One Hot Rumor
by Anna Durand
My review:
One Hot Rumor is the fifth book in the “Hot Brits” series by Anna Durand, which is the spinoff from the “Hot Scots” series. They are all interconnected stand-alone stories. This book is definitely a great addition to the series, and leaves you smiling.
Nick Hunter owns a successful day spa in England that he started a decade ago. After he turns down a pass she made at him, a disgruntled female client at the spa spreads a particularly nasty rumor about him providing ‘happy endings’ in the guise of “special” massages. His good reputation in tatters, Nick decides to go to the United States for the summer to finish his college degree and give time for the rumors to settle down. Dr. Siobhan Griffin is a professor of mathematics at Vallefrio University and is assigned to be Nick’s academic advisor. She’s intensely attracted to Nick from the first moment she meets him in in her office. Siobhan is the mother of an incoming freshman to the school, a daughter she’s raised entirely on her own. Against her own better judgment she eventually agrees to date Nick, even though even though they have to keep it secret because it’s a violation of the no fraternization policy for professors and students of the college.
Nick is 40 and Siobhan is 42, but the heat sizzles between them as if they were half that age. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that he is much more than the shallow guy she presumed him to be, and she is much more than the boring mathematician she presents herself to be. They’re both excellent characters, and their relationship is a perfect balance of sweet, serious and fun. I liked it very much, although I thought it all came to a conclusion a little too quickly once the final chapter began. If you’re familiar with this series, it’s great to see a lot of characters from other books appear in this one. We also get to meet Bennett, Nick’s business partner, and learn enough about him to know that he’s going to be the intriguing focus of the next book. I’m looking forward to Bennett’s story already!