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Sign Me Up, Daddy: A Sweet and Spicy Gay Romance
Not yet published
Expected 8 Dec 26A sweet and spicy gay romance about big bookish men writing their own happy ending.
College dropout Brent Gaines dreams of becoming a bestselling romance author—until his prudish ex-boyfriend shames him into dumping his spicy manuscript. Brent settles for the simple life of a bookstore barista, leaving his writing ambitions in the trash where he thinks they belong.
Literary agent Ricardo Herrera is married to his job. In his two decades selling hit romance novels to major publishers, he’s changed hundreds of budding writers’ lives. But his love life has never gotten past chapter one.
When Ricardo discovers Brent’s discarded manuscript, he also finds a flailing young writer in desperate need of a mentor. The trouble is that Brent is a ginger muscle cub and exactly this silver daddy bear’s type. As Ricardo builds back Brent’s confidence, both men’s personal feelings soon complicate their professional relationship.
Then an anonymous email threatens to expose their affair, forcing Brent and Ricardo to confront their biggest fears. Will Brent risk his writing dreams—and his heart—for his only champion? And can Ricardo find the courage to put his beloved boy before his beloved career?
Perfect for fans of Dylan Drakes’ Cubs & Campfires and Bears & Bakeries, Sign Me Up, Daddy is an age-gap MM workplace romance. Expect a supportive romance, detailed, high-heat spice, medium angst and a guaranteed happily ever after.
College dropout Brent Gaines dreams of becoming a bestselling romance author—until his prudish ex-boyfriend shames him into dumping his spicy manuscript. Brent settles for the simple life of a bookstore barista, leaving his writing ambitions in the trash where he thinks they belong.
Literary agent Ricardo Herrera is married to his job. In his two decades selling hit romance novels to major publishers, he’s changed hundreds of budding writers’ lives. But his love life has never gotten past chapter one.
When Ricardo discovers Brent’s discarded manuscript, he also finds a flailing young writer in desperate need of a mentor. The trouble is that Brent is a ginger muscle cub and exactly this silver daddy bear’s type. As Ricardo builds back Brent’s confidence, both men’s personal feelings soon complicate their professional relationship.
Then an anonymous email threatens to expose their affair, forcing Brent and Ricardo to confront their biggest fears. Will Brent risk his writing dreams—and his heart—for his only champion? And can Ricardo find the courage to put his beloved boy before his beloved career?
Perfect for fans of Dylan Drakes’ Cubs & Campfires and Bears & Bakeries, Sign Me Up, Daddy is an age-gap MM workplace romance. Expect a supportive romance, detailed, high-heat spice, medium angst and a guaranteed happily ever after.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 12, 2026
Wow. Was it my new favorite? No. Did I stay up all night to read it in one sitting? Yes.
Sign Me Up, Daddy takes on two perspectives, one of Brent, the younger, newly single, ginger cub who's about to give up on his dreams of being an author, and Ricardo, an older bear filled with humor, joy, love, and a respect for the literary industry. Ricardo stumbles upon a rough draft of Brent's book and sees the potential immediately. He's as moved by the writing as I was with some of Beards! Right from the jump though, there's incredible sexual tension and physical chemistry that could give way to much more. Ultimately, they have to try to navigate a professional and/or romantic relationship, a very fine line they use as a jump rope.
While I felt that some of the characters were relatively one-dimensional, such as Charlotte or Eric, I found Brent and Ricardo to be a perfect level of complex. I rooted for them from the very first page, and as they each shared tales of their traumas I felt my heart strings being tugged. Beard does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to feel both empathy and sympathy throughout the novel. Some characters aren't nearly as deep, but they do their purpose in moving the story along and ultimately leading to the development of Brent and Ricardo. There were also many small details I appreciated about some of the secondary characters, such as Cillian's accurate use of Irish slang! You could tell that Beard paid attention to detail.
My favorite character, however, would have to be Geraldine, Brent's elderly neighbor that loves few things more than drama and reality shows. She says "You taught me an important lesson Brent...you taught me how to be your friend". After reading this I felt my eyes tearing up. By choosing the words "your friend" over "a good friend", it felt as if the cliche was taken out of the sentiment and Geraldine's love for Brent flowed off the page. My heart was filled with warmth at this nontraditional found family, and I hope to one day have a Geraldine in my life as well.
As far as the dialogue, I wasn't the biggest fan towards the beginning. "My week has sucked", said Brent, before Ricardo quipped back with "Is that so? How hard has it sucked?". I found myself relatively uncomfortable reading some of the dialogue in the first few chapters of the book, because it felt a bit forced. It was unrealistic in many ways (which is not a negative in such a cozy novel), but seemed to miss a few steps. I think the novel as a whole would have benefitted from a bit more tension being built when they meet. Some sort of shyness or anxiousness would have been endearing and made the connection that much more rewarding when the time came. Overall I appreciated the commentary between the characters more and more as I moved through the book. It felt as if once the foundation had been laid, each moment for them flowed much more naturally. Some of the intimate scene remarks even had me blushing!
The spicy scenes and imagery in the book were certainly vivid. I give Beard tons of credit for this, I was never confused as to their position or what was happening in sexual moments. I felt the electricity between the two running through me, and my eyes starting darting across the pages needing more and more of them. While some of the physical descriptions could get quite a bit repetitive (I don't know how many times I need to read that Brent is a ginger cub...), they were effective. Nothing was unnecessarily lingered on, and the pacing was perfect to both savor and devour at once.
The best part of this book is undoubtedly the representation. From age-gaps, to neurodiversity with Geraldine's love of space and galaxies, to body positivity and preferences with Brent vs. Ricardo, to the dichotomy of professional lives between Tyler and Brent, I loved it all. As we continue to fight for more queer representation in media, it's undeniably important that there is variety in what is being portrayed. If every single queer character is a rich, white, gay man with washboard abs, there are still thousands of queer people who are waiting for their day in the spotlight. Hearing Ricardo's pride about his ethnicity and seeing it in his cooking has a special place in my heart. On top of that, reading that these realistically achievable, healthy, and common bodies could be so attractive lit a spark of hope for myself in my soul. There are so many pieces of this book that focus on seemingly little insecurities that are overwhelming much of the population today, but seeing them tied up in a happy ending healed a part of me.
There is hope and love waiting for every single one of us, and I thank Sign Me Up, Daddy by Barry Beard for reminding me of that.
Sign Me Up, Daddy takes on two perspectives, one of Brent, the younger, newly single, ginger cub who's about to give up on his dreams of being an author, and Ricardo, an older bear filled with humor, joy, love, and a respect for the literary industry. Ricardo stumbles upon a rough draft of Brent's book and sees the potential immediately. He's as moved by the writing as I was with some of Beards! Right from the jump though, there's incredible sexual tension and physical chemistry that could give way to much more. Ultimately, they have to try to navigate a professional and/or romantic relationship, a very fine line they use as a jump rope.
While I felt that some of the characters were relatively one-dimensional, such as Charlotte or Eric, I found Brent and Ricardo to be a perfect level of complex. I rooted for them from the very first page, and as they each shared tales of their traumas I felt my heart strings being tugged. Beard does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to feel both empathy and sympathy throughout the novel. Some characters aren't nearly as deep, but they do their purpose in moving the story along and ultimately leading to the development of Brent and Ricardo. There were also many small details I appreciated about some of the secondary characters, such as Cillian's accurate use of Irish slang! You could tell that Beard paid attention to detail.
My favorite character, however, would have to be Geraldine, Brent's elderly neighbor that loves few things more than drama and reality shows. She says "You taught me an important lesson Brent...you taught me how to be your friend". After reading this I felt my eyes tearing up. By choosing the words "your friend" over "a good friend", it felt as if the cliche was taken out of the sentiment and Geraldine's love for Brent flowed off the page. My heart was filled with warmth at this nontraditional found family, and I hope to one day have a Geraldine in my life as well.
As far as the dialogue, I wasn't the biggest fan towards the beginning. "My week has sucked", said Brent, before Ricardo quipped back with "Is that so? How hard has it sucked?". I found myself relatively uncomfortable reading some of the dialogue in the first few chapters of the book, because it felt a bit forced. It was unrealistic in many ways (which is not a negative in such a cozy novel), but seemed to miss a few steps. I think the novel as a whole would have benefitted from a bit more tension being built when they meet. Some sort of shyness or anxiousness would have been endearing and made the connection that much more rewarding when the time came. Overall I appreciated the commentary between the characters more and more as I moved through the book. It felt as if once the foundation had been laid, each moment for them flowed much more naturally. Some of the intimate scene remarks even had me blushing!
The spicy scenes and imagery in the book were certainly vivid. I give Beard tons of credit for this, I was never confused as to their position or what was happening in sexual moments. I felt the electricity between the two running through me, and my eyes starting darting across the pages needing more and more of them. While some of the physical descriptions could get quite a bit repetitive (I don't know how many times I need to read that Brent is a ginger cub...), they were effective. Nothing was unnecessarily lingered on, and the pacing was perfect to both savor and devour at once.
The best part of this book is undoubtedly the representation. From age-gaps, to neurodiversity with Geraldine's love of space and galaxies, to body positivity and preferences with Brent vs. Ricardo, to the dichotomy of professional lives between Tyler and Brent, I loved it all. As we continue to fight for more queer representation in media, it's undeniably important that there is variety in what is being portrayed. If every single queer character is a rich, white, gay man with washboard abs, there are still thousands of queer people who are waiting for their day in the spotlight. Hearing Ricardo's pride about his ethnicity and seeing it in his cooking has a special place in my heart. On top of that, reading that these realistically achievable, healthy, and common bodies could be so attractive lit a spark of hope for myself in my soul. There are so many pieces of this book that focus on seemingly little insecurities that are overwhelming much of the population today, but seeing them tied up in a happy ending healed a part of me.
There is hope and love waiting for every single one of us, and I thank Sign Me Up, Daddy by Barry Beard for reminding me of that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2026
Sign me up for the cozy bear romances!
This was the perfect blend of cute romance, bookshop vibes and hungry bears that I devoured this.
In the acknowledgements the author calls out Dylan Drakes as being someone who helped to show that bear romances have a space, that they can be just as good (if not better) than romances with washboard abs and bleach blond hair, and this is testamento that. It was so good.
Both Brent and Ricardo were strong characters with a story that gripped me, that made me root for them from the moment Brent spilled that coffee on Ricardo. And even with the barriers to their romance, nothing felt like it was too cliched, it was a joy to read.
What I also loved were Geraldine and Barbara, two strong women in their own right, on opposite sides of the spectrum who I would gladly read more about, I loved them that much.
I love ARCs like this, ones where you get lost in them, where the story goes where you want it to without feeling like it had only one path. Where the spicy is spicy and the romance is the perfect temperature
This was the perfect blend of cute romance, bookshop vibes and hungry bears that I devoured this.
In the acknowledgements the author calls out Dylan Drakes as being someone who helped to show that bear romances have a space, that they can be just as good (if not better) than romances with washboard abs and bleach blond hair, and this is testamento that. It was so good.
Both Brent and Ricardo were strong characters with a story that gripped me, that made me root for them from the moment Brent spilled that coffee on Ricardo. And even with the barriers to their romance, nothing felt like it was too cliched, it was a joy to read.
What I also loved were Geraldine and Barbara, two strong women in their own right, on opposite sides of the spectrum who I would gladly read more about, I loved them that much.
I love ARCs like this, ones where you get lost in them, where the story goes where you want it to without feeling like it had only one path. Where the spicy is spicy and the romance is the perfect temperature
Review of advance copy
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
I've read my fair share of smut and erotica, and I love a good spicy scene. But there's a difference between something being explicit and something actually being sexy.
Describing a d*ck as a "slab of meat" or b*lls as "a pair of plump eggs snuggled inside a bird's nest" is certainly… a choice. And not one that worked for me 😭 I spent more time cringing at the descriptions than actually feeling any chemistry between the characters.
For a book marketed as a sweet and spicy romance, I was expecting a lot more emotional connection and a little less of… whatever this was.
I don't want to discourage anyone from giving this book a chance. The writing style just really wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for someone else.
I've read my fair share of smut and erotica, and I love a good spicy scene. But there's a difference between something being explicit and something actually being sexy.
Describing a d*ck as a "slab of meat" or b*lls as "a pair of plump eggs snuggled inside a bird's nest" is certainly… a choice. And not one that worked for me 😭 I spent more time cringing at the descriptions than actually feeling any chemistry between the characters.
For a book marketed as a sweet and spicy romance, I was expecting a lot more emotional connection and a little less of… whatever this was.
I don't want to discourage anyone from giving this book a chance. The writing style just really wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for someone else.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC of this book.
Overall, a sweet little story. I liked the premise of the author/agent relationship and the descriptions of the small town of Cubby Cove.
The descriptions of some of the intimate scenes were aaaaalmost enough to make me blush, which never happens, some parts were perhaps a little too vividly described for my taste 😏🙈
The repeated references to them as a bear and a cub became a little too much for me towards the end, though. I think those descriptions would have been enough at the beginning of the book 😊
For the author’s first published book, I think it’s a pretty good effort!
Spice 🌶️🌶️/5
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5
Overall, a sweet little story. I liked the premise of the author/agent relationship and the descriptions of the small town of Cubby Cove.
The descriptions of some of the intimate scenes were aaaaalmost enough to make me blush, which never happens, some parts were perhaps a little too vividly described for my taste 😏🙈
The repeated references to them as a bear and a cub became a little too much for me towards the end, though. I think those descriptions would have been enough at the beginning of the book 😊
For the author’s first published book, I think it’s a pretty good effort!
Spice 🌶️🌶️/5
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to @barrybeardauthor for the chance to read Sign Me Up Daddy a heartfelt MM bear-centric romance releasing 9 December.
A sweet and spicy romance that features Riccardo. A literary agent at a crossroads in his career and Brent an aspiring barista/author with a gift for honest storytelling.
Well-formed characters and a great storyline, I can easily see “Sign Me Up, Daddy” hitting the favourites shelves of anyone who loves bookish fiction, romance and sexy bears.
A sweet and spicy romance that features Riccardo. A literary agent at a crossroads in his career and Brent an aspiring barista/author with a gift for honest storytelling.
Well-formed characters and a great storyline, I can easily see “Sign Me Up, Daddy” hitting the favourites shelves of anyone who loves bookish fiction, romance and sexy bears.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I read this in one sitting! Brent and Ricardo are both so charming and adorable, together and individually! Barry gave a very realistic view of the highs and lows of publishing, as well as the exhilaration and the dark depths writers go when navigating their dreams. I did feel like the pacing might have been a little slower than I would have liked, but Ricardo and Brent are still so lovable that you can’t help but enjoy the extra time we get with them. And lots of body positivity! No glossing over anyone’s body type; it’s just love! Great job!!!
Update as of 11/12/2026: I changed my rating from 4 to 5. I have my reasons.
Update as of 11/12/2026: I changed my rating from 4 to 5. I have my reasons.
Review of advance copy
What adorable and charming characters are depicted in this story. They are well-developed and make you fall in love with them instantly. This is the kind of book you can settle down with in the evening, read in one sitting, and then go to bed feeling wonderful.
💞Thank you to the Author and BookSirens for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖
💞Thank you to the Author and BookSirens for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews