B+J by Nina High (2024)
The Teachers of Hardwood High #2
Related The Martin Brothers Series
173-page Kindle Ebook story pages 1-170
Genre: African-American Romance, Contemporary Romance
Rating as a movie: XXX for strong sexual content
Featuring: Second Chance - One Night Stand; Drama, Fictional Ambiguous Town in Texas, North Carolina, Sex - Detailed, Dual POVs, Party Planner, Scholastic Setting, Workplace Romance, High School, Teacher - Math, Administrator - Assistant Principal, Enemies-to-Lovers, Group Project, Series - Overlapping Characters and Setting, Department Heads, Racism, January, Teenagers, Scholastic Politics, References to The Martin Brothers Series, All Through The Year, Set Up for Next Book, Preview of f P+B, Book 3 in The Teachers of Hardwood Highseries - Chapter 1-2, Link to Next Book, Authors Links Bibliography for Nina High
Songs for the soundtrack: "Area Codes" by Ludacris featuring Nate Dogg, "Too Close" by Next, Grind With Me by Pretty Ricky, "Slow Dance" by Keri Hilson, "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter, "U Got It Bad" by Usher, "Baby Boy" by Beyonce, "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" by Ashanti, "My Boo" by Usher and Alicia Keys
Books and Authors mentioned: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🏫👩🏾🏫👨🏾💼📋➗️➕️🇨🇱
My thoughts: This story was very good. It seems like having a racist teacher is going to be a theme in this series. I'm a little over that narrative but this one was well done. In the last book, there was a couple on the side so I was expecting to have a side couple in this story but it was actually the setup for the next book which I appreciate because that annoyed me with the last book that the couple in the secondary storyline wasn't gonna have a book. However, I think it's the same couple. Now I'm wondering if this series is the same school year from multiple POVs. I think it might be because that racist English teacher sounds like the same teacher from the last book.
Recommend to others: Yes. I'm enjoying this series.
The Teachers of Hardwood High
1. X+E (2024)
2. B+J (2024)
3. P+B (2025)
4. T+E (2025)
5. Q+C (2025)
6. A+J (2025)
Memorable Quotes: We’re seated immediately. Ben looks at the menu for 30 seconds and already knows what he’s ordering. I laugh at him, “You don’t even need to read anymore—you know exactly what you’re getting.” He taps the menu on the table. “Yep, I do. It’s not hard. I love an omelet, so I’m getting an omelet.” “What kind?” I ask him. “There are at least 44 different omelets on this menu.” “Colorado omelet. Just like that,” he says, smiling. “I keep it simple when it comes to my food.” “Well, you’re gonna have to wait for me because I’ve never been here before, and this is a lot of pressure to figure out what I want.” “You put pressure on yourself to figure out what you’re going to eat?” he asks, amused. “Yes, I do! I want to make the right choice. I love pancakes, but their waffles look amazing. And I love omelets, but maybe I should try yours so we can sample two things. But I don’t know if you’re a ‘try-yours’ kind of person, so I’m stuck.” He sets his menu down, crosses his hands, and just stares at me. “You’re a very interesting person.” I squint at him, “Is that a compliment or an insult?” He shrugs. “I’ll let you be the judge.” “You’re being judgy. I want to get the best thing on the menu, but I don’t know what it is yet, so I need to read the whole menu and narrow things down.” “You’re going to starve,” he laughs. I laugh too because he’s right. I’m starving, and this menu is 14 pages long. “Why are there so many choices? Breakfast isn’t that complicated. They’re just making things up at this point!” “This place is called Toast and Jam. Simple, right? And here we are with a million options,” I sigh. “Are you sure you’re not making it more complicated?” he asks, logically and annoyingly. “You already know what you like, so why not just order that?” I stare at him, peeking over my menu. Look at him, all wise and practical, trying to help me fix my whole life. Just then, the waitress arrives. Ben orders his Colorado omelet and looks at me expectantly. “I’ll have pecan pancakes and bacon,” I say, closing my menu firmly and handing it to her. “See? That wasn’t so hard,” Ben says after she walks away. “It wasn’t... but what about the crumble cake pancakes or the chocolate chip pancakes or the birthday cake pancakes?” I wonder aloud. “Have you ever had those before?” he asks. “No.” “Then why try them now? Do you really want birthday cake pancakes?” he grins. I laugh, “No, I don’t think so.” He watches me with a smile. “What?” I ask. He shakes his head, “Nothing.” “So, are you here just for a weekend of fun?” I ask, changing the subject. “Yeah, I like visiting new places. This city is one of my favorites, and meeting you has made it move to the top of the list.”