Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: A Taxing Situation
AUTHOR: Nanisi Barrett D’Arnuk
PUBLISHER: JMS Books
LENGTH: 12,268 words
RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2018
BLURB:
Science fiction author Joan Howell’s whole world is consumed by interplanetary visitors. When she needs her taxes done, she meets Darlene Rogers, a very conservative CPA who doesn’t believe in extraterrestrials.
The women soon find they have even more divergent points of view. Will Joan’s quirks pull them together or force them even farther apart?
REVIEW:
This is definitely one of the most unique little romances I’ve read in a long time. I completely devoured it in one sitting, smiling the entire time!
With Darlene as a no-nonsense, business-minded CPA at the end of tax season and Joan as a brilliant sci-fi writer living in her own created world of geekdom, there’s bound to be tons of opposites-attract goodness. At first, Joan’s complete immersion in her sci-fi bubble might seem off-putting, but I really empathized with her. She’s a genius, but she finds solace in the unknown, the worlds no one else bothers to believe in. Parts of this story lead us believe that Joan perhaps has some otherworldly powers (like communicating with animals), but I think the author just does a really good job of showing us how differently Joan connects to the world around her.
Though short, this story lets us slowly see how the beginnings of a physical attraction can turn into real feelings and growing empathy for very different lifestyles and choices. At first, I wondered why Joan, a total free spirit who couldn’t care less what anyone thinks of her, would even be attracted to straight-laced Darlene, but honestly, I was kind of attracted to Darlene, too! Both women have their own brand of charm and magnetism, and once they’re together, they just make sense. They are both well-written characters.
I wanted to see a little more of Darlene warming up to Joan and falling for her eccentricities. At times, it just seemed like Darlene was humoring Joan, and I wish we saw more of how that slight condescension melted into fondness and affection. If this was a longer book, we’d get a lot more of the two of them melding their worlds, but I suppose we will have to settle for what we imagine their future is together.
This is one of my favorite short works of the year. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something fresh, unique, and sweet.
RATING: 
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Awesome review. One-clicked it after I read it! 🙂