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Review

4 stars

This is a gorgeously emotional romance. A single dad/nanny love story that is sweet and slow burning, and I loved it.

Colton’s life has just fallen apart. He has lost his wife, and in his grief, he learns of a devastating betrayal. He’s now all alone with his adorable 3-year-son, dealing with his loss and his anger, and he now has to face up to returning to work after happily being a stay-at-home Dad.

He’s been my life, my entire life since the day he was born.
And now I’m going to have to hand my life to someone else.

Emily has endured a difficult childhood and has pulled herself out of an awful situation to become a nanny. It’s a job she’s passionate about, but her small Californian town doesn’t have a lot of options. She’s almost out of luck when she is offered a position working with Colton. Sandalwood is a small town, and she’s met Colton before when he wasn’t at his best. She isn’t thrilled to be working for him but can’t afford to pass up the job, plus, Colton’s son Teddy is completely irresistible.

Things are initially very tense. Colton resents that he has to have a Nanny, and he doesn’t hide that from Emily. Though even his jaded eyes can see that she loves little Teddy, and he is flourishing under her care. He slowly comes to accept her place in their lives and the two of them develop a friendship that is tentative at first, but soon becomes a lot more intimate, and when attraction sparks, their draw to each other is impossible to resist.

“I don’t want to push away from you when everything is screaming at me to hold you close.”

The passion between these two is sizzling, and there’s a strong emotional connection between them that makes it all the more intense, and though they agree to keep things physical at first, the progression of their relationship feels so natural. They are there for each other in a way that they need, and everything between them is so easy! But Colton has been so badly hurt, and he doesn’t want to take advantage and be the cliched widower sleeping with the nanny. And Emily is strong and sensible, devoted to her career and wanting to be there for both Colton and Teddy, but she also knows her place and doesn’t want to complicate things between them.

It’s a messy situation, but Liota has written their stories well. They are both of them at a crossroads in their lives, and I loved watching them figure out what they want in order to find their happy, and then fight to hold onto it.

Emily feels like the best choice I could ever make, and if that means I’m risking my heart again, so be it.

This is a really sweet romance. It’s a quick read, but still packs an emotional punch, and I loved these characters and loved watching them come together.

4 stars.

 

Sandalwood