The Sterling University Series

I have never hidden the fact that I am addicted to series. And when I can get an entire novella length set of stories from a series in a book bundle (or boxed set) then I’m a very happy reader – no going to search for each individual title. So when The Sterling University box set showed up on NetGalley I didn’t hesitate to click on it. A new to me author, a complete series in one shot, good, entertaining stories? Oh yeah, why would I pass up that chance.

I had such fun with these stories that now I’m looking for others by Rebecca Heflin. Why stop at just three fun books, right? Three couples who need a lesson taught in falling in love themselves brought a chuckle, a few laugh out loud moments, some slightly steamy moments and a grouping of very interesting stories – each with a distinct touch. I had fun in the Sterling University universe – and that is exactly why I read romance. Fun, flirty stories with believable characters and realistic situations, what’s not to love about that. I’d recommend this boxed set of the Sterling University series to any Contemporary Romance reader who enjoys a good love story, interesting characters and just escaping for a while into a lovely world.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This was a really great box set. I love how fun the stories were. They were short and light but it was a much needed breath of fresh air for me. Would decently recommend this set.

Spoiler free (except for one point at the end which is labelled).

I couldn’t put this three novella series down as soon as I started reading. It’s not my usual genre, or something I would usually gravitate too. But that didn’t stop me finding it a compelling and interesting read. I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and requested a copy of this eBook as it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Romancing Dr. Love
Romancing Dr. Love, despite the cheese fest that is that title and the main characters surname, was actually a lot deeper and more layered story than I imagined it to be on reading that title. This novella was full of exciting obstacles with high emotional stakes. The characters were well rounded, relatable and flawed. Most romance novels lack this, and therefore I tend to avoid them, but maybe I judged too soon, as this novella definitely didn’t lack and I’m now reconsidering everything I ever thought about romance books. Ethan is a great love interest, and I found myself invested in his and Sam’s tale. I love how this is a story that had growth. Both characters learnt something, they went through a lot of change throughout the novella which made the read really satisfying. Ethan has to learn to trust again, and Sam to love in the first place. The contrast in their personalities made their romance realistic and believable. It wasn’t easy, and I like that about this book. Finally I like the way these novellas are written. It switches between Sam and Ethan’s point of views so effortlessly, giving us a rounded view of everything that is happening. It does it so easily, it doesn’t even need to switch points of view with separate chapters, it does it mid page. You just know who’s point of view it is and when.

Winning Dr. Wentworth
This novella confused me at first when it started with a car like the first novella. But it didn’t take long to find it’s feet and separate itself completely from the first novel, standing up on it’s own as an independent novella, just as compelling as the first. But it isn’t completely independent from the first book and I LOVED that! The characters overlap, this one being about Ethan’s best friend. I love a good cameo, but it also meant that we got to see more of Ethan and Sam from book one too, extending their story slightly too. I actually liked this novella the most. I loved the idea that its about a childhood friendship / high school heartache gone wrong, and about those characters meeting again in adulthood after years of pain apart. I love a romance about people who have known each other for a long time, and this was no exception. Even if I knew nothing about the sports side of this novella.

Educating Dr. Mayfield
This has to be my second favourite out of the three novellas. This one didn’t start with a car, so maybe it wasn’t an on purpose theme. I love how this tied up the loose ends of the remaining prominent character Delaney, giving her a novella of her own. I don’t know if I mentioned it already, but I love that these are novellas. It gave us a way to see the stories of three interlocking characters in a way that couldn’t have been achieved with a novel. I really liked the love interest in this book, Devon is my favourite of the three. I can’t help it but the whole corporate Mr Darcy thing is irresistible. One down point though is the ‘This is sterling university, and it’s a granite town’ speech is very annoying though. The same speech is copy and pasted into all three novellas, and reading it for the third time was a little tedious. At first I was not sure if I like the fact that Sam’s research was used in this novella as well. I wasn’t sure if I would have preferred their romance to develop naturally, not in the same way as the first book. But then, as the story developed, Sam’s research just made everything so much better. It turned the story into a complete Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice thing, and I loved it!

*SPOILER ALERT* Sorry I just couldn’t not mention this.
I LOVED the moment when Delaney walked in on Devon dancing to Bruno’s Uptown Funk. It reminded me so much of that Hugh Grant moment in Love Actually.