Not an earth-shaking book, but lots of fun. The heroine, Gillian McCormick, is a makeup artist in Hollywood. Just as she was leaving the set after hours, she witnesses the murder of the leading man—and the murderer is the son-in-law of a well-known mobster. Her best friend Cora, a long-retired actress, suggests that Gillian accompany her on a cruise aimed at single geeks. Gillian agrees, and the two of them remake Gillian's wardrobe from the sexy clothes in Cora's closet. Cora calls on her young friend Lex Manchester to act as Gillian's guard, who reluctantly agrees to play a nerd for the cruise even though he has worked hard to get rid of the nerdy reputation he had back in high school. All should be well, except Gillian and Lex wind up trying to ignore the growing attraction to each other. And then they discover that the cruise is full of nerds hoping to get lucky—with a mobster and a cross-dressing sociopath to boot. ( )

All of the nerd books do something well and something badly.

The good: mostly, it's the nerdiness everywhere, and it being treated as something to be at least partly embraced (so long as it doesn't intrude on one's confidence, at least).

The bad: a minor note- a rather stupid side conflict where the heroine doesn't think the hero is romantic enough. This is stupid because a) she never actually seems to be turned off by insufficient romance, she just complains about it theoretically, and b) it doesn't bother her until an astrology reading tells her that she's romantic and he isn't. ( )

From BackCover:
She’s unleashed her inner vixen…
Hollywood makeup artist Gillian McCormick wouldn’t normally be caught dead on a cruise aimed at single geeks. But as the sole witness to a murder, hiding out may be her only chance at staying alive. With P.I. Lex Manchester guarding her, and a voluptuous disguise in place of her plain-Jane wardrobe, Gillian should be safe… if she can resist a titanic attraction to Lex that’s making her fantasize about some extra-naughty cruise activities…

He’s rediscovered his inner nerd…
Lex thought he had left behind his nerdy ways, but his suave demeanor has no chance against Gillian’s bombshell image and the smart, sexy woman within. And when the scent of seduction wafts through the sea air, what’s a red-blooded male to do?

And the passion they’ve found is about to get out of control…
With a passenger list that includes a mobster on a mission, a cross-dressing sociopath, and hundreds of lusty nerds, Lex must find a way to keep Gillian safe—and prove that he’s truly her nerd for all seasons… ( )

Ugh! I enjoyed Thompson's first book in the "nerd" series, but each one that followed has been awful. ( )