Zev’s Comments (group member since Feb 26, 2019)

Zev’s comments from the What's the Name of That Book??? group.

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It's probably "The Bad Girl" by R L Stine.

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Yes. Thank you for double-checking.

No, this is not it. Also I remember the book was a standalone, and someone may have had a name starting with M.

Spoilers.
The literature professor and student (Whitney?) were relatively close in age, like ten years apart or so iirc. Another student had a blatantly obvious crush on the professor. I think her name was Prudence? She was supposed to be annoying and obnoxiously forward, but all I could think while reading it was, "The author wrote her this way because MC got to the professor romantically first." The author was trying to set up a rivalry between the two women for the professor's affections, and I remember disliking it.

The professor, who was tall and possibly with first initial H, let his student girlfriend help grade papers as their relationship progressed. She dropped a paper in shock when she saw it: "(Prudence) had drawn hearts around her name in the upper right corner of the paper, signed as 'Pru.'" Professor looks over at girlfriend and she somewhat flatly describes it. She was shocked that Prudence was still trying for the professor's affection and being so obnoxious.

Student and professor get married at a courthouse around the midway of the novel. A court messenger delivers an order for a paternity suit to the professor. "It's too bad when a man's hit with a paternity suit on his wedding day," he says sympathetically. Student is utterly shocked. It turns out the suit was brought by Prudence. Student storms out. She's understandably convinced her professor cheated on her with Prudence.

A chapter later, both the professor and student confront Prudence. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know what to do. My boyfriend left me," she says, crying. Professor and student essentially just grumble at this, then go ahead and get married. I think the book ended on a HEA, with the professor retiring after his girlfriend got pregnant.

I think this took place in the East Coast of the USA in the 1990s. I think it was a private university.

I read this between 2004 and 2011. The book had a black cover with dark colors on it, forming an image of a woman and some kind of circle. There may have been other versions of the cover. Maybe a dozen Pagan and Wiccan authors wrote erotic stories for this anthology. One was Silver Ravenwolf. Another was Starhawk. I think Raven Grimassi was even part of it. Everyone used a lot of euphemisms. "Drinking nectar" was a euphemism for cunilingus, "peaks" were a euphemism for breasts, and "valleys" were referring to vaginas or maybe genitals overall, in a few of these stories.

The title was something about a goddess, or referring to a woman. There was an introduction to the stories, an afterward, and something that I think is called a bibliography. It's the part of a book that introduces each author and cites their work, and explains where else to find them (websites, social media, other books). Please correct me if it's not the right word.

I don't remember who the publisher was. Maybe Llewellyn? Maybe Weiser? Red wheel? Unsure.

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"Only Child" by Jesse O.sburn?

It might be "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles.

"When Katie Met Cassidy" by Camille Perri.

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This might be a long shot, but could it be "Bittersweet" by Miranda Beverly Whitmore?

It is NOT "Testimony" by Anita Shreve.

I have two. Both are at two years or so. I bump them regularly. People have indeed found really old unsolved ones!