A Family of His Own (Mannies Incorporated 2) by Sean Michael
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 06-February-2016 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 06-February-2016 |
Will’s a widower with three little girls, including six month old twins, to look after. Most days it’s all Will can do just to get home from his advertizing job in time for goodnight kisses, but now his mother-in-law is leaving the country with her new boyfriend and Will needs the help of a professional nanny.
Benji loves being a nanny; looking after other people’s kids is the next best thing to having his own, and as a gay man, he figures it’s as close as he’s going to get. He’s between jobs and is thrilled when he gets the call from Mannies Incorporated to interview with Will's family.
He falls in love with the girls right away, but also finds himself attracted to their father. Benji knows he shouldn’t moon over his boss, especially when Will desperately really needs his services as a nanny, but he can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a family of his own.
NOTE: Originally published by Toquere Press in December 2013.
The second volume of ‘Mannies Incorporated’ offers the same kind of magical combination of a devoted gay manny and a somewhat frazzled, widowed father of three little girls that I loved so much in the first book. The issues are different, but the “manny magic” is the same, and the slow pace of the developing relationship was just right for me—especially considering everything else that was going on in everyone’s lives. And, of course, the kids stole the show with the three-year-old Carolyn heading the charge. What a cutie!
Benji is a great guy who has studied hard to get all the qualifications he needs as a caretaker of small children. He has had a few jobs, but hasn’t been very lucky in keeping them—one boss got fired and could no longer pay him, the other got remarried and the new dad didn’t want a male nanny near his kids. Benji just wants a family of his own, really, but the closest he thinks he can come is taking care of other people’s children. Then he gets the call from Mannies Incorporated about an urgent job they have for him, goes to the interview, and never looks back. Yes, there are days he is exhausted and just wants some rest, but on the whole? He could not be happier. His way with the children wins them over quickly, and their father isn’t far behind…
Will does not have it easy. He is a widower, having lost his partner in a car accident. Dale was the biological father of the three children they were going to raise together, he stayed at home with them, and Will thinks he just isn’t suited to being a good dad. He works at all hours in a very stressful job, thinking his only purpose in life is to make money so he can give his daughters all they need. He also has diabetes, so there are health implications that catch up with him when he forgets to take care of himself. Like Benji, I just wanted to shake Will and make him see what he is missing, and that life isn’t all about the money. Especially since Dale had life insurance and nobody is about to end up homeless.
Will does learn, but it takes all of Carolyn’s and Benji’s charms and determination to get him there. The slowly blossoming romance between the men also does its bit to pull Will out of his grief and make him remember that being alive is not all bad. If you like stories about everyday life and the challenges it offers, if you enjoy reading about the things three small children and their manny can get up to (the cooking scenes are adorable!), and if you’re looking for a super sweet read with a wonderful, gentle romance and some hot bedroom activity thrown in for good measure, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook |
Length | Novel, 202 pages/54000 words |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 26-January-2016 |
Price | $5.99 ebook |
Buy Link | http://www.amazon.com/Family-His-Own-Mannies-Incorporated-ebook/dp/B01B5BE7DI |