Book Review: Not So Smart (Not So Series Book 1) by Misha Horne and A.J. Sisko

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Not So Smart

SERIES: Not So Series Book 1

AUTHORS: Misha Horne and A.J. Sisko

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH:  168 Pages

RELEASE DATE: January 23, 2017

BLURB:  An angsty virgin who might be a little twisted.
A moody manwhore who might be a little lonely.
All they wanted was to use each other for one dirty, kinky night.
Feelings were absolutely not part of the plan.

“It wasn’t obsession, exactly. Except, it probably was.”

JOSH
Damon Price is a brutally hot, ripply muscled, scarily confident, dimpled god. Without his hard body to stare at three times a week, I probably would have dropped out of college months ago. Too bad he doesn’t know I exist. But, even if he did know, even if it was true that he screwed anything and everything that moved, an awkward virgin like me would still be at the bottom of his to-do list.

Even if he knew the kind of filthy stuff I actually wanted.

Even if he knew the last thing I need is any kind of relationship.

“I never meant to f*ck a virgin.”

DAMON
I should have been out the door the second that word came out of his mouth. A virgin was not what I was looking for. Except, damn, he knew how to talk. Knew how to say things so off-the-grid dirty I hardly knew what to say back. And talk wasn’t all he knew how to do. There’s kinky, and then there’s crazy, and then, apparently, there’s Josh Holloway– who’s up for anything.

And who I definitely should not still be thinking about.

Because the last thing I need is any kind of relationship.

NOT SO SMART is a 52,000 word enemies-to-(still-mostly-enemies-but-also-)lovers novel, featuring messed up college guys who are great at lying to themselves, wall to wall sex, naked guitar playing, inappropriate library behavior, inappropriate dressing room behavior, inappropriate tube sock behavior, bondage, spanking, little bit of shoplifting, and some very unwelcome romantic feelings.

This is the first book in the NOT SO series. It is a self contained story with no cliffhanger, but books in the series are not standalones. They follow the same characters throughout, and should be read in order.

**NOT SO SMART is based on a previously published short story series (Smart Boy). It has been substantially re-edited and expanded by 30,000 words.

This kinky little gem took me a bit by surprise and turned out to be just what I needed and much more than I expected.  I was pulled right into this story as we follow Josh to his classes as we learn about him and his somewhat obsession with Damon.

Josh is a virgin, and while he lacks experience, he knows exactly what he wants, and he wants it from Damon.  But Damon doesn’t really know Josh exists.  Eventually, Josh’s smart mouth pays off though, and Damon proves he is able to provide exactly what Josh needs.

Josh is not looking for a relationship of any kind.  He wants to lose his virginity to Damon in a very specific way – he wants it hard and dirty, to be used and abused with no emotional attachment whatsoever.  After some reluctance to the virgin issue, Damon gives Josh exactly what he asked for, but the tables are turned when Damon is given the cold shoulder after their steaming encounter.

We also get Damon’s perspective as he tries to understand why he is finding himself, for the first time, chasing after a guy.  He was not happy about their departure, and he wants more..  It drives him nuts that he has these feelings, but he is definitely the more practical of the two.  He forces Josh to do things his way and convinces him to continue with their “relationship.”

This was a fast-paced sexfest with oodles of dirty talk and tinges of sweetness with promises of more to come.  Although I am not generally a fan of extreme pain play, I thoroughly enjoyed watching these guys giving and getting what they need.  Clearly they each have some issues (they even both mention they realize this), and there is definitely more story to Josh’s kinks.  I finished this and wanted to jump directly into the next one, as I can’t wait to find out more about these guys and see how they make out together.  This was my first read by these authors, but I’m definitely looking forward to more.