Review: “Elementary Romantic Calculus” by Susannah Nix

Series: Chemistry Lessons, #6

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: May 18th, 2021

Mia has had her whole life mapped out since she was 18. She’s supposed to follow up her math PhD with a research postdoc, but her 20-year tenure plan takes a surprise deviation when she’s forced to settle for a temporary teaching job at a small-town university.

It’s not easy adapting to rural life when you’re an inveterate city girl, but Mia tries to make the best of it until she can get the heck out of Podunk—er, Crowder, Texas. Things finally start to look up after a run-in with some terrifying local wildlife sends her careening into the arms of a sexy goat farmer/cheesemaker.

Mia finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Josh’s gruff cowboy charms, especially after she learns what lies behind the thick walls he’s built around his heart. The deeper their connection grows, the more Crowder starts to feel like home.

But Mia can’t afford to stay. Not unless she’s willing to give up on her dream—or trade it in for a new one.

I feel like I should start every Susannah Nix review with the sentence: Susannah Nix can do no wrong. Because just like every book I’ve read of hers so far, this one is golden. A little steamier than the rest of the books in the Chemistry Lessons series (in my opinion), but still the same kind of smart and sexy characters combined with the magical writing that makes you love every book Susannah ever writes. Elementary Romantic Calculus is the final book in the series and I’m sad that we’re saying goodbye to these smart as heck ladies and their fine as fudge men. And I can also safely say that Mia and Josh might just be my favourite pair from this series, which is saying a lot, because I love everything about Poppy and Caleb.

“Not that she was crushing on Josh. But the potential was certainly there. Hot goat farmer. Master cheesemaker. It was a dangerously alluring combination.”

Mia’s life is a bit chaotic as the book starts, she’s been offered an incredible job, but far away from the life she’s always known. It’s a tiny, rural town in Texas, and not exactly what she was hoping for when she applied for the job. But given everything else that’s sort of not working in her favour, Mia takes the job and moves to Crowder, Texas. But first, she gets lost on her way to the interview and encounters baby goats and the farmer that goes along with those baby goats. Brace yourself for the grumpy, but amazing cowboy that is Josh. When she finally moves to the small town, it takes her some time to really settle into her new life. And as it goes with small towns, Mia meets a whole heap of people who are as entertaining as they are amazing, and she starts to experience small town life in the best way possible while also falling head over heels in love with a cowboy.

Like with all the women in the Chemistry Lessons books, Mia is smart as all get out. She loves math, has grown up immersed in the math life and she’s working on a paper that will change her life, so you can imagine just how incredibly smart and awesome she is. Mia’s mission in life is simple, work out this one year job and publish this one paper that’s been eluding her and she’s back on track. After all, Mia likes making plans and following them. But this trip to Crowder changes her life. I love how passionate Mia is about her subject and how she makes it her own, encouraging students to feel the same way. Mia understands that not everyone can or will feel the same way about math that she does, but she doesn’t hold that against them. If Mia was my professor, I might have actually paid more attention in class.

“Josh made her feel weak in a way that scared her – but also somehow oddly brave too.”

And then there’s Josh. *swoon* Susannah Nix writes great heroes and I’m not even joking when I say that Josh is one of a kind. Yes, he’s a grumpy cowboy, but he’s not grumpy towards Mia as much as he’s just tired of the world. He’s taken over his family’s farm and not only is he raising goats, he’s making cheese. Josh is everything that Mia likes in a man and when you add cheese to the mix, it’s almost like the universe is trying to test her will power. I loved the character so much, even if we never really get to see his side of things. Josh has been through quite a bit in his life and it’s made him a little aloof and he doesn’t let anybody in, but when it comes to Mia, he’s got his arms wide open and he’s ready for everything that comes with being attached to her.

Their relationship is hot, sure it’s a closed-door romance, but there’s this one scene in the kitchen early on in their relationship that is so steamy, I squealed a little. And almost every interaction they have is hot, cute and just perfect. There’s so much communication between these characters, which really amplifies their relationship further. It’s quite something to read about these characters who talk and discuss and are open about their lives. Josh tells Mia about his past and Mia tells Josh about her family drama, and they share the load. But of course, there’s always going to be that one thing that weighs them down. The big thing here is that once her year is up, Mia is going back home to actually follow her plan. And that’s definitely a point of contention between them.

Elementary Romantic Calculus is filled with small town shenanigans, lots of great nerdy math dialogue that might seem like a different language to most, goat yoga, and an incredible relationship between two people who could not be more different from each other. I am most excited what’s coming next, because we get a lot more than a hint of the next series and it’s going to be so great. After indulging in the awesomeness of Mad About Ewe and Elementary Romantic Calculus, I’ve decided that 2021 is Susannah Nix’s year and nobody can change my mind.

Thanks to Susannah Nix for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.