GONE WITH THE NERD - Vicki Lewis Thompson
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0-312-99858-9
August 2005
Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Long Shaft, California - Present Day

Enormously popular movie star Zoe Tarleton makes a deal with sexy contract lawyer Flynn Granger.  Zoe is tired of playing the fluff pieces, the glamorous bombshell in this week's box office smash.  She wants to snag a big time role in a new action-adventure-romantic-comedy called The Billion-Dollar Pill.  This opportunity to play the lead is Zoe's best chance to work with A-list actors and directors, and she's sure Flynn is the perfect coach to teach her how to act out the role of Vera, the nerdy chemist.  The upcoming audition means everything to Zoe; it's her big chance to make a name for herself as a dramatic actress. She might even win a Golden Globe.

Flynn doesn't understand Zoe's proposition.  Why on earth would she ask him to hide out in a faraway cabin, just to rehearse?  Zoe and Flynn are as opposite as day and night.  Zoe drives a top-of-the-line Porsche, lives in a swanky Malibu beach house, spends money like there's no tomorrow, and never lifts a finger to cook or clean.  Flynn, on the other hand, drives a Honda Civic, saves his pennies for another day, and is painstakingly neat and organized.  The only skill he shares with Zoe is his ineptness in the kitchen.  He's a contract lawyer, not a drama coach or a cook.

Zoe finally persuades Flynn to fly to Sacramento , and it isn't long before they are settling down for a weekend in a cabin in the Sierra mining town of Long Shaft -- reputed to be the Bigfoot capital of the world.  And speaking of Bigfoot, Flynn has always been fascinated by tales of the Sasquatch, and even though he won't admit it to Zoe, he's thrilled to actually be within possible sighting distance of the real thing.  But poor Zoe, she's afraid of all things that go bump in the night, and when a mouse named George has both her and Flynn running for cover, the laughs just keep on building page by page.

GONE WITH THE NERD is a funny and thrilling ride!  When Zoe finally persuades Flynn to rehearse lines with her, to his dismay, every scene she chooses is a love scene!  And, of course, Flynn can't forget his girlfriend Kristen trusts him to behave, no matter how he is attracted to Zoe.  Even so, sizzling chemistry pulls this unlikely duo into a passionate affair, leaving each of them to deal with feelings of guilt and betrayal in the aftermath.

The secondary characters are quirky and bring lots of laughs to the story.  Zoe's friend, Margo Taggart, is a strange character in a small town of even stranger characters, like teenagers Luanne and her brother Jeff, and the legendary Bigfoot himself.  And for added thrills, shades of mystery lurk in the forest.  So, in addition to hiding from the paparazzi, Flynn and Zoe must stay out of a killer's way, lest this be the last role of Zoe's life.

GONE WITH THE NERD is the fourth book in this wildly popular series about nerdy guys who are really bone-melting dreamboats in disguise.  (When you're picking up your copy, check out the cool dude on the cover!)  Once again, Ms. Thompson has created the funniest and sexiest novel of the month!

Diana Risso