Book Summary: 

Trudie is on her way to another psychology conference to learn how to better help her middle school students (and how to work out her own daddy issues) when she walks into a wall—a wall of hard pecs and abs named Dr. Alexander Pierce. The nationally-acclaimed psychologist specializing in childhood trauma who looks like a Grecian god is to be her lecturer all week.

Too bad he’s not half as humble as he is smart.

His superiority complex inadvertently puts Trudie on the defensive. When he challenges her and she pushes back in front of hundreds of attendees, she cracks Dr. Pierce’s veneer, something he certainly didn’t plan on happening this week—or ever..

They both leave the conference happy that they’ll never see each other again…that is, until Dr. Pierce walks into Trudie’s middle school on his first day as a consultant. Not only will they be coworkers, but they will be working together, every day, intimately.

Neither know what the future holds, however, they both find themselves believing the universe has a plan for the two of them. Trudie needs a teacher to heal her past emotional wounds. Alex needs a reason to get off his high horse. They feel they better find a way to work out their differences, or the consequences could be devastating.

My Review:

I want be completely honest – I don’t know how I feel about this book but I believe it is because I have never read a cliffhanger so I have yet to find the resolve I need to create an opinion. I will say I was caught up enough that I want to see what happens so that is a positive in terms of the overall story and quality. For me, the ending makes or breaks a book. Right now, I am at a literary crossroad. If the second book wraps up the story beautifully, it elevates the opinion of the first book (making all of it worth it). If the second book doesn’t live up to expectations (which I doubt but hear me out), it demolishes any feelings towards the first book, making the entire experience feel like a complete waste of time. So…crossroads… 

Trudie Gonzalez has one mission this summer – to gain the tools she needs to finally move past the traumas she has carried since her childhood. Well that and find someone to make her body sing in a way Sam never could! First things first, overcoming her deep seated daddy issues and taking the tools she has learned to help the children she teaches. With each step she takes towards her goals, she finds the powers that be are in her favor. First she is hit on by a gorgeous man on a plane. Second, she wins the suite of her dreams. Third, she somehow lands not two but three lectures by the prestigious Dr. Alexander Pierce – the one person guaranteed to help her finally rid herself of her pain so she can grow and thrive. Life is good! Well it was until she crashed chest first into a “brick wall” when she should have been paying attention to where she was going. Apparently the brick wall didn’t appreciate her distraction or having his phone cracked because of it. As quickly as the heavens shined upon her, the storm clouds moved in as the temper-tantrum was coming from none other than Dr. Pierce himself. Having dealt with unruly behavior as a middle school teacher, Trudie quickly shuts him down and walks away. Problem: she has THREE lectures with this man and can only image how he is going to react. 

Dr. Pierce has his own issues to deal with. Using this conference to get out of yet another “we are a united family” parade by his parents, Alex is not in the mood to deal with anything or anyone, let along a mouthy yet gorgeous woman that pushes his buttons. When he sees her walk into his first lecture, he decides to use it to get even for her walking away from him. Learning very quick she is more than a pretty face, Alex finds a worthy adversary in his new found firecracker that doesn’t want anything to do with him. After a number of chance run-ins and off the chart chemistry that neither of them can ignore – they finally give in to temptation only for the best night of his life to end with a door slammed in his face. Fast forward a month later, after searching high and low, Alex is shocked when his new consultation job lands him in the good graces of one Trudie Gonzalez. Trudie can’t figure out what she did wrong in life to have Alex reappear after the way he made her feel. Having promised the principal to help bring the school to exemplary status with Alex’s help, Trudie is trapped with working side by side with the only man who has ever made her body come to life. No matter what, they must keep it professional but can she make it to the end of the school year when her body (and his intentions) seem to speak their own language?

This book is hard to describe. I wouldn’t say it is a slow burn because of how quickly we shift from enemies to lovers while they are still in California. It was a slow build up initially but once the passion ignited between the characters, it was like a run away train for the rest of the book. I would definitely say this book, while funny at times, wouldn’t be considered a romantic comedy. I would categorize it as a contemporary romance with the possibility of a chic-lit feel (think coming of age, personal growth of a Sophia Kinsella novel), if it didn’t end on a cliffhanger. The problem with categorizing this book is we don’t have a chance in this first half to see the real growth of the characters. We witness their traumas bubble to the surface but we don’t really witness change outside of what they deem as change. Alex is still too scared to commit to a relationship because of what happened to Sheila. Trudie runs at the first chance she gets because of the emotional abuse she suffered from her father. We witness their desire to want to break on through to the other side in order to be together but instead of true growth, we are just met with more lust and intimate moments. Mix in the programs at the school, the tie in of psychology, the elaboration of troubled youth and how they can be helped, and you can almost understand why this was too much to be in one book. The author wanted to take her time to delve into not just the characters, but their passions. She wanted to show the impact of childhood traumas when we are children as well as when we are adults and how, with programs and mentors who care, the smallest impacts can make the biggest differences.

As for the main character, I found Trudie’s reactions very hard to believe. A moment of role-playing and the wrong thing is said and she throws him out of her hotel room. She asks him how he feels about a relationship, he doesn’t answer immediately and she stops the horse drawn carriage and runs off alone in a city she has never been to before. The ex-fiance stops at the table and makes a comment and she ups and runs, declaring the relationship over, punishing him for the words and actions of someone else. I understand Trudie has deep-seated issues from her father but I felt like the author just made her reactions too strong and impactful for the sake of the story. She came off as a wound up ticking time bomb with one foot constantly out the door, ready to run at a moment’s notice. Again, is this possible in real life – maybe but it just made the story and her character harder to sympathize with as every situation was its own war, not small battles that can be won/lose but contributed to the bigger picture.

While I have quickly learned this is not my preferred type of steam, for those who enjoy the Alpha Male, Dominating/Submissive roles with a hint of “Daddy/Little Girl” play, this book is right up your alley! The scenes are hot and some of the moments are insane and wild but again, if you are not a fan of the submissive female role – this may not be for you as that is what takes place is the majority of intimate scenes between these two characters. With that being said, Beth does know how to bring the spice and even if this spicy style trope is not your thing, you can appreciate her talent in writing it! 

For those with an analytical mind and/or an appreciation for behavioral science – this book is a psychological minefield! If we aren’t dealing with Trudie’s fight or flight reactions based on the traumas of her past, we are coping with Alex’s disgruntle and childish behavior towards his parents and former fiancé. For two people who are equipped with psychology backgrounds (one with TWO doctorates and one with private and professional experience), they have very little capabilities of handling their own issues. Alex is constantly speaking of moving on, letting go, communicating, and forgiveness but he harbors anger of being cheated on THREE years ago! When presented with the opportunity for closure, he still held on to forgiveness as a way of making Sheila pay. Same with Trudie, her need for control, for playing it safe, for protecting herself kept her from being able to ever open up to a real, vulnerable relationship. She even debated going back to Sam because it was “safe” and “easy”. She didn’t need to do anything outside of her comfort zone or be anything but what she chose to be. With Alex, she couldn’t let go of her past. She constantly projected all of her hurt, pain, and fears on this man. If he didn’t answer fast enough, say the right thing, essentially read her mind and be pro-active, she was gone. 

The brokenness of the characters would have been heartbreaking if it wasn’t frustrating. For two people who constantly spoke, they talked at each other more than spoke to each other. They consistently gave partial stories or half truths and when those missing pieces came back to haunt them (Alex wanting to know what happened in California, Sheila sitting at the table), they had to scramble to fill in the blanks, only choosing to still give piece by piece instead of full truths – despite wanting that from each other. 

Again, without knowing how the story will end, I can’t honestly say how I feel about the book. The ending is going to make or break it for me. Was all of this for something or for nothing? Do we see growth or do they remain stagnant, constantly making excuses for their roadblocks. Do they reach an HEA and is it justified or settling. So many questions! Thank goodness part two is scheduled to release August 25!