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Mannies Incorporated #5
Making It Work
Parker has been Manny to Grif and Blue’s kids ever since the twins were first born. Fourteen years later, he’s caring for five kids and Grif is now a widower. Everything is about to change again for Park and his charges, though, as Grif is marrying a man with three girls of his own and the new family is moving to a big house they’ve built just outside of Ottawa.
Rand has been with his family since fifteen-year-old Josie was little, and he now finds himself transplanted from Austin, Texas to Ottawa, Canada when his charges’ father, Mike, marries Grif. Coming to a new house in a new country with a new blended family, he’s determined to make sure that even though they’ve been uprooted, his girls still have everything they want and need.
What could go wrong?
Park and Rand’s styles as mannies couldn’t be more different, the kids all hate each other on sight, and the newlywed fathers are busy honeymooning. It seems pretty clear the whole situation is a recipe for disaster. Can everyone find their place in this brand new family, including both mannies? And will Park and Rand ever see eye to eye on anything? The answer surprises even them.
Rand has been with his family since fifteen-year-old Josie was little, and he now finds himself transplanted from Austin, Texas to Ottawa, Canada when his charges’ father, Mike, marries Grif. Coming to a new house in a new country with a new blended family, he’s determined to make sure that even though they’ve been uprooted, his girls still have everything they want and need.
What could go wrong?
Park and Rand’s styles as mannies couldn’t be more different, the kids all hate each other on sight, and the newlywed fathers are busy honeymooning. It seems pretty clear the whole situation is a recipe for disaster. Can everyone find their place in this brand new family, including both mannies? And will Park and Rand ever see eye to eye on anything? The answer surprises even them.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2016
21 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Sean Michael
653 books1,207 followersOften referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."
A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 18, 2020
3.5 Stars. I liked that this one was about two very opposite mannies falling for each other. Two widowed fathers fall in love and combine their 8 kids into one family. Actually the most interesting part was how the two families merged into one. The two fathers were not my favorite characters and I didn't really like them much although they did improve towards the end. But I suppose if they weren't "checked out" on the kids through a good chunk of the book it wouldn't be centered on the mannies so it almost had to be written that way. I liked ready about how the mannies and kids all learned to compromise and become a family. Making it Work is definitely the perfect title for this one.
January 7, 2017
Two men getting married, their families merging, and all the issues each partner’s children bring to the table, is not all that unusual in “manny-land”, although it is fairly rare. What is totally new and had me fascinated from the moment I read the blurb for ‘Making It Work’, is the idea that both men in the new marriage not only have children between three and fourteen who need to figure out how to relate to new siblings, but also add their respective mannies to the mix and move to a new location/house. I was rubbing my hands in glee before I even started reading, and I have to say, the complicated dynamics, multiple issues, and dedicated mannies had me eagerly turning the pages as I followed the developments. What a wonderful, sweet adventure this turned out to be!
Park has been a manny to Grif’s five children since the twins were born fourteen years ago, and he likes to run a fairly tight ship. He doesn’t think he is overly strict, but he does have his rules and the children are well-behaved as a result. Making exceptions for individuals is not what he is all about. Park is so determined to convince Rand that his way is correct that he loses sight of reality more than once. He is Canadian, but they are moving to a new house and he thinks that is plenty of upheaval and chaos for everyone to deal with. A stable, supportive attitude is all the more important if he doesn’t want to let down his employer and the children he loves as if they were his own.
Rand is from Texas, has long hair, piercings, wears rope sandals, and loves being a manny for Mike’s three girls. He isn’t too sure about following his charges to Canada, but he can’t bear the thought of leaving the girls before they’re adults. Rand is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy without being antiauthoritarian. He is fairly flexible where the kids under his care are concerned, be that about the food they eat or the rules they follow. For him, raising children is about teaching them to think for themselves, to take responsibility, and to learn that certain actions have certain consequences. He is not the pushover some people may think he is, and the girls’ behavior shows that his methods are as valid as Park’s.
Park and Rand with their different outlooks on life and the resulting variations in how they believe children should be raised are bound to clash. Park starts out thinking that Rand is a hippie, that his way of catering to the three girls’ eating habits is coddling them, and is ready to take over to have things managed his way. I smiled when the first thing he does is to try to “browbeat” Rand into accepting joint rules. Rand has no intention of letting anyone get in the way of his girls’ happiness, however, and he draws a very clear line in the sand. He isn’t aggressive and doesn’t try to convince Park that his way is better, but he doesn’t move an inch on changing his rules either. He is a tremendous advocate for the kids in his care and, blended family or not, he will defend them and their right to individuality pretty much to the death against the “military type” who has taken over the new house before Rand has even moved in. Oh boy! The fireworks that follow are sometimes painful, very emotional, and last for quite a while before Park and Rand discover they have more in common than what it looks like at first glance.
The eight kids’ fathers, Grif and Mike, have certain ideas about how to merge their families as well, but they don’t always share these with Park and Rand. Making the children share rooms may sound like a good idea in theory – but foisting that change on them on top of all the other changes may not have been the wisest plan. The kids hate each other on sight, almost as much as their mannies detest each other, and for a while, the story feels more like all-out emotional war than a romance. Griff and Mike are very much in love and somewhat distracted as they enjoy marital bliss, but both mannies soon convince them they have a vital role to play as well. All the adults have their work cut out for them!
If you like family drama, you’ll find it here on every possible level and around each corner. If you enjoy stories about passionate characters who will fight anyone they see as a danger to the children they raise, even each other, this is your book. And if you’re looking for a read that is spellbinding, multilayered, suspenseful, emotional, and intense from page one, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s amazing and had me completely enthralled!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Park has been a manny to Grif’s five children since the twins were born fourteen years ago, and he likes to run a fairly tight ship. He doesn’t think he is overly strict, but he does have his rules and the children are well-behaved as a result. Making exceptions for individuals is not what he is all about. Park is so determined to convince Rand that his way is correct that he loses sight of reality more than once. He is Canadian, but they are moving to a new house and he thinks that is plenty of upheaval and chaos for everyone to deal with. A stable, supportive attitude is all the more important if he doesn’t want to let down his employer and the children he loves as if they were his own.
Rand is from Texas, has long hair, piercings, wears rope sandals, and loves being a manny for Mike’s three girls. He isn’t too sure about following his charges to Canada, but he can’t bear the thought of leaving the girls before they’re adults. Rand is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy without being antiauthoritarian. He is fairly flexible where the kids under his care are concerned, be that about the food they eat or the rules they follow. For him, raising children is about teaching them to think for themselves, to take responsibility, and to learn that certain actions have certain consequences. He is not the pushover some people may think he is, and the girls’ behavior shows that his methods are as valid as Park’s.
Park and Rand with their different outlooks on life and the resulting variations in how they believe children should be raised are bound to clash. Park starts out thinking that Rand is a hippie, that his way of catering to the three girls’ eating habits is coddling them, and is ready to take over to have things managed his way. I smiled when the first thing he does is to try to “browbeat” Rand into accepting joint rules. Rand has no intention of letting anyone get in the way of his girls’ happiness, however, and he draws a very clear line in the sand. He isn’t aggressive and doesn’t try to convince Park that his way is better, but he doesn’t move an inch on changing his rules either. He is a tremendous advocate for the kids in his care and, blended family or not, he will defend them and their right to individuality pretty much to the death against the “military type” who has taken over the new house before Rand has even moved in. Oh boy! The fireworks that follow are sometimes painful, very emotional, and last for quite a while before Park and Rand discover they have more in common than what it looks like at first glance.
The eight kids’ fathers, Grif and Mike, have certain ideas about how to merge their families as well, but they don’t always share these with Park and Rand. Making the children share rooms may sound like a good idea in theory – but foisting that change on them on top of all the other changes may not have been the wisest plan. The kids hate each other on sight, almost as much as their mannies detest each other, and for a while, the story feels more like all-out emotional war than a romance. Griff and Mike are very much in love and somewhat distracted as they enjoy marital bliss, but both mannies soon convince them they have a vital role to play as well. All the adults have their work cut out for them!
If you like family drama, you’ll find it here on every possible level and around each corner. If you enjoy stories about passionate characters who will fight anyone they see as a danger to the children they raise, even each other, this is your book. And if you’re looking for a read that is spellbinding, multilayered, suspenseful, emotional, and intense from page one, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It’s amazing and had me completely enthralled!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
December 21, 2016
So, I started this because I needed some mindless feel-good story and that's what I got. Only, while reading, there were lots of things missing and quite some stuff getting on my nerves.
In the beginning, well about 20% perhaps? The dads were missing, absent. Only the mannies and the kids were there. No idea what the dads did for a living (something with travel?), no idea how they met, what happened to the other dads (one of them died from cancer, but when and how all these kids came along - no idea). What we got was lots of talk about the kids, with the kids, although when you ask how old the kids are - no idea, there were some teenagers and some younger ones, but from listening to them speaking you won't get who's who.
Then one minute our mannies are enjoying their first day off work and then the next minute - let's get a hotel room and enjoy us even more! Yeah, after all that talk about kids and nothing really about themselves - love's in the air!
In the end the daddies are more involved, still no idea what they do for a living, the mannies are happy as a clam with their family and still I don't know much about them besides one is vegetarian and yoga enthusiast and the other - not.
I guess this is my least favorite of the Mannies series.
Well, at least I got my mindless story.
In the beginning, well about 20% perhaps? The dads were missing, absent. Only the mannies and the kids were there. No idea what the dads did for a living (something with travel?), no idea how they met, what happened to the other dads (one of them died from cancer, but when and how all these kids came along - no idea). What we got was lots of talk about the kids, with the kids, although when you ask how old the kids are - no idea, there were some teenagers and some younger ones, but from listening to them speaking you won't get who's who.
Then one minute our mannies are enjoying their first day off work and then the next minute - let's get a hotel room and enjoy us even more! Yeah, after all that talk about kids and nothing really about themselves - love's in the air!
In the end the daddies are more involved, still no idea what they do for a living, the mannies are happy as a clam with their family and still I don't know much about them besides one is vegetarian and yoga enthusiast and the other - not.
I guess this is my least favorite of the Mannies series.
Well, at least I got my mindless story.
August 8, 2017
This was a standard cute Sean Michael manny story. This time instead of the children's dad falling for the manny, it's two mannies falling for each other. Two men get married and have to blend their incredible large (8 kids) family, mannies included. I was much more invested in the children's welfare in this one and less concerned about the MC love lives. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be like that but that's where I was. It was interesting reading about trying to blend all these people and with the two mannies being so completely opposite, it made for some funny times. One hippy, one military type...good times.
July 13, 2020
Excellent
This was so great seeing two families come together and work out how to get along. They really took me on a rollercoaster. I laughed and cried and smiled. Such an amazing story. A must read.
This was so great seeing two families come together and work out how to get along. They really took me on a rollercoaster. I laughed and cried and smiled. Such an amazing story. A must read.
July 8, 2021
The only reason I gave us is four star rating was because Rand had long hair and there was no indication of that in summary or on the book cover and that's a turn off for me so it knocked it down a star. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book then butting heads at first was hilarious. I was so glad when they got along though.
Rand came from Texas with his boss Mike who has three girls. Park he's from Canada with his boss Grif who recently married Mike and combined their kids with Grif's 5 they now have 8 from ages 15 (I think) down to 4.
It takes a bit to get things going because the kids hate each other at first except a couple of them. Also one family or meat eaters and the other are vegetarians so that's definitely a change. However things come together before long.
Park and Rand hit it off wonderfully after a few moments and they take a trip we're Park shows Rand Ottawa. Where they hook up and that I was over the moon about. Had plenty of sex to my liking.
The only real drama happens with Penny and Risa which it brought them a lot closer together then they were because most of the kids thought Penny was the devil at first because she was hurt that her dad went and remarried because her Daddy had died of cancer and that tore her apart.
I was glad when the two Dads finally saw reality and stopped being in the honeymoon phase and realize hey we have eight kids now and we can't just make the mannies raise them. What happened with Penny and Risa is what made them see the lights. Can't wait to read more of these books I think I have four left.
Rand came from Texas with his boss Mike who has three girls. Park he's from Canada with his boss Grif who recently married Mike and combined their kids with Grif's 5 they now have 8 from ages 15 (I think) down to 4.
It takes a bit to get things going because the kids hate each other at first except a couple of them. Also one family or meat eaters and the other are vegetarians so that's definitely a change. However things come together before long.
Park and Rand hit it off wonderfully after a few moments and they take a trip we're Park shows Rand Ottawa. Where they hook up and that I was over the moon about. Had plenty of sex to my liking.
The only real drama happens with Penny and Risa which it brought them a lot closer together then they were because most of the kids thought Penny was the devil at first because she was hurt that her dad went and remarried because her Daddy had died of cancer and that tore her apart.
I was glad when the two Dads finally saw reality and stopped being in the honeymoon phase and realize hey we have eight kids now and we can't just make the mannies raise them. What happened with Penny and Risa is what made them see the lights. Can't wait to read more of these books I think I have four left.
February 10, 2018
I liked the "mannies in love" twist and even though the "dads" were slow to step up to the plate, I was glad to see that they finally pulled their heads out of their "honeymoon" asses! Just sayin'! Eight kids? Yeah, it will take at least all four of them to keep that household up and running! I know that I may be in the minority when I say this, but I just feel like it is the kids that lose out when there are a ton more kids than there are adults in one family. The ratio in this story was good and I think there might even be room for one more or maybe two if Park and Rand decide that they would like to try their hand at being "parents"!
I loved the kids, they were a great bunch (hehehe) and even though I felt the scary situation would turn out fine... I was still a bit worried till all was good again! I think I need stories like this from time to time to help make the darker ones take a back seat by some happy, happy, joy, joy into my reading time! :D
I loved the kids, they were a great bunch (hehehe) and even though I felt the scary situation would turn out fine... I was still a bit worried till all was good again! I think I need stories like this from time to time to help make the darker ones take a back seat by some happy, happy, joy, joy into my reading time! :D
August 17, 2017
3.5 stars
This is the first book in the series I read and it was interesting to watch 2 mannies (rather opposites, one hippy, one more military type), two dads and 8 children trying to blend together. I liked reading about their efforts to manage the kids and the dads but I wasn't much invested into their romance. Overall, a fun, enjoyable read.
This is the first book in the series I read and it was interesting to watch 2 mannies (rather opposites, one hippy, one more military type), two dads and 8 children trying to blend together. I liked reading about their efforts to manage the kids and the dads but I wasn't much invested into their romance. Overall, a fun, enjoyable read.
March 29, 2024
Didn't like this book.
As in all of the previous books, it seems as though author enjoys the 80's language i.e. dude, man, rock on. After reading the the first two chapters, I decided that that was enough.
As in all of the previous books, it seems as though author enjoys the 80's language i.e. dude, man, rock on. After reading the the first two chapters, I decided that that was enough.
November 7, 2020
Mannies inc
This story line takes blended families to the extreme when two widowed men with a bushel of kids and two very different mannies come together
This story line takes blended families to the extreme when two widowed men with a bushel of kids and two very different mannies come together
January 21, 2022
3.5 stars
June 20, 2019
rating: 3.5 stars
This book reminded me little of the movie "Yours, Mine & Ours" , the version with Dennis Quade. Grif has five kids and marries Mike who has three kids of his own. Rand is Mike's manny and is the more free spirit go with the flow hippy type and Parker is Grif's manny who is the more button down follow the rules type of manny. The two mannies clash in the beginning and the kids on both of side dislike each other so there is much stress with the merging of the two families. It doesn't help that the two father's are off in their little love bubble and don't really help with the situation. I really enjoyed the book. I felt the all the character's were likable and I enjoyed reading how the two families coped with not only having to adjust to merging two households, but also the stress of moving both families to a new house in a new city. Mike's family moved from Texas to Canada so they also had to adjust to a new country.
I give this book 3.5 Stars and would have rated it higher but there were a couple of dangling threads that bugged me a little at the end.
This book reminded me little of the movie "Yours, Mine & Ours" , the version with Dennis Quade. Grif has five kids and marries Mike who has three kids of his own. Rand is Mike's manny and is the more free spirit go with the flow hippy type and Parker is Grif's manny who is the more button down follow the rules type of manny. The two mannies clash in the beginning and the kids on both of side dislike each other so there is much stress with the merging of the two families. It doesn't help that the two father's are off in their little love bubble and don't really help with the situation. I really enjoyed the book. I felt the all the character's were likable and I enjoyed reading how the two families coped with not only having to adjust to merging two households, but also the stress of moving both families to a new house in a new city. Mike's family moved from Texas to Canada so they also had to adjust to a new country.
I give this book 3.5 Stars and would have rated it higher but there were a couple of dangling threads that bugged me a little at the end.
February 13, 2017
I hate to say this.. but it was my least favorite of the series because the relationship was almost a tertiary part of the story. The kids, their dads, and blending the family all were foremost to the relationship developing between Rand and Park.
January 2, 2017
3.5 stars. Gay Brady Bunch with two Alices in Rand and Park. I liked the nannies. The dads were a little bit MIA. The kids had all lost a parent and were dealing with issues. The mannies have been with the families though since the kids were born, so these kids have always had support, thankfully. I liked Rand and Park and when they get on the same page, well it's pretty unexpected. There is of course some obligatory kid drama, but all's well that ends well.
This series is like crack to me. I am compelled to read them as soon as I get my hands on them :-)
This series is like crack to me. I am compelled to read them as soon as I get my hands on them :-)
June 12, 2017
This didn't quite work for me. The parents are good guys but they don't have time for the kids. The mannies are 98% in charge AND running the show and then the parents are going to share their kids with the mannies more or less?
More inportantly, these two are complete opposites and in a short period of time to move on to being in love. Lush, yeah sure start getting some sexy feelings going but its like, overnight they decide to go for it AND then they are in love.
It's just...................ok...
More inportantly, these two are complete opposites and in a short period of time to move on to being in love. Lush, yeah sure start getting some sexy feelings going but its like, overnight they decide to go for it AND then they are in love.
It's just...................ok...
July 28, 2019
This was a wonderful story about two mannies who help two families become one as they fall in love along the way. Rand is a chill Texan while Park is a Canadian who runs a tight ship. He has to with five charges! When their respective employers fall in love and get married, it is up to Rand and Park to ease the transition for Rand's three girls with Park's five kids. The two men are not sure this can work but find out together that maybe it was meant to be!
March 28, 2018
The other manny stories have involved a romance between manny and dad. This one was a fun looking at falling in love in a blended family who end up with two mannies. These two guys seem as different as Texas is from Canada but helping the kids blend helps them learn about what they have in common as well. A sweet story where everybody wins.
March 11, 2023
original review, 4 stars - A sweet story, and no annoying enemy-turning-lover story. It is more of a learning-to-compromise-and-be-a-family story.
reread, 3 stars - a nice, sweet and quick read. Still the same issues like average writing and stilted dialogue, but I did like it and enjoyed it.
reread, 3 stars - a nice, sweet and quick read. Still the same issues like average writing and stilted dialogue, but I did like it and enjoyed it.
May 17, 2022
For the most part it had likeable characters. The transition between being adversaries and being allies for the two mannies seemed to happen very quickly. Still, it was enjoyable to see the two families blending by the end.
December 20, 2016
4.5***** Love the Manny series!
January 31, 2017
3.5 stars
Another cute story in the Mannies Inc. series.
Another cute story in the Mannies Inc. series.
March 24, 2017
3.5*
I love this series! These two guys are so very different but somehow make it work. Kinda like reading an episode of The Brady Bunch. I just felt that a lot of the complete story was missing. But was glad that Rand and Park worked out their differences with the kids.
I love this series! These two guys are so very different but somehow make it work. Kinda like reading an episode of The Brady Bunch. I just felt that a lot of the complete story was missing. But was glad that Rand and Park worked out their differences with the kids.
March 26, 2017
Oh gosh, I did it! I finished it! Kudos for me. I need it.
It started good, again, but from the moment they were together it all started to suck real bad, again. Even the I don't know if its the author style and I just didn't connect with it or if the author didn't connect with the theme. Or that I just don't like his style very much and the first one was just a fluke. Anyway, I'll try one more time.
I love stories with mannies and the first one was so good, but the rest... I'm just glad its over.
It started good, again, but from the moment they were together it all started to suck real bad, again. Even the I don't know if its the author style and I just didn't connect with it or if the author didn't connect with the theme. Or that I just don't like his style very much and the first one was just a fluke. Anyway, I'll try one more time.
I love stories with mannies and the first one was so good, but the rest... I'm just glad its over.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews