A Theory of Love

by Kate Christie

Eva DeMarco isn’t looking for a relationship. Fresh off a year’s family leave, she is hoping for a quiet return to her teaching and research career at Edmonds University, where she is still in search of the holy grail of tenure. Given that she has recently chucked her Serious Research Interest in the visual arts to study romance novels, she’s pretty sure her best bet is to skate under the radar of university higher-ups for the foreseeable future. Cassidy Trane is only in Washington State for another few months. Soon she’ll be resuming her hipster lifestyle in San Francisco, making good money in the tech industry and cheering for her ex-teammates on the local pro rugby side. She certainly doesn’t intend to fall for an academic, especially not one at the university where her golden-boy twin brother literally teaches rocket science. But as fate conspires to bring Cass and Eva together, they learn that sometimes plans have to be flexible—that is, if they want a chance at their very own Happily Ever After.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Contemporary, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2018

About the author

Kate Christie, author of In the Company of Women, Gay Pride & Prejudice, and the Girls of Summer series, was born and raised in Kalamazoo, MI. A graduate of Smith College, she lives near Seattle with her wife, their three daughters, and the family dogs.

To join her mailing list and receive email notifications of new releases, giveaways, and other news, visit https://katejchristie.com/mailing-list/.

Reviews

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva DeMarco sat at the bar, trying not to stare too obviously at a group of women playing pool in the next room. This was her first time at a women’s bar since college, and while hairstyles and clothing had changed in the past decade, not much else seemed different.

Eva DeMarco is on the tenure track at a University in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle region specifically; whatever the name of the place, ‘Edmonds’ is involved), who is, you could say, slowly reemerging from a self-imposed exile certain things – like teaching (she had a longish period off), and certain life things, like going outside (not exactly accurate but close enough). Eva, you see, has been busy helping her mother move into a nearby retirement facility. That’s part of what she’s been doing in her time off, though the rest of the world is focused on the events that occurred right before she took the time off and assume there’s a connection – and there is, to a certain extent.


There’s not a straight line ‘x happened, then y, then z’, certain other things occurred here or there in between, but the straight line of events prior to Eva reemerging would be something like ‘Ben and Eva meet, marry, are friends with another individual named Tina; as a couple, Ben and Eva get professor jobs at a university; marriage falls apart for reasons (complications with attempting to bring children into the world, and the fallout); they divorce; Ben and Tina date, move in together; book starts about a year or a year and a half later’. Info dump. Should I do one for the other main character now?


Right, so, that quote above at the start of the review is the opening of the book. Eva’s friend, Alexis (a fellow college professor, though at a different college), has dragged Eva out into public. To Thistledown, one of the last remaining women’s bars in Seattle. Somewhere along the way Alexis points out that someone appears to be checking Eva out. Eva assumes that they must really be checking Alexis out, as that is what normally happens in bars, albeit straight bars, and involving men hitting on Alexis (who is straight and married, so two straight women hanging out at a lesbian bar? Not exactly). Eva smoothly gets a look at this other woman who had been said to be checking her out; Alexis departs for the restroom; other woman approaches.


That other woman opens with what Eva assumes is a very bad line – something along the lines of ‘don’t I know you’? Cass, the name of this ‘other woman’, actually had been serious about the question – she had this vague idea she recognized Eva from somewhere and was curious. She was also interested, so it isn’t only curiosity that brought her over.


They flirt, though neither is 100% certain the other really is flirting; then another woman appears and seems to be Cass’s girlfriend; one thing leads to another and Eva blurts out that her girlfriend isn’t feeling well and she must go (the reader, as in me, nor Eva is sure if she used the girlfriend word as an attempt to create some distancing from Cass since she has used the word to refer to Alexis many times, though suddenly Eva realizes it would come across differently in a woman’s bar).

Everyone parts ways, and as happens, they never again see each other.


Until they do.


So, Eva’s life continues – which involves restarting her career at her University – classes are about to start for the quarter. Whereupon Eva learns that the University has researched, created, funded, launched a university wide computer system – and that a certain individual would be helping Eva learn about it. Learned at a university event when her boss Steve Henry, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences introduces her to Cass (actually Matthew, Cass’s brother, somehow got involved in the introductions and I’m not sure which actually used the ‘this is Cass’ words, though I do know no last name was given, though Dr. DeMarco’s title and last name were in fact used. Was Cass’s last name not given because she’s ‘only’ a graduate assistant?)


Right, so – Cass and Eva become friends-like. Eva keeps trying to clarify what she had meant by ‘girlfriends’ that one time back in the bar, but events keep getting in the way, so Cass continues believing Eva has a girlfriend. Things get even more confusing when Cass learns that the other woman, the ‘girlfriend’ Alexis, is married and has children (the husband’s from a prior marriage).


Eventually stories are straightened/told/explained, and Cass and Eva start dating (though secretly, for reasons, like how Eva worries about losing her chance at advancing to Tenured Professor – which might get disrupted by Cass being a student, and Eva being a professor, though they have no professor/teacher connections (despite being a Sociology graduate student, and Eva being a Sociology professor – they have no classes together)). Though the brother, and even his wife Maya (did I mention her yet?) bluntly tell Cass not to date Eva prior to the actual dating occurring . . . for reasons not explained (there’s a bunch of that, non-explained things hinted at).


Events unfold, secrets are learned, the inevitable break-up occurs due to assumptions and lack of communication. It’s a romance book so . . ..

I liked the book well enough. Not a five star, to me, book, but good enough.


Looking at the notes I wrote, I see I haven’t mentioned Harvey. He’s Eva’s dog who has ‘finally stopped waiting for Ben to come home’. There’s other stuff I wrote in my notes, but I’ll leave them unsaid.


Rating: 4.32


October 22 2018

[lov2laf · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's only been a few weeks but it feels like I read this ages ago and the details are already fuzzy...

Two things stand out: 1) The story is way too long and 2) Academia. If you're a professor, know one, or ever went in pursuit of a masters or phD this story may resonate more.

What we get is the romance between a bisexual woman, a professor on track for tenure, and a nonbinary lesbian woman getting her higher education. It's not really a teacher-student relationship as they are in different departments and both are older (early 30s and late 30s if I remember correctly).

I liked the characters but it didn't have a zing-bang feel. There was a little too much angst in this one for me.

I've read Christie a couple of times before. "Leaving L.A." left me unimpressed because the story had too much tell. "It's in the Stars", a Supergirl fanfiction written under the name Katevw8, I loved. Unfortunately, this romance goes more into the tell category and it suffers from "don't get together yet because of reasons" followed by a "breakup because of reasons" hiccup.

On the whole, an okay read and it does go in some directions I haven't read before.

Trigger warning for infertility and loss of a baby.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something about the way Kate Christie writes that really gets to me, in a good way, but also makes it difficult for me to review her books. For some reason, I find them both delightful and painful. She gets in my head and sometimes triggers my anxiety and I'm not sure why.

But that's also why I love most of her books. Because they feel real to me.

And I'm always going back for more. So the last one I read was this, A Theory of Love. There are many things I love: the chemistry between Eva and Cass; the fact that secondary characters are really well developed and are there for a reason; that one of the MCs has dyslexia and the way it's dealt with; the same with loss; and much more. Eva got on my nerves at time, especially because she hurt Cass more than once with her going back and forth, but I get where she's coming from and if Cass can find it in her heart to forgive her, I can too ;) And it doesn't feel far-fetched either.

So, all in all, a very good read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes a love story between nice people who deserve a happy end.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Wow! Class writing, excellent story, kept me hooked all the way through. Learnt stuff without being lectured and really brought into the characters. Another Christie winner. Brilliant. Further point: this book cost £3.82 for 538 pages - and just been asked for £7.71 for a new, untried author's 186 pages. Mmmm.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super sweet love story. Both characters were brilliant and strong, definitely amazing women to look up to. I loved the secondary characters. The pacing was a little slow at certain points, but overall this was an adorable and totally enjoyable book.

[JENNY F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth every second spent reading it

This book is now in my list of favorite reads. So well written, with believable characters reflecting today's America. There are too many things worth reading in this book, not the least of which is the adorable love story that sets things in motion from page one.

[Belinda Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a sweet book. It started off a little slowly, perhaps mostly because I had just finished a much more intense book and this is just a sweet story about fairly normal people in a setting that's not particularly far out of the realm of what most people might experience in their day to day life.

The characters are likeable and a little awkward. I like that they both spend a fair amount of time just fantasizing about the other, like a hot coworker you have a crush on, but because you work together you look and fantasize for a while before working up the courage to actually talk to them. It was cute.

[Patricia OHara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different storyline

I have to say it was a pleasure reading this book. The characters Cass and Eva were in such a dramatic fashion almost all the way through this book that it kept me in getting bored or sure of what was next. The addition of the twin thing added levity and a sense of humor that made me laugh at some of the corny jokes. I’m highly recommend this book to read as it deserves the chance to make you feel better about yourself.

[Doug Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance novels as the subject of academic study was an interesting angle in this story. The main characters were reasonably well developed and the supporting cast was strong enough to contribute to the story -- especially Cass's twin brother. Along the way there are some insights into living with dyslexia.

[Selah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Wonderful

I was hesitant to read at first due to the length, I usually enjoy shorter books, but I read this very fast because it was soo good! I feel like I was able to really get to know the characters and I fell in love with them. I laughed, cried, and wanted more at the end. I even learned a lot of new words :) Can’t wait to read more books from the author!

[Ranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Christie's best novel by far. The story, which seemed so real, gripped me from start to finish. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone--just read trust me and read it.