Short-Take Reviews: Getting Schooled and Gentleman Sinner

GETTING SCHOOLED
Emma Chase
Publication date: June 26, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle
Source: OverDrive app

⭐⭐⭐⭐

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Garrett Daniels has this whole life thing figured out.
The cocky, charismatic former high school star quarterback is an idolized football coach and "cool" teacher in the hometown where he's not just a golden boy—he's platinum. He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle.

Then...Callie Carpenter comes home.
And knocks him right on his tight end zone.

Callie has a pretty sweet life herself...on the other side of the country. But circumstances—that she'd prefer to never speak of again—have brought her back home, helping out her parents and substitute teaching at her old high school.

Now she's facing bickering, raging hormones, constant gossip, awkward weirdness, and drama galore...and that's just the teachers.

When Garrett offers to show his former high school sweetheart the secrets of his winning teacher ways, Callie jumps at the chance—and then has to stop herself from jumping him.

Good friends are all they can ever be.
Or...these teachers just might end up getting schooled—hard—by love.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Sometimes I want a romance without all the drama and all the angst. And that’s what Emma Chase delivers.  Garrett and Callie were the real deal in high school – young but very much in love. Circumstances had them parting ways while attending college across the country from one another, but when Callie returned home to help care for her parents it was obvious from the start that all the old feelings were still there. I loved so many aspects of this story: Callie and Garrett were incredibly likable, the humor was so on point that I was literally laughing out loud, the second-chance romance aspect was spot-on, and I loved the way both Garrett and Callie were so committed to their teaching careers and their students. There were a few unexpected emotional moments that were woven into the story perfectly but for the most part this was 100% feel-good romance.

4/5 STARS

GENTLEMAN SINNER

Jodi Ellen Malpas

Publication date: February 5, 2019 

Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Source: Library Loan

⭐⭐⭐

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Izzy White knows of the darkness in this world. After all, she escaped it long ago. Determined not to let her past beat her, Izzy has a secure, stable life with a job she loves in nursing. But one act of kindness will completely upend everything she's so carefully built-putting her right back in the crosshairs of danger she's been so desperate to avoid.

When Theo Kane shows up like a knight in shining armor, Izzy can't help thinking she's been saved from one threat and exposed to another. His imposing physique, the harsh lines of his face, and the wariness of everyone who comes close are just a few clues to Theo Kane's notorious reputation. The man is positively terrifying. But with Izzy, he's tender and a complete gentleman, and her fascination with the mysterious beast of a man becomes too powerful for her to walk away.

As Theo's demons come to light, running becomes even more impossible. And yet staying together could doom them both.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

This was one of those okay reads that was entertaining enough while I was reading it but ultimately not anything particularly new or memorable. Theo saves Izzy from an attack and then proceeds to hardcore pursue her. An intense relationship develops but Izzy has a past she won’t reveal and Theo has secrets he won’t discuss. Oooh, drama! Then there are all the Fifty Shades similarities. Theo is a damaged anti-hero that cannot stand to be touched, he’s uber-rich and has a driver/bodyguard, he’s all stalkery and even showed up at Izzy’s girls getaway (from London to Las Vegas) to keep tabs on her after only knowing her for a matter of days, the relationship got intense quickly, etcetera, etcetera. Even so, the over the top drama kept the story moving and the craziness was entertaining. All in all, it felt like a story that’s been told many times before so I’m not sure I’ll be picking up more from Malpas. 

3/5 STARS


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