Mostly, I liked the first book –The Desire Variable—within this series. My main complaint was that it took an unexpected turn towards the latter half of the book. Instead of being a light, contemporary read, it turned a little into something greyer. The story was far from a dark romance, but just the light office romance I had thought it would be. Still, I was committed to reading what I thought would be the final book in this series—more on that later.

The Passion Parameter has Lex and Andy struggling with the outcome of the end of the last book. They are apart, miserable, and still working at the same company. I was surprised with how quickly they got back together. I expected it to be dragged out more since this is a chunky book. Though, I can’t say I’m upset about that. I called Andy a lovable nerd in my first book review, and that still stands. When she and Lex are together, their nerd power increases by one thousand percent. It’s cute, though their dialogue and behavior could sometimes become a little much. Oddly, it works for their characters and their relationship.

Even though Lex and Andy come together after the events of the last book, their relationship still isn’t smooth sailing. There’s a lot of relationship drama in this one. Their drama is the entire focus of the book, with Andy’s app taking another backseat. I’d say that most of the drama was fine. Although I didn’t like the drama with Evora, I did like how it was resolved and how Andy and Evora became friends.

There are a lot more reveals about Lex’s character within this installment that gives clarity to his actions in the last book. Most of the more emotional moments center on him and his relationship with his family. Spoiler—his parents are the absolute worst.

Finally, I entered this book, expecting it to be the last one. Of course, that isn’t how this happened, and this one ended on a cliffhanger. My rating for this one is lower than the first; however, the cliffhanger was intriguing enough, and I am curious about what happens next. I might be too hopeful, but I hope the author doesn’t wrap up that storyline in the first few chapters of the third book. I hope she leans into it because it’s an interesting concept, and the hints have been woven in since the first book.

Final Thoughts

Any Lex and Andy superfan might adore The Passion Parameter. The romance and character development (especially Lex’s) are the center plot in this book, with other things occurring but falling to the background or quickly being resolved. They have many relationship woes; however, they celebrate so many high points in their relationship. Their chemistry and cuteness can’t be denied. And neither can their sometimes cringe dialogue and behavior. As I mentioned previously, it works for these characters, even if it feels a bit too much at times. For me, I had to read the book in small doses so that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed.

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