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    2 Book Lovers Reviews

Being a fan of forbidden love stories, I found myself in the mood for the thrill, the pulse pounding, and the anxiety that a good forbidden romance induces.  Distraction definitely hit all the marks that I crave when reading a book in this genre.  I was swept up in the lives of the characters, their problems, and their difficult love story.

This is first and foremost a student/teacher romance between a teacher who is twelve years older than his student.  What I really enjoyed about Distraction was that both characters had their own issues going on aside from their blossoming romance.  Their issues end up being the instigating factor in throwing these two characters together.

Isaac Price is less than thrilled to be returning to his hometown after making a life for himself in the city.  Not only does he dread living in the dull small town that he was raised in, but his mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and has been forced to leave her teaching job.  Isaac’s father, who is also the headmaster at the school, has asked that Isaac return home to fill in for his mother’s class.

Isaac’s life has become extremely tiring and stressful.  Between school and helping to care for his mother, it leaves him little time to himself or for social activities.  He is lonely.  The pain and heartache that he faces every time he sees his mother’s memory deteriorate is absolutely heartbreaking.

Eloise Blackburn is almost eighteen, and she can’t wait until she’s out from under her father’s thumb.  She is a hardworking young woman who is trying to keep her grades up in order to apply to universities, all the while putting in a lot of hours working at a local café.    

There’s no denying that Eloise and Isaac are attracted to each other, but they both realize that it’s completely inappropriate.  They are student and teacher, but they end up becoming so much more than that.  They become good friends.  Their relationship could never be referred to as insta-love.  Their friendship grows over time as Eloise continues to visit her former teacher, Isaac’s mother, and quickly becomes a regular fixture in the Price home.

This is the perfect example of a slow burning romance.  It slowly builds and develops, creating an intense chemistry and bond between the characters.  Of course, with every good taboo romance there has to be that fear of being found out.  The relationship between Isaac and Eloise could not only jeopardize Isaac’s career, but also taint his parents’ and Eloise’s reputations, not to mention what would happen if Eloise’s father was to discover it.

As a reader, I couldn’t help but want the characters to find their slice of happiness.  I wanted to see them together, to defy the odds, to make their relationship work, to let their love win out in the end.  It certainly gave me the perfect dose of emotional angst and butterflies that I was looking for. It left me wanting so much more of Eloise and Isaac’s story.  I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

*4.5 Stars*