Truth About Nerds & Bees

About Love #3

by Andrea Simonne

He's the beauty. She's the beast.

Theodora Stewart, Bee Biologist

That's it. I've had enough. My new neighbor has been sending threatening letters for months and is now suing me. He's trying to force me to remove the beehives from my backyard. (What kind of jerk doesn't understand how important bees are?)

It turns out he's some famous quarterback named Gabriel "Beauty" Bardales. (Why do jocks give each other dumb nicknames?) He wants my beehives removed because he claims the bees are interfering with his guesthouse swimming pool.

Well, guess what? My bees were here long before his guesthouse swimming pool. (Who needs a guesthouse swimming pool anyway? Talk about overprivileged.)

I've tried contacting him, but he's ignored all my efforts. So now I've taken matters into my own hands.

Gabriel "Beauty" Bardales, NFL Quarterback

Help! Some kooky woman has chained herself to my house, and I can't get rid of her!

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Sports, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

Sign up for my newsletter to hear about new releases and other musings: https://www.andreasimonne.com/mailing...

Andrea Simonne grew up as an army brat and discovered she had a talent for creating personas at each new school. The most memorable was a surfer chick named "Ace" who never touched a surf board in her life, but had an impressive collection of puka shell necklaces. Eventually she turned her imagination towards writing. Andrea still enjoys creating personas, though these days they occupy her books. She's an Amazon bestseller in romantic comedy and contemporary romance, and author of the series Sweet Life in Seattle and About Love. She currently makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Kristiej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this book I had the exact opposite reaction to as the previous book. I was delighted from the opening pages. I read the previous book, Truth About Cats and Spinsters just a short while ago and loved it. After the last disaster I needed to read something I was sure I would enjoy so Nerds and Bees it was. I was about 20% in when I thought the heck with it. I returned the book to KU and promptly purchased all three books in this series knowing I’d be rereading them I found them so much fun.

This book ‘had me from hello.” Gabe, our hero, is a rich, successful, extremely good looking quarterback from a NFL football team. He’s just received a phone call from a contractor working on the house he’s having built for him. Some woman has chained herself along with her Jeep to his house and refuses to leave. Gabe is most annoyed but figured it’s some female fan wanting his attention and he figures if he sends her an autographed photo of himself, that will make her happy and send her on way. This had me grinning from ear to ear as we learned at the end of the previous book, the woman in question is Thea, Gabes soon to be next door neighbour once his house is done and she is SPITTING MAD. He’s suing her in order to get rid of her bees as they are “bothering the guests who are using the pool that goes along with his guest house” and he’s been ignoring her and this is her last attempt. When nothing works in getting her to leave, he finally confronts her. Now Thea is very conscious of how she comes across. She’s 6’1” with bright red hair, unplugged from all pop culture and totally absorbed with all things bees. But when Gabe first sees her, he thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen!

Every interaction between theses two, every thought they had about each other, every move they made in their dancing around each other, everything, was utterly charming. I had the hardest time putting the book down and finished in a day and a half. I didn’t want it to end. It’s such a wonderful, feel good book, I’m urging everyone reading this to give it a try. I know not everyone is going to love 💕 it as much as I do, but I think many will really enjoy it. Now I just need to read the first book and I was excited to see she has more books planned in this world.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. I like that the author made the FMC different. We always get the supermodel brunette, the blonde bombshell , the curvy redhead etc..I’m not used to the FMC being 6’1, with shocking orange/red hair and with a gap tooth 🤓

I liked both MC. Theo was the quirky bee biologist and Gabe was the hottie NFL quarterback, opposites definitely attract in this book.

I was thrown off about his last skeleton in the closet he shared with Theo but ehh it wasn’t completely off putting to the point where I stopped reading it. The story kept me interested throughout the whole book.

[Isabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to give this a go based on the author attending an event I am going to, so I would give this a go. Unfortunately it isn't for me, and so I DNF at 50% in as I just couldn't get on with the authors writing and everything felt very fluffy and cute.
Defintely not a very spicy read, and those scenes are glossed over fairly quickly and there isn't much build up to their vortex...aka orgasm. Some of the wording and phrasing was very cringe, and honestly the characters weren't very unique or relatable for me.
I did enjoy that the FMC was a little different to the stereotypical beauty standards, but I am not sure if needed it to be mentioned so much that she was different or tall or not beautiful.
There is a lack of communication between characters, and really they don't actually spend time getting to know each other and their backstory very much. It felt like they would just talk about their jobs more than anything else. So it felt a little surface level for me, perhaps it happens later in their story but I didn't want to wait that long for a little depth in their connection.

[Yayamamaha · Rating 2 out of 5]

ugh ruined with secret plot twist

70% in revealed trope I hate…..
This book was on its way to being on the favorite re-read books list. It made me smile constantly, the spice was great and the story unique. Very very sweet scenes!!! The flower meadow scene first time ? 🤩😍😍😍

Till trope revealed….. spoiler………..

Mmc reveals his “dark history” he had waited to tell her was a secret son he had at 20 from dead best friends girlfriend who he connected with summer the friend died and she got pregnant. He went back to college, her family pushed him away cause he wasn’t needed (family had money) and they weren’t in love. Eventually girl married and husband adopted kid. It was bluntly stated, no extensive backstory given and honestly what was the point????? The kid wasn’t in his life and he yet was super conflicted he didn’t know kid. 13 years later. When he was never involved with kid at any point even during pregnancy. Ummmmm you made choice to give the kid up. Kid was super happy. Let it go. That was his major life dark history angst? Ho hummmmmm….

Turned the story into a somewhat single dad story and was NOT needed to further story. It was just weird, unneeded and ruined the story. So many other 3/4 plot twists available. He somehow ruined her bees, he had killed someone when young, he accidentally got in scandal with some model….. ruined ruined ruined book so senselessly especially since she immediately accepted it and then encouraged her to have him reach out to kid. Ummmm yall the kid was adopted and very happy in his life and loved his dad . Was not mmc place to interrupt that for his own selfish reasons. He always got annual report on kid that said how happy he was. So no need to step in. Leave the kid alone! Do you understand what adoption is? Especially when it is not an open one? You do not have right to interfere. Let the kid grow up and decide themselves….. ohhh but mmc and fmc say ohhh kid is twice he can decide now. No, he can’t. His parents can. 🙄🙄🙄 and I say this from experience on bio side. Written poorly on this subject.

Describe the book in blurb accurately so others are aware. 😑

[Lindsay]

DNF

[Pate · Rating 1 out of 5]

The end was an absolute *crap*show. I can't decide whether to laugh or be mad lol I usually rarely write reviews, but I'm trying to get better so that when someone asks me about a book I read I can look back, and I don't think I ever want to remember this book again. I've been having terrible luck over the last 2-3 weeks with books 😩 send help

I'm going to give a quick recap of a few things that contain a few spoilers, so stop reading now if you don't like them.

First and foremost, the FMC is mistaken for a man (and says this happens all the time) because she's tall. That's it. She is very female presenting. And when someone called her sir, the MMC got FURIOUS. It could've been a slip of tongue like when you accidentally tell the doctor's office "Love you" when getting off the phone. It was wild.

At the end, the FMC is stung by a bee (her life's work) and they go to bed and she goes into anaphylactic shock (she's been stung several times before because she's like a bee doctor or whatever but never had a reaction). So she goes to the ER because she passes out and literally almost dies. They did a blood test to see if she had a bee allergy and it was positive. Keep in mind, she almost died. So the MMC is like, I'll help find someone to take your bees, and she's like, nah I'm keeping them. LOL WHAT. So he's mad and is like... uh no you're not. So they fight and he says, "I won't allow you to." Okay I get it, that's poor word choice. She gets even more pissed, and then he's like... if I have to sue you again (long story from the beginning) to save your life then I will. Anyway she breaks up with him and refuses to return his calls or texts for weeks even though he calls and texts every day. She won't even have a conversation. She made him leave that night and that was it. So whatever, okay. Her friends tell her she needs to get rid of the bees and so do her parents but she thinks they're all overreacting to her being deathly (literally) allergic to bees.

This is where things start to just go insane. So the MMC chains himself to her house (this was actually a cute callback to the beginning). Her ex boyfriend shows up and she goes into the house with her ex for TWO HOURS and leaves the MMC chained up outside and says nothing to him. Then the ex gets explosive diarrhea and that supposedly took up most of that time or something? Like she's taking him water and meds and it was just like... just pop your head out and tell the guy you love what's going on????? Anyway so the MMC leaves and instead of her going over to his house once her ex leaves, she just doesn't talk to him for like a day or two? IDK it was weird.

But this is the best part. She went to the allergist and by some twist of fate, she's not allergic to bees! She's allergic to shellfish that she ate earlier that day!

The second half of this book was just an absolute mess.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this book.. the way that Theo and Gabe met was so interesting and definitely unique. Gabe is an NFL player who upsets Theo, a professor/bee keeper/bee activist, when he is renovating next door and potentially harms Theo’s bees. She chains herself to his house and won’t leave even when he threatens to sue her or when the press comes - instead she’s delighted to share her knowledge of bees. The two eventually get together and we see their relationship go through it’s ups and downs.
I really liked watching their relationship form and seeing the parallels that come later on in the book. It’s also very realistic in the way that both Theo and Gabe have their issues/traumas they try to work through. It gave them a more dimensional feel. I’m also someone who hates 3rd act breakups and !spoiler! There is one in this book but I didn’t mind it as much. All their fights are realistic and reasonable and I like the way the two of them handle the situations. Overall, this was a fun and easy book to read and I would recommend it to my friends!

[Jo Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Famous football player Gabe Bardales gets a call from the contractor building his house. There is a woman chained to his front porch. When he goes outside, he sees a beautiful redhead woman. Theo is a college professor who teaches about bees. She loves bees, has since she was a child. Now she owns her own home and several bee hives. Gabe is suing her to move the bees, since he is afraid they will swarm his guests when they use his swimming pool. When he refuses to meet with Theo to discuss the problem, she chains herself to his front porch.
Of course they fall in love.
And love is never without problems.
Fun read, likable characters, some humor, some interesting facts about bees and some sex.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a super cute story with a fun and unique premise (Gabe's a football player, Theo's a bee biologist and they meet when she chains herself to his house to protest him building a pool near her bees).

I've come to really enjoy the "casual to more" trope and it was done really well here. Maybe the opposites attract/meet cute was a little too unlikely to fall totally in love with their story, but overall this was an easy, solid read that I enjoyed a lot.

Bonus points for including a tall heroine who is described as not being conventionally attractive (though he can't understand why, because he thinks she's beautiful)! So sweet!

[Truth Teller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

I found this to be a cute and slightly spicy story. I started with this book and never read the previous books. I really liked the characters and loved how they both were able to teach each other things about their passion/jobs without it being boring for the reader. I would say spice was 🌶️🌶️.5. I enjoyed that it wasn’t the foundation of their whole relationship. The only thing I didn’t get was the thing with Brooke. It seemed unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story at all. It definitely could have been left out.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabe and Theo

Loved this book. Both characters were so appealing. At first I thought Gabe was going to be self centered, based on his “brand”, but he turned out to be a great guy. Graduating with honors in history gave him credibility as a boyfriend for Theo.
Loved how the author had Theo’s speech patterns reflected her intellectual personality. Really liked how Gabe helped her see herself as he saw her too.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked her chaining herself to his porch to gain attention. I didn't like her physical description having a great deal of weight to her character to the point of unbelief. (Shocking orange hair, freckles, gapped teeth in front and six foot one .)

And the NFL quarterback finds her pretty much instantly attractive??

Ok? Ok? Good for her.

I liked the prior story a bit better.

[Frances Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read

A fun read, where I learned something about bees and about American football, how often does that happen. The story was well written and easy to read. I liked all the characters, well apart from Gerald, Clement and Brooke but annoying people are everywhere.
This was my first book by this author, but I will be looking out for more.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release the dogs!

This was definitely a good one! I literally laghued so hard throughout the entire book. Like with tears and everything. Gabe and Theo were such an unlikely pair that just worked fabulously. She was odd but so endearing and he was gruff but lovable. I really enjoyed this book!

[Rebecca Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book in the series is my absolute favorite! Theo is a fascinating character. She is a professor and now activist when her neighbor insists she relocate her bee hives. He is a famous football player and known for his skill and attractiveness. At first glance, they don't have anything in common but they definitely complement each other. It is funny, sweet and oh so romantic.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, funny love story about opposites

This was such a good story. I think usually the female is the main character but in this book Gage is front and center. He has his demons and Theo gives him the opportunity to get his life realigned. They are a good paring and certainly opposites.
I learned so much about bees, too. This is a very good story and I enjoyed it.

[Esmee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 is net te weinig. 4 net te veel. Het was best amusant hoor. Mocht eigenlijk wel minstens 50blz korter. Begon een beetje langdradig te worden. Echt erg dat mensen haar lelijk noemde omdat ze lang was met een spleetje tussen haar tanden

[Lindy Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny

The rivalry and banter between the two main characters was so funny. I thought the story lost a little of spark in the middle and then picked it back up again towards the end.

[Patty Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really great book!

I really enjoyed reading this book! it was very sweet and well written! I had to keep reading to find out what happens next! the characters are well written and interesting! I will be looking up more books from this author.

[Bernadette Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

I didn’t realize that this was the 2rd book in the series so will have to go back and read them. I will of course be reading on in the series. Very, very fun book with some good sexy time too.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the bee’s knees

This was a great story .all three in this series were all different but the characters from the first two showed up a lot in all three .
I actually learned a lot about bees and jocks. Totally opposite of each other but complimented each other .

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nerds and Bees

Theo is a professor and Gabe is a professional quarterback. The two are neighbors and sparks fly from the very beginning. An unlikely couple that I feel immediately in love with. A quick read with laughs and a few tears.

[Christina Colonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Bees

I wanted this book to be 5 stars. I love bees, and learning about them was interesting. I loved Theo, but I couldn't get her image inside my head. I just couldn't. It was a good book. Just not great

[i_hype_romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute and easy to get lost in. I love a forced proximity “neighbors who hate each other” vibe with lots of banter and this delivered.
I also loved that he fell first and was the first one to admit his feelings aloud.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Shirley Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Book!

I absolutely love Andrea Simonne books. She is amazing author! When you read Andrea books they grab you from the first page. I loved this storyline.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

About Love Series

This book was great. It made all 3 books click. The storyline and all characters were spit on. I needed to read a series like this. It was refreshing.

[Elanda Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute romance story.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

I really liked this book!! Theo and Gabe were such a sweet couple and I enjoyed the funny parts. Great lighthearted read 😊

[Arna · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Got bored.