He can resist any woman in the world...except for the one he shouldn't want.
Famed goalkeeper Noah Wilson doesn’t do relationships or complications. The only thing the grumpy single dad wants is to do his job and spend more time with his daughter.
Unfortunately, his bachelor status has made it impossible to find the right nanny for her. With the World Cup looming and a string of fired nannies in his wake, he has no choice but to hire the last person he wants close to his orbit.
Carina is too stubborn and far too appealing for her own good, but she’s also a natural with his daughter.
And the way his heart skips a beat whenever she’s around? That’s nothing more than a coincidence. He’s sure of it.
*** Carina Vu has a problem. She’s worked multiple jobs and saved up for years to fulfill her childhood dream of visiting Antarctica, but just when she’s close, an unexpected emergency wipes her account clean.
Now, she’s back to square one. The clock is ticking, and she needs another job ASAP. Her best (and only) option is to nanny for Noah, the brooding athlete whom she’s convinced hates her.
But the more time she spends with him and his adorable daughter, the more cracks she sees in his gruff exterior. And the man underneath all that grumpiness? He’s enough to make her rethink everything—including what (and who) it is that she actually wants.
Famed goalkeeper Noah Wilson doesn’t do relationships or complications. The only thing the grumpy single dad wants is to do his job and spend more time with his daughter.
Unfortunately, his bachelor status has made it impossible to find the right nanny for her. With the World Cup looming and a string of fired nannies in his wake, he has no choice but to hire the last person he wants close to his orbit.
Carina is too stubborn and far too appealing for her own good, but she’s also a natural with his daughter.
And the way his heart skips a beat whenever she’s around? That’s nothing more than a coincidence. He’s sure of it.
***
Carina Vu has a problem. She’s worked multiple jobs and saved up for years to fulfill her childhood dream of visiting Antarctica, but just when she’s close, an unexpected emergency wipes her account clean.
Now, she’s back to square one. The clock is ticking, and she needs another job ASAP. Her best (and only) option is to nanny for Noah, the brooding athlete whom she’s convinced hates her.
But the more time she spends with him and his adorable daughter, the more cracks she sees in his gruff exterior. And the man underneath all that grumpiness? He’s enough to make her rethink everything—including what (and who) it is that she actually wants.
Noah 🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️ Wilson, the goalie who stole my heart with his grumpiness and dirty mouth 👹 For us single dad x nanny trope lovers, Ana Huang delivered the trope on a silver platter for us to FEAST. I love sports romances, but something about goalies has made me realize they're always my favorite of them all. I adored Carina and Noah's story since their previous appearances in The Striker and The Defender. I was already craving it, if I'm honest, and I wasn't disappointed like AT ALL 😮💨
I said it before, but Ana Huang is one of my all-time favorite authors because of the simplicity with which she creates stories for readers to enjoy. No need for a complex plot; you get the love story, smutty scenes, and delicious banter/flirtiness. In this case, sprinkle in the dirty talk from Noah freaking Wilson, which I am still not over 🥵!!!!!!
I really loved how she created this world we are all familiar with (since this is book 3 and all) but still gave us new things to binge the hell out of this book. I ate up the jealousy you can see between them, the tension because she was "working for him," the grumpiness Noah would display, and the guts Carina had as part of her personal project. I won't spoil, but the plot itself was suuuper entertaining and I seriously could keep reading it just for it.
This book I recommend to those that adore a love story that yes it may be slow at first but as soon as someone spills their desire the fire will spread and will NEVER diminish, agh I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHH!!
Also I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as well and let me tell you Teddy Hamilton can't do no WRONG he is the perfect Noahhhh!!! 🔥 I really enjoyed him and Emily Woo Zeller! Definitely made my reading experience hella awesome.
tropes 💚 single dad x nanny 💚 forced proximity 💚 grumpy x sunshine 💚 sports romance
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆. 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ❀*・a goalie who is a single dad and needs a nanny helloooo 🫦🥵
the STAR football player, single dad, noah lastname hired a NANNY😱😱😱😱😱 and it's...... (drumroll)... CARINA!!!! OH NO😱😭 they cant sleep tgt bc he's her BOSS‼️‼️ guess what? THEY DID😱😭 Now everyone's going to find out and she's gng to lose everything... while he struggle with his next big football alpha male match😱😱😱 anyways, still gna read it though😇🫰🏻 bye!
p. s. this is NOT real synopsis lmaooo i was js guessing (im gna be right tho)
The end of an era. This series stole my heart. I loved all the characters and the stories. I really really loved it.
To be honest, Ana’s newer books (the Kings of Sins series) weren’t really my taste. My first books from her were the Twisted books, which i enjoyed, but this series topped it all. The found family, the romances. I was so excited for this release, and I‘m so glad I got to read this story the day it was published (greetings to my local bookstore here in Germany with a great English book section). Also, I only found out about the art on behind the front cover after I bought it and was home! I was so so happy, it’s gorgeous!!
I loved the characters so much, they were perfect together!! Noah and Carina had amazing chemistry, like, they matched so well together!! And their characters were so interesting and nice on their own as well. I thought Carina‘s love for penguins was so cool, to work so hard for your dream, to be so passionate about something you love. She was so cool!! And Noah was such a sweethearted gentleman. We love a grumpy mmc who shows his softest side for the love of his life!! He was SO DOWN BAD since the beginning and you can‘t imagine the way I screamed when he called her baby, because he made himself long and yearn for her so painfully. They were the best together!! I was literally annoyed at this book when they weren‘t in the same room or talking on the phone. At first I thought it was unnecessary with the nanny trope though, but it kind of made sense with the story.
The side characters also have their place in my bookish heart, well, since the beginning of the series, actually. The Blackcastle team? I loved them. The found family was beautiful. Also, seeing Adil being in a relationship? Something I didn‘t know I needed. He was even brighter than usual. And Samson and Gallagher and Stevens with the little pig!! And the group chat and book club!! And seeing Brooklyn and Vincent happy together made me happy as well. But the most excited I was for Asher and Scarlett to be so happy (their book was five stars for me.)
I hated the Andersons though. I didn‘t like them from the start, and even though they were getting a tiny bit more sympathetic towards the end, I still didn‘t really like them. What I really appreciated though, was the situation they displayed. Super realistic, and not only the situation, but also Noah‘s feelings about it.
I also wanna talk about Ana‘s writing style. She always had a fun, entertaining writing style, but in this book, I felt like it was even better. Loved it!! In general, I highly recommend this series, even for the readers for whom her previous works maybe didn‘t fit with. Had the best time!!
At first, I wasn’t so sure if I’d love this! The tropes were perfect for me, but as soon as the situation with the grandparents came up, I was scared that the story would revolve solely around the custody battle. I’m glad it didn’t (even though it was a big part of the story) and that the situation played out better than I thought it would. I still dislike the grandparents, though, and that plot line wasn’t my favorite.
However, overall, I really liked the book! I felt like the vibe was a little different from the previous two books in the series (not necessarily in a bad way), but it was very entertaining and sweet.
Noah and Carina had such a cute dynamic. Grumpy x sunshine and single dad x nanny are two of my favorite tropes, and in my opinion that was really good in this book. The spice was also hot!! Noah was so commanding! I loved it!🤭
And then there’s Evie. She was such a sweet kid, and I actually really loved the conversations and the family moments with her and Noah and later Carina. I could totally understand the struggles Noah faced trying to balance being a single dad and having a career. It was so sad how he thought he wasn’t doing a good enough job.
My favorite side character was obviously Adil. He’s the golden retriever of the group, and he totally stole the show every time he appeared. I also really liked Samson, how he flirted with Carina and later helped her make Noah jealous. To be honest, I liked the entire Blackcastle team, and how they were there for Noah when he needed them.
All in all, I wouldn’t mind if the series gets two more books. Just saying.✨
tropes: ~ grumpy x sunshine ~ sports romance ~ single dad x nanny ~ found family ~ forced proximity
quotes:
"And Carina…“ Noah released my waist and wrapped my hair around his fist, pulling it just enough to bring my eyes to his. „Don’t ever wear another man’s jersey number in front of me again."
"My kiss with Carina ruined me, but her kiss with Samson fucking destroyed me."
"Jealous, little bird?"
"What’s real is how you walked into my life and turned it upside down without even fucking trying. I can’t walk into a room without looking for you. I can’t leave a room without missing you. When I think about you, I want you so goddamn bad my entire body aches with it. Jealous doesn’t begin to describe what I feel when I see you with another man because I know you can never be mine. But I can’t stop fantasizing about us anyway, and I hate myself for it."
4.25 stars! A wonderful conclusion to this series! Even though I wish we were getting an Adil book (he and his dinosaur book club chaos would've been hilarious for 400 pages). I also have a stronger appreciation and interest in the football aspect of this series after watching so much of the World Cup this past summer. And I loved the World Cup scenes!
While The Keeper started off on the slower side, it picked up pretty quickly, and I couldn't put it down. I don't typically gravitate towards the single dad x nanny trope, but I enjoyed Ana Huang's take on it. I liked how Evie was older and had a mature personality, yet the entire story didn't revolve around her.
I enjoyed both Carina and Noah, and I liked how they both wanted to find additional ways to make their lives feel fulfilling. I appreciated Carina's process/checklist to step outside her comfort zone and discover her passion. And I liked how Noah was at a career crossroads and grappled with Evie getting older and what he wanted to do next.
I also liked the non-relationship drama in this book. It kept me thoroughly entertained, even though Noah was a bit immature about his communication at times (unlike Vincent). But I can't wait to see what Ana Huang's next series is!
Thank you so much to Bloom Books for sending me an ARC of The Keeper. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)
Thoughts As a lover of single dad x nanny trope or just single dad MMCs in general I did enjoy this and it was super cute despite being a slow stater, however it's not quite a five star read for me -- the previous two books were tied top tier for me! The build up in their relationship/chemistry was everything ~ from banter to the very end, Noah's daughter Evie has such a personality lol cutest lil girl 🥹 I did find the FMC's obsession with penguins jarring🙈 although I resonated with the whole finding a passion list and the thing about being 30 is so true🥲 ( since I'll enter my 30s in four months 😂🙆🏼♀️ ) I really loved the MCs story together but something about this book didn't quite hit the spot the way the previous two books did, but still Ana Huang can do no wrong in my eyes! I've read and loved everything she's written ❣️ I will say though; this series definitely feels like it's on a green flag MMCs streak lol which a change lol and I'm not complaining. I hope we get a fourth book and PLEASE let it be Adil's story🙏🏻
Plot Summary Carina takes a job as a nanny for Noah Wilson, a grumpy single dad and famous football goalkeeper, after an unexpected emergency ruins her savings for her dream trip to Antarctica. With the World Cup approaching, Noah needs someone reliable to care for his daughter, but he never expected Carina to challenge his guarded nature. As they grow closer, their initial dislike turns into undeniable attraction, forcing them to question whether they want more than they ever planned for.
𐙚⋆°。⋆♡ ── pre-read omg it is finally release day!!! will be reading ASAP!
𐙚⋆°。⋆♡ ── pre-release the cover omigosh?!!! we have a green one 🙂↕️
ana is SERVING us with these 2026 releases omg
✧˖°⚽ ⋆。˚꩜ tropes ⤷ single dad ⤷ footfall goalie ⤷ she's the nanny? (possibly) ⤷ ONS / second chance (most likely tbh) ⤷ tension / yearning ⤷ grumpy x sunshine
like noah was definitely jealous when he saw her dancing with another guy AND carina always going on her phone to ignore him when he's around, something definitely happened in the past
ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦢་༘࿐ OH MY GOD BE SERIOUS 😭😭 a WHOLE YEAR?! They expect us to just sit here, breathing normally, acting fine, while our brains are melting from anticipation?? I can’t even think straight either, like how am I supposed to function knowing I won’t get answers, scenes, closure, ANYTHING until next year??
OMGGGG ITS HHAPPENINGGG i know book 1 was crap.... sorry Ana LOL i loved second one !! i hope this one will be five stars deffo reading this during goth weekend in october !! lets gooooo
𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪4.5🌟 rtc AHWHWHQHQ THIS WAS SO FREAKING CUTEE 🤭🥺
----- ──★ ˙Pre-Read ̟ !! Time to read this , ngl I have high expectations for this cuz hello I love a good grumpy mmc 🤭🤭 + I cant believe this is the last book 💔
I’m praying this or the 4th book in this series will be about Adil, cause he’s one of my favorite things about them☺️ He’s literally a ray of sunshine and makes me laugh in every scene of his!☀️
BULLSHIT, that's what is there in this book. Spineless Doormat fmc✔️ Emotional & Verbal Abusive mmc✔️ Childish third break up act✔️ Lack grovelling✔️ Smut boring than math book✔️ Chemistry non-existent✔️
I still don't fucking know why this trope of mmc hurting fmc badly but like a lil bitch, she'll come back running to him to his Lick his shoes is so popular? I mean is this what people are reading & enjoying?
The only saving grace for this good for nothing story was evie & Adil.
Sometimes you don’t need crazy plot twists, unnecessary drama, or a storyline that makes your head spin. Sometimes you just need a grumpy single dad, a sunshine girl, some delicious tension, and a man who desperately needs to get his act together. And apparently, you also need to fall in love with a fictional goalkeeper 🤷🏼♀️.
I absolutely LOVED Noah and Carina together. Their dynamic felt so natural, and I loved how their relationship developed without everything feeling overly dramatic or forced. There was just something about their story that felt refreshingly realistic, and I think that’s exactly why I enjoyed it so much. The banter, the tension, the little moments, the way they slowly found their way to each other… I was eating it ALL up.
And Noah? Yeah, I’m not even going to pretend to be normal about this man. The grumpy exterior, the protective side, the jealousy, THE MOUTH. Sir, please 😩🤚🏻. I loved getting to see the softer side of him, especially when it came to Evie. And speaking of Evie, she was such a lovely addition to the story. The three of them together had me smiling like an idiot.
Carina was also such a fun FMC. I loved her personality, her confidence, and the way she brought a little more life into Noah’s world. They balanced each other so well, and I never felt like their relationship needed some ridiculous amount of drama to be entertaining.
I also loved getting more time with the Blackcastle boys and the girls. Their friendships are everything, and I genuinely wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this group 🥹. Although, Ana, if you ever feel like giving us Adil’s book… just know that I would be seated IMMEDIATELY 👀.
The Keeper might not have the wildest plot or the biggest twists, but honestly? It didn’t need them. It was the characters, the chemistry, and the way everything came together that made this such a great read for me.
This is officially my favourite book in the Gods of the Game series, and I’m so happy this was the story we got to end it with. Noah Wilson, you will be missed 💚.
⭐️ (Some of my) FAV QUOTES ⭐️
“When I hired you, I didn’t realize that would involve you making fun of me every chance you got.” “I’m not making fun of you. I’m trying to get you to have fun.” She tapped my forearm. I instinctively tensed. “I promise it won’t kill you.” No. But she just might.
“Looks scary but is a softie underneath. Sounds familiar.” “Are you comparing me to a bearded dragon?” “I would never. You, a softie? Please.”
“Stop.” Harsh. Unyielding. His thumb pressed harder against my mouth, and a traitorous flame flickered to life in my stomach. “Make me.”
“Do you think we’re drinking too much wine? I feel like we’re drinking too much wine.” Brooklyn squinted at the empty bottle on the table. “That’s not wine. That’s champagne,” I said. “Oh, shit.” She hiccupped. “We are drinking too much wine.”
“My jersey looks good on you.” “It would look better off of you.”
₊⊹⁀➴ 3.75 stars the keeper really highlighted to me the repetitiveness of ana huang’s writing, as someone who has read almost all her works, though i will say this one was the most emotionally gripping. i really felt both carina & noah’s struggles in finding their respective obstacles. i like where the characters got in the book, but speaking about how they got there- some of those scenes felt a little to…for lack of a better word cringy way, but the conclusion the characters reach themselves are still emotional deep imo. carina is my fave of the gods of the game world. i also thought evie was adorable. noah at times, i felt lacked emotional maturity for me.