Misconduct by Penelope Douglas
Series: Standalone-HEA
Contemporary Romance
December 1, 2015
NAL

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Dark spaces and quiet spaces…that’s all we need”

Former tennis champion Easton Bradbury just wants to move forward with her life and new teaching career; leaving her past where it belongs…in the past. But when she meets her newest student and his father, that may be harder than she thinks.

Tyler Marick seems to have it all. Wealth, power, and a possible seat in the senate. The world bows before him…all except for his 14 year old son his very attractive history teacher.

Easton and Tyler know starting a relationship could be their ultimate undoing. Not only is it unethical for a teacher and parent to date, but Tyler demands complete control over everything. And Easton swore she would never let herself be controlled by anyone ever again.

Misconduct is a standalone romance contemporary with just the right balance of humor, emotional trials, and smoking hot sex. Though not an erotic romance, there are some racy sexual scenes in here. Antagonistic/forbidden trope relationships are tricky to sell, but Douglas is a pro at them as well evidenced by her Fall Away series. An author well-known for her enemies to lovers stories, Douglas doesn’t fall prey to recycled plot lines and tritely maneuvered situations to force her romances. She instead grabs the alpha billionaire hero and much younger damaged heroine trope and changes it up dramatically. She places them on equal footing from the beginning and builds them from there. She focuses on her characters, using their strengths and weaknesses to help them find their way at their own pace. She doesn’t guarantee it’s going to be an easy path or even the right path…but she does give readers a combustible story that delivers. 

Douglas builds intriguingly flawed characters that carry a deep vein of realism. Easton and Tyler aren’t perfect and have the scars to prove it. Both carry baggage that has affected how they react in the here and now. Easton, a former champion tennis player, spent her entire childhood in the spotlight. Her life rigidly controlled by her parents as they helped pushed her to the top. When she falls victim to a stalker, it sets in motion a series of events that ends in tragedy. Now a teacher, Easton maintains control over her life the best she knows how. I liked Easton. I found her actions to be normal for a strong-willed 23 year old. Bold, snarky, playful, and mercurial in her temperament, she doesn’t back down in the face of adversity but has learned the hard was that sometimes what you want can be the direct opposite of what you need.

Damaged people were survivors, and they survived because they always put themselves first. Self preservation demanded it.

Tyler is a sexy dominant obsessive male who has made his mark on the world. A wealthy businessman, he has now turned his attention to the political world. His life has been relatively easy compared to Easton’s but he does have issues that continually drive him to be the man his father will be proud of. He has a son whom he essentially abandoned as a child; providing money for his care but not much more. His son, Christian, is currently living with him and Tyler is struggling to form a connection with him. He comes off predictable in the beginning with his posturing, strong sexual innuendos, and need for obedience but Douglas slowly peels back his protective shell to show us the vulnerability and insecurity that live inside him. He’s being pulled in multi directions and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t help but disappoint some (namely his son) and that is slowly killing him.

Life is scarier-and harder-when you had things you were afraid to lose

It’s always enlightening to read a story from two different sides and Douglas indulges us by giving us Easton’s and Tyler’s points of view. Using this she shows us the differences in their personalities brought on by upbringing and age. I loved the social media references and the way Easton incorporates it into her teaching. Written in a fast flowing conversational style, the witty dialogue, and well-developed scenes will keep you riveted as you watch this couple not only deal with their intense attraction to one another but also the possible ramifications if they choose to act on them. Easton can’t resist Tyler but she is very aware of what an affair with him could do to her professionally and emotionally. She is also very concerned as to how it will affect Christian. He needs his father’s full attention even if he is actively pushing him away at every turn.

You always wait for tomorrow. But let me clue you in. Tomorrow was yesterday.

The intense sexual chemistry between them is felt from their first meeting and only burns hotter and brighter the longer they resist. Their sexual tension is like fine barbed wire. Poking and scraping against them with each new encounter. When they finally do give in…BOOM! The antagonism makes their times together even more enjoyable as Tyler and Easton give into their sexual urges against their better judgement. I do enjoy banter in the bedroom and neither disappoint as they flirt, fight, and love with a fierceness that blazes off the pages. Easton challenges Tyler as not many others do while Tyler makes her feel safe Something she hasn’t felt in a very long time.

“I was jealous. I never get jealous,” he charged, pressing me  against the wall and grinding his hips against my bare pussy. “You make me insecure. Why do you that, huh?”

I groaned, my thighs aching, the heat between my legs unbearable “Because you covet something you can’t have,” I taunted. “And you’re afraid someone else will get it.” I rolled my hips, rubbing myself against him. Against the only part of him I wanted.

But instead, he slowed, looking at me with mischief. He leaned in toward my ear and whispered, “You poor thing.” He sounded sinister. “You actually think there are things I can’t have?”

I smiled, tightening my arms around his neck, and brushed my lips across his jaw to hover over his lips. “Make it worth the risk,” I challenged. “Show me how you take what you want.”

Douglas adds a cast of personable secondary characters that enhance our protagonists without overwhelming them. Christian is a 14 year old whose anger and disappointment towards his father is very well done. I liked that Douglas didn’t make him just a reason for conflict. Jay, Tyler’s brother is the steamroller behind his campaign while Tyler’s father tries to be his conscience. Easton’s big brother Jack is her constant while Kristen is a new friend whose antics show Easton that she is likable for herself and not her attributes or former fame.

A few subplots intertwine, adding some light drama and suspense to the story though I honestly felt one of them was completely unnecessary. It comes out of left field, adding nothing to the story except conflict when was none was needed, and then dies out. Douglas also has some issues with redundancy in her sex scenes and some dialogue used for Tyler that seemed at times much better suited for a younger, less assured man.

Regardless of some minor issues, Douglas’s fans are sure to love her newest venture into adult contemporary romance. Misconduct certainly lives up to its name with its delectable forbidden romance and a deliciously full-bodied couple whose tremendous and difficult growth was a wonderful journey to watch unfold.

RATING: B

Prior Penelope Douglas Reviews

Recent Reviews:
Publisher’s Weekly
Read More Sleep Less Blog

Goodreads I Author Website

Kindle I Nook