Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Try Not To…
SERIES: Lakeview University: Holiday Try-mester (Book 3)
AUTHOR: Drea Roman
PUBLISHER: Drea Roman Publishing
LENGTH: 92 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 30, 2022
BLURB:
Jaime Westingbrooke’s fall semester starts off so well.
Of course, it would go off the rails immediately.
As soon as he received his new graduate teaching assistant assignment– Dr. Robert Staff. Hot, grumbly, and, so satisfying to. . . Jaime tries not to go down that road.
Nevermind the enormous crush on the man Jaime has been nursing since his freshman year.
Try not to fall in lust…
Try not to fall in love…
Try not to fall pregnant…
Oops, Jaime does all three.
Prof. Robert Staff is failing at all of his rules for life this semester, as soon as his new graduate assitant walks into his office on one sunny afternoon. Robert will try not to find himself suddenly attracted to his new assistant, who used to be a scrawny student but has had a summer glow-up. He cannot help but want to … do all sorts of things a professor should not want to try with his graduate students. It’s gonna be a long, hot semester. Hot under the collar that is. And maybe some other places too.
Try Not To. . . is book three of the Lakeview University: Holiday Try-Semester series. It features age gap, hurt/comfort, professor/student, and surprise baby themes.
REVIEW:
I’m so glad I took a chance on this series. I am really enjoying these delightful novellas. Three books/three authors/same characters in the Lakeview University universe.
“Doc”, as Thomas likes to call his friend and fellow professor at Lakeview University, is Professor of Ethnic Studies Robert Staff. His unfortunate last name has been a problem for years when it comes to scheduling because listing the Professor for the course as Staff and his classes get messed up. But having tenure in the department has its privileges which include calling rank when it comes to getting to choose his new graduate teaching assistant and he has to have his extremely competent and shining star student Jaime Westingbrooke. He has always admired the bright young man but something’s different this year. He knows deep down what it is…mate, but why is he just suddenly picking up his amazing scent and his desires are running red hot? Jaime is a “dud” omega and he knows it. Not only were his Texan parents disappointed that he wasn’t an strapping Alpha like his brother but on top of that he was defective and labeled a dud when his first heat never came like all his peers. So having his first heat so late in life at 21 was surprising. With only his trusty purple toy Bert to get him through, the young virgin is on his own like with everything else in his life. But sporadic heat symptoms are coming faster and faster. And his secret heartthrob Dr. Robert Staff being in such close proximity is confusing him what’s up. When a sudden new heat flares up just as Robert is professing his attraction to Jamie he grabs hold of the brass ring so to speak and begs Robert to help him through his predicament. This just confirms to Robert his suspicions are real. Jamie is his fated mate and now he has to convince the shy and reluctant boy he is definitively no dud and is his forever!
How could any loving parent call their child a dud! I guess when you are power hungry your own child’s welfare is not a concern. But it broke my heart that Jamie had such lack of self esteem and confidence in himself because of his parents lack parenting skills and self absorption. The young man is so brilliant yet can’t see his own self worth. It hurt to read his lack of confidence in who he is and his distorted view of how alphas work and he was damaged goods. I did love Robert but there were times that I just wanted to grab him by the scruff and shake him hard to get him to man up. I was thrilled when Preston lit in to him!
I was eager to hear Doc’s story. Being the only alpha of the three friends I knew his story would be different. Yes, there was still the age-gap but in reverse to Juvie and Triple P’s situation. He is the older one still but his omega is younger versus the other two being an older omega with a young Alpha. I have enjoyed seeing the three professors get their hard earned HEA’s and finding their fated mates (a trope I really enjoy). However I’m a bit disappointed in how these all ended…or rather lack of endings for me. I had imagined that the three professors and their mates would have met up and the mates would have got to know the other men that were important in their lives. Also I needed to see and meet the babies!!! Four babies are in their way. The omegas were all pregnant at the same time and I could have seen them being together and supporting each other. I was surprised that at least Thomas and Preston, who were close friends and colleagues, would have formed a closer connection being pregnant together. But I needed to meet each of the babies and seen the joy in their Alpha and Omega daddies eyes holding those wee bundles in their arms. And epilogue would have helped. Or better yet. A follow up novella of them all together with their babies. But I just got left hanging. I guess I suspected this would all be wrapped up in this final book because we needed to meet all the men first but I guess that was an unreasonable expectation. I just feel like the final chapter in all their lives, how they worked out the final plans for school and teaching, got left in limbo and I didn’t get the rest of their stories.
It was easy to see that these three authors worked hard together to get the trio scenes down and construct the Lakeview University universe. This actually is one of the best constructed multi-author universes I have read to date and the authors each should be commended for how they constructed this. They worked in sync to keep each of these characters true to themselves in each of the author’s books.
All in all I really enjoyed this series. I would just love for the author’s to do a collaborative follow-up novella to give us an up-date and finale. And share with us what exactly is Jamie’s favorite dessert 😉
RATING: 
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