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Chamberlain Academy #3
Much Ado About Love
He lives with his nose in a copy of Shakespeare's complete works. She lives in the real world, if the real world is a haunted library.
Hank Grantham, Chamberlain Academy's favorite English teacher, has a secret. He's crazy about a woman he's only known online: a poet who sees right to the soul of things. There's no chance he's going to meet her, because she's firm about keeping things strictly professional. That doesn't stop him from memorizing her words, picturing her whispering them to him, and imagining what his world would be like if WoodSprite was here, in person. Since that's not going to happen, he can just adore her from a distance. This could be a perfect situation, if it weren't for the fact that he's also developing a mighty crush on Chamberlain's librarian, Desi Chappell.
Desi knows that the best way to wreck a relationship is to mix work and love. That's what ruined her parents' marriage and left her mom with practically nothing, scraped raw and desperate to teach her daughter better. Desi learned, all right. And no matter how much her heart is leaning toward Hank Grantham, with his look of constant wonder and his charming British accent, she's stronger than her feelings of attraction. Besides, she knows what he doesn't--that the two of them are already deeply involved. Online.
When Wanda Chamberlain recruits them for a family research project, Hank finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings for Desi professional. And Desi must remind herself, daily, hourly, that it's a terrible idea to get involved with someone at work. Can Hank choose between the woman he loves online and the one standing in front of him? Can Desi move past her very logical fears and tell Hank the truth?
Hank Grantham, Chamberlain Academy's favorite English teacher, has a secret. He's crazy about a woman he's only known online: a poet who sees right to the soul of things. There's no chance he's going to meet her, because she's firm about keeping things strictly professional. That doesn't stop him from memorizing her words, picturing her whispering them to him, and imagining what his world would be like if WoodSprite was here, in person. Since that's not going to happen, he can just adore her from a distance. This could be a perfect situation, if it weren't for the fact that he's also developing a mighty crush on Chamberlain's librarian, Desi Chappell.
Desi knows that the best way to wreck a relationship is to mix work and love. That's what ruined her parents' marriage and left her mom with practically nothing, scraped raw and desperate to teach her daughter better. Desi learned, all right. And no matter how much her heart is leaning toward Hank Grantham, with his look of constant wonder and his charming British accent, she's stronger than her feelings of attraction. Besides, she knows what he doesn't--that the two of them are already deeply involved. Online.
When Wanda Chamberlain recruits them for a family research project, Hank finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings for Desi professional. And Desi must remind herself, daily, hourly, that it's a terrible idea to get involved with someone at work. Can Hank choose between the woman he loves online and the one standing in front of him? Can Desi move past her very logical fears and tell Hank the truth?
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2022
20 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 23, 2022
I've loved everyone of these Chamberlain Academy rom-coms! Becca Wilhite manages to make each one just as good or better than the previous one(s). I loved Hank, English teacher extraordinaire and Desi, who's more than just a great librarian. Hank can quote poems and Shakespeare but he's so awkward talking to women in person, I cringed for him as he kept saying the wrong thing.
There were several laugh aloud moments during Desi's medicated state. Oh. My. Goodness. Desi with her guard down is the best! And the incident with the urn made me laugh so hard (IYKYK). What else did I love? Desi gets introduced to Thursday nights at Lola's, shirtless Hank (holy Hannah), and when Hank finds out Desi and WoodSprite are the same person.
I'd love to see the basement of this library--it sounds like the school doesn't throw anything away and there's some awesome stuff there. I liked how Desi knew which teachers could use which items they found as she and Hank searched for papers about Wanda's Aunt Etta. I'd love to get Wanda Chamberlain's backstory, she's a force to be reckoned with and I want to know all about her. (hint hint)
Each of the books in this series can be read as a standalone but I think the reader would enjoy them better read in order as the characters in the previous books appear in the later ones. I received a complimentary copy, all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
There were several laugh aloud moments during Desi's medicated state. Oh. My. Goodness. Desi with her guard down is the best! And the incident with the urn made me laugh so hard (IYKYK). What else did I love? Desi gets introduced to Thursday nights at Lola's, shirtless Hank (holy Hannah), and when Hank finds out Desi and WoodSprite are the same person.
I'd love to see the basement of this library--it sounds like the school doesn't throw anything away and there's some awesome stuff there. I liked how Desi knew which teachers could use which items they found as she and Hank searched for papers about Wanda's Aunt Etta. I'd love to get Wanda Chamberlain's backstory, she's a force to be reckoned with and I want to know all about her. (hint hint)
Each of the books in this series can be read as a standalone but I think the reader would enjoy them better read in order as the characters in the previous books appear in the later ones. I received a complimentary copy, all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
January 17, 2023
This book just made me happy! I loved everything about the characters, the plot, and the setting. Chamberlain Academy is such a great place. And it has a haunted library. I loved that aspect of the book.
It made me so happy to see Hank get his love story. I was hoping he’d get one eventually. Hank is an interesting character. He’s a bit abrupt in real life, but online he’s a lot less so. So that was fun. I loved how he kept having to put his foot in his mouth when he talked to Desi. And he talked to her a lot!
Desi is the librarian. I loved the way she knew that Hank was her online partner, even though he had no idea. She kept trying to reconcile the real life version of Hank with the guy she knew online. And she couldn’t. Desi was one of my very favorite parts about this book. She, and her library, were delightful!
I loved that Wanda brought these two a mystery to work on. A family history mystery. That aspect of the story was so great.
This book is so great! You need to read this whole series!
I was sent an e-copy of Much Ado About Love as a gift from the author. All opinions are my own.
It made me so happy to see Hank get his love story. I was hoping he’d get one eventually. Hank is an interesting character. He’s a bit abrupt in real life, but online he’s a lot less so. So that was fun. I loved how he kept having to put his foot in his mouth when he talked to Desi. And he talked to her a lot!
Desi is the librarian. I loved the way she knew that Hank was her online partner, even though he had no idea. She kept trying to reconcile the real life version of Hank with the guy she knew online. And she couldn’t. Desi was one of my very favorite parts about this book. She, and her library, were delightful!
I loved that Wanda brought these two a mystery to work on. A family history mystery. That aspect of the story was so great.
This book is so great! You need to read this whole series!
I was sent an e-copy of Much Ado About Love as a gift from the author. All opinions are my own.
December 7, 2022
I was so intrigued by their quest to discover Wanda Chamberlain's aunt's history, and what they had to do to get there. I loved that she used her want to know more about her family history to bring Desi and Hank together 😍
There were some fun parts, including shirtless British English teacher time...IYKYK 😂 also, it was fun to see Desi being adorably out of her mind in her medicine-induced haze 😂
It all came to an emotional head and had me falling in love even more with simple love stories of other characters in the book.
I loved this story!
There were some fun parts, including shirtless British English teacher time...IYKYK 😂 also, it was fun to see Desi being adorably out of her mind in her medicine-induced haze 😂
It all came to an emotional head and had me falling in love even more with simple love stories of other characters in the book.
I loved this story!
December 27, 2022
I have been intrigued by Hank's character since I started reading this series and really enjoyed getting to see him fall in love. This book was my favorite in the series thus far. I loved the hidden identity aspect, a little You've Got Mail, but also not (meaning it wasn't just a copy of that plot, but felt original). Hank being in the dark was kind of fun to watch as he really needed to discover his own heart and grow through some things.
The bit of mystery kept the me turning pages as I was just as curious as both Hank and Desi to discover Etta's story. The romance was sweet and the writing smart. I really enjoyed this book.
I received an advancer reader copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The bit of mystery kept the me turning pages as I was just as curious as both Hank and Desi to discover Etta's story. The romance was sweet and the writing smart. I really enjoyed this book.
I received an advancer reader copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 12, 2022
Welcome back to Chamberlain Academy! This time we get to zero in on the dreamy English teacher and sweet librarian. Oh how I loved this story!
Hank and Desi are absolutely adorable together. Their mutual love of poetry and involvement in an online website is what drew their personalities together. But only one person was truly aware of who the secret identity on the other end of the internet was 😂.
I really loved the fact that Desi knew who Hank was from his online persona but he had no clue about her. Especially after they start to get to know each other in real life. The project they get commissioned to work on really helped bring them together in such a great way. I loved seeing their relationship unfold (and the Etta mystery!!! A beautiful/heartbreaking story all on its own!) And the tangled web of real world reality vs online reality! How Desi was able to keep things up on both ends without revealing anything was amazing.
The tattoo reveal and the poetry recitation at the end in Hank’s classroom were a couple of my favorite scenes! Especially the classroom one… So much You’ve Got Mail vibes! I loved every bit of it. And I just loved Hank and Desi so much! Both characters were so great. Completely imperfect and totally relatable.
Much Ado About Love is a nice easy read that’ll leave you cheering happily at the end! Go grab your copy today!
Thank you to the author for an advance copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hank and Desi are absolutely adorable together. Their mutual love of poetry and involvement in an online website is what drew their personalities together. But only one person was truly aware of who the secret identity on the other end of the internet was 😂.
I really loved the fact that Desi knew who Hank was from his online persona but he had no clue about her. Especially after they start to get to know each other in real life. The project they get commissioned to work on really helped bring them together in such a great way. I loved seeing their relationship unfold (and the Etta mystery!!! A beautiful/heartbreaking story all on its own!) And the tangled web of real world reality vs online reality! How Desi was able to keep things up on both ends without revealing anything was amazing.
The tattoo reveal and the poetry recitation at the end in Hank’s classroom were a couple of my favorite scenes! Especially the classroom one… So much You’ve Got Mail vibes! I loved every bit of it. And I just loved Hank and Desi so much! Both characters were so great. Completely imperfect and totally relatable.
Much Ado About Love is a nice easy read that’ll leave you cheering happily at the end! Go grab your copy today!
Thank you to the author for an advance copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 15, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a favorite trope of mine, the hidden identity, like You've Got Mail. The storyline is fun with them solving a family history mystery. There were some funny moments and a lot of poetry. I've really enjoyed this series.
December 19, 2022
This is hands down my favorite book in this series! A delightful read with a subtle mystery thrown in! Read this one in one sitting!
* Note - Can be read as a stand alone but will make more sense when read in order
I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.
* Note - Can be read as a stand alone but will make more sense when read in order
I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.
December 13, 2022
In true Becca Wilhite style this was a sweet and tender story. I enjoyed seeing things from both main characters’ points of view. To see their doubts, fears, longings and desires.
My favorite parts were:
The aunt‘s story
The urn incident
The tattoo reveal
Desi’s drug induced behavior
And of course Wanda
Hank’s struggle to reconcile his two loves
If you enjoy a sweet, gentle, clean love story with a beautiful reveal you will love this book. It’s very similar to “You’ve Got Mail” in that two people fall in love online, but only one knows who the other is in real life. The mystery of the aunt and the locked door was fun and the anticipation of how the identity reveal would be solved kept me reading.
My favorite parts were:
The aunt‘s story
The urn incident
The tattoo reveal
Desi’s drug induced behavior
And of course Wanda
Hank’s struggle to reconcile his two loves
If you enjoy a sweet, gentle, clean love story with a beautiful reveal you will love this book. It’s very similar to “You’ve Got Mail” in that two people fall in love online, but only one knows who the other is in real life. The mystery of the aunt and the locked door was fun and the anticipation of how the identity reveal would be solved kept me reading.
December 16, 2022
sweet
I really enjoyed this one fun dialogue and 2 people that were meant for each other. A secret admirer and one clueless man. You’ll enjoy this one.
I really enjoyed this one fun dialogue and 2 people that were meant for each other. A secret admirer and one clueless man. You’ll enjoy this one.
December 2, 2022
Becca Wilhite is brilliant! I could not put this book down!!!! Im in a busy phase of life right now but still managed to finish this book the day after I started! I love Hank and Desi’s love story!!
Becca Wilhite is always incredible with voice! The characters truly come alive when written by Becca, and I find myself feeling like I’m right there at Chamberlain with them. I absolutely loved exploring the library basement with Desi and Hank and finding the remarkable treasures down there!
I also loved being a part of Hanks classroom. I felt like I truly was there, in Desi and Hanks world, watching them find love in their favorite settings.
And there has to be a moment where I applaud Becca Wilhite on the invention of Lola’s. I wish I could eat there on Thursday’s. So bad.
Discovering more about Wanda’s family was also a wonderful experience and added a lot of excitement and anticipation to this story!
And yes, the poetry was delightful!! The way words connect people is marvelous and I loved the way the poems and their depth were shared throughout this book! Hank and Desi were a joy to get to know and spend time with! Thanks to Becca Wilhite for another wonderful novel!
Becca Wilhite is always incredible with voice! The characters truly come alive when written by Becca, and I find myself feeling like I’m right there at Chamberlain with them. I absolutely loved exploring the library basement with Desi and Hank and finding the remarkable treasures down there!
I also loved being a part of Hanks classroom. I felt like I truly was there, in Desi and Hanks world, watching them find love in their favorite settings.
And there has to be a moment where I applaud Becca Wilhite on the invention of Lola’s. I wish I could eat there on Thursday’s. So bad.
Discovering more about Wanda’s family was also a wonderful experience and added a lot of excitement and anticipation to this story!
And yes, the poetry was delightful!! The way words connect people is marvelous and I loved the way the poems and their depth were shared throughout this book! Hank and Desi were a joy to get to know and spend time with! Thanks to Becca Wilhite for another wonderful novel!
March 3, 2023
This is my favorite of The Chamberlain Academy series. This rom/com has major You've Got Mail vibes with a little mystery mixed in. I hope there will be more books in this series!
Read this if you like:
* Dual POV
* Rom/Com with a side of mystery
* Sweet/Clean
* Great Writing
* Relatable Imperfect Characters
This story was absolutely beautiful. I loved Hank and Desi. They are so perfectly imperfect that you can't help but relate to them and cheer them on.
Favorite Moments:
* The urn incident (I about died, no pun intended)
* Desi uninhibited while on pain meds
* Hank's conflicted romantic feelings
* The tattoo reveal
* Introducing Desi to Lola's
* Wanda and her meddling!
* The Basement (I would love to explore all of the historical treasures down there!)
I will definitely be re-reading this one!
*I received an ARC of this book from the author, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read this if you like:
* Dual POV
* Rom/Com with a side of mystery
* Sweet/Clean
* Great Writing
* Relatable Imperfect Characters
This story was absolutely beautiful. I loved Hank and Desi. They are so perfectly imperfect that you can't help but relate to them and cheer them on.
Favorite Moments:
* The urn incident (I about died, no pun intended)
* Desi uninhibited while on pain meds
* Hank's conflicted romantic feelings
* The tattoo reveal
* Introducing Desi to Lola's
* Wanda and her meddling!
* The Basement (I would love to explore all of the historical treasures down there!)
I will definitely be re-reading this one!
*I received an ARC of this book from the author, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 7, 2024
Audiobook: This was my first experience with Becca Wilhite's work, and it was enjoyable. Hank Grantham was an English teacher at Chamberlain Academy who knew a lot about Shakespeare's work. Desi Chappell was the librarian of the school's haunted library. Hank was interested in an online poet. Desi refused to allow herself to get into any kind of a relationship with someone at work. I liked the characters. I was entertained by their twisted path to love. I appreciated the nod to Shakespeare which flowed throughout the plot. Although this was the third book in the series, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything by not having read the first two books in the series. I am looking forward to acquiring more books in the series. Becca Wilhite's narration was good, and her performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
December 1, 2023
Great story in a great series
I really didn't want this book to end. It was so sweet. @HankNotHal and @WoodSprite, are the co-developers of HopefulPoets.com, an on-line sanctuary for would be poets where poetry efforts are nurtured until publication. Their poems (admittedly all the work of the author of this great series) are interspersed between chapters devoted to the main characters of the story both of whom work at Chamberlain Academy an exclusive private boarding school in Vermont. Hank is an English teacher with a special love of Shakespearean sonnets and Desi the head school librarian. There was a convoluted journey to the happily ever after in this story ... well worth the wait!
I really didn't want this book to end. It was so sweet. @HankNotHal and @WoodSprite, are the co-developers of HopefulPoets.com, an on-line sanctuary for would be poets where poetry efforts are nurtured until publication. Their poems (admittedly all the work of the author of this great series) are interspersed between chapters devoted to the main characters of the story both of whom work at Chamberlain Academy an exclusive private boarding school in Vermont. Hank is an English teacher with a special love of Shakespearean sonnets and Desi the head school librarian. There was a convoluted journey to the happily ever after in this story ... well worth the wait!
December 29, 2022
This book is well written and the characters are fun. Both characters write poetry and love Shakespeare. There is a lot of poetry in this book especially at the beginning, not being a fan of poetry myself I skipped over a lot of it to keep my interest. That's on me though not the author. Farther into the book it was more about the relationship between Hank and Desi which I really enjoyed. I'd recommended this book. If you're not a fan of poetry like me skip over those parts and you'll still enjoy the story.
March 10, 2023
This sweet, rom-com is full of funny and tender moments. Hank (Not Hal) and Woodsprite run a poetry site online and fall in love through poems. Desi and Hank are both employees at the same school and fall in love in person. Yet, each holds back something from the other. How great would it be if the online romance was with the same people as the in person one? I loved how this story plays out.
March 27, 2023
This book was an absolute delight to read! I loved the characters. The romance was wonderful and very believable.
I was blown away by the poetry in this book- I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.
I thought it was pretty fun/ unique that there was the added family history mystery added in.
Such a unique book and one I will probably end up buying the physical book to add to my bookshelf.
I was blown away by the poetry in this book- I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.
I thought it was pretty fun/ unique that there was the added family history mystery added in.
Such a unique book and one I will probably end up buying the physical book to add to my bookshelf.
October 28, 2023
My Favorite So Far
I have loved every book I've read in this series, but this is definitely my favorite! The poetry alone is over the top! I love every single poem in this book. Then add in online anonymous romance, in person loving from afar, and a mysterious romance a century before - yet another book by this author I only put down because I had to sleep. Hank and Desi, I didn't see it coming, but of course, Wanda Chamberlain did.
I have loved every book I've read in this series, but this is definitely my favorite! The poetry alone is over the top! I love every single poem in this book. Then add in online anonymous romance, in person loving from afar, and a mysterious romance a century before - yet another book by this author I only put down because I had to sleep. Hank and Desi, I didn't see it coming, but of course, Wanda Chamberlain did.
December 23, 2022
I have been loving the Chamberlain Academy series! I’m so glad Hank got a story! He’s so dreamy with that British accent of his! Desi was super cute and I loved the story of secret identity! It was fun to see Wanda working jet matchmaking magic and I loved the addition of Hank and Desi solving a little mystery along the way! Super cute!!
December 31, 2022
I've loved this whole series by Becca Wilhite, but this one was my favorite! The boarding school setting, the imperfect but growing main characters, the conflicted romance with an intriguing twist, the mystery...it was all great! I'm hoping there will be more books in the series...I see a few staff members that Wanda hasn't matched up yet.
August 14, 2023
This is my first book by Becca Wilhite, but it won't be my last! I loved Desi with all my introverted, poetry-loving, library-frequenting self. I listened to the audio book, read by the author herself & thoroughly enjoyed both Desi's & Hank's posts. The poetry interspersed throughout the book was *chef's kiss* perfection. I plan to read the other books in the series ASAP.
January 5, 2023
Such a beautiful, well written story. The storyline was so wonderful. It melted my heart a little.
Hank and Desi are lovely characters whose relationship was described so well.
Honestly, I would highly recommend
Hank and Desi are lovely characters whose relationship was described so well.
Honestly, I would highly recommend
January 28, 2023
Discovering the love story of a ghost!
Chamberlain Academy contains an unusual live story between a librarian and a literature professor. More than that, it’s about two people who have difficulty communicating, and about finding the live story of another.
Chamberlain Academy contains an unusual live story between a librarian and a literature professor. More than that, it’s about two people who have difficulty communicating, and about finding the live story of another.
March 3, 2023
Heartiouchingly Beautiful
What a wonderful love story filled with humor, tension, and such beautiful words. I loved the amazing poetry throughout and the search for the Etta. The war between the real nd the imagined for love was so touching.
What a wonderful love story filled with humor, tension, and such beautiful words. I loved the amazing poetry throughout and the search for the Etta. The war between the real nd the imagined for love was so touching.
March 24, 2023
A fun You’ve Got Mail type story. Overall really liked it and the Shakespeare and poetry was a cool twist on the story. The story started to drag a little for me in the middle, but I really enjoyed the grand gesture at the end.
June 9, 2023
I listened to the audiobook and it was super cute. Fun little mystery to go along with the love story. I want to read the first two books in the series because I love the idea of Chamberlain Academy and Wanda!
May 24, 2024
Sweet Romance
I liked this story, but it took so long to read! I feel like the last half of the book was fabulous and I loved the poetry! The mystery and history parts were great! The first half kinda dragged for me.
I liked this story, but it took so long to read! I feel like the last half of the book was fabulous and I loved the poetry! The mystery and history parts were great! The first half kinda dragged for me.
January 4, 2023
I loved Hank and Desi's story! Such a fun read! Mystery, romance, and humor!
February 27, 2023
Darling book with sweet characters, a little mystery, and some fun antics. I really enjoyed this sweet, clean read.
May 21, 2023
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews