In Kristen B. Cole’s THE SCIENTIST, music professor Hadley takes a job at Stanford when her mother’s rare cancer diagnosis requires a move to California for treatment. Renowned neurobiologist Lex is also new to Stanford; he and his team have been offered a huge deal to continue their Alzheimer’s research there. When Hadley and Lex move in across the street from each other in faculty housing, the cheerful Hadley worries that the standoffish Lex has no interest in becoming friends—and he doesn’t. He wants more. After a series of miscommunications, the two young professors quickly fall for each other; but Lex’s complex work and Hadley’s ailing mother complicate their budding relationship.
Hadley narrates the story with a friendly voice and empathetic attention to detail. She notices her mother’s looks of concentration and anticipates her lectures on finding happiness. She contemplates what Lex’s tense shoulders and averted gaze might mean. The two are fully developed characters on their own. Moreover, their adoration and respect for their friends, family, and colleagues elevate their likeability.
The pace of this growing relationship is slow at first. When they finally unite, though, their passion for each other is evident in vivid sex scenes—which are teeming with chemistry and eroticism. This is lacking, however, outside of serious emotional moments. A scene where Lex shows Hadley a piece of an addict’s brain on a microscope slide is moving, but the scene immediately prior (in which Hadley sits in on one of Lex’s lectures and gets turned on by his speaking) falls flat. Here she narrates, “We were locking eyes so often that I could have easily pretended he was only speaking to me, and that we were the only two people in the room.” Cliché descriptions like this don’t always feel realistic and undermine their relationship’s power.
Chemistry falters even more when Lex and Hadley let petty jealousy get the better of them. Their anger when seeing each other’s exes makes them seem possessive and controlling, as when Lex kicks Hadley’s visiting ex, Garrett, out of her house despite Garrett’s innocent demeanor. Lex’s rage feels unjustified, and Hadley’s enjoyment of what she considers his protective instinct is alarming.
Hadley and Lex’s friendships are among the book’s strongest facets. Succinct, snappy dialogue and quick-witted, entertaining back-and-forths build new friendships and reveal the loyalty of old ones. Hadley’s spunky mother is a delight, and Lex’s roommate, Stuart, is a good friend who checks in on Hadley with texts after tense conversations. Stuart in particular is a realistically flawed character whose own arc rounds out the story.
Despite some uneven chemistry, THE SCIENTIST is a steamy, clever romance about finding balance between love and other personal and professional endeavors.
Snarky banter and fully rounded characters make Kristen B. Cole’s THE SCIENTIST feel realistic enough to overcome its flaws and satisfy those looking for a solid, steamy romance.
~Aimee Jodoin for IndieReader