Kristie J’s review of To Professor, With Love (Forbidden Men series, Book 2) by Linda Kage
Contemporary Romance published by Linda Kage 26 Apr 14
After the most excellent first book of this series, it was a given I’d be continuing. The premise of this book is another one of my favourites, older heroine/younger hero. Throw in the fact she’s his teacher and it’s an added bonus. I’ve read a couple of this type that I’ve really enjoyed, One Summer by Karen Robards and Hard Lovin’ Man, one of only a couple of contemporary books written by Lorraine Heath. I have to quickly point out that this isn’t a squicky kind of huge age difference. In fact, in the two books I mentioned, the heroine was a former teacher and not a current teacher. That’s not the case, though, with To Professor, with Love. Aspen Kavanaugh, our heroine and and English professor, isn’t much older than Noel Gamble, our hero. So, did this bother me?
Nope, not at all. As with the first book, I loved this one. I wasn’t sure at first since when we first meet Noel, he’s “the” star, pretty much the campus stud. But it turns out that’s only a façade.
In reality, he is much different. Not unlike the first book, he’s the real head of the household. There is no father figure and Noel has a younger brother and two younger sisters he looks out for, since his mother is pretty much absent and high on drugs when she is around. Noel’s way out is through football. He’s at the college on a football scholarship, and, because it’s essential for his future that he does well in all his courses, he’s quite dismayed at the low grade he got in his English class and he’s not hesitant to call his teacher out on the low grade.
Aspen wants him to get the point and write about how he connects on a basic level to the book they are studying. He finally does and that’s when their true feelings for each other begin to emerge. Aspen sees him as more than just an insensitive jock, and he slowly sees her as more than just an annoying teacher out to get him. But any kind of relationship between them is completely taboo. She’s his teacher, even though she’s close to him in age.
There is chemistry between them right from the beginning, but they both put it down to dislike. However, they get closer when they know that’s no longer the case.
After being initially leery of Noel, it didn’t take long before I liked his character quite a bit. It’s a mask he wears at the beginning. And I really liked Aspen. She had lived a very lonely life, being smarter than her contemporaries but too young for the age group she lived in. As a result, she is a bit on the naïve side. Her relationship with her parents is very strained and she has lived her life trying to please them and has never succeeded. There was also a very painful incident in her past which has influenced how she saw Noah until she gets to know him better.
I’ve really enjoyed the first two books of this series and I’ve read the third and have purchased the two after that. As with the first book, I happily recommend To Professor, with Love.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Junior in college. Star athlete. Constant attention from the opposite sex.
On this campus, I’m worshiped. While seven hundred miles away, back in my hometown, I’m still trailer park trash, child of the town tramp, and older sibling to three kids who are counting on me to keep my shit together so I can take them away from the same crappy life I grew up in.
These two opposing sides of myself never mix until one person gets a glimpse of the true me. I never expected to connect with anyone like this or want more beyond one night. This may be the real deal.
Problem is, Dr. Kavanagh’s my literature professor.
If I start anything with a teacher and we’re caught together, I might as well kiss my entire future goodbye, as well as my family’s, and especially Dr. Kavanagh’s. Except sometimes love is worth risking everything. Or at least, it damn well better be because I can only resist so much.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
