2.5 stars rounded up. The setup for this book seemed right up my alley, and I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, but I just couldn't really get into this one. I like class differences, heroes from the streets, heroines who care about others, writers, teachers, children in supporting roles, etc. This could have easily been 4 stars for me. But the character growth and plotline were simplistic, and the dialogue seemed very trite. I wish readers/editors had just pushed back/questioned the author a bit more through her writing process, I think several things could have been made stronger with some further reconsideration. It might have tightened the whole things up and made it feel a bit more believable. Both of the main characters seemed less than adult in their decision making, emotional maturity (double for the heroine), and dedication to their work. I ended up liking the hero decently despite that, but the heroine seemed so childish that it kind of put me off her. This book is definitely higher than average steam, which is a plus for me, but is definitely something potential readers should have a heads up about. I will say sometimes an author's attempt at dirty talk can be sort of comical, but I thought she totally pulled it off here.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. ( )