Title: Today
Author: RJ Scott
Series: Single Dads #2
Genre: M/M Romance
Narrator: Sean Crisden
Audiobook Release Date: August 9, 2019
ebook Release Date: June 14, 2019
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
Reeling from the painful rejection of a man he thought he loved, Asher is left holding the baby.
Ash wants a family, and is determined to continue with a surrogacy he'd begun with his ex. Bringing baby Mia home, he vows that he will be the best father he can be. Nothing in this world matters more to him than caring for his daughter, not even accidentally falling in lust with the doctor next door. Challenged by his growing attraction to Sean, and confronted by painful memories of his family, Ash has to learn that love is all that matters.
When ER doctor Sean moves in with his friends next door to sexy, single-father Ash, he falls so quickly it takes his breath away. The sex they have is hot, but Ash is adamant his heart is too full with love for his daughter to let anyone else in. Why is Sean the only one who sees how scared Ash is, and how can he prove to his new lover that he desperately wants the three of them to become a family?
Honestly I don't think there's much I can add to my original ebook review back in June that would fully express how much I love Ash, Sean, Mia, and the whole gang. Sean Crisden once again brings RJ's words and characters to life in a way that almost reminds me of the old radio shows from the 30s & 40s that I collect. There's no sound effects but he puts so much into the individual characters that sometimes I swear I'm hearing the background noise, the footsteps, the door knocking and creaking open, the cars on the street.
Now I don't normally listen to a book this close to having first read it but the opportunity arose and you know what? Single is just as good in audio as it was on my kindle.
Original ebook Review June 2019:
I love it when my favorite author starts a new series. Single Dads has so much potential I can't wait to see what is yet to come. Personally I think there is nothing sexier than a man caring for a child. I was 16 when I saw a boy in our class carrying his little sister into the stands at a basketball game and I've been a goner ever since for men caring for kids, so to have Single Dads be the series focus and title, I was all kinds of "YAY!"
I'm not going to say Asher and Sean have a "cutesy meet" but it definitely fits the overall stress levels of said characters. "Collecting your bestie off the front steps of the next door neighbor because he was so drunk he went to the wrong home while said neighbor is trying to keep his baby girl sleeping" may not be rom-com gold but it definitely screams "yep, they are destined for romance".
I think Asher is pretty indicative of most single parents, perhaps his stress levels are a little higher than they need to be but considering how his ex behaved leading up to the surrogacy, his behavior really isn't all that unrealistic. There were moments where I would have liked to see Ash let Sean in a bit more but again his past mixed with new fatherhood, its understandable and there is no doubt whatsoever that he loves his little girl. The scenes with Mia are beyond adorable, his inner fears and imaginations not only made me smile(not so much at the fear part as the imagination, hey I like to see characters suffer but I'm not sadistic😉😉) but they made him more real.
As for Sean and his fellow roomies. Well, I do love a man in uniform and what better uniforms than a doc, a cop, and a firefighter? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke but its who the boys are both in occupation and spirit. Sean may be the star of Single from that house but the others factor in too. Eric is the drunk friend who instigates the introduction between Ash and Sean and Leo is like a baby whisperer with Mia, or as I believe a character at one point calls him "the baby wrangler".
Sometimes I think Ash should have been doing a bit more pursuing to level out the playing field but at the end of the book I was more than satisified with how RJ Scott wrote Ash and Sean's journey. Single isn't just a romance between a single father and his next door neighbor, its also a tale of friendship, fatherhood, and finding a way to balance all of it together. If you're looking for loads of angst then this might not be up your alley right now, I wouldn't label Single all unicorns and roses but there really isn't any of what I call "high-end level drama" either. Nope, RJ Scott's Single is a lovely romantic read that will put a smile on your face and fill your heart with warmth, so its a win-win in my book.
RATING:
Summary:
When the world labels a man and judges them blindly, is it possible to ever find love?
Firefighter Eric is on the front line, battling the threat of nature’s destruction in the California grasslands alongside his CalFire team. Focused and calm, even in the direst of situations, he has a strong affection for his fire truck, loves his career, and has best friends he can rely on. All he needs now is love, but that seems to be impossible to find. At his friend’s wedding. Eric falls in lust at first sight with the shy, slim and sexy Brady, even if Brady isn’t the type of guy he usually goes for. What Eric longs for is an equal in his bed, not a smaller guy who might want Eric to role-play big strong firefighter every time they have sex. He wants to find someone he can be vulnerable with, someone who will love him for his soft heart and quiet ways.
Brady’s life plans grind to a halt when his niece and nephew lose their parents in a tragic accident, and he becomes a dad overnight. His Developmental Coordination Disorder rules his life, but he fights both DCD and the fears that chase him every day, to give Maddie and Lucas a home. Agreeing to go to a friend’s wedding is a decision he regrets long before he even gets there. But, he refuses to give in to his fear, even if he might do something that makes him a target for people’s comments and laughter. Meeting Eric, a huge man with a gentle voice and a flair for chivalry, he falls hard. Now, if only he can let himself get past his panic that Eric would never want someone like him, then maybe he could fall in love for real.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is nothing sexier or heart-grabbing than a man who cares for children, whether it's as a dad, uncle, brother, grandfather, friend, or a dozen other roles. So what better series title than Single Dads and it's written by one of my all-time favorite authors: RJ Scottj! YAY!!!
We first met Eric when he stumbled drunk onto Ash's doorstep yelling for his housemates to let him in and Ash furious having just put his little girl, Mia to bed. Well, Eric isn't drunk here and we learned in Single that he is a firefighter, giving us insight as to how and why he landed on the wrong doorstep. In Today he gets his own story, with even more insight and inner monologue to his life as a firefighter and that it is more than just a job or career, it truly is who he is. He first sees Brady when Ash asks him to keep an eye on him and Eric is only too happy to do so😉.
Brady on the other hand is a mess, or at least that is how he sees himself, personally I think he just hasn't found that one last piece of the puzzle that brings everything together. Is Eric that piece or does he just help bring a little focus and encouragement into Brady's life that he has been lacking OR is it the encouragement that is the last piece? So many possibilities and so little spoilers from me. One thing I loved about Brady was his DCD, Developmental Coordination Disorder, honestly I'd never heard of it before and though it may not get the coverage some would like in the story I found it to be balanced perfectly within the overall journey. RJ Scott doesn't by any means "gloss over it" but she also isn't writing a medical journal either so the scales are evenly tipped between informative and entertaining. Brady's head is all over the place at times which can be hard to read but it is the author's way of showing us how he's coping with his DCD instead of just telling us.
As for Brady's nephew and niece, Lucas and Maddie, who he has since adopted after he got guardianship when his sister and her husband died, they appear as a bit of a handful. No one likes spoiled children who show little to no respect for their elders so yes, I wanted to give them a good spanking at first, Lucas especially but later on we get to have some insight into him as well, not through Lucas' inner monologue but with interaction on a not-so-sick-sick-day home from school.
We all know Today will end in a HEA and that is not a spoiler, life is about the journey not the destination and in Today that journey belongs to not only Brady and Eric but also Lucas and Maddie. I said above that perhaps Eric is the missing piece that helps bring focus to Brady's life coping with DCD, the kids, and himself but I think Brady is also the missing piece to bring focus to Eric's life as well. Having said that, I feel like I'm implying Brady needs a partner to bring his parenting side out but I'm not. Yes Brady and Eric complete each others' hearts and Eric wins the kids over but I think what makes them complete each other is their ability to help the other sit down, take a breath, and focus their energy. Maybe I'm not making much sense but what I'm really trying to say is Brady and Eric are perfectly matched at just the right point in time. Today is no walk-in-the-park-unicorns-and-roses kind of romance because there is drama but it will make you smile and warm your heart, I can't ask for more.
Is Today as good as Single? Well, no but in all honesty that rarely happens for me especially in a series that centers around a different pairing in each entry. But the difference on my entertainment-meter between Brady and Eric's journey and Ash and Sean's is so minor that it's barely worth mentioning. Do you need to read Single first? Perhaps not as they are different couples but considering Today opens at an event featuring Ash and Sean I would highly recommend reading Single Dads in order. You won't be lost by any means but the relationship and connection between Eric, Sean, and Leo(who will be getting his own story in the future third entry, Promise) will be more understanding and powerful if you read Single first, as well as have a full grasp of the friendship between Brady and Ash. But again, you won't be lost if you start with Today.
RATING:
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.
RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below.
BOOKBUB / KOBO / SMASHWORDS
EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk
Sean Crisden(Narrator)
EMAIL: crisden@seancrisden.com
Single #1
Today #2
