I’m back on the romance grind, this time with Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient. I don’t know what it is about the romances I’ve picked up recently, but there has been a bit of everything and the setting, themes, and relationships have been a mixed bag. It’s made it quite fun to get through them, though some I prefer over others. The Kiss Quotient had a bit of something special that I loved and will be getting into in further detail, so I won’t jump ahead of myself.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic.

So, fair warning: when I say spice, I mean spice. I’m sure seasoned romance readers will be used to the level of smut, but I want to give newer readers a bit of a heads-up. The Kiss Quotient sits somewhere between Ali Hazelwood’s Love, Theoretically and Not in Love, probably sitting closer to Not in Love by most metrics. The explicit scenes are there from early on, and while the plot and multiple threads of the story support the trajectory easily enough, you can’t deny that sex is a main part of the book. If that’s your cup of tea, no worries, and I hope you enjoy the book. If it’s not, then it’s best to know what you’re getting into.

Now, onto the sweet. The first thing I want to bring up is the representation of autism, especially in a romance book. I really appreciate seeing various characters, especially protagonists, and one way I see this is through the representation of various groups. Having Stella, a character with high-functioning autism, as the lead in a romance is great because it gives readers who are on the spectrum a character they can relate to, showing that they are just as worthy of love and commitment as anyone. I also love the family dynamic within Michael’s mother’s household. Seeing multiple generations all living together is so heartening to see, and again it gives representation to a number of readers who have that living set up themselves. Of all the romances I have read in the last year, this is the first time I have so clearly seen a family system with three generations all living together. It is incredibly sweet, though I know the deeper cultural meanings and financial situations don’t point to it being done for “sweet” reasons. Simply put, the representation of cultures and groups makes this a pleasing read.

And on that note – the something special. This ties into the previous point a little, but this is also the first book I have read in a long time, possibly ever, where there is a male character with a passion for fashion. Going one step further, he is also our male love interest/male protagonist. And he’s interested in women. So often the image of a fashion-loving guy leans towards someone who is queer, and I am not saying it isn’t true for people or that I don’t appreciate those characters as well. What I am saying is that I’m happy to see representation where that isn’t the case, too. I’m happy to see a male character who is a keen designer and works as a tailor who also does kendo, has tattoos, and cooks for his family. To further gush about Michael’s characterisation, I am happy to see male representation for escorts in stories. Again, going back to Love, Theoretically, there is a representation of female escorts there. Now there is male representation in The Kiss Quotient.

This book is filled with many lovely details, from the Vietnamese culture and language to the passionate display of craft and care in tailoring and designing clothes, and the sweet and exploratory relationship between Stella and Michael. The Kiss Quotient is truly a book with a bit of everything, and I enjoyed the read. I recommend this to the romance readers out there.