Erotica - novella
TBR reviewer: Amanda

Review

Twenty-six year old Kaya is transferring colleges due to lack of money and dealing with the disastrous ending of her eight-month relationship. As the only child of missionary parents, her life and experience make her feel isolated and different from her younger classmates. She shocks herself when she falls in instant lust with her philosophy professor and decides to pursue him, another out-of-character move. For forty-two year old Hayden Taylor, having Kaya in his philosophy class moves him away from the apathy he has been in since long before his fifteen-year marriage fell apart two years previously.  He finds himself considering risking his career with thoughts of having the younger woman in his life. Her age and status as his student are marks against them, but her intelligence and beauty call to him. Her innocence appeals to his long-buried dominant side, as well. However, just as they begin to risk the forbidden by seeing each other, a threat to his job starts to pull them apart.
 
Although the story had appealing moments, I didn't really feel connected to the characters. The writing had choppy moments, and there were also some editing issues that kept me from getting fully involved in the story.  Their instant attraction to each other felt contrived and neither of them seemed to react consistently with their own inner monologues, much less with each other. Even the climactic issue near the end fell short of what it seemed to be
reaching for and the ending felt flat.

I think there was potential in this plot that just wasn't quite achieved. Even the BDSM was hinted at but never really shown, as if there would have been more to see if the story had continued on after the chosen endpoint. I felt as if the relationship could have been more believable if the book had been longer or the story covered a longer time-period than it did.

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