Stand by Your Manny by Amy Lane

Learning to trust and falling in love.

Sammy Lowell has his hands full juggling his music, college, some pesky health problems, and making the uncles who raised him proud. He needs help fulfilling his after-school duties with his siblings. Nobody can be in two places at once—not even Sammy!

An injury puts Cooper Hoskins in a tough spot—if he can’t work, the foster sister he’s raising can’t eat. But years in the foster system have left Cooper short on trust, and opening up to accept help isn’t easy.

Luckily, family intervenes—Cooper needs a job so he can care for Felicity, and Sammy needs someone who can see past his illness to the wonderful things he has planned for his life. Each heals the damaged places in the other’s heart. But falling in love is a big responsibility for young men deep in family already. Can the two of them get past their fear of the immediate future to see forever with each other?

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This was a sweet story. I loved Sammy and Cooper and the rest of the family. This story shows us what family is all about and always there for you, even if they aren't your biological family. I loved every character in this book. I felt like I was right there in the story living it as it happened. The love and affection between Sammy and Cooper was so sweet and loving you couldn't help but love them. I loved how caring Cooper was about Sammy's health issues and always looked out for him. Super sweet book that gave me the feels.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This happy, fluffy feel-good romance left me on a massive sugar high. Fifteen years after Tino and Channing’s book, Sammy is all grown up – and falling hard for the new manny. This story sees two more additions to Tino and Channing’s almost nauseatingly happy family as they take in Chase and his foster sister, Felicity.

Chase comes to Tino and Channing exhausted and injured but he slowly finds a place for himself in the family. And he quickly finds himself fighting his attraction to Sammy. Sammy has his own problems, but he thrives under Chase’s care.

At times this story feels more young adult than new adult because Sammy and Chase feel very young. Sammy still lives at home and his health needs make him more dependent than the average college senior. And the fact that we read his father figures’ romance first makes Sammy seem even younger. But these two are wonderful together. Their innocence is very sweet – if not terribly believable – and their connection makes both boys better versions of themselves. There is a little bit of heat in the story but this is definitely a family romance.

Sammy’s illness, Chase’s music, and Chase and Felicity’s pasts add some substance to this story but the power of love prevails and things never get too angsty in this story.

The fairytale themes in these books are alternately comforting and irritating but I am more than happy to spend a few hours believing in wealthy, happy alternative families that are happy to extend privilege while sharing love and sprinkling pixie dust.

Also Available in The Mannies Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our The Virgin Manny Dual Media Review post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Manny Get Your Guy Audiobook Review post.

AMY LANE is a mother of two college students, two grade-schoolers, and two small dogs. She is also a compulsive knitter who writes because she can’t silence the voices in her head. She adores fur-babies, knitting socks, and hawt menz, and she dislikes moths, cat boxes, and knuckle-headed macspazzmatrons. She is rarely found cooking, cleaning, or doing domestic chores, but she has been known to knit up an emergency hat/blanket/pair of socks for any occasion whatsoever, or sometimes for no reason at all. Her award-winning writing has three flavors: twisty-purple alternative universe, angsty-orange contemporary, and sunshine-yellow happy. By necessity, she has learned to type like the wind. She’s been married for twenty-plus years to her beloved Mate and still believes in Twu Wuv, with a capital Twu and a capital Wuv, and she doesn’t see any reason at all for that to change.

Connect with Amy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stand by Your Manny (The Mannies #3) by Amy Lane to read and review.

Manny Get Your Guy by Amy Lane Audiobook Review

Starting over and falling in love.

Tino Robbins’s sister, Nica, and her husband, Jacob, are expecting their fifth child. Fortunately, Nica’s best friend, Taylor Cochran, is back in town, released from PT and in need of a job.

After years in the service and recovering from grave injury, Taylor has grown a lot from the callow troublemaker he’d been in high school. Now he’s hoping for a fresh start with Nica and her family.

Jacob’s cousin Brandon lives above the garage and thinks “Taylor the manny” is a bad idea. Taylor might be great at protecting civilians from a zombie apocalypse, but is he any good with kids?

Turns out, Taylor’s a natural. As he tries to fit in, using common sense and dry wit, Brandon realizes that Taylor doesn’t just love their family—he’s desperate to be part of it. And just like that, Brandon wants Taylor to be part of his future.

Audiobook Details
Length: 6 hrs, 16 mins
Narrator: John Solo

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Having loved The Virgin Manny, I was excited for the chance to review Manny Get Your Guy, the second installment in The Mannies series. Unlike Tino and Channing from the first book, the sparks that fly between Taylor and Brandon are not the good kind, not at all. While Brandon might find Taylor attractive, he does not like the idea of the recovering veteran taking on the position of manny for his cousin Jacob’s children. Mind you, part of his dislike for Taylor is colored by Jacob’s attitude, who is still angry with Taylor for leading Nica on all those years ago – despite that fact that Taylor’s coming out enabled Jacob to make his feelings for Nica known and led to their marriage and subsequent family. But it’s an easier excuse for Brandon to latch onto, rather than having to acknowledge his attraction to a man who could throw a wrench in his plans for his future.

I enjoyed getting to know both men immensely and getting to know more about Taylor, who we had met previously in The Virgin Manny. While it was nice to see that Taylor had indeed grown up a lot in the time between the two books, the circumstances that forced him to do so are quite sad and have done significant damage to the former playboy’s self-image. And it’s because of that, that Brandon not only has to overcome the wretched first impression he made, but he also has to fight against Taylor himself in order to build a friendship and move it beyond that. As with the first book, Lane does a wonderful job of weaving Nica and Jake’s brood throughout the story, making them important to the storyline without allowing the children to overshadow the budding romance between Taylor and Brandon. On the other hand, Brandon’s family left me wanting to skip parts on the second listen through because they were so freaking frustrating. Although his family didn’t turn their backs on him like Taylor’s did, Brandon’s family tied themselves in knots trying to shame him for being gay and making him feel unwelcome, while at the same time practically demanding that he give up the life he has and move home to help out his parents. And the stunt his mother pulls… AAAAARGH!!! I wanted to reach into my Kindle to smack some sense into the woman, all while giving her my two cents. I can only imagine how many different ways Lane wrote that scene to be far more scathingly satisfying, but in the end managed to rein it in so that it fit with the Dreamspun Desires theme. Well done, Amy Lane, well done.

Even though the Dreamspun Desires books guarantee a happy ending, it’s the journey that makes them so enjoyable, and Manny Get Your Guy is no exception. Making the audiobook experience even more entertaining is the solid and always impressive vocal performance by John Solo. The manner in which Solo brings the various characters to life makes it easier to keep up with who is who in the story. What complicated it for me were the FIVE children – Nica and Jake’s four and Sammy (from book one). But I don’t feel too bad about that because even Jake had a hard time keeping up with his four charges in the beginning. As much as I enjoyed how Solo made Taylor and Brandon seem so real, it was drunk Taylor who I enjoyed the most. Manny Get Your Guy was a wonderful addition to The Mannies series and I look forward to Lane and Solo’s next collaboration on the series.

Also Available in The Mannies Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our The Virgin Manny Dual Media Review post.

AMY LANE is a mother of two college students, two grade-schoolers, and two small dogs. She is also a compulsive knitter who writes because she can’t silence the voices in her head. She adores fur-babies, knitting socks, and hawt menz, and she dislikes moths, cat boxes, and knuckle-headed macspazzmatrons. She is rarely found cooking, cleaning, or doing domestic chores, but she has been known to knit up an emergency hat/blanket/pair of socks for any occasion whatsoever, or sometimes for no reason at all. Her award-winning writing has three flavors: twisty-purple alternative universe, angsty-orange contemporary, and sunshine-yellow happy. By necessity, she has learned to type like the wind. She’s been married for twenty-plus years to her beloved Mate and still believes in Twu Wuv, with a capital Twu and a capital Wuv, and she doesn’t see any reason at all for that to change.

Connect with Amy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Manny Get Your Guy (The Mannies #2) by Amy Lane, narrated by John Solo to listen to and review.

The Virgin Manny by Amy Lane Dual Media Review

Growing up and falling in love...

Sometimes family is a blessing and a curse. When Tino Robbins is roped into helping his sister deliver premade dinners when he should be studying for finals, he’s pretty sure it's the latter! But one delivery might change everything.

Channing Lowell’s charmed life changes when his sister dies and leaves him her seven-year-old son. He’s committed to doing what's best for Sammy… but he’s going to need a lot of help. When Tino lands on his porch, Channing is determined to recruit him to Team Sammy.

Tino plans to make his education count—even if that means avoiding a relationship—but as he falls harder and harder for his boss, he starts to wonder: Does he have to leave his newly forged family behind in order live his promising tomorrow?

Audiobook Details
Length: 6 hrs, 14 mins
Narrator: John Solo

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Audiobook Review

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
I want to begin by thanking the author for not taking the easy or predictable route and making this a super cheesy romance. The Virgin Manny has an almost obligatory scene or two that nears the cheesy romance territory, but Lane does a great job of keeping the tone more serious than I expected it to be – especially as it’s a modern-day take on the clichéd scenario of the single dad falling for his child’s nanny.

Reluctantly agreeing to make his sister’s dinner box deliveries for the evening, Tino finds himself face-to-face with one of the most gorgeous men he’s ever met. But Channing’s attractiveness is quickly put aside when Tino is thrust into the unexpected role of nurturer as he tries to soothe a distraught Sammy (whose mother died less than a month ago); as a life saver for the overwhelmed and hungry uncle-now-single dad, Channing; and as a momentary house manager as he takes the ill-behaved maid to task for her insubordination and dereliction of duty. While his actions earn him a job offer as a highly-paid manny, Tino is reluctant to accept because he doesn’t think it will look good on his resume when he begins looking for a job to put his newly earned degree to use. After a series of events at his current job (including an incident which had me wanting to strangle his female co-worker) enable Channing to eliminate Tino’s main objection for leaving, Tino embarks upon a summer of childcare, chauffeur duties, schedule juggling, maid wrangling, romance, falling in love, and learning that “Plans are what you make when you are starting your life, Martin. Life is what happens when you’re making your plans.”

I adored The Virgin Manny. It’s almost a coming of age story for Tino as he has finished his education and is preparing to take his first official steps into adulthood, only to find love when he least expected it. Despite the instant attraction between him and Channing, their situation is such that they get to know one another before their relationship is consummated. Because of this, we get to know both men and watch as they each change their priorities for one another and for Sammy. The intrigue with the maid was a nice nod to soap opera style drama and set the stage for some amusing ribbing at Tino from his mother. Tino’s friends and family add to the richness of the story and provide for more than one chuckle-inducing scene. While annoying in the beginning, Lane did a nice job with Sammy’s early acting out and gradual settling into his new normal as he came to terms with his mother’s death and his uncle becoming his guardian. As expected, John Solo did an outstanding job with the narration, especially as there were far more female characters than I usually encounter in a m/m romance – and not once was I confused as to who was speaking. The Virgin Manny was another enjoyable addition to the Dreamspun Desires collection and a great start to The Mannies series. I’m look forward to the next book in the series.

Ebook Review

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is the sweet, fluffy side of Amy Lane. For this Dreamspun Desires release, she mixes classic romance tropes with one of her own special families for a heartwarming and almost fairytale romance.

Wealthy business owner Channing has been pulled straight from a classic Harlequin. Skip that – he’s a modern day Mr. Rochester in need of a nanny to help him care for his nephew, Sammy. We’ve read this character many times before but Amy Lane makes Channing sweet and good and kind in her own way.

While we’ve all read about the billionaire and the governess, Tino definitely isn’t a shrinking violet. He has worked hard for his degree and he is ready to start life in business – until a chance meeting with Channing kinda sideswipes his plans. Confident and funny, sweet and caring, Tino is a special character and I fell for him hard.

Amy Lane’s fans will love the way Tino’s large, loud family engulfs Channing and Sammy in warmth and friendship. The relationship between Channing and Tino progresses slowly from an employer/employee relationship to companionship to more. The heat is low in this book. There is some sex, but it isn’t explicit and it doesn’t dominate the story. The age and power gap is acknowledged to some extent but not fully explored. This is easy, gentle romance with a generous benefactor and a ready made family.

Honestly, I don’t expect realism from the Dreamspun Desires books. Classic romances are allowed to avoid grit and flirt with plausibility. The focus is the fairytale and this one is sweet and satisfying.

AMY LANE is a mother of two college students, two grade-schoolers, and two small dogs. She is also a compulsive knitter who writes because she can’t silence the voices in her head. She adores fur-babies, knitting socks, and hawt menz, and she dislikes moths, cat boxes, and knuckle-headed macspazzmatrons. She is rarely found cooking, cleaning, or doing domestic chores, but she has been known to knit up an emergency hat/blanket/pair of socks for any occasion whatsoever, or sometimes for no reason at all. Her award-winning writing has three flavors: twisty-purple alternative universe, angsty-orange contemporary, and sunshine-yellow happy. By necessity, she has learned to type like the wind. She’s been married for twenty-plus years to her beloved Mate and still believes in Twu Wuv, with a capital Twu and a capital Wuv, and she doesn’t see any reason at all for that to change.

Connect with Amy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Virgin Manny (The Mannies #1) by Amy Lane, Narrated by John Solo to read or listen to and review.