Title: Searching for Mine Author: Jennifer Probst
Series: Searching For #4.5
Release date: February 9th 2016
(Sub)genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 130
Buy: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Rating:
The Ultimate Anti-Hero Meets His Match…
Connor Dunkle knows what he wants in a woman, and it’s the three B’s. Beauty. Body. Boobs. Other women need not apply. With his good looks and easygoing charm, he’s used to getting what he wants—and who. Until he comes face to face with the one woman who’s slowly making his life hell...and enjoying every moment...
Ella Blake is a single mom and a professor at the local Verily college who’s climbed up the ranks the hard way. Her ten-year-old son is a constant challenge, and her students are driving her crazy—namely Connor Dunkle, who’s failing her class and trying to charm his way into a better grade. Fuming at his chauvinistic tendencies, Ella teaches him the ultimate lesson by giving him a special project to help his grade. When sparks fly, neither of them are ready to face their true feelings, but will love teach them the ultimate lesson of all?
Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst is the new novella in the ‘Searching For series’. It’s written in the style I like Jennifer Probst for, sweet and sometimes a little dramatic. Going in, I knew Searching for Mine was going to be a short read, but I wish it was longer in order to do the characters more justice.
“Mr. Dunkle?” His head shot up in pure surprise. She was staring at him with a focused expression that almost made him blush. Almost. Of course, she had no clue he’d been wondering about the look of her panties. He gave her an easy grin that usually charmed women within a few seconds. “Yes?”
Connor Dunkle is a ‘good-time guy’. He likes to hang out with his friends, and has casual dates with beautiful women, but nothing serious. Having had his heart broken once, he has decided relationships aren’t in the cards for him. At age thirty-eight he wants something more out of his professional career, a management position, for which he returns to College to earn a degree. Being distracted by a professor so opposite from the women he normally dates isn’t something he has counted on.
Ella Blake is a single mother to her ten year old son and works as a professor at the local College. Her son and her job is all she has, after her husband replaced her, she moved to a different town and left everything behind. Ella has no time to date, and doesn’t want to either. When she finds out her attractive student Connor is actually her new neighbor, she isn’t exactly happy about that.
“Yes?” she asked with a bit of impatience. He blinked, somewhat confused she hadn’t ducked her head or stuttered. Oh, this one needed a reality check. Had he ever been rejected? Or was he one of the lucky ones who slid through life unscathed by others? Huh.”
When Connor and Ella find out they are living next door to each other, they slowly start to form a friendship. At college, they are still professor and student, but at home they interact as friendly neighbors who help each other out. Ella finds herself very attracted to Connor, but doesn’t make a move. Although he starts to have feelings for her, feelings he doesn’t understand because Ella is so unlike his normal women, Connor doesn’t make a move either, until she decides to start dating again. When the couple is finally on the same page, they have a fair chance at a Happily Ever After.
This being a novella, and therefore a short story, the story between Connor and Ella falls a little flat sometimes. While their road to romance is realistic, they start out as friends and end as much more, the characters feel under-developed. We get a full background story for Connor, but he seems a shallow man who only gives into his feelings for Ella after her make-over. Ella herself remains a bit of a mystery, small hints about the demise of her marriage are given, but nothing more.
“Will you be mine, Ella Blake?” She gazed at his beloved face and the way his eyes told her the truth, gleaming in the depths of a bottomless ocean blue. “I already was,” she said simply. She stepped into his arms and he kissed her, long and slow and sweet. When he lifted his head, Ella smiled.”
Despite my issues with Searching for Mine, I still liked it. I give this novella 3.5 stars.
~~ Searching for Mine was provided in exchange for an honest review ~~
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