Professor Valentine: A Student-Teacher Contemporary Romance Novella (Kirk University Series Book 1) by Diana Vale – Review by Dani Dando

Professor Valentine: A Student-Teacher Contemporary Romance Novella by Diana Vale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was younger, I used to love the whole student-teacher romance thing. Thought it was really hot and taboo (which made it hotter) and of course, and I couldn’t get enough of them. Back then, of course, I wasn’t married to a teacher. For some reason, this little fact has changed the way I see these books, or at least this one because I’ll admit I haven’t read one in a while, and instead of hot sexiness I was cringing something fierce.
I will admit though that, as student-teacher romances go, this is written really well and packs a small punch in the short space it’s given. It could have been a little longer in my opinion, simply so that the characters could be explored a little more, and their interactions could have had more space to breathe. At times I felt that their relationship was rushed, and while Cassie was all up for it, I thought that Vale could have made more of Diego’s reluctance and caution.
So, Cassie is a student studying psychology at University. There she meets none other than Diego, the unbelievably sexy, recently divorced lecturer who is attracted to Cassie against his better judgment. They do have chemistry, it is evident from the get-go, my only issue is that you don’t really get to know why. I know that sounds daft, but given the shortness of the story, you don’t really get a chance to explore that and understand why out of all the students Diego would have seen and come across, Cassie is different.
Honestly, though I feel like I can’t judge appropriately anymore because this genre has been ruined for me a little bit, all I found myself doing was scoffing at Diego’s unprofessionalism which might get some people going, but it doesn’t really light my fire if you know what I mean. I just kept screaming at Diego that he was the adult in the scenario and should act accordingly, which I don’t think is what Vale had in mind when she wrote this.
This is written from Cassie’s perspective and I think Vale gets the character spot on. There is an innocence to her and a vulnerability which I think is perfectly written, for both her age and situation. It’s a shame that younger me couldn’t have found this because I probably would have adored it and spent my time fantasizing about my own Diego. Anyone that loves the taboo romances that are steamy and sizzling with sexual tension, then this is for you.

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