Best of
Nerd

2021

Berserk Deluxe Volume 9


Kentaro Miura - 2021
    But the accursed shell unleashes its host's inner demons, which might send the tormented Guts into eternal darkness!Collects Berserk volumes 25-27, including three fold-out color posters.

The RPG Apocalypse


Jeremy Chambless - 2021
    Well, maybe it is now.Every day is the same for Joseph. Study; go to class; repeat. He can't help wondering what it's all for? Who is it all for? Life is dull and there's no prospect of that changing. Is some excitement too much to ask for?"Get to safety if you wish to survive!"Joseph's prayers are answered, but not in a way he could ever have expected. Goblins, ghouls, kobolds and a myriad of monsters and mythical creatures have spawned all over the college campus and beyond. The carnage is shocking.If he's going to survive the RPG apocalypse, Joseph is going to have to figure out the new rules fast. And is it wrong to feel so alive, when so many other people have died?

Baby Drama


Sandi Lynn - 2021
    Literally, I’m a genius. At least that’s what my IQ score says. But even being a genius, mistakes are bound to happen. I am human, after all. It all started one night when a sexy billionaire bought me a drink and I accidentally tossed it all over his five-thousand-dollar suit. He tried to blame me, but in actuality, it was his fault because of his lack of respect for my personal boundaries. I offered to pay for the dry cleaning and gave him my number to let me know how much it cost. He did, and we ended up spending the night together. Long story short, the condom broke, I forgot to take my pill two days in a row and we mistakenly created a baby. I never planned on telling him about the baby until I lost my job, and my landlord turned the apartments I lived in into condos. He told me he couldn’t be a father, and I was okay with that. I didn’t need a man complicating my life. I was all set to embark on my journey as a single parent until…LucasThe only thing I did was notice a beautiful woman and buy her a drink. A drink she carelessly spilled all over me and then had the nerve to say it was my fault. I forgave her because I wanted her. At least for one night. Maybe I should have just forgotten about her and thrown her number away. But I didn’t, and a mishap occurred during our one-night stand that resulted in a baby. I wasn’t father material, or maybe I was, but just didn’t want to be. The last thing I needed in my life was baby drama. I liked my bachelor life the way it was, and Jenna was cool with that. She made it clear she didn’t want me involved. I was all set to continue on with my life as if nothing happened until…

Off the Market at Christmas


Chelle Sloan - 2021
    The more accurate statement is that nice guys and nerds finish last. We don’t get the girl. We don’t get the happily ever after. Even if it is the one thing we’ve asked for from Santa Claus this Christmas. So when Presley Dawson comes back into my life after twenty years, I don’t even try. What’s the point? As a Nashville Fury cheerleader, she is the fantasy of every man in Tennessee. What would the girl next door from my childhood want with a geek like me? She’s outgoing. I’d rather stay inside. She’s adventurous. I think adventure comes in the form of a new video game. We have nothing in common. Except when we’re together. Then there are enough sparks to guide Santa’s sleigh without Rudolph. But when she finds out that I never outgrew my geek phase, will she still want me? Or will our story be over before the ball drops at midnight? Pine-ing for the perfect holiday romance? It’s love at frost sight with The 12 Days of Kissmas! Off the Market at Kissmas is part of a dozen standalone holiday romances so steamy they’re sure to melt that winter chill. From dashing doctors to dirty-talking mountain men, staying off the naughty list just got a whole lot harder.

Town Under


Tao Wong - 2021
    For Kira Kent, plant biologist, the System arrives while she's pulling an all nighter at work with her pair of kids in tow.Now, instead of mundane parental concerns like childcare and paying the bills, she's got to figure out how to survive a world where already deadly flora and fauna have grown even more perilous - all while dealing with the minutiae of the System’s pesky blue screens and Levels and somehow putting together a community of survivors to forge a safe zone to shelter her son and daughter.It almost makes her miss the PTA fundraising sales. Almost.Town Under is the first book in a new series, The System Apocalypse: Australia. It's set in the same universe as Tao Wong's The System Apocalypse and starts in the same time period as Life in the North but focuses on the changes in the deadliest of continents, Australia. Fans of the original series, LitRPG, fantasy, science-fiction and post-apocalyptic novels will want to take a look.

Intern


Erik Schubach - 2021
    It is the most-watched historical event in modern times.An aspiring investigative journalist, Killishia Renner, finds out with the rest of the world that she is an Elf unbeknownst to her, when she manifests Elvish physical traits on the air during the Tree Lighting ceremony in Rockerfeller Center in New York. It challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.Intern follows the hurdles she must overcome as she learns about being an Elf while facing the uncomfortable popularity of being Elfed in New York.

Dating the Player


Erin McCarthy - 2021
    It gets me into trouble more often than not… but this time it lands me with a nerdy little PR gatekeeper who is supposed to control me. But good luck with that.Eloise and her kitten sweaters and adorable glasses have me thinking about her in a whole different way…EloiseI’m not your typical nerd girl. Instead of video games, I love football. I’ve landed my dream job managing social media for my favorite team, but with Dakota North as quarterback it’s a 24/7 job. When I’m told I have to spend a week making sure Dak doesn’t tweet, he seems determined to use that time to flirt with me.I have to ask myself, what is more important - losing my virginity to a bad boy quarterback or keeping my perfect job?

Sidequest for Love


L.H. Cosway - 2021
    Helping Neil Durant reveal himself to the girl he’s been catfishing makes for the perfect sidequest. Besides, it’s not like she isn’t getting something in return. Neil has a head for numbers and Afric’s finances are a mess. It’s the perfect exchange. She assists him with his love life, and he sorts out her accounts.As they spend more time together, the arrangement becomes less simple. Afric soon realises that the girl Neil’s been trying so hard to win over might not deserve him. And the buttoned up, bespectacled personal assistant she once considered a sidequest has somehow become her main objective.

Six Feet


Michele M. Reynolds - 2021
    Six Feet is a contemporary, pandemic romance with the emphasis on romance.Henley Stones Smith, 42, is a psychologist with three foster daughters: Paloma, Jackie and Manhattan.Nicki Zabelle, 28, is a professional video gamer who sleeps in late and always orders take-out.The Covid pandemic hits and Nicki abruptly moves from Boston to Western Massachusetts where Henley is juggling working from home, remote school, and single parenthood.Little Jackie's early morning mishap brings Henley and Nicki together.Henley sees Nicki as an incredibly young neighbor who is kind enough to share her pool.Nicki sees Henley as an incredibly hot neighbor who she hopes is kind enough to share her bed.

Alpha Boy (Boys of Summer)


Mika Jolie - 2021
    As if it isn’t hard enough trying to finish college.Now I have my tormentor offering to help me complete my goals.Including losing my V-card.Talk about embarrassing.All he asks in return is that I tutor him so he can keep playing hockey.Easy enough.I can keep feelings out this deal.After all, I hate the pompous jerk…Or, at least, I did...Until one kiss leads to the most incredible night of my life.Now I’m torn between my present and my future.The man who once brought out my ire now owns my heart.But will our hopes and dreams pull us down different paths?Or can this summer fling become something more?

Something About You


J. Nathan - 2021
    KasonI’m what you call a god, a superstar, a winner.I’m good at everything I do and I know exactly how to get what I want.Being a professional snowboarder is my purpose in life.I’m only at Cranmore University to appease my parents.But, if I want to graduate, I need to pass physics.And, since failing is not an option,Blackmailing a nerd who hates me is my last resort.ShayI’m what some call a geek, a nerd, a loser.And I don’t care.I know who I am.I know where I come from.And I know exactly where I’m going.That’s why I’m at Cranmore University.To get my degree and begin my life.But that plan gets quickly derailedThanks to an unbecoming videoA blackmailing snowboarderAnd his ex who’s hell bent on making my life miserable.They say everyone comes into your life for a reason.What happens when that person is the opposite of what you want...​​​​​​​but exactly what you need?

Strong Product People: A Complete Guide to Developing Great Product Managers


Petra Wille - 2021
    

Slumbering Ember


Meraki P. Lyhne - 2021
    Like the Vargr wolves. All Matt knows of his dad is that he was Danish and that he’d died in a motorcycle accident ten years earlier. When Matt’s sixteen and a half, his mother declares it important that he at least knows the other half of his heritage, so she sends him from the States to Denmark as an exchange student for a year.Matt’s not overly excited. Matt’s a loner who doesn’t connect with people. Going to a foreign country was never a part of his plans, but he’d do it for her. He’d go to where she’d loved the only man in her life. The love that gave her Matt. Everything he’s heard from his mom and read about Denmark and the area he’s going to live in did not prepare him for what he finds, though—a heritage that has an old Norse god on the family tree.

In Between the Earth and Sky (In Between, #1)


Heidi Hutchinson - 2021
    Former model—though not one of the “super” kind— successful influencer, life coach, and business strategist. Currently paid to tell people how to achieve the best from their lives and careers. In other words, a complete contradiction to how he preferred to live—namely, on his own terms and without input from others. Everything about his life was going according to plan. Until he started spending way too much time with a woman who defied his prejudices and challenged his beliefs. Lydia Larkin was not a genius. Gifted, clever, and stubborn. Raised on star maps and Hendrix, she was born an explorer. Temporarily tied down to a private sector science job, she knew she was biding her time before she was off to discover and build something new. Not one to let society tell her who she was, she wasn’t about to let a professional influencer tell her she had to change to be happy. Buckle up and brace for impact. Contains adult language **Foreword written by Zack Salaun

Following the Rules


Lane Hayes - 2021
    Problem…jocks are my weakness. Seriously. I lose my ability to speak coherently around muscle-bound hotties. Oh yeah, I lose my inhibitions too—not a good look for a guy with a genius IQ. So what am I going to do about Simon? Simon-Finishing college isn’t high on my list of priorities, but my future in professional football is looking bleak. I need a plan B or C, and I could use some help navigating life as an undergrad. Topher is perfect. He’s also a little strange…but in a good way. And I like the way I feel when I’m around him—as though anything is possible. Maybe if we follow our hearts, we’ll find what we’re looking for. But that means changing the rules…Following the Rules is a MM, bisexual awakening romance starring a lovable nerd, a cool jock, and some extracurricular fun.

Selected Student


Robin Roseau - 2021
    

Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go


Kay Acker - 2021
    Now that he’s gone, Lauren has every intention of returning to her old life: the vibrant, successful one her father had always expected her to have, but she feels adrift without his strict guidance.Georgia Solomon designs homes for others, but as a bisexual autistic woman, she rarely feels at home herself. When her best friend dies suddenly, leaving her alone with their young daughter, her little slice of happiness vanishes, and Georgia finds herself struggling to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her.Lauren and Georgia clash at a disastrous work meeting, but Georgia’s daughter Hannah pulls them together despite themselves. As they discover new possibilities and priorities for the future, can they make room for love, or will they have to leave each other behind in order to move forward?Genre: RomanceEditor: Medora MacDougallCover Designer: Judith Fellows

Rebellious and Reckless


Michelle A. Valentine - 2021
    The only problem is she's not even a blip on his radar. In order to get noticed by her crush, she's willing to exchange the extra bedroom in her apartment to Luke's tattooed, older brother to find a way into his social circle.Baker Finnegan is determined to get out of his father's shadow and do things his way. When he falls on hard times, and the sexy, slightly nerdy co-ed, Sky offers him a place to live in exchange for fake friendship, he can't pass up the opportunity. But when Baker quickly realizes the only match he wants to make for Sky is one with himself, he has to convince her to look past his reckless ways.

Opposites Attract: Butch/Femme Romances


Meghan O'Brien - 2021
    Fall in love with these butch/femme romance novellas. In An Epiphany in Flannel by Meghan O’Brien, small-town waitress Maisie Davis resolves the mystery of her sexuality after an unexpected encounter with a handsome stranger seated in the corner booth of Moe’s Fine Diner. Aiden Crane opens Maisie’s mind and body to exciting new possibilities—but can she find the courage to follow her heart?In Follow Her Lead by Aurora Rey, venture capitalist Jude Benoit is named Majesty of Artemis, New Orleans’s premier lesbian Mardi Gras parade and ball, and enlists the expertise of private dance instructor Gabriella Viard to save her from making a fool of herself. Jude can follow the steps, but what happens when Gabby challenges her to lead with her heart? In Just as You Are by Angie Williams, Dylan Fleming is a confident and capable woman in every way except the stereotypical ways her ex-girlfriend thought she should be. When her insecurities get the better of her and she fumbles on a date with beautiful auto mechanic Carrie Grice, Dylan has to let go of the past. Can she accept that she is loved just as she is?

Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science


Harry Lewis - 2021
    It covers all aspects of computer science: theory and practice, architectures and algorithms, and logic and software systems, with an emphasis on the period of 1936-1980 but also including important early work. Offering papers by thinkers ranging from Aristotle and Leibniz to Alan Turing and Nobert Wiener, the book documents the discoveries and inventions that created today's digital world. Each paper is accompanied by a brief essay by Harry Lewis, the volume's editor, offering historical and intellectual context.