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"A warm romance that bursts with realism and celebrates the symbiotic power of love and healing.”―Entertainment Weekly #1 LibraryReads Pick Indie Next Pick One daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down. When her flailing department lands on the university's chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost. Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career. Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.
"A warm romance that bursts with realism and celebrates the symbiotic power of love and healing.”―Entertainment Weekly #1 LibraryReads Pick Indie Next Pick One daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down. When her flailing department lands on the university's chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost. Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career. Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Excerpts-
From the cover
One
The student in the fourth row glanced left then right as his friends stared in other directions and the bravado drained from his face. My question still hanging in the air, he muttered, “I don’t know.”
I itched to call him out for not doing the reading, then texting during class. Disengaged students didn’t usually bother me this much, but it had been a long semester and I was tired of this room. Someone crinkled a bag of chips a few rows back, and the clock on the wall ticked away. The ticking brought back a flash of memory, but I pushed it aside.
Not now.
His expensive-looking shoes caught my eye. Boat shoes. They coordinated with his plaid shorts, polo shirt, and sunglasses pushed into blond hair styled just so. I needed to check my roster to confirm his name; it was Quinton or Quenton or something equally preppy. I planned to add looking him up to my to-do list when I got back to the office.
“We’ve covered several theories. Tell us how the study of social learning can be applied to communication on social media.” I hoped he might contribute something, anything, to renew my faith in the modern American college student.
Instead, Quinton or Quenton leaned back and repeated, “I don’t know, Dr. Turner. Um . . . there are a lot of ways because of . . . um . . . the social connection.” Pen in hand, he glanced down at his “notes”—a blank sheet of paper in front of him—as if this answer should appease me.
That wasn’t even a good nonsense answer. C’mon, man.
I stepped back to address the auditorium, pulling at the hem of my loose cardigan.
“Turn to a partner and discuss three ways we could apply these traditional theories of learning to social media.” Chairs squeaked and groaned as students shifted, and voices rose.
I knew better than to judge a student so harshly based on his appearance. A penchant for Top-Siders and sherbet-colored shirts didn’t influence his intellectual ability. Quinton or Quenton would either surprise me by acing the final or he’d fail the exam spectacularly in a blaze of styling gel.
I knew this, but mostly I was still annoyed by his stupid shoes.
***
Joe, my department chair, waved to me when I stepped into the hall after class. “Naya, do you have a minute?”
We took the flight of creaking stairs to our floor, where a sign with the words “The Center for Learning” etched into an ancient and scuffed plaque greeted us. The home of my specialty—math education—shared the cramped space with faculty from English and social studies education. What was left of the elementary education department took up the half of the floor above us that wasn’t unusable because of water damage.
Originally constructed in 1917, the structure could best be described as decrepit. The faded, chipped paint and worn carpet were a good metaphor for our diminishing funding as the institution increasingly focused on preparing students to go into business and engineering.
When we emerged from the dim stairwell, our department secretary’s efficient voice followed us down the hall. “No, you want the campus childcare center. This is the Center for Learning . . . I’ll transfer you.”
I wondered how many times a week she answered that same question. Dr. Anita Kline, a senior professor, was a national leader in the study of early-childhood math development and...
About the Author-
Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD in education, going on to work in higher education. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her husband, son, and two ornery shih-tzus who think they own the house.
Reviews-
Starred review from August 3, 2020 Williams debuts with a quirky, delightful rom-com. Since ending things with an abusive partner, Professor Naya Turner has poured all her energy into her job at Thurmond University, so it’s a wake-up call when her position is placed on the chopping block. Realizing she needs to “get a life,” she devises a to-do list with items including “stand up for myself, take risks, let someone else get me to orgasm” and “trust a man again.” When Naya’s friends bail on a night out at the last minute, she meets charming, pun-loving Jake Shaw and they share a night of spontaneous adventures that ends in Jake’s hotel room—where Naya promptly throws up. Despite the vomit, one night is not enough for Jake, who reaches out for more, leading to a relationship that’s equal parts sugar and spice. But with Naya’s abusive ex back in town, Naya’s lingering trauma puts a wedge in her relationship with Jake. Complicating things further, the dean of Thurmond University hires Jake’s consulting firm to determine which departments to cut, putting Naya’s career in his hands. Through the subsequent ups and downs, Jake remains an empathetic and swoon-worthy hero. Jam-packed with laugh-out-loud banter and heart-fluttering romance, this is a knockout. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC.
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