Temptation (Hunted)

Let me begin my review by saying I’m not usually into the student/professor romance genre. I’ve only read one other, but happened to love it, so I figured I would give this a shot when Ivy emailed me with an offer to read her book. I cannot express how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to read and review her book because I loved it. I could not put this book down and I went through some serious emotions throughout the entire story line. I will be honest I have very conflicting feelings about the two main characters. Let me start off with Penny. Penny is a 19 year old sophomore in college and starts off sweet, but works herself into an indecisive nut that I just want to shake and yell, “Smarten up!”(As previously mentioned, I went through a roller coaster of emotions). Penny is trying to get over a guy she was intimate with the previous semester, although he didn’t like to put titles on relationships, so they weren’t boyfriend/girlfriend. One day, while leaving a coffee shop she runs into a gorgeous stranger who turns out to be her communications professor. Professor Hunter is unlike Penny’s previous man in so many ways. He is a very assertive man and I will admit I love me a good Alpha and trust me Professor Hunter does not disappoint. He’s dominant, sexy, smart, and intense; all the things that make this girl swoon. To make a long story short they tried to separate but just couldn’t resist each other, and so begins the on again off again relationship. The sex scenes in the book are pretty damn steamy. There are enticing secrets which keep you hooked! I don’t want to give away the entire book, however, I can tell you it’s definitely worth the read! I just never wanted the book to end and when it did, with a cliff hanger I might add, it left me dying in anticipation. I just can’t wait to continue the rest of her series! The first book in this series was outstanding, I personally loved it. Purchase this book, you will not be dissatisfied! Oh and once again thank you Ivy for writing an awesome series and reaching out to me!

This was pretty good. An easy straight forward read, nothing ground breaking. The main characters were only okay for me. The FMC Penny is young (19 yo) and acts like it. She makes messy choices often and has poor communication skills. All things you expect at that age. Just unsure if that’s something I enjoy it in the main characters I read. Professor Hunter is mysterious and broody. He has pretty crappy communication skills for his age and career. Tyler was an odd one, he was into Penny, but it felt surface level only and there was the whole forcing himself on her at the party. Was he likable or was he douche-y, I couldn’t decide. The best friend Melissa was half self absorbed and half a good friend. I sort of expected her to turn out to be a backstabbing crappy friend bc her character was just a little off to me. What best friend contacts the ex boyfriend that ghosted your bestie and broke her heart and then forces your bestie on a date with him? It felt off, I was half expecting Melissa to be hooking up with the ex or something, it was a weird situation. Why not just have the characters run in to each other out one night and then they could have the same big blow up where Penny finally stands up for herself. Would have felt more organic and less forced. There were some other parts that were hard to believe as well, like that her professor would pick her up, drop her off and kiss her right in front of her dorm and it seemed like it was no big deal. I mean when I was in college there were ppl coming and going from the dorms at all hours, ppl were just always around. The idea that no one ever saw them just didn’t seem believable. Why not just have them in an apartment or a house somewhere off campus? That to me would have been way more believable than all that happening at the dorms. Then the break up at the end also felt forced, I mean what the heck, he’s married and she’s his student, how and why is the deal breaker for him that she 19 not 21 or that she didn’t tell him right away, they had only been together a couple weeks and known each other around a month. It was like the break up was a cliffhanger intended to get the reader to move in to the next book. Bc there was already a 3rd act break up and then this break up at the end, it just felt unnecessary. As I’m writing this review I’m realizing there were quite a few parts that were not believable or felt forced to fit the plot, when they could have been more organic and believable. Which is probably why I wasn’t feeling super invested with the characters. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a horrible read by any means, it was entertaining and I will definitely continue on to the next book.

That was such a great book. I love a good age gap and I didn’t realize it was a series about the same couple now on to the next book to see what happens with Penny and James and don’t forget poor Tyler how does he fit in.

first off, the cliffhangar annoyed me. Then I thought okay maybe the other one is the sequel...but then I learn there is three more books to this story. While I did enjoy the story to a point, I dont want to be invested into James and Penny for four books. So my review.... I initially loved the concept of Irresistible Professor and student. Some parts of it had me impatient, like more time should've been spent on Penny & James and not so much the other characters. Basically they just had sex, she grilled him about his past and that's pretty much about it. Even as a confused 19 yr old, she got too emotionally invested in his past without even knowing him. I wish we got to see more development between them but I guess that's in the sequel books. One reason I won't be reading the others is the 50SoG vibe ooozing from the characters, even the annoying best friend and whipped Tyler. I just can't with that, too much stories incorporate something of the sort nowadays. James did not need to be filthy rich, nor did he need to own a country club, buy her a wardobe and live in a penthouse. The story really lost me there. With a life that, how easy to leave his teaching job if caught. I'd love to read about a struggling James after their forbidden affair blows up, and her colllege career as well. My slightly negative review does not impact the author's writing. It's a well written part of a story

I was hooked right away. I couldn’t stop reading it, it honestly only took me less than a day to read. Had me on my toes!

I stepped away from reading for quite awhile couldn’t find anything that kept my attention especially being a series I had my doubts at first but THIS! WOW! This whole series is AMAZING!!! As soon I finished the first book I bought the next two and I devoured them, in a crazy fast time (currently waiting on book 4 and mad at myself for not getting it all to begin with. I will absolutely get book 5 when it’s released). This story hooks you right in, keeps you on your toes and wanting to read more. I literally could not put them down. Very descriptive sexual scenes that almost made me feel embarrassed to read but I couldn’t stop it was so enticing. (Keep your S.O close you’ll want them after some of the parts 😉) Each book got better and better. Reading as the characters developed i could feel the hurt as they went through it. Just beyond what I was initially expecting and so glad I picked this up. I can’t say enough good things about this (now if only the last books would hurry up so I can finish). The author did a great job keeping me invested and wanting more. I did notice a few grammatical mistakes but don’t even care these are just amazing. Will be looking into more by this author her writing style really grabs me where I was looking.

Temptation by Ivy Smoak is a well-written romance with interesting characters and a smooth, readable style, though it didn’t fully meet my expectations by the end. The story centres on Penny, a college student navigating her coursework alongside complicated romantic feelings. After meeting James and feeling an instant connection, she soon learns he is her professor, which shifts the dynamic entirely. At the same time, Penny is dealing with uncertainty surrounding Tyler, a classmate she likes but doesn’t fully understand after a misunderstanding. These overlapping relationships create tension, but the storyline begins to feel repetitive as the book progresses. Penny is not an unkind character, but her indecisiveness can be frustrating. Her choices often hurt people she cares about, and while this may be intentional character development tied to her age, it made her difficult to connect with at times. James fits the familiar romance archetype; confident, intense, and drawn to Penny but I found him emotionally distant, which made it harder to feel invested in their relationship. One of the strongest aspects of this book is the author’s writing. Scene transitions are seamless, the pacing is easy to follow, and the story flows well from beginning to end. However, the overall length and lack of resolution left me disappointed. The book ends on a cliffhanger without providing enough closure to feel satisfying on its own. I rated Temptation 3.75 out of 5. If you enjoy romance with strong chemistry, dramatic tension, and cliffhanger endings that lead into the next book, this may be a good fit. Readers looking for a more complete, self-contained story may want to keep that in mind before starting.

I found this book on my facebook page and it was free so I took a chance. I wanted so bad to like the story. The idea was one that appealed to me. James is a college professor and his student is Penny. She has only been with one other man and he treated her like crap after getting what he wanted. James is gorgeous 27 year old mature adult. It's one of the things that attracts Penny. Her roommate, Melissa, tries to encourage her to get out more but because of Austin (ex) she thinks poorly of herself and being hurt again. The other character worth mentioning is Tyler. He is in her class with Professor Hunter. It's important I bring up the name professor Hunter as several pages in the book are riddled with it. It was one of the biggest problems I had with the delivery of this, "adult couple." This is a 19 almost 20 year old woman who falls for the teacher. You are pulled to sympathize with Penny. How she has been wronged by an immature man and Tyler who also came acrossed as only wanted one thing at first. So why even after the pair have been together several times is she still calling him as a student addressing a teacher instead of James? I guess it is meant to appear sexy and forbidden but for me it kept reminding me of how immature Penny sounded. The next thing that bothered me was apparently this girls wardrobe consisted of nothing but tank tops. Seriously it was like groundhogs day with Bill Murray all over again. Different day a different tank top. It was like the author had no imagination. I just want to sayagain the idea was wonderful it was in the delivery that made it crash. Another poorly thought out idea was that performs oral on her twice and it is the following day he asks if she has any STD's. I guess you only worry if it's your junk unprotected. This is also a man that later admits he has been with over 15 women from his college years wouldn't you think in order to keep himself clean he would go to greater lengths to protect himself. He had to notice her inexperience. Usually in books I tend to favor the h. I know that sounds sexist but I find that I am harder on my H in most books. It was not the case with this one. Penny was such an immature idiot. For all that she preached of wanting a man and not a boy she herself was adolescent. I could not see why a successful man almost 8 years older would choose such a weak and confused person. Burnt once in love that changed the course of his life it is so confusing what he is attracted to. She's into James, no wait she is going out with her ex Austin. She's pep talking to herself in the mirror so she doesn't jump back into bed with Austin. She's into James, no Tyler asks her out, James is a man, Tyler is sweet, James is mature, Tyler is gorgeous, she makes love to James in his house and things are great but wait while in the shower Penny finds something James has kept hidden. A shocker but a real adult would not jump to conclusion without hearing his side and refuse to talk to him for a week. She would not so freely be willing to jump in bed with Tyler, would she? One conversation two or three sentences are formed by James to explain what happened and her mood totally switches. If Melissa had not walked in she would have followed through with Tyler. At one point she is giving a speech about why she chose her major and flips out and runs from the room. James tracks her down to question what happened because he thought she was happy. Her reasoning and approach was so high school temper tantrum, not to mention how she hurts Tyler. Irresponsible and again made one question what was it James saw in her. The last thing I will mention is the secret she keeps that causes the separation at the end that causes the cliffhanger; because she finally chooses to be totally honest and this is what would push him away. Not all of her ridiculous behavior but when she finally tries to behave like an adult, that's irony for you. I hate to bring this up but I also felt like key points were ones I read in Fifty Shades. I'm not in anyway saying she stole them as they are different just reminiscent of ones I remember from that series. This is not BDSM though. I would like to say that I did laugh when Penny hid under the desk at lunch time, that was priceless. I can't see myself carrying on with the series, wish I could tho. I hope with future work she creates stronger characters that are more mature and know what they want and are not back and forth. Now, why she did not actually cheat on James the fact that it was clear that her feelings were for what was what was in his pants, ironically enough it's what she resented Austin about. That was my only conclusion when she could so easily just blow James off and go for Tyler and even look at Tyler the way she did was not consistent with a woman that was supposed to be falling for James.