Yes, much of this story (as with others in the Hot Zone series) is superficial and silly - old fashioned letter writing, suddenly falling in love with the computer geek from work, the entire scene at the male strip club, etc. But, that's kind of the fun of these stories. Personally, I'm a sucker for a hot military hero or cowboy romance, and Male Call (despite the awful pun) reeled me in. For an hour or so worth of reading, this story is definitely enjoyable.