No. Just no. I am definitely not in the right frame of mind for this. Too silly. WAY too short of a timeline (I don't care that virtual reality was longer). I'm tired of heroines who we are told are smart but don't show any evidence of such.

However, bet I would have liked it more if I was on a beach or something. This is the definition of beach read. ( )

It's a modern romance. It's a pirate romance. It's both because Amy and Corbin are somehow transported into the game and need to find a way out together.

You either like Katie MacAlister's books or you don't. I do. I like her humor, her heroines, and the incredible supporting characters she comes up with. Her books are fun, light reads. ( )

A stand-alone novel that focuses on Amy Stewart and Corbin Monroe. Amy is the typical single mom workaholic, who’s also a bit of a control freak, although she calls it organized. Corbin is the creator of a virtual reality (VR) game called Buckling Swashes. Amy’s daughter high school daughter Tara guilts her into trying out the VR game. As a result, Amy becomes “stuck” in the VR world, with Corbin, and they have to figure out a way to “escape.”

Who should read: those who enjoy an easy & predictable chick-lit romance story with a bit of adventure on the side.

Why I like it: I’m about 50-50 on MacAlister’s books. I don’t hate any of them. But some of the female leads irritate me – wimpy in that “I think these things about hunky male and what I think is wrong, but I’m not going to say anything and end up in a mess because what I think is wrong, which leads me to act wrong.” (Yes, I realize that sentence = terrible grammar and is a terrific run-on.) But in this book, Amy has some gusto – she’s not one to just “let” things happen to her and takes an active approach to getting out of a jam. Plus, she pretty much says what’s on her mind. I dig that. Yet, Corbin is not MacAlister’s hottest male lead. Many of her other books, the male leads sizzle with sexy goodness. Corbin’s more … well, more real, I guess. He’s more like a normal kind of guy, with the exception of being somewhat rich and owning his own game company. But overall, a good, albeit easy, read. ( )

I really enjoyed this story. Yeah some of the story line was a bit out there but you kinda just have to go with it. Corbin and Amy are great together. Characters like Holder and Bas were excellent too! This was funny, fun, witty and definitely worth the time taken to read. ( )

When her daughter convinces straight-laced, detail-oriented financial analyst Amy Stewart to try out the latest VR game, Buckling Swashes, her new alter-ego Earless Erika is an immediate hit with several other characters. In fact Black Corbin is determined to make her his. But when Corbin, the genius behind the game, and Amy find themselves trapped in the VR world with now way out, tensions mount and virtual sparks start flying.

Not a new theme, but handled with humor - a nice fluffy, afternoon beach read. ( )