Audiobook Review: Blinded Me With Science by Tara September 🎧

21 January 2023

Written by Jo @ JRR

Opposites attract like a magnet to steel, or in this case, Emerson to Steel

Emerson Powers has been so focused on obtaining her science degree that she’s neglected the more social aspects of college life. With the new start of her junior year, she’s determined to fix that with a real hands-on lesson in biology. The assignment is simple enough—teach the rock star’s son how to be good, while he shows her how to be very bad. Two objectives, one outcome … will the lesson be love or heartbreak?

Steel is no longer the bad boy Emerson knew from prep school, and he’s set to prove it by helping Emerson complete her secret list of desired college experiences. And if he can convince her that they are meant to be together along the way, even better!

While teaming up on experiments, both in and out of the classroom, Emerson discovers a new side to Steel. Leaving her to question everything she thought she knew. Still, is it enough to forgive the past or just mere chemistry?

*This story originally appeared in the bestselling anthology Kiss & Tell

Title:	Blinded Me With Science
Author:	Tara September
Narrator(s):	Bridget Gardner
Series:	Lesson in Love (Book 2)
Pages / Length:	121 / 3hrs 26mins
Category / Genre(s):	Contemporary Audiobook
Trope(s):	Enemies to Lovers Teach Me Opposites Attract Virgin
Point of View:	First Person, Present Tense
Narration Type:	Dual – one narrator (female) doing both voices
Location:	New England, US
HEA:	✔
Release Date:	21st October, 2022

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonUK.jpg

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonUS.jpg

A really likeable opposites-attract romance

This is my first foray into the world of Tara September and it’s definitely a place I want to spend more time in. Blinded Me With Science is a short, new-adult, contemporary romance set in a college in New England. It’s the second book in the Lessons in Love series but each book stands alone with a different couple.

Emerson reconnect with her high-school nemesis, Steel, when he inexplicably pops up in her advanced science class. The pair then find themselves lab partners which soon becomes more as Steel agrees to help Emerson tick off her list of standard college experiences she’s missed out on. This was a fun premise that actually felt very natural.

Emerson is something of a normal geeky girl and although I tend to geek out over things other than Harry Potter, I felt a kinship with her. She was likeable, fun and someone it was easy to root for. I liked her honesty about wanting the items on her list fulfilled and how she was book smart and technically innocent but she wasn’t a blundering social idiot due to her inexperience – which often happens in other books with similar circumstances.

Steel was equally likeable. I did have a hard time with his name at first since it’s not really a nickname – rather a shortened version of Steeley. Okay, his father was a rockstar called Diesel so it wasn’t outwith the realms of possibility but still – it made me feel old! Steel was a reformed bad-boy who harboured a not-so secret crush on good-girl, Emerson. Well, not-so secret to everyone except Emerson herself. I do love a bit of smitten kitten longing and having a bad-boy yearning for our little nerd was delicious.

“…having a bad-boy yearning for our little nerd was delicious.”

There is obviously talk of sex and lots of kissing and petting, but there’s actually no graphic sexual scenes in this story. In terms of this story, it worked perfectly and although it pains me to say it, I didn’t think the story needed it for me to feel the connection between our pair.

I really enjoyed watching Emerson and Steel dance around each other as they crossed items off Emerson’s list. The pair were adorable together and I really loved them as a couple. I did have a hard time deciding whether to give this book 4 stars or 5. As always with a shorter story or novella, I always wish for the story to be longer so we can get a bit more detail or back story on our characters or situation. I feel I would have definitely liked to hear more about Steel’s journey to who he was now and how he’d changed his life and followed Emerson to college and Emerson’s difficult relationship with her controlling parents. I ultimately settled on 4 stars simply because there were a few storylines that just disappeared – like Steel’s relationship with Diesel for example. But honestly, this story was a smidge away from the full 5 stars that I feel quite mean about the whole thing!

I’m now going back to read the first book in this series (One More Kiss) and will definitely be on the lookout for more by Tara September. I liked her writing style, her characters and her story as a whole. 4 stars for this one but I have high hopes for the future books I read.

Hot buttons:

Previous Drug Use

Difficult parental relationships

Fueled by an IV of green tea and Prosecco, Tara September is a multi-award-winning contemporary romance author of bestselling sassy & steamy love stories filled with banter. Based in Southwest Florida, Tara holds a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, a B.A. from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, as well as attended college courses at Queen’s College in London, U.K. She is also the proud mom to identical twin 10-year-old boys and three cats.