Welcome to author Shae Connor and the tour for her newest release, Teaching Ben, a new addition to the Dreamspun Desires house line from Dreamspinner Press. Thanks for stopping by, everyone. Enjoy!
Hi all, and thanks to Lisa for having me! I’m here today to celebrate the release of my first novel in … well, a while. Teaching Ben is part of Dreamspun Desires, the category romance line of Dreamspinner Press, and it covers two common category romance tropes. The basic story is teacher/student, but the way things play out, it’s much more friends-to-lovers—one of my favorite tropes.
Our heroes, Ben and David, meet on the first day of school, Ben as a new student and David as his teaching assistant. There are immediate sparks, but the imbalance in their positions, coupled with their individual backstories, has them staying away from any kind of romantic relationship. Instead, they become friends, opening up to each other gradually over the course of the semester. It’s a slow burn that lasts all the way until Christmas, when the best gifts they get are each other.
Teaching Ben itself has been a bit of a slow burn. I first wrote the story wayyyyy back in 2011 but ended up setting it aside for a variety of reasons, including the closure of another publisher that had shown interest. When Dreamspinner debuted the Dreamspun Desires line, I remembered the trunked story and dusted it off for another go at it. This time things came together better, and now it’ll finally see the light of day. I hope it’s worth the wait!
I have a tiny little excerpt to share, just a taste of the heat between these two…
Ben lifted his head, and their gazes locked. David felt drawn in by the deep green, glistening with emotion. He fought his body with everything he had to keep from leaning forward, to stop himself from wrapping his arms around Ben and kissing him until neither of them had any breath left.
The heat between them was a palpable thing, drawing them together like magnets. David watched as Ben’s eyes darkened and a flush spread across his smooth cheeks. A shiver ran through David’s body. He was losing the battle with his rational self.
A sudden chill washed over him, but it took him a moment to realize that Ben had moved away. He stood with his hands fisted at his side, breathing heavy and ragged.
David knew Ben had done the right thing. Everything else aside, they were both too emotional to make any kind of irrevocable decision right then. That didn’t make it any easier for him to handle the raw desire still flooding through him.
About the Book
Title: Teaching Ben (Dreamspun Desires)
Author: Shae Connor
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Length: 55,308 words
Price: $4.99 ebook/$9.99 print
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Blurb: Learning to love means a study in patience.
Fresh out of the military, Ben Cooper is ready for a new start. He’s away from his domineering father, making his own choices… and out of the closet. On his first day of college, he meets David Powell, who’s just the kind of gorgeous man Ben’s dreamed of. Too bad he’s the teaching assistant—which makes him off-limits in Ben’s eyes.
David is Ben’s age, but his life has taken a different path. He’s close with his family, who helped him deal with personal struggles after he came out. And while he’s staying away from any hint of scandal, Ben’s a kind of temptation he hasn’t faced in years. If only they’d met on more equal footing.
As the semester progresses and their lives become more entwined, keeping their relationship platonic becomes more difficult. They just have to hold out until the end of the semester….
Buy the Book: Dreamspinner Press || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Kobo || iBooks || Google Play
About the Author
Shae Connor lives in Atlanta, where she’s a lackadaisical government worker for a living and writes sweet-hot romance under the cover of night. She’s been making things up for as long as she can remember, but it took her a long time to figure out that maybe she should try writing them down. A member of the Romance Writers of America, Shae was first published in 2010 and has a lineup of short stories, novellas, and novels available.
Shae is part Jersey, part Irish, and all Southern, which explains why she never shuts up. When she’s not in front of her laptop, she enjoying cooking, traveling, watching baseball, reading voraciously, wearing tiaras, and hugging a lot. She’s also the volunteer Director/Editor for the Dragon Con on-site publication, the Daily Dragon.
You can find Shae hanging out on Twitter most any time @shaeconnor, but for the more direct route, you can visit her website at shaeconnorwrites.com or email her at shaeconnorwrites @gmail.com. You can also sign up for her mailing list.