Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Slayde's got the best job on earth: he's a nanny to Army nurse and widow Mindy's three kids. He's been with the family since the oldest was born and is Uncle Slayde to all three children. When Mindy's deployed, things aren't easy, but he manages just fine. At least he does until Mindy's big brother Drake shows up unexpectedly, announcing he's there to help while Mindy is gone.

Drake is almost a stranger to the kids, hot as hell, especially in his motorcycling leathers, and straighter than straight. On top of that, Drake's not used to dealing with kids, or with things like gluten free, recycling and not eating fast food and soon has Slayde's tight routine in shambles.

Slayde thinks Drake is far more of a hindrance than a help, at least at the start, but he tries to get along for Mindy's sake and eventually, having Drake around is easier than not. But what's he supposed to do when the straight, sexy leather wearing ex-cop makes a pass at him one night? Maybe there's more to Drake than Slayde assumed.

NOTE: Originally published by Torquere Press in December 2012.

Book Review

The combination of an openly gay manny taking care of a newly widowed then deployed Army medic, a deeply closeted ex-cop, three super-cute and utterly exhausting kids, and a wonderful sense of humor that shone on every page made this book a total winner for me. Add to this the slowly building relationship as Drake struggles with admitting to anyone that he's gay and Slayde's inner fight against falling for the sudden intruder in his safe world, and you've got some interpersonal conflict that will keep you entertained for pages. And once they do discover that "post 8:30 time" when the kids are in bed can be a lot of fun, there is a lot of very hot bedroom activity as well.

Slayde is a "super manny" in its truest sense. Everything is home made, the kids schedules are varied, fun for them, and (almost) always on track, he knows what to do in an emergency, and he loves them to pieces. They call him Uncle Slayde, and he keeps them safe and gives them the love and care they need. He is also very, very out and definitely doesn’t want to fall for the "big, mean leather daddy", his best friends' initial description of Drake. Not that he has a say, he is soon lost to the man's charms and I suffered with him as he realizes it will all be over once the kids mother returns to being a full-time mother.  

Drake is a bad-ass undercover cop, and he wasn't only undercover in his job. He's also so deeply in the closet that "he doesn’t know there's a door". He is also very loyal; even though he hasn't been around his sister and her kids a lot, when she is deployed after being recently widowed by losing her also military husband he quits his job to be with the kids. By the way, I found the thought appalling that the military would be heartless enough to send her off, forcing her to leave three kids behind after they already lost their father; I mean, really! Anyway, Drake starts off pretty clueless about the actual work it takes to take care of three kids under six, and learns by doing. He jumps right in, and the humor and banter between him and Slayde, when they weren't trying to posture and win the "I am closer to the kids" battle, made me laugh out loud quite a few times.

Without much drama, containing almost no angst, and with some very funny and sweet moments, this book isn’t for those looking for an action/adventure, lots of BDSM (yes, Sean Michael can write a great story without a touch of D/s) or page-turning suspense. But if you're looking for a very human story with mishaps that happen to parents every day, if you want to know what it feels like to take care of three young kids 24/7, and if you’re looking for a sweet read with a wonderful, even meaningful ending, then you will probably adore this book as much as I did.

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 216 pages/56729 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-January-2016
Price	$5.99 ebook, $14.95 paperback
Buy Link	http://www.amazon.com/Mannies-Incorporated-Sean-Michael-ebook/dp/B01AWWA7OY