Rating: 4.25🌈

Paternal Instincts is the finale story in Nicki James Valor and Doyle series, the one that sees the married couple waiting on the birth of their baby, the next step in their journey together as a family. 

Incorporating a mystery about a missing child into their final chapter was a great way to work through Quaid’s traumatic issues with his past before he becomes a father. He must deal with his own emotional pain, his history that he sees reflected in Sparrow, the sister who is being neglected by everyone around her, and the desperate hunt to find Crow. 

Meanwhile, Az is left to deal with his own emotional reactions to this case, his husband’s absence and their more immediate situation of a baby that’s coming.

James has built a complicated story on several levels, that of the missing child’s life and that of Quaid and Aslan’s. It’s a gripping tale and puts a great ending to this couple. Although they are appearing in the sequel series, one I really love. 

It’s not perfect. For me, the overuse of the word sneer, sneered or any form of sneer just took me out of the story. I began to start counting how many times I saw it until I realized I wouldn’t get through the book that way.  I had to let it go.  

Valor and Doyle is a series I enjoyed, especially the books in the beginning of the series.  This ties up many characters nicely and leaves everyone in great shape. That’s a satisfying ending. 

 Buy link

        Paternal Instincts (Valor and Doyle Book 8)

    

Blurb 

At the heart of a missing child case, Quaid and Aslan learn the true nature of fatherhood.

With their baby due any day, Quaid ends up tangled in a case on the last day of work before his parental leave begins. Between eerie ransom notes and family secrets, unanswered questions pile up, twisting the case into something Quaid has never seen.

Someone is lying. Someone knows more than they’re saying.

With the help of supportive friends and colleagues, Quaid and Aslan are determined to solve the case before it’s too late. When their surrogate goes into labor, Quaid struggles to let go and walk away.

A boy has vanished.

A life is in danger.

Can they find the missing child before their baby makes their way into the world?

• Publication date: June 24, 2025
• Language: English
• Print length: 370 pages
• Book 8 of 8: Valor and Doyle