Jugar en Casa (Secretos en juego nº 2)

Sporting Secrets #2

by Jax Calder, Carina Cerri (translator)

¿Enamorarte del niñero de tus hijas? Pésima idea.

Jacob Browne proviene de una familia considerada como la «realeza» del rugby, pero por mucho que se esfuerza, no logra estar a la altura del legado heroico de su padre. Ni dentro ni fuera del terreno de juego, ya que acaba de romper su matrimonio con Matilda Neilson, la celebrity más querida de Nueva Zelanda. Por si fuera poco, Matilda ha decidido contratar a un niñero, un golpe bajo para Jacob, quien no soporta la idea de que otro tío pase más tiempo que él con sus pequeñas.

Austin acaba de regresar de Londres y está encantado con su nuevo trabajo. Las niñas son adorables y Matilda está empeñada en convertirse en su mejor amiga. No puede decir lo mismo de su otro jefe, el jugador de rugby con mirada asesina. Pero ya se ocupará de caerle bien. Lo que no hará es colarse por su jefe heterosexual, algo que solo lleva al sufrimiento; las cicatrices grabadas a fuego que aún lleva en el corazón así lo demuestran. Sin embargo, su resolución se va al garete cuando empieza a conocer al verdadero Jacob. Entre fiestas de princesas, guerras de Lego y noches de charlas en las que hablan de todo un poco, enamorarse es inevitable. Y al darse cuenta de que Jacob podría no ser tan heterosexual como parecía, se le abre un mundo de posibilidades.

En los deportes, jugar en casa puede suponer una ventaja. Pero cuidado, que en cuanto empiezan a saltar las chispas, la casa entera puede arder hasta los cimientos.

Jugar en casa es un encantador romance deportivo entre un niñero adorable y dicharachero y un jugador de rugby algo tosco pero con un corazón enorme. Aunque es una historia autoconclusiva, ten en cuenta que contiene algunos spoilers del primer libro de la saga, Fuera de juego, por lo que disfrutarás aún más si los lees en orden.

Genres: Sports, M M Romance, Romance, Sports Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2021

About the author

Jax's stories are all about light-hearted conversations and deeply-felt connections. She loves exploring exactly why two characters are the only ones who’ll make the other truly happy, and the journey they take to reach their happily-ever-after.

Jax lives in New Zealand and is a rabid sports fan, a hiking enthusiast and has a slightly unhealthy addiction to nature documentaries. As an extrovert who spends way too much time in her own head, she loves to connect with readers. To read her exclusive novella Being Set Up, sign up to her newsletter: https://jaxcalder.com/newsletter-sign.... You can also join her Facebook group Jax's Crew (www.facebook.com/groups/jaxcaldercrew) for bonus stories plus exclusive excerpts from her upcoming books.

Reviews

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.15 stars

This was okay, I ended up liking it.. Too bad there was not enough Rugby.

The Mcs were likable enough.

There was the usual romance drama but it wasn't dragged out.

Overall, it was okay.

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ☆

"It takes two people to work on a relationship, Jacob. It wasn't only your job to keep it together."
"No, but I could have tried harder. Only now..."
I held my breath.
"Only now...being with you...makes me realize that something was always missing...because it wasn't like this." He trailed his hands down my body. "It was never like this."

yes, i've been binging a few Jax Calder books since yesterday.

no, i have no regrets. 😌

although i think the first book is still my fav in the series (when it comes to the mcs and romance), i liked Austin and Jacob's story as well! the addition of Lily and Eloise (Jacob's kids) was what made it a bit more enjoyable for me, though. they were adorable. 🥺

i'm so excited for Luke and Ethan's story!! ex-best friends to lovers? i'm sold. 🤩

[♡ cal ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my god. finally some good fucking food! this book is amazing not because the concept is new but more of old tropes written and pulled off really well. highly invested through and through. the only downside, however, was the lack of spice and/or heated moments between the mcs for me. almost vanilla on that department. like all these drool worthy form of these rugby players for nothing?! anyways, looking forward to the rest!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series! The first half of the book was perfection - the best kind of slow build up that has you on the edge of your seat dying for something to happen. I almost wanted to cancel my plans to keep reading.
Things in the second half move a bit quicker but were still really good. I liked seeing glimpses of the couple from book 1 and liked how the timeline overlapped without it feeling like they took over this book or were in it too much.
Book 3 sounds good too - I’m a bit sad it’s the last book in the series I have really enjoyed this series and wish there was more!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.5 stars ***

I've got mixed feelings for this one.
It started great and then I reached a point where I got bored for a while and almost gave up.
But things picked up and I got invested again. 😅
All in one it was a valid read.
Hands down, book #1 was my favourite tho.



**I really liked the way the author entwined the previous book. She gave us a 3rd POV, from an outsider perspective, about what happened with the MCs from book 1. It was very interesting.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one completely sold me on this series and I really enjoyed this one too. I loved seeing the characters from book 1 appearing in the same timeline and getting a different POV of their situations and also seeing them get a solid HEA to their story. I often find those scenes a bit eye-rollerish but I absolutely loved it in this book, it was perfect.

Moving on to the characters in this book - I really liked both MC’s and for any readers who aren’t big fans of kids in their romance novels, I found these two non-irritating and not too over-bearing.

A minor qualm is that the fallout from Austin’s backstory towards the end seemed to be resolved pretty easily and accepted by everyone more readily than I expected it to be, this was nice and all but I wouldn’t have minded some more depth here. Otherwise I really enjoyed this read, it had excellent pining and a slowburn getting together which I love.

I’m looking forward to Ethan’s story, hoping he or Luke are Māori or of other Islander descent. Would love some more diversity and to read about more NZ culture.

[Papie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 This was sweet and lovely.

Manny
OFY/first time gay
Flawed but not evil actress ex wife
Son/father issues
Caretaker
4yo twins

It could have been a mess. But it wasn’t! I loved both MCs and their relationship development. It dragged a little here and there, but it picked back up with lots of feelings without major relationship drama.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to like in this second entry in the Sporting Secrets series

I liked this one a little bit more than book one as it didn't have many niggly bits other than the odd avoidance of calling the New Zealand Rugby Union International side the All Blacks.

I just don't get it. But that's pretty much the only head scratching moment in this book.

I liked very much that the ex wife wasn't a horrible hag, just the wrong person for our Rugby Union hero Jacob.

There's not a lot of annoying angsty bits either. When it comes to their relationship, there are some legitimate concerns and worries which felt realistically dealt with.

Most of the plot tensions came from external sources and I think that's why I enjoyed this book more.

The element with Austin's gran was both sweet and also heartbreakingly familiar for so many families.

Sex, as with the first book, is an odd mix of off page references coupled with one of two slightly more extended on page ones.

They're not overly detailed but there's lots of nice emotional connections between them.

The twins are absolutely delightful, but read as a lot older than almost four year olds imho. But not to the detriment of the storytelling.

Definitely my favourite one so far but I'm especially intrigued by the couple for book three and am looking forward to reading that when it's out later this summer.

[Simona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is really good! Worth the read

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure. The first 40% of this lowkey bored me. Too much kid stuff, and it didn't help that the two MCs were like ships passing in the night.

Sure, they lived in the same house half the time but the building of the friendship was too slow and too halting. It was only later that I appreciated that they'd built a solid foundation of friendship before feelings got involved.

Because once feelings got involved, whew!

The ex wife deciding she wanted her man back? And talking to her manny about it? The jokes write themselves.

'Here was a potential moment to bond with my employer—yeah, Jacob’s an amazing lover, isn’t he? Did you like it too when he did that thing where he kisses down your neck?'

💀💀💀💀💀I cackled.

Remember how I said I don't enjoy kid stuff in my books? Yeah, I must confess, kids have their moments. Kids, themselves? Prefer them far away from my romances. Kids causing chaos, though? Big fan. Huge.

Because Lily telling Matilda that daddy kisses Austin on the mouth was PREMIUM entertainment for me.

And when the shockers started coming, they did NOT stop coming. The dramaaaaaaa.

You know how sometimes one MC will tell a little white lie and you just know it's going to come back to bite them in the ass in a spectacular fashion? Yeah. I knew the moment Austin withheld details of his relationship with Brett that it would be one of those.

Though, to be fair, I'm an Austin apologist on this one because sure, it's usually for the best to tell the truth about this sort of thing but how exactly do you tell your boss that you JUST started sleeping with that you also slept with your previous boss?

'Um, yeah, so you know how you and I are fucking and it's really great? I sorta did that with my previous boss too, but don't worry, it's TOTALLY different from what you and I are doing even though it's pretty much the exact same thing.'

There was no good way to say it. And it was a different country so I see how he'd think he'd get away with it. But alas. There's no rest for the wicked. Or.....you know, boss fuckers. Such is life.

'It wasn’t like this. It wasn’t like this. It wasn’t like this.'

Yeah, babes, that one's going to be a hard sell.

But wait. There's more. A crisis to the rescue 😅honestly this book has so much non-stop drama. I love a grand gesture. That's not so grand but is still grand.

Basically in the middle of an epic fight they both thought their relationship might not survive, shit hit the fan - again lol, and Jacob was there no questions asked. Love that for my sweet adorable boss-fucking Austin. You wanted to be chosen to the exclusion of all else, right?

Well. There you go.

Jacob’s convinced that he's not great with words but who needs many when you mean the few you DO say?

Man said 'Always' in a flippant tone but he meant that shit every time he needed to.

“I’m exceptionally lucky regardless,” coming from a man who just had a hall of fame UNlucky streak. Yeah, he's down bad.

🥰Ugh. Be still my beating heart.

Terrible day to be Matilda💀

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐ for the story and rounding it up to 4⭐ for the bonus epilogue and Tyler and Aiden. Actually, Tyler and Aiden were the best part of this book. Kidding! 😄

🔵 Bi-awakening
🟣 A smaller age gap
🔴 Size difference in terms of thin-lean/very buff
🌶️ Good spice, but a lot off-page; top/bottom
🟡 Some angst
🟢 I could say found family
❤️ Tyler and Aiden get married in this book! Yay!

Jacob Browne comes from a legendary Browne rugby family and has a lot to live up to. He's out of a short marriage with a local celebrity and has two kids. Matilda, his ex wife hires a manny, Austin, who's a 25-year old gay man who's just come back from London brokenhearted, where he was also a manny to a known football star and had an illicit affair with him.

Jacob is reluctant to accept Austin in his space at first, but soon they become fast friends, best friends even and Jacob starts to like Austin romantically, finding that part he always felt was missing in his relationships.

Jacob and Austin's first time together. Austin is Maori-mixed and on top, but a bottom. 😉


🔵 Jacob has been bisexual his whole life, but has put that bi deeply in the closet because of the pressure for being a certain kind of son at home - not crying as a kid and not liking glitter, apparently.

"Yep, I iced the cupcakes with pink frosting. Then I went upstairs and had lots of gay sex with my kids' manny. Isn't that the kind of man you always wanted me to be, Dad? The son you expected?"

Why an almost 30-year old professional athlete with his own money and family feels the need to hide his glitter hat from his father, that was my question in this book.

I don't know what the author meant by that, it's like being a man equates to not showing the tiniest bit of feelings and not liking other men. Well, very maculine men like other men and they're no less men than the ones who like women.

If some guy is reading this review with that notion in mind, know that it's still manly to want to be railed by a guy and we here completely support it.
Go and write a book about it and I'll definitely read it.😉

🟡 Austin was a wonderful character.
Young, witty, funny, smart and emotionally intelligent, he swept Jacob off his feet and more, they've connected through Austin's love for children and Jacob's two little girls.

I finished this book by thinking Austin needed a more prominent role, he's a sweetheart and deserved more than gran-problems and being judged by the media. I absolutely wanted more of them, more spice, something more than what we got.

🟣 The love story itself had lots of humor which I appreciated a lot, but it wasn't as amazing as I'd have liked , I think it lost a little bit of momentum when they actually got together and in my opinion the Austin's gran part could've been cut out and instead we'd get more of the relationship development, more of their time together.

The coupling was really good though, they both fit so well together. Jacob is mature, steady and reliable and Austin is a complete family man.
That bonus epilogue when they have a child together was so emotional.

I always appreciate the humour in the story, so that made it good, but substance-wise it could've been better.
Definitely read the bonus epilogue, otherwise you'll feel something's terribly missing.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one and thought it was a stronger book than the first! Though most reviewers don't seem to agree, LOL, so YMMV.

The pacing here worked a lot better, with some lovely pining and restraint until eventually they give in. I liked both of the characters a lot and appreciated that they both had their own separate issues that come up in a way that felt quite believable. Matilda, the ex, also has her own faults but she's never villainized and I thought the way it all played out was well done. You see glimpses of the characters from the previous book, but it definitely stands on its own. Generally, I think the author has done a solid job introducing what will clearly be the next pairings in the series without shoving it in our faces, which isn't always easy to do! I also generally felt this story relied less on gimmicky tropes as shortcuts, though there were certainly a couple here as well.

Honestly, my biggest issue with the book was the over-abundance of the word "manny". The word "nanny" is not generally considered a gendered term beyond sexist expectation of who should care for children. There is absolutely no need to refer to a male nanny as a manny--even as a one-off joke it's annoying, but as a legitimate term taken seriously for the entire book, it actually made me quite frustrated. Is there a reason you need to continually specify the gender of the person caring for your kid? Is it relevant?

[MaDoReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 No estuvo mal, pero me aburrí un poco, la verdad, el primero está mejor.

[Jax Calder]

I'm so excited to share Austin and Jacob's story with the world soon... Sneak peek of the first chapter is below:

Chapter One: Jacob
I was a healthy twenty-seven-year-old, a professional rugby player who ranked among the fittest in my team. I worked out nearly every day. I ate a very healthy diet.
Yet somehow, this two-minute conversation with my ex had sent my blood pressure spiraling into the needs-to-be-heavily-medicated range.
“You’ve done what?” I asked, just to make sure I’d heard her correctly the first time.
“I just did what I told you I was going to do. I’ve hired us a new nanny.” Matilda tried hard to contain her triumph as she loaded dishes into the dishwasher. She failed miserably, her voice full of more glee than a show choir. Given she was an actress, it was actually a professional indictment that she couldn’t hide the I’ve-just-pulled-one-over-you vibe a bit better.
I struggled to keep my voice even. “You failed to tell me you were considering hiring a man.”
She straightened up from loading the last plate into the dishwasher. Actually, that should have been my first clue something was about to go wrong in this conversation. Matilda’s manicure didn’t normally mix well with dirty dishes; she usually left that kind of menial housework to the nanny. Perhaps she felt she would gain some earth-mother vibes from the task to help her as she broke the news to me.
“I asked if you wanted to interview the final candidates with me, but you said you trusted my judgment.” Now her eyes joined in the triumphant game as well.
One of Matilda’s constant complaints was that I’d second question everything about her parenting—You fed them ice cream for breakfast? Actually, I don’t think Bridgerton is an appropriate Netflix show for girl time with our three-and-a-half-year-olds—so, in a show of good faith, I’d agreed to let her handle the nanny-hiring process. We were using a reputable nanny agency, so I knew all of the candidates would be excellent. I’d been out of the country playing rugby when she scheduled the interviews, and the idea of a video conference felt wrong. Besides, the most important criteria for the nanny was how Matilda felt about them. I could get along with anyone, whereas Matilda was far more particular about who she let into her inner circle.
“Anyway, you’re being sexist. Men are just as good at looking after kids, aren’t they?” she continued as she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
Another statement loaded with hidden meaning. This was why any discussion with your ex was like wading through Tolkien’s dead marshes. A single misstep and you could end up being pulled to your doom.
Because it was an established fact that Matilda had struggled more becoming a parent than I had. To be fair, any twenty-one-year-old It girl who had grown up as the darling of the country, a child actress on New Zealand’s hit prime-time soap for so many years, wasn’t going to find it easy when she was unexpectedly lumped with colicky twins.
I knew she blamed my overenthusiastic sperm for the fact we’d accidentally gotten pregnant with not just one but two babies, despite her being on the pill. I’d never wanted to point out the biological fact that because our twins were non-identical, she’d been the one to produce two eggs, therefore her gametes definitely had to take part of the blame.
Since the twins were born, I’d been the more hands-on parent, the one who had dealt with broken nights, nappy changes, and teething. We’d hired a full-time nanny, Judith, a grandmotherly type, so anytime I wasn’t there, Matilda still had support. Even after we separated five months ago, Matilda insisted on keeping Judith full-time, even though I’d argued that I was fine with looking after the girls by myself on my weeks.
But to be honest, having an extra set of hands around was useful. Things had been going smoothly until Judith announced she was retiring. Hence the hunt for the new nanny.
Or manny, as it appeared we had ended up with. blew out a breath. “I know men are just as good as women at looking after children.”
It wasn’t sexism or toxic masculinity that had me rebelling against the idea of a guy spending so much time with my kids. No, it was plain, old-fashioned, run-of-the-mill jealousy. A male nanny felt like a threat to me in a way Judith hadn’t.
I already hated how much time I spent away from the girls, hated the milestones I missed, along with those small, everyday moments that might seem like nothing at the time but added up to something significant. But as a professional rugby player, I didn’t have much choice.
The idea of another guy spending more time than me with Lily and Eloise just didn’t sit comfortably. He’d be with them all the time, whereas I had shared custody and was away a lot. The manny would know my kids better than I did.
“Austin’s amazing. He was a celebrity manny in London. His last job was for a famous football player’s kids, and he comes with such impressive references.”
Okay, so maybe fucking with me wasn’t Matilda’s only motivation. She tried to live an Instagrammable life, so having a manny who’d previously worked for celebrities fitted right into that. I’m sure bugging me was just an added bonus. The icing on the cake.
“And you should have seen him with the girls. He was so good with them, way better than all the other candidates.”
That irrational jealously flared inside me, and I had to work to tamp it down.
But Matilda knew she had the trump card, and she played it now. “And you want what’s best for the girls, right?”
“Of course I do.” I ran my hands through my hair, looking out the window to where the darkly glinting Pacific Ocean brooded under a heavy sky.
I turned back to face Matilda. “There’s a trial period built into his contract, right?”
Matilda smiled like the cat who had not only gotten the cream but had then piled it on a scone along with raspberry jam and was just about to take a delicious bite.
“You’re going to love him,” she promised me.

You can pre-order Playing at Home from Amazon here: mybook.to/PlayingatHome

[Princess under cover · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I "read" it in like 30 min. Because it was endless blah blah blah.

[Rosabel]

DNF at 54%, this was so different from the first book and it hurted a lot.

I dunno how to explain this, it had a little bit of the confusing writing that the first one had, but that one had steam and hot characters in and out. This? They were boring, hot and cold, boring and I just caught myself looking at everywhere except the book, wich is no good, so I left it at that.

Sad stuff, I was really looking forward to this. But what can you do, ya know? 😔

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jacob and Austin's relationship along with how they both were with the girls. Might have helped that I could see my own daughter in the actions of Lily and Eloise lol

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing at Home was such a sweet romance. Austin and Jacob have the most undeniable attraction that was bound to end up in love.

Jacob is a Rugby player, living in the shadows of his father, whose legacy is still talked about. He’s constantly compared to his dad, trying to live up to all of these outlandish expectations and just out of a 5 year relationship with the mother of his twin girls.

Austin is a nanny. His resume includes the family of a famous London footballer, but the NDA he signed doesn’t allow him to talk about why he quickly left their employment. He just wants a new start. What he didn’t expect was to be attracted to his boss.

I haven’t read many forced proximity books, but I loved this trope!! There was very little angst, which was fine with me, because the sexy Rugby player big spoon is something I’m going to need to look for again! 😍

[bikemi · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 43%. Just felt bored. Lots of tell and not enough show. Tension was not really going anywhere.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved a little bit less than Aiden and Tyler's story in book 1, but still found this to be a highly readable book. Here we meet Jacob, professional rugby player and divorced father of twins, having a bit of a bi-awakening with his children's male nanny, Austin.

If this kind of thing happened in real life, it would probably be icky to me. But the way the relationship developed felt pretty organic and equal. Both Austin and Jacob are written as really good guys who have maybe done some dumb stuff in the past. I really liked them both. The relationship is more sweet and loving than hot. And there's a lot of child-related stuff, which I don't love, but that says more about my person feelings towards children. Another thing I actually appreciated quite a lot here, was that Jacob's ex-wife, Matilda, was written as a complex, faceted person, rather than a raging harpy like so many of these characters often are. She's not the most sympathetic character, but she also behaves in a way that feels realistic.

I am solidly a fan of Jax Calder's writing and quite happy to move on to the next.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for me. This was my first longer Jax Calder read after enjoying a couple novellas, and where I was expecting more depth I felt like I just found more length. The falling quick or already having secret feelings that landed well in a novella were a bit disappointing in this story; it’s over 300 pages. The tendency to write a ton of short chapters isn’t my favorite either; dig into a scene and give me depth, so once again style choices I enjoyed in a shorter work felt lacking in a longer one.

The first 35-40% were really plot-free, and while I liked the description of work (not just like I’m a great nanny trust me bro) and the focus on the main characters developing a friendship, nothing much happened.

I wish we could’ve had more happening earlier on, whether it be some of the sports elements like other characters coming out, or grandma stuff, or the news gossip, etc. the last 30% or so was a whirlwind of drama and it felt like too many elements to juggle.
It was fine and had some really charming moments but the lack of depth and pacing issues took away from it.

[Laxmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 RUGBY STARS …. Great follow up from the last book. I was looking forward to Jacob & Austin’s book when I finished Playing Offsides. Great story, it was really a different feeling from the last book where the focus was on two competing athletes. Jacob is the son of a major national Rugby star, he also plays however is not at the same lever as his dad. Jacob is recently divorced with twin daughters, him and his ex hire Austin and it’s an interesting fun read. The story has many views of family relationships, both with Jacob and Austin have grown up differently. They learn about each other and become friends while spending time together with Jacobs girls. There were a few moments that’s made me so happy to see Aiden & Tyler from Playing Offsides and how far they have come together especially Aiden. I enjoyed this one looking forward to Ethan’s book

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was an ok read for me. It wasn't like the first book...this one was more normal and vanilla..one major flaw is that this one didn't have a lot of rugby in it lol.
Overall pretty good.
P.S Aiden and Tyler's wedding is this book was so adorable and so cute.

[Gustaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this so much more than the first book, it was so sweet I was sure my tooth were going to start aching.

[Courtney Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It was definitely a slow burn. Austin and Jacob start out as boss and employee. Austin is Jacob’s children’s nanny. But that soon turns into a pretty amazing friendship. But they both have undeniable attraction for each other. So their close friendship turns into an amazing love story. They do have a few obstacles to overcome but overall this book is pretty low angst just the way I like it. I loved this book and Tyler and Aiden book before this. So I can’t wait for the next book! It’s gonna be amazing I just know it!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unsurprising on almost every level - a very typical nanny and parent-of-their-charge fall in love type of story. Despite that, the writing is pretty strong and I appreciate Jacob's father's reaction to the relationship. I do think that Austin's previous relationship was... frankly an unnecessary plot device, but hey, at least it wasn't a massive miscommunication like 80% of other romances. Overall, a good book.

The real reason I'm writing this review (besides the fact that a solid author like this deserves more reviews) is that Matilda, the ex-wife, is a REALLY good character. She's complex: bitchy yet sweet, selfish yet understanding. In a genre that features highly misogynistic takes on women - and here I refer to the romance genre as a whole, not m/m romance specifically - she is a true winner of a character. If Jax Calder can develop more complex characters like this in future novels, I think they have a real chance of dominating the romance genre.

Also, this may be the only romance I've ever read in which the cover model actually resembles (one of) the love interests. Weird.

Recommended if you like sports (rugby) romances; nanny romances; kids in romance books; romances NOT from the US (New Zealand in this case); a lack of misogyny.

[Zaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Une histoire mignonne et douce, avec un joueur de rugby NZ et un "manny". Dommage qu'il n'existe pas d'équivalent français qui combine "homme" et "nounou" dans un seul mot, car je trouve ce mot assez marrant. Bref, je m'égare.

Un joueur de rugby donc, pour une équipe NZ, et qui espère également être sélectionné en All Blacks, ah non pardon, en "équipe de Nouvelle Zélande" car oui, une fois encore je râle, mais b*rdel, l'autrice ne nomme toujours pas cette équipe légendaire en tant que telle, et ça me défrise vraiment ! Jacob est le fils d'une légende du rugby, il évolue donc en permanence dans l'ombre de son père, et c'est difficile à porter pour lui, d'autant qu'il n'est pas un joueur particulièrement doué.

Austin est une nounou haut de gamme, qui vit au domicile de ses employeurs et prend donc rapidement une place privilégiée au sein de la famille dont il s'occupe.

Ça matche très bien entre ces deux hommes, leur relation évolue tout en douceur, on est typiquement dans une romance doudou, vraiment douce et charmante. C'est forcément mignon de voir ces deux hommes s'occuper de deux filles de Jacob et l'ex de celui-ci.

Dieu merci, on évite les clichés habituels, notamment celui de la vilaine ex méchante et calculatrice (au contraire, son personnage a de nombreuses facettes, elle est surprenante, et j'ai apprécié son attitude à la fin), ou celui du père toxique (là encore, je trouve que c'est bien joué de la part de l'autrice, d'autant que c'est précisément un point qui m'avait fait tiquer dans le tome précédent).

Si j'ai passé un bon moment plein de douceur et de tendresse avec ce roman, j'ai préféré le 1er tome, plus riche en émotions, et je regrette que le rugby occupe une place tout à fait secondaire ici (le rugby et les All Blacks c'est un peu mon kink ultime voyez-vous ...).

[Sjoukje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book in the series. Jacob was great, Austin was great and the build up of their relationship made sense. The kids were a cute distraction. Only thing I wondered was why it was made such a point that one of them didn’t speak as much and seemed she might be a bit on the autism spectrum and then never mentioned again when the book progressed. That could have been left out.
I do wonder how dangerous New Zealand is. I read two books now by this author where a person goes missing after wandering off and falling of a bank. That doesn’t seem like it should happen so often.
Great book, will read again

[•° Whimsy Fairy °• · Rating 4 out of 5]

That ending was cute.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Jacob is a famous New Zealander rugby player, just like his dad was. The bad experiences made him suspicious about people’s honestly why they want to be with him because he’s famous or because he’s a nice guy.
Jacob has twin daughters and co-parents with his ex-wife Mathilda.
She hired a manny, Austin, in no time they are friends.
Austin is a great nanny for the twin, a good friend for Mathilda, and yah, for Jacob he’s a… hmm, that’s much more complicating to describe.

Austin left Europe after a debacle and went back to New Zealand where his Gran needs him.
The opportunity to work for Jacob and Mathilda came right in time. Falling for his straight boss wasn’t what Austin had planned.

The attraction is undeniable, we can watch them get closer at the moments when Jacob was home from a rugby tour, and it’s his turn for parenting the girls. The circumstances are difficult, there’s always someone around to consider, and also the fact Jacob can’t promise Austin anything for the future. Jacob has to keep Mathilda in mind, he can’t upset her for the sake of the girls.
There’s a lot to take in for them, the twins, the co-parenting, family, Austin’s Gran, the rugby world. Ugh.

Then, there’s a scandal and Austin wants to explain to Jacob, it seems to deaf ears.
With Austin’s past in mind he doubts that for once he will be chosen.

It’s a widely written story, quite a slow burn. I large part is about Jacob and the impact of his feelings for Austin. I found it an awkward situation with the ex-wife nearby, not quite my thing. There are a few side stories, around teammates and family. This story caught me lesser than the previous one in this series. For me, it was too much divided into parts. It was entertaining, the protagonists were sweet and mature, only I couldn’t feel them in this relationship, I couldn’t fully connect with them.
I know for sure others will love and appreciate these guys and this story.

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