Isn't It Romantic? - The Tenure Edition

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Miranda in Retrograde by Lauren Layne
Published by Gallery Books on August 13, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

After getting passed over for tenure and having her life upended in the process, a physics professor decides to throw caution to the wind and live by her horoscope predictions for a year in this effervescent rom-com from the New York Times bestselling author of Made in Manhattan .

As the youngest physics professor at her university, practical-minded Miranda Reed plans her life with minute precision. But that’s before she’s denied tenure and the promotion she thought was guaranteed. Suddenly, her tidy life is anything but constant.

Overdue for a sabbatical, Miranda takes some time to look towards the stars—only this time, she’s not looking for black holes. With her faith in science shaken, Miranda turns to a practice she’s long dismissed as astrology.

Determined to figure out why her life has suddenly gone sideways, Miranda commits to a year of letting her horoscope guide her. Put a down payment on a home? Not while Mercury’s in retrograde. Spontaneous dinner party invitation? Sorry, horoscope says Gemini Rising best stay in tonight. And as far as the intriguingly aloof artist living next door? Never. His Aries energy is all wrong. On the other hand, the charming father of her new tutoring pupil is Sagittarian perfection. Made for her...right?

As Miranda navigates life with new a perspective, she slowly discovers neither science nor the stars have all the answers. And that, when it comes to love, you sometimes just have to trust your heart.

I swear! Lauren Layne can do no wrong by me. She is on a short list of authors who I trust to bring happiness to my day via their stories, and she has done it once again with Miranda in Retrograde.

Miranda was a professor of astronomy at a prestigious university where she was well loved and known for her ability to bring science to the masses. Think Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Faraday, and her star was rising. But after being denied tenure and forced to take a one year sabbatical by the university, Miranda believed her future in academia had hit a dead end. She was struggling with her personal identity and a lot of self doubt. So, she changed tack and decided to put her trust in the stars.

What started out as a rather disappointing year turned into something life changing for Miranda. She began her sabbatical shrouded in disappointment and confusion, but her year ended on a high note after a lot of self discovery and introspection.

One thing that made a difference in Miranda's life was the friendship she formed with the artist next door who seemed to be your typical brooding artist There was a less than friendly beginning to their relationship, but it slowly grew into something wonderful. It seemed to have happened by accident with simple gestures that were not grand but meaningful. Their shared meals and nights on the roof were some of my favorite moments along with getting to know Archer better. Like all great characters, he had layers, and I loved peeling them back to find that heart of gold.

My undergraduate degree is in chemical engineering, and thus, I adored any and all science incorporated into this story in addition. I loved that Miranda wanted to make science accessible to all and used her position and platform to share her love of the universe. As much as I enjoyed that aspect of this tale, I found my interest piqued by the astrology bits. I never knew much beyond the signs of the zodiac, and learning a little more about how people believe their lives are influenced by the stars and planets was sort of fun.

Overall, this was another incredible book from Layne! Filled with wit, humor, and sparkling banter, it was delightful to spend this sabbatical with Miranda as she learned to trust herself again, found her focus, and fell in love.

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Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on August 27, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Assistant professor Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She’s wanted to teach history since she was fourteen, and she hasn’t let anything stand in her way—not even the love of her life. And it all paid off in the end, because she landed a well-paid position at a private liberal arts college fresh out of grad school, and this year, she’s finally up for tenure.

When Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar, it’s an unwelcome blast from Clara’s past. She hasn’t spoken to Teddy since a falling out ten years ago. Now that he’s here, she’s reminded of their shared history at every autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she traded battered books and burned CDs with a quiet, dark-haired boy—and fell in love with him.

That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evenings working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she’s at risk of falling all over again. Given their history, she knows there’s every chance he’s not interested. But history’s all down to interpretation, and this time around, she’s got no intentions of repeating it.

Clara was seeing her hard work pay off. She attained her goal of teaching history and was on a tenure track at the university. When her former best friend and first love comes back into her life, Clara begins to realize her goals may have changed.

There is nothing better than reading a romance that combines my two favorite tropes - friends-to-lovers and second chance romance. This story reunites this couple after many years apart, and I really enjoyed rooting for Teddy and Clara to get that HEA.

This was really a story of the right person at the wrong time. Clara and Teddy met when they were 14 at a sleep-away camp for homeschooled kids. Miller showed me via flashbacks how it all began and took me through the ups and downs as their relationship grew and changed over the years. These peeks into the past were spread out, so I was made to wait for a full explanation as to what drove them apart and ended their friendship. It broke my heart because I could not fathom giving up what they did, but the great part was that they were getting a second chance.

It did seem that Clara was going to make the same mistake twice. *cue the frustration and fury* In the present timeline, she was driven by her career goals, and her decisions were very much informed by her past. Clara's family had fallen on hard times, so she sought stability and financial security and vowed not to give up her dreams for someone else.

Then there was Teddy. His love of history was inspired by Clara, but his career path had not been in quite the same straight line as hers. He also experienced some setbacks that derailed his plans, but there was always something he was sure about -- Clara.

I am pretty sure most readers will be frustrated by Clara. The push and pull made me a bit batty even if I understood the reasons. But my heart knew they belonged together. The fact that their paths kept crossing and that they still harbored strong feelings for each other after so many years was proof enough for me. I am trash for characters with history, and there was so much between these two.

With great characters, a quaint setting, and a touch of nostalgia, Given Our History won me over. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to see Teddy and Clara find each other again and finally begin their life together.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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