There's more on the line than fame and fortune when this movie star wants a family with the man of his dreams.
Blockbuster action star, Dylan, will do anything for the big screen. No stunt is off-limits for this daredevil. But when his latest stunt lands in him in the hospital, more than his acting career is on the line. With a pushy agent and an impatient director, Dylan might not get the care he needs for a proper recovery.
When Rick, the chief resident doctor, steps in, he can't wait to get his hands on Dylan--and heal his body and heart. As they grow closer and their passion ignites, Rick knows one thing is for certain, he'll do anything he can to protect Dylan from the vicious and unforgiving plans that Hollywood has in store for Dylan. But the powers-that-be will stop at nothing to destroy Dylan's chance at a future with Rick. After all, their biggest star can't possibly drop everything to settle down and start a family of his own
Now, with a baby on the way, Rick and Dylan must fight for what they really want. Can they to stay together when everyone is trying to stop them from "Playing Daddy?"
In this 100,000-word novel, Playing Daddy, two men discover how hard falling in love can be with a baby on the way when Hollywood pulls out all the stops to keep them apart. With explicitly hot scenes, this novel will take you through a passionate ride--full of love. But in the end, will family prevail?
At first I was confused by the title of the second Silver Oak Medical Center (SOMC). None of the main or secondary characters were Daddies. The story actually is about the head of SOMC's Emergency Room / Department, Rick Wade and Dylan, a young gorgeous actor who ends up needing emergency care. But as the story progressed I realized that the term "Daddy" could be referring to the more patriarchal relationship that Dylan had with his Agent.
Dylan always did what he said. No one else had as much control over him. No one else could influence him the way Phil could. If anyone tried to say anything negative about the guy who had saved him from a bad situation as an older teen, Dylan would not believe that person. No one knew Phil like he did. Phil was the closest he'd come to a father since being kicked out of his parents' home at the unbelievable age of fourteen.
Dylan's self esteem was extremely low. The cruel abandonment first from his parents, then the abuse while with the ballet company, and now the horrible treatment from the movie's director. A movie, his Agent arranged, for Dylan to take one of the leading roles in. During each circumstance Dylan is treated in a manner which reinforced an even lower self esteem.
That was until an Emergency Room Doctor came to his rescue. He added some reinforcements to his rescue team by adding the hospital's attorney, Jason Delaney and its much unpopular CEO Finn Reilly. As well as some people who were among the film's actors and their guild. Each person is needed to overcome a bevy of crazy interactions, obstruction, and a mountain of disbelief.
I learned so much about film production, actor's rights, what is legal for agents and directors to do, how easy it is to take advantage of someone vulnerable. And how hard people fight to give up control, as well as how difficult it is to learn your own value.
Who's your Daddy? Who's not your Daddy? What it means to become a Daddy? This is definitely a mpreg novel, where becoming a Dad helps someone to realize he a worthy of the title. And he realizes the need to change to be the Father his soon to be child deserves.
I really enjoyed this book and I've already begin reading the third book in th SOMC series. Aiden Bates really keeps the reader engaged and gets better as an author with each story. I can't wait to read his NEVER TOO LATE series.
This was different for me then the last one.. it was still very good and i enjoyed it a lot.. it took a while to find out if they were alpha and omega... i loved the issues they had together and apart.. i loved the problems that were happening.. and i loved the writing as always.. aiden is amazing and im so glad i got to review it
So I loved the two leading men here more than the first book in this series. And I of course loved Rick’s family. So warm!
This does have elements of abuse/exploitation in the story and had a bit of an adrenaline fuelled action towards the end. I wouldn’t quite call it a light hearted story but it did work through the abusive/exploitative elements of the story without making it overtly ugly.
I am SO glad I gave Aiden Bates another shot. I was extremely frustrated with the last two books in this series, but enjoyed enough of the storytelling, if not the clumsy application of MPreg or nonexistant development of chemistry and romance between the main characters, so I gave it one more shot. This story shows off the same storytelling skills, but also develops the connection between Dylan and Rick in a way that is sweet and wholly believable, even relatable.
My only complaints that still carry over from the previous books from this author is that the editing is awful (as others have said, how in the world can't you keep the last name of your main character straight?!? Extra" punctuation" that makes/ no sense is also frustrating. Letters endin gup on the wrong en dof a space is something that a fe wediting read throughs should catch. Secondly, the book is quite long, probably far longer than it needed to be to tell the story, and the happy ending ends up being a short afterward-style chapter. There are a lot of long scenes of Dylan doing his acting job that are not at all necessary for the plot, and even more of Rick in the ER, treating patients. I understand a few such scene to fill in what their daily life feels like, but in this volume it comes across as padding and filler, and wasting my reading time doesn't go over well. If you are going to lengthen the book, how about you let us enjoy the happy ending, rather than cramming it into a short last chapter that feels like an afterward? If we plod through a dozen chapters of slow moving drama and frustration, I don't think that's too much to ask.
Overall, 3.5/5, rounded down due to awful editing. Could easily be higher rated with the help of a good editor.
Dylan is a very talented young actor but he is not in the best of hands: his agent and the director of the film are just awful people. Unfortunately for them, once Rick enters in Dylan’s life, everything is going to change. Rick is a surgeon at the ER at Silver Oak Hospital. He is devoted to his profession and his patients. He is a good, honest person. When he sees Dylan something awakens inside him. Another great story by Aiden Bates. It shows us how there are a lot of people who takes advantage of young people and their lack of experience, how those people lure them shamelessly to do what they want. The worst thing is that is not just fiction but real life as well. However, then it is love, a great amount of love and good people who take care and protect these young people. Aiden Bates has a way with words, he can reflect the feelings and the insecurities that everybody has, not just the omegas but the alphas too, so we can feel them as well. You can close your eyes and see how everything goes in your mind as if it were a film. It has always some kind of mystery to be investigated and I like how a lot of characters stick together to protect Dylan. And I like too to see some of the characters from the previous book Deliver Me. It is always a pleasure to read Aiden’s books. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.
I really, really love this book. It was filled with tension from the beginning, and not the funny one, but the really nasty one.
Phil and Charlie are really creepers, and you can feel from the beginning that there are something very wrong about them. Dylan is a great character, and seeing the way in which he was constantly gaslighted by the one person he trusted the most since his traumatic experience at the ballet's school was horrific and makes my blood boil. I really think his portrait is really well done and credible. It presents in a hard light the ugliest aspects of abuse and exploitation and shows the effects in the psyche of the victims very clearly.
I liked that the romance advanced at a slow pace, that Rick was aware of Dylan issues and his own position of power, that he was patient and understanding. Their relationship develops in a way that is both, wholesome and believable.
Sadly, Kaeomakana Tiwanak does not do justice to this story. Some of the voices are truly awful, sounding like cartoon characters with a bad cold. I'm particularly outraged at Carter's voice. And more than once I was tempted to give up listening.
Nevertheless, the story had me so hooked that I simply couldn't stop. I think is a homage to Mr Bates skills that I stay here until the end :P
2.5 stars The third book in this series was totally over-the-top in OMEGA belittlement. I have to say that a lot of the psychology about how susceptible people are manipulated by deviants is very real and well done, just overdone in my opinion. Dylan is an up and coming star that due to his agent and current film director, thinks he is on his way to the bottom and is really only good for his "abs" and is headed for the "porn" circuit soon. Rick, head of the ER at Silver Oak falls for him pretty instantly. They have sex pretty fast. They use a condom. As this is my third book, I knew immediately the condom would fail and Dylan would become pregnant. The condom failure is consistent with every book in this series. Couldn't one of them be because they forgot to use one or chose not to or it actually broke during intercourse or something other than failure? So Rick tries the whole book to get Dylan to believe he is lovable and that Rick truly loves him. So there's the psychology aspect, and then the devious movie director and agent are plotting to degrade Dylan enough to make him their porn actor while stealing his money. The book blurb calls for explicitly hot scenes, but again as with book 1 & 2, they are not very hot to me. Kind of meh to me in the end.
This story is very emotional. Dylan has had a hard life since he was a teenager. I fell in love with Dylan from the very beginning of the book. This might sound cheesy, but I can relate to a lot that Dylan went through in this book, because of stuff that happened in my past. As for Rick, he was a godsend. Not only was he good for Dylan, but he was just what he needed for his self esteem. The chemistry between these two was felt off of the pages, as I read their story. If you are looking for a book that is emotional, heartfelt and has a wonderful ending, then look no further. Just remember love is love no matter what.
I volunteered to read an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
This is a very well written book. There is a developed plot which meant that the storyline drew me in. I was engrossed from start to finish. Although there is plenty of physical action between Dylan and Rick, things are built up slowly and it doesn't consume the whole story.
Dylan has such a complex background which comes out over the chapters. At first, it is not easy to understand why he let's himself be continually put down by both the director and his agent. Why this obnoxious pair do what they do makes fascinating reading. Rick slowly becomes Dylan's reason for living and, with his support, Dylan finds the strength to stand up for himself.
This second story in the Silver Oak Medical Center turned up the heat and the loving. This AMAZING story between Dylan and Rick is about love, friendship and caring. Looking out for others and seeing past the surface. I loved this couple. I thought all the characters that were introduced in this story were all interesting. I love this series because these books can truly be read as a stand-alone. But I was glad to see an appearance of some people from Book 1. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THIS AMAZING SERIES!!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story line was good and I just love the characters. Being in the medical field, I can relate not only to the characters situation in the hospital but in their personal life situation. I recommend this book as well as the first book in the series, get it, read it, you will not be disappointed. Keep them coming Widen. I can't wait for the next one. Devoted fan DB
I've really loved this series overall, but I had trouble with believability on the plot in this one. The bad guys are OBVIOUSLY bad from the beginning and it really tried my patience.
I am enjoying this series so much! There is so much to Dylan under all the layers of emotions. And the people that are to help and take care of his career are just in it for themselves. Rick is the surgeon on duty when Dylan comes in. They did have their issues but overcame them. Loved the ending to this one and going to the next!
Dylan is such a sweetheart, a gentle soul and a wise man in young body eventhough he's very naive. Rick is older, mature, know his shit, very responsible, and so caring. Rick is perfect match to Dylan, he always be there when Dylan needed him and because of Rick's support he slowly gain his self confidence and try to manage his own life.
Having a life that no child should, Dylan had to thank the people who he assumed saved him. Meeting Dr. Wade opened his eyes up to what was really happening to him. This is a beautiful story and a happy ending.
I love the characters that Aiden creates. They are complex and endearing. couple of plot twist I didn't see coming kept me on the edge of my seat turning my pages as fast as I could read them.
Playing Daddy by AidenBates is an Mpreg Romance and part of the Silver Oak Medical Center series. This story involves a hot Action movie star, a sexy doctor and an 7nexpected pregnancy. The story has drama, surprises, humor, danger, steam and sweetness. Its definitely a fun read.
Oh, my. I can't believe I actually listened to the whole thing. Replace the word movie with book from this quote by MC--Dylan, and you've got my feeling about both the story and the narration. "Everything about this movie is stupid."
Sad, funny, especially Carter's 'bee in my bonnet ' law and in parts really irritating to the point I wanted to smack the snot out of Phil and Charlie - they were such a pair of odious slimeballs..that aside I loved the book
I really liked the story, but there were too many times the author referred to the wrong character name and other minor mistakes that just added up to too much for me.
I absolutely loved Dylan. He was put in a very difficult situation and his agent took advantage of that situation and continued to exploit him, while feeding him the line that he was helping him. Abuse can happen in any relationship. Rick was a perfect balance for Dylan's young age and certain naivety. Dylan knew so much about many things, but in the dark about many others.
My only gripe with this was Dylan's last name. It flipped between "Palmer" and "Parker" a lot. I'm not even sure which was the originally intended name because it changed so often. Towards the end it kind of stuck as "Parker" but I think the author forgot all about "Palmer" at that point.
Sweet moments, a bit of steam, a guileless man, a truly giving alpha, excellent side characters, big drama, and an HEA. Put together and you have a pretty great read.
I liked the hearts of both men. They were reluctant to open up to one another, but once they did I was glad of it. Both men were slightly awkward about it but not so much that it made me wish they'd man up about it. The care they showed for one another was so sweet. I loved their relationship buildup. It was slightly rushed in the beginning because of set drama, but the way it evolved from there on out felt organic, natural, like both men were made to care for one another. This was lower on the steam level, but desire was there, it just wasn't made the focus and I can't say that I mind too much at all.
Dylan was so honest, sweet, straightforward, accepting, and determined to do for others what he hadn't had himself. His lack of guile was completely endearing. I especially loved the confidence he gained throughout his unfortunate education regarding his agent and director. He definitely had doubts and big struggles, that wasn't downplayed, and I'm glad he didn't just flip a switch and become someone else. Dylan needed to grow and find himself and his worth. There was help, but more than that, there was support.
Rick was solid, stable, and easy to like. He provided what Dylan never had, a place to truly feel safe. He also gave him freedom, both to make the better choices and to struggle with possibly making bad ones. I admire that, that he wasn't pushing his ideas on someone who had more of that than one person should have ever had to deal with. Rick didn't become a domineering alpha just because of his genetics and finding Dylan.
I loved Jason, I'm looking forward to his story very, very much. And that goes hand in hand with me wanting to find out about Tino's romantic future too. Both of these men were great support and friends to the couple. Carter made appearances and I always love him. Finn was there too, but I still find him pompous but with a more severe and dry humor that I enjoy.
The drama was big, in lots of ways. It was resolved satisfactorily, though, so while it drove most of the story, including the romance, it didn't actually pull the focus of the reader from the two men who were growing together throughout everything.
I was actually very glad that this was more about two men and how they found love than about their genetic roles as alpha and omega. It's like that was way down on the priority list in telling their story, it just happened to be a part of who they were and not the driving force behind them getting together.
Overall, I'm very impressed. There were things that seemed a bit simplistic, a little too dramatic, and some things a bit vague, but that's why it's a 4.5 rounded down and not up. It still merits 4.5 stars for me. I willingly read and reviewed this as an ARC received from the author.
Another great book from this author. You fall in love with Dylan from the first page. He's a man who's had a hard life so far and you can easily see his lack of confidence and self worth. Rick a doctor who meets Dylan in his ER feels a spark with this young man. He wants to help but can see pushing him won't help. Instead he offers advice about the director Charlie and his agent Phil. The twists in the plot will entertain you and keep you reading. This book as Aiden Bates always does is well written and leaves you feeling good. I can't recommend this book strongly enough it's entertaining, interesting read. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book and I'm so glad I did it's amazing!