Bell Time by Sophie Toovey: Book Review

 

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Jen is a creative, fun-loving English teacher who collects quirky cat posters. When Michael joins the department, it looks like this arrogant, ambitious hotshot might become her new boss. Jen decides to apply for the promotion, and finds herself running a school trip, struggling to control an unruly boys' class, and trying desperately to ignore the growing attraction between her and Michael.

Love wasn't on the lesson plan, but if she can just get through an impromptu inspection, the job interview, and force the chauvinist Head to recognise her existence, then she can see if there might be a future for her and Michael outside of the classroom...

Sophie Toovey writes upbeat romantic comedies inspired by Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O'Leary and Sophie Kinsella - and of course, Jane Austen. She loves life in the Welsh valleys and browsing in charity shops, and drinks too much tea.

If you're looking for a fun workplace/teacher romance, Bell Time is one to check out!

In this story, we meet Jen and Michael. They are teachers at a struggling school who don't see eye to eye on all matters of education. This leads to some great banter and competition early on in the story and offers a fun enemy to lovers as the story goes on. Whether they were fighting one another or coming together, I really enjoyed the slow-burn relationship between these two. 

The author is a teacher herself, which I think shines through in this story. There is definitely a sense of not just knowledge about the profession, but also a passion for it too, which made the story that much more genuine and enjoyable. I've only read a handful of teacher romances, but I enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes look at the politics of it all. Again, it just added a great layer to an already enjoyable story. 

Bell Time is a closed-door romance, with nothing beyond kissing. There was some language, but it was minimal and fairly mild for the most part. One character does use the f-word at one point, and while the intention is clear, it is not fully spelled out on the page either.

Overall, I thought this was a fun read. I look forward to reading more in the series!