Sideswiped (Q For Quarantine #2) by Lauren Alsten

ABOUT THE BOOK

How many times will Tara swipe right before realizing her perfect lover is already in her bed?

Jared might be stuck in an unfulfilling job, but he knows what he wants to be doing. He also knows who he wants to be with — Tara, a.k.a. The Goth Girl Next Door he’s fantasized about for years. He’s not bothered by their age difference, but everyone else seems to be. Tara thinks he’s just a plaything, his brother thinks she’s a witch, and his parents think she’s trouble.

Jared thinks she’s perfect.

Tara loves her job as a sex streamer, but since quarantine, she’s tired of flying solo. Then she teams up with her zygote of a neighbor, and her tips soar. So does her pleasure, yet she keeps swiping, searching for a mature, responsible LTR-worthy man.

Jared’s convinced he’s everything she needs, but can they keep their relationship hot without their passion self-destructing?

MY REVIEW

What do you get when you pair a hot sex streamer and a genius finance whiz kid? A quirky LOL romantic comedy about an unlikely couple looking for love.

After Lauren Alsten’s first book in the Q for Quarantine, Worth the Weight, I couldn’t wait to read more in the series and it didn’t disappoint.

Jared has had a crush on Tara Callahan since he hit puberty and he plans to show her he’s not the kid next door anymore. What better way than to be a guest on her sex streamer show, Downright Dirty. But can he convince the woman of his dreams that he wants to be more than a boy toy?

Tara is ready to settle down, but the duds on her dating apps leave a lot to be desired. So when the handsome and young Jared shows interest, she decides to have some freaky time with the young boy next door and then get on with her quest for her forever man. She has to admit she is attracted to the witty, adorable Jared, but she is determined to keep it fun and easy because it won’t last. Too much is stacked against them. The 15-year age gap, their families, and Jared reminds her of the boy who broke her heart. But the more she gets to know him, those things don’t seem to matter anymore.

Are these two capable of having a future? They both seem a bit immature to me. Jared because of his age and Tara because of her attitude. Perhaps it’s a match made in heaven, but I think they have a lot of growing up to do, and just maybe they can do it together. Jared is sweet and very eager and is apparently a millionaire at age 21 with his lucrative investments. However, no one takes him seriously including the people at work who have passed him up for promotion three times despite the profits he brings to the company. So he quits his high-paying job to work as a Kennel Operations Manager at an animal shelter. To each his own. As for Tara, she’s a 35-year-old woman who lives from day to day as a part-time tattoo artist and makes money having sex on the internet. There are several LOL moments such as the case of the missing gum and the yummy cake fight, and there is a love story in there. The sex is hot, the banter is hilarious, but is it realistic? I don’t know. I’m a big fan of reverse age gap stories, but 15 years is pushing it for me.

If you are looking for a quick, feel-good sexy read, give this book a try. It will have you laughing and cheering for these two unlikely lovers.

Thank you to Ms. Alsten for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

BUY THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Alsten hails from the Midwest, where she spends most days walking dogs, catering to cats, and texting herself meet-cute ideas for her next novella. Although a newcomer to the publishing scene, Lauren has been concocting stories for years, spinning A-list movie star fan fiction and tackling semi-serious subject matter with humor and wit. When she’s not tapping away at her laptop keyboard, she’s walking through forest preserves trying to capture the next National Geographic cover shot… and failing miserably.

Follow Lauren on her website, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.