Prosecco With My Professor by Liz Alden
Format: e-book
Pages: 259
🩷📚🫶🏼✨🌶️🥂
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book on my Kindle. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Prosecco with my Professor is book three in the Aged Like Fine Wine series by Liz Alden (releasing on April 30th, 2024) on Kindle, KU, and Amazon. Liz writes FMC Emma’s journey of self-discovery as she joins an international MBA program in Rome to begin building a new life for herself after her divorce. To kick off her time abroad, she has a one-night stand with none other than… you guessed it… her professor! Reeling from embarrassment, Emma and MMC Santo explore the dynamics of a professional student/teacher relationship without crossing any lines. Keeping their hands to themselves proves to be no easy task when they come face to face in class everyday. Santo brings new life into Emma’s world as he shows true passion and admiration for her as a woman, her body, and her capabilities, even when Emma is self-conscious.


This was an extremely entrancing read for me! I sped through the pages and felt transported to picturesque villas in Italy on the weekends overlooking the ocean. This felt like a rapid fire age gap romance and I am here for it 🌶️🌶️🌶️ I loved the dynamics and relationship exploration between Emma and Santo. It was so fun and hot.

I also loved the dynamics between Emma and her best friends as women over 40. Tessa, Jade, and Sara, were side-by-side in spirit with Emma every step of the way as she built a new life for herself. The way @lizaldenwriter celebrates women and their friendships is empowering 🩷

Read if you like:
- A mature couple
- Forbidden professor x student romance
- OM drama
- Italian silver fox MMC
- Age gap
- Dual pov

I tried to enjoy this book but it wasn’t for me. I think others might find Emma endearing but I found her really awkward and insecure but I just couldn’t get into it. She doesn’t act like her age, she seems very naive and innocent (but she was married and has 3 kids?).

I felt that their relationship was very undeveloped and I still have a lot of unanswered questions. I would’ve love to see more depth to the story.

What I did like:
Emma’s group of friends were supportive and fun. I liked the strong female friendship in this book. I also loved the LGBTQIA+ representation in this book.

This book was exactly what I needed - a low stress fun read that gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I really quickly got into it, possibly because I’m taking Italian lessons at my local library, but also I found the writing really easy to read and open in how the characters speak to each other and themselves. I don’t usually like age gap romances, but I liked that the FMC was an older divorced mom - it made the fact she was younger than the MMC way less icky because there were fully developed prefrontal cortexes and consent from all parties with minimal power imbalance.

We have some classic tropes: student/teacher, forced proximity, age gap, and he takes care of her when she’s sick. We also get some fun representation of nonbinary, bisexual, and lesbian characters as well as ADHD representation.

Now getting into *spoiler* territory. I was very happy to read a romance with older characters, as that’s not something I see in many books. I found the ending a bit rushed - we never confirm who reported Santo and Emma to the school, and I don’t know why Vincente had such an issue with it. Even if his own marriage was falling apart, what did Santo do to him to make it worth destroying their friendship? I thought Bruce may be the one to report them out of jealousy, but he doesn’t reappear after the holidays. Also, why didn’t Santo and Emma just report their relationship when he wasn’t her professor anymore, especially if there wasn’t a rule against it?

Overall, this was probably the fastest I’ve read an ARC in a while and I had a really good time in this universe. It made me interested in reading the first two books of the series, and sets up the fourth book nicely. Would recommend if you, like me, are on a wine romance book binge.

Another great book in this delightful series, exploring what it looks like to try something new in middle age. Its a refreshing change of pace from so many romance books where the young woman bemoans her life is over because she hasn't reached peak work and life goals by 29.

Here, Emma is divorced with grown children, looking to start over with her career by finally pursuing an MBA - and also ready to get back into the dating world. Too bad the guy she flirts with at a bar and then has a disastrous one night stand with (running out due to understandably anxiety at being sexual for the first time since the divorce) the next day turns out to be her professor!

They spend ages dancing around each other, the tension stretched to the breaking point as they grapple with what is the right thing to do. And, to be fair, you could argue they make some bad decisions, but always in an understandable way, and when the tension snaps - wow - does it get steamy!

Title: Prosecco with My Professor by Liz Alden

Aged Like Fine Wine Series Book 3

Emma finds herself in a challenging situation when her ex-husband unexpectedly reappears in Rome, where she is studying for her MBA. Feeling overwhelmed and under pressure, she turns to her silver fox professor, Santo, with whom she had a failed one-night stand. Despite the risks involved, Santo is determined to prove to her that she deserves better than her ex. As they navigate their attraction to each other and the potential consequences of their actions, they must decide whether to pursue a relationship that could jeopardize Santo's job and their reputations.

This story offers a mature and captivating portrayal of a student-professor romance. I was impressed by how the power dynamics were handled delicately, allowing the characters to navigate their feelings authentically. Santo and Emma's journey was both engaging and believable, with their chemistry sizzling off the pages. Despite some areas feeling underdeveloped and the story being short (in my opinion), the overall story was a delightful read, leaving me eager for more.

Tropes:

Student-Professor
Age Gap
Forbidden Love
Opposites Attract
Secret Relationship
Mature Characters
Forced Proximity


I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a compelling romance with depth and authenticity.


Thank you to The Publisher ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op , The Author Liz Alden & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Santo and Emma are interesting, intriguing, relatable, complex, entertaining, strong, fun characters. I enjoyed them as individuals and a couple. I loved the caretaking scenes. I enjoyed the romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. I love how realistic these characters are and the fact that age doesn’t matter when it comes to our feelings and images of ourselves. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story. I love the friendships in this story and the role it plays for the main characters. I wish we had seen a certain someone get their just deserts. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Quick read, spicy, lower stakes.

Interesting take on professor x student.

I really enjoyed Emma being in her 40s and going after what she wants after her divorce. And not letting anyone stand in her way.

Santos saw Emma for who she is and wanted to worship her no matter what.

I loved seeing all the friends again. Can't wait for Jade's story.

I really tried to enjoy this book, however I just don't think this book was for me. It was a really nice short read which I did enjoy at some points. However, I just didn't feel a connection between Santo and Emma as they were just rushing into their romance and sex. This may just be an issue because I love slow burn and this was fast paced. Thank you NetGalley for this book though!

"Prosecco with My Professor" kicks off with a one-night stand that takes an unexpected turn. Although I haven't read the previous two books in the series, the premise of an older protagonist rediscovering herself post-divorce intrigued me. Liz Alden delivers on this front. Throughout the story, we witness Emma reclaiming her confidence, both physically and mentally.

Personally, I have reservations about professor-student relationships due to the inherent power dynamics involved. However, I must commend the author for adeptly navigating this sensitive terrain. While it may not be my cup of tea, I recognize that there's a sizable audience who appreciates this dynamic and Alden handles it with finesse.

I think there’s definitely a demographic out there who wants older mcs and can relate to them very well. i always have a respect for when an author tries to do something different within a stagnant genre and can pull it off. Although i can’t personally relate to the mcs i managed to remain invested enough to care about will they won’t they end up together at the end which is more than i can say for other books.

Emma doesn't usually hook up with strangers she meets in bars, and her one and only attempt is so overwhelming she leaves pretty much as soon as things get started. She tries not to think about it too much--until she discovers that the man she went home with is one of her professors. And to make matters worse, he now lives in the same building as her, only two doors down. She knows she shouldn't sleep with her professor, but Santo is attractive and attentive, and she can't stop thinking about it. Meanwhile, Santo knows it's wrong to sleep with a student (even if she is roughly his age), but that doesn't stop him from wanting to.

Prosecco with My Professor is every bit as good as I expected. I adore this series, and really loved how this book played out. I thought the power imbalance was handled very well, and I loved seeing the two of them fight their own feelings and then eventually give in. This book also made me realize I'm not sure I've ever read a book where the woman performs anal play on the man, and I hadn't realized I had such a big gap in my reading until this. Overall I really loved the book and am definitely looking forward to the next one.

I really enjoyed this! I was a little worried about a teacher x student relationship, but this was handled so well and maturely. I loved the two different POV’s and the FMC’s personality. My biggest issue was just that it felt a little underdeveloped and short. I think the author could have given the story more depth and expanded on their relationship more.

💋Mature Characters
♥️Neighbors to Lovers
💋Insecure Heroine
♥️Both Divorced
💋Rich Hero
♥️S3x Filled Italian Getaway

Oooofh! This book was so much fun! I love a good well written student/teacher trope. This was my first read/book by Liz Alden and I will be a forever reader of hers. I hadn’t read any of the other books in this Aged Like Fine Wine series and this book as not confusing for me to read it as a standalone, I seemed to catch right on and it was still such an enjoyable read (although I am going back to read the first two OF COURSE).

I thought that the storyline/plot was great, the characters were well written and developed and had great chemistry with one another. I also not only enjoyed these main characters but the side characters as well and thought the complimented the story very well. I loved how these characters are “older” and it felt more relatable to me being around the same age as the characters within this book.

If you love these tropes and want to live within a little Italian getaway story then place this on your TBR right away (also…read those first two before this book is released ;)

Thank you @netgalley and @victoryeditingngc for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love the way the author talks about life and mainly when you’re an adult. The way that friends talk about life and how much they enjoy discussing experiences. The fact that the main character is so understanding and handsome is definitely something cute. I 100% to read this. Very different of my usual. Thanks for the Arc NetGalley

Emma is a foreign student in Rome struggling with her MBA. She tries to avoid her ex-husband and ends up sleeping with her professor.

I love that these characters are older and mature. It's nice to read about older adults for a change. Emma is more interesting AFTER having her kids and pursuing her MBA. The romance is hot and I enjoy the characters. I love how sex-positive the story is too.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Emma is in Rome to finally get her MBA, after raising three kids and getting divorced. Before she starts her studies she kind of has a ONS with an italian man. When she learns that he is her professor and also living in the same building things get complicated.
I enjoyed reading this book, the characters were relatable and the story mostly believable. I especially liked that the main characters were over forty. I did think it was very convenient that the MMC was (as so often in romances) very wealthy so that problems that would be major for most people just become little troubles. All in all an enjoyable book.

This book has the cutest cat ever, with some very realistic cat shenanigans.

It is also an interesting twist on student/teacher romances. Namely, the student is in her 40s, divorced, with three kids who are old enough to be university students themselves. Emma is also attracted to women, although this only gets a few mentions, and her youngest child is nonbinary.

I liked reading a romance about two "older" protagonists (compared to what is common in romance novels, anyway), and it was pretty sex-positive. Emma is worried that she might not be as attractive after three children, but Santo doesn't agree, and they have some creative scenes in the bedroom which I appreciated.

My only negative remark is that the drama in the last third felt a bit forced... even though it was kind of obvious that it would come, and yet. Like, I get that he's her professor, but also she's an adult, it is emphasized that their university doesn't even HAVE a rule against them dating. Thankfully, it wasn't really dragged out into something huge.

Lines like “she’s absolutely one hundred percent off limits” will forever have me cackling. I just know that I will thoroughly enjoy him being wrong & seeing those limits be tested.

I’m obsessed with this friend group. I don’t think a person ~needs~ to read them all to understand them, but I still think a person ~should~ read them all. I’m especially excited for Jade’s story next, I love how good of a friend she is in general but that really showed with Emma in this story. I’m not going to include the whole line to avoid spoilers, but at one point Emma is really stressed and Jade says “you are allowed to be mad” and I think people need their friends to say things like that to them. People can blame themselves for situations they end up in, but I think Emma needed to hear that kinda thing.

I feel like in general there were some really great messages in this book. You can go to school later in life. You can explore your sexuality and what you like even if it’s different than what you're used to. It’s okay to be ‘selfish’ sometimes when it comes to your pleasure, it doesn’t matter less than your partners. On top of that, I always appreciate the representation in Liz Alden books. I loved that the characters are older than what’s often shown in contemporary romance, there’s a non-binary side character, a lesbian side character, and I liked that Emma’s sexuality is talked about but not specifically defined because it doesn’t need to be.

Santo and Emma were a great pairing. They were on the same page with a lot of things, but even with their difference, they just seemed to fit. The physical aspect was hot, but it was also shown how much they really cared about each other and I think, for me, that really showed how things could turn into more between them and it wasn’t just based on hot sexual experiences.

Where I’m a bit torn currently (I’m writing this right after finishing the book) is Vincente. I felt very hot and cold with him, and I think I personally wanted one more conversation between him and Santos, but I do understand why there wasn’t. I think I may be in my ‘not into third act complication’ era currently, because I feel like I’m loving romance as much this year because of it. It was still resolved nicely, and I very much enjoyed reading this book & wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Thank you to Liz Alden & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this series and Liz Alden. I am so excited for book and look forward to sharing a full review and thoughts. I also love that it focuses a bit on a bit of an older demographic while still keep the story fresh and youthful. Life being enjoyable doesn't have to stop at a certain age and it's never to late to fund happiness