one is sweet, warm, with just that little hook of poignancy that Amy Lane gets into her lighter stories, Dusty is young, but confident and he knows what he wants, Quinlan is a sweetheart who has no idea of his own worth, He's shy and a bit lost and doesn't see when people care about him, Watching them find each other is like a warm blanket on a cold day, A very good comfortread. Damn sweet Usually Ill tell you a book in a series can be read as a standalone, even if youll miss characters backgrounds and plot development.
Not this time! You really do need to read the books in the Manny series in order, Thats no hardship, though. They are all wonderful.
This is a huge, wacky, breathtaking family and you really do need to get to know all of the characters in each book, There are so many of them!
I loved each and every character and know you will, too,
Kinda done with this author after this book, First book I read by her, more recent, was astar rounded up, But this compares as a much more amateurish book, which was not helped by the cover don't like it and the price tag paid vs.
KU. Even the title is kinda strange for the content, Yes there's a manny, but I don't see how Dusty is a "fool, "
I really don't like paying for books I will not reread, And I won't be rereading this,
So it's like this: Dustin is the eldest son of this family with likekids, Quinlan is the manny who's been taking care of Dusty and the rest since D was, soyears,
Quin isorand Dusty isnow, Older man/ manny, and his love interest, younger man/ rebellious teenager turned alpha male,
It was kinda strange and hard to believe, That Quin is in SUCH a missish role, That Dusty is the take charge alpha, that both are virgins essentially, and finally come together after Quin's illness brought them closer in an accelerated fashion.
That's about it, And some family drama, most of which I skipped bc honestly didn't care and didn't do all that much to the story between the MCs.
Done with the author for now, Not terribly happy. .
OMG, I'm MELTING from all the sunshine,
A Fool and His Manny is the sweetest story, with the hottest sex scenes I've read in a while.
When Dustin and Quinlan come together, it's intense and dirty and all consuming, And HAWT, so goddamnfucking hot, I can't even,
Let's get this out of the way: This book cannot be read as a standalone, To understand the dynamics of this crazy, wonderful family, you need to start with Channing and Tino in bookat the very least, you have to read Sammy and Cooper's story in book.
Thus far, The Mannies series spans some twenty years, Since Tino and Channing were married in the first book, it must have been at leastthe book is set in California, and that's the year samesex marriage became legal in that state, which means this book is set circa.
In the hands of a less experienced author, the comingling of decades could have been a disaster, but Amy Lane keeps her stories timeless.
There are some references to cars and cell phones, but it's all vague enough to be believable, Nothing stands out as archaic or, heaven forbid, futuristic,
It's just the world as we know it, After all, family, laughter, love, tearsthese things are immutable,
Quinlan is Sammy's friend from book, He's the one who caught Sammy when Sammy collapsed on tour, Thanks to Sammy, Quinlan becomes the manny for Nica and Jacob's six children, the oldest being Dustin, who iswhen Quin takes over childcare duties.
Dustin is a surly teenager with a chip on his shoulder, but Quin earns his respect, and at age, Dusty decides Quin is his one and only.
Quinlan trembled in Dustin's arms because he was a man to tremble for not a boy who would toy with his heart.
This book has a few flashbacks, which I actually liked because they showed the beginning of Dustin and Quin's relationship and allowed us to catch up with the other MCs.
Most of the story, however, is set in the present with Dustin claiming Quin and Quin giving in to the inevitable, Quin can't deny that he doesn't see Dusty as a kid any longer, Dustin is all man, and he knows what he wants,
We get a good dose of hurt/comfort as Quin falls ill with dysentery and Dustin nurses him back to health.
Quin's nasty bitch of a biological mother also makes an appearance, wanting Quin to sign some legal paperwork and essentially give up his rights to his deceased father's financial assets.
But she picked the wrong family to mess with, The RobbinsGraysons do not suffer fools gladly,
The scene at the end in the lawyer's office withpeople, kids and all, squeezed into a conference room had me beaming, Because, man, to have all those people in your corner, . . that's what life is all about,
A Fool and His Manny asks you to believe in a world where all children are loved and wanted, all marriages are happy, all parents have unlimited patience, everyone loves babies, money is never an issue because Uncles Channing and Uncle Tino rule the world, and a HEA is not just a thing.
It's the ONLY thing.
That is not my world, but it is the reason I read romance, I was so confused at the start of this one, all the flashbacks, . . Ugh.
Cute family drama, hurt/comfort, etc, It was fine.
Nice performance by Kenneth Obi on the audio version, Hearts
Back when I read sitelinkStand by Your Manny and realized that sweet Quinlan who crushed on Sammy was being paired with the oldest of the RobbinsGrayson children and the bratty, Dustin I was ready.
I had the thought of “I cant wait for the next bookDustin and Quin Really Bring it on, Amy Lane, Bring it on. ” And that thought actually got a response from Amy Lane herself warning me that Dustin and Quin would break me in the sweetest ways and OMG was she every right! This book one hell of a helping of hurt/comfort and I am wiping my chin from my meal.
Good lord. This was so good.
Real quick: this is listedth in The Mannies series and if you dont want to be confused on who everyone is, you might wanna catch up if you havent already.
The LowellRobbinsRobbinsGrayson clan is pretty damn big but its a fantastic read seeing how this family comes together,
I love the way this is told! We get a bit of an awkward situation as Quinlan comes home to his apartment to a Dustin in his bed living out one of Quins dirtiest fantasies.
It just sucks that Quin is so sick, having picked up a bug while on his last summer tour and incapable of walking, let alone being productive with Dustin.
This gives a chance for us to know something has happened between these two which needs to be settled and with a turn of a page, we are seven years into the past where Quinlan and Dustin meet.
Dustin is the oldest child of Nica and Jacob RobbinsGrayson, Hes always been the kid who was known for getting into trouble, Hes also the kid who gets carrot cake for his birthday though he hates it and we finally learn why in this book, But Dusty, for all his rough edges he presents has a soft side when it comes to his family and those he claims as family.
In the beginning, when he first meets Quinlan, hes coming from a place of grief having Taylor leaving as their manny to move in with Brandon and this family doesnt like to see the ones they love go.
Granted, Taylor and Brandon arent going far, But the kids have grown to love Taylor and this is an adjustment, So, of course,year old Dustin is a brat toyear old Quin, who just wants to be part of a family, but doesnt know how to get one.
Quinlan we met him in Sammy and Coopers book and I adored him, I thought I would love his story but I had no idea how much or how much it would break my heart, Quin is a fantastic, but guarded young man, who never ate dinner with the family he cared for because he didnt think he was wanted.
And yet, all it took was an invite from a young Dustin who needed the support of the man who now meant more to him than any of the mannies before.
I absolutely love that Quin and Dusty have a discussion about crushes and that they bond over their shared crush of Sammy, It was just too stinking cute to not tuck away in my memory but that discussion was more than just about crushes it gave Dustin the courage to come out to his family and it gave Dustin an insight to how Quinlan needed to be loved.
Its a damn good thing Dustin stored that insight away in his Quin files preparing to use them when he thought Quin would be ready.
These two made me smile, made
me laugh, they made me ache and they made me so stupidly happy, I love every damn thing they went through because it brought them closer together and really allowed Quinlan to see how much he is loved and not just by Dustin.
You see, there is a running theme with this series and its one of unconditional love of family, The family that Quinlan walked away from doesnt and didnt deserve him and it was fate that he was asked to care for “Sammys family” because that is where he belongs.
I have to say, I would love the have been in that crowded room to hear Conroys speech Nica and Jacob raised some amazing kids!
Speaking of Sammys family, of course they are involved in this, as Quinlan takes care of Jacob and Nicas kids seeing them on page more was a pure delight.
Nica is fierce and protective of all her kids and my mothers heart hurt along with hers as she wants nothing more than to take care of Quin and have him feel how much she loved him.
Of course, there is comedy with this family and I wouldnt expect anything less and its a full package once you are in these pages laughs, tears, triumphs, setbacks and family pictures where no one is on the edge.
I just want to hug this book, so I can hug everyone in it, I cant believe the angst bit with Sammy Lane put me through, but I get how it belonged in Quinlans story arc, I cant believe what shitty parents Quinlan had but I love that he was on the take me or watch me go path when he came out and made himself into the amazing man he is today.
I love that Dustin knew at eighteen that Quinlan was everything to him and that he waited so he wouldnt spook the love of his life with his intense feelings.
I love the freaking crazy cats, I love that the boys peed in bushes because they didnt want to dry off and go into the house when they were young, I love Nica not judging and I love Channing and Tino going balls to the wall business when it comes to protecting Quinlan.
But what I love most of all is Quin accepting that Dustin isnt a boy he used to take care of, but a man hes watched grow up and one he has fallen head over heels for.
Their romance was super swoony from the first kiss to selfies on the road to Quinlan not getting the question being asked, They are amazing together and this whole series give me hope and joy in a current world where the day to day can be pretty dark.
If you're looking for gentle, fluffy contemporary romance, look no further than Amy Lane's The Mannies series.sitelink
I've loved every one of these books, but I have to say, I think this was the fluffiest and loveliest yet,
Quinlan, the manny of the RobbinsGrayson family, is a lost soul, Not in any huge dramatic sense, but in the sense that he doesn't feel like he fits anywhere, He seems a little off centre when everyone else knows instinctively where the middle is, and even though everyone in the family adores him, he keeps himself separate to protect his bruised heart.
In contrast, Dusty one of the kids Quinlan used to look after but who's nowand grown knows exactly where he fits and what he wants from life a HEA with Quinlan.
And he's willing to be as patient as he needs to be to convince Quinlan that he had a home with Dusty and his extended family forever.
The romance was light and lovely, and the subplot did a fantastic job of enhancing the thread of "found family" that's resonated throughout this entire series.
I highly recommend A Fool and His Manny and all of the other books in the series, A Fool and His Manny by Amy Lane
The Mannies, book, MM contemporary romance. Can be read as a standalone, I didnt read the previous so while I was able to follow the story and characters, There were several “years ago”, “years ago” passages at the beginning that gave the reader enough background to understand the dynamics of family and the relationship and age closeness of Dustin and Quinlan.
A delightful romance that focuses on family, On support. On being there. I was definitely crying sentimental tears at the end when it was made so clear that family is everything, And love makes it that much richer,
The story includes a love that was growing for years and finally comes to fruition, And fair warning, it gets hot, steamy and sexy between Dustin and Quinlan,
A deeply satisfying and touching romance, WOW, this book was simply AMAZING, but it was also heart breaking, I had to hold my hand to my chest to keep my heart either in place or intact, . Quin and Dustin broke my heart time and time again, mostly Quin, Sad, lonely, quiet Quinlan who is all alone in the world even when he is surrounded by the family he wished was his and little by little BECAME his.
The RobbinsGraysons have A LOT of kids,to be exact, we've met all of them before in the previous installments, Truth being said, I'm not a fan of kids in books but it this series it somehow works though I feel like if I was actually THERE I would get dizzy in one second and just collapse.
I think that's what Quinlan Gregory thought when he saw the lot of them at a family wedding he was invited to by his friend Sammy.
Sammy thought maybe Quin would consider being the manny now that the "old one" is getting married, . At first Quin was terrified, but somehow he thought staying so close to Sammy, one of the few people in his life, would be a good idea so he stays though he keeps mostly to himself and doesn't truly "mingle" with the family.
He doesn't feel like he has a place in one, It didn't work with HIS family, so he won't even think of taking this one for his own, though in his heart it's all he can wish for.
As the years go by, Quin DOES become, little by little, a part of the family and he is content at that, Not looking for anything more, He doesn't need a partner or anyone really as long as he is a part of the RobbinsGrayson clan including Sammy with his halfsiblings, Yet as Dustin RobbinsGrayson, the older of the kids, looks, truly looks at the family photos he sees that though everyone considers Quin family, he always stand to the side and Dustin can't have it anymore.
He isn'tyears old. He isnow, and asmore years pass, he realizes NOW is the time to CLAIM his Quin, the one he has been longing for ever since he realized just HOW important Quin is to him, and not just as a role model, but also as a friend, a confidant, and hopefully one day his lover.
The story begins with Quin coming home sick after his regular summer tour with his two musician friends, He is surprised to find Dustin at his apartment but first things first getting better, Dustin makes it his utmost priority as well as the rest of the family and Quin is in tears every time he sees their tender caring behavior towards him.
His family has abandoned him with no second thoughts, This one is making him feel so welcome in a way his heart can barely stand,
Then we go back a little bit in time and SEE for ourselves how Quin integrated himself into the family, He is SUCH a precious person and after learning about his past, and seeing him through Dustin's eyes I was too left in tears,
When we near the end of our "tourdepast" and get back right before Quin gets to his tour we see Dustin getting in Quin's face and saying in the clearest way possible You are mine.
MINE. Quin doesn't know how to react but wanting Dustin and everything he has to offer him unconditional love slowly breaks his walls down and soon without Quin knowing how it happened yeah he was sick in the beginning.
. they become a real couple, Inseparable. That's when Quin needs to deal with his past, Lucky him, now, unlike when he left all those years ago, he is surrounded by a new loving family who is NOT going to give him up or let anything happen to him.
I can write for HOURS about this book, It was SO SO SO beautiful, I HIGHLY recommend it. "Sadly" I can't truly recommend it on it's own because with the amount of characters you'd simply get lost, . So do yourselves a favor and start with the first in the series and enjoy your way up to the very last for now which is also, in my opinion, the very best.
HIGHLY recommended!
More s sitelinkHERE