manny get your guy audioStory Rating: 3.75 stars
Audio Rating: 4.25 stars

Narrator: John Solo
Length: 6 hours, 6 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks


Manny Get Your Guy is the second book in Amy Lane’s The Mannies series. Taylor Cochran is a long-time friend to Nica Robbins, sister of Tino Robbins from the first book in the series, The Virgin Manny. This book takes place roughly ten years after the first, when Nica is expecting her fifth child. And, she needs help. Freshly recovered from a debilitating injury suffered in military combat, Taylor is not pleased to be hired as a manny—because he’s sure that his scars and eye patch will scare the kiddos.

Brandon, cousin to Nica’s husband and all-around decent guy who helps Jacob and Nica manage their active brood, isn’t pleased either. At first, he’s opposed to this “stranger” infringing on his turf, and he expresses this as disbelief that a disabled man could care for four kids. Unfortunately, he finds Taylor irresistibly gorgeous, despite his scars. And, he’s not willing to let a good man walk away, either.

For me, the story developed a little too quickly for comfort. Brandon’s protesting Taylor being a manny one night, and the next he’s pretty much ready to get down to sexy business. I was more interested once they explored their relationship by working through their issues; isolation from family is a big problem for both Taylor and Brandon. As such, they’re both happy to be adopted members of the extended Robbins family, which is nice. I struggled a little with the ten-year fast forward between books, but it’s clear that there are more romances coming down the road in this series—or to spin off. And it makes sense to advance us into that experience. For example, I expect young Sammy, the boy Nico cares for in The Virgin Manny and who is now his 17-year-old stepson, will soon see pages in his own romance.

The narrator for the audiobook does a valiant job of capturing Taylor’s gruff, wrecked voice, though I occasionally found his upbeat tone to be too light for the darker moments. Brandon, the outspoken 23-year-old college student/construction worker is a conundrum and I didn’t quite connect with him. He’s got a lot of family issues, and he lets Taylor step in too strongly. It might have been Taylor’s gravitas, but for a man who hasn’t seen his family in two years, Brandon’s whole family health crisis side plot seemed a little contrived. I was confused, from a plot standpoint, why there were so many shenanigans in the family dynamic. I know there are dysfunctional situations, but this seemed beyond the pale for a non-abusive situation.

So, the story wasn’t quite up to the standard I’ve come to expect from this author, but the narration was fine. There’s a little bit of sexytimes, and they are well done, both in text and audio. It’s always good to see lost souls find sanctuary, and listeners can expect for this to happen, along with an HEA.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

veronica sig