Professor Naya Turner's friends challenge her to break out of a rut in How to Fail at Flirting, Denise Williams's comedic, sexy debut romance. Naya has spent the past three years avoiding romantic entanglements, instead focusing on her career and trying to heal from an abusive relationship. One night, fueled by alcohol and the right amount of peer pressure, Naya takes a chance with Jake, a stranger in town for a wedding. Except it turns out that Jake isn't in town only for a wedding and what was supposed to be a one-night stand turns into two nights, just a few days--and maybe forever?
How to Fail at Flirting is full of cheesy puns, situational humor, chemistry and sweetness, but it also tackles the lasting, often invisible scars of abuse. Williams delivers on the comedy readers will expect from the take-a-risk checklist premise, but deftly balances it with heavier subjects. Told from Naya's point of view, the story digs deep into her insecurities and challenges as a woman of color in academia, and the difficulties of balancing career and personal goals. Though the story focuses mostly on the central romantic relationship, Naya's best friends provide levity and support, giving readers an outside look at how Naya's self-image is limited by her past experiences. Williams gives readers characters and a relationship to root for, even if they're not perfect, and an antagonist whose downfall they'll eagerly anticipate. Sweet but not saccharine, How to Fail at Flirting is escapism grounded in reality. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels