Halftime Husband by Erin McCarthy

 A couple of weeks ago I participated in the cover reveal for Erin McCarthy's new release, Halftime Husband.  Today, I'm back with a review for the blog tour!  Thank you as always to Social Butterfly PR and Erin McCarthy for an advance copy of the book to read and review.

Below is my honest review, which as always can also be found on Goodreads. 

Dakota and Brandon ran into each other (literally) twice in a row, and each time thought they’d never see each other again. However, third time is the charm for this couple as another encounter leads to Dakota nannying for Brandon’s two daughters. This is a stroke of luck for Dakota and Brandon, and they’re able to carry on a tryst for quite some time... but as their self-imposed deadline creeps closer, will either of them admit to wanting more?

This book was a cute and quick read!  Dakota and Brandon’s relationship is almost fairytale like from their first meeting to second chance encounter - and then it gets hot. However, with the addition of Brandon’s kids and Dakota’s role as nanny, there is still story happening around the two lovers.  Speaking of the kids, I really enjoyed the girls and their characters - especially Poppy the mad scientist, who is just so funny. Erin McCarthy portrays these young kids pretty accurately, and honestly makes me kind of miss reading about kids in books!  

I will say that while reading, the first half of the book felt very fast-paced to me, like the set up lasts a little too long and then suddenly everything is happening in rapid succession.  The story also gets a little confusing sometimes in terms of which perspective we’re in - it switches between character POVs with no indicators except context, so sometimes I would think I was still reading one character and all of the sudden it would say something to reveal it was the other character. 

That being said, I devoured this story. The characters are great, the plot is clever, and Dakota and Brandon together are enticing. 

Dakota especially is really fun; she is an independent woman who gives it her all and tries her best. She’s unapologetically authentic and true to herself. To come across a character so wholly and graciously accepting of their own flaws is pretty unique, but Erin McCarthy writes Dakota so well that it’s not a “quirk,” it’s just a fact.  I enjoyed her reactions, quips, and sometimes brutal honestly as she dealt with everything head on.  I definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for an easy read and who loves workplace romance. 

“The perfect, irresistible romantic comedy!"

--Erin Nicholas, New York Times bestselling author 

Halftime Husband, an all-new hot boss rom com standalone from New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy is available now!

Running into a man once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times makes it fate... right? 

Unless he is now your grumpy boss who holds the future of your fading dance career in his hands. And you hooked up with him when he was just a mysterious stranger rescuing you…

My life is a hot mess. I’m Dakota Tanner and I speak before I think, I spend before I earn, and I live totally in the moment. Which is why I’m down and out in need of a major life makeover. Cue the hot guy who has it all together and makes my toes curl in bed. Who then disappears before I wake up. When he reappears five months later as head coach of a pro football team he wants a secret romance (aka a no-one-can-ever-know bangfest) while I’m a nanny for his wild-child daughters.

I should say no. But he just might be my one true love … or my biggest mistake yet.

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/36tTieV

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/HalftimeHusband

Apple Books: http://apple.co/2Oa6CPj

Nook: http://bit.ly/39N4Xaq

Add Halftime Husband to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3pvMuop

Excerpt

The plan had a flaw. 

I hadn’t counted on someone being right at the bottom of the railing, pressed against it, holding a drink. 

There was no way to stop myself. I tried, attempting to jump off the railing, but my timing was off. I was going too fast, and before I could maneuver, I just plowed into the back of him. As if he had sensed movement behind him, he turned exactly at the moment of collision. My center of gravity was off and I was falling head down.

I took an elbow to the chin. 

And a martini in the face. 

Vodka went into my mouth. Not bad.

Vodka went up my nose. Not great.

Vodka went in my eye. That freaking sucked. “Ow!” 

I grabbed the guy around the midsection and tried to find my feet. My eyes were closed against the blinding, stinging liquid. Damn it. It was a dirty martini. Olive juice on top of vodka really was a bad combination. In my eye, anyway. I licked it off my lips.  

“Are you okay?” 

I couldn’t see shit, eyes watering viciously and still primarily closed, but I managed to right myself to a standing position. “I think so.”

Except for the fact that a giant manhand was on my face, attempting to wipe away the spilled drink. It almost made me lose my balance all over again.

I took a step back to escape the swiping.

“Dakota?” 

The man knew my name. Thank God. That would be way less embarrassing than running into a total stranger. Unless it was the landlord because I owed him two hundred bucks. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to know because my eyes were still stinging and I had zero visibility. But I used my knuckle and dried my tears. 

My words died when I realized who this guy was. 

It was him. 

Brandon. 

The man who had helped me escape my surprise wedding and taken me ice-skating at Rockefeller Center. 

Standing there in a navy button-up shirt over tight black jeans that showed off his muscular build. Looking big and broad and sexy as hell. His eyes were wide in recognition. 

“Dakota,” he murmured again, this time without question.

His tone was so pleased, so sensual, so intimate, like we had shared something more than one hot kiss under the mistletoe, that I nearly had an orgasm listening to him. 

“It’s you,” I said, because I’ve always wanted to say that. They do it in movies all the time, and never, ever, in real life is there an opportunity to say something as dramatic as “it’s you.” But this was my chance and I took it. 

I had been absolutely sure I would never see this man again and yet, here he was standing in front of me.