Hoping to vindicate her brother, botanist Gina Dunn poses as a nanny to the man she believes framed him. Even though she grew up in a dysfunctional home, how hard can it be looking after twin four-year-old boys? If she can nurture rare orchids, surely she can handle this. Instant fatherhood hits contractor Will Sinclair hard when his twin sons he didn’t know existed come to live with him. The … him. The rebellious boys reject Will as their real dad, forcing him to turn to Gina, his new nanny, for her “expert” help.
Interacting with Will and his boys as a “daddy” coach, Gina starts to crave the family she’s always longed to have. But Will’s reaction when he learns of her deception isn’t her biggest fear–one of two men she loves is lying…
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This story was a romance that was hard to classify. It was part enemies to lovers, but sort of a “fall in love with the boss” as well. Gina applies to be a nanny (with no experience) to a pair of boys to get close to their father (Will), who she thinks has wronged her brother. Of course, there is an attraction between the two of them that neither wants to acknowledge. The scenes with the boys were great, and I love how the author captured the boys’ personalities. However, the romance felt uneven; Gina and Will’s emotions didn’t always seem consistent. And the plot point that brought Gina to Will’s in the first place seemed over-complicated, and not very believable. Overall, it was a decent story, but there were some misses. This review was written based on a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.
If I had to sum this one up in five words or less, they would be this was cute, but…
While Gina’s reason for coming into Will and the boys’ lives was a bit questionable (surely she would have done a tad bit more digging into her brother’s story before concocting this plot? She is a scientist, after all, and even just seeing him during their jail visits it’s clear he’s got some issues.) the whole “daddy coaching” aspect was very sweet. Harry and Ian were adorable, and made every page that they were on a little bit brighter.
Gina, though, made me a little crazy at times. She dwells way too much on the same issues (Will deserves to be happy, even though it will never be me he’ll be happy with is a common refrain in the second half, and it was hard to feel all that sympathetic after a while) and never ever seems to actually work at as a botanist, even though that’s supposedly how she actually makes a living. She also got awfully expert at childrearing through just a few well-worded Google searches…
Will overall was a more consistently sympathetic character. He was understandably upset with her deception, though he did get over it awfully easily, making the ending seem a bit wham-bam-ish, though it was ultimately very sweet.
The Daddy Coach is a decent first effort; I’ll be interested to see what Ms. Muir has for us next.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Overall, Karen Muir’s “The Daddy Coach” was a quick, sweet read. I would have rated it 3.5 stars if half stars were possible on BookBub, but decided to round up because I genuinely liked the main characters, Gina and Will, as well as Will’s super cute twin sons, Harry and Ian. Their lovable mischief added a nice touch of lightness and fun to the story.
Gina’s interactions with Harry and Ian were endearingly awkward at first, but her love for them was clear as she became more comfortable with children in general and her role in these boys’ lives in particular. She came across to me as very book smart but rather naive in dealing with people, as evidenced by her need to conduct so much Internet research on childcare and social interactions, plus her decision to hire a “date” for the boys’ birthday party. In addition, Gina believed her brother Kyle’s story about the robbery without questioning it at all, no matter how implausible it seemed or his complete lack of proof. Most people I know would have had at least a shred of doubt about Kyle’s innocence, no matter how much they loved their brother and wanted to believe his story.
As for Will, it bothered me a bit that he seemed to be on a path towards repeating his past mistakes by dating Bree, even if she was just someone for him to pass the time with because he thought he couldn’t have a romantic relationship with Gina. Like his ex-wife and the twins’ mother, Felice, Bree was on the rebound because she had just broken up with her fiance before reconnecting with Will. Also, Bree didn’t seem to be all that interested in having a relationship with Harry and Ian. Even though she hosted their birthday party, it was really more about her and her friends than it was about them. She didn’t invite any of Ian and Harry’s friends, or any other children at all. Basically, Bree just provided the birthday cake, which doesn’t seem like much of a celebration to me.
At any rate, Gina and Will seemed to make a good couple, and I was happy when they were finally able to work out their problems and come together as a family with Harry and Ian. The book was generally well-written, and I would pick up another of this author’s books in the future.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
What a delightful tale. I adored Will Sinclair’s two boys Harry and Ian. I could really see them as real little boys. Ms. Muir did an excellent job writing them.
Will Sinclair is looking for a nanny for his twin boys. No one has seemed like a good fit in caring for them. His boys are just a little difficult. They lost their mother and her husband in a plane accident. Will receives a call from his ex-wife’s mother-in-law informing him of her death and to come and get his twin boys. Say WHAT?!?!?! Will divorced her several years ago after a short marriage and didn’t know anything about her having his sons. His business is suffering do to an ex-employee stealing jewelry. His life is falling apart and he doesn’t know how to connect with his boys, enter Gina Dunn. Gina comes to apply for the job. Gina doesn’t seem right for the job and he doesn’t hire her. As she is leaving, she gets into a water gun fight with one of his sons. Seeing Gina connect with the boys, Will reluctantly agrees to give her a try of one day. The road to Will and Gina’s HEA is a tale that took me on a ride. There were highs and lows, laughs and tears.
I was glued to my e-reader as the story was so cute and endearing (yes, I really fell for the boys!). The story was written in a matter that just seems like it could be a movie.
The story was written in my dual POV format. Getting into both Will and Gina’s thought process really helped me to connect with them in such a manner that they almost seemed human.
This book was a sweet, clean read. I highly recommend it to anyone (especially if you love single dad stories!)
Cute and fun
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Harry and Ian
Standalone
HEA
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
This was the first book that I have read from this author and it was an ok read for me. Will and Gina are brought together because her brother said that Will framed him for a crime. Gina decides to get the evidence that she needs by posing as a nanny for his twin boys. While looking for the evidence that she hopes will free her brother, she ends up finding something else. They were able to find the HEA they both deserved but it felt rushed at the end to get there.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
You will love the characters is this story, especially the twin boys Harry and Ian. Gina takes a job as their nanny because she suspected there father Will of being a thief. She is not a nanny and has never been and the antics that take place reflect that. She gets up to some funny mishaps with the boys but prove to be just the thing they and their father needed in life. You will be regaled by some great family fun times and watch as Will and Gina fall in love and becomes a complete family.
Gina wants to set the records straight about her brother’s wrongful conviction. So she applies for the nanny position for Will Sinclair’s twin boys, in hopes of being able to secure some evidence from the man ( Will ) who wrongfully put him behind bars.
A botanist by trade, with no prior nanny skills- what could go wrong?
Will is at his wit’s end, needing help with his all over the place boys while trying to run a business recovering from a recent mishap.
He has his doubts about Ms. Gina, but his boys seemed to like her, she has a persona that he wants to see more of, so its a start.
What starts as a hunt, for one thing, becomes a something neither of them saw coming!
A sweet, frustrating, ( so many times, I thought Gina needed a reality check along with Will needing a few swift kicks in the pants.) appealing and well-paced storyline. With characters who grew on me as time went on.
A heart of hearts read with a real rollercoaster of emotions feel, witness, and sensual highlights throughout.
The kind of romance I had to read all in one sitting! I look forward to reading more from Karen Muir soon!