I am really torn with this review. On the one hand, I have read and loved books by Ava Harrison and I couldn't put Illicit down. But I also had some serious issues with this book and unfortunately those kept me from really being able to enjoy this story. I did have to keep reading though to see how things would play out here.
After finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her, Lynn meets Carson while on the beach and they share a steamy night together. The next morning she leaves thinking she will never see him again, but when she returns to school for her senior year she is shocked to see that Carson is in her classroom and is also her new history teacher. The two know that they need to stay away from each other, yet the attraction and connection they share prove to be harder to fight than they would like. But can they possibly have something together even though it is forbidden?
I really liked both Carson and Lynn right off here. I felt bad for Lynn and all she had been through. Her family situation and her ex were awful and you could tell that despite it all she was strong and determined. But as the story went on, that all seemed to diminish and in her place our heroine was replaced with someone who grew progressively weaker and more doormat like. I wanted her to really stand up for herself, but she allowed things to happen that really went against that. Carson was sexy and sweet and I thought that he was a great guy. But then just like with Lynn's character, the more the story went on the more I grew to dislike him a bit. I liked that he was supportive of Lynn and didn't back down in protecting her. When confronted with his past, he opened up to her and explained everything to her, even knowing that it could mean the end of them. Yet he also pushed her away and even went so far as to date someone else all in front of Lynn. I didn't like how far things went with the OW and that all really hurt my opinion of him. I know why he did it, but I just couldn't get behind it since his feelings for Lynn were as strong as they were and he knew exactly what he was doing to not only Lynn but also himself. His thoughts and the fact that he was so into trying to get with the OW were a huge turn-off and it just tainted the rest of his story and relationship with Lynn. Especially since she was able to forgive and forget so easily, she didn't even make him work for it. I couldn't get over the fact that he went to her right after a date with another woman and she just lets him in as if it's no big deal.
Overall, I really wanted to love this story and the characters but there were things that just didn't work for me. I felt like these two had so much chemistry and a genuine connection, which is why the OW stuff just ruined it for me. It was clear that these two were supposed to be together, and with her age and the fact that she was going to be graduating, it just didn't make sense to me why he would even go there even though he tried to reason with himself that he was doing the right thing for her. There was already enough drama going on in the story that the OW stuff just wasn't needed, and it ended up hurting the reader's view of the characters with everything that happened. I also felt like this book was a bit choppy at times, and I think that might be in part because this was originally a novella included in the Hot for Teacher anthology. It just didn't feel as smooth and effortless as some of her previous books have, and it was a bit distracting at times. This won't be the last I read from Ava Harrison, but this definitely wasn't my favorite which was a bit disappointing for me considering I love teacher/student romance stories and forbidden romances.
**ARC Provided by Give Me Books Promotions**
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