When I discovered this coming Saturday is officially Embrace Your Geekiness Day, I literally laughed out loud while doing a happy dance! One would think a geek day would fall on something like Pi Day in March, but no, it happens in July, and we are all the better for it! I actually had the difficult task of culling my incredibly long list of geeky, nerdy, quirky heroes, and heroines to get it down to a manageable list for you! With the likes of Del Dryden and Penny Reid producing copious amounts of loveable geeks and the breakout hit The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang I knew I’d need to dig deep into the archives for this week’s #TBT! I know I’m omitting a whole swath of Valkyries from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series but stick with me – I’m a clever one and I’m trying to fit in as many nerds as possible! I’m going heroine geek with this #TBT list so hang on tight! #GirlGeekPowerTBT.
Breathe by Kristen Ashley
Let’s get this geek roundup started with Faye Goodknight in Kirsten Ashley’s Breathe. I mean just to recap, Faith is the ultimate fracking geek. She’s a shy, quiet librarian that lives her life in books and with her online fan-fic-ish friends. Faye fits every stereotype you can think of when it comes to geek, and poor Chace Keaton doesn’t stand a chance. I should probably save this mention for the inevitable Cherry Popping #TBT, I’m sure it’s out there, somewhere but for now, let’s get Faye on your geek list, she does not disappoint, in fact, the entire Colorado Mountain series gets two thumbs up from me!
Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren
Our resident geek in Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Player is Hanna Bergstrom. Hanna has gone years neglecting her social life to focus on her grad school endeavors. Always the good student, she decides the best way to learn how to “relationship” and “sexy time” is being hands-on with her brother’s friend Will Somner. Now, this is where I come clean and tell you I will take any and every opportunity the universe presents me to talk about Will Somner. He is not the geek in this book, that is Hanna’s job, but man, he is the best teacher for this apt pupil!
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Now, let’s go way back to 1995 when Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels made its debut. The actual story is a historical romance that goes back even further to the early 1800s. Our heroine, Lady Jessica Trent, is a bluestocking with a sharp wit and a fierce sense of loyalty to her family. There is so much chemistry between Jessica and Sebastian Ballister, the Marquees of Dain with an incredibly big nose. I once saw Jessica described as a ruthless intellect, and I have never forgotten that phrasing, it fits her completely. Jessica is in constant motion trying to keep her wayward brother out of trouble, it’s exhausting to see all she has to do to keep him on this side of the dirt. Jessica uses her inner geek to track down and recover valuable artifacts that she sells to the highest bidder. Add that to that one time she literally shoots the Dain when he pisses her off, and you have a real ripper of a read! I love this story so much I can not recommend it enough!
A Highlander Christmas by Janet Chapman
Finally, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the MacKeage women of Janet Chapman’s Highlander series. I think one of the reasons I adore this series as much as I do is because of the incredible heroines Chapman brings to life. These ladies are a masterclass in awesome! All of the women in this series, from the mom we met in book one, to the seven daughters she and displaced Highlander Greyson create, are brilliant women, most of them are scientists. Let’s focus our attention for the sake of this week’s geeky #TBT on Camry Mackeage in A Highlander Christmas. This is the seventh book in the series and Camry is a NASA physicist…I mean, her job title really tells all, no? If you haven’t taken the time to delve into this series, all I can do is goad you on with a well-placed, “what the heck are you waiting for, nerd?”