Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. proverb
When "Lessons From A Younger Lover" opens, the world as Gwen Smith knew it has fallen apart. Little does she know that a whole new world is about to open for her after she literally bumps into a life-changing force outside of Kristys coffee shop in the form of 26 year-old Ransom Blake. They both feel the sparks of interest. The rocky start continues when Gwen later tells Ransom off for bothering her on her job (teaching at an elementary school) before discovering that Ransom is actually there to pick up his daughter, Isis (coincidentally, her favorite student). Although flustered after the fuss, they both feel the sparks of lust. Ransom is interested stoking the sparks. At 40 years-old, Gwen is not. Wanting to be the picture of propriety, Gwen tries to spurn his advances. Ransom is way too young. And teachers shouldnt date the parents of their students, right?
Lucky for her (and us), Ransom is a man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it. Even if he has to teach the teacher. His challenge (and the best part of the novel) is convincing Gwen to take a chance on lust and love after being hurt by an unfaithful husband. The story has a good mix of romance and erotica. The romance is believable and the sex hot. This book is stuffed with all sorts of goodies: real romance, steamy sex, sibling rivalry, baby mama drama, music, and more crazy people than you can shake a stick at. But sometimes you can get too much of a good thing
The other subplots involving Adam Johnson (Ransoms older half-brother and Gwens boss) and assorted crazies took the story down from 5 stars to 4 to me. Dont get me wrong. I am all for stretching the imagination and just going with the flow. However, I feel like they were so far out there that they took away from the heart and power of the story the rewards and challenges that come with an older woman/younger man relationship. I wanted more focus on Gwen and Ransom to see more of how their relationship developed.
Gwens character also seems a little uneven to me. Day tries to portray her as a stereotypical borderline-frigid divorcee throughout most of the story. However, Gwens language and thought patterns go from the proper I have a Masters degree in Education to the colloquial Jenny from the Block at the drop of a hat. Yes, women have many different sides. But this flip-flopping makes for distracting dialogue and disposition shifts. There is a similar dialogue weirdness with Ransom. Minus another star.
At 3 stars, I like this novel. The romance side of the story really speaks to the what if you took a chance aspect of a good love story. I think this aspect makes it a worthwhile read in spite of the crazies. I was rooting for Gwen and Ransoms HEA (happily ever after) the whole way. I would read another story by Zuri Day.
Recommended for:
- Urban romance readers
- Romance readers
- Erotica readers
