A retired SEAL is about to face his toughest assignment yet. As a nanny… what he needs. Unless it includes two things sure to make a seasoned, battle-trained veteran nervous: life in a small town, and playing caregiver to two little girls.
Emery Dodd is drowning in the responsibility of single fatherhood. He’s picked up the pieces after losing his wife and is ready to move on now, hopeful that his engagement to a local patriarch’s daughter will not only enrich his community but will grant his daughters some stability too.
The only thing standing in Emery’s way is that he can’t seem to keep his eyes—and hands—off the former soldier he’s hired to watch his girls until the wedding.
Emery’s future is riding on his upcoming nuptials, but being with Brann makes him and his family feel whole again. Too bad there’s no way for them to be together.
Or is there?
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I loved this first book in Mary Calmes new series, everything about it made me happy, sometimes it’s just nice to disappear into a new world. Her books always make me happy and this was no exception. 4.5 stars.
This was one of those books that I just could not put down! I loved Emery, Brann, Olivia, and April! This was definitely a slow build romance but it as so sweet. I loved the relationship between Brann and the girls. Emery and Brann took their time finding each other but it was so worth it. The suspense plot was great and had an unexpected twist. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!
RATING 4.5 STARS
No Quick Fix is book one in the Torus Intercession series by Mary Calmes. This is my very first book by this author. I was looking for a MM single father romance and this came highly recommended and I fell in love with it.
The absolute star of this book is Brann Calder. Brann is thirty two years old. Five months ago he retired from his service as a Navy Seal. He immediately went to work in Chicago for Torus Intercession, a security firm that is sort of a jack of all trades. They are fixers so to speak. They could be hired for any number of reasons but Brann finds himself a little uncomfortable with this latest job. First of all, he has to go to the tiny town of Ursa, Montana. He is being sent to the home of Emery Dodd, a single father of two little girls who is drowning in his responsibilities. Emery is set to remarry in three months and Brann is supposed to help him with his daughters until then. He’s supposed to be a nanny!
Emery Dodd has been a widow for three years. He loved his wife and still grieves her as do his six and eight year old daughters. Emery is entering into a marriage of convenience with a woman he does not love. It’s a merger of sorts that will help the town flourish and will hopefully provide some stability for his girls. Emery knows he had the love of his life and knows he’ll never feel that again so it doesn’t bother him at all to be marrying for different reasons.
The entire book is told from Brann’s point of view which at times was a bit frustrating. I wanted to know what Emery was thinking. Ever since Brann left the Navy, he’s had trouble readjusting. But the minute he walked through Emery Dodd’s door, he felt like he was home. He settled inside, he felt peace. And when he looked at Emery, he felt completely overcome by him. There were no words, just so many feelings. He has to remind himself he’s here for a job and he doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it because he’ll do whatever it takes to stay in this house with this man, for as long as possible.
“Nothing in my life had prepared me for being in this house with this man and his children. Already I could tell they were going to change me.”
Brann knew nothing about caring for children, but it came naturally to him. He just knew what to do, what to say, what they needed. His first day alone he found himself thrust into a bunch of situations that he fixed, and quickly became the town hero. Brann’s feelings for Emery are growing stronger by the minute. It doesn’t help that Emery is constantly touching him. In the mean time, Brann is familiarizing himself with the town, getting to know the residents, making friends. He’s fallen in love with this town and could see himself there. But he could not stand to stay and watch the man who means everything to him marry a woman who clearly is not meant to be with this family he loves so much.
As I said, Brann was amazing. The man just seemed to always be saving the day in one way or another. Emery’s daughters were simply adorable and I loved how both Brann and Emery were with them. I took off a half point because the author waited until about the last twenty five percent to finally change the direction of Brann and Emery’s relationship. So everything was crammed into that last quarter of the story, including all the answers we had been waiting for. I would have liked it to happen a little sooner so we could have more of them as a family and perhaps an epilogue or something. In any event, it was beautifully told and the characters were wonderful. I will definitely be looking at her other books in the future.
“I’d heard the phrase ‘my heart was full to bursting’ before but it had never meant anything to me. Until now.”
Mary Calmes was one of the first gay romance authors I read, and I still have a soft spot for her over-the-top, charming MCs. This was a wonderfully entertaining read and a great start to this new series.
On to book two for me!
All kinds of warm fuzzies with a bit of suspense.
I can’t say enough good about this book, it has everything you want in a book and more. Brann and Emery will steal your heart in this absolutely amazing love story.
Can’t recommend it highly enough!
I think I’m hoping really hard for Mary Calmes to write more manny stories because they seem to be my favorites. First with Frog, and now with No Quick Fix, we are given these fantastic alphamallows who seem to have the perfect natural instinct to bring out the best in a family by connecting with children who need love, understanding, and a straightforward personality. It doesn’t hurt that they also have a special way of bringing together a community either.
So first…there is NO cheating. The premise makes it seem like that might be an issue and I don’t consider it a spoiler to assuage anyone’s concerns about that. This is a much slower burn romance than with many other books by this author and I really enjoyed that it took so long for them to get to that part of their relationship. It felt right considering their situation and it also gave them time to lay a strong foundation before adding in all that lovely passion. I do wish we got a lot more background and depth to Emery though. We don’t get anything until the big confession scene and up to that point Emery felt separate despite his efforts to be a good father and constantly touching Brann. By the end I could connect with him, but it was a long wait to get to that point.
A couple issues I had were pretty basic but not without frustration. First, the cussing around the kids was uncomfortable for me. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being casual, being yourself around children, but the more adult language doesn’t have to come from you as the caregiver. A few slips here and there are completely natural and I have no issue with that at all, it’s that it became more common as the story progressed and I didn’t agree with that.
Second is when the more amorous intentions become known Brann does what a lot of Mary Calmes’ characters do and they do a whole lot of running away, talking over the other person, and making unilateral decisions based on their hurt, embarrassment, or disappointment. While Brann doesn’t run from Ursa or his responsibilities, he does a whole lot of it in virtually every other way he can. Beyond annoying. It did bring about the distance necessary for Emery to make the important choices, but it doesn’t mean I had to like it while it was happening.
Some readers might have an issue with how fast everything comes together, how virtually every person falls under Brann’s über perfect spell despite his intentions, or with how simple the suspense aspect ended up, but honestly I just don’t really mind all that too much. It’s a typical Calmes story and I’m not ashamed to say that I love the style. The confrontation was a bit too full of dialogue and light on believability for the scenario, but as the focus of the story was Brann’s role and place in Ursa, I’m glad the more sinister aspect of the story didn’t take precedence. Brann was pretty much universally well-liked by all but the bad seeds, but it worked for the character and the story. The timeline is a bit truncated, but the setup is that both men, not to mention the entire town, are at the point of needing to make some big changes in their lives so it’s like everything is primed and ready for them to be made and to fall in place. I just think it’s a sweet, nice, simple story that works.
My last surprise in this story was the tone. I’ve read almost every book this author has published and there’s a certain feeling of immediacy, a dire need for everything to happen, and a bit of urgency at the same time as there’s some kind of acceptance of the romantic situation and despondency that goes along with it that can be found in just about every single one. With this story I was shocked and extremely pleased that there was a bit of those feelings, but it all seemed somewhat muted, softer, and more mature. It was a new subtlety that I’m loving. I cannot express how eager I am to see if that continues with the rest of the series or any of her other works.
This is a great story. Brann reminds me a lot of the character Weber from Frog, another Mary Calmes favorite. Like Weber, Brann just doesn’t know how awesome (one of his most-used words) he is, while everyone around him just falls in love with him. Brann is sent to Montana to play temporary nanny to Emery’s daughters, and to make sure Emery makes it to his wedding in three months. At least, that’s how things begin. When Brann falls in love with Emery and the girls, and everyone Brann comes across in town seems to need saving, things get complicated.
I love Brann. The story is told from his point of view, and he’s cranky, sweet, sarcastic, and funny! Emery is a sweet and kind character, and he’s easy to love. I don’t understand how he could think the business arrangement of a marriage he’s agreed to is a good idea, but sometimes people make bad decisions for good reasons. Emery’s daughters, Olivia and April, are adorable and steal Brann’s heart almost instantly.
This book is such a great read. I stayed up too late reading, then I spent my lunch hour (plus another half hour, oops) finishing this excellent story. I’m so happy that Ms. Calmes is starting a new series with this book, and I can’t wait for the next in line!
When Brann Calder joined Torus Intercession he expected to act as a bodyguard, an advocate, or even a fixer. He never expected his latest assignment – nanny. He is a retired SEAL and knows nothing about children. Not only that but the assignment is in Montana. How will he ever survive?
Emery Dodd cannot seem to keep up with his girls and his job and everything else after losing his wife. He is hoping his marriage will give their lives some stability. He did not count on Brann Calder. He knows his upcoming marriage is good for the town and for him and for his girls. Or is it? Brann seems to be the only one who makes him feel whole again. Emery has a dilemma.
From page one, Brann will tug at your emotions. Competent as a SEAL, he uses those skills to protect his charges. As a fixer, he tries to help with their emotional health as well. It turns out he is great with kids. Emery is trying hard but cannot find his way without Brann. These two together are amazing. The plot was intriguing and it unveils masterfully keeping out attention. This is part of a new series and promises to be another great one. We will all be looking forward to the next one. Mary Calmes moves to the top of our list.
Brann and Emery had great chemistry from the moment they met, but one of my favorite parts of this story was the relationship Brann had with the kids. It was heartwarming and funny and we got to see a lot of Brann’s character through their interactions. I enjoyed watching Emery and Brann’s relationship evolve, but it was definitely a slow, slow burn with this one. Entertaining and fun read that is a good set up for this new series.
This book reminded me loosely of one of my favourite films (The Pacifier, because of the exmilitary nannie) Also one of my favourite books,( Amy Lane’s Bonfires, because one of the teacher in a small town element)
I read this very quickly and loved every second. Brann is gorgeous inside and out, but needs to find the right people and environment to help him realise that. Emery and the girls are exactly the right people in the right place. The rest is just gravy. There’s a bit of action with guns, there are laughs… often, a few misty eyed moments and a Lovely HEA.
This book will certainly go on my re read list.