Duality: A Student/Teacher Age Gap Romance (Timeless Love Book 1)

HOLY ROMANCE! OK, here goes.... I just finished reading Duality by a favorite go to author of mine, Charlene Namdhari. If you love out of the box romances on the darkish side with tons of twists, then you'll love her books. I am positively addicted to them. She is an incredible author who isn't afraid to take risks, push boundaries and challenge readers, over and over and over again. I'm one of those readers, and Duality is one of those books. I've been Namhari'd all over again with this 5-Star Romance!Inside the pages of this book is where real love, hard love, and questionable love happens as well as many tears. Like all great romances it's also filled with all the emotions and feels mixed in as well. Love isn't easy. Sometimes you have to work hard at finding love. That one person you are destined to be with. It's hard, grueling even. Frustration, shame, bullying, abuse, and other sensitive issues come alive within these pages. Duality is what adult fairytales are made of with a side of darkness mixed in.Ms. Namdhari challenged me with Duality one OMG moment at a time. I love a romance that makes me think, makes me work at it and I'm referring to sleuthing. I'm always trying to be one step ahead but Ms. Namdhari won that battle once again. I love that because it makes the ending that much more rewarding, that much sweeter. That risk taking I spoke of earlier in my opinion paid off in this wild, unrestrained, drama filled romance with plenty of mystery and madness to keep you guessing. It's complicated in an uncomplicated way. I loved how everything came together and how everything that happens in this book makes so much sense by the end. It's downright magical.It's a long hard struggle for this couple. But as they say, anything worth having is worth fighting for and fighting they do. This couple fight each other and those evildoers who never stop. Who are the villains? Strangers, friends, family? I'm not telling but they are mean. They are wicked and I'm not saying anymore.Oh and it's hotness level is off the freaking charts! Dang it, I really found it to be a hands down enjoyable romance.Now let's talk shop.Our Heroine is soon to be 17 year old Levana Singh. Sarcastic, down to earth and so relatable. I loved her instantly. Her internal banter and thoughts, sarcastic or otherwise had me laughing out loud. Due in part because her thoughts would mimic my own.A school outing to a castle in England sends Levana, a period-related history lover student into a tailspin of first time lust with a stranger in the off limits section of a castle tour leaving her feeling hot and bothered.Our Hero is Sebastian Sinclair aka Saint. And trust me, he's definitely no saint. He is growly, mysterious, secretive, unapologetic, sinfully sexy and the hottest dirty talker ever to walk out of Winthrop Castle in England. He can't seem to get out of his own way when it comes to the young peeping Tom.Levana's selfish narcissistic sorry excuse for a mother, Sandra does some things that are so vile and sets in motion a series of events that wreak havoc in every direction on those she should care for the most. She was so bad to the bone that even Satan himself would turn her away. Her mother is cruel. So viciously mean that I was cursing her a blue streak whenever she spoke to Levana because there was no end to the vile words she would spew at her.There's a new teacher in town of the tall, dark and seriously hot kind. His name, Mr. Sinclair. Sparks fly inside Levana as she recognizes him. A quiet recognition and/or awareness happened between them though never letting on what either remembered.This is where their story really begins.... Starting with Saint and his dirty talking to Levana while the class was writing an essay. I swear from his dirty mouth and silver tongue to my clean ears I didn't want him to stop talking!!! I kid you not, my ears lobes curled right along with my toes with every titillating sexy thing that his dirty mouth lashed out at her! Duality might be a slow burn but believe you me that slow burn is scorching hot!Will this cat and mouse game stop long enough to give them what they both want and deserve? Or will the powers that be step in and halt everything? Will the stress, inability to love, confusion, denial, guilt and the inevitable prove to be too much for this couple? Too little too late? A life hangs in the balance and the clock is ticking? What does their future hold? Will family traditions control their uncertain future? Do they even have a future?Will they find the answers they are looking for? Will the truth set them both free? Will they be able to put the past behind them? Allowing them to be free, to live free? To live in the light without fear of what's to come out of the shadows? All good questions. But my lips are zipped!Although there were times where our beloved 17 year old heroine lacked maturity, one shouldn't be surprised because, well, she's 17. Does that mean a 17 year old can't fall madly in love? In my humble opinion, of course not. And yes, our sexy silver tongued, dirty talking Hero was about to turn 35. But geez he's still relatively young.Is it too much of an age gap to be accepted? I don't think so. I was rooting for them every step of the way! I loved the idea of them. Let's not forget this is fiction so anything goes. I look for an escape out of the real world when I read, within reason of course. If I wanted a cookie cutter story, I'd stick to Fun With Dick and Jane.If you want an original, out of the box unique 5-STAR romantic reading experience, read Duality. A romance where anything is possible.************Book faves:* A "letter to my love" that leads to a shocking revelation and a breath stealing ugly cry. Good gawd man!!! I was literally choked up!~ Admiration declaration for a sister. Yes, it was tear inducing!~ Levana's tenacity. She's amazingly strong. You wouldn't think so after all she's been through and subjected to. She never gives up or gives in. She never lets you see her sweat.~ Saint.~ I loved the humor throughout by Levana, Grace, and Cian.~ Nincompoops.... That just made me giggle.~Favorite supporting character: Eliana and Cian.Well, I just can't choose. Why? I can't say why. I thought they were equally wonderful additions to this unique one of a kind romance.~Favorite Line:. "Everything about this man was a breathless treat."************Because this book was very mysterious throughout its entirety I figured the author would wallop me over the head with a sledgehammer mega twist and she did NOT disappoint! As a matter of fact, I do believe she left me concussed along with a huge book hangover. I have to say it, Charlene's books always leave me reeling..... I thought it was uniquely different and brilliantly written. As with her other books I've read, I do believe with Duality, I've been Namhari'd all over again!

Dark, addictive and hauntingly beautiful, Charlene Namdhari writes a well written story with depth, emotion and provocative topics with amazing complex characters brillantly delivering a tricky, mysterious story line. Saint and Levana have a deep, raw and emotional charged connection that is profound. The chemistry between the two works on all levels as we follow their extremely sexual and sensual journey. There were twists and turns and lots of suspense which I love! Duality is incredible - it rocked me to the core.

This book takes you on a vast journey from England to San Francisco, its worth it. Read it with an open mind. Its a mystery within a forbidden love story with a curse add in a dash of a fairy tale with a possible bad outcome. At its basic its a story of ones first true love. Whether its the present with Saint and Levana or the past with Snow and Sebastian. Both couples fates are tied together from the start. We get a truly wicked evil mother, a good father who happens to be an old friend of Saint's, a little sister Eliana who loves her big sister, a English castle, a mysterious brotherhood , a few stolen items from said castle and a thief. The story is beautifully written with a few twists and turns. Duality isn't just its title but a constant theme through out the book. It delivers on everything. Charlene Namdhari wrote a brilliant story full of intrigue, love , a little fairy tale and so much heart with the two lead characters Saint and Levana. They fight their attraction but fate has other plans. Plans that began before either was born. Just read it. You'll be thankful after you have finished it. I know I was. The secrets in this book are too good to not discover them. The small fairy tale angle really got me. Trust me I won't spoil it for you, just go read it! Enjoy!

Genre: Age Gap, Teacher/Student RomanceBook Length: NovelPOV: Alternating DualSetting: England and San FranciscoHero: Sebastian “Saint” Sinclair is a Professor of Archaeology and comes from a long line of royalty. He is also involved in a secret Brotherhood. Saint is about to turn 35 and has black hair, green eyes and has tattoos.Heroine: Levana "Lee" Singh is a young American girl attending a high school in England (then later moves to San Francisco). She has a mother who is incredibly cruel to her and a younger sister. Levana is 17 and has a curvy body with long black hair and bright blue eyes.Endearment: Snow and BabySpice Level: MediumFrequency of Spice: LowAngst Level: LowStandalone/Duet/Series: StandaloneCliffhanger: NoEpilogue: YesMy Review: So this story confused the hell out of me. In the beginning I was really digging it. The older man/younger woman vibe was sexy and interesting, however, there were so many hot and cold moments that it became super frustrating. Levana is written very immaturely and I don’t really understand what an experienced man like Saint saw in her. She is young and acts it, which is fine, but when you’re giving me an age gap romance the heroine needs to be mature beyond her years for it not to be creepy. There were so many “mysteries” in this book that didn’t make any bit of sense at all. The book felt like it had multiple personalities and couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. An age gap/forbidden lovers romance? A secret society dark romance? A wannabe BDSM romance? The spice was OK but barely there. I felt it was all over the place honestly. Even in the end when the “mysteries” are revealed, it was super confusing and I was feeling like I was missing something huge. I gave it 3 stars because I enjoyed parts of it, but overall very discombobulated.

It was a unique storyline. Ticked all the tropes. Looking forward to reading the next one. Loved it so much!

Wow the tension, nail biting romance and drama of this book was mind blowing. Seriously addictive and so spicy. The unravelling of the mystery is nearly as every bit as exciting as the love story. One of the best books I’ve read this year (I’ve read over 100)

A timeless love story of the past interwoven with the present, of two people, from two different backgrounds, drawn together like a moth to a flame, there love forbidden, yet undeniable, this is Saint and Levana’s story, of two souls destined to be, a brotherhood strict in its practices, a curse passed down through each generation, one of pain and loss, yet a love so profound they’d defy the odds just to be together.This book has it all an alpha dominant male, controlling and possessive, one girl who gives as good as she gets, family drama, romance, madness, mayhem, bullying, mild violence, adrenaline seeking suspense, twists, turns, truths and betrayals.This story is told from multiple POV, it will take you on a wild ride, having you turning page after page. This book had me from beginning to end. This author definitely knows how to write and I’ll be coming back for more.And those s*x scenes were steamy, it had all the pain, pleasure and passion one would except when you have a well to do man like Saint, it also had the romance and love one would expect including those BDSM elements too.Levana belongs to Saint, as much as he belongs to her, his protectiveness and possessiveness, his need for control and dominance, will always be apart of who he is and that’s what Levana loves about her man, educating her in every way possible, she owns his heart, and he hers, it’s what binds them as one, it was off the charts and had all of the feels.And that ending is definitely a happily ever after I can get behind, because for them it was bittersweet and perfect and so deserved for the both of them.

I adore this story. It has a love that spans time, mixed in with intrigue, pulled together by an age gap forbidden love. The pieces are all there.I’ve loved all of the author’s previous works, and look forward to what is next.All that being said, while loving the story, I believe that it could use with some tightening up. It has all the key elements to make it spectacular, but it often comes off disjointed.We start with the mystery of a stolen jewel, and while we do see the mystery solved, we see no mention of it until the story wraps up. At that time we are to believe - without any further explanation - that a high school student could be an undetectable jewel thief.What presents as intrigue is pushed to the side while trying to develop the story itself, often flittering from one concept to the next. There are several pieces that seem to be thrown in as an after thought to try and bring the story together but it comes across as though it were several separate stories being smashed together to try and make one story. Much of the background information needed for the story to keep moving forward is thrown in as a tie-together rather than being made an integral part of the story. In a tale like this that spans through history, we should be aware of that angel before the last 30 minutes of the story.Our female main character is under written, and deserves more character. She is a strong, intelligent lead, but she is under developed, coming across as bland and sometimes boring, despite having a vibrant and funny personality. We see glimpses of this, I wish we saw it more. Perhaps writing a character approaching adulthood causes some struggle? This character could - and should - be as charismatic as the male lead.Like I said - I absolutely love this story, but I would love to see the author take some time to develop it more so it can be as exceptional as I found her other books to be.

This was a good read, it did have me confused at times though. I did enjoy the characters and I’m glad for the happy ending.