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The Love Factor
A smart, opposites-attract, student-professor romance filled with nostalgia, edgy politics, and the forbidden thrills of lesbian love in the nineties.
Molly Cook is almost thirty, with dismal career prospects, and has given up on saving the world. It might be the nineties, and everything’s shoulder pads, Doc Martens, and The X-Files, but people won’t budge on gay rights. Molly decides to give a PhD a whirl but finds herself more interested in campus politics…and her strict and sexy statistics professor.
Professor Carmen Vaughn is stuck in small-town Maryland with smarmy blowhards for colleagues and ungrateful students who can’t handle her high standards. She has no intention of coming out, least of all to Molly, a troublemaking grad student who can’t stop picking fights with the conservative faculty.
But when Molly discovers evidence implicating a homophobic colleague in a scandal, Carmen can’t ignore it—even if the subject hits too close to home. As the two women work together to make their case, they grow closer than Carmen ever imagined. But she absolutely refuses to get involved with a student.
The thing is, as the chemistry builds between them, Molly isn’t sure she wants to be a grad student anymore…if she ever did.
75,000 words
Molly Cook is almost thirty, with dismal career prospects, and has given up on saving the world. It might be the nineties, and everything’s shoulder pads, Doc Martens, and The X-Files, but people won’t budge on gay rights. Molly decides to give a PhD a whirl but finds herself more interested in campus politics…and her strict and sexy statistics professor.
Professor Carmen Vaughn is stuck in small-town Maryland with smarmy blowhards for colleagues and ungrateful students who can’t handle her high standards. She has no intention of coming out, least of all to Molly, a troublemaking grad student who can’t stop picking fights with the conservative faculty.
But when Molly discovers evidence implicating a homophobic colleague in a scandal, Carmen can’t ignore it—even if the subject hits too close to home. As the two women work together to make their case, they grow closer than Carmen ever imagined. But she absolutely refuses to get involved with a student.
The thing is, as the chemistry builds between them, Molly isn’t sure she wants to be a grad student anymore…if she ever did.
75,000 words
Audible Audio
Published November 10, 2020
45 people are currently reading
1064 people want to read
About the author
Quinn Ivins
8 books225 followersQuinn Ivins has been addicted to reading romance since she was a teenager, when she stayed up late on school nights to read more X-Files fanfiction. After romance novels, her top vices include sugar, booze, cable news, and country music.
Quinn lives in the southern United States with her wife, their young son, and their adorable cat. When she isn’t working her day job, writing fiction, or chasing her toddler, she gets as much sleep as she can.
German:
Quinn Ivins war schon als Jugendliche süchtig nach Liebesromanen und blieb oft die halbe Nacht wach, um Akte X-Fanfiction zu lesen.
Nach 27 Jahren hat sie nun endlich Schule und Studium hinter sich gelassen und zwei Romane über frauenliebende Frauen veröffentlicht.
Quinn lebt mit ihrer Frau, ihrem gemeinsamen Sohn und einer niedlichen Katze im Süden der USA. Wenn sie nicht gerade in ihrem Hauptberuf arbeitet, Liebesromane schreibt oder mit ihrem kleinen Sohn spielt, schläft sie so viel wie möglich.
Quinn lives in the southern United States with her wife, their young son, and their adorable cat. When she isn’t working her day job, writing fiction, or chasing her toddler, she gets as much sleep as she can.
German:
Quinn Ivins war schon als Jugendliche süchtig nach Liebesromanen und blieb oft die halbe Nacht wach, um Akte X-Fanfiction zu lesen.
Nach 27 Jahren hat sie nun endlich Schule und Studium hinter sich gelassen und zwei Romane über frauenliebende Frauen veröffentlicht.
Quinn lebt mit ihrer Frau, ihrem gemeinsamen Sohn und einer niedlichen Katze im Süden der USA. Wenn sie nicht gerade in ihrem Hauptberuf arbeitet, Liebesromane schreibt oder mit ihrem kleinen Sohn spielt, schläft sie so viel wie möglich.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
July 5, 2020
4.25 Stars. This was lovely. After noticing the very good early reviews, I had some high hopes for this book. I’m happy to say that if anything, this book exceeded my expectations. And what made this all the sweeter was that this is a debut book for Ivins. I’m actually a little shocked that this was a debut. It’s very well written and I didn’t notice any of those newbie bumps that are so common for debuts. If Ivins’ debut is this good, I can only imagine how good her future books could be.
I knew this was a student-professor romance -just to let you know the student is 30 years old and in grad school so there is nothing insidious here- but I did not realize that this took place in the past, in the late 90’s. I thought the time period worked really well for the book. Ellen had just come out on national TV, so there was some actual progress, but there was also boycotts and people acting like the world was ending when she did. I could understand why a poli-sci professor would want to stay in the closet when she had it hard enough being one of only a couple women in the whole department. The time period added some good tension to the book that would not have been quite the same if it was current.
I talk a lot about characters in my reviews and I’m happy to say that I felt connected with both mains early on in the book. We have Molly who is young, ambitious, and wants to change the world. And you have Carmen, a bit of an ice queen whose ambitions have been tampered from the real world. The mains were pretty opposite at times but they still fit really well together.
The romance is a very slow-burn romance. Even with both characters being in their 30’s, you still have the taboo of student/teacher so the romance had to move slowly. Since the mains fit well together, they had this underlining buzz of chemistry together for most of the book. My one only real complaint was I wish the mains had had another date together or something since they needed more time as a couple. The ending went a little too fast paced for my taste. It was funny that Ivins actually jokes about going so fast. I liked that she did because she was basically saying ‘hey this part is a bit unrealistic but please go with it anyway’, and I did so I can’t really complain.
This was a very good read. I would recommend this to romance fans without a doubt. I love finding good debut authors and I have a feeling we will be hearing from Ivins for a long time to come. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
I knew this was a student-professor romance -just to let you know the student is 30 years old and in grad school so there is nothing insidious here- but I did not realize that this took place in the past, in the late 90’s. I thought the time period worked really well for the book. Ellen had just come out on national TV, so there was some actual progress, but there was also boycotts and people acting like the world was ending when she did. I could understand why a poli-sci professor would want to stay in the closet when she had it hard enough being one of only a couple women in the whole department. The time period added some good tension to the book that would not have been quite the same if it was current.
I talk a lot about characters in my reviews and I’m happy to say that I felt connected with both mains early on in the book. We have Molly who is young, ambitious, and wants to change the world. And you have Carmen, a bit of an ice queen whose ambitions have been tampered from the real world. The mains were pretty opposite at times but they still fit really well together.
The romance is a very slow-burn romance. Even with both characters being in their 30’s, you still have the taboo of student/teacher so the romance had to move slowly. Since the mains fit well together, they had this underlining buzz of chemistry together for most of the book. My one only real complaint was I wish the mains had had another date together or something since they needed more time as a couple. The ending went a little too fast paced for my taste. It was funny that Ivins actually jokes about going so fast. I liked that she did because she was basically saying ‘hey this part is a bit unrealistic but please go with it anyway’, and I did so I can’t really complain.
This was a very good read. I would recommend this to romance fans without a doubt. I love finding good debut authors and I have a feeling we will be hearing from Ivins for a long time to come. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
June 24, 2020
I’ve been waiting for this book for what feels like forever. It’s a debut novel but Quinn Ivins has been entertaining me on social media and with her blog for months.
The Love Factor is set in 1997 and 1998, which is both a while ago and not that far in the past. It’s dedicated to “everyone who came out in the 90s”. Hey, that’s me! I came out in 1993. This story isn’t about me, however. At almost thirty, Molly Cook is a PhD student in political science in Maryland. Carmen Vaughn is her statistics professor. What appeals most to Molly at first is Carmen’s way of pushing her students. When she accidentally finds out that Carmen is a lesbian, her gorgeous but aloof teacher becomes even more interesting to Molly. Another not-so-accidental discovery about a homophobic teacher will bring them closer yet.
Most ice queens are wounded women hiding behind a facade so as not to get hurt again. Carmen isn’t so much wounded as scared to be. She’s a closeted tenured professor in a male-dominated field. She’s not out to her Roman Catholics parents either. She’s not out to anyone except her girlfriend and when that relationship ends (I’m not really spoiling, it’s very early in the story), she’s all alone. No one knows who she really is. There’s no one she can talk to about shared experience, no one she wants to talk to. But it’s the nineties, and Ellen DeGeneres is coming out and things are changing fast. Carmen’s journey is slow but inevitable.
The time period The Love Factor is set in is an intriguing choice. Ellen’s coming out, Bill Clinton’s impeachment, they’re all events that had some sort of impact in many countries besides the U. S. And as I wrote above, for people my age (I’m forty-nine), they’re part both of History and of our memories. I remember Ellen’s Time cover. I remember being part of the team that worked all night to translate the most important parts of the Kenneth Starr report for the newspaper my mother and my girlfriend (now my wife) worked for. It’s not often that I get to read historical novels set in a past I remember, and that gave this one a different feel.
The only thing that didn’t convince me entirely is the romance or, rather, the physical component. I don’t really mind, though, because the build-up, the falling in love with a brilliant woman (on both sides), the intellectual chemistry, all of this rings true. That’s good enough for me, especially from a new author. And no pressure or anything, but now I’m looking forward to Quinn Ivins’ second book.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Love Factor is set in 1997 and 1998, which is both a while ago and not that far in the past. It’s dedicated to “everyone who came out in the 90s”. Hey, that’s me! I came out in 1993. This story isn’t about me, however. At almost thirty, Molly Cook is a PhD student in political science in Maryland. Carmen Vaughn is her statistics professor. What appeals most to Molly at first is Carmen’s way of pushing her students. When she accidentally finds out that Carmen is a lesbian, her gorgeous but aloof teacher becomes even more interesting to Molly. Another not-so-accidental discovery about a homophobic teacher will bring them closer yet.
Most ice queens are wounded women hiding behind a facade so as not to get hurt again. Carmen isn’t so much wounded as scared to be. She’s a closeted tenured professor in a male-dominated field. She’s not out to her Roman Catholics parents either. She’s not out to anyone except her girlfriend and when that relationship ends (I’m not really spoiling, it’s very early in the story), she’s all alone. No one knows who she really is. There’s no one she can talk to about shared experience, no one she wants to talk to. But it’s the nineties, and Ellen DeGeneres is coming out and things are changing fast. Carmen’s journey is slow but inevitable.
The time period The Love Factor is set in is an intriguing choice. Ellen’s coming out, Bill Clinton’s impeachment, they’re all events that had some sort of impact in many countries besides the U. S. And as I wrote above, for people my age (I’m forty-nine), they’re part both of History and of our memories. I remember Ellen’s Time cover. I remember being part of the team that worked all night to translate the most important parts of the Kenneth Starr report for the newspaper my mother and my girlfriend (now my wife) worked for. It’s not often that I get to read historical novels set in a past I remember, and that gave this one a different feel.
The only thing that didn’t convince me entirely is the romance or, rather, the physical component. I don’t really mind, though, because the build-up, the falling in love with a brilliant woman (on both sides), the intellectual chemistry, all of this rings true. That’s good enough for me, especially from a new author. And no pressure or anything, but now I’m looking forward to Quinn Ivins’ second book.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 11, 2020
Wow, this was awesome! This was one of the most memorable student-teacher romance stories I've read. But bear in mind that the student is a 29 years old PhD student.
The story is set in 1997. Wow, how time flies! We should not forget that not a long time ago things were a lot harsher for the LGBT community. A lot, lot harsher.
And hey, I'd almost forgotten about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Poor girl. I wonder what happened to her at the end.
The story is set in 1997. Wow, how time flies! We should not forget that not a long time ago things were a lot harsher for the LGBT community. A lot, lot harsher.
And hey, I'd almost forgotten about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Poor girl. I wonder what happened to her at the end.
December 24, 2021
A well written debut. I liked the 90’s vibe (not the homophobia though) and the potential problem with the power imbalance between teacher and student is nicely handled.
December 5, 2020
Review of ‘The Love Factor’ by Quinn Ivins, audiobook narrated by Lori Prince
This was a very good wlw debut novel set in the US in the late 1990s during the time of President Clinton’s impeachment. I haven’t read that many books set in the 90s so I’ve decided to give it a go.
Molly Cook is a Political Science graduate student in the late 90s more interested in feminist and gay rights activism than academic research. Carmen Vaughn is Molly’s statistics professor and a closeted lesbian working in a very sexist and homophobic university. When both women need to work together to build a case against a homophobic professor involved in a scandal, they will discover a mutual attraction that will be hard to deny. But it’s the 1990s and teacher-student relationships, and moreover, between women are frown upon…
Even though the blurb hinted that this book described political issues, I admit that I wasn’t expecting the amount of political and social criticism and detail about the events surrounding President Clinton’s scandal with Monica Lewinsky. I remember those times well so, for me, it was interesting to read about the political environment in the US then. Having said that, I’ve majored in Political Science and I still have an interest in politics, so I might have liked it more than the average reader.
There is a level of academic detail in statistics for social sciences research that I personally found interesting but that might put some people to sleep. It’s cleverly intertwined with the investigation plot and the little intrigue going on, though.
The historical context of the 1990s was very well done, Ellen Degeneres’s coming out on TV, the republicans’ outcry about Clinton’s scandal, the homophobia and sexism in society in general, and academia in particular, felt very real. It wasn’t easy to come out as gay during those times and the book reflects that. Kudos to the author to describe that historical context so well.
I found the romance subplot a bit weak and the chemistry between the mains a bit lacking. The forbidden element of the relationship (teacher-student, age gap, lesbianism) had the potential to create more pent-up sexual tension. For me, it was ok but not off the charts, however, it felt realistic in the context of the 90s and the characters’ personalities, especially considering how closeted Carmen was.
I’ve listened to the audiobook narrated by Lori Prince. Once again, Ms. Prince delivered like the pro she is. She found the perfect pacing even for the more intellectual parts of the plot, her performance of both mains did justice to their personalities and Carmen sounded sexy as hell. Ms. Prince’s male voices were also spot-on and her performance of the villain was convincing. If you like politics and a little bit of intrigue in your plot, then this book is for you. This was a very promising debut by Quinn Ivins and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. 4.5 stars.
Length: 8 hours, 36 minutes
Available on Scribd
This was a very good wlw debut novel set in the US in the late 1990s during the time of President Clinton’s impeachment. I haven’t read that many books set in the 90s so I’ve decided to give it a go.
Molly Cook is a Political Science graduate student in the late 90s more interested in feminist and gay rights activism than academic research. Carmen Vaughn is Molly’s statistics professor and a closeted lesbian working in a very sexist and homophobic university. When both women need to work together to build a case against a homophobic professor involved in a scandal, they will discover a mutual attraction that will be hard to deny. But it’s the 1990s and teacher-student relationships, and moreover, between women are frown upon…
Even though the blurb hinted that this book described political issues, I admit that I wasn’t expecting the amount of political and social criticism and detail about the events surrounding President Clinton’s scandal with Monica Lewinsky. I remember those times well so, for me, it was interesting to read about the political environment in the US then. Having said that, I’ve majored in Political Science and I still have an interest in politics, so I might have liked it more than the average reader.
There is a level of academic detail in statistics for social sciences research that I personally found interesting but that might put some people to sleep. It’s cleverly intertwined with the investigation plot and the little intrigue going on, though.
The historical context of the 1990s was very well done, Ellen Degeneres’s coming out on TV, the republicans’ outcry about Clinton’s scandal, the homophobia and sexism in society in general, and academia in particular, felt very real. It wasn’t easy to come out as gay during those times and the book reflects that. Kudos to the author to describe that historical context so well.
I found the romance subplot a bit weak and the chemistry between the mains a bit lacking. The forbidden element of the relationship (teacher-student, age gap, lesbianism) had the potential to create more pent-up sexual tension. For me, it was ok but not off the charts, however, it felt realistic in the context of the 90s and the characters’ personalities, especially considering how closeted Carmen was.
I’ve listened to the audiobook narrated by Lori Prince. Once again, Ms. Prince delivered like the pro she is. She found the perfect pacing even for the more intellectual parts of the plot, her performance of both mains did justice to their personalities and Carmen sounded sexy as hell. Ms. Prince’s male voices were also spot-on and her performance of the villain was convincing. If you like politics and a little bit of intrigue in your plot, then this book is for you. This was a very promising debut by Quinn Ivins and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. 4.5 stars.
Length: 8 hours, 36 minutes
Available on Scribd
January 17, 2021
The problem with there being so much great lesfic to choose from now is that gems get buried in your "to read" pile and sit there for entirely too long. Such was the case with this impressive debut novel. I love a great romance, and when the story and characters are really smart? Nirvana. A slow burn romance featuring an advanced statistics professor and 30 year old graduate student may seem like it would be appealing only to high brow types, but oh no. Believe me - I get the shakes when difficult math problems make their way into my consciousness and I loved it. That shows what a great job Quinn Ivins did with this book. The unfolding story set in the 90s was explained in a way that didn't lose me AND I found it interesting and damn sexy. The intelligence of the story reminded me of Lee Winter's work (and considering I think Winter is a lesbian writing god, that's saying a lot.) Having lived through that time period as a young adult, it was fascinating to take a look back at where we were as a society then and be in wonder at the progress we've made since.
I'm always a bit skeptical reading about any sort of student/teacher relationship - even between adults. Having been a high school teacher in my former life, those make me itch. But even this was handled well and comfortably. I hesitate to say too much to give any part of the story away, but if you haven't read it, don't wait any longer! You'll be really glad you did. Ivins has a new book coming out in April and I'm really looking forward to that. It's exciting discovering a great new talent in the lesfic genre! 4.5 stars
I'm always a bit skeptical reading about any sort of student/teacher relationship - even between adults. Having been a high school teacher in my former life, those make me itch. But even this was handled well and comfortably. I hesitate to say too much to give any part of the story away, but if you haven't read it, don't wait any longer! You'll be really glad you did. Ivins has a new book coming out in April and I'm really looking forward to that. It's exciting discovering a great new talent in the lesfic genre! 4.5 stars
November 26, 2021
This is 3.5 stars for me. I liked it but the romance didn’t start until very late and then kind of came out of nowhere it seemed. I did enjoy reading about intelligent women taking down a homophobic man in the 90’s.
December 8, 2020
This is how it feels to be a lesbian in the 1990s.
It is the 1990s at the time when Ellen Degeneres first came out and Clinton's scandal broke. Molly is a graduate student keen in campus politics. When she discovers evidence of a possible academic fraud committed by a homophobic professor, Molly turns to her statistics professor for help to uncover the truth.
Professor/student romances are my guilty pleasure so I enjoyed this book very much. Carmen is the strict and brilliant statistics professor whom every student fears. She is also a closeted and uptight academic afraid of letting people into her life. Molly, with all the enthusiam to save the world, is the only one who gets a glimpse of what the real Carmen is like and she likes what she sees. I would have preferred if the romance started quicker but I suppose that would have been inconsistent with Carmen's uptight personality.
Romance aside, this book gave me a glimpse into how it feels to be lesbian in the 1990s and what it was like to be a woman in a predominantly male academic environment. While homophobe Grayson's role was slightly exaggerated, the gist is there. Gays had no rights and women worked twice as hard as their male counterparts to gain the same recognition. All i can say is some things change, some things don't.
That being said, this book reminded me of how symbolic Degeneres' coming out was.
A nice debut book.
It is the 1990s at the time when Ellen Degeneres first came out and Clinton's scandal broke. Molly is a graduate student keen in campus politics. When she discovers evidence of a possible academic fraud committed by a homophobic professor, Molly turns to her statistics professor for help to uncover the truth.
Professor/student romances are my guilty pleasure so I enjoyed this book very much. Carmen is the strict and brilliant statistics professor whom every student fears. She is also a closeted and uptight academic afraid of letting people into her life. Molly, with all the enthusiam to save the world, is the only one who gets a glimpse of what the real Carmen is like and she likes what she sees. I would have preferred if the romance started quicker but I suppose that would have been inconsistent with Carmen's uptight personality.
Romance aside, this book gave me a glimpse into how it feels to be lesbian in the 1990s and what it was like to be a woman in a predominantly male academic environment. While homophobe Grayson's role was slightly exaggerated, the gist is there. Gays had no rights and women worked twice as hard as their male counterparts to gain the same recognition. All i can say is some things change, some things don't.
That being said, this book reminded me of how symbolic Degeneres' coming out was.
A nice debut book.
January 18, 2021
Nicely done! 😊 Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and it was nice to reminisce the 90’s.... not that I can really remember all of it though and also cos I live nowhere near the States.... But that scandal at WH... that I remembered...And psst... I loved Carmen’s character; ice queen, intellectual, femme.. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t right...Ok ok I get it, not everyone would like that but, heck, I do and that’s all that matters 😊
Ratings: 4.25 🤩
Available in Scribd
Ratings: 4.25 🤩
Available in Scribd
June 19, 2020
I LOVED IT!!!
I’ll try to keep this spoiler-free! The main plot can be summarized with a phrase I’ll borrow from the book – Two brilliant women with amazing chemistry “working together to bring down a lying, cheating homophobe.”
The story is set in 1997. Molly, 30 (29 at the start of the book,) is a promising and tenacious graduate student in the field of political science. She fights for what she believes in. Carmen, 39, is a brilliant professor who is known for being strict and hard to please. Carmen isn’t really the bitch that her underachieving students make her out to be; she is just extremely private and guarded, and she has reasons for being so. The characters are not perfect, but that makes it better because it means they have room to grow. And grow, they did. It was beautiful and endearing to watch them learn and accept things about themselves.
This book is well-written, well-researched, and very interesting. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I kept wanting to read more until I finally finished it. You don’t have to be in the academe or a statistics major to be able to appreciate the story and its contents. If someone told me that Quinn Ivins is a tenured professor or a statistician, I would totally buy it. She used statistical concepts and terms appropriately; they were not too technical and it didn’t feel like she was just throwing them around to seem credible.
The story was obviously well-thought-out. It progressed naturally, with a lot of chances for the two main characters to develop a believable working (and later on romantic) relationship. The feelings they shared first sprung from respect and admiration, and slowly turned into chemistry and attraction.
I loved that the book was not just focused on the romance, but also on their fight against the villain of the story. Speaking of the villain, he was written so well that I could feel my hatred seething as I was reading! It saddens me to realize that people in the minority often suffered through these in the past. This book is not just a love story, but a glimpse of history, when the world was more plagued with sexist, misogynistic, and homophobic assholes.
Overall, this book had all the elements I love - a strong plot, descriptive narratives, well-written and realistic characters, slowburn romance, and lots of pining and longing hahaha! If I had to nitpick, my only complaint is that it could have been longer. The author wrapped it up quickly. I want to read more about them together and I wish there was an epilogue!
It really is an excellent book- I can barely believe that this is the author’s debut novel. She is an extremely talented writer, and definitely someone to watch out for. This was truly a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!
Ylva Publishing blessed me with an ARC for an honest review :)
I’ll try to keep this spoiler-free! The main plot can be summarized with a phrase I’ll borrow from the book – Two brilliant women with amazing chemistry “working together to bring down a lying, cheating homophobe.”
The story is set in 1997. Molly, 30 (29 at the start of the book,) is a promising and tenacious graduate student in the field of political science. She fights for what she believes in. Carmen, 39, is a brilliant professor who is known for being strict and hard to please. Carmen isn’t really the bitch that her underachieving students make her out to be; she is just extremely private and guarded, and she has reasons for being so. The characters are not perfect, but that makes it better because it means they have room to grow. And grow, they did. It was beautiful and endearing to watch them learn and accept things about themselves.
This book is well-written, well-researched, and very interesting. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I kept wanting to read more until I finally finished it. You don’t have to be in the academe or a statistics major to be able to appreciate the story and its contents. If someone told me that Quinn Ivins is a tenured professor or a statistician, I would totally buy it. She used statistical concepts and terms appropriately; they were not too technical and it didn’t feel like she was just throwing them around to seem credible.
The story was obviously well-thought-out. It progressed naturally, with a lot of chances for the two main characters to develop a believable working (and later on romantic) relationship. The feelings they shared first sprung from respect and admiration, and slowly turned into chemistry and attraction.
I loved that the book was not just focused on the romance, but also on their fight against the villain of the story. Speaking of the villain, he was written so well that I could feel my hatred seething as I was reading! It saddens me to realize that people in the minority often suffered through these in the past. This book is not just a love story, but a glimpse of history, when the world was more plagued with sexist, misogynistic, and homophobic assholes.
Overall, this book had all the elements I love - a strong plot, descriptive narratives, well-written and realistic characters, slowburn romance, and lots of pining and longing hahaha! If I had to nitpick, my only complaint is that it could have been longer. The author wrapped it up quickly. I want to read more about them together and I wish there was an epilogue!
It really is an excellent book- I can barely believe that this is the author’s debut novel. She is an extremely talented writer, and definitely someone to watch out for. This was truly a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!
Ylva Publishing blessed me with an ARC for an honest review :)
June 28, 2020
Due to recession and her activist past, Molly Cook decides to pursue a PhD degree in political science. In advanced statistics by Dr. Carmen Vaughn, an aloof professor with incredibly high standards, Molly shows promising performance. When she stumbles upon a scandal of a homophobic faculty member, Molly seeks guidance from Carmen. The two begin to spend more time working together, and their professional boundaries blurs. But Carmen is closeted and would never get involved with a student. Little does she know, Molly is not entirely sure if she would finish her program, either.
Set in 1997 and 1998, The Love Factor is an academic intrigue romance with great historical context. As a Millennial-Gen Z hybrid, it was not a time I remembered but definitely lived through. And that heightened the reading enjoyment as I experienced those years with Molly and Carmen.
I confess I have a weak spot for stories set in academia. Being a grad student and teaching assistant, I immediately connected with Molly, and to some degree, Carmen as well. It goes without saying that teaching a university class is incredibly challenging. I deeply admire both Molly and Carmen for their confidence and strong technical knowledge.
Molly is very hands on. She truly internalizes what she has learned and flawlessly integrates her statistics expertise into things other than coursework. Meanwhile, Carmen is suffocating from the conservative political science department, struggling between being content with current situations and standing up for what she believes in. Both are strong women in their own ways, and though I tend to have trouble believing in ice queen romances, Ivins's The Love Factor is very solid. Never once did I question their mutual attraction. Since Molly and Carmen build their relationship from mutual respect and passion for statistics, they make mathematics super sexy. I had an urge to crack open my textbooks and study to be as good as they are.
Though the sex scene escalated a little fast for me and the scandal was outrageous, I believe everything Ivins delivered. She did a wonderful job at storytelling. I love how both Molly and Carmen significantly grow as characters, going from being unsure of themselves to flourishing. Also, it was a cute decision to make the scene break notations Molly's scrunchies.
If I were to sum up this book in one sentence, it would be "lesbians taking down a sexist homophobe using advanced statistics." And if that does not sound appealing, I don't know what does. The Love Factor is a perfect romance for nerdy people like me.
I received an e-ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Set in 1997 and 1998, The Love Factor is an academic intrigue romance with great historical context. As a Millennial-Gen Z hybrid, it was not a time I remembered but definitely lived through. And that heightened the reading enjoyment as I experienced those years with Molly and Carmen.
I confess I have a weak spot for stories set in academia. Being a grad student and teaching assistant, I immediately connected with Molly, and to some degree, Carmen as well. It goes without saying that teaching a university class is incredibly challenging. I deeply admire both Molly and Carmen for their confidence and strong technical knowledge.
Molly is very hands on. She truly internalizes what she has learned and flawlessly integrates her statistics expertise into things other than coursework. Meanwhile, Carmen is suffocating from the conservative political science department, struggling between being content with current situations and standing up for what she believes in. Both are strong women in their own ways, and though I tend to have trouble believing in ice queen romances, Ivins's The Love Factor is very solid. Never once did I question their mutual attraction. Since Molly and Carmen build their relationship from mutual respect and passion for statistics, they make mathematics super sexy. I had an urge to crack open my textbooks and study to be as good as they are.
Though the sex scene escalated a little fast for me and the scandal was outrageous, I believe everything Ivins delivered. She did a wonderful job at storytelling. I love how both Molly and Carmen significantly grow as characters, going from being unsure of themselves to flourishing. Also, it was a cute decision to make the scene break notations Molly's scrunchies.
If I were to sum up this book in one sentence, it would be "lesbians taking down a sexist homophobe using advanced statistics." And if that does not sound appealing, I don't know what does. The Love Factor is a perfect romance for nerdy people like me.
I received an e-ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
April 22, 2022
My rating. 3.75 stars
It was interesting to read a book set in the early 90s. The events and atmosphere of the time is portrayed well, and there was just enough nostalgia to get me invested in the story. I got a kick out of the technology and the fact that nobody has a cell phone. The homophobia and sexism of that time was also represented, but the characters are positive and don’t come off as self-pitying.
It’s not a romance, and the love story goes from 0 to 100 very quickly quite late in the story. I wasn’t completely convinced that these two are meant to be together. They spend a good deal of time apart and I didn’t feel a whole lot of chemistry between them. Consequentially, I found the intimate scenes awkward, with odd wording that jarred me out of the mood.
Overall, it’s a smooth read that kept me interested until the end, even with its issues.
It was interesting to read a book set in the early 90s. The events and atmosphere of the time is portrayed well, and there was just enough nostalgia to get me invested in the story. I got a kick out of the technology and the fact that nobody has a cell phone. The homophobia and sexism of that time was also represented, but the characters are positive and don’t come off as self-pitying.
It’s not a romance, and the love story goes from 0 to 100 very quickly quite late in the story. I wasn’t completely convinced that these two are meant to be together. They spend a good deal of time apart and I didn’t feel a whole lot of chemistry between them. Consequentially, I found the intimate scenes awkward, with odd wording that jarred me out of the mood.
Overall, it’s a smooth read that kept me interested until the end, even with its issues.
July 9, 2020
Quinn Ivins has definitely impressed me with her debut novel The Love Factor. For her first novel, she has created a really unique and appealing story set in the late 1990’s during a time of great change for everyone, but especially LGBTQ+ folks.
The book is an age-gap/opposites attract romance between a professor and grad student, so it touches on several romance genres. This novel could almost be considered a historical fiction novel, but I refuse to mark it that way. You see, I’m about the same age as one of the main characters, and lived through this very turbulent time period myself. I’m not old enough to mark a significant period of my adulthood as historical, dammit! ;)
There really are many wonderful things I can say about this book. The setting, especially the description of the time period is spot on. The author did her research, and captures this era with all its political and cultural upheaval perfectly. She also did a great job in describing the statistical information so that this very math challenged reader could understand at least a little of what the main characters, Carmen and Molly, were involved with and studying. Probably the best part of the tale are the characters themselves. They are remarkably well developed and fit the time period and the story superbly. This is a good thing since this is a character driven tale. The connection between Molly and Carmen is also well done. It is a slow-burn romance, but you can see they belong together.
I really did enjoy this (definitely not historical fiction) romance, and I can recommend it to everyone who loves this genre. I will also be looking forward to more books from this author.
Thanks to Ylva Publishing for giving me the chance to read and honestly review this book.
Rainbow Reflections http://rainbowreflections/home.blog/
The book is an age-gap/opposites attract romance between a professor and grad student, so it touches on several romance genres. This novel could almost be considered a historical fiction novel, but I refuse to mark it that way. You see, I’m about the same age as one of the main characters, and lived through this very turbulent time period myself. I’m not old enough to mark a significant period of my adulthood as historical, dammit! ;)
There really are many wonderful things I can say about this book. The setting, especially the description of the time period is spot on. The author did her research, and captures this era with all its political and cultural upheaval perfectly. She also did a great job in describing the statistical information so that this very math challenged reader could understand at least a little of what the main characters, Carmen and Molly, were involved with and studying. Probably the best part of the tale are the characters themselves. They are remarkably well developed and fit the time period and the story superbly. This is a good thing since this is a character driven tale. The connection between Molly and Carmen is also well done. It is a slow-burn romance, but you can see they belong together.
I really did enjoy this (definitely not historical fiction) romance, and I can recommend it to everyone who loves this genre. I will also be looking forward to more books from this author.
Thanks to Ylva Publishing for giving me the chance to read and honestly review this book.
Rainbow Reflections http://rainbowreflections/home.blog/
January 16, 2025
4.5
Quinn Ivins is quickly cementing her spot as one of my favorite authors. She has a talent for creating intelligent, relatable, and genuinely wonderful characters, and Molly and Carmen in The Love Factor were no exception. Their slow-burn romance was so well written that by the time you reach the end, you fully believe in their happily-ever-after.
The plot was thoughtfully crafted, avoiding unnecessary drama to keep the story moving naturally. It had a great flow that made it easy to stay immersed.
That said, I wish the epilogue had been a regular chapter, and we’d gotten a true epilogue set further in the future. The ending felt a little like a cliffhanger, and I would have loved one more chapter post-Christmas to wrap everything up more completely.
Quinn Ivins is quickly cementing her spot as one of my favorite authors. She has a talent for creating intelligent, relatable, and genuinely wonderful characters, and Molly and Carmen in The Love Factor were no exception. Their slow-burn romance was so well written that by the time you reach the end, you fully believe in their happily-ever-after.
The plot was thoughtfully crafted, avoiding unnecessary drama to keep the story moving naturally. It had a great flow that made it easy to stay immersed.
That said, I wish the epilogue had been a regular chapter, and we’d gotten a true epilogue set further in the future. The ending felt a little like a cliffhanger, and I would have loved one more chapter post-Christmas to wrap everything up more completely.
June 23, 2020
The Love Factor is the premiere novel by author Quinn Ivins and I hope there will be many more to come. When I set out to write a review I intermittently stop reading to take copious notes, however, after the first few chapters of The Love Factor, I was hooked as an engrossed reader and not a reviewer. I did not want to stop reading.
Molly Cook is an openly lesbian Political Science grad student working on her doctorate at a small town, Republican leaning university.
Carmen Vaughn is a tenured professor of Political studies and lectures on statistical research methods. The setting is the late 1990’s and Ellen just came out of the closet on her television show. Carmen was still living deep in hers. The two band together to debunk an anti-gay study conducted by one of the professors in their department.
I really loved this inside view of academia. Women always have to achieve a higher standard to their male counterparts no matter what the personal cost is to themselves. Carmen reminds me of every successful woman I know. Dressing appropriately for the job whereas no one else does. Closing themselves off to always portray a professional persona. Being the minority at every meeting.
You can feel Molly’s frustration at living the poor life of a grad student. Her student debt is rising while her friends have good paying jobs and are enjoying life. Both of these main characters felt so real to me.
The slow burn romance was carried along by the storyline of statistical data research. Math is sexy, who would have thought! But it works and works very well.
Kudos to Ms Ivins in writing an interesting and intriguing romance novel.
4.5 ⭐️
Molly Cook is an openly lesbian Political Science grad student working on her doctorate at a small town, Republican leaning university.
Carmen Vaughn is a tenured professor of Political studies and lectures on statistical research methods. The setting is the late 1990’s and Ellen just came out of the closet on her television show. Carmen was still living deep in hers. The two band together to debunk an anti-gay study conducted by one of the professors in their department.
I really loved this inside view of academia. Women always have to achieve a higher standard to their male counterparts no matter what the personal cost is to themselves. Carmen reminds me of every successful woman I know. Dressing appropriately for the job whereas no one else does. Closing themselves off to always portray a professional persona. Being the minority at every meeting.
You can feel Molly’s frustration at living the poor life of a grad student. Her student debt is rising while her friends have good paying jobs and are enjoying life. Both of these main characters felt so real to me.
The slow burn romance was carried along by the storyline of statistical data research. Math is sexy, who would have thought! But it works and works very well.
Kudos to Ms Ivins in writing an interesting and intriguing romance novel.
4.5 ⭐️
Read
December 13, 2020Dear Quinn
I read ‘The Love Factor’ two days ago. I really liked it.
The novel is an excellent blend of reality and fiction. I was such a happy dork when I found your references list at the back of the book. So good. I don’t begin to profess an understanding of US politics. It’s…well, it’s over there. But I really liked the way you wrote this story because you advocate for the intelligence of your readers. The micro and macro of the US political environment from April 1997 to December 1998 is given life through a cast of characters engaged in the major plot point of data fabrication in a powerful political science research article that is used to suppress gay rights in the university. PhD candidate Molly Cook uncovers the scandal, so she and her hot, highly attractive professor, Carmen Vaughn, must work together to tread the fine line between outing the explosive scholarly scam or outing themselves. Your two main characters are strong women, particularly Carmen who, with the age gap between her and Molly, represents the exhausting layers of protection that need to exist in her heart and the giant steps forward she has to make just so she can be on a level playing field with her male counterparts. You showed through Molly that her journey is eased, infinitesimally, because she is younger and can step into, somewhat, the footsteps already made.
But I have a confession. I actually bought the book a while back and it sat on my Kindle and I avoided reading it for two reasons. They’re silly reasons, but I need to let you know what they are.
Avoidance excuse number one. I lived many of the events that you detail in the story and I worried that I’d react to the memory of them rather than the writing in the book.
In April of 1997, I was teaching in a primary school in Queensland. For reference, that’s the sort of triangle-shaped state on the map of Australia. It’s a big state (2.5 times the size of Texas), and in 1997, it was very conservative. I was 25 years old. I had just come out. Quietly, then loudly, then quietly, then with a hitch of my pants, quite loudly. I had opinions and, like a blender without a lid, I shared those opinions far and wide. I garnered a lot of attention and mostly it wasn’t the good sort. I can remember that the Education Department sent through posters and flyers to put on display in the staffroom about the newly-created ‘Lesbian and Gay Teacher’s Support Network’. I only knew about this network because I found the promotional materials in the bin next to the pinboard. I tacked up the poster, spread out the brochures, and promptly got hauled into the principal’s office that afternoon to explain myself. How could I have the audacity to promote that lifestyle and how would I like to see my funding revoked for my very new, very exciting girls sports program? I can remember shaking with inarticulate fear, and impotence, raging at the injustice from this man holding up further opportunities for children as some sort of potential punitive punishment simply because I wanted to feel seen.
But the period of time between 1997 to 1998 was challenging, because just like Carmen and Molly experienced in ‘The Love Factor’, changing the minds of people when society is held within a scaffolding of straight, white, male privilege, means to expose yourself to vitriol, stalking, threats, defamation, and potential loss of career or standing. Your character of Brett Grayson represents the danger and fear that was and is held within a section of our community when they see movement outside the societal scaffolding. He is an excellent character; appalling, entitled, sanctioned by beliefs that sanction themselves, and oh so real. We’ve all met a Brett. We’ve all been governed by a Brett. I loved the parallel stories of the misogyny pouring out of Washington and from the media, and the misogyny scattered like breadcrumbs inside Carmen’s lessons and in the corridors of the uni. In what is large, there is always small.
So, avoidance excuse number two. I absolutely loathe maths. I don’t understand it. In fact, if I bothered to access some sort of checklist or test or something, it would be very likely that I’d discover an actual label for my mathematical issues.
Statistics is obviously a major plot component of the ‘The Love Factor’. Carmen is a statistics professor. Statistics is the field of study that Molly and Carmen access to move thinking forward in their micro society of university, while bringing justice and integrity back to academic research. You used words like sets, coefficient, recurring numbers, strings, streaks, data, calculations, variables, and my left eye twitched when I tapped on the cover of the book in Kindle, so I closed it again. However, you don’t infantilise your readers. There’s a scene in the book where Carmen absolutely destroys Brett Grayson with the smartest, most articulate, incomprehensible, mathematically-gibberished monologue I have ever read. I didn’t understand a word of it. And it didn’t matter. For me, it was like reading science-fiction with made-up language. “The flux simulationer is going to warplet into a spatial element that will involve manipulation of megawattamatter.” Which would fit in beautifully with whatever was going on around it if the writing, the scene creation, the characters are written well enough to carry the incomprehensible. You wrote a story where I understood the incomprehensible without feeling ignorant.
Thank you for writing a smart book. A romantic, smart book. A funny, romantic, smart book. I discovered that it’s your first novel, which is so exciting because there’ll be more Quinn Ivins novels. There will be, right? Please.
From KJ
I read ‘The Love Factor’ two days ago. I really liked it.
The novel is an excellent blend of reality and fiction. I was such a happy dork when I found your references list at the back of the book. So good. I don’t begin to profess an understanding of US politics. It’s…well, it’s over there. But I really liked the way you wrote this story because you advocate for the intelligence of your readers. The micro and macro of the US political environment from April 1997 to December 1998 is given life through a cast of characters engaged in the major plot point of data fabrication in a powerful political science research article that is used to suppress gay rights in the university. PhD candidate Molly Cook uncovers the scandal, so she and her hot, highly attractive professor, Carmen Vaughn, must work together to tread the fine line between outing the explosive scholarly scam or outing themselves. Your two main characters are strong women, particularly Carmen who, with the age gap between her and Molly, represents the exhausting layers of protection that need to exist in her heart and the giant steps forward she has to make just so she can be on a level playing field with her male counterparts. You showed through Molly that her journey is eased, infinitesimally, because she is younger and can step into, somewhat, the footsteps already made.
But I have a confession. I actually bought the book a while back and it sat on my Kindle and I avoided reading it for two reasons. They’re silly reasons, but I need to let you know what they are.
Avoidance excuse number one. I lived many of the events that you detail in the story and I worried that I’d react to the memory of them rather than the writing in the book.
In April of 1997, I was teaching in a primary school in Queensland. For reference, that’s the sort of triangle-shaped state on the map of Australia. It’s a big state (2.5 times the size of Texas), and in 1997, it was very conservative. I was 25 years old. I had just come out. Quietly, then loudly, then quietly, then with a hitch of my pants, quite loudly. I had opinions and, like a blender without a lid, I shared those opinions far and wide. I garnered a lot of attention and mostly it wasn’t the good sort. I can remember that the Education Department sent through posters and flyers to put on display in the staffroom about the newly-created ‘Lesbian and Gay Teacher’s Support Network’. I only knew about this network because I found the promotional materials in the bin next to the pinboard. I tacked up the poster, spread out the brochures, and promptly got hauled into the principal’s office that afternoon to explain myself. How could I have the audacity to promote that lifestyle and how would I like to see my funding revoked for my very new, very exciting girls sports program? I can remember shaking with inarticulate fear, and impotence, raging at the injustice from this man holding up further opportunities for children as some sort of potential punitive punishment simply because I wanted to feel seen.
But the period of time between 1997 to 1998 was challenging, because just like Carmen and Molly experienced in ‘The Love Factor’, changing the minds of people when society is held within a scaffolding of straight, white, male privilege, means to expose yourself to vitriol, stalking, threats, defamation, and potential loss of career or standing. Your character of Brett Grayson represents the danger and fear that was and is held within a section of our community when they see movement outside the societal scaffolding. He is an excellent character; appalling, entitled, sanctioned by beliefs that sanction themselves, and oh so real. We’ve all met a Brett. We’ve all been governed by a Brett. I loved the parallel stories of the misogyny pouring out of Washington and from the media, and the misogyny scattered like breadcrumbs inside Carmen’s lessons and in the corridors of the uni. In what is large, there is always small.
So, avoidance excuse number two. I absolutely loathe maths. I don’t understand it. In fact, if I bothered to access some sort of checklist or test or something, it would be very likely that I’d discover an actual label for my mathematical issues.
Statistics is obviously a major plot component of the ‘The Love Factor’. Carmen is a statistics professor. Statistics is the field of study that Molly and Carmen access to move thinking forward in their micro society of university, while bringing justice and integrity back to academic research. You used words like sets, coefficient, recurring numbers, strings, streaks, data, calculations, variables, and my left eye twitched when I tapped on the cover of the book in Kindle, so I closed it again. However, you don’t infantilise your readers. There’s a scene in the book where Carmen absolutely destroys Brett Grayson with the smartest, most articulate, incomprehensible, mathematically-gibberished monologue I have ever read. I didn’t understand a word of it. And it didn’t matter. For me, it was like reading science-fiction with made-up language. “The flux simulationer is going to warplet into a spatial element that will involve manipulation of megawattamatter.” Which would fit in beautifully with whatever was going on around it if the writing, the scene creation, the characters are written well enough to carry the incomprehensible. You wrote a story where I understood the incomprehensible without feeling ignorant.
Thank you for writing a smart book. A romantic, smart book. A funny, romantic, smart book. I discovered that it’s your first novel, which is so exciting because there’ll be more Quinn Ivins novels. There will be, right? Please.
From KJ
January 19, 2022
Well, I'm super glad I didn't have to come out in the 1990s, not that I really ever did have a big come out, nor am I in the closet but that's beside the point.
Two smart, queer women in academia taking down a sexist and bigot white male in the 1990s, it's the stuff I live regardless of time period actually. Molly is a grad student in Carmen's statics class, they are polar opposites. I'd call Molly bubbly and outspoken, an activist and super smart, I'm not calling Carmen stupid, she is far from stupid, but she is private, a bit uptight, and in the closet. When Molly stumbles on Carmen's secret she spirals a bit, but compassionate Molly actually becomes sort of a friend. They certainly become allies in taking down this bigoted ass of a man.
I'm glad but disappointed at the same time that this romance wasn't really a professor-student romance. While Molly and Monica are working together they develop this camaraderie of sorts, mutual understanding and admiration maybe, but feelings? They seem to appear out of thin air for me. That's not to say I don't like them as a pair, because I do, and I wanted them to get together. It's just a bit too sudden and too late in the book, in my opinion anyway.
The story is well done, for some much talk about statistics and research and even more dreadful politics it could have just as easily been a complete bore. Quinn Ivins did a remarkable job on her debut to keep this combination interesting and a very well-paced read. Awesome debut and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Two smart, queer women in academia taking down a sexist and bigot white male in the 1990s, it's the stuff I live regardless of time period actually. Molly is a grad student in Carmen's statics class, they are polar opposites. I'd call Molly bubbly and outspoken, an activist and super smart, I'm not calling Carmen stupid, she is far from stupid, but she is private, a bit uptight, and in the closet. When Molly stumbles on Carmen's secret she spirals a bit, but compassionate Molly actually becomes sort of a friend. They certainly become allies in taking down this bigoted ass of a man.
I'm glad but disappointed at the same time that this romance wasn't really a professor-student romance. While Molly and Monica are working together they develop this camaraderie of sorts, mutual understanding and admiration maybe, but feelings? They seem to appear out of thin air for me. That's not to say I don't like them as a pair, because I do, and I wanted them to get together. It's just a bit too sudden and too late in the book, in my opinion anyway.
The story is well done, for some much talk about statistics and research and even more dreadful politics it could have just as easily been a complete bore. Quinn Ivins did a remarkable job on her debut to keep this combination interesting and a very well-paced read. Awesome debut and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
September 11, 2020
So I read this one a while ago and decided to read another book, then read this one again. It is really that good. Intelligent women are sexy...add a slow burn romance with a ton of chemistry and you have a book I will reread over and over. While I am not typically a fan of teacher/professor/student relationships, this one was done so well I think Molly and Carmen may be one of my favorite couples. A debut this awesome has me super excited for all the future books I am going to pick up by this author. Write faster.
February 8, 2023
This wasn't what I expected, but it was a brilliant read nevertheless. I found myself not as invested in the romance aspect, but rather in the characters themselves and their cause. This book was my first Ivins read and I'm hooked.
Full review to come
Full review to come
July 23, 2020
Usually, I avoid teacher-student romances, as it's not a trope I like to read. However, after reading good reviews from people here on GR that I trust, decided to give this a go. This story is set in 1997 when Ellen took the huge step of coming out kn her sitcom. I remember the hubbub surrounding this. However, being not woke then, I wasn't very aware of how big an impact this really had. This was also the time of Monica Lewinsky/ Bill Clinton scandal. (Side note: I appreciate the author making note that Monica got the short end of the stick then. She became the butt of jokes when she was just a young intern who was taken advantage of by a man in a powerful position.)
These events are prominently mentioned since the main character, Molly, is a 30 year old political science grad student, with a heart for activism. We see her as she starts the term and meets Carmen, the Statistics professor with a reputation as a ruthless teacher. They're both in a conservative college where sexist, homophobic behaviours amongst the faculty and students are not unusual. Understandably, Carmen is very deep in the closet and very private and detached from her colleagues and friends as a result.
I enjoy this book a lot. The romance is slow burn, since Molly is Carmen's student. The chemistry is there though, simmering as it is under the surface. When they started working together to pick apart this other homophobic professor's research paper, we get to know both of them more personally. There's statistics jargon that I don't understand but that's okay. It did not detract from my reading experience. Overall, a wonderful read from a promising debut author.
These events are prominently mentioned since the main character, Molly, is a 30 year old political science grad student, with a heart for activism. We see her as she starts the term and meets Carmen, the Statistics professor with a reputation as a ruthless teacher. They're both in a conservative college where sexist, homophobic behaviours amongst the faculty and students are not unusual. Understandably, Carmen is very deep in the closet and very private and detached from her colleagues and friends as a result.
I enjoy this book a lot. The romance is slow burn, since Molly is Carmen's student. The chemistry is there though, simmering as it is under the surface. When they started working together to pick apart this other homophobic professor's research paper, we get to know both of them more personally. There's statistics jargon that I don't understand but that's okay. It did not detract from my reading experience. Overall, a wonderful read from a promising debut author.
December 14, 2022
10/10
[[reread] upped it up from 8 to 10 out of 10. it honestly deserves it. i listened to the audiobook version again and this combination might actually be the best ever. i think this book suddenly became one of my favourite ones for sure. though, now, for the negatives i do only have to say not only bill but all clintons - generally the black and white way people from the us tend to look at politics i guess. also ofc not a fan of ellen degeneres either but history is history]
✨ THE NOSTALGIA. ✨
It's been so long since I put this book in my to-read shelf that I actually, in the end, went in totally blind. Well, I gethered it had something to do with school because of the cover.
No, I definitely wasn't expecting to be taken on a wild ride through these adorable saphic lives in the '97 and '98. Now I definitely need more books like this one. Please, share them with me if you know some.
I absolutely loved this one. I mean
// ice queen (but actually adorable when the ice melts and walls come down) harda*s lesbian tenure professor and a wild I-wanna-save-the-world-so-I-camped-out-in-The-White-House-and-split-my-head-open-when-I-was-finally-arrested smart student (don't worry she's 30) explore their relationship
// two hot a*s intellectual lesbians with mad chemistry fighting homophobes by using math F*CK YES
// FLOPPY DISKS
// WIN 95 KksdfjKSAFJLD
// BRINGING A CAMERA TO A CLUB IN YOUR POCKET aaAaAaaaAAAAA
Yes, I was literally nostalgic for the time I didn't live in.
Okay, maybe their relationship suddenly sped too much up towards the end which I'm not a big fan of, but, honestly, for the negatives I only have to say -
Bill Clinton 🤮
9/10 audio
Lori Prince has, as always, done a splended job. I'm actually on a Lori Prince spree right now, to be honest. If you're into audiobooks I'd definitely recommend this one.
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much, honestly. I really don't know why my very nerdy self has been dodging it for so long when I was obviously going to enjoy it. Don't make the same mistake as me. Get to it asap. I'm definitely going to be checking out Quinn Ivins' other book now - Worthy of Love.
[[reread] upped it up from 8 to 10 out of 10. it honestly deserves it. i listened to the audiobook version again and this combination might actually be the best ever. i think this book suddenly became one of my favourite ones for sure. though, now, for the negatives i do only have to say not only bill but all clintons - generally the black and white way people from the us tend to look at politics i guess. also ofc not a fan of ellen degeneres either but history is history]
✨ THE NOSTALGIA. ✨
It's been so long since I put this book in my to-read shelf that I actually, in the end, went in totally blind. Well, I gethered it had something to do with school because of the cover.
No, I definitely wasn't expecting to be taken on a wild ride through these adorable saphic lives in the '97 and '98. Now I definitely need more books like this one. Please, share them with me if you know some.
I absolutely loved this one. I mean
// ice queen (but actually adorable when the ice melts and walls come down) harda*s lesbian tenure professor and a wild I-wanna-save-the-world-so-I-camped-out-in-The-White-House-and-split-my-head-open-when-I-was-finally-arrested smart student (don't worry she's 30) explore their relationship
// two hot a*s intellectual lesbians with mad chemistry fighting homophobes by using math F*CK YES
// FLOPPY DISKS
// WIN 95 KksdfjKSAFJLD
// BRINGING A CAMERA TO A CLUB IN YOUR POCKET aaAaAaaaAAAAA
Yes, I was literally nostalgic for the time I didn't live in.
Okay, maybe their relationship suddenly sped too much up towards the end which I'm not a big fan of, but, honestly, for the negatives I only have to say -
Bill Clinton 🤮
9/10 audio
Lori Prince has, as always, done a splended job. I'm actually on a Lori Prince spree right now, to be honest. If you're into audiobooks I'd definitely recommend this one.
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much, honestly. I really don't know why my very nerdy self has been dodging it for so long when I was obviously going to enjoy it. Don't make the same mistake as me. Get to it asap. I'm definitely going to be checking out Quinn Ivins' other book now - Worthy of Love.
June 19, 2020
The Love Factor
I had been looking forward to this book for ages, it promised a lot; nineties nostalgia, an ice-queen, a chance to indulge my geeky side (we get to sit in on a probability lecture) and of course, lesbians! Despite all the build up “The Love Factor” does not disappoint. Our leading ladies are Molly Cook, an idealistic grad student who wants to change the world but is now beginning to think that a career in academia might not really be the way to achieve that, and Carmen Vaughn, her statistics professor. Carmen, firm and fierce and with a reputation for having impossibly high standards, presents herself as a buttoned up scholar in a suit and heels, but has a "secret indulgence; her drawers were brimming with silk and lace." This is a slow-burn in terms of the romance element but it’s really worth waiting for, and the fraud scandal plot-line most definitely maintains the pace of the book and kept me turning the pages well past my usual bedtime. When our ice-queen melts it is spectacular and so well written; we are treated to a verbal strip tease of a sex scene including realistic, but still incredibly sexy descriptions of women's bodies.
Molly is studying political science and her disenchantment stems from her growing feeling that she really should be out there doing more. The book opens with both Molly and Carmen (separately) watching Ellen’s famous coming out episode. While Molly celebrates the momentous occasion over the phone with her friend, she can’t help feel a bit left out: “Could she really be content watching social change on television while others did the hard work?” We later learn that Molly was an activist in her undergraduate days but feels she made little difference. Reading this now, in June 2020, a time when protests and grassroots activism seems to be leading to genuine social change I was struck by the prescience of Quinn Ivins’ writing. As Molly’s friend Aditi says about their protests in college: “I mean, what’s the alternative? Do nothing?”
Activism and protest aren’t the only issues that reflect current events. Carmen endures horrific levels of sexism and homophobia from her department colleagues, the worst of whom is a right-wing blowhard called Brett. (I wonder how the author came up with that name!) In one of many delicately crafted scenes the aforementioned Brett speaks at the University Senate before a vote on extending domestic partner benfits to all faculty and staff. “Dr. Klaus said she doesn’t feel welcome here. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don’t care what you do in the privacy of your own home. But we don’t need you to flaunt your sexual preference and shove it in everyone’s faces.” For me, writing this review mere days after the SCOTUS ruling on LGBTQ workers’ rights this is both an important reminder of how far we have come in the last twenty years and a reminder of how perilously easy it would be for the US to slide back down a conservative slippery slope.
Back to the book itself! Despite some of the heavy issues I’ve discussed above, much of “The Love Factor” has a lighter tone. Molly is hilarious and very relatable and the nineties references make for some top-notch retro charm. (The grinding noise of floppy disks and ancient hard drives, nasty university computer labs because no one had laptops, landlines, Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinski.) All the while the sexual and romantic tension between the main characters simmers delightfully. Molly can’t help but be drawn to Carmen’s commanding presence, never more than when she shreds Brett’s work after he presents his latest horrendously homophobic research paper: “Molly watched breathlessly. Carmen was like a predator encircling her helpless prey. It was an epic takedown and, truthfully, hot as hell.” Appropriately enough it’s this bigoted colleague and his homophobic research that brings Molly and Carmen closer together. We witness Carmen’s boundaries crumbling as she gradually accepts that change isn’t always a bad thing.
This has been one of my wordier reviews, but the long and the short of it is: I love this book, finished it well within 24 hours, and will be reading it again soon (as well as eagerly anticipating the audiobook). I highly recommend it as a great piece of lesfic and social history, recognising those who put in the hard yards fighting for our rights. As the dedication says, “For everyone who came out in the 90s. Thank you for changing the world.”
I had been looking forward to this book for ages, it promised a lot; nineties nostalgia, an ice-queen, a chance to indulge my geeky side (we get to sit in on a probability lecture) and of course, lesbians! Despite all the build up “The Love Factor” does not disappoint. Our leading ladies are Molly Cook, an idealistic grad student who wants to change the world but is now beginning to think that a career in academia might not really be the way to achieve that, and Carmen Vaughn, her statistics professor. Carmen, firm and fierce and with a reputation for having impossibly high standards, presents herself as a buttoned up scholar in a suit and heels, but has a "secret indulgence; her drawers were brimming with silk and lace." This is a slow-burn in terms of the romance element but it’s really worth waiting for, and the fraud scandal plot-line most definitely maintains the pace of the book and kept me turning the pages well past my usual bedtime. When our ice-queen melts it is spectacular and so well written; we are treated to a verbal strip tease of a sex scene including realistic, but still incredibly sexy descriptions of women's bodies.
Molly is studying political science and her disenchantment stems from her growing feeling that she really should be out there doing more. The book opens with both Molly and Carmen (separately) watching Ellen’s famous coming out episode. While Molly celebrates the momentous occasion over the phone with her friend, she can’t help feel a bit left out: “Could she really be content watching social change on television while others did the hard work?” We later learn that Molly was an activist in her undergraduate days but feels she made little difference. Reading this now, in June 2020, a time when protests and grassroots activism seems to be leading to genuine social change I was struck by the prescience of Quinn Ivins’ writing. As Molly’s friend Aditi says about their protests in college: “I mean, what’s the alternative? Do nothing?”
Activism and protest aren’t the only issues that reflect current events. Carmen endures horrific levels of sexism and homophobia from her department colleagues, the worst of whom is a right-wing blowhard called Brett. (I wonder how the author came up with that name!) In one of many delicately crafted scenes the aforementioned Brett speaks at the University Senate before a vote on extending domestic partner benfits to all faculty and staff. “Dr. Klaus said she doesn’t feel welcome here. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don’t care what you do in the privacy of your own home. But we don’t need you to flaunt your sexual preference and shove it in everyone’s faces.” For me, writing this review mere days after the SCOTUS ruling on LGBTQ workers’ rights this is both an important reminder of how far we have come in the last twenty years and a reminder of how perilously easy it would be for the US to slide back down a conservative slippery slope.
Back to the book itself! Despite some of the heavy issues I’ve discussed above, much of “The Love Factor” has a lighter tone. Molly is hilarious and very relatable and the nineties references make for some top-notch retro charm. (The grinding noise of floppy disks and ancient hard drives, nasty university computer labs because no one had laptops, landlines, Bill Clinton & Monica Lewinski.) All the while the sexual and romantic tension between the main characters simmers delightfully. Molly can’t help but be drawn to Carmen’s commanding presence, never more than when she shreds Brett’s work after he presents his latest horrendously homophobic research paper: “Molly watched breathlessly. Carmen was like a predator encircling her helpless prey. It was an epic takedown and, truthfully, hot as hell.” Appropriately enough it’s this bigoted colleague and his homophobic research that brings Molly and Carmen closer together. We witness Carmen’s boundaries crumbling as she gradually accepts that change isn’t always a bad thing.
This has been one of my wordier reviews, but the long and the short of it is: I love this book, finished it well within 24 hours, and will be reading it again soon (as well as eagerly anticipating the audiobook). I highly recommend it as a great piece of lesfic and social history, recognising those who put in the hard yards fighting for our rights. As the dedication says, “For everyone who came out in the 90s. Thank you for changing the world.”
March 6, 2021
4 stars. One day my social media feed was flooded by this book, and people were singing its praises. Quinn Ivins suddenly was everywhere.
Not sure what I actually expected from this novel set in 1997, but it surely wasn't this. I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the dealing with the topic of misogyny. (1997 was my first year at university and in hindsight I can see how difficult it must have been then for LGBT to come out..)
Former LGBT activist Molly is almost 30, out and proud and a grad student in political science. The political science department though is a deeply conservative little Brotopia, with only two women who have tenure.
One day, Molly makes a discovery when she stumbles upon her statistics professor, Carmen Vaughn, being kissed by a woman. Molly is adamant about protecting this secret, plus as she becomes Carmen's teaching assistant, they work together.
Then Molly discovers that a homophobic study by a fellow professor shows false data, and she gets Carmen to help her. Gathering the evidence, they work even more closely together.
I really really enjoyed this audiobook. We see both POVs, and Molly is a great character. Carmen is too, but she's very private and I feel that way more room is given to Molly.
I realize this is a debut novel and as such it's really an impressive debut.
I would have liked a little more on the romance side though. It felt like the book was really divided into two parts, at about three quarters, and it felt like a totally different story to me. While Molly and Carmen worked great together, there's wasn't even a hint of feelings on Carmen's side at first. It's believable within the context of the story, but I had somewhat of a hard time with it. Also
I wasn't too wild on the sex scene.
All in all, a great book and a new author to watch out for. I'm really looking forward to Quinn Ivins' next novel!
Not sure what I actually expected from this novel set in 1997, but it surely wasn't this. I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the dealing with the topic of misogyny. (1997 was my first year at university and in hindsight I can see how difficult it must have been then for LGBT to come out..)
Former LGBT activist Molly is almost 30, out and proud and a grad student in political science. The political science department though is a deeply conservative little Brotopia, with only two women who have tenure.
One day, Molly makes a discovery when she stumbles upon her statistics professor, Carmen Vaughn, being kissed by a woman. Molly is adamant about protecting this secret, plus as she becomes Carmen's teaching assistant, they work together.
Then Molly discovers that a homophobic study by a fellow professor shows false data, and she gets Carmen to help her. Gathering the evidence, they work even more closely together.
I really really enjoyed this audiobook. We see both POVs, and Molly is a great character. Carmen is too, but she's very private and I feel that way more room is given to Molly.
I realize this is a debut novel and as such it's really an impressive debut.
I would have liked a little more on the romance side though. It felt like the book was really divided into two parts, at about three quarters, and it felt like a totally different story to me. While Molly and Carmen worked great together, there's wasn't even a hint of feelings on Carmen's side at first. It's believable within the context of the story, but I had somewhat of a hard time with it. Also
I wasn't too wild on the sex scene.
All in all, a great book and a new author to watch out for. I'm really looking forward to Quinn Ivins' next novel!
December 28, 2023
3,5 stars
This was quite good. I'm a big fan of data and statistics, so that gave it automatic plus points. I can't comment on realism of it, considering that A) I've never lived in the US and B) I wasn't even born at the time when the story takes place. But it was well written.
This was quite good. I'm a big fan of data and statistics, so that gave it automatic plus points. I can't comment on realism of it, considering that A) I've never lived in the US and B) I wasn't even born at the time when the story takes place. But it was well written.
July 23, 2020
This is my first book with stories set in academia. It seems to me, teaching at university is challenging, and falling in love with students is really something. But Quinn Ivins amazingly makes this story sound pretty and interesting. This book revolves around Molly Cook as a grad student and teaching assistant, and she's brave enough to fall in love with her professor. And yes the ending was fabulous!
November 30, 2020
I missed several hours of needed sleep because I fell in love with these two characters and didn't want to interrupt their story. This felt like an authentic flash-back to the nineties. I *love* that there are references at the end. Well-written and lovable characters. I'm looking forward to Ivins' next book.
August 3, 2020
There are a ton of wonderful reviews about this one and they are all true. While it wasn't a 5 star for me I can say that it was likely a 4.25 star romance. This is Quinn Ivins debut novel and she for sure has promising writing career if she continues to write like this.
April 7, 2021
Hard work, often felt more lie a lecture than a fun book to read. Full of relevant history, but I stopped half way though, read another and came back to this. Finishing was more of a challenge than a delight.
June 7, 2021
Man, this was a slooooowww burn sapphic romance. But I absolutely loved the journey this book took me on. Set in 1997-1998, this story follows Carmen, a political science professor, and Molly, a grad student, meeting and beginning to work together to expose the wrongdoings of a homophobe at their university. I was as invested in the plot that was external to the romance as I was with their eventual relationship.
I can see why this romance might not work for everyone. There’s a lot of discussion of politics, as both of the main characters are working or studying in that field, and period-typical 90s homophobia comes into the story from antagonistic side characters. So it isn’t a totally fluffy romance, even though there are a lot of lighter moments. There are also so many scenes that I probably would’ve found boring if they came from another writer. But Quinn Ivins was able to make scenes of these two women looking over statistics and spreadsheets of survey data compelling and almost feel like something out of a spy thriller. I loved seeing the two women getting closer through working together and eventually opening up about more personal parts of their lives.
I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to student/professor romances, but I think the author did an excellent job at never crossing the line when it came to the power imbalance. As the professor, Carmen is especially cognizant of this imbalance and even makes timely (for the story) comparisons to the Clinton/Lewinsky situation. I will say that I wish there was a little more page time dedicated to their romance. I liked when it came to fruition in terms of where the characters were in their career/educational positions. I just would’ve liked to see that happen a little bit earlier in the story so I could’ve spent more time with them together.
This was a delightful romance and I’m blown away that it was a debut. I can’t wait to read more from Quinn Ivins.
I can see why this romance might not work for everyone. There’s a lot of discussion of politics, as both of the main characters are working or studying in that field, and period-typical 90s homophobia comes into the story from antagonistic side characters. So it isn’t a totally fluffy romance, even though there are a lot of lighter moments. There are also so many scenes that I probably would’ve found boring if they came from another writer. But Quinn Ivins was able to make scenes of these two women looking over statistics and spreadsheets of survey data compelling and almost feel like something out of a spy thriller. I loved seeing the two women getting closer through working together and eventually opening up about more personal parts of their lives.
I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to student/professor romances, but I think the author did an excellent job at never crossing the line when it came to the power imbalance. As the professor, Carmen is especially cognizant of this imbalance and even makes timely (for the story) comparisons to the Clinton/Lewinsky situation. I will say that I wish there was a little more page time dedicated to their romance. I liked when it came to fruition in terms of where the characters were in their career/educational positions. I just would’ve liked to see that happen a little bit earlier in the story so I could’ve spent more time with them together.
This was a delightful romance and I’m blown away that it was a debut. I can’t wait to read more from Quinn Ivins.
April 20, 2023
3.5-3.75/5 ⭐️
The slow burn that really really burn 😭🔥
I liked the book and what it represents and I absolutely loved both MCs, but all the academics side bored me a bit, if I wasn’t listening to the Audiobook and the amazing Lori Prince, i would’ve probably dnfed it 😭.
The Angst Molly and Carmen went through was really saddening 😭.
Carmen is my favorite of the two, the way she couldn’t be herself around her family and in her work environment and all the harassment she went through really broke my heart, and what i loved most about her that no matter how she felt about Molly, she didn’t cross any line while she was her student 🥺🤍.
Oh my heart 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
I loved how her brother and some of her colleagues supported her when she came out
Also Greyson? That Bigoted piece of shit can go fuck himself, i really really wanted to kill him, i was soooo glad to see him get what he deserve 😒😒😒
Anyway In the end it was all worth it 🤍🤍.
The slow burn that really really burn 😭🔥
I liked the book and what it represents and I absolutely loved both MCs, but all the academics side bored me a bit, if I wasn’t listening to the Audiobook and the amazing Lori Prince, i would’ve probably dnfed it 😭.
The Angst Molly and Carmen went through was really saddening 😭.
“I’m saying love is a factor. If you really love someone, you accept and embrace who they are.”
Carmen is my favorite of the two, the way she couldn’t be herself around her family and in her work environment and all the harassment she went through really broke my heart, and what i loved most about her that no matter how she felt about Molly, she didn’t cross any line while she was her student 🥺🤍.
”I would never, ever do anything that wasn’t in her best interest. I care about her too much.”
Oh my heart 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
I loved how her brother and some of her colleagues supported her when she came out
Also Greyson? That Bigoted piece of shit can go fuck himself, i really really wanted to kill him, i was soooo glad to see him get what he deserve 😒😒😒
Anyway In the end it was all worth it 🤍🤍.
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