A review by libertyreads789
Hired by the Single Dad by Whitley Cox

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I decided at the end of 2024 that I would be doing another reading challenge around Romance. During 2024, I read at least one Hockey Romance every single month. This time I decided to try out books in subgenres that I don't read from very much. I tend to navigate towards Sports Romance or Contemporary Romance. Sometimes there's a slight Sci-Fi lean to the Romance novels I read (looking at the "DNA Duo" series by Christina Lauren here). Which subgenres will I be exploring? Well, I picked up the eBook that collects the first four books in this series--The Single Dads of Seattle. So, that's a few months of trying out Single Dad Romance. After that I'll be trying out Bodyguard Romance. And after that? Who knows. I'm willing to try the Dark Romance subgenre--with some supervision. Any recommendations for Romances featuring the mob or tattoo artists or whatever makes a Romance "Dark" are appreciated.

As for my first month trying out new subgenres, well, this was a bit of a flop for me. First, I was a bit thrown by the Meet Cute for our couple. It felt like I had already read this one. I actually looked back through my GoodReads and my Kindle to make sure I wasn't rereading something. Turns out it's just very creepily similar to another Romance novel I've already read--a Sports Romance because Hi Have You Met Me? Second, I struggled because the premise/set up for this one was so good for me but it failed. A girl who needs a job following her divorce meets a single dad who needs help with his son. Cuteness ensues. But so does some very abrupt sexual exploits on the kitchen counter with absolutely nothing to lead up to it. They haven't even kissed yet and they're immediately doing things that make me want to take a sponge to my kitchen island. Third, these characters were so over the top. The sex is over the top, the fights are over the top, the makeup is over the top. It was just too much. These never felt like real people to me. They just felt like caricatures.

I'm still planning on reading the other three books that are waiting in the bindup on my kindle. I'm hopeful that the author has better ideas for the other Single Dads of Seattle and that their writing has improved over time.