Lovesick

by Lyssa Dering

He's finally found a man patient enough to woo him. Or is that just part of the experiment?

Quinn Stewart would rather not participate in the first trial for Project Duo, a matchmaking program. But his contract with corporate giant Sociotech obligates him to, and now he's got a chip in his arm and a gorgeous but intimidating match named Deven. They're stuck in an apartment together for a whole month with no television, and, Quinn soon learns, doors that lock at night. As the days pass, he and Deven get closer, but are the feelings growing between them real? Or are they being influenced by their chips—chips that might be faulty, or even deadly?

Word count: 11,650

NOTE: This is the second edition of Lovesick. It has been re-edited and has a new cover but the story has not undergone any significant changes.

Genres: M M Romance, Science Fiction, Romance

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2016

Reviews

[Teal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a guy who doesn't like anyone is paired up with a guy no one likes? In a vaguely dystopian near-future, Quinn and Deven are corporate drones implicitly strong-armed (do you want to remain employed? why, yes!) into serving as guinea pigs to test a matchmaking app. Thrown together for a month in near-isolation, the two socially-dysfunctional men struggle to navigate their almost unbearable proximity.

There are far more mediocre short stories out there than good ones. Here everything clicks and nothing is extraneous. This put Lyssa Dering on my radar in a big way, and I look forward to seeing what else she's written.

But I have a word of warning for romance readers: this isn't a romance in the conventional sense. It's science fiction with a gay protagonist, some m/m sex, and maybe/maybe not a relationship. If you prefer a conventional romance storyline with likeable characters, this may not be your thing. At all.

[Barbara Ingram · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 Has Potential Stars***

Lyssa Dering is a new author to me and I was offered an advance copy of this story to read and review. Overall the story is well written and the premise is very unique. Two men, total strangers, are chosen to be test subjects in an experiment that measures their reactions and feelings towards one another during a month of living together in an apartment. They are both implanted with a device that will record everything that happens between them. Sound intriguing? With only 44 pages, Ms. Dering did not have a lot of time for character development, but the reason I gave this only 3 stars is that I just did not feel the chemistry between Deven and Quinn. The sex scenes were just a tad unbelievable and what there was of them, the spark was just not there. This is, of course, just me. I believe that for a short, quick read, Ms. Dering is a talented writer and I will look for more from her!

***ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***

[Pam Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this story in exchange for a honest review so here it is. Enjoyable read.. Story line was good. The characters were well developed. Quinn and Deven were brought together in the first trial for Project Duo, a matchmaking program. Unfortunately the two had no choice to participate for the month, living together in an apartment with no TV, no phones, and their reactions to each other being monitored continually by Sociotech. A stressful month where two strangers were forced to get to know one another. Deven evidently was brought in to initiate sex with Quinn because he was such an introvert..The two eventually had sex, but their feelings towards one another were another story, hot and cold....This was an interesting story of two men brought together under undesirable circumstances, affected by the chip monitor that was implanted and the hormonal changes the monitor caused. Take this journey with these two as their relationship changes along the way. Interesting read..

[Sierra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to be clear that this was NOT poorly written. My rating has to do with my emotional reaction to the story. I was incredibly uncomfortable reading this story. It was brutal with angst. Quinn, the first person POV, was an truly damaged person. I never liked Deven at all. The situation between the two ranged from indifference to outright discomfort to dislike. There was twist toward the end of the story that made me even more sick than I already was over the situation. I never understood how they went from that to caring for each other. I felt the ending was a barely, barely HFN. I can't believe that this is going to be a series. Will it follow this couple or more machinations of the sick Sociotech corp? I was glad that I got this on KU because I really want to forget the horror of the situation and the anxiety that Quinn poured out.

[Anne Marie Crookes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sociotech has a new matchmaking program and Quinn, who was one of the developers, has been selected as a test subject. By the terms of his contract, he can't refuse. He meets Deven and the two find themselves together for a month. I enjoyed how the socially awkward Quinn and the harder to read Deven get to know each other and form a fragile bond.

Quite an interesting story.

I received an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Blackmermaid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I was intrigued by the premise of this story. I felt like this should have been expanded as I had many questions towards the end! I felt like this had a strong HFN ending.