Nick Russo is experiencing all the glamor of life as an adjunct professor: endless grading, long hours, and students who fall asleep in his English Composition class. There’s one student in particular, Sean Kendrick, who is distracting him in all sorts of non-academic ways. Nick has no intention of getting involved with a student, even one with a passion for literature and obscenely blue eyes — that’s a whole set of problems he doesn’t need. After all, it’s not like he even has an office of his own to fool around in… even if Sean’s flirting is worthy of a doctorate.

Office Hours is a steamy 17,000-word novella about the very serious work of higher learning, maintaining professional boundaries, and ensuring that queer theory gets a very thorough practical workout.

In a way, it was refreshing—none of the But it’s not my fault or Yes, I’m so sorry, I swear it’ll never happen again that he always heard (and never believed). “That’s all I ask. And feel free to stop by during my office hours whenever you want. Believe it or not, I am rarely inundated with a bevy of students seeking my scholarly advice.”

“Thanks, Mr. Russo,” Sean said, standing up to go. “I just might do that.”

As he left, Nick had to bite his tongue to keep from saying, “Call me Nick.”

from “Office Hours”

I adored Office Hours! It felt so approachable, like I was immediately ensconced in the story with no need to find my stride. Nick felt so relatable, like an old friend who I just wanted to find happiness, and I found myself completely wrapped up in the story right from the start. Office Hours was just so enjoyable from start to finish that I read it all in one sitting without pausing for a break — and the hot, sweet ending made that totally worth it!

Courtney, reviewer

A story that charts the course of a professor/student entanglement during an otherwise normal spring semester, Office Hours by Rena Butler will keep readers engaged from the first day of class all the way to the graduation ceremony. Nick, the protagonist, is extremely believable as a disaffected adjunct English professor who faces a classic conundrum: what to do when one develops a major crush on the sexy/smart senior who just might be interested in pursuing more than a good grade. The slow-burn of erotic tension climaxes in such a satisfying manner to make any reader petition the campus registrar for the chance to re-take this credit! The real strength of Office Hours is Butler’s brilliant depiction of the relationships between Nick and the other discontented colleagues in the English department. The merciless ribbing, the passing of rude notes during mindless faculty meetings, and the authentic devil-may-care camaraderie in the face of academic ennui leads this reviewer to believe the author has spent quality time of her own in the trenches of a drab, windowless, shared campus office. Rena Butler’s unique take on a taboo fantasy as old as education proves there’s more to erotic writing than cleverly avoiding the word “penis.” Her commitment to realism, not to mention her refreshingly ethical handling of student/teacher power dynamics, proves that smut really can be composed with class.

Scott Sessions, Queer Men’s Bedtime Stories