She is a writer who spends her time crafting words. They have meaning for her, and she cannot stand to see them misused. In her opinion, the worst abuse of her beloved words happens in the cheap pickup lines and disposable clichés she hears almost daily as she searches for her own Mr. Right. One after another, she disposes of possible beaus, relegating them to the “Mr. You-Are-So-Wrong-For-Me” pile. Sugared phrases and meaningless drivel drive her to distraction, and she knows that she’ll scream or possibly spontaneously combust if she hears one more hackneyed phrase.

So she feels something approaching delight when a young man approaches her with an opening line that she has never heard before: “suck my ….” Here is a man that she can relate to. There is no promise of love, no romance, no frilly valentines, but only sex and a one night stand. And she realizes that this is what she has been looking for – straight talk, honest words, and a carpe diem approach to life.

Danger, Word Games! by Eve Summers delves into the psyche of a jaded and frustrated writer who is tired of empty promises and pickup lines and who wants honesty in her relationships for a change. This is a somewhat amusing short story, and I wonder if it was written by the author in a fit of pique, because the main character seems to be angry at the world. This character, who remains nameless, is not at all likeable. Many of her observations are very unpleasant, and she holds an over-inflated opinion of herself and her command of the English language. While she is delighted to have met the young man who fed her what she believes to be an original pickup line, I strongly suspect that she will eventually find herself burned by him. He is – if at all possible – even more unpleasant than she is.

Overall, I found this story to be a little bit disquieting in its angry overtone. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t entertaining, though, because it certainly was. Danger, Word Games! will very well appeal to those who have had their fill of romance and who prefer straight talk to pretty phrases.


Reviewed by: Whitney