Teach Me (There's Something about Marysburg, #1)

by Olivia Dade

Their lesson plans didn't include love. But that's about to change...

When Martin Krause arrives at Rose Owens's high school, she's determined to remain chilly with her new colleague. Unfriendly? Maybe. Understandable? Yes, since a loathsome administrator gave Rose's beloved world history classes to Martin, knowing it would hurt her.

But keeping her distance from a man as warm and kind as Martin will prove challenging, even for a stubborn, guarded ice queen. Especially when she begins to see him for what he truly is: a man who's never been taught his own value. Martin could use a good teacher--and luckily, Rose is the best.

Rose has her own lessons--about trust, about vulnerability, about her past--to learn. And over the course of a single school year, the two of them will find out just how hot it can get when an ice queen melts.

• ISBN10: 1945836024
• ISBN13: 9781945836022
• Publish Date: 28 March 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Hussies & Harpies Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 276
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

Oh I'm so glad I decided to pick this series up! I loved the characters, the romance, and the humor so much - such a fun fast read.

I think the first thing to note is that this is the best representation of teaching I've read. It's a high school setting, so it's different from the elementary setting I'm used to, but it from my experiences and from what I know from friends who do teach in high school settings, it FELT correct. There were a few oddities that I think could be summed up as small town vs city. Since so many books really don't get the teacher's life right AT ALL, I appreciated this a lot. It's a hard job and I can't get into a book that doesn't show that at least semi-accurately.

I also really loved the characters. I loved that they are middle aged and normal. They have issues, sure, but not over the top ones. Just very typical issues that most have. And they've grown up into pretty incredible people despite those issues.

I loved Rose. She's plus size but does not apologize for her body at all. Instead, she dresses immaculately (in all black) and has this don't eff with me composure. And yet, for her students, she is open and so full of love. And Martin is a recently divorced dad who pretty much wears his heart on his sleeve.

There are a host of other characters - students, faculty members, and Kate's HILARIOUS ex-inlaws. Through these characters we get socioeconomic disparity, a little LGTBQ+, so much heart and humor.

The plot is not unpredictable - it's a contemporary romance - but you enjoy watching it go to the predictable end. And there's some definite steam between grading sessions for Martin and Rose.

I enjoyed the narration by Kelsey Navarro. Another new-to-me narrator (I've had a lot of those lately) that I will definitely enjoy reading again. She brought the characters to life really well and was enjoyable to listen to.

[Sam@WLABB]

One of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity to read this book was because it was a "seasoned" romance, which really means, it was a love story between two older characters. I was recently lamenting the fact, that we have no shortage of heroes in their 40s, but for some reason, there are very few older heroines. So, thank you, Olivia Dade, for showing us that even two middle aged divorcees deserve another shot at an HEA.

But, there were more delightful differences, which set this story apart from other in the genre. Both main characters, Martin and Rose had painful things in their pasts, that were keeping them from taking a chance on each other. The pair had been married to people, who basically did not love them as they were. They wanted to change them into something else, and this left an indelible mark on the both of them. There were also things in their far past such as growing up poor, being the victim of bullying, and growing up in a household rife with toxic masculinity. Despite all these things, they were both really lovely, successful, big hearted, kind, and wonderful people, and I found it really easy to ship them.

This was also a great book for you slow-burn romance lovers. Lots of tension and starts and stops and so, so many sweet and tender moments in-between. There was quite a build up, but I was really excited, when these two finally did get together, and began to move forward in their relationship.

I must confess, that I really liked the way Dade incorporated so much of their teaching profession into the story, because, let's face it - life as a teacher really is a full-time job. I taught high school science for over a decade, and I can attest to the accuracy of so many of the things both Martin and Rose experienced in the story with respect to their profession. They were passionate about their subject matter and their students, and it was great that Dade included that side of them.

Other things I enjoyed so much!
• Positive fat woman rep
• Martin was a wonderful, cinnamon roll of a hero
• Martin's relationship with his daughter, Be a
• Rose's ex-in-laws
• Nerdy banter
• A fantastic and fun grand gesture

Overall: This was a wonderful and heartwarming romance, which definitely brings something new to the table, and I am looking forward to revisiting Marysburg.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS