Like Father Like SonI said good-bye to my son. But he had one final request—a letter I’ll never forget.Dear Dad,If you’re reading this, it means I’m gone. I had one dream, growing old with Holland. Death won’t stop me from providing for my wife. And because you’re the best man I know, what I’m about to ask—my last request—I know you’ll do. Please take care of Holland. Take her back to California … back to California with you. It’s a lot—I know. But, I’m placing my most precious possession in your hands.
Love,
Scott
But the thoughts swirling through my mind are certainly not what my late son had in mind. How do I resist this woman in front of me?
After all, you can’t choose love, it chooses you.
more
I loved this taboo read. Holland loses her husband as he fights for our country. Maguire comes across the country to attend his son’s funeral. Holland packs up and moves back across the country with her father in law. As they both fight their love and need for each other, will they let what others think of them decide how they will live? Their world is burning around them. I can’t wait to read what happens next.
This book is absolutley incredible and one of my favorites of this year! I devoured every page and could not put it down. These two characters and their story were so well written and beautiful, I loved everything about them. His nickname for her…goosebumps!
Maguire and Holland’s chemistry is instant but this is a slow slowww burn between two strong, funny, caring, and mourning/broken characters trying to navigate their new reality after tragedy. Leigh did an incredible job taking us through their own grief journey while also helping each other live on, on top of dealing with their inner struggles of new found desire.
I really enjoyed their banter, their vulnerability, and their overall friendship/relationship. Being complete opposites and basically strangers they were still so comfortable with the other right away, and their dynamic continued to grow into something so beautiful.
Is this book taboo/forbidden…yes, for sure. Leigh is new to me but I was drawn to this blurb cause I love age gaps and taboo reads, and I have to say this is one of the best ones I have ever read. Absolutely recommend!
This book does end on a CLIFFHANGER but part two will be out shortly and I am beyond ready to read the rest of Maguire and Holland’s story.
This is the first Leigh Lennon book that I’ve read, and I’m not sure why I haven’t discovered her books before! The subject matter, some may consider a bit “taboo,” is one of my favorite tropes. Usually in these stories when a character has died (in this situation it is Holland’s husband) and a new connection is formed, the relationship takes off at a pace that is rushed and frankly unrealistic.
Maguire (Holland’s FIL) and Holland have a strong connection early on, but don’t jump into a physical relationship for the most part of Book 1. Instead, they develop a friendship, a trust and their own relationship, while dealing with the loss of Scott, the son/husband. Sadness, guilt and concern for what the outside world will think of them as a couple, keep them apart physically for quite awhile.
As a reader, I appreciated the story line taking into account the ramifications of their growing desire for each other. You don’t usually see this in many books with this subject matter. At the end of book 1, things do turn a bit physical (finally) but then some tragedy strikes and we are left wondering if they will be able to move forward as a couple in Book 2. I have already started the second book, Different As Night And Day, and I’m anxious to see how this story concludes!
I liked this taboo story. Teddy Hamilton & Charlotte North did a great job narrating. One thing that was weird was the language that Holland (Heroine) used throughout the book. She cursed plenty. But also would throw out odd things like…. H E double toothpicks (Instead of Hell) , you scared the shiitake out of me, flip flop wolly wap and poop wrapped up in a hot dog bun.
This book started off a little rough for me. I don’t enjoy how much they compare the father to the son. I want her to be interested in him, for him. Not because of how much he reminds her of the son. However by the end of the book the characters are so likable that you can’t help but want to see them happy. I also really love all the side characters. They are all so colorful and unique. Also, talk about a cliffhanger. Woah. I’m jumping right into the 2nd book.
This was an audiobook for me, and the narration was flawless. Teddy Hamilton and Charlotte North were impeccable .
This is book one of two-part duet and you really need to read both books to get the entire story-line of this book series. As a sister of 5 brothers who served in the military, this book drew me in from the start because of the military part. It is something I can see as being believable and real.
As with many military spouses, Holland lost her home when she lost her husband. Left with nowhere to go where would you choose to go? Her husband’s parents were divorced and lived on different sides of the country and Holland’s parents well that is a no-go. Her husband left a letter for his dad and that sealed the deal. She went to live with his dad and work at the company that her husband would have gone to work in once he left the service. Was it hard? Yes. For more reason than just losing her husband but because his dad looked like a grown-up version of Scott. Life has a funny way of leading us to where we should be when we need to be there. Oh and the mother-in-law well she was ONE OF THOSE MIL from HECK! Read this one then grab Different as Night and Day part two.
Okay. First off this is a slooooow burn with a cliffhanger and it’s a duet (as per the title) not a ton of steamy action it that’s what you are looking for, however, the build up and the character development is lovely. Maguire and Holland are thrown into such a taboo and awkward situation so the first book mainly deals with their developing feelings. All and all a very good read. Downloaded the second book because I can’t be left hanging…
The book begins with Holland, a young military wife, getting the dreaded news that her husband, Scott, has died. Following the funeral, Maguire, Scott’s father, reads a note left for him by his son asking him to take care of Holland. The pair take a very long road trip back to Maguire’s home in California, where they begin to acclimate to living together, working together, etc. But they also begin the dance of healthy flirtation and the push and pull of every taboo type of story out there. I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I thought I would be, but I think that’s mostly because there was a lot of time spent on the characters internally battling with themselves over whether they care about each other beyond father-in-law/daughter-in-law and whether it’s appropriate to fantasize about the other. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it’s a pretty quick read. I also wish there was more character development for Holland. The author touches briefly throughout the story that Holland doesn’t really communicate with her parents, but never explains why in enough detail for me to care. I honestly can’t put my finger on what’s missing here for me…the writing is very good and the storyline is very good. So I wouldn’t NOT recommend this story. In fact, I would definitely recommend it for those who like the contemporary age-gap/taboo romance genre. It just wasn’t for me…for some reason.
A Beautiful Story That Will Move You in Unexplainable Ways…
After reading the blurb for this book I was initially unsure of it. There are a ton of daddy trope books out there and, I’ll admit, when first encountering “Like Father Like Son”, by Leigh Lennon, I wasn’t immediately moved to read it. In fact, this book has been sitting on my virtual bookshelf for months. However, something about it just kept luring me back so this morning I opened it up, and to my surprise, could not put it down, reading it cover to cover in one sitting.
In short, this book is simply stunning. By the end of the first chapter there was a growing ache of knowing deep within my heart. By the end of chapter three I had succumb to a soul cracking heartache so profound, it stole my breath. Another thirty-three chapters later I sat astonished at the heady depth of emotions running wildly through my being.
This book will move you in unexplainable ways. This story of Holland and Maguire. She a twenty-one year old girl from a deeply broken home, crippled by the loss of her loving husband Scott when he is killed in combat. And he, the loving father of a son he was forced to give up as a young boy, and now forced to lose all over again as a young man. Maguire, a man filled with doubt, regret, and pure, unfiltered pain as he questions every decision he ever made as a father. A man who, in a shared moment of grief, sees his pain mirrored back at him within the eyes of his daughter-in-law Holland. And when during this most horrific of moments, Scott presents his father with a final request from beyond the grave in the form of a letter, what follows is a story of bonding and second chances unlike any other I have ever read.
The unparalleled poignance of this story will shatter you and leave you in edge. The slow and torturous, angst filled pacing will claw mercilessly at your soul. The methodically layered, complex characters, characters that literally bleed their pain, need, longing, and fear upon each page, will violently push and pull at your emotions and make your stomach physically twist. And the connection Lennon builds between Maguire and Holland, so intense and pure, you will turn your face toward heaven and quietly beg Scott to ease their suffering and allow them a second chance at joy, taboos and societal judgements be damned!
It is truly a beautiful book. Yes, it also contains an ending so profoundly gasp inducing you will need to immediately move on to book two so as not go completely mad. But it is so worth the emotional rollercoaster, I promise.
This book had all the heartache and angst I crave in a book. You are sure to fall in love with these characters. Like Father, Like Son is well written and gripping with an ending that will have you craving book two.
This was a slow burn romance that involved Holland and her father-in-law Maguire. Maguire received a letter from his son after his death that asked him to take care of Holland. He plans to care for her but finds himself having feelings that are anything but fatherly for her. I am awaiting the next book to find out how things turn out with this couple.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.
oh my this book was a book i couldnt put down ..i wanted to know what happen . i love how the character had a conection .. all thru the book couldnt feel the emotion of character.. it a must read book ..A father doing a son a favor ..who would though would turn like this ? cant wait to read more of this series .
Like Father Like Son is the first in a Duet. Scott Parrish enlisted in the Army so he could provide for his wife, and not hurt his mother by moving to CA to live and work with his father. He is deployed, and Holland opens the door one morning, and knows by who she sees there that life as she knew it is over. Scott wrote a letter to be given to his dad when he passed, and the letter asked his Dad to take care of and watch over Holland because he was the best man he knew to do that. So Holland and Maquire drive the truck that Scott and Maquire restored from NC to CA. There is much banter going on on this drive, and they slowly get to know each other. Maquire starts feeling things for Holland that he knows he shouldn’t, and Holland is feeling the same things. It’s about two people trying to live their lives after an awful loss and tragedy. You can feel the chemistry between them even though they are both trying to deny and overlook it. Maquire takes what his son asked him very seriously, but Maguire takes care of all those he loves. Holland has been through a lot in her 21 years, and she is sassy, spunky and full of life. She loves to do and say things to get Maguire going. Oh and Maguire’s nickname for her – swoon. I started this late and stayed up reading it…and it ends in a cliffhanger, and I one clicked the next book and read the two all night. I am not trying to give too much of this book away – but you can get most of what I have said from the blurb. This book has sadness, happiness, grief, angst, heartache and promise. While it is a taboo relationship to most – I found myself rooting for Maquire and Holland. Any lady would be very lucky to have a Maquire in their life!! I believe the taboo was handled very well, and you should give this one a try even if you aren’t typically into taboo relationships. This is my first time reading Leigh Lennon, but I will definitely be reading more of her work.
Overall I thought this book was just ok. I wasn’t dying to know what happened next but I did enjoy the story. I can’t say I am desperate to read the next one. Overall a decent story that was ok to read.
Wow!! This book has it all: angst, taboo, younger woman/older man, and fire! I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did! You can’t help who you fall in love with! Highly recommend!
So I gotta say I was very hesitant to read this book and it was mostly due to the taboo of it. I didn’t know if the author was just gonna dive in and I was gonna cringe when it came to sex scenes but it wasn’t like that at all. It was a beautifully written book with characters that are hurting and dealing with grieve their own ways. Once you read that Maguire got screwed over and didn’t live close to his son, you get a little relief but its still weird. Maguire is a man of his word and keeps his promise to his son. I’m just not sure it was what his son had in mind. Hearts are broken and tensions are high in this book. Holland is a great character. She takes everything that is thrown at her with class and sass. She is her own woman and knows what she wants. She pushes Maguire’s buttons every chance she gets. Together these two help each other heal and move on from the tragedy. Get their lives back on track and prepare for the future. Yes there’s feelings brewing between them but they don’t act on them in this book. I love how the author handled this and made a beautiful love story.
Really liked this slow burn, taboo romance. I loved the main characters and the banter between them. Can’t wait for book 2!
Like Father Like Son by Leigh Lennon
Five Stars
Like Father Like Son is the first book in the Father/ Son Duet by Leigh Lennon. Leigh has hit this book out of the park. This book had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down till I read the last. Holland and Maguire are fabulous and fascinating characters, and even though their relationship is taboo, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them being together. This book is full of love and heartbreak and had me on an emotional roller coaster. This is my new favorite book by Leigh and I’m not so patiently wait for the second book to come out. Outstanding Fun Read!
This was a new to me author and I’m sure I will read her books again. Maguire lost his son and Holland lost her husband. His son Scott asked is dad, Maguire in a letter written before his deployment to take care of his wife, Holland, if anything happened to him. This book is how their relationship develops, how they maneuver their feelings, and how they come to terms with those. The book is mostly well paced and interesting. A great cliffhanger, I’m ready to read the conclusion of their story.
While this book may be seen as taboo it’s ingrained itself into my heart. I love Maguire and Holland. Her sassy personality brings this book to life along with Maguire’s Alfa male ways. It’s about loss, love and learning to move on. That cliffhanger at the end will make run to get the next book.