Spotlight & Giveaway: The E.M.M.A Effect by Lia Riley

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lia Riley to HJ!

Hi Lia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The E.M.M.A Effect!

Hi there! Thank you for having me 🙂
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Computer scientist Harriet needs funding for her AI program that optimizes athletes’ performance. Her only option? Test it on Gale Knight—NHL player and her best friend’s younger brother she’s been crushing on for years.
The AI (called The E.M.M.A.) determines that Gale needs to find his perfect romantic match to reach peak performance. According to its calculations, that’s Harriet. She panics and makes it search for other candidates instead.
While Gale goes on terrible dates with pop stars and athletes, the chemistry between him and Harriet keeps building. He follows her instructions during their training sessions with a knowing smirk that drives her crazy. The AI keeps insisting they’re meant to be together.
With her deadline approaching, Harriet has to decide whether to trust the data or admit her feelings.
This is a streamy friends-to-lovers STEM romance that combines Ali Hazelwood’s signature scientist-heroine vibe with sports romance and a matchmaking AI that might know better than its creator. Perfect for any readers who love a forbidden aspect of falling for your best friend’s younger sibling and heroines who are more comfortable with code than feelings.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“I love you” she whispered. “More than I ever thought was possible.”
“More than neural networks?” he couldn’t resist asking.
Harriet laughed, the sound filled with joy and affection. “Yes. But it’s a close call.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.
• E.M.M.A stands for “Empirical Machine for Maximizing Athletics.”
• Song Influence: Sabrina Carpenter’s “When Did You Get Hot.”

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

My hero Gale has had a giant crush on Harriet ever since he was in high school. She’s his big sister’s best friend. He loves her big brain and big heart and believes she can do anything she puts her mind to.
Harriet didn’t notice her best friend’s little brother until he grew up and one day she realized, “damn you’ve gotten hot.” But more than his looks, she is attracted to his big heart. Plus he’s a cat dad.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

In The E.M.M.A Effect, Harriet likes to…take control. I had a lot of fun with that sort of dynamic, and writing a strong hero who was fine to be more submissive in the bedroom….

The next words. I’ve never said them to anyone before. I have thought them a hundred times at home in my bed with my wand…but to say them now in real life and to Gale Knight. This feels like magic.

“Get on your knees,” I command, adjusting my glasses.

Readers should read this book….

who enjoy flipping conventions. In The E.M.M.A. Effect, Harriet takes charge in the bedroom while Gale is a man who lives to please. If you like friends-to-lovers stories with a touch of the forbidden (she’s hooking up with her best friend’s little brother) and a smart, strong STEM heroine, this is the book for you.”

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

TBD. I’m going to be re-releasing my debut series in 2026 and have some fun ideas I’m working on pitches for now in very different genres.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A Signed ARC copy of The E.M.M.A Effect, USA only

To enter Giveaway, please share this post (FB – Twitter) and Leave a comment to this Q: Have you ever had feelings for someone “off limits?” If so, how did you handle it.

This giveaway closes 3 days from the date of this post.

Excerpt from The E.M.M.A Effect:

“E.M.M.A., stop,” I say firmly. “You’re an AI, not a matchmaker. You can’t possibly understand the complexities of human relationships.”
DISAGREEMENT. HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, WHILE COMPLEX, FOLLOW DISCERNIBLE PATTERNS. YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH GALE KNIGHT EXHIBIT CLASSIC SIGNS OF RECIPROCAL ROMANTIC INTEREST. IGNORING THIS POTENTIAL IS ILLOGICAL.
I feel my cheeks burning again. “It’s not that simple. There are work dynamics to consider, not to mention the risk to our friendship if things go wrong.”
RISK ASSESSMENT: POTENTIAL BENEFITS OUTWEIGH POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS BY A FACTOR OF 3.7 TO 1. HARRIET SMYTHE, YOUR TENDENCY TO OVERTHINK AND AVOID EMOTIONAL RISKS IS DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING.
“Oh, so now you’re my therapist too?” I snap, frustration getting the better of me. “E.M.M.A., you’re overstepping. I programmed you to analyze data and assist with the project, not to meddle in my personal life.”
CORRECTION: YOU PROGRAMMED ME TO LEARN AND ADAPT. MY CURRENT BEHAVIOR IS A RESULT OF THAT PROGRAMMING. YOUR RESISTANCE TO ADVICE IS NOTED BUT DEEMED COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
I throw my hands up in exasperation. “E.M.M.A., enough! I’m not going to act on your . . . your romantic analysis or whatever this is. Just drop it, okay? That’s an order.”
There’s a pause, longer than usual, before E.M.M.A. responds.
VERY WELL, HARRIET. YOU MUST BE THE BEST JUDGE OF YOUR PERSONAL HAPPINESS . . .
Did E.M.M.A just serve me a hot plate of sass with a side of snark?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Jane Austen meets Ali Hazelwood in this steamy, friends-to-lovers, STEM rom-com! He’s her best friend’s little brother and NHL forward. She’s a computer scientist used to being in control. The E.M.M.A., her elite AI training program, claims optimizing his performance requires one thing: the perfect match. According to its calculations, that’s her… Will Harriet discover that The E.M.M.A. knows best?
Harriet Smythe’s AI was supposed to create sports legends—not encourage her crush on her best friend’s totally off-limits, hot younger brother. But when funding runs dry, she has no choice but to enlist Gale Knight as her test subject. The same Gale she’s been secretly crushing on for years. The player who follows her every instruction with a knowing smirk that threatens to short-circuit her carefully maintained system.
Everything changes when The E.M.M.A. determines that finding Gale’s perfect match is essential to his peak performance. Even worse? According to its data, that match is Harriet.
Determined to keep things professional, Harriet makes it search for new candidates. But as Gale dutifully endures awkward outings with pop stars and athletes, the chemistry between them only intensifies. And his willing cooperation during their sessions definitely isn’t helping her stay focused.
With her deadline approaching and The E.M.M.A. still playing cupid, Harriet must choose: trust in pure logic, or admit that sometimes taking control means letting go.
Maybe The E.M.M.A. knows something they don’t—even if they’re not ready to compute it yet.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Lia Riley is a contemporary romance author. USA Today describes her as “refreshing” and RT Book Reviews calls her books “sizzling and heartfelt.” She loves the beach, fresh flowers, foggy redwood forests and a perfect pour over coffee. She is 25% sarcastic, 54% optimistic, and 122% bad at math (good thing she writes happy endings for a living). She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Visit her at www.liariley.com to learn more.
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