The Cradle Robbers: Class Act

Rating:
Summary: Never too Old to Learn
Review: CLASS ACT by TC Matthews adds a new twist in the Cradle Robbers series. Portia Warfield is a teacher and ends up getting taught a lesson in life.

Portia is married but spends her nights alone. Stace, her husband, seems to be more concerned about making money than making love. Stace means well, but has allowed his wife to take a back seat to his career. Is work his mistress or someone else?

Loneliness sets in and Portia tries to fight an attraction she has to one of her students. Jonny Quest may be young, but he knows who he wants from the moment he lays eyes on Portia. This want becomes more than a crush and never in his wildest dreams does he think he has a chance with her. Will the student become the teacher?

Portia learns how to live and enjoy life from interacting with Jonny. Will her marriage to Stace survive this forbidden attraction or will she run off with Jonny?
Class Act proves you're never too old to learn. TC Matthews has taken the younger man/older woman subject and made it both entertaining and enlightening.

Rating:
Summary: Dream A Little Dream
Review: Class Act is the third novella in the Cradle Robbers series, which introduces its readers to Portia Warfield. She is thirty-eight years of age, has a successful career and a husband who believes; if he put his wife in a nice house with material possessions it would compensate for his missing in action behavior. Unfortunately for him, Portia's ignition is jump started by her former nineteen year-old student Jonny Quest, who admittedly falls in love with her.

T.C explores two myths, "the grass is greener" and "absence makes the heart grow" when it comes to relationships and love both these myth might be right. But Stace and Portia found a hard lesson in them one which I enjoyed reading. Ms. Matthews presented herself in words with grace and clarity. I certainly look forward to a fourth installment in the Cradle Robbers Series

Missy

Rating:
Summary: Truth and Consequences
Review: In this quick and engaging book by T. C. Matthews, a seasoned woman and a well-to-do man have their lives turned upside down by 19 year old Jonny Quest. Taking the older woman younger man issue to another level, Matthews explores the myth of "the greener grass" as well as what can happen when you leave your back door even slightly cracked. Her character Portia isn't a golddigger, and although she appreciates the flashy car she drives, her fine home and wonderful career as a teacher, with a dysfunctional upbringing and no true examples of what a marriage should be, she is married but is left feeling emotionally unfulfilled by her husband Stace who is constantly away on business and away even when he's there. It is only love and affection that Portia is seeking. I loved Portia's level head and quick wit and how honest she was with her feelings. T. C. Matthews pens a story that takes you though the should I shouldn't I emotions of infidelity and this book plays out what feels like a real life truth and consequences.

Rating:
Summary: The Cradle Robbers Class Act
Review: My book club read and conducted a group discussion on this book and we found it to be excellent!! T. C. Matthews did an excellent job in catching and holding the reader's attention. This book about steamy unforbidden love and sex keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more. Highly recommended for personal as well as group reading.

Rating:
Summary: All That Glitters Isn't Gold
Review: T.C. Matthews takes us into the life of Portia Warfield. Portia is a Midwestern teacher. She and her husband
Stace are at the midpoint of their lives and relationship. Stace has a highly successful career that demands he
travels and Portia who has her Masters and has been teaching in the suburbs for eleven years. They have the
beautiful home and matching BMW's. No children to tie them down. The perfect middle class suburbanites.

When bored with teaching, Portia chooses to transfer to an intercity school in the heart of Chicago. The school
and students are different. Then she meets her weakness. She notices a young student on campus who ends up in
her class. There is strong attraction there but she avoids crossing the line and risking her career. Portia is able to
resist the temptation and get through the school year.

But what happens when she runs into her former student again? After a brief stint in the military Johnny is back
home and wanting to pursue a relationship. Portia leaves all her senses behind for a relationship with Johnny.
The only part I had a hard time with is her recklessness in letting him come to her house.

Does Portia throw her life away for this young fling? Why is Stace doing that he has to stay away so long?
Doesn't he realize his marriage is in jeopardy? In order to found out if they become another marital statistic you
have to read "Class Act" and ask yourself what choices will you make or have made when you are at the crossroads
of your life.

Rating:
Summary: All That Glitters Isn't Gold
Review: T.C. Matthews takes us into the life of Portia Warfield. Portia is a Midwestern teacher. She and her husband
Stace are at the midpoint of their lives and relationship. Stace has a highly successful career that demands he
travels and Portia who has her Masters and has been teaching in the suburbs for eleven years. They have the
beautiful home and matching BMW's. No children to tie them down. The perfect middle class suburbanites.

When bored with teaching, Portia chooses to transfer to an intercity school in the heart of Chicago. The school
and students are different. Then she meets her weakness. She notices a young student on campus who ends up in
her class. There is strong attraction there but she avoids crossing the line and risking her career. Portia is able to
resist the temptation and get through the school year.

But what happens when she runs into her former student again? After a brief stint in the military Johnny is back
home and wanting to pursue a relationship. Portia leaves all her senses behind for a relationship with Johnny.
The only part I had a hard time with is her recklessness in letting him come to her house.

Does Portia throw her life away for this young fling? Why is Stace doing that he has to stay away so long?
Doesn't he realize his marriage is in jeopardy? In order to found out if they become another marital statistic you
have to read "Class Act" and ask yourself what choices will you make or have made when you are at the crossroads
of your life.

Rating:
Summary: Temptation...
Review: What do you get when you have a lonely, neglected wife and a young, virile man? A recipe for disaster, or a hot and steamy affair that leads to promises of forever? Do you give in to the temptation or do you stand firm on your marriage vows, and do whatever you can to regain the attention of your husband?

This is the dilemma Portia Warfield, a thirty-eight year old teacher, is facing. Never in her many years of teaching has thoughts of getting involved with any of her students crossed her mind. That is until Jonny Quest walks into her life. From the first day Jonny walks into her class, she is very attracted to him, and vice versa, but Portia refuses to compromise her job. Years later, she runs into Jonny again, and although the stigma of teacher/student relationships is no longer there, the attraction is. Portia fights the attraction as long as possible, but when her workaholic husband begins to be out of town more than he is at home, the loneliness is more than she can bear. After a while, things start to get a little sticky in Portia and Jonny's secret rendezvous, so she decides to pull back. But is it too late? Has she bitten off more than she can chew?

THE CRADLEROBBERS: CLASS ACT was an average read. The premise of the story was good, with twists and turns that are the makings of a good novel. I would have like to see the story go into a little more detail, though. There were also several grammatical errors that detracted from the story a bit. I do feel that with a little more work, T. C. Matthews has the potential to be a great writer, and I look forward to her future works.

Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers