“But I don’t want a relationship. And I definitely don’t fall for single dads with baggage. Even ones with chiseled abs and killer smiles. But he got to me. They got to me. Him and his son and their messy, crazy life.”
SQUEEEEEEE!! OMG! I read this awesome new book in one sitting and LOVE LOVE LOVED it!! It had ALL THE SWOON. ALL THE SEXY. ALL THE SWEETNESS!!!! And just the most amazingly heart-felt romance!!! It wasn’t really a “second chance” romance but it kinda felt like one and it had FEEEEEELS!!! The hero is a single dad and an real-life professional HERO with a little kid who will MELT YOUR HEART!!! It’s a bit of a second chance story… not specifically the romance, but the hero and heroine do share a history from their high school days, so they had a lot of things to unpack and explore between them. I absolutely adored this book and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!!
“Pretty please let this colander-wearing stranger be Grayson Malone because, hello? He just stopped me in my tracks. This is what I’ve been looking for. This is _who_ I’ve been looking for.
A jaw-dropping guy you want to tear your eyes away from because you know you’re staring but can’t help yourself.
Let the thigh-clenching commence.
And I haven’t even seen his face yet.
Is it asking too much of the universe for him to be some kind of tortured hero to boot?”
So the story starts with Sidney being given one last chance to prove to her father that she deserved to be the editor-in-chief of his fashion magazine, and she was determined not to let him down and earn her spot… but was thrown out of her element when he challenged her to first revive a dying family magazine and bring it back to popularity.
Hot dads were the answer to all her problems.
A contest to find the hottest dads for the country to swoon over lead her right to Grayson Malone’s doorstep. He was the perfect candidate. Hunky, handsome, an amazing dad, and a real bonefide real life hero. But it was just her luck that they shared a history together… and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, her magazine, or her contest.
“He isn’t exactly enthusiastic about being a finalist.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s either a really good actor or someone entered him without him knowing it.”
“Oh, even better.” She rubs her hands together. “A reluctant hero. Those are always the sexiest ones.”
After his son’s mother abandoned him with their new baby, he didn’t have any room left in his life or heart for anyone like the girl Sidney used to be in high school when he’d known her — absorbed and acting like she was too good for him. To make matters worse, she’d once been friends with his son’s mother and if there was anything he’d learned it was not to make the same mistake twice.
But the more time he spent around her, the more he realized that not only had she changed a lot, but she’d changed into someone he was slowly falling in love with…
“[The town loves] the idea of you two together. Hometown hero who was wronged by his ex and the popular prom queen who returns to reunite with her long-lost crush.”
This was one of those books that just felt like a winner from the first few pages. The pacing was on point, the writing was strong, I cared about the story and characters, and the story had all the elements I love to read about. — It was hot, sweet, sexy, with just the right additions of angst, emotion, and humor to round out the story.
“Strangely enough, each life we saved, saved me a bit too.
I could still rescue people.
I could still be the best damn father I could be.”
Grayson was all Alpha and pure swoon material, with a touch of grouchiness, a natural protective side, and of course he was an amazing father who was completely devoted to his son. And let’s be honest, few things are swoonier!
Sidney was strong and smart, but I especially like that she’d really turned her life around. It takes a lot for someone to recognize their flaws and take measures to improve on them so I have to give her credit for that.
And little Luke was just the sweeeeetest kid ever. Every time he asked Grayson to find him a mom broke my heart a little. He didn’t understand why his mother didn’t want him — how could he — and Grayson did everything in his power to protect him from the truth.
I loved the way this story evolved and worked itself out. I also really appreciated that there were understandable mistakes, but not any stupid drama. And some of the scenes were seriously just so so heart-warming!
“I love you, damn it, and I don’t have a fucking clue what to do about it other than to ask you to choose me. To tell me I’m worth the risk.”
Over many years, I’ve really come to love K Bromberg’s books and each time she writes a new one, I’m excited to try it out. You can read this book as a complete standalone. The hero though is brothers with the heroes from previous standalones in this series so you can choose to read them all in release order (see bottom of review for details), or just pick and choose the ones you want to read. Either way you can’t go wrong and you won’t be confused at all. So whether you’re new to this author or a longtime fan, you’ll be just fine to dive right into this book.
This book is definitely one of my new top favorites and I highly recommend it to any romance reader looking for a wonderful new read!!
Rating: 4.5 STARS!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.
________________________
Series of standalones.
Ilsa says
I’m starting this next 🙂 🙂
Janet says
Great review! I’m going to read it ASAP…I just started Another One by Aleatha Romig.
Hanna says
I loved this book!!!!!
Alison says
AWESOME review !!
I have to read the first two first & now cant wait to read this one as well 🙂
Anne says
Aestas, if I have question about a book, where would I able to ask you? I’m in need of your help with a title of a book I can’t remember. Is there is specific place on this blog where I can pose my questions?
Thanks
Aestas says
Usually if you comment on the most recent new post at the front page of my blog, I’ll see it fastest and be happy to help if I know the book 🙂