It might sound like an odd combination, however the author of the Embrace series and wife of Olympian Matt Shirvington manages to make the story of her new novel, Disruption, work.
That's if you're a sucker for doomed love tales.
Set in a futuristic America where people's compatibilities with one another are dictated by microchips and high-tech bracelets, which are like an evolution of the smartphone, Disruption follows rebellious teenager Maggie Stevens as she sets out on a dangerous mission to find her father. Declared "incompatible" with society, Maggie's father was taken away by authorities two years ago. The plan to get him back involves heart-throb Quentin Mercer, the heir to the M-Corp empire, the company behind all the compatibility technology.
However, predictably, it's an unexpected turn of events after Quentin gets involved. The two teens end up falling in love and completing the mission gets a touch trickier for Maggie.
Shirvington, who met husband Matt at the age of 17, is no stranger to what early-age love might involve, however the story in Disruption is nothing new; an unlikely couple fall head over heels with each other in what is a Romeo and Juliet-style romance.
There are some cringeworthy moments and soppiness, but the book is an easy read and also has an interesting action-packed sci-fi element to it.
* Disruption by Jessica Shirvington is published by HarperCollins, RRP $19.99.
