THE PROFESSOR: WILL THE TRAUMA OF HER PAST DOOM HER FUTURE?

by T.A. Evans

She’s free of her family. He’s twice her age. Will a secret passion be their undoing?

Clare Brenton has never experienced real love. Desperate to forget her alcoholic mother and start fresh in college, she lives in fear of someone discovering her past. So when her charismatic professor Andrew expresses interest, she enters into a clandestine affair in hopes of erasing everything that came before.

As the fling turns serious, Clare dreads the inevitable meeting between her boyfriend and her manipulative mother. So when they finally go public, she braces herself for yet more torment from her family. Little does she know that Andrew’s own dark past may be the thing that does her in…

Will the trauma of Claire’s past doom her future?

The Professor is a contemporary fiction novel. If you like complex heroines, family drama, and tales of forbidden desire, then you’ll adore T.A. Evans’s gripping story.

Buy The Professor to watch one woman embrace the challenge of love today.

217 pages, ebook

Published June 17, 2019

About the author

Tara Evans was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand and attended Auckland University, where she attained a Bachelor of Arts before moving to Australia and adding a Master’s in Human Resource Management at the Edith Cowan University, in Perth, Western Australia.

She lives in Perth with her husband, who is also an author and working on his first sci-fi novel, and their tabby cat.

Since graduating from university Tara worked as a teacher and HR consultant but it is writing and the desire to tell stories that has always been her true passion. Her contemporary fiction novels are inspired by true stories and real characters.

In her spare time, Tara enjoys reading, writing, watching movies and cycling. She is also keen on fashion and travel features in her life as much as time allows.

Tara enjoys traveling the world, attending book writing conferences and getting inspiration from the places she visits and the people she meets.

Reviews

[Trizah Kelvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely amazing, exceptional story!
I’ve been devouring contemporary romance fiction novels in the past year. Still, I am at a point where nothing seems original. Yes, the words are different, but the context of the stories mainly rely on storylines already in circulation. Well, that has been the case, until I came across “The Professor: Will The Trauma Of Her Past Doom Her Future?”
I knew this was a must-read with the relevance of its summary, so I was ready to set my other books aside and dive in. After reading the first Chapter “How It All Began”, I felt so much absorbed to the book and wanted to keep reading more and more, I couldn’t put it down! I loved it. Books like this are definitely my cup of tea from now on.
The author does impressive work by coming up with an inspirational and exciting love story about two lovers with traumatic and dark pasts. Clare Brenton is the woman who gets in love with professor Andrew, with hopes of starting a new life and forgetting her past. However, both of them do not have an idea of each other's past experiences, and this later leads to unexpected challenges - enough said. I found the book as pretty thrilling, emotional, suspenseful, romantic and inspirational part of what I mostly look for in a book.
Other than the uniqueness of the story, the author has shown masterly skills in writing by having complete control of her story and style. With twists and turns, a reader cannot ignore the imagination of the impressive scenes and much more than the story offers. I highly recommend it to all romantic fiction readers as this is a must-read. I can’t wait to get my hands on her other books!

[Cece Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Professor, while containing many of the standards of the romance genre, surpasses many similar novels through its engaging plot and superb characterisation.The story centres around Clare Brenton as she falls in love with her professor, the charming Andrew. Let’s face it, who hasn’t had a crush on a teacher or professor before and fantasised about acting on it? Well through Clare’s narrative we get a glimpse into what that could be like. Their romance is intense but wrought with troubles from external and as the story progresses both of the lovers have to deal with issues that stem from their pasts and these often manifest in unexpected ways. This is when the author’s expert characterisation comes into play, the pair are written in a relatable and realistic manner that makes you really root for them. I couldn’t help but become invested in the outcome and this lent a lot of intensity and suspense the further I got into the book.

Another key point, I find a lot of books in this genre go in too heavy handed with the sex scenes and this can really overpower the plot but this isn’t the case here. The intimate scenes are sensual and never over the top and this really gave the story an extra bit of ‘oomph’. If you’re a lover of romance novels with a bit of depth then you will really love The Professor!

[Vinessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare and Andrew were made for each other. Both have secrets that they hold close to the vest which ultimately causes some tension due to it's content. There relationship is already facing difficulties due to the fact it is forbidden. his book has all the feels of a romance but it is written in such a manner that it makes you wonder what the real genre is. Mystery, Suspense, Drama? Read it and make your own decision. It is not a fast past read, it will take some dedication and time for you to fully grasp the significance of all the detail. Enjoy Clare and Andrew as they grow, heal and love

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Collette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by T.A. Evans, this story centres around a character called Clare who has a crush, and falls in love with her professor, a charming guy called Andrew. The romance is intense but not without issues. As the story progresses both Clare and Andrew have to deal with things from their pasts with nothing being what you expect.
The sex scenes are not overly intense and are written tastefully so they don’t distract from the story as a whole. I think they were well written.
A romantic story that had enough twists and turns that kept me wanting to read right to the end.
Loved this book and recommend it to romance lovers.

[Dorothy Rushforth · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointing. It started off like it could be a good read, but the big let down was the authors shockingly bad grammar and the storyline jumping about all over the place. Plus in many paragraphs, it took repeating the same sentence in different ways - at one point the same thing was repeated in three consecutive sentences taking up the whole paragraph.
It was very much ‘oh I like this idea, I’ll just stick it in here’ - no rhyme or reason to it.
I just can’t suffer any more books unless there’s a marked improvement.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by this new to me author. They have a wonderful way of telling their story that had me mesmerized. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot that added some extra suspense to the story. The characters are all well rounded and realistic. The author use of very vivid descriptive writing made the book jump to life right there in front of me. A great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read written by T.A. Evans; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do yourself a favor: Get. This. Book.
It is worth every penny.

This story is really well written, has characters that are created with tantalizing depth and a captivating story line.

It grabs you right from the start keeping you engrossed and turning page after page throughout the whole book!
This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.

[Kathy Mccalmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an older man younger woman romance. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. The story line has drama suspense and traumatic pasts. will their love survive?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had preconceived notions on how the author author might have this story play out. In some ways it was the same but in others it felt new. I liked the sensual scenes which were well written. I enjoyed their interactions as they built on their attraction for each other. A good story.

[evieo17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good read from a new author. It was totally different than what I was thinking it was going to be. It was a good surprise and kept me engrossed in the story.

[Debra Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Professor.

I enjoyed this book. It is about a young woman finding her love. And her non loving mother. You will love this book.

[Ngatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire Breton, a young lady just in a first-year at Pennsylvania University is a simple girl starting her life. She has a poor relationship with her mother, a reforming drunk and a brother with whom they don’t get along well. She is determined to keep unfortunate childhood where it belongs though – in the past and start a new chapter in life. Studies and college is the distraction she needs. Though she enjoys her studies she feels relationships in life are a mess especially her romantic life. What she doesn’t know is her life is about to take a sudden turn – for good.

When young Professor Andrew Meyer introduces himself to her class Claire and every other girl gets a huge crush on him. In his early forties and divorced, Andrew is handsome, confident and charming, a magnet to women; students and colleagues alike. Claire is no exception. She can’t help herself. She is smitten. She falls for Andrew heads over toes and kept rolling in love to alter – literary.

Their relationship takes off fast and soon Andrew proposes. Despite receiving negative comments family and colleagues concerned at the age difference, amongst other things they brave on with their wedding arrangements mostly thanks to Andrew who is strong and seemingly not much concerned by the misgivings. He is not bullied and he bravely strengthens her knowing she was nothing like either of them. When they wed in a small private wedding, everyone hopes their marriage will work. Is her marriage a castle in the air?

Soon after her wedding, ghosts from Andrew`s past keep trying to squeeze themselves between them. Claire soon realizes Andrew has a past whereas she didn’t. Cracks start showing when she catches Andrew fooling around with a new student. In desperation, she digs into Andrew`s past.  His past paints him as a deceitful, highly manipulative, competitive man with a tendency to chase the “next new young thing”. Andrew assures her he is past that but she has her misgivings. However, even bigger cracks start coming from an unlikely place - her own family.

Andrew suspect Claire`s delusional and bitter mother is sabotaging her daughter`s marriage. The rift between Claire and her mother keeps increasing as Claire learns ugly family secrets revealed by her aunt about her dysfunctional family. While she is desperately trying to hold her marriage together he needs to come to terms with her family past. She will need every help to survive. Can she get it from her Andrew? How long can she keep her house card standing?  What does the future hold for her?  Will love win?

...

This is an almost perfect Drama novel. The book is written with love which can be felt in every step the main character Claire takes to come to terms with her past, her present and face her uncertain future.  This book is all about hope. Evans demonstrates how love from those close to us can give us hope and strength in inspiring us to face unfortunate pasts and shape a new beautiful future. This book is meticulously done. By combining her great storytelling skills and suspense, Evans has created a book with interesting characters and unpredictable twists in their lives that will hold the reader`s curiosity to the end. 

[Stephanie H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book engaging and entertaining. The plot is fairly typical for the genre, but there were enough twists to keep me on my toes. Clare’s unhappy childhood and family life along with Andrew’s life before meeting her provide a variety of bonding moments and tension for them, some bringing them together and others nearly ripping them apart. I even found plot elements that could be pursued further and complicate characters’ lives in the future, should the author choose to make this novel into a series, which I would certainly read.

What really hooked me, though, were the characters. The characters are diverse in gender, sexuality, personality, and upbringing, which is always a bonus in modern works. While there are a couple characters that I dislike all the time, there are none that I like all the time, and to me, that’s a good thing. Even the protagonists have flaws that complicate my feelings for them as I hope that everything will turn out well for them. Clare is not my favorite character, but I can relate to, empathize with, and judge her all at once. Andrew sometimes borders on the stereotypical “Mr. Right”, but Evans manages to right that with revelations about Andrew’s past and rumors about his present. Even the minor characters, like Clare’s mother (Lynette) and Andrew’s friend/old flame (Lauren), caught my attention and stood out as unique, realistic people. So much so, in fact, that my favorite character was a minor one: Evan Reed, Clare’s best friend, coworker, and confidante.

There are some scenes that are not appropriate for younger readers. However, they are sensual and passionate, not crude or explicit, with just enough details for clear imagery. If you dislike such moments in novels period, you’ll probably want to avoid this book. Those who appreciate tasteful, subtle lovemaking scenes, though, will certainly appreciate it.

Of course, as with most works, this book isn’t perfect. The writing could be stronger. The narration sometimes switches between past and present tense without any clear reason for it. While a minor fluke, these switches can be distracting and cause some confusion in the timeline. There is also some confusion in the timeline that does not have to do with the shifts in tense, but this becomes less frequent after the first chapter and so could be seen as negligible when looking at the book as a whole.

The pacing is also uneven. Some scenes, like Clare and Andrew’s first night together, occur too quickly. Others, like Clare’s backstory in the first few pages, are slow enough to bog down the story. Nevertheless, these scenes are typically easy to overcome, and the plot and characters are enough to want to read the book from start to finish.

For the content—i.e. plot and character development—I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. However, the weaknesses in the writing prevent me from giving it a perfect rating. Still, I am interested in checking for any other works by this author, and I would highly recommend this to fans of contemporary romance that is more sensual and passionate than raunchy.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. The story is an enjoyable emotional romance read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.