Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Category: Romantic Comedy 
Publication date: 09/26/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

There is so much to love about this book, and this is a new-to-me author, so I’m feeling pretty good about life right about now.

via GIPHY

Plot overview: Heart surgeon and single mom Sloan hires Rafe to act as nanny for her kids. Hot sexual chemistry and awesome romance between two mature grown-ups ensues.  

See, THIS was the book I was looking for when I accidentally stumbled into Manny for Hire. Here’s what I love: 

Diversity
Dr. Sloan is a strong, independent, super intelligent biracial woman and Rafe is a confident, caring, emotionally mature white man—but race isn’t an issue in their relationship. It’s not something they have to overcome in order to be together. I loved that. 

Mature romance  
Both Rafe and Dr. Sloan are open and honest about their feelings early on and they never lie to each other or keep unnecessary secrets. They communicate open and honestly just like two real-life adults would. There’s no stupid misunderstandings like what you find in so many other rom coms and new adult romances. 

Low angst 
At its core, this is a book about two great people falling in love. There’s absolutely no unnecessary angst. There’s not a cartoonish bad guy thrown in at the end. There’s no horrible mother-in-law trying to take the kids away from Dr. Sloan. Sure, Dr. Sloan’s ex is a douche of the highest order, but he’s never really that big of a problem for Dr. Sloan and Rafe. I can’t even tell you how much I ADORE low angst romance. 

The kids
Dr. Sloane’s twin girls are super smart and all kinds of adorable, but they still somehow manage to be age appropriate. I loathe it when kids in romance novels are nothing more than little plot moppets who exist to push the hero and heroine together, and sometimes dispense relationship advice that no child would EVER dispense in real life. That was NOT the case in this book. The kids in this book are great characters all on their own. They’re way more than mere plot moppets. 

Super sexy times  
Sexy times are of the oh-holy-hell-that’s-hot variety. If you’re looking for chaste hand holding and a sweet kiss at the end of the book...uh, look elsewhere. 

The male nanny
Rafe is a great guy. He’s sweet, never an alphahole, and takes great pride in his job. He loves kids and chooses to care for them. No one had to blackmail him into it or use it as punishment because he lost a bet. (I’m looking at you, Manny for Hire) He’s not a guy you see super often in the land of romance novels, and that makes me sad. I’d LOVE to see more guys like Rafe. 

Dr. Sloane and her friends
Dr. Sloane is exactly the kind of heroine I want to see more of in romance novels. She’s a genius, she’s hard working, she’s a GREAT mom, and she’s not all emotionally messed up because her marriage didn’t survive. She understands how much better off she is because she had the strength and courage to walk away from her gaslighting ex. She’s the kind of heroine little girls can seriously look up to and want to be when they grow up. And her friends, Kenzi especially, made me laugh until I snorted. I’ll DEFINITELY read Kenzi’s book. 

So, long-story-short, if you’re looking for a hot, low-angst read about a strong, smart heroine and a sexy, tattooed male nanny, well, then you need to quit reading this review and go buy this book NOW. Seriously...what are you waiting for?            

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
No rehab needed. This one’s clean and sober.

Other reading suggestions

Romance novels written from a male point of view

The ULTIMATE cinnamon roll romance reading list

Romance novels that DON'T feature two white people