The Love Experiment by Ainslie Paton is a workplace romance with a plot that involves that 36 questions test which supposedly leads to love. I don’t know when the test was first created, but I do remember that it was everywhere a few years ago after The New York Times published the “test.” It’s an interesting concept for a romance, especially for a reader like me, who frequently takes online quizzes to see when I’ll get married completely based on what colors appeal to me. Or what animal will I be reincarnated into as decided by my ultimate breakfast feast.

However, the book was a lesson in yes! No! Yes! Oh, no. Every time there was something I enjoyed, it’d be followed up by something I didn’t, and there wasn’t enough of one yes or no element to really nudge out the other.

Both Derelie Honeywell and Jack Haley work at the same Chicago newspaper. Jack is known for hard-hitting journalism and breaking huge stories of scandal and corruption. Derelie is a newer and younger hire; there is about an eight year age difference between the two (Jack’s 36 to Derelie’s 28). Derelie writes for the digital component of the paper, a component that is becoming more and more successful than the print edition.

After announcing a series of cuts will be happening to the paper, many are worried about their jobs. Jack knows he’s too much of an asset to be let go. That doesn’t mean his section won’t be reduced in some way. Because of Jack’s reputation as a hardboiled reporter of sorts, Derelie, her editor, and the paper’s editor in chief think testing out the 36 questions test between Derelie and Jack will be a huge traffic boost for the paper.

At first, Jack refuses. It’s obviously beneath him. But the editor in chief refuses to publish his latest exposé on a city-wide scandal unless he goes along with it. Besides, his involvement in the 36 questions experiment will only increase exposure for his corruption piece and his corruption piece will increase traffic to the paper’s site. It’s a win/win.

Jack resists being picked for the experiment as much as he can. He doesn’t answer the questions presented by Derelie or refuses to set a time to meet up or insists he’s too busy with his current assignment. It’s an exhausting back and forth.

But of course, he acquiesces and over the course of the experiment, love happens.

Now on to my rollercoaster of yeses and nos.

Derelie was a sunny character. She grew up in a small, rural environment and worked at her hometown paper. It isn’t exactly her dream to write lifestyle articles for the paper’s digital arm, but she knows it’s a stepping stone for her career path. She also has Invisalign! As someone who had braces in their mid-to-late twenties (I got them off only a year ago), I loved this element of her character.

But her dialogue and thoughts were extremely repetitive and she was a bit of a doormat. She frequently referred to jerks as “bastards” and “dinkuses.” I’m still unsure what the latter truly means, by the way. Jack is a total dick to her about her role at the paper and for a good portion of the book, she kind of just lets him shit all over the work she does.

Jack isn’t Derelie’s first pick for the experiment, but her top choice is on vacation. When her superiors insist on Jack, she’s surprised because she had assumed he was gay. And she bases this assumption on the fact that she’s never seen him with any women or heard about him having relationships with women. But like…how the hell is that anyone’s business, especially in a workplace environment? And can we please stop using “being gay” as a punchline for someone who doesn’t have an obvious love life with the opposite sex?

Jack’s physical description reminds me a lot of Chris Pine and, as he is my favorite of the Hollywood Chrises, I was all over that. Stubble. Glasses. Blue eyes. But…he’s mostly an asshole. He publicly humiliates Derelie in front of the office after she asks a question he deems stupid. He belittles her work as “clickbait” and clearly believes his work is of more value than hers. Let me remind you that he is eight years older, from an affluent family, and has journalism in his blood. He has the upper hand on her in every way when it comes to having what he considers a “worthy” career.

Though he’s not all bad. He frequently calls out sexist language, namely the usage of the word “pussy” as an insult.

You would think that the “love experiment” should be interesting enough for the plot alone, but there are other elements thrown in and to me, it’s a bad sign when a secondary element is more appealing than the book’s main plot device.

Jack is part of an underground fighting club that takes place in an old church. The club is run by former priests who left the church. When someone needs to let loose some steam, they schedule a time to come fight. They then discuss their needs with the priests, who tell them what lessons they need to learn: bravery, generosity, humility, etc. Before each fight, the opponents reveal the lessons they’ve been prescribed and then proceed to help one another achieve those qualities. Ideally, through beating the shit out of one another.

I loved this element. Mainly, because I want more masochistic heroes in my romances, rather than Doms or overbearing alphas, and the process of fighting felt like an exercise in self-flagellation in a way. There’s even a scene where one of Jack’s opponents calls him the next day just to check up on him and how he’s healing. It was sweet and I honestly would have rather read a book that focuses on this underground fight club.

The heroine was wishy-washy, despite my ability to personally relate to some of her insecurities. The hero’s surprisingly feminist comments were a plus, but he was needlessly mean too frequently, and apologizing only does so much when a person continues to show the same behaviors. Oh, and a love test, while fun, couldn’t compete with my interest in the sweaty scenes of fight club penance held at an abandoned church.

The Love Experiment was a strange read for me that took a long time to finish. Whenever I hit some sort of reading stride, I’d be pulled up short by something that would rattle me out of it. The book wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’d really call it good either. Mediocre with an added confused shrug.

There have been a few books - YA and adult -along this theme, and this is a fine addition to the group.
Derelie and Jack are definitely not friendly at the start of the book, and Jack is actually kind of a jerk. It's a love/hate relationship as they may not respect each other, but they certainly lust after each other. It's a fun read that could have used a shade more editing, but it was a good way to spend an afternoon.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed it. I’ve read Ainslie Paton’s books in the past and loved them, and while I wouldn’t say this was my favourite, I did like it. I found the premise of the love experiment to be particularly intriguing.

Derelie Honeywell and Jack Haley cannot be more wrong for each other. Derelie (“rhymes with merrily”) writes light-hearted, lifestyle pieces (that Jack snottily refers to as “clickbait”) for the online version of the paper they both work for, while Jack’s the star of the print version and has been dubbed the Saviour of the City for all the investigative reporting that he’s done. It took a while for them to get in sync (especially since Jack really did not want to do the experiment) but they just worked so well with each other.

I love Derelie with all my heart. She is such a nice person, full of kindness, very soft, I want to protect her forever. She has this innocence about her but she’s not naïve or a pushover. Jack was a straight-up ass in the beginning of the story, and naturally I love him too. He has a problem with feeling (he doesn’t do feelings) and his main coping mechanism for anything is beating the stuffing out of other people and had the stuffing beat out of him in an underground boxing gym.

Seriously, dude felt bad he was mean to Derelie, and he went into the ring to fight so he would be hurt in return. Unhealthy, man. Unhealthy.

Ms. Paton’s writing is so lovely and awesome; I have so many quotes highlighted in this book because the whole thing is just so quotable. I adore the banter exchange between Derelie and Jack, and I love how they grew closer together with every (much invasive, much deep) question they answered. I have a soft spot for heroes who fall head over heels for heroines and start worshiping the ground their heroines walk on. Jack comparing Derelie to sunshine and acknowledging her strength and power over him (“He wasn’t going to be allowed the luxury of acting the big man and saving her. She would save herself.”)? Mama, I love one (1) man and his name is Jackson Haley.

Also, did I mention that Jack has a cat?
Yep. He named her Martha.

Did I also mention how much I love Derelie? She left the small town she grew up in because she wanted more and moved to a big city where she had to work hard every single day to survive in, and I felt her loneliness and yearning in my gut. But Derelie is so brave, and I admire her grit and determination to make something more of herself. That strength played an important role in teaching Jack about life and love, and it’s wonderful to watch.

I could go on and on about this book and its characters, really. Jack and Derelie’s romance is so great it makes me, a cynical old lady, swoon buckets. The last chapter made me cry and I unashamedly admit that. This book has definitely landed itself into my favourite reads of the year list.

I’ve been reading romance since my early teens, so you might imagine I’ve read a few. There are common themes, no question, but each book is a different spin on the theme, which is what makes them fun to read. The Love Experiment, however, takes two common themes and turns them on their head in a way I don’t remember seeing before.

This is a sensual contemporary romance about a famous man and a career woman…sort of. See, there’s no doubt Jackson Haley is famous, but he’s not playboy famous. He’s famous for doing deep, investigative reporting that uncovers wrongdoing and brings the criminals to justice while helping the victims of that crime. He doesn’t care about fame, but rather feels his role is to defend the city against those who would do it wrong. He’s a crusader in a world where evil has already won in the name of profit, but he’s nothing more than that. He has committed his life to the job and believes that’s all there is.

Derelie Honeywell, on the other hand, is new to the city and determined to succeed here. She left her small town paper because she didn’t want to settle for the familiar, but she’s finding much about city life just doesn’t appeal to her. It doesn’t help that the online content position she’s hired for gets no respect from the print reporters, and Haley’s the worst of them, in part because she respects what he has accomplished. Still, she’s not ready to admit failure until she’s experienced city life to the fullest.

Their publisher throws the two together as a punishment for Haley’s back talking, but that’s where the story takes an interesting turn.

Derelie might be new to the city and intimidated by Haley, but she doesn’t back down. She’s everything a star reporter should be…in her own way. Haley, in contrast, is a mess to the point of going to a fight club to punch out his frustrations (though that’s much more complicated than it seems at first). It’s not just that he’s emotionally stunted, but that he’s aware of his state and happy to be so. As he says a time or two, he’s the one who asks questions, not answers them.

I’ve read stories about famous people wanting to escape the fame, and that’s touched on in The Love Experiment, but Haley can’t see anything of himself past the job even though the fame aspects embarrass him. There’s history behind his reactions (and some cute moments) that I can’t talk about without spoilers, but suffice it to say he has to learn to see himself long before he’s ready to recognize his bond to Derelie, not that it keeps him from acting on that bond when opportunity arises even when he knows he shouldn’t.

It’s a fun story with characters who can’t be easily summarized as the handsome hero with a heart of gold under his bruised exterior and the sweet, innocent, small-town heroine. They are both those things and yet at the same time not at all. The story also explores a lot more than the romance tale with a hard look at the changes in journalism and what the changes might cost us as well as the strange ways people find to relieve stress, and this with writing that is so lyrical at times it made me smile while never violating the voice of the characters. After all, Haley is a skilled wordsmith.

They get their happily ever after, but they have to work for it, and not on the easy questions, either. This book is about what happens to love after the pixie dust wears off and real life rears its head. It’s not easy, and while I didn’t see the end solution coming, it is in keeping with the story how things turn out. I enjoyed the read, and as long as you’re comfortable with the explicit sex, heartily recommend it as one of those where the focus is on how people in love have to work things out or everything falls apart.

P.S. I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this, I had to request it. I absolutely loved the premise and thought it sounded like such a fun idea. It encompasses a lot of the things that I really enjoy in terms of romance books and I thought the idea of the 36 questions was really interesting. I’ve actually come across a few people/books that have mentioned that lately but this is the first book I’ve read that actively includes it.

Derelie (rhymes with merrily) is a small-town girl who moved to Chicago not that long ago and works writing for the online site for a newspaper. Mostly what they term as “clickbait” articles – top 10 things you didn’t know were hot this summer, etc that get people clicking on them and helping keeping the site views ticking over. She’s quite desperate to prove herself so when the paper looks like it might be laying more people off there’s nothing she won’t do to keep her job – even participate in a fluff story to see if any two people thrown together can build something using the 36 questions. The fact that her partner is set to be Jackson Haley is equal parts exciting and intimidating. He’s the paper’s hot shot who brings down corrupt companies and champions the wronged. He doesn’t even know that Derelie exists and he’s definitely not keen to do this piece. In fact he actively tries to get out of it.

I really loved the set up and the early dynamic between Jackson and Derelie. Jackson is kind of a legend in the city, he’s uncovered numerous stories that have put people in jail or seen them removed from their jobs and that comes with positives and negatives. He’s a pretty stand offish sort of person, very businesslike and tends not to get involved with people. With Derelie at first he’s quite brisk and often uses her to do things revolving around his story and tends to dodge answering the questions seriously. He reads like he has quite a few intimacy issues but…..the questions start to work and there’s an attraction between Jackson and Derelie that builds. Jackson can be quite cynical and he clearly had a less-than-ideal upbringing which still impacts on him in the present day. Derelie doesn’t seem to be cynical and had an entirely different upbringing so sometimes they’re like total opposites but they do really work together.

Jackson works for the print aspect of the paper and Derelie primarily for the online blog version and there was some interesting stuff about the current state of journalism in the age of the 24hr news cycle and everyone possessing a smart phone to upload things to various places on the internet as they happen. Journalism is definitely evolving rather fast and I know that most people now (myself included) tend to get their news online. I can’t remember the last time I bought a newspaper – occasionally I might read one when we are at a cafe and they’re sitting there but not often. In among the fun of the experiment and Derelie and Jackson answering the questions and getting to know each other there was also a pretty serious look at the state of uncertain employment when it comes to journalism. Which kind of led to the final conflict between Jackson and Derelie and I have to admit, I didn’t love it. It felt a little out of place with the rest of the book and changed the focus. I loved reading about them answering the questions and getting into discussions where little pieces of themselves would slip out, almost with them being unaware of it.

Overall I really enjoyed this – it was a super fun story. I liked both Derelie and Jackson and I think they were awesome together. They had a lot of chemistry, even when Derelie was intimidated by him and Jackson was trying to do anything to get out of the assignment. I loved Derelie’s determination – she really would not take no for an answer and did not accept Jackson trying to weasel his way out of it. Also the questions are listed at the end of the book, which is nice – should you want to find someone and try the experiment with them!

7/10

I heard about this book from Lucy Parker when she retweeted a link to it. I read the summary and was immediately intrigued. As much as I adore romance, there's no denying that there's sometimes a lack of creativity in the genre. So, the concept of The Love Experiment was a breath of fresh air. I just loved the idea of two people who would otherwise never connect falling in love through a proven survey experiment, and I thought Ainslie Paton  worked with the concept beautifully. 

One of the reasons why this book stands out is because of how well-developed the characters are. When authors take their time to build up their characters and flesh them out slowly over the course of the book, it makes any book a 1000 times more enjoyable. I loved what Ainslie Paton did here with our two protagonists, Derelie and Jack. Both could not be different from each other in terms of personalities, but we get to see growth and progression in both their personalities. Derelie was a lovely character. I think what works so well about her is that she's a normal girl working at a normal job, so it's easy to relate to her. You'll find bits and pieces of yourself in her, and I love that she was so authentic. She's hardworking, bubbly, kind and overall has a very pleasant personality. Jack, though, is the complete opposite of her! He's a buttoned-up grump, who is very hard to get a read on at first. But then, we slowly see his personality emerge as we get to know him better, and argh! I loved him so much. I mean the guy may be stoic, introverted, but he also loves hopelessly and has a cat, so very hard not to adore him!

So you'd think, how would these two even work together as a couple? In comes the love experiment, which though does not start off the strongest for this pair, develops into a romance and relationship that had my heart racing and toes curling. Through the questions that Jack initially wants nothing to do with, the two form a connection, get to know each other intimately, and obviously fall in love. I just loved how slow-burn the whole thing was, and add to that all the sexual chemistry between the two, I couldn't resist this pair. Seriously, folks, you all need to read and experience this romance on your own. I'm smiling like a dork just thinking about it! I also really loved how deeply Ainslie Paton goes into the lives of Derelie and Jackson as reporters. They are both in different fields, and we get to see both of them in action, which added another dimension to the story.

Anyways, I'll leave this review with this: read this book if you're a lover all things romance, especially slow-burn romance. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are phenomenal, and the romance is simultaneously sweet and fan-yourself hot. Tell me that does not sound good?

If you like snarky banter, strong heroines and thought provoking stories, then you need to add Ainslie Paton to your reading list. In The Love Experiment, she’s taken a psychological study meant to enhance intimacy and paired two opposites in a sexy, unique romance.

36 Questions. 4 minutes of sustained eye contact. 1 love match? That’s what rookie reporter Derelie Honeywell is out to discover when she’s assigned the task of participating in a ‘love experiment’ as part of her lifestyle section in The Courier. With layoffs looming, she needs a dynamite story or she’ll be out on the street. But she’s already wondering if she should pack her bags and head back to her small town home when she’s paired up with mega star investigative reporter Jackson Haley, a very unwilling participant.

Jack doesn’t think much of ‘Clickbait’, the types of articles the online part of The Courier posts, and by extension his initial nickname for Derelie. His hard hitting journalism uncovers scandals and misdeeds but comes with high legal costs, and he knows that his latest fraud investigation could go belly up. The last thing he wants to do is spend time delving into his psyche with a fresh-faced country girl. When he needs to work out his problems, he has them beaten out of him at an underground boxing ring, replete with an ex-priest to absolve him of his sins. But Derelie’s sincere optimism and dogged determination have him second guessing his initial rude and arrogant reactions to her task. In short order, the sharing of memories and dreams (and fears and failures) lead to the kind of intimacy predicted by the experiment and some sizzling sexual encounters. But when the harsh realities of the world of real journalism threaten their fledgling relationship, will it all end in a cynical, bittersweet goodbye?

I loved this story! The concept is fresh and interesting and the questions range from innocuous (Would you like to be famous?) to funny (When did you last sing to yourself?) to intense (What is your most terrible memory?). The blending of how Derelie and Jack answer the questions with how they go from adversaries to friends to lovers makes for a really fun read. Plus, the sex scenes are are pretty steamy once Jackson is sure that the attraction between them is not solely because of the situation they are in. Jack definitely has more demons to contend with than Derelie and I found the fight scenes really powerful and framed quite differently than I'd expected.

The timeliness of the plot is also worth noting. Thoughtful, detailed journalism has been taking a hit lately in the real world and less people are inclined to risk their livelihood for a story. Jack is that rare breed of investigative reporter who is fighting for the little guy, but knows that his stories must be solidly researched and backed up with proof. His kind of stories cost money to produce, money that newspapers are seeing less of as their print subscribers switch to digital formats. The secondary plot that runs parallel to Jack and Derelie's romance had some surprises, and affects them directly. Though they have their ups and downs, the ending has a sweet gesture ( a totally 'awww' moment) and a lovely scene to cement their relationship. The Love Experiment is a sexy, funny, thoughtful romance with a couple who get the best possible outcome.

This review has been posted at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews and feedback updated with the link. It has been posted at sale sites.

Review set to post on 10/5/2017. I will add link when review posts.

The first thing you should know before I get into this review is that I’ve never read this author before, so it was the blurb for The Love Experiment that caught my eye and had me hitting my request to review button.

Blurb:
"Can you fall in love in thirty-six questions?
The closest rookie lifestyle writer Derelie Honeywell gets to megastar reporter Jackson Haley is an accidental shoulder brush in The Courier’s elevator. That is, until the love experiment: a study designed to accelerate intimacy using thirty-six questions and four minutes of sustained eye contact.
As far as Derelie is concerned, Jack Haley has always been a man best imagined in his underwear. He’s too intimidating otherwise. But participating in the love experiment is her make-or-break chance. With another round of layoffs looming, Derelie knows holding on to her job means getting the story no matter what. Even when the what is kissing Jack like a maniac.
Jack Haley has zero interest in participating in a clickbait story. He didn’t plan on finding Derelie smart and feisty and being mesmerized by her eyes. He certainly had no intention at all of actually falling in love with her.
The conclusion to this experiment? Thirty-six questions might lead to love, but finding the answer to happily-ever-after is a lot more complicated.

The second thing you should know is that I kind of expected this to be a book about a silly love experiment and maybe for there to be some enemies to lovers and office politics thrown into to spice things up. The third and last thing, is that this book took every expectation I had and exceeded them.

Yes, this book starts off with two reporters being thrown together for a clickbait story. Jackson Haley is a larger than life investigative reporter who would rather get run over by a car repeatedly than engage in some stupid experiment on love and intimacy. Derelie Honeywell is new to the paper and happens to be one of the digital only reporters that Jackson has no time for. But this story was given to Derelie and despite Jack’s downright douchiness, she is going to get it done. She gives as good as she gets and their back and forth banter made me smile.

“I thought you were too young to be paid to work here, Honeywell. And other than that first impression, I haven’t spared two brain cells on you.”
He was unreal. “I bet your dinkus brings all the girls to the yard.”

He really is a jerk through the first several chapters. Hmmmm, okay maybe up until about the 35%, but then something happens. In the midst of arguing over whether he will agree to do this love experiment thing, Derelie and Jack start to get to know each other and fall in lust. Love comes just a bit later. In fact, not only does the love experiment follow these two as they fall hard, but it has a good bit of their relationship post love announcement and moving onto more than just lovers, and also shows them navigating two careers at one place of employment and how they deal with it. Because really, to get to the HEA you have to know that your main protagonists can weather the storms of life.

The second half, once Derelie and Jack move past colleagues to lovers, is so romantic. I think I highlighted half the book.

“Five things are not enough.” His voice pitched so low it curled inside her. “Five things puts a limit on you. You’re not five positive things. You’re five hundred, five thousand.”

Happy sigh.
"
Between the sheets she was more than wonder. She was the saint, the angel, the sinner. Apple pie meets sex fiend; farm fresh gets filthy. Whatever lesson she was teaching, he was her star student.

Jackson Haley in love is a beautiful thing.
"
When she got back to her desk there was a text from Jack. You’re the headline of my heart.
She responded, Derelie loves Jack. Verily, merrily No clickbait. She put hearts at both ends of the phrases.
He came back with, Sub head: Jack Can’t Believe His Luck.

Angela dies of cuteness.

There is this thing Jack does where he goes to a club run by an ex-priest to get beat on and beat on other guys in order to let out his aggression and get his head straight and at first I thought it would be weird. You know, just thrown into the story to make the hero look tough and über masculine, but it really wasn’t. It actually helped show Jack’s vulnerability and how he coped with all the pressure of his life. I enjoyed this aspect of the story.

My favorite thing about The Love Experiment has to be that the reader is allowed to explore the new relationship with Jack and Derelie. Their love story doesn’t just stop once they figure out that they love each other, but rather follows along as they navigate the first few months. What that means for them professionally, especially since they work for the same company. Do they keep it a secret? Do they let their newfound happiness out for all the world to see? They learn how to be together and exactly how much they want and need each other. There is a blow up at the end that settles the question of their HEA quite nicely. I was kind of expecting it, and was actually glad that the angst and drama didn’t last too long.

The Love Experiment started out a romantic comedy, grew into a lovely, intense romance and ended up a book that has earned a place on my keeper shelf. I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Ainslie Paton is a new to me author, but one I will now keep on my radar in the future. Final Grade-B+

Favorite Quote:

Honeywell was nobody’s footnote. She was a front-page headline all on her own.

I really liked the unique angle of this book. An experiment to determine whether 36 questions asked and answered honestly between two strangers can spark the emotion of love. It's an interesting theory and I enjoyed reading about how these two completely opposite co-workers attempted this challenge.

For the most part, I really liked reading this story. Watching two MCs go from enemies to lovers is always like book crack for me and made for some great push and pull. I do think this book could have used some content editing as it tended to feel long and really dragging in some areas. A bit too much inner dialogue which, incidentally, is the exact opposite of book crack for me. It's quite possibly the one of the quickest ways to get a reader to skim a book.

Another issue for me was that this book is set in Chicago with the H, Jackson Haley, being raised in the city and the h being born and bred in a Midwest small-town farming community an hour or more outside of the bright lights of the city. Fine... no problem there. I'm feeling the "Just a small town girl..... Just a city boy" Journey vibes.

However, being a Midwest small-town farming community girl myself, it was glaringly obvious this author is NOT entirely familiar with the lingo of a Midwest small town girl. Or even a city boy from Chicago. (Though I'm giving her a pass on that one because of the fact that Jack was born into a affluent family, had a privileged education, and is an eloquent journalist.) Now, I have no problem with authors writing stories based in areas outside of their own geographic location. Unfortunately, some of the offshore words and phrases occasionally took me out of the story.

That being said... I thought this was a very enjoyable read and loved the concept of this storyline. I was in lust with Jack and his swoon-worthy musings. I thought the h, Derelie (rhymes with merrily... and, yes, that rhyme was featured... and, yes, the name was a tad annoying to read) had great spunk and I liked that she wasn't a complete pushover with the more seasoned and intimidating Jack Haley. There was some titillating sexual tension and yummy sexy times between the two that were a delight to read. I would defintely recommend this book to those who enjoy a co-workers, enemies to friends, small-town girl/city boy love story with a HEA.

4.5 stars

This book lived up to my hopes of an office love-hate and more. After reading the blurb, I knew this had potential and what I found was a funny, chemistry-laden office scenario, with characters who were superb. The story of THE LOVE EXPERIMENT built through the pages into what eventually became an intense love story.

Derelie (pronounced like merrily) was what seemed to be a mousy reporter doing lifestyle pieces. She slipped under the radar in meetings and in the office. She was commissioned to write a piece on a love experiment that was actually a robust piece of research including questions that promote connection. Derelie was forced to partner with the famous investigative reporter Jack and he was pretty disrespectful to Derelie and her work.

”Oh s***. He was a big city reporting god with his own dinkus and she was a small town mouse clickbait rookie.”

Over a few weeks though, a reluctant respect ensued and the chemistry started to simmer, then bubble and I was completely hooked on the ride.

”He needed to touch her like he needed the cigarettes he was addicted to. ‘I’m already on my knees, Derelie Honeywell.’”

The storyline in this book was strong and the characters were well developed. I wasn’t left needing anything more. I don’t want to say too much but this book fulfilled on chemistry and emotional connection and I loved where it culminated.

I’ve never read this author’s work before but I know I want to again. I cannot help but compare this book in context to The Hating Game and would recommend it to those of my friends looking for something similar.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley, in return for a honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a modern day sort of opposites-attract romance with complex character, a love story full of twists and turns unfolding at the background of the desperate struggle of old-school newspaper against going digital edition only. I'm in general wary of office romances but here the hero and heroine are colleagues, albeit he is much more professionally successful and influential (in a way) but there is none of the boss-employee dynamics which I find problematic.

The romance starts (or rather has a false start) with a very interesting premise - hero and heroine are cast to do a quistionnaire of 36 questions designed to help create connection/intimacy between people. It had all the possibilities - to be fun and friendly, flirty and playful, downright seductive but it was all a bust because of Jack's refusal to engage with it.

He is a city boy, investigative journalist, media star, defender of the people while she is a small town girl, trying to make it in the big city and find her place in the changing world of journalism. There is lots of tension between them both professional and on a personal level.

I liked the slow burn, the gradual change from outright dismissal on his side through interest and fascination to full-blown being completely smitten by her. And he didn't know how to react to that, what to do with his love for her.

There is a Fight Club element in his arc which is usually not my thing but worked brilliantly here. I was totally convinced of it being the right thing for Jack and could see how he needed/used it to cope with the pressures of his life.

One of the things I liked the most in this romance was that we saw so much of their life after they got together and all the efforts it took to make the relationship work. Falling in love is not a miracle cure for all your problems. They were happy together but they still have their professional struggles (and a bit of adversary to be honest). Hiding their relationship at work while each of them tried to make the best of a difficult professional situation was not easy and put a lot of strain of their relationship. We also get a glimpse of how difficult it is for someone used to live alone to learn to share their personal space, their daily routines with someone. It was new and unfamiliar territory for Jack, yet it made him so unspeakably happy, most of the time.

I found both Jack and Derelie and the supporting cast really interesting, realistic characters. I liked that neither was presented as perfect, they were human, made mistakes, learned some lessons the hard way, fought for their dreams (won some but also lost some and that was Ok in my book because that's how life is).

There was a big fight towards the end and a bit too much drama for my liking, all ending in what felt a somewhat rushed HEA but nevertheless, I liked the overall story very much. It's deep and thought provoking, a reflection of the times and the slow death of serious investigative journalist. i liked how it brought to the fore something I personally find very important - the ability to adapt to the changes in your personal and professional world, to dream new dreams for yourselves, to be open to give and receive love, to move forward and to be happy.

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters. The storyline was good, but it just didn’t stand out in my mind amongst other books in the genre. The blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me.

The Love Experiment was not quite what I expected, in a good way. Where it started out as a romantic comedy scenario where the plot would definitely lead to a lot of cute, funny shenanigans, it slowly turned out to be something a little bit more. Jack is definitely not romantic lead material, sure he is good looking smart and definitely driven. But his social skills are definitely lacking. We might consider him rude to the point that Derelie, our female lead, would end up looking like a yes girl entirely beholden and grateful when he deigns to acknowledge her existence. But as the story progresses he clearly has no redeemable quality except for the fact that he definitely wants to improve his social skills as to not hurt Derelie with his words. Derelie, on the other hand, may strike the reader as a Pollyanna type of character but she isn't at all. In fact, she displays what people feel when they are in new situations and trying to work at it because they definitely want something more in their lives. As these two try to navigate each other as well as do their story, it slowly reveals something about life and the current social and cultural setting in the field of news. It also makes the reader aware that modern life has made us accessible to each other but it has also isolated us because of the ramifications it deals out. The Love Experiment is definitely more than a quick read, like the characters who are evolving in their relationships and their personhood. It is definitely a romance for the modern times.

I loved reading about the characters of Derelie Honeywell and Jackson Haley in author Ainslie Paton's newest novel, The Love Experiment. A feel good read that I could not put down. Ms Paton is fast becoming my go-to author for unmissable reads.
Review copy received from Carina Press via Netgalley

I had to think about this for a bit before writing my review, because while I really enjoyed this book, I flip-flopped between what star rating to give. There were parts of the book where I loved it so much that it was getting 5 stars from me, but then there were other parts, particularly when the hero was being a giant pain in the rear, when I was going down to 3 stars. Ultimately, though, what rounded it out to a 4-star rating was the fantastic writing by Ainslie Paton. Absolutely superb, kept so many emotions flowing throughout the story, going from humorous to serious to romantic multiple times. I was hooked.

Rookie lifestyle writer Derelie Honeywell needs to get the cooperation of megastar reporter Jackson Haley if she is to make it in the journalism world. Both wrangled into participating in a clickbait-esque article about a love experiment, Derelie is resigned to making this work, but Jackson is digging in his heels. While Jackson is hugely successful in his work, he is also extremely jaded and gives zero figs about anyone else's feelings. He knows that he's like this, but he doesn't realize the toll it takes on others until the first caustic remark that shoots out of his mouth causes Derelie, a sweet, eager young woman, to almost cry. Seeking to repent his words, in more ways than one, he reluctantly agrees to the experiment. What he didn't expect, however, is for it to actually work. 36 questions - is that really all it takes to find true love?

I'll start with Derelie, because I really liked her. She was spunky, didn't take crap from Jackson (for the most part), and she was determined to make it in the journalism world despite her family, friends, and the lack of stars in the sky over Chicago. The problem with this couple was really just one person - Jackson My-Crap-Doesn't-Stink Haley. He was a bonafide jackwagon whose main purpose in Derelie's life, it seemed, was to drag her self-esteem into the mud and kick it until it stays down. I wanted to hit him quite often while reading. He eventually redeems himself - sort of - but it takes a lot of effort, many fights in a ring run by an ex-priest named Barney, and lots of beautiful apology emails. It was definitely a story of redemption for Jackson and a story of courage for Derelie.

It was irritating, it was hysterical, and it was romantic. Just read it. You can thank me later.

I was looking for a quick and fun read and found an intense story about two unsuited people under a microscope. I loved the idea of this book and the experiment had me falling in love. Be prepared to find more than you bargained with this one.

When the Chicago Courier’s Jackson Haley, king of hard news, is ordered to help lifestyle reporter Derelie Honeywell recreate an 'intimacy experiment,' he’s not just unamused; he’s downright hostile. But farm girl Derelie can’t bear the thought of running back to her small town a failure, so she’ll get answers from Jack or get fired trying. The Love Experiment is the best new release I’ve read this year. It’s a smart, engaging, funny, and authentic look at two journalists learning that when it comes to people, headlines don’t always tell the whole story. I loved this book and I recommend it without reservation.

At the beginning of this book, Jack is, frankly, a dick, condescending, curt, and indifferent when he’s not being outright mean. In order to deal with his emotions, he goes to an underground fight club - scenes which bothered my concussion-phobic self. He humiliates Derelie in front of colleagues, leaving her in tears. However, the more problematic characters are, the more satisfying the transformation is if the author can pull it off - and Ainslie Paton can. Jack’s embarrassed by his own behavior and develops a respect for Derelie’s persistence because it shows her dedication to her career. He’s convincingly written as an elite reporter (“walking competence porn”, as Derelie thinks), meticulously pursuing a whistleblower tip regarding a major insurance fraud. He’s also a sucker for his cat.

Derelie is a good person without being a naïve cliché. She is willing to work hard and learns from her rookie mistakes (painfully real to anybody who’s ever been the newbie in an office.) She’s escaped her small hometown where, as she tells Jack, “if you want to do anything important, you have to wait until the person already doing it has died or moved away.” The big city, however, has failed to make Derelie happy just as it’s failed Jack, leaving her isolated. She’s also a sucker for Jack’s cat.

Their mutual isolation means Jack and Derelie are ripe for each other. It also justifies the intimacy experiment triggering such a dramatic transformation in their lives - it’s not the experiment per se (that would be too gimmicky), but the fact that the experiment is also the first time they’ve opened up and formed a real relationship. In their first session, Jack blows off the questions, saying to the 'any-person-living-or-dead as your dinner guest' question that he just doesn’t have dinner guests. Later, his disrespectful behavior weighing on him, he tells her his true answer: he’d like to eat with his late grandfather again. It’s a great example of how the experiment works on two levels. The answer shows Derelie a new side of Jack -  she had predicted a newsworthy guest like Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates. But answering the question at all in a sincere and serious way is a step for Jack, showing that he’s opening up and that he won’t leave Derelie and her career out to dry. Yes, the intimacy experiment works, and that closeness gives ballast to their sexual attraction. Boy, do these two have highly combustible chemistry. The sex scenes are hot, intimate, and personal.

The Chicago Courier’s modern newsroom setting feels detailed and authentic. We hear all about the crisis in circulation, the pressure to have appealing digital content (Jack insultingly nicknames Derelie “Clickbait”), the lack of jobs, the endless cutbacks - and also the power of accurate, motivated reporting to make a difference. I do, however, question the idea that a newspaper reporter has the face recognition and female groupies that Jack has.

The book is deftly plotted and well-paced. The insurance plot is interesting and reads like real life, not a wild spy story. Just when Jack and Derelie start to find their equilibrium and I wondered where the book was going to go next, the author throws up an unexpected obstacle - unexpected because it is thoroughly realistic, and books usually go for some sort of Big Mis or dramatic action sequence. Instead, the author tests Jack and Derelie’s growth. The fact that they come through makes the HEA so satisfying and you finish the book completely confident that this couple can handle anything.

The last time I read a Paton book, I had some issues with the prose. Thankfully, hooking up with Carina Press seems to have been just what she needed. The Love Experiment is rife with the delightful turns of phrase I’m coming to expect from this author. Derelie imagines that if you cut the die-hard journalist Jack, “he’d bleed the alphabet.” Jack thinks Derelie is “not quite glossy enough around the hair and lips and the shoes to be one of the women who wrote for the fashion pages and read books with Girl in the title.” Derelie and Jack’s in-jokes, especially the one around Jack’s dinkus (look it up!) are comic in a way that always feels rooted in the characters, and not contrived so the author can put 'funny' in her blurb.

This funny, realistic look at a couple falling in love in a modern newsroom is the contemporary romance you’ve been waiting for. An enthusiastic DIK!

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

The Love Experiment was supposed to be a light and fun read. Instead it turned into a story with depth and meaning, and of course, those pesky thirty six questions on how to build intimacy between strangers. I could not put it down. Delightful. Stunning. Deep. Simply magical.

The premise of this book is quite interesting but I had a hard time getting into it. I felt detached from the main characters and I think that is mainly because of the writing style.

There was (too) much focus on journalism and the changing times, where papers are starting to get obsolete and the internet is taking over. The Hero is old school, writes investigative pieces. He is thrown together with the heroine for a piece called The love experiment and they start a relationship, but when he encounters trouble will their blossoming romance survive?

Although obviously well researched this story was not my cup of tea. This is however my personal opinion and I do think the author has found an original premise. At the end of the book you will find the 36 questions of the mentioned study (or Love experiment) so you can try it yourself.

I requested and received an ARC through Netgalley and this is my honest review.