Brigham Vaughn

A sweet geek and his kinky tutor: someone's about to learn their lesson ... When chemistry teacher Neil Greene gets an unexpected delivery at Pendleton High, he's mortified when his fellow teacher and crush sees the contents that hint at the adventurous love life he's dying to explore. Curious but inexperienced, Neil has no idea how to live out his fantasies until the hot lit teacher offers a helping hand. Alexander Ford likes to be in charge in the bedroom and he's happy to tutor Neil in all things naughty. But when Neil asks him to pretend to be his date for the Sweetheart's Game at Pendleton Bay's Love Fest, Neil may be the one teaching Alexander about love.

A Small Town Kinky M/M Romance

Date in a Pinch

Lauren Sullivan

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[fear of homophobia, shame around sexual desires (hide spoiler)]

Every once in a while I get in a mood for a cozy small town m/m romance, so when I got a book for the second book in this series, I jumped on the chance to read this one as well.

Neil loves his new job as the chemistry teacher at the high school in his home town, but he’s embarrassed about how tongue-tied he is around Alexander, the handsome English teacher. Even more so when he accidentally opens a package in front of him that reveals he’s wanting to explore his kinkier side. Alexander offers to help teach him, but is clear that he’s not looking for anything more than some fun. But as time passes and the men grow closer, will Alexander’s past prevent them from having the relationship they both want?

“Ooh.” Neil rubbed his hands together as he knelt in front of Alexander’s trunk. “I know it isn’t until next week, but this is like Christmas morning for me right now.”
Alexander chuckled as he took a seat on the floor beside him. “Your enthusiasm is adorable.”

Neil and Alexander are just so cute together, even from the beginning. Initially, Alexander doesn’t want anything more than a play partner, and teaching Neil how to be a good sub sounds like a lot of – temporary – fun. Alexander’s last sub wanted more than he could give, so he’s gun-shy about running into the same issue with Neil. They start out with a very transactional sort of relationship, but as the weeks pass, the lines between them begin to blur. Alexander was very clear on his boundaries, so when he starts doing things like inviting Neil to brunch and sitting next to him during lunch, Neil’s not sure what to think. But it’s clear that they both enjoy spending time with each other, and make each other happier.

“Neil, who took everything Alexander gave him and somehow returned it tenfold. More joy, more pleasure, more of what had been missing from Alexander’s life for so long.”

Neil’s delightfully sweet and obedient. It’s very much the sweeter side of BDSM, but that doesn’t mean it’s low heat. I love how well they communicated as well, both before, during and after the scenes. There’s not excess of drama or angst, just the perfect amount to counteract the absolute sweetness of the two of them. I was a little worried about how things would work as they are coworkers, but the principal had no issues with them dating, and frankly, everyone in Pendleton seemed to be rooting for them to get together, including Neil’s family. There’s a particularly funny – and sweet – scene where they basically have to play the newlywed game with each other, with Neil’s mother acting as the MC.

Overall, this was a sweet and low angst small town romance, and I’m looking forward to the next book starring Alexander’s friend.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Neon Rainbow. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Date in a Pinch A Small Town Kinky M/M Romance

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