Falling for the Teacher

Pinewood Weddings #3

by Dorothy Clark

Love Is Never Where You Expect

Though she once fled from Pinewood, Sadie Spencer can't stay away when her ailing grandparents need her. But she never expected to come face-to-face with the brother of the man who caused her to leave town. Sadie doesn't care how honest or kind Cole Aylward may seem she isn't about to let him continue managing her family's business.

Cole has worked hard to prove he's nothing like his brother. All he wants is to try to make up for the hurt Payne caused her family. But slowly Sadie's quiet determination and bravery helps him face his own fears. Can Cole convince her he's a man worthy of the trust she longs to give?

Genres: Love Inspired, Historical Fiction, Love Inspired Historical, Romance, Historical Romance, Christian, Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Married to her own personal hero for over fifty-eight years, mother of three, grandmother of four, and great-grandmother to a beautiful baby girl, Dorothy calls on her life’s experiences—including designing and helping her husband build their home, complete with beams they hewed by hand and a real, old-fashioned walk-in kitchen fireplace she occasionally cooks in, to add color and depth to her stories. But, while she still knows how to clean used bricks, mix mortar and swing a mean hammer, she now only designs homes for the characters in her books. An antique lover, she fills those homes (and her own) with furnishings appropriate to the time.

When she is not busy writing, Dorothy enjoys visiting with family—who live much too far away—and traveling with her husband throughout the United States doing research for future books. She values her American heritage and believes in God, love, family and happy endings, which explains why she feels so at home writing Christian historical romance.

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling For The Teacher by Dorothy Clark
4 stars

The setting for this story is 1841 Pinewood Village New York
Sadie Spencer comes home after four years away. She has to deal with lots of problems right off the bat.

It deals with some issues of blame, forgiveness. memories and illness.
Sadie was attacked four years ago in the woods by her house by Payne Aylward. She still suffers nightmares and does not want to touch any man. Has no plans to
ever marry. The whole community knows about it. Payne was never caught.

Sadie has come home because of news of her grandparents health problems. Sadie was raised by her grandparents when her parents died when she was little.
Her grandmother has memories problems. Sometimes not even recongizes her. Her grandfather Manning had a stroke. (Not sure if they called it that) his one side
is useless.

She finds a stranger in her grandparents house Cole Aylward. Cole comes a lot since Manning can't get around. He also eats with them most days. Cole got to town right after
the attack and even tried to track his brother. He has tried to make up for the trouble his brother caused. He comes carrys Manning from bed to table to different
rooms. (I have dealt with a stroke leaving me so half my body did not work. Never thought how hard that would be without wheelchairs and modern medicines)
Cole even manages the Townsend mill and lumber camp.

Sadie does not want him around since he looks a lot like his brother. She does not trust him. She thinks he must have ulter motives. Like stealing from the mill.

Cole is smart and a hardworker. He has tried to makeup for what Payne did. He wants to know why Payne has changed since he last saw him. He has gone out of his way to
the Townsend family. The town was not very welcomed to him and blamed him too for his brothers fault.

Sadie has some good friends from childhood that have had their own stories told in other books of this series. I would love to read them too.
It is a clean read.
I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give honest review when read by Netgalley & Harlequin.
publication: September 3rd 2013 by Harlequin Love Inspired Historcal 288 pages ISBN:0373829795

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of the book (3rd of it) was Sadie's (as one reviewer put it perfectly) baseless, overwrought accusation and distrust of Cole. It really make her unlikeable :( there wasn't enough information of the attack to make her sympathetic. The book improved a bit at the end but still failed to really hold my attention.

[Harlequin Books]

Received 4 1/2 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: Pinewood Weddings
Category: Inspirational Romance

[Alin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Falling for the Teacher” by Dorothy Clark

3.75 stars

This is a gentle book with a difficult subject. Sophie was violently attacked while walking down a path in the woods near her home, seeking berries for her grandmother to bake a pie. She left the area for several years following the attack due to the trauma and has now returned home to take care of her grandparents who raised her and are both ill. She discovers that her attacker’s brother, Cole, who looks just like him, has already been seeing to her grandparents needs in her absence.

I appreciated the author’s skill in navigating such a troublesome topic. The tempo of the book and the inclusive characterization of the peripheral people make this read gentle despite the topic. She does not go into detail about the attack but shows a painful yet slow progression to healing for the heroine. The story also deals with the frustration that the hero experiences when trying to relate to the heroine and the stigma attached to being the brother of the attacker.

Any criticism would be for the lack of a full spiritual component. It would have been nice to have read how faith in Christ could have factored into these trials. There is mention of God and prayer, but I feel it falls short of the salvation message, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is a clean read that deals with heavy issues and trauma throughout. There are no details of the attack, but there are several mentions of troubling, and even deadly, abuse. I appreciated the author’s careful and compassionate weaving of the storyline.

3.75 out of 4 stars. I rate out of 4, not 5 stars; the Bible gets 5 out of 5. I leave the space between 4 and 5 empty, because nothing comes even close to the Bible, the living, breathing Word of God.

[Minivanmom2five · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was very sad, in my opinion. I don’t want to deter anyone reading this series, though. The book does improve in the second half. It’s not that it is poorly written...just deals with several hard subjects. Much love to the ladies of Pinewood 💜

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a month ago and if you someone held a gun to my head and asked me what this book was about I would ask for a nice funeral.

[Naomi Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie Spencer has every reason to run whenever Cole Aylward steps into the same room as her. The problem is, Cole is doing a whole lot of stepping into the room because he's helping to care for her ailing grandfather as well as managing her grandfather's business. Cole's brother, Payne, raped Sadie several years earlier (although the word "rape" is never actually mentioned in the story-something I found to be rather odd). Sadie still struggles with the trauma of that event, and having Payne's brother around-a brother who looks a tad too much like her rapist-causes her no end of hardship. Similarly, Cole also feels guilt over his brother's actions and seeks to make the situation as comfortable for Sadie as possible. The romantic obstacles in this story are mainly emotional and derived from the past. While having a brother rape the woman you love is certainly a hindrance to the romance, there weren't a lot of current, physical things standing in the way of Sadie and Cole's relationship.

If you like sweet romance novels where the conflict is mainly emotional, then you should enjoy Falling for the Teacher by Dorothy Clark. It's a decent story, especially for the price and availability. There's not a lot going on besides the romance, but hey, it's a ROMANCE novel, right? So that's kind of to be expected. And though the novel deals with the topic of rape, it does so very carefully and in a manner appropriate for all ages.

To read the full review, visit http://inspirationalromanceratings.co...

Note: I received a free book from the publisher for the purpose of providing an honest review.

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling for the Teacher is a Christian romance. It is a cute story about Sadie and Cole.

Cole's brother, years earlier, had attacked Sadie. Sade left her hometown to work but was forced home when her grandparents health began to fail.
I loved how Clark added in clues about the health of the grandparent. Since the book is set somewhere in the 1800s, we know that doctoring was in its infancy. Clark did a good job in incorporating what they would think and say about their health, while allowing the reader to know exactly what was going on.

My one complaint is I wanted more detail about the attack. I'm not saying that I wanted nor needed every little detail but I found that things just were not made clear enough for my liking. Clark left a lot of it to the imagination, and while that is fine, I still felt a lack of information about the whole thing to connect fully with Sadie. I wasn't able to feel bad for her as much as I wanted.

Sadie, apparently had nightmares about the attack, which is an obvious sign of stress and possible post traumatic stress disorder. Because she suffered from nightmares, I was interested in knowing more about what exactly happened to her.

Overall, sweet, cute and clean read. Not too heavy on the Christian elements. There are some references to bible verses and prayers offered to one another marked in italics. The characters are interesting enough to spend time with. Great escape book.

Content: clean

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A return worth waiting for.


Sadie was forced from her home because of a tragic attack, but not even the horrible memories could keep her away when she finds out about her ailing grandparents. Things aren't made any easier when she meets her attackers brother Cole. She doesn't care how honest or kind he seems she is determined to avoid him. This is a story of love and overcoming ones fears. Sadie must realize Cole is not his brother and so does Cole. He fears being mistrusted because of the deeds of his brother and so wants Sadie to leave. Soon these two learn that fear can be overcome and love is stronger than anything else.


Sadie is a strong and beautiful young woman. She is kind, caring, and hast an inner strength that even Cole can see. I really admired her loyalty to her family and how she took care of them even when times got hard. I also liked to see how she grew throughout the story.


Cole is a honorable man, but because of the deeds of his brother he has been trying to prove his honesty to the town and everyone else. I liked his character and had fun getting to know him. He is a nice guy and I enjoyed seeing him slowly fall in love with Sadie.


The romance was sweet and nicely paced. Sadie and Cole had a nice relationship that was built on trust and friendship.


For a sweet and tender romance with memorable characters check out "Falling for the Teacher".

[Janis Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reasons for my less-than-stellar star count:

The Bad
Sadie (for lack of better term) really pissed me off for about a good half of the book... Not that she didn't have a good reason for being suspicious at first, but I thought her conspiracy theory was dragged out for far too long. With that said, the character interaction between Cole and herself was not as highlighted as I was used to reading from Ms. Clark, leaving me wondering how they really developed their feelings for each other... other than having the need to protect and be protected. I just feel like it was rushed. That earned 2 stars.

The Good
The book highlights (what seems to me) a very touchy subject for this genre, but doesn't outright tell you what happened to Sadie. Was she just physically assaulted or worse? We'll never know. Besides that, it brings into perspective the maelstrom of emotions and knee-jerk reactions that victims like Sadie have to deal with every day; also, how hard it is to move on. Additionally, there's the second victim: Cole, on whom the blame is shared, but isn't deserved in the slightest. His part is equally important since he also couldn't start moving on from the past until Sadie told him nothing was his fault. This was what earned the 3rd star.

I hope the next installment isn't as dissappointing since I really liked the last book and other books I've read by her.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling for the Teacher by Dorothy Clark
Pinewood Weddings Series Book Three
Sadie Spencer has no choice but to return home to Pinewood and help her grandparents. Four years ago she left and hid away, too afraid to face the real world. Things are much worst then she suspected when she arrives. Especially seeing the man who has wormed his way into her grandparents hearts and home.

Cole Aylward has finally gained some respect after four years in this town. It was a long and hard journey to get out of his brother's evil shadow. With Sadie's return, all of his efforts could be wiped away.

These two people carry fear from the past and fear of the future. Sadie struggles to trust Cole's motives. Cole fears of who he could become...afraid to trust himself. If they don't break down their own walls, their futures will only hold loneliness.

Four childhood friends have all gone their own ways, in the end...they all return to Pinewood. The first book is Wooing the Schoolmarm, book two is Courting Miss Callie and book four is A Season of the Heart.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Pinewood Weddings story.

Sadie was abused 4 years earlier and left town quickly. She's been teaching at a seminary and kept away from the world. Now she has returned home to care for her ailing grandparents and is shocked to find the brother of her abuser is also caring for them. At first she is suspicious of everything that Cole does. She thinks he is out to cheat her grandparents just as his brother did. She all but accuses him of stealing, only to find out that he's actually saved her grandfathers business.

Cole knows she hates him but his only wish is to see his brother brought to justice. He sees the fear and hatred in her eyes when she looks at him, which isn't often. He continues to help out her grandparents while trying to figure out how to get Sadie to accept him for himself, and not punish him for his brother's actions.

[Kelly_Instalove]

Grade: B

He rose and looked down into her eyes. “Sadie….”

“Yes?”

Her name was a gruff plea from his constricted throat – her answer a barely heard whisper. Time was lost in his need to comfort her, to protect her, to love her forever. He sucked in a breath, fighting his heart with every bit of strength he possessed and hating himself for winning the battle. “I’ll see you safe to the house.”

I struggled with Sadie’s overwrought, baseless accusations in the first third of the book, but as Cole slowly wins her over, we get the backstory details we need to root for their HEA.

[NOTE: I read an advance review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.]

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not a very happy or funny one. The story follows a young woman who returns to her Grandparents home to help them all the while trying to overcome a traumatic event in her life. How she becomes close to the male main character and then overcomes this event is the main plot. I gave this book 4/5 stars. Although there were some parts that were uplifting, like the end, I did not especially enjoy the book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story that tackles difficult subjects and also includes meaningful relationships.

I would like to thank the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[Melinda M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling for the Teacher is the 3rd book in the Pinewoods. Weddings by Dorothy Clark. Sadie who left Pinewoods due to an attack comes back to care for the grandparents who raised her. It is a good look at how the community helps to tend the older people. Dorthy Clark does a wonderful job of showing that it is not easy but was expected.

[Romantic Reads and Such · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling for the Teacher is a sweet story about letting go of the past, seeing past your prejudices and realizing that you have the power to be who you want to be. Full review available at http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress...

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3½-4. Good, but formulaic.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

The characters of Sadie and Cole really make you think about bitterness and fear, and how crippling they are. I loved both characters, and the grandparents, Manning and Rachel. Good, clean book.