Rating: 3.5🌈
Miracle marks the end of R.J. Scott’s Single Dad’s series, a group of loosely related stories about single fathers and their journey to a romantic relationship and family life.
This finale novel is definitely more of a standalone story than some of the books earlier on in this series. Then those books were adhering to the series theme, see below:
“Introducing the single dads of La Jolla, and the first responders they fall in love with.
From surrogacy to adoption and everything in between, this series of books follows the highs and lows of being a single father.
For these men finding love might seem impossible but sometimes it’s as easy as meeting the doctor next door, finding the firefighter who makes you feel beautiful, or learning that a cop can be trusted to keep you safe.”
But that’s been left behind by Listen Book 5 as the main characters have other professions as careers and different types of issues to work through.
There’s several main themes or narrative components to Miracle, only two of which are well developed. The main characters, Jax and Arlo work together in Jax’s construction business. Both are secretly in love with each other but are unable to approach each other about their feelings, even though they’ve known each other for a long period of time.
Jax has a complicated past. He’s adopted (great adopted family) but he’s a twin and has hunted for that twin since he found out about his existence. Arlo has raised his siblings since the unexpected death of his parents, giving up his own dreams to help them grow up and achieve their own.
Those are two great storylines by themselves. And Scott’s narrative dives deep to explore the emotional layers that exist within a person who is still dealing with issues of grief, loss, frustration over the past, and acknowledging that the change of dreams for oneself that happens when you devote your own life to your family. This is where the book and characters feel grounded and believable. Each man and their respective families feel real.
The pathway to a romantic relationship is a tad frustrating for me as I value communication highly, especially between adults and adults who have a long history with each other, in the books I’m reading. When there’s excessive dithering of the “tell him you care, he doesn’t care, yes , he does “ variety, then it’s hard to go forward.
Luckily, Scott throws in a third element here to push the reader through. That’s the appearance of Zach’s baby , Jax’s missing twin brother little boy. The little baby is adorable and he’s the glue that pulls the main characters together and, honestly, the story as a whole. But he’s also part of the story’s issues. Or his father is.
Because the entire “Zach is the father” aspect of the story is just a mere mention here and there. A throwaway line or two, along with the mysterious Kai, his partner. What we do know is that they leave the baby’s status legally in a shaky state. It never stated who is the actual guardian, who has rights to this child. Zach pops in, and out. The baby calls Arlo and Jax papa and Daddy both as they are his stable home figures but also as Zach wants his enemies to think they are his parents. It’s never said that they are now legally so because Jax couldn’t go on record about how he got him.
This entire thread is just needs more context, or thought, or something. And it leaves me feeling as though it was intentionally vaguely written because the author has a new series out and Zack and Kai’s story is book 3. So this narrative was left with holes to lead towards that one. A formula I can do without.
To wrap up, Miracle (Single Dads Book 7) by R.J. Scott has some good heartwarming elements to it as the finale book. The main characters get a lovely romance that includes a baby and meshing of two families. However, there’s an odd other aspect to this with a mysterious twin brother and his partner that really doesn’t work. It feels exactly what it is, a preview for a new series and story to come instead of a well developed part of this book.
Single Dads:
Single #1
Today #2
Promise #3
Always #4
Listen #5
Pride #6
Miracle #7 – finale
Buy link
Blurb:
An abandoned baby, a poignant note from his long-lost twin, and unexpectedly, Jax’s world is turned upside down.
Despite being adopted by a loving family when he was a child, Jax feels part of his life is missing, and driven by dreams of his brother being in danger, Jax is consumed by his search for his biological twin. Shocked to find a surprise delivery on his doorstep, Jax discovers that not only is he an uncle, but apparently, he’s a legal guardian to baby Charlie. He calls on the unwavering support of his friends and family to solve the mystery surrounding the new arrival, but also finds help from an unexpected source — Arlo, the enigmatic bear of a man who works for him.
Arlo is no stranger to caring. When his parents passed, he dropped out of college to care for his siblings, working construction to pay the bills. With his brothers grown and having left home, it’s Arlo’s turn to live, but when the next stage of his life means owning up to his love for Jax, he can’t find the words to be honest about how he feels. The problem for Arlo is that he’s been in unrequited love with his boss for three years and can’t bear to not be part of his life. Is it too much to wish for a miracle to make Jax fall for him too?
• Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd; 1st edition (December 22, 2023)
• Publication date: December 22, 2023
• Print length: 302 pages
Zack and Kai’s book (#3) is found in the new series,
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 