Skip to main content

2026 Book 2 - An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

I found the footnotes to be distracting and hard to follow, at least for the digital version. Also, the ending felt rushed. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book and flew through it.

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic and professional rivals for over a decade. Jonah has grown up with a prestigious father who forced his three kids to debate everything, including why it makes sense to have a teddy bear for emotional support. Sadie’s mom died young and her father took off, so she’s had to be scrappy her whole life, with only her sister in her corner. 

When a teaching position comes up, it pits them against each other. Jonah needs the job so he can be near his sister as she navigates being ditched by her husband for his secret second family. Sadie needs the job for financial security, and because it’s one of the few positions that’s looking for her popular-romance specialty. Sadie notices that the position offers a “partner hire,” and she suggests they get married so they will both get a job. 

When Sadie tells her sister, Chess, about the marriage, Chess is unthrilled, and lets Sadie know it. Sadie snaps at Chess, and complains that Chess has been smothering her, and being loved by Chess is exhausting. This causes Chess to step away, and watching Sadie try to reach out to her sister to make amends, (and grieve the loss of their close relationship) was tough at times.

McAllister does a great job of showing their friendship and attraction growing. It looks like a sequel may be in the works, and I’d gladly read it. (8)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book 69 - Business Casual by B.K. Borison

This wasn’t my favorite B.K. Borison book, but it was still cute, and an easy, quick read. I’ve only read the first book in the Lovelight series, so this one is out of order for me. I’d still read book 2 and 3 if they become available. Nova is a tattoo artist who feels like she has to do everything perfectly to make her family proud. Charlie is an investment banker who lives 3-4 hours away, but goes to the farm to see his step-sister (Stella, from the first book), and to recharge. It starts as a casual hook up for them, but then moves to business casual, then to more serious. But Charlie has always felt like he doesn’t quite belong anywhere, and he fears he’s overstaying his welcome if he’s not helping to fix something. And Nova’s always been very independent and never wanted a serious partner. There’s not much more to the book. (7.5)
Post a Comment
Read more

Book 71 - The Hook Up by Kristen Callahan

The book was fine. A sexy sporty book. Maybe a little long for the somewhat simplistic plot. I wasn’t impressed initially and found the insta-lust a turn off, but once the two characters got to know each other, and me them, it grew on me. One of my pet peeves is when the narrator directly tells the reader things are about to get worse, instead of just letting the story unfold, and the author does that a couple times in this book. It always feels lazy to me. Anna Jones was the chubby, invisible girl in high school, and finally feels like she’s hit her stride in college. But her old insecurities still pop up at unexpected times. Drew Baylor is the star quarterback of their school, and a soon-to-be rising star of the NFL. They meet in class and instantly want to jump each other’s bones. But Anna doesn’t want the attention she’d face if she dated the most popular guy on campus. So they hook up, and she tries to keep him at a distance. That goes on for what feels like a lot of pages, until ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book 70 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach

This book took a little while to grow on me, but once I was hooked, I loved it. Phoebe Stone’s life has imploded, and she goes to the Cornwall Inn to have one last hurrah and then kill herself. Her despair was difficult to read. She and her husband both teach at a university, but she watches her husband’s career grow while hers is stagnant. Fertility treatments wreak havoc on her hormones, and after rounds and rounds with no luck, Phoebe finally is pregnant, only to have a miscarriage. She’s heartbroken, mourning the loss of her planned family. Her own mother died during birth, and her father was depressed, so she was looking forward to creating a happy family unit with her husband. She’s numb, and he cheats, then leaves her. Even their beloved cat dies. Watching her figuratively drown was essential to the plot, but I had to muddle my way through it.  Phoebe is the only guest at the inn who’s not there for a big wedding. The bride, Lila, befriends her, and Phoebe’s curiosity about ...
Post a Comment
Read more