Learning Curves Audiobook By Rachel Lacey cover art

Learning Curves

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Learning Curves

By: Rachel Lacey
Narrated by: Quinn Riley
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From the author of Stars Collide and Cover Story comes a steamy will-they-won’t-they romance about a bright young teacher reconnecting with the jaded professor she once pined for.

For Audrey Lind, working with clay still evokes memories of her favorite professor. The woman’s zeal for art history ignited Audrey’s own academic career—and her tweed blazers and British accent kindled her first female crush. After fate brings Audrey back to Northshire University to teach, she’s thrilled to be working alongside her former mentor, but the grumpy woman she encounters upon her return is nothing like the dynamo she remembers.

Divorce and a stalling career have turned Dr. Michelle Thompson bitter and guarded. When Audrey swoops in to teach the Women in Art class Michelle’s been pitching for years, she longs to hate her. But her young rival is too kind, too enthusiastic, too irresistible. And her passion for life slowly reawakens Michelle’s own.

Wary of age gaps and workplace politics, they suppress their smoldering attraction—until one wine-filled night at the pottery wheel puts their romantic truce to the test. Will they keep things on the tenure track or risk it all for love?

©2025 Rachel Bates. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Contemporary Romance Heartfelt Feel-Good

Critic reviews

“Fans of slow burns, sexy tweed, and queer sincerity will love this couple.”—Publishers Weekly
Sweet Romance • Healthy Communication • Excellent Narration • Age Gap Dynamic • Sapphic Representation • Emotional Depth

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
So enjoyed the build up
The crush
The let down
The attraction that built into the relationship anyone would wish for.
I need a sequel!!! Want more!

Work of Art!!!

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OK - It was everything I'd hoped it would be, I think. If you haven't seen the 2 pieces of arts that Rachel has posted, you should. It helps set the mood for this book perfectly. And based on those pictures, this book really lived up to my expectations. And Shittake mushrooms - you can FEEEL the tug at the heart going on in this story. There’s some brutal truth-telling and a level of honesty going on. You find vulnerabilities where you least expect them. If you like really exploring someone's life work through a book, Rachel does it best here. I thought of Indigo: Storm by Adrian J Smith when I thought of about what books really color a character and their life's work like this. Also if you enjoyed the MC's dynamic in this book, add "A Lesson in Love" bu Harper Bliss into your TBR pile. And Quinn Riley did a STELLAR job narrating this book for BOTH characters. ugh!!! So good.

It Stands Up to All the Hype

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omg...I loved every part of it...I need more from them the resistance to the unexpected love and romance but the spicy will have you feel some type of way.

Holiday Love

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I love, loved this story of a new professor teaching at the small college she had attended, and falling in love with the professor she once had a crush on when she was a student. There was some drama and some steam to this romance.

Age Gap Professor Romance

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I enjoyed that any and all of the conflict didn’t come from stupid misunderstandings or immaturity, but from external life issues. It’s more accurate to real life and made the love more believable and fun.

Finally a Romance where everyone acts like an adult

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