Can Love Find a Way?

Neither Violet nor Byron was looking for love when they met. He was teaching a classics course at a ladies’ college during the early days when women’s education was not so popular. Violet was his assistant. No matter what she did, it seemed that Byron was reprimanding her. Then, in the next moment, he was kissing her. What was she to make of the exasperating man? Then, there was the matter of him being betrothed to the headmaster's daughter at the boys’ school where he was teaching. That was to guarantee his future.

Byron was not looking for love after his wife and daughter died because love hurt too much. A loveless betrothal that secured his future was what he wanted, but was it what he needed?

What was to become of Byron and Violet? Would Byron stop his cold treatment of Violet? When an unexpected disaster struck, how would he handle it? Could love win in the end? What happened when love and literature collided?

This is the first book of the series Love and Literature and also my first time reading something by this author, but it won't be my last. The storyline flows well and the plot twists and turns kept me interested and turning the pages to see what would happen next. The author does a lovely job of creating vivid scenes and bringing the characters and story to life.
Violet is a poor, orphaned young woman. After her father dies, she relocates to London to stay with her aunt. Her aunt encourages her to find a husband, but Violet wanted a means to take care of herself. Her love of education and books leads her to a position as a pupil-teacher at a school for young women. When she interviews for the position, the owner thought she was perfect, but the gentleman she would be working with, Byron, wasn't too quick to agree. While both have had to deal with trauma in their pasts, Violet was struggling with adapting to her new life and circumstances, and Byron had his own personal struggles he was dealing with, and oftentimes the two would clash. Education for women had become more acceptable, but Violet still works hard to prove herself to Byron. As they work together, Byron is more drawn to Violet, and they begin to form a strong bond - a bond that could compromise Byron's ambitious plans.
This was well-written story that captured my interest from the start and kept me engaged till the end. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A short, slightly naughty, book of finding true love. Perfect for an evening read and very enjoyable!

A pretty story, this is an unusual take on period historical romance as the main characters are of the middle classes. It high lights the lack of opportunities for female education and a country on the cusp of enlightenment in this area. Our male protagonist is a teacher and our heroine studies at a progressive college for ladies run by the wife of the head in the boys college. All in all, this is more a comment of the times rather than a romance however the romance is quite gentle and should please those readers who prefer a more thought provoking read. I did enjoy the book and would read another by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of Love and Literature.

I liked the writing, the plot, and the heroine. I found the character of Violet Greyson to be refreshing. However, I did not like the love interest, Bryon Thomas. I genuinely did not like how he treated the women in his life, particularly Violet. We were supposed to be rooting for Violet and Byron's happily ever after, but I thought she deserved a man of more worth in terms of his character. I simply found him lacking and not a good match for Violet. Ultimately, that affected my overall rating/enjoyment of the book.

ARC provided by Dragonblade Publishing, and I have given my honest and voluntary review.

Violet Greyson applies for a position at Westminster Ladies College For Women, as a pupil-teacher for the classics master, Byron Thomas. Byron questions his plan to marry Headmaster Briggs's daughter, as an opportunity to take over as the Headmaster when Briggs retires. Torn between what his heart wants and what his thinks of his plan, becomes his turmoil, until he's caught in a trap. Byron continually lost my respect each time he hurt Violet. I really didn't think he deserved her. Kisses
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

4 stars

The story of Violet a plain lady who wants to become a lecturer at a girls school and Bryon who is an experienced teacher to whom she becomes an assistant. I enjoyed the book. Bryon, at first is keen on the headmistresses daughter who he thinks will enable him to inherit the school. This potential fiancee is found to be fairly amoral and Byron realises that he must put aside ambition for love.

Not a bad story and pleasant characters. I haven't read this author before so I shall look for her again.

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

Love and Literature by Aviva Orr is a lovely little story, different from most Victorian romances. The two main characters are school teachers, albeit not at the local country school. Violet was the daughter of a vicar on Dartmoor. After her family members had died, over a period of years, she answered the summons from her aunt to join her in London. Her aunt wanted her to have a season and find a husband. Violet wanted to take care of herself. She saw an ad in a newspaper asking for a pupil-teacher at a school for young woman. She immediately knew it was for her and set off for an interview. The owner of the School, Mrs. Briggs, thought she was perfect but she had to pass muster with the teacher for whom she would be working, Byron Thomas, who taught on class on Greek classics. He didn’t warm to her, nor she to him, but after a while Mrs. Briggs told her she had been hired and invited her to dinner later in the week.

Violet and Byron were well-written characters, both having been hurt in the past. Byron had a plan for his life and it didn’t include falling in love again. But his resolve wavered with Violet. The fact she had a brain was very attractive. Violet could not understand Byron’s behavior. He was on again and off again. All that stopped when she received a missive from her aunt, asking for Violet to join her-her husband had died. The plot was good and different. Normally we read about nobility, occasionally leaving the field to fall in love with a commoner. This time everyone was a commoner, some with plenty of money. It was a good plot with ambitions coloring personal needs. There was also the element of educating women, which was not popular at the time. Orr handled it well, meeting the controversy head on. It was an enjoyable read and I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Love and Literature by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #AvivaOrr #LoveAndLiterature

This was a new to me author but the cover and the synopsis captured my attention and I was hooked from the first chapter.
Both Violet and Byron have been through trauma in their lives at a very young age which has shaped who they are in adult live. The chemistry between these two characters jumped off the page and at each misunderstanding you are routing for them to sort it out. It became like a movie playing in my mind as I was reading.
The story centres around women's education and how it was at the beginning of a change in direction within society going from the view that women didn't need the same education as men to what we today class as normal that both men and women are educated as equals.
What I enjoyed about this story was how forward thinking the characters were while still trying to juggle the constraints of society and a potential romance. Which I may add is not without its difficulties.
A really fantastic read and I was sad when I had finished it. Looking forward to more from this author. Thank you to Aviva Orr and Net Galley for an ARC copy to honestly review.

This is a new unknown author to me. This was a well enough written romance, it was a straight forward romance with misunderstandings & wrong assumptions but from people who were more down to earth than in most books. I really liked Violet she seems an intelligent person who has lost her family. However Byron blew hot & cold towards Violet and this caused most of the angst and there didn't really seem a decent reason for it although he had lost his wife and child in the past it didn't seem it explain this adequately and so I didn't warm to him nor did it make the chemistry between them all that believable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 Stars
The only adventure Violet Greyson has ever known has come from books, but that all changes when her vicar father dies, and she moves from remote Dartmoor to London. There, she finds her purpose amongst the pioneers of women’s education and begins a new life as a teacher’s assistant at one of England's first academic ladies’ colleges. Byron Thomas, schoolmaster at the prestigious St. James’s Independent School for Boys, set out in life determined to be different from his brutish father but became disillusioned and bitter after typhus took his beloved wife and infant daughter. Beset with pain, he sets his sights on a marriage of convenience to the headmaster’s stepdaughter. But his plans become muddled when he agrees to teach a course in the classics at a new ladies’ college. Drawn to his intelligent and fiery assistant, Byron struggles to maintain a proper master-student relationship as she begins to chip away at the shield that guards his heart.
A new author to me & a new series, a well written romance set in the Victorian era, which was a straight forward romance with misunderstandings & wrong assumptions. I really liked Violet an intelligent young woman who had known the pain of loss. However Byron annoyed me as he blew hot & cold towards Violet, yes he was struggling with his own upbringing & grief but as a grown man should have been kinder to Violet. A struggled with the chemistry between them which seemed to ebb & flow. An interesting read
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I am not familiar with this author and found her writing a refreshing change from most of the books I have read of the era. The plot brings out the changing mores from the sometimes frivolous Regency era to the more straight-laced and serious Victorian times. Education for women became more acceptable, thus allowing Violet Greyson to become a pupil teacher at a prestigious girls' school, under Mr. Byron Thomas. At times Byron was hard to like as he struggled with his own personal demons, thus leading him to blow hot and cold toward Violet. She, on the other hand, had to make many changes in her life from being the vicar's daughter in Devon to a young woman with strong principles, but a need to adapt to her new surroundings and circumstances. At times I despaired of the couple ever finding happiness, but a change in circumstances brings them to a place where they could make their own choices. I enjoyed this novel. It is well-written and comes to a good conclusion. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Love this book! Aviva Orr does it again. I always love the way she weaves her characters to be vulnerable, and yet strong when they need to be. It always captures me from the start and I can't put her books down.