Aspen Evans is an art major in college, and Morgan Hampton is her new professor. He’s 8 years older than she is, but they’re both immediately drawn to each other. They both are still grieving the loss of a sibling. Aspen lost her twin sister 6 years prior to the start of the story. Morgan lost his estranged brother more recently (6 MO ago) and is now raising his preteen niece alone. Falling in love may be forbidden because of their teacher/student status, but that isn’t enough to stop their feelings from taking over.
This book is an emotional look at anxiety, depression, and grief all while falling in love. There are several possible triggers in the plot of this story, so I do suggest checking the content warnings if you have sensitivities to certain topics or tropes.
I was given the opportunity to review an ALC of this book by the author. I started the book listening at 1X speed, but it felt too slow to me. I was able to push it all the way to 2X speed without missing anything being delivered. The voice actors doing the narration (Ryan Stone & Vivienne LaRue) deliver the lines so slowly that even doubling the speed to 2X didn’t feel too rushed to my ear. Both narrators are new to me, and they do a nice job of evoking the drama in the story and keeping me emotionally engaged.
If you enjoy a good angsty spicy love story, there is definitely plenty of both to be found here.
Many thanks to Brooke (Cumberland) Montgomery for the ALC review opportunity.