CBR16 Bingo: Games
Straight-laced university professor Teddy Ferguson has had a record-long stint of victories on the popular trivia game show Answers! when his confidence and entire existence are rocked by the appearance of the beautiful and confident Maxine Hart. She ruins his pre-show ritual by eating a specific doughnut by stealing it directly in front of him, taking one bite and then throwing it in the trash. One very memorable kiss and the fact that Maxine completely obliterates him on the game show means Teddy can never forget her. He can’t believe that he was beaten by a self-taught, smart-mouthed high school dropout with ADHD.
They don’t see each other again until it’s been over a year, when Maxine and Teddy have both been invited to compete in a special high-stakes tournament, featuring the only undefeated champion of the show, Hercules McKnight. Teddy persuades Maxine to take part, but both need to improve their weak areas (Teddy is far too cautious when gambling on categories, and Maxine has a lot of gaps in her knowledge base) and Maxine declares that they will train together. She unceremoniously shows up at his house in New Jersey with most of her worldly possessions, including her pet snake.
Maxine’s entire way of living is chaotic and impulsive, while Teddy thrives on order and routine. Nevertheless, in the weeks before the tournament, they manage to find methods to assist and train the other. Among other things, Maxine takes Teddy sky-diving, to make him face some of his fears, and Teddy devises some very creative ways of making Maxine learn in a way that ensures that potentially boring facts will be burned in her memory. The sizzling chemistry they experienced during their first encounter means they can’t live and work together in close quarters without eventually acting on their mutual attraction – but can their romance survive when both are determined to be the all-time winner of the Answers! tournament?
Full review on my blog.