Lanes Hayes has written a heartwarming holiday story in The Humbug Holiday. One of my favorites this season, itās has a gentle romance between two men whose histories include adolescent pasts with deep emotional pain associated with the Christmas holidays.
One, Cameron Warren, a famous author of mysteries, has escaped his LA home , family, and notoriety for a newly purchased old Victorian in small town Fallbrook, Vermont . Heās there to write and hide from the holidays.
However, his elderly aunts have temporarily accompanied him to make sure heās settled, alive, and decorated in his new home. One that needs a ton of work.
Joe Linton, Handyman, is hired by one aunt to help make the beautiful old house livable for the winter, and start with the crusade to get their nephew to decorate.
Hayesā characters are real in their faults, charming in their own ways of thinking about life and their feelings for the holidays, decorating and the town. Each manās story will slowly come tumbling out , piecemeal, as one writes, the other puts the house in order, and their relationship grows.
Itās warm, like sitting next to a fireplace, chatting, learning about someone. Itās believable and grounded in small town culture and the strengths of that lifestyle.
My heart was easily invested and flowed with the story, right through to the end. So charming and wonderful.
Perfect for the holidays and one Iām absolutely recommending.
Two grumpy bears and a holiday season neither will forgetā¦
Joe
So this sexy silver fox rolls into my small New England town and buys a run-down old house in need of renovation. Thatās where I come in. My job is to do some basic repairs, so he can write in peace. Yep, the hotshot is a bestselling author, but thatās not why I recognize Cameron Warren.
No worries, I wonāt let a one-night stand make things awkward. I could use the work, but is he seriously asking me to help him buy a Christmas tree too?
No way.
Cameron
Iām a good-natured guy all year long, but I have to admitā¦I hate the holidays.
There. I said it.
This season, Iām hiding away on the opposite side of the country in a picturesque village. My family isnāt excited about my decision, and the only way to assure them Iām fine is to deck the darn halls. Or hire someone else to do it.
The handyman might not be the logical choice for an elf, but his grumpy act makes me smile. Which makes me think the holidays might not be so ābah-humbugā this year after all.
The Humbug Holiday is a bisexual, age-gap romance featuring two grumpy bears who find unexpected magic and learn to embrace everyoneās favorite time of year!
Con Riley has quickly become a go to author for me for contemporary romance. Rileyās characters and movingly detailed plots manage to capture my attention as well as my imagination. I end up loving the couples, their stories, and the cast around them.
His Last Christmas in London is a perfect example. After a bitter experience with a mentor who took credit for his work and then refused him references when he wanted out, Ian Fisher, photographer, is forced to face reality and a move back home to Cornwall. In a short period, Riley gives us a intimate glimpse into a man who is hurting, full of self doubt, and questioning his own abilities.
It takes his friends, and one last chance, a job for a well known food critic, for everything to change course, albeit slowly.
Guy Parsons, food critic, widower, man of amazing depths, if you can get the chance to see beyond his walls. Guy is another amazing character and one I could easily spend another book with. The two of them , together, exploring London, is magical.
I truly wasnāt ready to let them or their romance go. I wanted to tag along aside as they wandered through Cornwall, or perhaps France. It honestly didnāt matter. They charmed me.
I suspect they will you too.
Itās why Iām definitely recommending His Last Christmas in London by Con Riley. Itās a holiday read to take to heart!
Falling for his final client wonāt make leaving London easyā¦
Ian ~ A talented, young photographer desperate to stay in London.
Guy ~ An older, fierce food critic, determined to keep him in his city.
Ian shouldnāt be attracted to a scathing food critic like Guy Parsons, not after the last time he fell for someone older, arrogant, and gorgeous. He knows better than to let dramatic good looks sway him since his last heartbreak. Besides, heās accepted a new job at the far end of the country and wonāt be staying in London.
Having one month left doesnāt seem enough now Ianās fallen in love with the city. Working as Guyās photographer for December might help him afford to stay for longer, even if he hates Guyās brand of restaurant reviewing. When Guy turns out to be worlds away from the last man Ian fell for, shared meals soon result in shared secrets and feelings.
More than attraction sparks between them as Christmas approaches. Intimate moments lead to intense passion, but is being well matched in the bedroom enough to stop the clock counting down to Ian leaving London, and Guy, for good?
ā„ Steamy, snarky, and sweet, His Last Christmas in London is an utterly British, low-angst, age-gap, workplace gay romance set in London and Cornwall. ā„
Celebrate the holidays with a lovely long novella full of heartfelt hurt/comfort and second chances from Con Riley, author of the much adored Charles: Learning to Love.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Christmas Spirit by Annabelle Jacobs is another delightful holiday romance. Set In Cornwall, a favorite location of mine, this low angst age gap tale has a bit of the magical holiday spirit that takes this a tad into the supernatural with a merry matchmaking ghost!
Dylan tears his Achilles tendon and ends up recovering at his best friendās uncleās house In Cornwall.
The uncle is younger that expected and hot! And someone Dylan had met-cute before arriving.
Gareth is drawn to his nephewās best friend, the first one since his bad breakup. The vet has his newly purchased older house under renovation, with the help of his nephew and others . But it Dylan he canāt keep his eyes off.
The men maneuver through the minefield of emotions thatās the best friend/nephewās feelings about them, the idea of any permanence, guided by the actions of a ghostly matchmaker.
Itās sweet, funny, and sexy. Accompanied by several side stories that involve Dylanās dad and Garethās exās father about moving on with your life. Believable and lovely.
Iām recommending Christmas Spirit by Annabelle Jacobs as another heartwarming holiday read. Add it to your list!
Dylanās Cornish retreat wasnāt supposed to include a hot bloke and a cupid-playing ghostā¦
After tearing his Achilles tendon, recuperating by the sea sounds like a fantastic idea, and Dylan happily accepts his best mateās offer to stay with him and his uncle for a few weeks. But he hadnāt counted on the uncle being smoking hot, or the fierce attraction that blossoms between them.
Swapping the busy streets of London for the easy pace of Cornish life is exactly what Gareth needs to move on with his own life. His new home requires a little TLC, but heād expected that. What he hadnāt expected was the ghostly resident already living there.
A ten-year age gap isnāt the only issue standing between Dylan and Gareth. Their time together has an expiration date. By Christmas, Dylan will be back home in Bristol spending the holidays with his dad, leaving Gareth all alone. Luckily for them, a matchmaking Christmas Spirit has other ideas.
A Christmas MM romance featuring a meet-cute, pining, a meddling ghost, a teeny bit of angst, and a festive HEA
ā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Cowboy Protection is a terrific story that suffers from being a tale thatās only 1/2 to 2/3ās finished. You get to the ending and feel that thereās multiple chapters missing. So many storylines left dangling or completely neglected. So frustrating that it takes away from the great elements that went before.
First to the things I really loved about this romance.
The rodeo universe and bull riders. B.A. Tortuga and Jodi Payne capture this world in all its gritty, rawness. From the moment we meet the bullfighting team led by āMackeyā Keyes, weāre right in the heart of the game. The dust of the area, the roar of the crowds, the snorting, stomping rage of the bulls and the clanging of the gates swinging wide open as the bulls bust out! Itās vividly alive, scary and terrifyingly memorable.
Just as the men fighting to keep the bull riders safe and the bulls distracted until they can be lead away. These men, this team, from the young rowdy twin brothers to the older scarred veterans, are believable and so realistic that itās hard to pull our attention away from them to focus on the other second main character.
Maverick āMackeyā Keyes, an older, heavily scarred bullfighter who lives for his team and the sport but now suffers from the consequences of his near constant concussions and other injuries. Heās a charismatic figure and a realistic character. However thereās aspects to his personality and character that deserve greater exploration than the authors deed to him. More on that later.
Sidney Scott, the new TV producer, doesnāt have the layers that the bullfighters have to his character but heās still plenty interesting. A believable backstory, and a strong personality helps keep Sidney from fading when next to the magnetic bullfighters, their energy, that swoops off the page, even when they are puking their guts out in a bathroom.
Everything about the rodeo world jumps with a vitality and passion that pulls the reader in and makes us commit to the characters and story.
Which is why the less than stellar aspects of the story are so bothersome. Some spoilers below.
1. Bullfighter Injuries. Specifically Traumatic brain injury(craniocerebral trauma) . McKay suffered from a number of concussions. Heās just had another serious injury to the head. Yet this is barely a point of discussion. For a man with a need to protect his team and itās members going forward, not taking proper care of his body seems counterproductive to that goal and endangering their contracts. Instead itās puke your guts out, hide your symptoms and continue. Even in the relationship, this aspect is never addressed as a part of their future it is in other books with athletes who play sports (hockey, football) associated with this trauma.
I found this a missed opportunity, a relationship mistake, and unrealistic element for someone who wants a long term relationship but isnāt willing to discuss the issues heās having with his future partner.
2. Brad. The member of the board whoās made out by the authors to be an important part of the storyline. Heās a malevolent figure, determined to ruin McKay and his bullfighters by any means. This element is built up throughout the novel, as Brad appears to keep approaching people to get dirt or ask them to slander the team to break the event contract. What happens to this dramatic story development? Nothing. Like a deflated balloon or false advertising, it vanishes without a conclusion. What a letdown.
3. Finally, under major narrative flaws, thereās Jack. One of the older bullfighters and McKayās best friends with benefits before meeting Sidney. Spoiler alert. At the end, Jack, a interesting personality, appears without notice, frazzled and emotionally disturbed, at McKayās ranch at Christmas time. Heās been in a car crash where thereās been a death and he needs a place to rest up.
Now as a team leader , does McKay gets any details? See if the fact that one of a fairly famous team of bullfighters was involved in a crash that caused a fatality would have caused any other ramifications? Endanger his friend or that ever present contract? Does any of the number of expected responses? No. Itās a matter of no questions and then let Jack walk away when he needed to be alone.
Then thatās it for Jack and that storyline.
Thereās other less developed or dropped parts of this story but those are the main ones. And they are so obvious that they take away from the outstanding sections and elements of Cowboy Protection.
It leaves a reader, at least this one, wondering where the rest of the story is and why the authors didnāt follow up on the dropped threads. Especially when I know they are very capable of doing exactly that.
So if you are a fan of Tortuga and Payne, Iām sure this is already on your radar. If not, then consider if you are interested in reading this. I believe thereās better options out there from both authors.
Maverick āMackeyā Keyes keeps the rodeo cowboys safe on his watch and he knows how to make his bullfighting team walk the line. He might be starting to feel his years, but heās a pro, and heās not afraid of anything that might happen on the arena floor.
Sidney Scott knows how to go with the flow, so when his dream job passes him by, he grabs the chance to work the bull riding circuit as a TV producer. Heās going to do the job right, traveling with the show, even if he hears some rumbling from the riders.
Mackey and Sid butt heads more than once, but when it really counts, they manage to get on the same page. When Mackey is injured, Sid steps up to help, and things take a far more personal turn. They might have been able to ignore the growing attraction between them at work, but a long road trip over the Christmas holiday and time away from the other cowboys lets them find something together that neither of them expect, but both of them need.
Cowboy Protection is an opposites attract, rodeo romance featuring a bullfighter and a corporate suit, with a side of holiday magic.
ā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
Thereās no indication that The Big Fix is a series finale although it reads like one. The fifth book in Mary Calmesā Torus Intercession series, itās about the head of the agency, Jared Colter, and the Torus tech member, Owen Moss, whoās been a part of Jaredās life since he saved him as a child.
Jared has always been that person whoās been a bit of an enigma. The voice on the phone, the brief meeting in his office, and cringing mention by another Alphabet agency personnel who has been told to do exactly as Jared wants. Heās been the fearful respect looming in the background.
I think , for the series, he actually operates better that way.
Getting to know him here, while that makes him a believable, more realistic human being, takes away much of the image Calmes has built up for him over four books.
The Jared Colter here is 56. When all the action is required, the heightened danger that requires the senses honed by years of stealth, battle, and espionage, heās rusty, slow to act, and clearly been behind a desk for a long time. Field work isnāt his friend, due to age and lack of practice.
Realistic? Yes. It certainly makes him relatable, especially since he comes across as spectacularly clueless in his interpersonal relationships.
All of which makes him a businessman removed from the day to day reality of his field agents. It just doesnāt mesh with the character as heās been portrayed over the previous stories.
This disconnect continues with his behavior towards Owen Moss. Owen, 32, has a well known crush/love for his boss that everyone sees but Jared. They even live together. But Jared treats Owen like someone under his guardianship rather than an employee or adult.
Owenās personality and their relationship comes across as parental too . The arguments less that of a 32 year old but someone younger.
Their relationship aside, along with the odd mistakes made, given their history and professionalism, thereās a lot of action, foreign scenery, foreign governments and law enforcement to ignore, as well as familiar characters from other Mary Calmes novels that arrive to help out Jared on his rescue mission.
Thereās Darius Hawthorne from Late in the Day, Dante Cerreto from Again, US Marshals Sam Kage and Ian Doyle from the Marshals series. George Hunt and other names pop in too. I did enjoy my time spent with those wonderful people and mention of their partners and home life.
But as the story belongs to Jared and Owen, that aspect dragged. Not the entertaining rush to rescue (with torture scenes fyi) but their actual time together. That felt less believable and grounded.
So from just a pure rush of adrenaline shootout/blow um up storylines that I enjoyed to the less impactful main characters and relationship, I liked The Big Fix but itās not a favorite in the series.
If youāre a fan of Mary Calmes, the series, then this book is definitely in your wheelhouse. For others, The Big Fix with itās multiple storylines, characters that you need to have their novels read to understand, and lack of continuity in places, might be more complicated and less fun than anticipated. You decide.
Torus Intercession series:
ā No Quick Fix #1
ā In a Fix #2
ā Fix It Up #3
ā The Fix Is In #4
ā The Big Fix #5
ā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Jared Colter, the head of Torus Intercession, has a secret life he left behind, one that only his closest confidants know about. Normally, the past keeps its secrets, but not this time. Old ghosts come calling to the very doorstep of his new life, when Owen Moss, the person closest to him, goes missing. A carrot left dangling to lure Jared out and into the hands of an unknown enemy.
Owen Moss was once a scared, orphaned boy saved by Jared, but heās no longer a child even if Jared is having trouble seeing him that way. Heās thirty-two now, in love with Jared, and as Jaredās obliviousness keeps butting up against Owenās desire, the tension between them keeps escalating. Something has to give, and soon.
With a bounty on his head, Jared races through the brutal underworld of Southeast Asia, in search of Owen. Itās a maze of treachery and murder, where one false move means death. The answer is tied to the man Jared used to be, taking him into the heart of the lionās den, where heās forced to face the darkest questions about himself to save the man he loves.
Second chance at love along with lovers reunited are among my favorite tropes. I get both with a storyline that involves several long-time mysteries, stealthy mercenaries, explosions, many shootouts, and a extremely entertaining romance to boot.
It all starts with a mission in Buenos Aires , Argentina, with the former CIA, now mercenary team lead by Charlie Sands. Theyāre looking for leads on a missing famous artist for a friend. But soon their interests intersects with that of someone from Charlieās past. The only man heās ever loved and had to leave.
Drake has created two men whoās experiences in the time since they separated in Paris have seen profound changes in them personally and professionally.
Dr. Will Monroe, temporarily filling in for a friend in a poor clinic in the darker of districts in the city, hasnāt seen his former love in years. Then Charlie left him with an explanation that gutted him.
We follow the separate threads that ties Will to a past and present danger, and the group of men heās reunited with.
Hint. Itās not a happy reunion. Realistically, it shouldnāt be with all the deep feelings and secrets still to be revealed. Plus the men are grown and changed since the initial romance. Thatās real too.
I was kept throughly invested in the reignited romance, the mysteries, the investigations and the team dynamics.
It was a non-stop reading and the ending sets up the next characterās story while putting this coupleās relationship in very permanent happy status .
Charlieās Doctor is a very entertaining, and solid story. Iām definitely recommending it to those who love action and suspense with their romance.
When paintings for an artist who disappeared roughly fifty years ago suddenly surface, Charlie and his friends decide it might be worth looking into what really happened. Besides, who isn’t up for adventure and fun in Buenos Aires?
But things go horribly sideways when Charlie stumbles across Dr. William freaking Monroeāthe only man to claim and then destroy Charlieās heart.
Now theyāre on the run, dodging bullets and digging for the truth. Charlie wants nothing to do with Will. Itās his heart thatās screaming for a second chance.
Is it too late to get past years of anger and misunderstandings to grab the love that still burns between them?
Charlieās Doctor is the first full-length novel in the Shadow Elite mercenary series and features stubborn men with poor communication skills, second chances, meddling brothers, explosions, and love on the run in Argentina
ā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer
I was expecting much more from this story because it was the long anticipated romance of Cohen āAceā Gray , leader of Pegasus, and Jacob Burns , the Pegasus Tech specialist and son of the men who formed Phoenix.
There was a lot to unpack emotionally between them. A big age difference, Jacobās dadās feelings about his future, stubbornness, arguments. Plus thereās history, some hidden and others riddled with fear and injuries layered on top of each other to form barriers against any romantic relationship.
All those elements make for a terrific romance. But here itās delegated to almost secondary status next to a poorly crafted suspense/action storyline with Seven . That escalates and spins off into other minor threads with more characters (CIA, Pegasus, anonymous teams, agencies) with tons of shooting, a few explosions, bad guys, new characters, more characters. Then a moment or two when the shaky path to a romance gets picked up and immediately dropped for more espionage, more murky type shootouts and well , you get my drift.
If Rebel was one of those big all star action movies, you could go get a beverage of choice, some popcorn, come back to find , while the movie has progressed, the narrative is basically the same.
Itās too many characters (Including teams/couples from the Phoenix series) that make one dimensional appearances. Too many plots that have no depth or explanation that makes them especially believable. We get no foundation here for anything that would make us commit emotionally to the āhigh stakesā action thatās constantly happening.
Even Jacob who has a good argument stating his fathers and Ace treat him like a youngster because of his age, then proceeds to undermine his own stand by putting those around him in danger by using poor judgment in order to prove himself because. Young. SMH.
Knightley wants us to support him. Really? Those last actions are of a boy scout with street cred whoās not thinking clearly but rage and action.
In the end, it was popcorn entertainment. Taken at surface value, easy to enjoy, easy to move past.
I hope Hunter and Sevenās story has greater attention to detail and their relationship then this did. They figured in here as much as Ace and Jacob.
One man on a journey of redemption and the other out to prove himself.
Cohen āAceā Gray ā Pegasus Commander. Heād buried one lover; he wasnāt going to take the chance of that ever happening again. Ace had his own demons to work on, but working closely with Jacob and having his friendshipā despite their twenty-year age differenceāhad made life a bit easier. The void that Jacob left ate at him and burned into his brain, making him think that he might have made the biggest mistake of his life turning Jacob away.
Jacob Burns ā Techie specialist, skilled in combat, expert at weapons. He never dreamed it would be this hard to cut the apron strings from his three dads. He got it. They lived a brutal life and dealt with the scum that hovered in the darkest part of society. What they didnāt fully understand was that heād watched and learned from them, and he would leave his mark on this world. Ace and his dads thought he didnāt have what it took to be an operative.
They were so damned wrong.
One job. One chance encounter. When an unexpected meeting happens, both men are left stunned.
Then, shit gets all twisted up.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Filthy and the Beast was read out of sequence in R. Caydenās Love Unexpectedly series and I honestly donāt think it matters. Some of the other couples make appearances but who they are is explained or further depth of detail isnāt necessary.
For a quick, sweet contemporary romance, Filthy and the Beast is lovely. Itās got a age gap, nerd/jock, and what is described as sunny/grumpy dynamics happening. Oh and a bi-awakening too.
Thereās some terrific elements here that I thought were underdeveloped which is likely due to the shorter length of the novel. Shame because greater attention to such character growth and aspects of their relationship/lives would have enhanced the storylines.
Damien here is a young man who does many things well but hasnāt found what heās passionate about. Cayden is able to make Damien engaging and very connectable.
Enzo the former boxer is lovely and thereās parts to him I wish had been enlarged. His past is a bit lacking, when we get the major dramatic points filled in , itās fleeting and not with the dimension it requires. But one of the biggest elements is his rescue and love of pit bulls. It becomes a major story thread. Yet itās seriously shallow for such a popular and emotional theme.
Their relationship is quick and pretty seamless but with a few minor stumbling blocks.
So itās a good romance but the promise for a even better one will hang over it all the way to the end.
Thereās no way in hell Iām falling for a man called the Sledgehammer.
Enzo is a lot of things. A big grump of a jock. Twenty years my senior. My employer. Straight. Iām living with the retired boxer while he recovers from an injury, just here to earn a good paycheck after my life fell apart. Getting emotionally involved with the man isn’t my job, but my gaze keeps lingering on his thick muscles and the storm clouds in his eyes. For a million reasons, my geeky heart shouldnāt flutter when Enzo walks in the room. But then he grunts my name, our eyes lock, and the world turns upside down.
Filthy and the Beast is a steamy standalone M/M romance featuring an older, grumpy jock and the bubbly geek who lands in his mansion and upends his life. Itās got a secret sweetheart, surprise temptation, and a touch of angst. The fourth book in Love Unexpected, Filthy and the Beast can be enjoyed alone or as part of the series.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Unmanageable (In Vino Veritas #3 ) by Leslie McAdam is another terrific contemporary romance in a series solid with them.
Thereās several elements here that immediately spoke to me.
Luke Lagomarsino and his ex-wife Kira have a young daughter, Addison. McAdams makes Kira a complicated, loving individual and mother who deserves to thrive in a rewarding professional career. And has Luke acknowledge that itās time for him to make the changes and decisions necessary for Kira to be able to take a job thatās important to her emotionally and career wise.
I love a story that doesnāt demonize the wife or any ex for that matter but looks at a family situation from a layered perspective.
That continues to happen with Luke as he has to adjust to returning to his small hometown, being a full time father, and a less ā hands on ā business career.
Itās a great portrait of a man in flux. Itās identifiable and makes Luke someone we can relate to.
Scott Malone, the romantic, sweet younger man whoās both rescued by and rescuer of Luke is a vulnerable and engaging character. So overwhelmed by debt that heās incapable of facing it or knowing how to ask for help, heās generous of heart and loving nature. The scenes written with him and Addison, the daughter, feel incredibly believable and grounded in reality.
Luke and Scottās path to love and family is heartwarming and thoughtful. Itās got layers of realistic personal growth that needs to happen, and communicating between men and family for everyone to come together.
Itās wonderful to read and their happiness is everything!
Iām highly recommending this and the series. Thereās something for everyone here.
Iāve listed them below. Check them out and happy reading.
Since she broke up with me, I get my needs met any time I want, without putting my heart on the line. Exactly how I like it.
But when she is called overseas and leaves me with our child, my bachelor lifestyle ends faster than you can say, āDaddy, I want a pony.ā
I need help.
Problem is, helpās come in the form of an incredibly hot nanny.
My employee.
Who is much younger than me.
And also ā¦ a guy.
I watch Scott care for my kid and canāt help feeling like he clicks into place in her life.
When he looks at me, though ā¦ I get an entirely different feeling. One that makes me long for things I canāt have.
Like him.
Unmanageable is a contemporary m/m age gap romance about a starry-eyed nanny who wants hot-air balloon rides and singing telegrams and a grumpy single dad who most definitely does not.
The first series:
Vino and Veritas #1:
šµFeatherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert
šµHeartscape #2 by Garrett Leigh
šµHeadstrong #3 by Eden Finley
šµUndercover #4 by Eliot Grayson
šµAftermath #5 by LA Witt
šµBooklover #6 by JE Birk
šµFlipcup #7 by Kim Hartfield f/f
šµHideaway #8 by Rachel Lacey f/f
šµTurnabout #9 by Laurel Greer
šµUnguarded #10 by Jay Hogan
šµInsatiable #11 by Rhys Everly
šµDaybreak #12 by Kate Hawthorne
šµHeartsong #13 by AE Wasp
šµStronghold #14 by Ana Ashley
šµLimelight #15 by E Davis
šµUnforgettable #16 by Marley Valentine
šµShowstopper #17 by Regina Kyle
šµUndone #18 by Leslie McAdams
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
The Last Nanny in Manhattan, the first in the Nannies of New York series by K. Sterling, is a snappy, sexy, sweet contemporary romance by a author thatās new to me.
I enjoyed this journey immensely. Itās got age gap, wickedly intelligent 6 year old triplets , a widower whoās overwhelmed by work but most by a sense of failure when it comes to fatherhood and parenting. And , importantly, a gay, effervescent, highly competent Mary Poppins of a nanny in need of a family to fix and fall in love with.
It helps that Fin the irrepressible, remarkable nanny has a thing for gorgeous SavageFenty underwear as well as the ability to bring the chaos the demon triplets have caused to a heartwarming close through understanding, and love.
Finley Marshall comes with an entire faction of fantastic people to support him and to act as main characters in the succeeding novels. Thereās Reid, Finās oldest brother. Reilly, his best friend. Pennsylvania aka Penn the Gandalf of nannies. And more. The LGBTGIA nanny network of New York and the solid basis for this series. Each one a highly intelligent, and star of the nanny network of the Manhattan wealthy clientele.
What a fabulous start!
Walker Cameron III is the other side. He brings his amazing bisexual sister who Iām hoping we see a great deal more of. Plus his butler, who slowly unbends to Fin, his unusual style of doing things and welcomes Fin into the household. But itās really about Walker. And his dysfunctional relationship to his children. Walker is a tightly wrapped bundle of pain, stress, mourning, and fear.
Sterling does an excellent job in making these characters and their relationships with all the people around them clear, layered with history and emotional, and relatable.
Walker maybe wealthy but heās a father whoās inability to connect with his girls is hurting them all. Heās lost his way and the reader hurts for all four of them even as we might be snickering at the ingenious damage the triplets are inflicting on the household.
Watching Fin come in, assess the situation, amidst the turmoil and incoming weapons the children hurl, is amazing. So is the journey the girls and Walker start on back to being a family and normalcy. With one special addition.
Itās got obstacles of course, some drama, but thereās a HEA at the end that so wonderful and heartwarming.
Nannies of New York Book series:
ā The Last Nanny in Manhattan #1
ā¦ Giles Ashby Needs A Nanny #2 – January 26, 2023
Walker Cameron III might be one of the most feared men in Manhattan, but heās no match for his six-year-old triplets. After exhausting all other options, Finley Marshall is the grumpy widower’s last hope.
Luckily for the Camerons, Fin is a master of chaos and can calm even the most beastly of children. But Fin soon learns that the girls arenāt the problem; itās their father. Still grieving and easily overwhelmed, Walker leaves the servants to cope with his little hellions. Fin wants to prove heās the best nanny in the city and that his older brother, Reid, should start his own agency. Is Fin willing to risk life and limb to do it, though?
Afraid to lose the most competent caregiver to ever cross his threshold, Walker agrees to an unusual set of terms. Heāll give the girls more of his time and practice better parenting with Fin as his guide. But Walker finds himself with a new and unexpected problem. For the first time in years, heās having very improper thoughts and canāt stop thinking about Fin. Can he keep his feelings to himself or will Walker fall for the last nanny in Manhattan willing to take on the cursed Camerons?
*The paperback edition will include additional illustrations by Jayla, a short story featuring the Camerons, recipes from the book, and a soundtrack!
