Teaching Tenderness

Forever in Middlebury #1

by Brittany Cournoyer

Marcus ~
Being a single parent was hard, and something I’d never imagined I’d be. So when my ex-wife abandoned not only me, but our son, my world was on its axis, and I was forced to raise my son Jackson by myself. Unfortunately, trying to balance that fine line as both mother and father, as well as work full-time, was something I failed at… miserably. My world centered on my child and my job. A personal life was non-existent. Until one last-minute decision to pick my child up from school, I realized two things: I didn’t know my son at all, and his male teacher had the most stunning blue eyes I’d ever seen.

Anthony ~
My student, Jackson Anderson, had a secret. One that I was determined to figure out. It was one of the many reasons I became a teacher in the first place. To watch the light flash in their eyes as they finally grasped what I taught them had to be one of the most rewarding experiences ever. And even though I probably shouldn’t admit it, Jackson had burrowed his way into my heart to become my favorite student. How could I stop myself from offering to tutor the little dude so he could pass my class? Considering I’d been single since my douchebag ex cheated on me, I couldn’t help but notice just how sexy Jackson’s father, Marcus was. Too bad he was straight.

A friendship blossoms between the two men and leaves Marcus questioning whether he was so straight after all. And thanks to Anthony, Marcus begins to mend his relationship with his son. Obstacles seem to hit them at every turn, but maybe sometimes love will find a way…

***Teaching Tenderness is book one of the Forever in Middlebury series. While each book could be read as a stand-alone, it is recommended that they be read in order. Each book will revisit characters from the previous ones in the series. It is a contemporary romance between two men with explicit language and graphic sex scenes intended for adults only***

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Gay For You, Teachers, Family, Contemporary Romance

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2018

Reviews

[Jennifer☠Pher☠]

I'm throwing in the towel on this one. The writing is not working for me at all. The dialogue is borderline juvenile and inappropriate and keeps taking me out of the story.

Just not my cup of tea.

DNF 34%

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.9 Stars

So, I wanted to like this more but the characters were hard to connect with; I liked that Marcus didn't dither about his sudden attraction to a guy and did his best to parent Jackson alone, but he was so generic it hurt...and Anthony was kind of annoying. Plus, there were some inconsistencies and oddities that irritated me (see notes & highlights).

I did like that it had an unexpected Christmas scene, which meant I could use it for my BINGO Free Space option. That happy little accident had me judging this one a little less harshly (yes, but only slightly) and I kind of teared up at how that one gift was presented. (Spoiler is spoilery; read that highlight with caution.)

Oddly, the epilogue is from the kid's perspective...which DID NOT sound like it was the POV of a 12yr old. Plus, it was just a weird shift...

EDITED TO ADD: Oh, and this one took the Crazy Bitch Ex-Wife to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. I'm not fond of that trope at all and this was Next Level Cray, creating pain and drama that tormented the kid and while to some extent that does happen...wow, this one was just OTT.

I'm not sure if I'm a glutton for punishment or what, but the cheating ex from this one (Sebastian - who Anthony actually caught screwing someone else, and thinks it had been more than the one) is half of the pairing for the next installment - along with the Art Teacher from the end of this book - and *whispers* I think I might just read it! I'm horrifyingly intrigued to see how he's redeemed because said Art Teacher appears to be skittish and fearful, distrusting and a little withdrawn when it comes to other men. Not sure how the Sebastian painted here can overcome that...

[Claude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Sexy and Fun 💖. Marcus and Anthony 😍 This is a GFY! No unnecessary drama. Smooth walk till the end! Just read it!

[Line]

Freebie at amazon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Teaching-Ten...

[SoCalBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was Cute! I really enjoyed reading it.
Clueless Single Dad Marcus. Hot Teacher Anthony. Cute Kid Jackson. Sweet story of single dad Marcus who has never been with a guy before and Anthony his sons teacher becoming friends as Anthony helps tutor Jackson in his extra free time. After some time the two men start dating and then progress into falling in love. There was also just the right amount of family (Ex) drama thrown in. With Marcus ex crazy wife showing back up. And Anthony’s cheating ex trying to win him back. But this book was well written and I liked it.

[Patrice Leonard · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 35%

I just can't with this one...
So many winks, and "Dude", and ugh...just everything!
Anthony was a teacher who swore up and down that the kids he taught meant everything to him and then proceeded on several occasions to call them "little shits" among other things and often inner dialogs to himself about how he can't be bothered with them or doesn't care what they do in class as long as it doesn't bother him. There are so many reasons I wouldn't recommend this one.
I DID, thought really like Marcus and I feel badly that I just couldn't tough this one out to see how his story ended. Part of me wanted him to have his HEA but I just didn't want to see it happen with Anthony, because you know, he was a jerkface.

[Xanthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful story!
I really enjoyed this book and the lightness of it despite the couple of darker moments experienced by Marcus and Jackson. Anthony is their perfect balance; Marcus who needs a loving and faithful partner and Jackson who needs a present and caring friend.
I found it a little hard to believe how quickly Marcus accepted Anthony as someone he was attracted to but the pace and setting of the book made it come across as believable. It would have been nice to have some secondary characters, friends of the family or more involvement from the two in the book. Sheila is awesome as Marcus' assistant/only friend and Anthony's Mum seems lovely and adoring of her son.
Anthony is brilliant in his devotion to getting things right for the children he teaches and taking action on what needs doing.
Marcus' relationship with Jackson is very strained and it's hard to read. Knowing he's doing what he can to provide for his son but knowing he's not there for him in person as much as he should be. A hard balance to get right for any parent, I'm sure.
I'd definitely recommend this to any mm romance readers.
I received an ARC and am giving an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I really enjoyed the MCs in this story and I feel bad about only rating it a 3.5 it lost half a star for the over use of the word dude that's just a personal preference. I hate the word dude and unless your a 20 year old surfer then it should not be used. It lost another star because despite the fact I enjoyed the MCs a lot I just found it dragged a bit in places. It took almost 40% before anything happened and then bang they are boyfriends. I think it could have been less drawn out. Its angsty and funny with really good MCs and I'm sure others who like slow burn will love it a lot more than I did.
Mr A is a hot teacher who is not looking for something especially not something with his favorite students straight dad.
Marcus is a single dad to a 12 year old boy who has been abandoned by a horrible ex wife . He is straight or so he thought until he met Mr A and there was an instant something.
Jackson is just the funniest 12 year old and he made this story for me.

If you like slow burn GFH angsty romance with 2 hot guys and their son/ student then this is for you.

I received this from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Bambi Teague · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me.
Finished this but it was hard. Very predictable. The MC's both while not written as effeminate males at times read as female. The ages of the two MC's and the one MC's son as they are written really need some revision. They all act much younger. All the Dude, dude, Dude? I also can not see a grown man calling his son sweetie and baby. And I can't see a 12 year old accepting being called that either.

[d. · Rating 1 out of 5]

(DNF @ 64%) i wanted to get into this so badly but the writing was just so unnatural & the dialogue was even worse

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book at all. Something about the kids seem to strike a chord with me. Maybe because I'm a mom. But my heart was with Jackson this whole book. With what he went through and was still going through…..yeah, he was it for me.

Marcus is still struggling. Since his ex, Rebecca left him and abandoned Jackson, he's been struggling, and work is becoming too much. It's affecting Jackson but Marcus isn't aware. Not until he goes and picks Jackson up from school and overhears a conversation between Jackson and his teacher, Anthony. When they sit down and discuss things, Marcus is shocked and feeling lower than low at how bad he's missed at how bad Jackson is doing. But Anthony feels bad for them and offers a deal for Jackson. He will tutor him to help him. He learns what a lot of Jackson's problem is when tutoring him, and when they get him diagnosed the bond between Marcus and Anthony is starting to bloom. They decide to give it a shot but life has a way of popping up bad stuff. Both of their exes have made an appearance and turned everything upside down. Now they have to get past it and all the bad feelings it comes with and move on before it destroys them all. Especially Jackson.

When Rebecca left, Marcus was so consumed with taking care of Jackson and work, he didn't have time for dates. Nor was he really interested. But something about Anthony drew to him. And Marcus didn't even know he was gay. Never ever looked at another man before. But he can't deny the chemistry. And I personally was glad he found such a good guy. After dealing with the bitch that was his ex-wife, he needed someone good for him and Jackson. How he treated Jackson cinched it for me. He spent time with him, was patient with him, helped tutor him and finally figured out why Jackson was having such a hard time in school. With all that his mother put him through and was still trying to do, Jackson needed someone else to have his back. He needed people in his corner to show him he was worth it and he wasn't at fault for any of it. Oooo I hate that heifer. And hate that she has my name! But anyone that puts the kiddos first is number one in my book.

This is good book. A sweet story. Some harsh things in it but it turns out for the better. Give it a try. Happy reading!

http://lovebytesreviews.com

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story contained a bit too much insta love for my liking..

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two men with only a little boy in common...or so they think. Marcus feels like a failure of a single father but would never go back to a two-parent home if it meant having a wife like his ex. He's struggling to know and support his son and can't seem to find a balance between work and home anymore. When his son struggles enough to catch the attention of his teacher he'll find a shock of his own when they meet. Anthony has a soft spot for the little brat, Jackson. And when he meets his father it seems like he's got a soft spot for him too. Well, more hard than soft, and that spells trouble. Together they discover more than just Jackson's school trouble. Their journey is difficult when pasts interfere in what they want for the future and they'll have to decide if it's all worth it to become a family of their own.

I really liked these men. They had personality, humor, and passion. I liked Marcus' determination to embrace everything he knows he is after meeting Anthony. He has a little difficulty in the beginning but once he's on the path, he's not leaving no matter how much Anthony doubts it. Anthony is the kind of teacher we all wish we had, someone who sees us, roots for us, and will fight for us. His strengths as a teacher didn't always translate to his personal life especially when it came to fighting for Marcus. But watching them get on the same page was endearing because both men had to change, accept that change, and made some serious decisions about what they wanted their future to look like. Jackson was surly, difficult, sweet, and spot on for his age in the story. I'm really eager to see them all in the periphery of the second Middlebury book.

[LauraSt · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

One of my favorite authors promoted this book and I decided to give it a try because 1) cover 2) blurb was really interesting.
Sadly, although this book had a lot of potential, it didn’t totally reach it, it was extremely fast paced, I felt really disconnected from everything that was happening, I couldn’t really latch onto the characters’ emotions and feelings.
Also, a LOT of little spelling issues/typos, which really bothered me while I was reading. And lastly, it just felt too HEA-ish but not really in a fluffy happy way, but in the sense that everything happened so swiftly and it was really cliche and predictable. Most of the Stars I’m giving is because little Jacks was so adorable.

So, really great idea, it really could’ve been something else. Don’t really have much hope for book 2 yet. This new author has ways to go. But I feel she’s on the right track.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just so weird how they were sad that Rebecca, the psychotic ex-wife, was leaving and then mid way through you find out he was actually planning on leaving her before, etc. She is certifiable.

[CdnBookLover · Rating 1 out of 5]

The conversations of these *adult* characters read more like teenagers. A real waste of money.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

spelling and grammar errors

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcus Anderson's wife, Rebecca, suddenly leaves him and their dyslexic son, Jackson, for another man. Married for ten years, Marcus is shoved, quite unprepared, into the Single Parent category, which he handles superbly. Of-course, to me, this label is in itself sexy enough to get my hormones racing like any formula one engine at Monaco. Marcus copes with this sudden upheaval by diving into his work, and who wouldn't? It happens every day. The problems surface three years later; Jackson has become unruly, not quite rebellious, but he's getting there, and Jackson's teacher, Anthony Capriotti (a name I really love), discovers that the young boy has a deeper, far more serious problem than anyone could have thought. He's dyslexic. The moment Anthony is introduced to the reader, this beautiful story can only be read in one sitting, which I did. Cecil Beaton once said, "Perhaps the world's second worst crime is boredom. The worst is being a bore." Well, this story did not bore me at all. It was well paced between Marcus and Anthony. The story is about challenges that need address. Marcus had to learn to live alone. He had to Trust and Love and learn to Live with again. Plus, and I was looking for this, there was a heap of conflict in every chapter. (First Star).

I was hooked from the very start. Ms. Cournoyer got me interested very quickly with Rebecca walking out of his life for another man. I was oriented due "book". Not due north or south or east or west. The story was the only thing that mattered to me for almost 7 hours. At all times I knew where I was, what was going on and who was involved - her writing IS that clear. She begins in the moment of crisis and gradually changes a very real problem, a very real internal threat into a positive. The importance of threat is that it creates a situation that must be dealt with. Those threats are exciting, stimulating and absorbing as only a romance should be, and all of them require change.
The plot is strong, the characters are not just somebodies written on a page, her scenes are strong and the style flowed to keep my attention. She dramatized the incidents. Increased the conflicts. Raised the stakes and put forces into place that could make or break the romance between Marcus and Anthony. Most importantly, the dialogue kept the story moving forward. (Star 2).

Ms. Cournoyer's descriptions are kept away from gilded prose. Simplicity is the key to description. The lake, the character descriptions, all simple enough to visualize. Her descriptions work for her and every now and then she packs a punch with a phrase or a word that resounds.

"From the thick, light brown hair on his head that begged me to run my fingers through it, to the pouty lips that I wanted to put my own mouth on. And the broad shoulders that filled out his suit jacket very nicely. But what had me catching my breath were his eyes. Deep brown eyes, much like the betrayal-laden eyes that Jackson..."

So simple. So honest. Description is all about creating exciting sentences. Sentences that move the reader the way you, the writer, wants him to be moved. To encounter people and places we will never meet. To make it memorable. Ms. Cournoyer does it with passion and a sense of timeless affection for her characters and descriptions. (Star 3)

Let's talk about her three characters. The writer starts writing fiction with the character. It's the heartbeat of the novel. Marcus, Anthony and Jackson are characters with life changing difficulties and the author allowed me into their lives to see how they deal with their challenges, goals and problems. All three characters are flawed, some in many ways. Marcus has to deal with living his own lie for all these years, and he is a flawed parent. Anthony has to deal with a previous boyfriend as well as his own inner feelings of fear that Marcus might hurt him, and Jackson has his dyslexia and rebellious streak to contend with. (Star 4)

The lead up to the climax is so poignant and sweet and the ending answered the conflict that started the story. I was satisfied that Ms. Cournoyer had made good on her promise; her characters are real enough to withstand the ending. I cared about that. The climax delivered emotion and relief that left me begging for more. (Star 5)

This book touched my heart and soul. Highly highly recommended.

[Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaching Tenderness is the first book I have read by Brittany Cournover. What a pleasant surprise! I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Marcus is currently a single dad, as his ex-wife left a few years ago. Marcus loves his son, Jackson, more than anything, but he struggles with juggling his career and having time for Jackson. He is heart-broken when he realizes how little time he has invested in his son's life recently.

Anthony is currently Jackson's teacher, and he wants to figure out why Jackson is struggling so much. He starts tutoring Jackson, to help him with his schoolwork. Doing so, he gets to know Marcus and, of course, is attracted to him. His introduction into their lives is wonderful. He helps Jackson with his reading, and Marcus really enjoys hanging out with him.

Marcus was like so many guys out there. Working all the time, losing track of time, and struggling with keeping his kid as his top priority. He isn't unlikeable, he is just losing track of what is important in life. Anthony helps him with that. Anthony is a teacher who really wants to help his students. He is a good guy who is still suffering after his ex cheated on him. Anthony believes in fidelity and would love to find someone to spend his life with.

The two men start spending a lot of time together and Marcus realizes that he might not be so straight after all. He does figure out thought that he isn't attracted to other guys. He is attracted to Anthony because he is Anthony. He knows that it won't be easy for him to be with a guy but he really wants to give them a try. He is willing to take the risk despite knowing how tough it would be if things don't work out, since Anthony will still be Jackson's teacher.

Jackson is such a sweet kid. He is totally likeable, gentle kid. But he struggles, with school and with thinking he did something wrong for his mom to have left him. This part of the story was handled so well. Both issues are brought up at different points in the story and are a huge theme in this story. And, in today's society, both are a common issues. I, myself, have a son who is dyslexic. And I know many single parents. I love that Brittany Cournover handles both issues with tact. Brittany definitely is informative about both issues and handles them in a very realistic manner.

Overall, I really enjoyed Teaching Tenderness. I was invested in it from the very start and couldn't put it down. There is light angst and just a whole lot of navigating a new relationship. I highly recommend it.

And now I will be starting Book 2 in the series, Teaching Trust, which was just releases yesterday.

[Bronwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars - I am so glad I got this book for free. It had been sitting on my Kindle since October of 2018. There was so much hype about it on FB and I was excited about a new author to love. I honestly don’t think there was any proofreading done to this entire book. It took me so long to read because I was so frustrated with all the typos and grammatical errors that I kept putting it aside. One of the first rules you learn in school when writing papers is not to start a sentence with the word “and.” While there are exceptions to this, this particular author started an innumerable amount of sentences with that word.

Jackson is my reason for the 1.5 stars. He was cute and my heart went out to him. While Anthony was nice, Marcus seemed so one dimensional. I never felt any connection between the two MCs. It was strange that Anthony would constantly call Marcus “Dude” when they are grown men. I could understand it from the 12 year old in the book, but it got ridiculous with Anthony. The epilogue is supposed to be in Jackson’s voice, but it was just strange and stilted. It read more like Marcus’ chapters and should have been just that.

[Ruth Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read!

I read this book after I read book two so I can honestly say read this one first. These books are so well written that you can read them as stand alone books but I can't see why you would they are great.
Anthony has been let down by love before and a straight man is not the way to go. Being good at his job means caring and he wants to he!p Jackson.
Marcus well what can you say about him. He's a dad doing the best he can to bring his son up right. When he meets his teacher Marcus realises Jackson needs help.
Jackson has been through so much and it's knocked his confidence but as the relationship builds between his dad and Anthony he gets stronger and more settled.
Two men and a little boy need to learn to trust each other and then they can learn to trust others. This is a well written book and I can't recommend it strongly enough. Can't wait for the next book.

[Jennifer Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I want to say I really enjoyed this book. The men were sweet and caring and throw in an awesome child. What more could you want?

Marcus is a single dad that is the head of the company he works for. He is a workaholic and missing out on time with his son, Jackson, and more importantly missing what is going on in life.

Anthony is Jacksons teacher. When Anthony and Marcus meet under some dire circumstances they have an instant connection.

They have some some things to work through (now I'm not going to spoil it) but their communication and caring for each other pulls them closer.


I loved the bond between Jackson and his dad. More so, I loved Jackson and Anthony's bond and trust. These guys were sweet, protective, and a family I would love to be a part of.

Check out the book, I don't think you will be disappointed. Looking forward to book 2.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus and his twelve year old son Jackson loved each other, but they were struggling three years after being abandoned by Jackson's mom Rebecca. Jackson was having problems at school, and Marcus was too busy with a demanding job to notice. Thankfully, Jackson had Anthony for a teacher, and Anthony was the key to making everything better for the father and son.
This was a great story, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the three main characters, as well as Marcus' assistant and Anthony's mother. I laughed at the way Anthony made fun of Marcus' stuffy emails; and I wanted to shake Rebecca for being a horrible parent and spouse. The author kept me interested, and I was happy to read her work. If the character introduced near the end of this book gets his own story, I will definitely read it.

[Amber Fueston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this the most realistic story? No. Do I think everything for Marcus would actually go that smooth with dating a man for the first time and everyone being so okay with it? No. I read fiction for a reason though. Sometimes I like it to be a little more true to life, but sometimes I want that fantasy world where there isn't so much hate.

This was a very fun, sweet, and sexy story. I have a soft spot for single dads, especially gay ones. He struggles a little bit with juggling work and how to be both mother and father to young troubled boy. You can feel his love for Jackson though and that is the most important thing when it comes to parenting. Anthony is a near perfect man. He is an absolute sweetheart to Jackson and is the perfect man for Marcus. I look forward to the next story in the series.

[Helen Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

*arc received in exchange for an honest review*

This was an exceptionally cute story. I love the parent falls in love with teacher trope and I especially love the added research into dyslexia that Cournoyer did for this novel. Marcus and Anthony were great characters that I really did bond with and I’m glad when they had their drama situations they talked through them rather than storming off like other stories tend to do. It showed their maturity levels and I loved both of their chemistry with the boy, Jackson. The writing flowed as well did the action that kept the story moving. It was definitely a slow burn novel but sometimes that’s a nice change and it definitely didn’t put me off. I loved reading it and I can’t wait for book two in the series to be released.

[Joelle Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the teacher/parent relationship and the fact that Anthony would be the one to help Jackson. When I started reading the book, I fell for sweet Jackson but fell harder for Anthony. Marcus took a little bit to grow on me but once he realized how he had messed up by working so much and took steps to fix it, I really started to like him. He and Anthony made a good couple. I liked their one on one moments as much as I liked their time with Jackson.

Jackson did seem a bit younger than 12 to me. There were times he acted really young,. But I really liked him and how closely he bonded with Anthony.

And that last chapter/epilogue was wonderful. Full of sweetness and love. This book makes you feel good.

And now I can't wait to find out Ty's story in book 2.

[Cee Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

💞💕💞Great start to a new series.💞💕💞

I love sweet, happy ever afters and this was it. Marcus and Anthony. Two men who would have not met had it not been for Marcus's son Jackson. Marcus and Jackson became a broken family when Marcus's wife decided to walk out on them three years prior. Marcus became more of a workaholic and hence missed what was going on in his once happy son's life.

Anthony, two years post a bad relationship was more than happy to be a teacher. It came across whenever he wanted to see a child excel. He enjoyed his kids, but not his personal life. He always seemed to make it back to his cheating ex. Until one day, Marcus entered and Anthony's world changed, all for the better.

One click and enjoy this second chance at another love story.

[Jacey Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by this new to me author!!! Marcus is a single, workaholic dad to a great kid named Jackson. He works so much that he is missing out on what is going on in Jackson's life. Anthony is Jackson's teacher. He has a soft spot for Jackson and offers to tutor him to get him caught back up in school. What neither Marcus and Anthony bargained on was the intense instant attraction they had for each other. There are bumps along the way but their love for each other gets them through. I liked everything about their story and I can't wait to see what is next for this series. Well done!!!!

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marcus has been unsuccessfully balancing work with his role as a single parent to 12 year old Jackson. He gets a wakeup call when his son’s English teacher reveals that Jackson is close to failing and has been skipping school. Mr. A (Anthony) can tell Marcus is devastated by how clueless he’s been as a parent. He offers extra tutoring sessions instead of detention to help Jackson turn his grades around.

Despite early misgivings (and bad past romantic experiences), Marcus and Anthony’s tentative friendship grows into something more.

Yes, there’s some “ex”-driven drama, but the story is pretty angst-free. Guaranteed HEA between two blandly likable protagonists.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming and touching

I really enjoyed this story about a man finding his way back to his son and finding love again. I liked the integral role the son plays in the storyline...he’s not just a prop. The story arc moves a little slowly and the character development is a bit uneven but nothing that detracts horribly from the story.

The book would benefit from better editing/proofreading. Some errors really made the story confusing and I hate anything that takes my head out of a story.