Historical romance's "sex deal" trope, in which one person offers another intimate "lessons" to benefit both parties, might seem anachronistic in a 21st century where less economic value is placed on virginity. However, Alys Murray (Sweet Pea Summer) updates this convention with wild success in A Little Buzzed.
Scout Porter is the brilliant head engineer at BuzzCorp, the sex toy startup where she landed after her last job--and relationship--went awry. Riddled with self-doubt from that experience and a lifelong lack of support from her ghastly parents, Scout is mortified when her coworkers learn that she is a virgin. A solution arrives in the form of Hudson Bailey, a software developer for the company's cutting-edge forthcoming product who has no personal experience with sex toys to draw on while coding the app.
As sparks fly across the office, they enter an arrangement: Scout will educate Hudson on BuzzCorp's product catalog, and Hudson will dispatch with her virginity in a no-strings-attached romp that will end when Hudson's contract expires and the product launches. But as their friendship grows into something more, they both realize that to grab this chance at love and hope for the future, they'll have to release their tightly held, self-limiting beliefs based on past hurts--including the betrayal responsible for Hudson's people-pleasing ways and Scout's desperation to prove her professional and personal worth. With plenty of steam and even more heart, this workplace romance brims with charm, wit, and reminders that love doesn't have to be earned. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer