Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella

 

Andrew Parish is ready to graduate. Years of study and preparation have led to a commencement ceremony and the chance to finally begin law school. It also means Andrew can finally make a move on Dr. Levi McCrea. Andrew’s had a crush on the man since the first time he took one of his classes and that crush has blossomed into full blown lust. But Levi is notorious for being elusive with students and would never consider being unprofessional enough to date one. Which is why Andrew has waited until graduation — he’s no longer Levi’s student. Now he has to convince the man of his dreams to take a risk and embrace the possibility of love.

Commencement is one of those novellas that doesn’t have much of a storyline or well developed characters. It’s basically a hot for teacher porn with only the vague semblance of a plot. But you know exactly what you’re getting when you go into it and I appreciated that Commencement didn’t try to dress itself up as something it’s not.

The hot sexy times are just fine and if that’s what you’re looking for, then you won’t be disappointed. I’ve never been a huge fan of the the whole teacher/student romance trope, but the author does a decent job of making the situation somewhat believable. I’d like to say that Levi plays hard to get but he doesn’t. Andrew doesn’t have to work too hard to pursue him and I think their relationship plays out as you’d expect from there. There’s nothing here that’s going to surprise most readers and that’s fine because, again, you know what you’re getting with Commencement. I would have preferred there was a bit more development of Andrew and Levi’s relationship, just so there was a little more structure to their romance. But there is a good explanation given as to how Levi and Andrew know one another and the circumstances surrounding their liaison.

My main frustration with Commencement is the engineered misunderstanding that developed between Andrew and Levi. It’s so blatantly wedged in that it neither works well or has real purpose. I don’t know if it was intended to somehow legitimize the fact they were actually a couple and not just having sex, or if the author felt that it added to their character growth. Regardless, it’s just awkward and grinds the natural pacing of the story to a halt.

If you want a complex storyline with deeply rendered characters, then Commencement probably isn’t going to work for you. But if you’re looking for an easy, fluffy read with a hot for teacher theme, then check out Commencement. It’s perfect for a spring break read or if you’re headed to the beach.