Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Review, Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway: THREE TO GET READY by Sean Michael (A Mannies Incorporated Novel)


Author: Sean Michael

Book Title: Three To Get Ready
Series: Mannies Incorporated
Book: Four
This book can be read as a standalone
Publisher: Sean Michael
Cover Artist: Kris Norris


Release Date: December 18, 2015
Blurb: 
Single father Jack Jones is in dire need of a new nanny. His five year old son Nathan is legally blind, he has twin baby girls arriving in less than two months and the girl currently working for him is leaving at Thanksgiving to go home and continue her higher education. If Mannies Incorporated doesn’t come up with a viable candidate soon, he’s not sure what he’s going to do.

Dan Miller is on the hunt for a new job. He’s had some great placements with Mannies Incorporated, many as Manny to multiple birth families to get them over the hump. He even has experience with special needs children, so the job he’s interviewing for looks like it’s right up his alley.

When Dan arrives at Jack’s house, he discovers that this Jack Jones is his Jack Jones, the man he was in love with during college, and who broke up with Dan because Dan wanted children. Will Dan and Jack be able to put the past behind them and work together, or will their past keep them from having a future together?

Pages or Words: 64,000 words/190 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Buy the book: 


Excerpt:
Dan Miller followed the instructions on his GPS to one Jack Jones' house for his interview. He was trying to decide if it was a good or bad omen that he'd dated a Jack Jones. It had ended, so maybe bad. On the other hand, they'd ended because Jack didn't want kids and he did, which was better to learn early on, before they'd invested a lot of time in each other, right? So good sign.

Chuckling at himself, he went over what Drake at Mannies Inc had told him about the family.

Single gay dad, one special needs son - the boy was nearly six and clinically blind. Apparently he could see general shapes if they were high contrast and he could see lights and light contrast. There were twin girls on their way. In a couple of weeks in a few weeks in fact.

Newborns were Dan's favorite. He loved that new baby smell. He loved their chubby little cheeks and limbs, their fat bellies and how quickly they changed.

After reading the file, he'd had to agree with Drake that he seemed like a really good fit for the family. 

The position was live-in, so he paid close attention as the condo came into view. Not far from the beach, it was a decent size, not too big, but not tiny. The front was neat and he could see the backyard was fenced in.

Pulling into the drive, he turned off the engine and took a deep breath. Okay. Interview time. He climbed out of the car, with his best ‘I’m the perfect man to look after your kids’ face on.

He knocked on the front door.

"Daddy! Maddie, someone is here!"

"I'll get it, man. Hopefully this one will work for your daddy, Mr. Picky. I have to leave the week of Thanksgiving. I have to."

The door opened and a lovely dark-skinned young woman stood there with a skinny little boy in thick glasses. "Hey there. Can I help you?"

"Hi, Dan Miller. I'm here to see Mr. Jones?"

"Sure. Come on in. I'm Maddie, Nathan's personal assistant." She winked at him.

"Very nice to meet you." He shook her hand.

Then he turned his attention to the little boy. "Hey there, You must be Nathan."

"Uh-huh. Nathan James Jones." One hand was held out. "Pleased meeting you."

Dan took Nathan's hand and shook it solemnly. "Pleased to meet you, too."

"Hey there. Sorry, man. I was paying some bills. Crazy life."

Dan looked up at the familiar voice and blinked. Strong jaw, blond curls, and the bluest eyes in the history of the earth -- that was Jack. His Jack.

Dan felt like he'd been poleaxed.

His Jack who didn't want kids, no way no how was he f*cking crazy for even suggesting it.

"Jack?" Oh, smooth, Dan. Clearly it was Jack. Hell, even if he couldn't believe his eyes, the folder he'd gotten from Drake had said the guy's name was Jack.

"Dan? Danny? Oh, my God!" Jack's eyes went wide. "Look at you. You look amazing."

He kind of hated the way Jack's words made him stand a little taller, a little straighter. "So do you. The years have been good to you." Twelve years. Sh*t, things had changed in that time, that much was obvious, but not how just a glance from those devastating eyes could make his c*ck perk up. That hadn’t changed a damn bit.



My Review

I'm going to preface my review by saying that this is the first book I've read by this author, so it follows that I haven't read any of the other Mannies Incorporated novels.  So first, yes, this definitely can be read as a standalone.  And second, even though this is my first book with this author, I've already added more of his work to my TBR list :-)

I really liked the characters in this story.  Jack is a damaged man who perseveres for his children and the hope of one day having a complete family.  He is completely devoted, even if it will drive him into the ground.  Dan-I found him to be laid back, positive, caring, helpful, sweet, hot and sexy, supportive...the list can go on and on.  And Nathan (Jack's son) is precocious and energetic, and is just a ray of sunshine for both Jack and Dan.

There's no big conflict in this story, it is more a tale of people making their way through everyday life, just with some extra unique hurdles along the way.  It is sweet, touching and in the last quarter hot and steamy.  It's one of those stories that makes you feel good and wish that you could be friends with the characters in real life...and also put a blush on your face. 

I enjoyed reading this, and overall it was a solid 4-star read for me.  I'd classify this as a second chance romance, so readers who enjoy this type of storyline and are fans of the M/M romance genre will want to put this on their TBR list.  Recommended for 18+ due to adult language and M/M sexual content.
  

Meet the author:
Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Where to find the author:


Author Interview
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Sean Michael author of Three to Get Ready, a Mannies Incorporated novel.

Hi Sean, thank you for agreeing to this interview. 

Thank you very much for having me!

  • Was there a basis for you story? A previous experience or something else?

This was the fourth story in the Mannies series, and I try to make sure they’re all different. I don’t want to have the same set-up for each book and just plug in different names. So I took that into consideration when I sat to write the book. I have some interesting ideas for future Mannies books as well. So this wasn’t the last of them.

  • What skills do you think a writer needs?

I think a writer needs to know how to write. Rules of grammar can totally be broken, but I think it’s good if you’ve got a good foundation first. I think a writer needs to have a great imagination. Mostly, I think a writer needs to write. 

  • What for you is the perfect book hero?

In the romance genre, I think the perfect book hero isn’t perfect (in fact he’s far more interesting if he’s flawed), but he’s got to love his mate with everything he has. And he has to be willing to fight for his love.

  • Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Lots of stuff. There are days when I am feeling particularly dull, like I’m not making the characters/story come to life. Usually then I can just move on to a different story. Going back through and editing the stories is hard. And some days, finding the focus is especially hard. There are days where the hardest part of writing is sitting down and actually doing it!

  • Tell us about your favorite childhood book.

I’ve had lots of favorites over the years but my favorite from when I was still a child was this big book of Hans Christian Anderson fairytales that my mother used to read from. I liked the Hans Christian Anderson fairytales because they were so different from ‘usual’ ones (which I know now were the Grimm’s fairytales.) My favorite from the big book was always the Ugly Duckling.


Thank you again for having me. I hope everyone’s having a good 2016 so far!

Sean
Smut fixes everything


GIVEAWAY!
E-copy of ‘Three To Get Ready’ by Sean Michael



Tour Dates & Stops: 
21-Dec: Sassygirl Books
23-Dec: Velvet Panic
25-Dec: Havan Fellows
12-Jan: Jessie G. Books

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