Beauty and the Professor by Skye Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Angst, forbidden romance, and age gap- oh, my!
Oh, but I loved this book. I admit that it felt a little insta-lovey at the beginning (stay with me here, insta-love haters!) because it jumped in when Erin has already been working for Blake for a while. In the story Erin points out that they’d gotten pretty comfortable with one another already, and had enjoyed spirited debates. Erin also confesses her attraction to Blake, and we find out pretty early that said attraction is mutual. So, for that reason, while it FELT insta-lovey, it really wasn’t.
That said- the angst! The beautiful angst. It reminded me of those dramatic days in high school/college when everything just seemed… bigger. More dramatic. That’s not to say that falling in love, and encountering subsequent (seemingly insurmountable) barriers to that love, isn’t legitimately dramatic- it is. But, there is something delicious about the dramatics of that age. Swoon.
Anyway, I loved that both characters are flawed in different ways. He is flawed physically, and suffers crippling social anxiety and insecurity because of it. She is flawed emotionally after having been hurt and betrayed by a former boyfriend, and now she has trust issues. Both feel that the other is too good for them, and nearly sabotage the relationship as a result. Thankfully they have better communication than I anticipated, and manage to sidestep landmine situations on a couple of occasions.
I love that these two damaged, seemingly good people have found each other, and have found happiness together. But- that cliffhanger! I need the next book immediately!
If angsty forbidden love/age gap is up your alley then you will love Beauty and the Professor.
Recommended!
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Once upon a time there was a beautiful college student…
Erin cleans Mr. Morris’s house twice a week to pay her tuition. The reclusive ex-soldier intimidates her, but she can’t help but feel sympathy for him. Then she walks in on him touching himself, and she has much darker, much more sensual feelings.
And a beastly professor with scars he can’t hide…
Blake Morris knows he’s scarred both inside and out. He’s reclusive and surly. Nowhere near good enough for the smart and beautiful young woman who cleans his house.
He receives an offer to return to his alma mater as an associate professor. This is his chance to reenter the world–and to be worthy of the woman he dreams about. He never expected to see her sitting in his classroom on the first day of the semester.
Author’s Note: This book was previously published as a serial in multiple parts, including Beauty Touched the Beast, Beneath the Beauty, and Broken Beauty. They’ve been collected into this volume and revised for new readers.
BEAUTY AND THE PROFESSOR is the first book in A Modern Fairy Tale duet.
