Puzzle Me This

Title:  Puzzle Me This

Author:  Eli Easton

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press

Length:  88 pages

Rating:  A List

Up All Night Satisfaction

Blurb:  Luke Schumaker designs computer games, working from his home. Every day he walks his dog in the woods nearby, never suspecting that someone who is completely smitten is watching. The watcher is Alex Shaw, and he too works from home, designing logic and crossword puzzles. Alex’s options are limited: he’s too shy to approach Luke and his wheelchair won’t let him follow into the woods. His solution? Secret messages for Luke in the crosswords he writes for the local paper. When Luke decodes them, romance begins, but then they face greater puzzles, like Alex’s interfering sister and what commitment to a man in a wheelchair really takes. And, most puzzling of all, how do you know if love is real?

Review:  Loved this novella. Fun, sweet, charming, funny and cute. I loved the secret messages in the crosswords, what a wonderful way to ask someone out. I enjoy doing crossword puzzles and playing computer games so I was immediately interested in this one. Add in a main character in a wheelchair and color me intrigued.

Luke is a sweetheart. He knows his appeal and he enjoys his life. He is smart, talented, sensitive and a bit of a romantic. He’s such a great guy and I was so glad that he became Alex’s guy.

Alex is beautiful. Sweet, innocent, sheltered, intelligent, capable, shy, clever, funny and amazing. Who could resist him? Luke was lost, from the start, it just took him a little too long to realize it.

I was so pleased that we were told the story from Luke’s point of view. It was refreshing to see the perspective of the partner who has to make the decision about dating, and more, with someone who has physical limitations. I loved that while those issues were explored and had an affect on the relationship they were neither made a tragedy nor were they brushed aside as nothing. They were instead dealt with kindly and with a sense of humor.

Reviewed by Nina