Smoke Signals

I loved reading this short romance, and I recommend it highly!

The romance is slow-burn, sort of enemies to friends to lovers, and both characters really charmed me. Zali'thurg's social awkwardness is easy to relate to, even though he is quite an alien character, and Mike is patient and caring, without ever surrendering his own needs to serve Zali'thurg.

The gaming details are important but not esoteric at all, and I think anyone could enjoy the book. But as a gamer, I especially enjoyed the Infocom-style text adventure; it was adorable and brought back good memories for me.

The pacing is good and I like the author's sense of humor. I was totally cheering for this pair throughout, and I really believe in their HEA. A new favorite for me!