romance. " - Long and Short Reviews
"Gina Lamm gives us enough to chew on to keep the reader hooked to the plot and that's what I liked the most about this story. Something is coming at every turn! Even Angry Birds!" - Proserpine Craving Books
"This was a fun and easy read and I would think anyone looking for a bit of an escape will find it in this book. I'm looking forward to the next one in this series!! Is it September yet?! Go read it! You won't be disappointed!" - Chill Reviews
One
Her sword glittered as it swung in a wide arc, whistling as it cleaved the air. She smiled as the goblin bolted.
"Jamie, I need heals."
Ignoring the call for help, she advanced on another goblin. The tide was turning now. Her allies had almost annihilated the threat.
"Jamie?"
With a wild cry, she loosed a spell on the disgusting creature. It staggered backward before recovering and charging on her in a berserk rage, eyes wild and fangs extended. Her next swing missed, and she took a critical hit.
"Jamie, for chrissakes, we're dying here!"
Some quick spellwork took care of the goblin, and Jamie reluctantly turned her attention back to her allies. Whoops. Three of the guild's portraits were glaring red, signaling their imminent deaths.
"Hang on, guys. I'm here."
Targeting the leader, she cast her most powerful healing spell. The computer screen flashed: OUT OF MANA.
"Eeep!"
She fumbled in her bags for her mana-restoring potions. She'd just managed to find one, clicking to activate it when the screen went gray. YOU HAVE DIED. RESURRECT NOW?
The guild's groans sounded through her headset as she slumped back in her seat.
"Jamie, where the hell were you?"
"Worst. Healer. Ever."
"I wouldn't use your heals for a paper cut, Jamie. That was pathetic. Haven't you ever run this level?"
She shoved her long highlighted brown hair over her shoulder, glaring at the computer screen. "Of course I have. I can heal this run in my sleep. I just got a little carried away with the mobs. It won't happen again."
Kurt, the guild leader, let out an audible sigh over the chat channel. "Fine. One more run. Everyone ready?"
Jamie readied her character's potions and spell rotation. Typical. They figured since she was the only girl in the guild, she should be the healer. She didn't mind healing, especially in the more difficult dungeons, but she wanted to do her part to take down the bad guys too. It wasn't fair. Men never took her seriously. That's why she played these games. It was supposed to be a level field. But the game, like her life, was rarely ever exactly what she thought it should be.
The Lords of Discord guild cleared the dungeon run easily that time, with Jamie focusing on healing alone. She picked at the chipping mauve polish on her fingernails between fights, only needing to keep half an eye on the large computer screen.
"Great job, Lords." Kurt's voice held a ton of relief as he divvied up the loot.
After securing her share of the rewards, Jamie said her good-byes to her guild-mates, logged out, and switched to her other character, Killaz. A hulking Amazon melee class in a chain-mail dress with a huge two-handed sword, Killaz was how Jamie saw herself in her mind's eye-kick-ass, tough, and more than a little bit intimidating. As she cut a swath through the forest full of giant spiders, she wished that she was anything like that in real life. If I was as tough as Killaz, then that jerk Logan wouldn't have broken my heart and walked all over me like a dollar store welcome mat.
After an hour of grinding out daily quests, a vibration in the front pocket of her shorts made her jump. Her groan echoed through her junky living room when she saw the text: "Go help Pawpaw Milton with the antiques or I'll sell your Comic-Con pass. Love, Leah."
Jamie slogged up the stairs with a huge sigh, studiously ignoring the piano with half-written songs strewn across the bench. The last thing she wanted was to move dusty furniture and knickknacks in the triple-digit heat. But her best friend, Leah, had had enough of Jamie's post-breakup isolation and had put her foot down where it hurt-right on the pop-culture fan's trip to the Holy City.
As she drove downtown to the storage unit she was helping Pawpaw Milton clear out, she tried to believe that everything would go back to normal. Well, before-Logan normal. With Leah's help and this part-time job, maybe she could get there. Maybe even start writing music again. And besides, she'd grown up a lot since the last time she'd worked at the antiques store. Her first summer job there had ended after only three days. The antiques were probably way less fragile now.
***
"Damn!"
The resounding crack of glass echoed through the storage unit, making Jamie flinch. Pawpaw Milton had left her alone in the unit to go to an estate auction. The hundred-degree heat had her dripping with sweat-not the best condition for handling two-hundred-year-old crystal.
Jamie hoped that Pawpaw hadn't noticed the pretty bowl tucked away in the corner. She carefully shoved the evidence of her klutziness into a large black garbage bag. What he doesn't know won't get me fired, she figured, though she couldn't exactly shake the guilt.
Holding the end of her ponytail atop her head, she gulped from the giant bottle of water like a frantic desert survivor. This was hell.
Jamie pulled her phone from her pocket: 2:00 p.m. Another three hours to go before she could escape to her cave and take a shower. Oh well. It would be worth it in two months when she got to Comic-Con. Hopefully.
She unknotted the bottom of her tank top and dried her face and hands with the tail of it. Even in her thinnest tank top and shortest shorts, she still felt overdressed for this weather.
After carting out and cataloging a number of fragile items without incident, all that remained was the large furniture on the opposite side of the unit. Well, other than the big sheet-covered monstrosity behind the table. What is that, anyway?
Reaching up, she stood on tiptoes to toss back the corner of the dust cover for a quick peek. But she tugged just a little too hard, and the white fabric billowed as it floated down on top of her, dust and cobwebs coating her sweat-slicked skin. Arms flailing, she fought free of the cover, stomping it in a fit of frustration when it lay on the concrete at her flip-flopped feet.
"What the hell is your problem?" Jamie yelled at the innocent-looking mound of fabric. It said nothing, just laid there looking smug.
She turned her back on it to see what it had been covering.
The piece was a tall bureau, made of a rich mahogany that almost glowed gold from deep within the wood. It sloped outward in the middle, wider at its drawer-filled base than the top. Mirrored doors covered the upper portion.
She touched the wood lovingly. It was beautiful, cool to her skin even in the sweltering heat. When she'd reached up as high as she could, she sighed and trailed her thumb down the center of the shiny mirror on one door.
Her thumb dipped into the center of the glass.
With a gasp, she pulled, trying to free her hand. It wouldn't move. She was stuck.
She yanked backward with all her strength. The mirror pulled on her hand, drawing her farther into the glass. She braced against the bottom of the bureau, using her legs to give her leverage. She was in up to her wrist now.
"Help!" she yelled, frantically scrabbling against the mirror's hold. "Somebody, please!"
Using all her weight, she jerked backward, nearly dislocating her shoulder in the process. The mirror refused to release its hold. She whacked the slanted middle with the flat of her free hand in frustration.
With one last effort, she braced her feet against the bottom drawer and pulled with all her might. Without loosing its grip on her, the furniture tilted dangerously, almost tipping before she hit the floor to right it again.
Well, this sucks, she thought, slumping against the bureau. Her right ear was traveling through the mirror now.
So much for Comic-Con. So much for her place in the Lords of Discord guild. So much for showing Logan she could be fine without him. She hadn't really been doing a good job of that anyway, but dammit, she deserved better than being consumed by antique furniture!
Once she gave up fighting, the pull went much faster. Within moments, the glass had swallowed her entire head.
***
Jamie blinked. And blinked again. A large, very masculine bedroom was spread out before her, filled with luxurious furniture and dark fabrics. In front of the huge four-poster bed, a greyhound sat slumped on one hip, legs sprawled open like an old bald man watching Skinemax.
She leapt off the cold wooden floor and turned. The bureau was behind her. At least, it looked like the same bureau. The wood was brighter, the mirrored doors even shinier. It looked like a brand-new piece of furniture.
She tapped the glass. Solid. She pressed her hand flat against it, pushing. Nothing. Crap.
She put her hands on her hips, turned, and glared at the dog.
"What the hell just happened?"
Claws scrabbling against the wooden floor, the dog barreled straight for her. She barely had time to put her hands out to ward him away before the tall animal plowed into her, tail wagging and tongue lolling. Caught off-balance by the force, she went down like a rock. The slanted corner of the bureau caught her temple, and everything went black.
This is the first book in the Geek Girls series and the first book I have read by Gina Lamm. I am not normally one for historical romances. It takes something special to have me traipsing back in time to the Victorian, or Edwardian, or hell, whenever Era. Early on, I knew that pages upon pages of description of what the women (and men) were wearing and how often they changed clothes for each and every different activity of their day, did absolutely nothing for me. That said, this book title and description grabbed my attention. Geek Girl! An Avid Gamer! Throw in time travel and a hunky guy? Okay, sign me up. :)
The book opens with Jamie Marten playing with her guild on her MMORG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roll-playing Game AND I didn't have to look up the acronym *GRIN*) We find out that she has recently broken up with her long time boyfriend Logan and is down in the dumps. Jamie is a music writer and hasn't written a note since the break up. Her best friend Leah, makes Jamie go help out Leah's grandfather at his antique store to get her out of the house and functioning again. (Leah threatens Jaime's Comic Con tickets to get her motivated.) Jamie is not looking forward to moving furniture, but figures maybe a part-time job will help get her back to a pre-Logan normal.
While working in the heat of a storage unit, Jamie finds a tall bureau, hidden in the back and covered with a sheet. While she is admiring its rich mahogany, she trails her fingers along its lines. Until she gets to the mirrored doors covering the upper portion - and her fingers sink into the glass. She pulls and pulls and ends up being pulled into the glass. And ends up in London England, 1816. Her first reaction upon finding out when she is? Vomiting on the Earl of Dunnington's boots. Loved it!
This was a fun read. For such a far out and improbable story, it felt true to life. From trying to describe angry birds and how to make pizza, to complaining about the type and amount of clothing, to worrying about the lack of a real toothbrush and nothing to occupy her time, I could relate to Jaime. Even when she was whining. There were twists and turns, some predictable, other unexpected. It was a good read. I liked this book well enough that I will be looking for the next book in the series, Leah's story. I gave this one 4 stars on Goodreads.
SummerLoveK
Posted Tue Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Lots of potential and good ideas, but the characters are rather shallow. Overall a food read but not enthralling.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Mar 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I don't read romance books regularly, but when I do I want something romantic, but not to cliched. I like my heroines to have a personality and to be a bit fiesty, and I really love when there is verbal foreplay and when scenes make me laugh out loud. This book did just that, and more! It gave me pitter-patters, ane made me laugh. This is one to keep and reread again!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RomanticReadsandSuch
Posted Thu Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2013
The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl
I have to be honest, I was expecting The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl to have more humor. It is a great concept, full of promise for fish out of water funniness, and while there are some cute moments, for the most part it proved itself to be a straight up romance. Don’t get me wrong – it is a fantastic story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are fun, the writing is great, and the plot line is intriguing. - Full review available at BookTrib or RomanticReadsandSuch
Jamie Marten composes music, a computer gamer and is recuperating from a broken heart. Helping a family member moving antiques to earn extra cash, Jamie is sucked through a wardrobe into the 1800’s...more specifically into the Earl of Dunnington Micah Axelby’s bed chamber.
You can imagine Micah’s surprise when a beautiful, scantly dressed woman is discovered in his bedroom. Listening to Jamie Marten’s crazy story about the future and being sucked into his closet made him think the woman daft, until she shows him angry birds on her cell phone. Understanding that Miss Marten needed his protection, Micah keeps her in his household...what he didn’t expect was keeping her in his heart.
The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl had time travel, historical fiction, murder mystery and romance all woven together to make the most delightful tale. Watching two people from totally different worlds collide made this story a very enjoyable read. I would love to see what would happen if the positions were reserved and the Earl had to adjust to Jamie’s world. This was a nice historical romance with a sci-fi twist.
This ARC copy of A The Geek Girl and The Scandalous Earl was given to me by Sourcebooks - Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. Publish Date March 5, 2013.
Andreat78
Posted Mon Mar 04 00:00:00 EST 2013
**3.5 stars, rounding up to 4**
The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl (whew, that's a mouthful) is a fun, charming story of a time-traveling girl and the man she loves.
I'm a big fan of time-travel books, of books in which a character is a "fish out of water" and must adjust to the time they are stuck in. TGGaTSE was a fun take on that particular storyline, mostly because of Jamie, the Geek Girl. What made Jamie so much fun was that she is such a spirited character. She is an avid gamer, a regular RPG-er. She swears a lot, asks questions, and doesn't take no for an answer. As you may guess, she doesn't exactly fit in when she lands in 1816 England.
As for her Earl, Micah...well, any man who's described as looking like Colin Firth gets an automatic pass from me. Micah was given an authentic voice for a man of Regency London. That means he's appropriately stuffy, honor bound, but like a good scandalous Earl, Micah knows how to turn things up behind closed doors.
The story got off to a quick start, with Jamie landing in 1816 within a few pages. That was good because I like my stories to have a fast pace, but I also felt like I didn't know Jamie and her situation very well. Once she lands in London, the plot continued to move forward quickly, still a good thing, but I did feel the relationship did move a little too quickly, particularly the love. I really didn't see where the feelings were coming from. As the story continued, with Jamie and Micah getting to actually know one another better, I did feel the chemistry between them, particularly in the bedroom. Holy wow! There was some seriously hot bed action happening between Geek Girl and Scandalous Earl! Two thumbs up!
There is nice secondary mystery involving a woman from Micah's past, and a dangerous woman from his present. That aspect provided good tension and drama between Micah and Jamie, and really moved the plot forward.
The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl was charming and a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing what the future, or past, holds for Jamie and Micah.
Before reading the book I was actually drawn to the title and the cover. The cover was definitely my favorite part and is quite adorable! I can't really say enough of the book, I loved it so much! The main character, Jamie, is funny and charismatic. She makes the book come to live, and it gives it the funny and rebellious aspect that it needed. Lord Micah Alexlby, Earl of Dunnington on the other hand, brings his stubbornness to the story, which makes it even better. When Jaime is first introduced in the story, I was able to see how her behavior was going to bring her in so much trouble later on in the story. One day at work, she finds an antique mirror, but what she didn't know was that by touching the mirror she was going to step back 200 years in the past! As the story progresses, Jamie encounters challenges while trying to look for a way back home. She meets Mrs. Knightsbride, which mysteriously wants Jamie to learn manners and proper etiquette. What I absolutely loved about this book, is how well everything fits together, from the way the earl speaks to the setting. It makes it easy for the reader to imagine how everything would look like 200 years ago. While Jamie desperately faces her future in the Earl's house, she also learns more Micah that left me wanting for more. His story is touching and you can't help but to fall in love with this scandalous earl. Overall, the story was great! I would recommend this story for those readers that love a good romance story, full of comedy/drama/mystery. Towards the ending, the story started to remain me of the movie Kate & Leopold, (which I love). Although I would have liked to see more of Mrs. Kinghtsbride (at least a chapter in her perspective) a was nice to see the everything worked out in the end.
I would definitely keep my eye on this author, and read more of her books. :)
Anonymous
Posted Wed Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher...
An avid gamer, Jamie Marten loves to escape into online adventure. But when she falls through an antique mirror into a lavish bedchamber—200 years in the past!—she realizes she may have escaped a little too far.
Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington, has just kicked one mistress out of his bed and isn't looking to fill it with another—least of all this sassy, nearly naked woman ...