Teach Me (There's Something About Marysburg Book 1)

Teach Me by Olivia Dade is the first story in her new romantic comedy series set in the fictional town of Marysburg, with everyday people taking a chance on love.For Rose Owens, teaching world history at Marysburg high school is the joy in her life that keeps her going after a disastrous marriage that threatened to rob her of her self confidence. She's learned to keep her real feelings about things to herself and always portray a polite, friendly but distant demeanor. This has worked especially well with the misogynistic senior school administrator Dale who knows her poorer upbringing and never hesitates to flaunt that knowledge. Well, now he's gone and thrown another wrench into her carefully ordered life, by bringing in another teacher and giving the new guy some of her favorite classes. It won't just impact Rose, it will also impact the students who would have followed her onto higher level classes, and ultimately the funding for that education. It's a blow to Rose, but one she's determined to keep hidden.For Martin Krause, a job teaching history at Marysburg high is a blessing, keeping him close to his daughter Bea who had moved to Marysburg with his ex-wife before she figures out which college she'll go to next fall. His new colleague Rose is somewhat chilly towards him, though it's not until later in the term that he realizes the full extent of the rug that was pulled out from under her when he got some of the classes she would normally be teaching. Still, she's an unfailingly polite and helpful colleague as he learns his way around the school and the students.Martin is attracted to Rose but it's quickly evident that she's not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship other than a professional one. Yet, when Martin gets sick, it's Rose who comes to his rescue. And the woman she is when her guard is down is funny, sarcastic, and wholly charming. Martin's never been a Lothario – most people think he's staid and boring. But Rose is able to draw out his quietly humorous side too and seems to appreciate him just the way he is once she gets to know him. Can this mid-forties couple, burned at love the first time around, get a second chance together?This is a delightful read from start to finish. You feel empathy for both Rose and Martin in the situation that makes them colleagues, for better or worse. Rose can't show her real feelings about Martin having been given her favorite classes to teach – she knows it's a way for Dale to try to stick it to her for her having rebuffed his personal advances and she knows it's not Martin's fault that he's been put in the middle. So she aims to be professional though it's not long before Martin's friendly overtures start to break down her defenses. As for Martin, he feels equally bad when he discovers Dale's manipulations but he needs the job and he is a really good history teacher. As much as he is able, he'll try to make sure that Rose's students aren't the losers in this situation as he can see how much they mean to her and the lengths she'll go to to give them the chances to excel.As Rose and Martin get to know each other as workplace colleagues, certain circumstances come about that help them see each other in a more personal light. They both have experienced heartache and emotional bullying, in Martin's case from his father and brother and in Rose's case from her ex-husband. It's made them wary of putting themselves out there to get hurt, yet Martin is brave enough to take that chance first. Eventually Rose can't resist his slow but persistent wooing. They share some very sexy love scenes and intimate conversations but Rose insists on keeping their relationship quiet, not wanting to give Dale more fodder to harass her. In contrast, Martin wants the woman he's with to be as proud of him as he is of her. It makes things a bit rocky for them but Rose soon realizes she'll have to be willing to put her heart out there or she could lose Martin for good.There's so much to enjoy about this romance. Older 'real' feeling characters of realistic body sizes; Martin's evolving relationship with his soon to be adult daughter Bea; Rose's delightful relationship with her in-laws who treat her a far sight better than her ex-husband ever did and didn't abandon her in the divorce; the school environment and Rose's relationship with her students; laughs and tears as Rose and Martin realize just how good they could be together. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

I think that Teach Me is my favorite book of 2019 so far. Midway through it, I kept getting distracted by whom I was going to recommend it to. I really want everyone I know to read this. I work in a high school, and I was just blown away by the education competence pr0n and the sensitive portrayal of students' and teachers' daily realities. Maybe the Marysburg high school setting is a somewhat idealized portrait of secondary education, but, you know, that just fulfills the comfort quotient we look for in a romance novel. Goodness knows, the villain was neither unrealistic, exaggerated, nor less than horrible, so the wonderful supporting characters in this novel were doubly delightful. However, when all is said and done, Teach Me is a romance, and though the pedagogish stuff initially sucked me in, the personalities and relationships of the main characters are what ultimately entranced me.Rose Owens is cool and self-contained within her bulwark of emotional defenses. She is bigger than life in every sense, as a woman, as an ultra-professional colleague, and as a kick sass teacher. I almost wanted to be a disaffected teen again so she could teach me AP US History. Almost. Rose is the perfect antidote to every submissive, wobbly, or TSTL heroine you've ever encountered. It's just amazing watching Ms. Owens learn to accept risk, embrace commitment and evolve into an equally incredible lover in this novel.And Martin Krause--sigh. Martin is the best beta book boyfriend ever. He doesn't need muscles on his muscles to convey his inner strength or protect his lady. What he has in lavish plenty is the ability to pay attention, and that quality becomes the ultimate in sexiness in Dade's able hands. He is attracted to Rose from their first meeting and from that moment truly sees her. His pursuit is gentle and perceptive, but it definitely is a pursuit. Such a shock when his quarry responds forthrightly and he momentarily becomes the pursued. But one of the main pleasures of this book is watching the back and forth as the protagonists figure each other out and their acquaintance grows into collegiality, friendship, and then so much more.Rose and Martin have some significant commonalities. Both are intelligent and witty under seemingly severe facades. Both are skilled and dedicated teachers. Both have pasts that caused them considerable pain and both are slow to share the details of their personal histories with others. Both have understandable trust issues that need to be navigated in order to reach their well-earned HEA. Both lack a vast personal support system, a condition which makes them emotionally cautious, though they each have delightful family members who love them. (And said family members--Rose's ex-in-laws, Annette and Albert, and Martin's teen daughter, Bea--are a major pleasure of this novel.) Finally, both Rose and Martin are true grown-ups who demonstrate mind-blowing adulting and communication skills. What got to me most though was the way each reinforced the other's strengths and provided support in times of weakness by actively working to do so.If the best kind of romance involves wonderful yet realistically imperfect characters who, together, make each other better, Teach Me is definitely the best of the best. And, oh, the heat! This novel may be slow burn, but I guarantee your page turning fingers will have blisters before you're finished. Furthermore, and this is important to me, it's all about the chemistry between these two individuals; Rose and Martin are always their hottie selves and never turn into generic sex-bots in order to insert (hur) some predetermined number of sex scenes into the story.Although Teach Me doesn't make diversity a central theme, certain issues--mostly gender related--are addressed in the course of the story. There are references to toxic masculinity in several forms, sexual harassment, gender identity, and body image. All are well integrated into the story, jargon free, and not didactic, yet each is vitally relevant to the experience of those involved in the education system at any level including the personal. Dade succeeds in making these concerns an integral and accepted part of her characters' lives, a response that I wish I saw more of in daily life. Dade also reverses some common tropes without retaining the more irritating elements of those tropes. Details would be spoilery, but the big reconciliation scene is a not-to-be-missed gem.To be honest, I tried reading Olivia Dade's librarian series and couldn't get past the initial novella and maybe a quarter of the first novel. I've already purchased a couple of the later ones in hope that they'll approach the five star excellence of Teach Me. I mention this in case others may have had similar negative reactions, and need encouragement to take a chance on her latest novel. Also the cover totally doesn't do the contents justice. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for any reader who likes their romances witty, original, and genuine.Update: Looks like a new cover. I like it.

As a teacher, I love reading romances that feature teachers. The school parts were accurate and the love story was beautiful. I typically prefer alpha males in my romance novels, but I adore Martin. Olivia Dade is a favorite of mine and this one just might be her best book yet!

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶🌶This was a really cute story. There were only like two spicy scenes, so if you're coming for spice, don't expect a lot. The spice is good, but there just isn't a lot of it.I love the plus-size representation in this book. Yes, we plus-size girls are super sexy and desirable. They do a lot of feeling their feelings in this book, which is welcomed and something I see more of in modern romance. I think for the most part they set a really good example of a healthy couple.Maybe it's because this is a school-based setting, but there were like 10-15 words and phrases in this book I had never seen in my life. I consider myself pretty well-read, but I would have to come back to this book with a dictionary for some of these.

I have enjoyed Olivia Dade's books for the last few months. The main characters are flawed in a relatable way, and the build is enough of a back and forth to keep me turning the pages without feeling too frustrated. Her female characters own their space and are self aware and feel modern and real. Also love that the characters are middle-aged as opposed to the more traditional historical romance featuring a barely-an-adult heroine matched with someone who is old enough to be their father. If you are looking for a light and lusty escape for your next long flight or rainy afternoon after another disappointing online dating experience, I recommend this or the other Olivia Dade series.

I adore this book so much! I loved the characters, Rose, and Martin, I love how she write her fat protagonist, and how the main characters are in their 40's, which is amazing. The story felt so real, and I love (except the exes, and Dale) all the characters. All in all, this was a cute, non toxic, romance book, and as a fat woman myself, I approve of this book. I can't wait to read the second, and third book from the series.

I’m wary about reading older women stories as some authors have a tendency to make women over 40 old but I was pleasantly surprised in this as Rose at 42 is not portrayed that way.There was so much in this sweet read that I liked. I enjoyed reading about their day to day school prep and teaching and I especially found the figurative erasure interesting and very thought provoking.And weren’t they so adorable passing notes in school.I loved the kindness and respect everyone had for each other bar one jerk but isn’t there always one! It was heartwarming to see as our world has become so unkind and disrespectful of others. They both had hurts and fears but eventually overcame them. This was slow burn but when the got down to it it was hot 🔥This was a delightful, charming second chance at love for two lonely people not looking for love but finding it anyway 💕

This is my second Olivia Dade book and I will be reading many more! Her characters are human and emotionally intelligent and so real. Her prose is gorgeous. I loved the vulnerability of Martin and his ultimate strength. I adored Rose's story and admit to shedding some tears at the telling as well as any time there was any kind of student -teacher appreciation. The love story played out so naturally. I really fell for these characters.

I inhaled this exquisite escape into intelligent and moving romance in a day; with fantastic and complex characters, it is beautifully written and resonant. I loved it so much.

Unpopular opinion alert. 1.5 stars, maybe? I was initially attracted to this book by the two more mature MCs, and it started off OK. Two teachers who fall for each other. It certainly wasn't the DREADFUL COVER that appealed. Ugh! I HATE the crude and unappealing image on the cover.The concept of the story was fine, but the more I read, sadly the more bored I became. I liked the H OK, but the h with her obsession of wearing only black clothes started to get a little tedious. She was also a BBW type woman (plus size), which is not my fav to read in my escapist romance reading, although not a dealbreaker. But I found her black-only clothes thing a little silly, and it was hard to like her character. I mean, come on, she's 40+, not a teen.The teaching references and descriptions were very US-centric, and for an Australian, the repeated references to tests, systems etc with which I'm not familiar did not make a lot of sense. I did not feel connected with this aspect of the book. There was a mildly amusing scene at a professional development session when the MCs were secretly playing bingo under the table with all of the jargon words the presenter was using. I could relate to that one.When we eventually got to the big sex scene, IMO it was poorly written. Here, the writing style did not seem to fit with the rest of the book. And when he suddenly "ate her out" Eek! What a horrible term! That turned me right off.I guess I got about two thirds of the way through when I just decided not to waste my time anymore. This author is just not for me. And, another one bites the dust......