We absolutely love age-gap romances. We love it when the
younger woman is the one chasing the older one. We love MCs who are around
fifty. This book has all these elements, but makes a cut as just about (barely)
okay.
Helen Swift, a few weeks shy of 50, is an Oxford professor
in the English Department. She used to be involved with fellow departmental
colleague, Sarah. Things didn’t work out between them and they parted ways
three years back. To fill time, Helen started writing self-published cosy
mysteries under the name H. S. Barr. Three books down the line, her
moonlighting career as an author has taken off. She is unable to juggle two
full-time jobs and on the verge of reducing her hours in the university. Victoria
‘Rory’ Carlisle is something of an eternal student and at 27 she is a DPhil
student seeking a supervisor. Helen agrees to be Rory’s supervisor. Rory
develops a crush on Helen and lines get crossed.
Rory is likeable; very much so. Helen is maddening. Just
plain maddening with all nonsensical chatter in her head; with blowing hot and
blowing cold and really displaying no likeable trait. Not one. There is no
reason for Rory to be so into Helen who also takes more than one turn at being
rude and cruel with Rory.
Writing-wise, the book is good enough, which is really why
we could even finish it. Both the MCs are from Upper Chewford (the village of
the three romances in this series) but they could’ve been from anywhere, so the
village is of no significance in this book.
This is a fairly short book and can get done in a few hours.
⭐⭐☆
