I only read Jack Harbon's story and had massive issues re conflict of interest and consent - he is his student, the professor paid him for posing nude for an art project and then they got together. I appreciate the diverse background of the MCs but the story was a fail for me.

A delightful assortment of romance short stories giving representation across the sexuality spectrum.

Thank you so much for offering a review copy of this title. I have been unable to get into this anthology and have therefore not finished it. I will leave a middling rating for it as a result.

I was a bit hesitant going into this one because I tend to not love anthologies, but wanted to give it a shot because of it's subject matter and ended up loving most of the stories.

A good collection overall--this is one of my favourite romance tropes, so I was always going to enjoy this collection, and it was good to get introduced to a range of new writers.

This book was not what I was expecting. It is at times too vague and each story has moments that contribute nothing to the narrative. Because of this I was bored and it took me forever to get through this collection.

By Virtue Fall by Kashmira Majumdar
3.75 stars

A little confusing as written, but a surprisingly atmospheric, moving story.

It took me a minute to get into the mood of the story, but once I did I was very impressed. Aside from some confusing switches in location and time jumps, the story read in an almost poetic way and I was swept away in the story. I loved the longing between the student/teacher (there is a 4 year age gap), and I really felt the emotions.

Steam: Non-existent. There is barely even a kiss on-page.

Striking Gold by S.A. James
2 stars

This was an odd little story for me. Very underdeveloped, and the teacher seemed more like a stalker than anything. I mean, they barely interacted at all and the teacher is hounding him for coffee. Weird. The mom plot line took an unexpected turn, and I thought it didn't fit with the characterization.

Steam: Moderate.

Full Marks by Asta Idonea
2.5 stars

A little bland and forgettable, I had trouble remembering this story even just after I finished it. I liked the basic set up here, but I wish we got more substance. The short story is basically 50% a sex scene (which didn't quite work for me).

Steam: Moderate-Heavy

Lessons for a Lifetime by Hudson Lin
2.5 stars

I loved that we got MCs who were POC but the story felt forced and rushed to me. Sometimes it's really hard to cram all that we want in a short story, and the timespan and amount of content that was put into this short was just too much. I wish the author had just spent more page time on the meeting and start of the relationship so I could have felt the emotion instead of spreading it too thin and focusing on trivial things later on.

Steam: I've already forgotten

Welcome to Ms Skinner’s Freshman Composition by Aila Alvina Boyd
1.5 stars

Okay, I sort of hated this one. I was excited to have an F/F book, especially one with a trans character, but I really disliked both MCs... a LOT. The professor character was petty and wildly unprofessional, and the student MC was self-involved and bratty. I didn't even like their sex scene at the end, which, of course, highlights how selfish both MCs were as people. A low point in the anthology, for me.

Steam: Moderate+

Piece of Cake by Valentine Wheeler
3.5 stars

A very nice little story about a late-in-life sexual discovery. I really enjoyed the older MCs (I was getting GILF/silver fox realness) and the diverse family of the main MCs. My only real complaint is that the story was rushed and I wanted more time spent on the discovery that he was attracted to men (it seemed abrupt). Otherwise, a success.

Steam: None

Professor Ghost by Damian Serbu
3.25 stars

A very quick, very fluffy little story with almost no romance. I was immediately intrigued and into the story, and my only real complaint is that it's very, very short. I'd read more from this author in a heartbeat.

Steam: None

Bare by Jack Harbon
3.25 stars

A hot little professor-fantasy short story for those who want to actually bang their current professor. I think that fans of contemporary romance will enjoy this one. It was fun and sexy, which is always a win for me.

A small thing that bothered me is that the MC's name is Levi Singh and he is supposed to be Muslim when literally all of the dozens of "Singhs" I've ever met have been Sikh. I guess it's possible to be Muslim with the last name of Singh, but it threw me.

Steam: Spicy

The Botanist's Apprentice by Arden Powell
4.5 stars

By FAR the best in the collection, this story is EXACTLY what I was hoping for. Plus, I got a Jewish MC *dies*. I'd read an entire book, hell, an entire SERIES by this author any day. I hope Arden Powell writes more of this historical/magical hybrids because it worked for me.

Steam: Moderate-steamy

*Anthology provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Love anthologies, and this one especially left me smiling stupidly because the short story snippets were varied and fun, and I love this genre very much. Each story packed a punch and they flowed together well, the only thing was I just wanted more of each but I'm just greedy that way. Recommended for fans of quick and sexy reads that grip and take you away from it all from the very beginning.

teacher/student is one of my favourite tropes Of All Time, so when i saw this anthology on netgalley of course i requested it at once! fave stories were full marks, bare, and the botanist's apprentice. overall i thought this was a very strong collection, with only a couple of stories i wasn't wowed by, and no stories that i actively disliked.

overall rating: 4.16, rounded up to 5 because of the botanist's apprentice, which truly was too hot, hot damn, please call the police and the fireman and to be honest you may as well bring the paramedics in as well because i am dead.

by virtue fall - kashmira majumdar
*3 stars*
this began promisingly, with tension that almost made my kindle short-circuit, but fizzled out towards the end with no pay off that lowkey wanted to make me fling my kindle across the room. not the best way to begin an anthology, but rest assured - it only gets better from here.

striking gold- s.a. james
*3.5 stars*
kinda weird writing style - conversational in a way that didn't entirely work - and the plot was improbable, but it was still an enjoyable story and the sex scene at the end was a great antidote to the last story.

full marks - asta idonea.
*5 stars*
okay now things are getting good, lads, and story does indeed get full marks from me! i loved the romantic and sexual tension, as well as the mild angst and conflict. pretty much perfect.

lessons for a lifetime - hudson lin.
*4.5 stars*
a pure and adorable story about a teacher of an adult english class and his ethopian refugee student. as well as the great development of the romance, there was also an interesting exploration of different cultural norms that i really liked.

ms. skinner's freshman composition - aila alvina boyd.
*3 stars*
this was enjoyable but a little odd when it came to characterisation; it seemed that a lot of the angst was unrealistically manufactured for the sake of conflict, and certain actions/reactions didn't seem like things people would actually do. still, i liked it, and it wasn't bad.

piece of cake - valentine wheeler.
*4.5 stars*
yet another adorable fluffy story, this time about two pensioners at a cookery class. a cute as hell premise that was executed very well!

professor ghost - damian serbu
*4 stars*
this was an unusual little story about a gay ghost from the 1940s who hangs around at uni residences and gives people the courage to come out. this story was notable in that it's the only one in which there isn't actually a romance between the 'teacher' and 'student', which may seem like it's going against the point of the whole anthology, but there was a great deal of attraction there that i think balanced it out and he was, after all, a ghost.

bare - jack harbon
*5 stars*
a shy art student named levi decides to step out of his comfort zone and model nude in a class, and everything escalates from there. the prof asks him to do some... risque photos for a project of his, and levi is all like, "cool, yeah, i'm sure this definitely won't end with some super duper hot sex." that's about all you really need to know, and to be honest, is it not enough?

the botanist's apprentice - arden powell
*7237284264274 stars*
fuck. me. UP.

i'm obsessed with dangerous plants myself, albeit non-magical, courtesy of this terrible mundane world we live in. this enhanced my enjoyment of the story, but i'm sure someone who hates plants and thinks they're the boringest thing on earth would have their minds changed by... this particularly interesting plant that mr lord-harding happens to own, and which poor little apprentice levi just happens to run afowl of. (no, it's not plant-tendril sex. although DAMN if that wouldn't have made this story even better.)

3.5 stars.

Most of us have secret crush stories, yes? Some of us more than one. The lure of the inaccessible makes the crushing part of the crush that must stronger, making the memory of such a feeling that much longer lived. How many of us have crushed on a teacher? Not that teacher? The other one. You know, from that year puberty hit. Or, the sailing instructor. Oh yeah, the comedian from remedial driving school that you had to go to because...well, that thing you do when no one is looking? Yeah, someone was looking.

The Teacher's Pet anthology from Nine Star Press includes nine of these stories from up and coming authors. The stories have unique plots, unique inciting incidents, interesting character development, and, for the most part, manage to skirt the inevitable squick that comes with an imbalance of power that would genuinely be a problem when having a teacher-student affair.

Stories of Note:

Lessons of a Lifetime by Hudson Lin is a gorgeous romance featuring an Ethiopian immigrant musician and a Canadian-born ESL teacher. This HEA touches on the cultural differences one faces when finding a new life when going back 'home' is not possible, and of understanding each other's cultural differences. Contains quiet moments of beauty. It, alone, makes this anthology worth the read.

Piece of Cake by Valentine Wheeler is the story of a widower unable to boil water without a clear set of instructions; he finds love and friendship when upon attending a cooking class. Features a bisexual father to a lesbian cisgender woman and a transgender woman, each of whom supports his affair.

The Botanist's Apprentice by Arden Powell is a mix of Rappucini's Daughter meets a young, earnest version of The Beauty and The Beast's Lumiere who meets a dashing, broken introvert who begs to be undone. Bring on magic and dangerous plants, this live-in apprenticeship can only end one way.

There were things I liked about each story. Full Marks was the story I expected the most -- a student who shows up at a reunion to pursue the teacher he'd long been in love with -- and was both sweet and touching. Bare was the story of a young man who some risks beyond his wildest dreams and is rewarded. The editors did a wonderful job picking a diverse group of stories from emerging writers.

On the minus side, some stories did a wonderful job in setting up a world, in creating conflict, only for it to fall short due to going overboard with unnecessary detail, overblown plot, releasing tension too early.

Ultimately, the anthology is an enjoyable read and contains several true gems.

Wasn't overly impressed sorry. Just wasn't for me unfortunately.

I have become a huge fan of the anthologies that NineStar Press puts out. This one is amazing. It’s a group of stories focused on the Teacher/Student relationship and it’s done in a way that doesn’t give you the ick factor of an underage student being preyed on by a teacher. Instead you get a very well rounded group of authors who give us stories from a variety of age groups. There’s a story in this collection for everyone.

My absolute favorites were: The Botanist’s Apprentice, Bare, Welcome to Ms. Skinner’s Freshman Composition and Piece of Cake.

In The Botanist’s Apprentice you are given a historical, M/M story. Not only is there a reluctant teacher with a backstory but there’s a student that is intelligent and is interested in poisonous plants and their uses. I knew that there was going to be a plant involved in getting these two together but it was delicious. I honestly want to read more about these two.

Bare, let me cool off for a second. An awkward, college art student i sstepping way out of his boundaries and volunteers as a nude model during a free spring break class one of his instructors is giving. Then he gets asked to participate in a photo shoot for the teacher later on. This was perfection. The heat level between the two, wow. It’s off the charts. It hit all my spots for a good M/M story.

Ms. Skinner’s Freshman Composition features a transgender character, male to female. She now teaches at a community college and uses the opportunity to get back to what she loves, participating in theater along with her teaching. She didn’t expect to be treated to a former student who was in her high school class before her transition. The chemistry is fiery. There’s a lot of anger and misunderstanding between the two but once they start to work with each other in the production they’re in, it gets obvious that they are attracted to each other rather than hateful to each other.

I loved this collection of stories because of the variety you go. It wasn’t all erotica, it wasn’t all young couples. There were older couples. there were couples of different cultures. It covered a wide spectrum of romances and I think that’s what appeals to me so much.

I would definitely give this one a read!

The cover and title of Teacher's Pet slightly misled me. It's a collection of nine stories by different authors, and while it looks like it might be erotica-centered, it's definitely not. It's an interesting grab-bag of sorts, serving different tastes and reaching different heat levels. I enjoyed it, as it exposed me to nine writers I'd never read before.

I particularly liked Hudson Lin's Lessons for a Lifetime, about an Ethiopian immigrant and his English teacher. I enjoyed the conversations about cultural differences and their mutual respect for one another; it was mature and sweet and the prose style fit the mood of the story perfectly. I'm currently reading Hudson Lin's novel Into Darkness and recommend that as well. Her stories seem to center around refugees or people involved in refugee work, which is an interesting and unexpected niche to have within the already-niche world of m/m.

I also loved Arden Powell's The Botanist's Apprentice. Powell is an incredibly strong writer, and the utterly beautiful prose left me eager to read more by the same author. The story also had great world-building considering its limited length.

This was overall a fun collection to dip into, and I recommend it.

Actual rating: 3.5*
My rating isn't as high as I wish I could give it because there were a couple of stories which left me feeling a little underwhelmed. One of which I actually couldn't make sense of so I had to skip it. For the stories that I did read and thoroughly enjoyed, I would give this a 4.5/5 star rating, but unfortunately I feel I have to take into consideration everything that this book has to offer. It wasn't that the stories themselves were bad, it was more that the topic in question (a ghost????) was just not for me. I couldn't wrap my head around it - but I have no doubts that someone else would thoroughly enjoy this. The writing was brilliant in the story, it's just a simple case of "it's not you, it's me".

This book is an anthology of student/teacher romances on a wide spectrum - college teachers to part time teachers and it really does offer a really good, interesting range of people who fall in love at the 'wrong time'. I really appreciated the lack of typical structure for this and found that the mixture of people and the things that they taught kept the stories alive and differentiated one from the next. I also really enjoyed the variety of students that appeared throughout - there were people ranging from a refugee to the typical bad boy, and that was a really interesting angle to take and not one that is commonly seen with books of this nature, so that was definitely a win for me!

The stories, though short, really packed a punch. Each of them fit a lot into their short span and not once did I feel like something was lacking or that something just didn't quite hit the mark. The stories were each crafted in an irresistible way which got me truly invested in the characters as soon as I started reading, so I definitely have to give it some massive thumbs up for that! I often find that with shorter stories I struggle to get invested in the characters because there just isn't enough time for me to do so, but this gave me the opportunity to get my teeth well and truly sunk into the plots, characters and their happenings. The writing throughout was also faultless; it didn't feel rushed or unedited, and each of the stories fit together brilliantly as if they were all happening on the same universe but at different times. The different styles flowed together excellently and jumping from one story into another didn't feel jarring. This is an excellently crafted anthologies with some fantastic stories!

I would recommend this for anyone that needs a good quick, enjoyable, gripping but extremely steamy story to enjoy! I read this on my commute and I thoroughly enjoyed it for that - it made an otherwise boring journey extremely enjoyable.