This book has an intriguing premise, blending forbidden romance and emotional vulnerability. However, the romance between Rowan and Julian feels rushed, and their chemistry lacks depth. Rowan’s naivety is frustrating at times, and Julian’s internal conflict is underexplored, making key moments less impactful.

While it’s a quick read with potential, the underdeveloped characters and lack of emotional intensity leave much to be desired.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. It started off really strongly with the forbidden romance and the yearning and pining. However, it really lost me after that. I found the plot to be unbelievable and some of the writing amateurish. I wanted to like it more than I did.

Rachel Tork’s The Lines We Cross is a beautifully written, emotionally charged romance that explores themes of grief, ambition, and forbidden love. With its slow-burning tension, richly developed characters, and an immersive academic setting, this novel is a poignant and heartfelt journey that will captivate readers from the very first page.

Plot & Emotional Depth
The story follows Rowan Evans, a passionate graduate student at Grandview University’s School of Music, whose carefully laid plans are upended when she discovers that her new advisor is none other than Dr. Julian Lynch—the enigmatic man who once offered her comfort on the anniversary of her sister’s death. What begins as a professional relationship quickly becomes entangled in unspoken feelings and undeniable chemistry, creating a simmering tension that neither of them can ignore.

Julian, a renowned musical prodigy from Scotland, is a man bound by ethics and responsibility, but Rowan’s presence challenges his carefully maintained self-control. Their growing attraction reaches a turning point on a snowy December night, leading to a moment of passion that forces them to confront the boundaries they’ve crossed—and the consequences that follow.

Tork deftly balances the weight of Rowan’s unresolved grief and personal growth with the ethical complexities of their relationship. The novel explores the delicate line between desire and duty, as Rowan and Julian navigate the risks of their forbidden love amidst the pressures of academia and their own emotional baggage.

Characters & Relationships
Rowan is a strong, relatable protagonist, driven by ambition yet haunted by loss. Her journey of healing and self-discovery is compelling, and her dynamic with Julian is both tender and fraught with tension. Julian, for his part, is a complex and layered character—brooding yet compassionate, wrestling with his own vulnerabilities while trying to uphold his professional integrity.

The push-and-pull between them is written with exquisite care, capturing the raw emotion, hesitation, and longing that make their relationship feel authentic and deeply human. Their connection is undeniable, but Tork doesn’t shy away from the very real stakes involved, making their story all the more compelling.

The supporting cast, from Rowan’s friends to faculty members, adds depth to the narrative, offering insight into the academic world and further highlighting the challenges she faces in both love and career.

Writing Style & Atmosphere
Tork’s writing is lyrical and evocative, with a keen attention to emotional detail. The musical setting is woven seamlessly into the narrative, providing a rich backdrop that enhances the novel’s themes of passion, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence. The atmospheric descriptions, from quiet practice rooms to snow-covered campus landscapes, create an immersive experience that pulls readers into Rowan and Julian’s world.

The pacing is steady, allowing the tension to build naturally without feeling rushed. Tork masterfully captures the subtleties of unspoken feelings, stolen glances, and the slow unraveling of self-restraint, making every interaction between Rowan and Julian feel meaningful and electric.

Highlights
• Emotional Resonance: The exploration of grief, ambition, and forbidden love is heartfelt and deeply moving.
• Authentic Romance: The chemistry between Rowan and Julian is intense yet delicately handled, making for a slow-burn romance that feels realistic.
• Atmospheric Setting: The academic world of music is beautifully depicted, adding layers of depth to the story.
• Strong Character Development: Both protagonists undergo meaningful growth, making their journey all the more satisfying.

Final Thoughts
The Lines We Cross is a powerful and emotionally charged romance that lingers long after the final page. Rachel Tork crafts a nuanced and thought-provoking story about love, loss, and the choices we make when faced with impossible circumstances. Fans of slow-burn academic romances with deep emotional stakes will find themselves thoroughly invested in Rowan and Julian’s journey.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
A beautifully written, poignant love story that explores the complexities of ambition, grief, and desire with grace and authenticity.

I am and always will be a sucker for a good Student/Teacher romance, and this one was *chefs kiss* I was instantly drawn into these characters and this world. I learned later that this was supposed to be based on Snape/Lily from Harry Potter and honestly it 100% gave Snape/Lily vibes, in a good way of course.

At the beginning of The Lines we Cross, Julian finds Rowan crying and offers her a handkerchief. Their interaction is brief, but neither can stop thinking about the mysterious stranger from that night. Fast forward three years, they meet again, except this time, he's her music teacher, and any feelings they have for each other are forbidden.

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves:
*Teacher/Student
*Age Gap
*Music
*Forced Proximity
*Surprise Pregnancy
*Will they/Won't they

Favorite Quote: "It was inevitable, no mater what had happened." -Julian

Favorite Character: Amelia. She is SUCH a sweet and supportive best friend.

Thank you to Netgally for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I do like forbidden romances, I am not a huge fan of insta-love so it took away from the tension that you would normally expect with forbidden elements. It was a good read overall, the characters did have chemistry that made me root for them to be happy together after all the trauma they went through.

This was a wild ride—guaranteed to be an entertaining read,—but that’s it. The drama was super unhinged and, frankly, way too much at times. It felt like I was reading fan fiction and I am past that time.

The book definitely had its moments. I enjoyed the writing and the exploration of deeper themes. The main characters were complex, and even the supporting characters had strong, distinct personalities and meaningful relationships. However, the forbidden love trope was a major letdown. The guilt surrounding it didn’t feel substantial, and everyone just seemed to accept the situation way too easily because he “really loved her.” Okay, but it’s still against the rules! And there were zero consequences? Seriously, no punishment at all?

Also, let’s talk about the pregnancy. That twist was completely unexpected. I’ll admit, at first I was so disappointed I considered not finishing the ARC, but I pushed through. It turned out kind of okay, though it’s definitely not my favorite plot device, and it impacted my overall opinion of the book. On the bright side, I liked how their love continued to grow afterward, except for the rushed marriage. With all the drama packed into this book, the author could’ve saved some for this big milestone instead of brushing past it.

And Ethan! From the start, I got bad vibes from him and suspected he was the bad guy. But I never understood why he hated her so much that he wanted her dead. Was he a psychopath? Was it really just because he wanted her and couldn’t have her? But if that’s the case, why didn’t he even try to talk to her? So many questions and not enough answers.

My rating for this book is 3 stars. With more polished storytelling, I think this author has a lot of potential and a bright future ahead. Best of luck to her and everyone involved!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was DELICIOUS! i thought the tension was built really well and i was hooked from the start. each of the characters had a very fleshed out personality and story. Thank you for the arc!

The cover of the book instantly drew me to this one, and I love a good forbidden relationship - this time between student (graduate) and teacher. After meeting a stranger on the anniversary of her sister's death, Rowan discovers that this stranger is her new advisor at Grandview University, Dr Julian Lynch. While Tork's writing is easy to connect with read, the unexpected pregnancy threw me off (I didn't realise it was in this book, and it's not my favourite to read about). Some plot points felt unnecessary and just for shock effect - I wanted more of these two together, connecting and evolving their relationship to really understand each other. I feel like the book really shines in those moments.

Overall, it didn't fully hit the mark for me but was still overall enjoyable. Thank you to Azala Press and Rachel Tork for the review copy, all opinions are my own.

1⭐️ dnf - I haven’t dnf’d a book in so long but this one was just not doing it for me

first of all it was super insta lovey. like first kiss at 15% kind of insta lovey. which sometimes i can power through but then she said she was falling for him at 36% and that’s just not for me. im truly a slow burn girly at heart so that’s totally on me.

second of all i was unaware this was accidental pregnancy which is also usually not for me. especially when it feels like the baby forces the couple together and in this instance since it was teacher-student you can see how it forced them together since they wouldn’t have been a couple if they just carried on.

lastly i just didn’t connect with the characters or their relationship. not even the side characters. like why did her friend not even let rowan tell julian herself? ugh. wasn’t feeling this one but it could definitely be for other people

Julian is effin' hot. Every time he called her Evans, I died.

That aside, the plot had lot of promise but things between them escalated wayyy too fast in every aspect. I wish there was more depth; like the writing style, though!

This story was heartbreaking, there were so many life punches happening at the same time that makes you wonder how the main characters kept going on. However, at the end you understand how the people in your life or the risks you take by being vulnerable towards others it’s the key to free or keep you shut out from life.

Rowan Evans is an independent and talented musician who is hold down by her fear to face her past grieves. She decides to finish her masters in great university following a brilliant tutor who unfortunately at the last moment needed to be replaced by another apparently brilliant but unknown tutor to her or though she thought.

Dr. Julian Lynch is a brilliant musician and great professor just hired to replace a brilliant tutor at a very good university. He is a handsome and serious person who lets very few people if any within his walls. He carries the memory of a sad girl he encountered years ago while trying to console her during a sunset. The connection between them is something he’d never forgotten.

This book was filled with lovely, complex, and very sick and mean characters. The plot is far from just a lovely or funny romcom. It touches heavy topics such as parental abandonment, death, attempted murder, love obsession, among other topics. At the end, there is a HEA in working process as it should be. No cliff hangers but an option to tell another character story in a following book.

I’m grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC, this was the kind of book that after reading it, the story keeps coming back in flashes.

3.75 ⭐️! 🌶️🌶️!

I was immediately drawn into this book and read the first 40% or so without taking a break. I love forbidden relationship/student teacher romances and the angst and tension between the FMC Rowan and MMC Julian was hitting. One of my favorite books is Dark Notes by Pam Godwin, and this gave similar vibes for sure. We love a tortured musician!

I felt like the accidental pregnancy discovery scenes could have been drawn out a bit more, and it would have been nice to have some more insight into Rowan’s mind while going thru that.

One of the major moments in the book seemingly came out of nowhere and I felt kind of removed from the storyline after that point. I was still invested in the characters’ relationship, though, and wanted to see it through! I thought the characters, including the supporting one’s, were all really well written and Amelia had me laughing out loud several times. In general, I really enjoyed the writing and the story and it was very easy to follow. I’m hoping that Lena is getting a story next, because my god I can only imagine the tension and passion!

In all, I did enjoy this book and would recommend to anyone that enjoys a forbidden romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for the eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review after reading.

The Lines We Cross by Rachel Tork is a romance novel that begins with a compelling premise but delivers a mixed experience. The story follows Rowan Evans, who, on the anniversary of her sister’s death, encounters a stranger offering comfort. Three years later, as a graduate student at Grandview University’s School of Music, she discovers that her new advisor, Dr. Julian Lynch, is that very stranger. Their ensuing relationship is marked by forbidden attraction and complex dynamics.

The novel’s initial chapters are engaging, with well-developed characters and a strong emotional pull. However, as the plot progresses, it introduces tropes and twists that may not appeal to all readers. Some plot developments feel abrupt, and certain conflicts are resolved too quickly, which can disrupt the narrative flow. Despite these issues, Tork’s writing style is commendable, and the chemistry between the protagonists is palpable. While the book has its shortcomings, it remains a solid romance that fans of the genre might appreciate.

I was so excited to read this book, the premises and the setting were promising. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the story and DNFed at 52%

I just wasn't into it. I didn't feel any connection to the characters. i think the characters themselves have very little connection to each other honestly. I really tried to finish it but just couldn't keep reading . It fell flat. The story lacked depth.

4⭐
2.5🌶️
Tropes/Themes: age gap, teacher/student, forbidden relationship, hurt/comfort, healing, musician MCs, Snape/Lily vibes, soulmate.
Dual POV 3rd person

So first of all I’m putting trigger warnings at the bottom to avoid spoilers, because this book has some themes that might not be for everyone.

And I want to note for any authors reading this who include people doing medical imaging in their stories….we are not technicians, we are technologists. 🫶

The first note I wrote down when I started reading this was “is this Snape/Hermione fan fic?”. Turns out I was close, because reading about it afterwards, I found the author wrote that it’s supposed to be a Snape and Lily vibe. It’s not bad, just kinda impressed that I was close to being right lol.

I got sucked into the book pretty quickly and loved the first half of it or so. The angst and chemistry was so delicious and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the drama to drop. It gave me literal anxiety similar to what I felt when reading June First (IYKYK). And then the ball dropped and the hits just kept hitting and then…..it was resolved with a significant amount of the book left to read. It’s like it dropped off almost completely and went into a really long wrap up so I wish the writer had switched up some of the order of events to keep my attention after the major stuff happened.

To be clear I was still invested in the story but I had to push myself a little bit to finish. I also wish there had been more backstory/more time spent on their families and on him being Scottish. I genuinely didn’t know he was or that he had an accent until maybe halfway in? My other complaint is the way the MCs kept using the same thing to prove their love to each other- it got repetitive. I get why it would be necessary in a forbidden romance/teacher and student relationship but I think it could’ve been done in a different way.

That last line though, before the epilogue? Absolute perfection 😩😍

Trigger warnings below
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Sibling death, SA, trapped in a fire/getting burnt, gun violence, accidental pregnancy, discussion of pregnancy loss, hospitalizations

I did enjoy this book! It had me hooked from the beginning! It was definitely a powerful read with some beautiful moments🫶🏻 although I did feel like the characters truly didnt have enough time to connect and get to know eachother before the (surprise) happend. I did still enjoy It and I will definitely read more work from Rachel In the future! Thanks to Netgalley Rachel Tork and Azala Press for letting me read this ARC Review

Here’s the updated review with the revised opening sentence:

If you’re looking for a romance that blends forbidden love, music grad school drama, and dark academia vibes, The Lines We Cross by Rachel Tork is a must-read.

Rowan and Julian’s story begins with a chance meeting on the anniversary of her sister’s death, where he offers her comfort in a moment of vulnerability. Fast forward three years, Rowan is a fiery, determined graduate student at Grandview University’s School of Music, and Julian, a Scottish musical prodigy, is her new advisor. Their connection reignites instantly, sparking an intense, forbidden romance.

This book delivers all the tension and longing you’d expect from a teacher-student, age-gap romance, but it’s Rowan and Julian’s shared love of music that adds real depth to their connection. As a music grad myself, I completely related to the high-pressure, competitive world of postgrad study that the author so vividly captures. The passion for music woven throughout the story elevated the emotional stakes and made the relationship between Rowan and Julian even more compelling.

The chemistry between them is palpable from the start, and I appreciated that even with the significant age gap and power imbalance, Rowan is portrayed as a mature, self-assured woman. Julian is protective but never patronising, and his internal conflict is written in a way that feels authentic and heart-wrenching.

The plot is packed with drama and twists—at times, it felt a bit over the top, but honestly, I love high drama when it’s done well, and this delivered on that front. Despite the complications, there’s no unnecessary breakup, which I really appreciated, and the ending ties everything together beautifully. The epilogue, in particular, left me smiling.

With its dark academia aesthetic, morally grey undertones, and nods to forbidden romance tropes, this book has a bit of everything. Plus, the characters on the cover even reminded me of an alternate-universe version of Lily Evans and Severus Snape—just in a music school setting.

This book is perfect for fans of high-stakes romance with a touch of drama, and it’s one I’d recommend to anyone who loves a story filled with passion, angst, and just enough heart to balance it all out.

Tropes to love:
🎻 Age gap
📚 Teacher/student
💔 Forbidden romance
🔥 Insta-love
👶 Surprise pregnancy
🎶 Music

Thank you to Azala Press and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

When I first started The Lines We Cross, I was intrigued. The opening pages felt promising—intense, emotional, and full of potential. But as I kept reading, somewhere around 45%, I realized this book just wasn’t for me.

The unplanned pregnancy trope threw me off at first. It felt jarring, like it didn’t belong in the emotional build-up the book was aiming for. Even so, I kept pushing through because I genuinely wanted to see how it all unfolded.

But here’s where my frustration really kicked in—I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two MMCs until the very last pages. The love story could’ve been breathtaking if the writing had truly captured the depth of their emotions.

And the plot toward the end? honestly, unnecessary. It felt like it was thrown in for shock value rather than adding meaning to the story.

That being said, this story did have its beautiful moments. I’m glad I pushed through because the ending gave me the closure I needed. I loved seeing their relationship evolve, the small moments where they truly began to understand each other. And the character development? That was a highlight for me. Despite the rocky middle, the ending left me with a sense of bittersweet satisfaction.

The Lines We Cross made me feel a mix of emotions—happiness, sadness, and curiosity. While it didn’t fully hit the mark for me, I’m still glad I gave it a chance.

If you’re someone who loves raw emotion and doesn’t mind some chaos in the journey, you might just fall in love with this story in a way I couldn’t.

I was excited going into The Lines We Cross, and loved the title itself. Immediately, I was hooked with the simple, yet beautiful, prose and thoughts from both perspectives of the characters. I highlighted a few passages due to how well-crafted the thoughts and feelings were.

However, I feel like the plot dissolved a bit by the 30% mark with the surprise baby trope being implemented. For this story, it felt unnecessary and used to just progress their relationship. Around the 60% mark there were one disaster after another to the characters and it felt like an entire different book. The story felt a bit jarring from the breakaway of how a romance story is typically plotted. While the incidents made the book more of a romantic suspense novel, it felt very different from the first half of the book. It also paced weird with the location of the climax. There were still so many chapters after that in comparison, felt like it was lagging.

There was also the lack of push and pull happening to the characters throughout. At first, it felt like everything was against the two, with small bits of positive scenes in-between. However, after the drama was resolved (early, I might say), there was hardly any conflict, and just one positive thing after the other, that made reading on a bit dull (which is why many people end books at this bit).

Overall, I enjoyed the diction and writing of the story, as well as the two characters and the discussion of loss, depression, and a forbidden relationship. But I felt like it didn’t need the large life-or-death drama one after the other. The characters were enough to hold the attention of the reader, and I would have liked to see their relationship play out without the theatrics. I enjoyed the ride of the story though, and don’t regret reading it.

- Open Door chapters: 5, 10, 12, 14, 15, 20, 25, 29
- Tropes: Forbidden romance, student/teacher, music student

A beautiful forbidden romance with lots of emotions and feelings. Rowan and Julian both were not meant to be together because of their student, mentor relationship, but as I read in this book itself, sometimes some lines needed to be crossed. Likable characters with excellent chemistry are the main highlights. It has everything, angst, drama, twists, and lots of love. Lovely epilogue at the end. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.