From USA Today Bestselling Author, A.M. Hargrove, comes a New Adult, Single Dad, Sexy, Stand Alone Romance

Single Dad, Beckley Bridges, is sexy as hell.
No, really, he’s the hottest thing since the sun was created.
Honest to God, crack an egg on him and the thing will sizzle.
So what’s the problem?
He’s also a gigantic jerk.
I hate the bastard.
I try to avoid him at all costs.
But for some reason, everywhere I go he seems to show up.
Only the real issue is his daughter, English.
She’s an adorable quirky first-grader who’s the sweetest thing since iced tea.
And she’s one of my students but also the love of his life.
So I have to deal with him on a professional level.
It’s not easy.
On a scale of easy to hard, dealing with Beckley Bridges is like nails screeching across a blackboard.
But when English’s mother tries to gain custody after abandoning her on Beckley’s doorstep as an infant, he’ll do anything possible to keep her under his roof.
That’s how he ends up propositioning me.
And crazy as it sounds?

I find myself considering it.

*This is a full-length, stand-alone, novel, with no cliffhangers, and an HEA. It contains mature content and is not suitable for younger readers.

For The Love Of English

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I find myself drawn to books about single dads; For The Love of English by A.M. Hargrove is a little twist on the single father falling in love. Beckley “Beck” Bridges is a nineteen-year-old boy having fun, starting college, and planning his future. Then one day that all comes to a screeching halt when an abandoned baby is on his doorstep and Beck is the father. His plans make a dramatic change because his focus is now on his beautiful daughter, English.

Sheridan Monroe is a first-grade teacher starting her first full-time teaching job. Teaching is her dream. Sheridan sees her life improving after a mostly difficult young life, losing both of her parents as teens, she had to take on a lot of debt and work hard to complete college. English is in her class, and their bond is immediate. The connection to her father is anything but welcome.

There is a lot to like about this book, and there are also some elements that drive me right up the wall. The basic plot is captivating and has a lot of potential. What falls short is the execution. The author attempts to build anxiety in the reader, but, for me, it falls a little flat. There are too many conflicts unexplained conflicts.

I like the two main characters. Beck is a little standoffish with Sheridan. Their initial meeting started out on the wrong foot. He is late for a parent-teacher meeting and misinterprets some of Sheridan's comments which lead to him getting angry with Sheridan. English is the buffer between the two. She loves both her father and her teacher. Let me add that English is my favorite character in the book.

English is an above average six-year-old that instantly captures the heart of Sheridan and the reader. She is devoted to her dad and her grandparents. Sheridan quickly becomes a mother figure for her. It is easy to see that English is starving for a young woman's touch even though the adults in her life have given her love and attention.

There are some funny scenes between Beck and Sheridan. These are the most enjoyable in the book. A drunken night out with her girlfriend is a hoot. Many of the early meetings Sheridan has with Beck lead to funny dialog and situations. It’s cute and stirs the "feels."

What bothers me a little is the over-the-top way Beck deals with his problems. I know as soon as I read the prologue what is going to happen although I didn’t know how. The how is part of the fun. Beck comes up with a proposition that he believes will help him through some legal issues. I completely understand Sheridan’s response. It makes sense because of her personal loss. The thing is some of the legal entanglements feel manufactured and unreal. Not that it can't happen just that a little more meat to the events could help.

I like the story; I like the characters what falls short is how parts of the story unfold. Many times, when the “feels” are supposed to grab the reader, it seems like a third person is relaying the story in monotones. I want to wring my hands or hold my breath, but I fall out of the story, and I don’t respond appropriately. The author missed by throwing too much at the reader and not giving us the benefit of hearing and sensing the emotions of the characters.

Don't get me wrong because I will read the story again. I love the concept, and Ms. Hargrove delivers a "feel good" romance. If you need a fast read and escape, with an exceptional single dad For the Love of English will do that for you.

3.5 Stamps