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Sex and the Single Dad #2
The Bad Husband's Handbook
For Reuben, life as a single dad is exhausting and draining - especially considering he's not actually a single dad. He's been married to Dante, his college sweetheart, for over a decade. But as a stay-at-home parent juggling the needs of four tiny humans all day every day, when Dante comes home from work demanding dinner and attention... Well, it's like having a fifth child. Or not quite, because he still loves his kids but isn't sure he can say the same about his husband.
For Dante, life as the breadwinner is stressful and demanding. He works hard all day to provide for his family; is it really too much to ask that the house be clean and food waiting when he comes home? After all, it's what Reuben always wanted, to stay home with the kids. Dante makes it possible. Isn't that enough?
According to Reuben... NO, it's not.
With their marriage in critical failure, Dante makes a proposal: ten dates. Ten chances to turn their relationship around, and keep Reuben and Dante from becoming single dads for real.
(Featuring angst, heartbreak and a hard-earned HEA. No infidelity.)
For Dante, life as the breadwinner is stressful and demanding. He works hard all day to provide for his family; is it really too much to ask that the house be clean and food waiting when he comes home? After all, it's what Reuben always wanted, to stay home with the kids. Dante makes it possible. Isn't that enough?
According to Reuben... NO, it's not.
With their marriage in critical failure, Dante makes a proposal: ten dates. Ten chances to turn their relationship around, and keep Reuben and Dante from becoming single dads for real.
(Featuring angst, heartbreak and a hard-earned HEA. No infidelity.)
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2020
23 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Reanna Pryce
12 books27 followersWhen she’s not reading or writing steamy romantic fiction, you can find Reanna bouncing between swimming, boy scouts and book club. She’s living her very own happily ever after in the north-east of England with her husband, two (mostly) adorable boys and a collection of pets she did not ask for.
A writer of romantic fiction for fifteen years, Reanna writes strong, compelling characters who stay with you long after you turn the last page. From the glamour of the music industry to stay-at-home single dads, no plot goes unexplored once her muse takes hold.
A writer of romantic fiction for fifteen years, Reanna writes strong, compelling characters who stay with you long after you turn the last page. From the glamour of the music industry to stay-at-home single dads, no plot goes unexplored once her muse takes hold.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 9, 2025
re-read June 2025
Damn, the amount of throttling Dante deserved. 😂
4.75***** stars
I can’t remember the last time I read a book with so much excitement it was almost painful to put it down. So, this goes up as the **first of my this year’s favorites**. I FREAKING LOVED THIS!
The author’s writing style was the first thing I noticed. It was different and unique and I liked it a whole f* lot. The main characters’ voices are distinctive and totally theirs.
Reuben and Dante are married for 12 years now and in the first third of the story Dante shines in all his glory on “how NOT to do it”. He’s oblivious, unappreciative and totally self-absorbed. All he can see is the greatness that is himself. He sounds like a douche and he is.
That is until Reuben, amidst a totally relatable washing machine incident with his self-centered husband, has enough and kicks him out. Out of the house, out of their marriage.
Not convinced yet that any of what happened is even remotely his fault, Dante tries to woo his husband with ten dates to not get divorced —and fails miserably at his first attempts.
Really people, this was so painful to read but at the same time so wildly entertaining I waited with baited breath at the edge of my seat to see what’s going to happen next.
And people. I felt so damed seen. Not anywhere near the way Reuben was struggling through his marriage and parenting of four children with a husband that was no partner in all of it at all but in the small things and generally as a mother and wife I could relate so much —because this shit is hard!
And then there are their kids as well and Dante discovers that if he wants back what he’d lost he not only needs to woo his husband. (The kids were epic.)
And man is he trying. ♡
This was a glorious troubled-relationship romance that had me swooning a whole lot in the end.
FIVE very well deserved stars.
*****************
Sex and the Single Dad Series
Book 1 - The Lonely Dad's Guide to Love - tbr
Book 2 - The Bad Husband's Handbook - 4.75 stars
Damn, the amount of throttling Dante deserved. 😂
4.75***** stars
I can’t remember the last time I read a book with so much excitement it was almost painful to put it down. So, this goes up as the **first of my this year’s favorites**. I FREAKING LOVED THIS!
The author’s writing style was the first thing I noticed. It was different and unique and I liked it a whole f* lot. The main characters’ voices are distinctive and totally theirs.
Reuben and Dante are married for 12 years now and in the first third of the story Dante shines in all his glory on “how NOT to do it”. He’s oblivious, unappreciative and totally self-absorbed. All he can see is the greatness that is himself. He sounds like a douche and he is.
[…] clearly the problem lies with Reuben and his inability to appreciate Dante’s particular brand of awesome.
That is until Reuben, amidst a totally relatable washing machine incident with his self-centered husband, has enough and kicks him out. Out of the house, out of their marriage.
Dante says, “You don’t want to be a single father,” because Dante is an idiot. “I’m already a single father,” Reuben barks.
Not convinced yet that any of what happened is even remotely his fault, Dante tries to woo his husband with ten dates to not get divorced —and fails miserably at his first attempts.
Really people, this was so painful to read but at the same time so wildly entertaining I waited with baited breath at the edge of my seat to see what’s going to happen next.
It is, Reuben thinks, extremely inconvenient that he still cares about this idiot.
And people. I felt so damed seen. Not anywhere near the way Reuben was struggling through his marriage and parenting of four children with a husband that was no partner in all of it at all but in the small things and generally as a mother and wife I could relate so much —because this shit is hard!
And then there are their kids as well and Dante discovers that if he wants back what he’d lost he not only needs to woo his husband. (The kids were epic.)
“I’m trying my best,” he says quietly […]
“Your best?” Katy sneers. “Your best doesn’t even come close to daddy at his worst.”
And man is he trying. ♡
This was a glorious troubled-relationship romance that had me swooning a whole lot in the end.
He loves this man with every unconditional beat of his heart. He loves this man who went missing but came home.
FIVE very well deserved stars.
*****************
Sex and the Single Dad Series
Book 1 - The Lonely Dad's Guide to Love - tbr
Book 2 - The Bad Husband's Handbook - 4.75 stars
January 30, 2022
This was good. Like , so so good. After reading the first book I was hesitant to start this one (I hated Alex , the MC in the first book and I ended up disliking the book entirely) and then I read the blurb for this one and said “Meh, established couples are so not my thing” . I gave it a try out of boredom and I’m glad. Dante and Reuben trying to save their marriage-you’d think it would be depressing but it wasn’t. Dante was an asshole, an irredeemable one -I hated him . I didn’t want Reuben to give him another chance just the fucking divorce papers . And Reuben was whiny and a bit of a slob (at least with his self-care) . And then Dante starts to realize he took Reuben and his family for granted. It was nice to see his transformation, it was humorous and sad at the same time.
What I didn’t like and the reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is that Dante’s internalized homophobia wasn’t addressed properly or satisfactorily- confronting his coworker at last felt like too little too late and not enough. Oh, and the writing-I don’t like this third person present tense in a book.
Nevertheless it was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it.
What I didn’t like and the reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is that Dante’s internalized homophobia wasn’t addressed properly or satisfactorily- confronting his coworker at last felt like too little too late and not enough. Oh, and the writing-I don’t like this third person present tense in a book.
Nevertheless it was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it.
February 3, 2024
DNF at 31%
This one felt like it had so much potential for me. But the cliches and stereotypes, the exaggerated metaphorical writing on every page (I love descriptive writing, but it loses its luster when it's done over and over again.)
Also, FOUR kids, no problem, but if your husband shows zero fucking interest in the first one, why are you adding three more?
The fatphobic internal thoughts of the husband? Pass. There was a definite obsession with the MCs weight.
The period jokes? I honestly thought things like are you on the rag, or is it that time of the month, went out a while ago? It hasn't? Ok, great, I don't want to read it.
The portrayal of a stay at home dad? Unkempt, self-loathing, saint level dad, vomit and drool all over the clothing all the time, taped together glasses, shoes from Target, but you shop at WHOLE FOODS and could afford FOUR surrogacies?
If your husband tries to shove your head down to get a blow job on the first date, 9 more dates isn't going to fix that.
This book started really pissing me off, you don't need to exaggerate the life of a stay at home parent. This book was written like it took place in the 70's.
Highlighted passages:
• He cannot begin to explain how done with everything he currently is, how this was manageable until suddenly it is so very not. How every Billboard 100 love song is entirely incorrect and love is not forever, not selfless and altruistic but agonizingly selfish.
• Dante gathers his laptop case, his phone and his keys, he takes his coat from passenger seat and runs his fingers through his hair. Then, he crosses the front lawn, up the steps to the porch and considers his reflection in the window by the front door. He is as handsome as he ever was.
• By this time tomorrow, Reuben will remember that it’s super unlikely he’s going to do any better than Dante. Not without a gym membership.
• “You don’t even want a husband, do you? You want a vacuum cleaner with a blowjob attachment.”“I mean,” says Dante, asinine, grinning like all of this is hilarious. “Like — technically speaking — I think they already have one of those.”
• Now Dante is shouting too, “I’m their goddamn father, of course they know me—”“You contributed your DNA and called it quits, that doesn’t count.”“Yeah well, at least now they have a shot at making something of themselves. Imagine if you were their biological father. Poor Avery, she doesn’t stand a chance!”
• Of course, Dante married him. That’s what you do when you catch a butterfly so rare, you choke it up with formaldehyde and you pin it to a corkboard and you hide it away, somewhere only you know. Dante drove in every pin himself, framed Reuben up on the wall and admired him every single day.
• Until he stopped. Until the butterfly in the box case was no longer exotic and beautiful and rare and was just a thing on the wall, part of the landscape of Dante’s domesticity, held in place by pins the same shape as the kids they shared. Until Dante stopped admiring, stopped being amazed, stopped caring.
• They both fall silent. Dante’s holds the kind of self-righteous indignation reserved for the mortally offended. He’s like a Justin Bieber song transposed into a phone call: whiny, self-absorbed, confused about the basic principles of moral obligation.
• Reuben has been trying so hard to hold everything together. He’s been suspended, the mosquito in amber. He’s filled with something dangerous and dark just waiting for the wrong person to attempt to extract it.
• There’s an equation somewhere, he decides, some mixture of fractions and percentages that would allow him to calculate the square root of his raw fury and multiply it to the power of the way Dante used to make his insides feel like melting ice cream and come up with a mathematically viable solution that makes their marriage work.
• One wrong word will provide the spark that ignites the car and burns them both to the ground in a fiery ball of gasoline and antagonism.
Disappointed!
This one felt like it had so much potential for me. But the cliches and stereotypes, the exaggerated metaphorical writing on every page (I love descriptive writing, but it loses its luster when it's done over and over again.)
Also, FOUR kids, no problem, but if your husband shows zero fucking interest in the first one, why are you adding three more?
The fatphobic internal thoughts of the husband? Pass. There was a definite obsession with the MCs weight.
The period jokes? I honestly thought things like are you on the rag, or is it that time of the month, went out a while ago? It hasn't? Ok, great, I don't want to read it.
The portrayal of a stay at home dad? Unkempt, self-loathing, saint level dad, vomit and drool all over the clothing all the time, taped together glasses, shoes from Target, but you shop at WHOLE FOODS and could afford FOUR surrogacies?
If your husband tries to shove your head down to get a blow job on the first date, 9 more dates isn't going to fix that.
This book started really pissing me off, you don't need to exaggerate the life of a stay at home parent. This book was written like it took place in the 70's.
Highlighted passages:
• He cannot begin to explain how done with everything he currently is, how this was manageable until suddenly it is so very not. How every Billboard 100 love song is entirely incorrect and love is not forever, not selfless and altruistic but agonizingly selfish.
• Dante gathers his laptop case, his phone and his keys, he takes his coat from passenger seat and runs his fingers through his hair. Then, he crosses the front lawn, up the steps to the porch and considers his reflection in the window by the front door. He is as handsome as he ever was.
• By this time tomorrow, Reuben will remember that it’s super unlikely he’s going to do any better than Dante. Not without a gym membership.
• “You don’t even want a husband, do you? You want a vacuum cleaner with a blowjob attachment.”“I mean,” says Dante, asinine, grinning like all of this is hilarious. “Like — technically speaking — I think they already have one of those.”
• Now Dante is shouting too, “I’m their goddamn father, of course they know me—”“You contributed your DNA and called it quits, that doesn’t count.”“Yeah well, at least now they have a shot at making something of themselves. Imagine if you were their biological father. Poor Avery, she doesn’t stand a chance!”
• Of course, Dante married him. That’s what you do when you catch a butterfly so rare, you choke it up with formaldehyde and you pin it to a corkboard and you hide it away, somewhere only you know. Dante drove in every pin himself, framed Reuben up on the wall and admired him every single day.
• Until he stopped. Until the butterfly in the box case was no longer exotic and beautiful and rare and was just a thing on the wall, part of the landscape of Dante’s domesticity, held in place by pins the same shape as the kids they shared. Until Dante stopped admiring, stopped being amazed, stopped caring.
• They both fall silent. Dante’s holds the kind of self-righteous indignation reserved for the mortally offended. He’s like a Justin Bieber song transposed into a phone call: whiny, self-absorbed, confused about the basic principles of moral obligation.
• Reuben has been trying so hard to hold everything together. He’s been suspended, the mosquito in amber. He’s filled with something dangerous and dark just waiting for the wrong person to attempt to extract it.
• There’s an equation somewhere, he decides, some mixture of fractions and percentages that would allow him to calculate the square root of his raw fury and multiply it to the power of the way Dante used to make his insides feel like melting ice cream and come up with a mathematically viable solution that makes their marriage work.
• One wrong word will provide the spark that ignites the car and burns them both to the ground in a fiery ball of gasoline and antagonism.
Disappointed!
January 11, 2024
DNF
I cannot in good faith finish or recommend this book knowing the characters end up together. The way Dante acts is inexcusable and his internal thoughts are even worse. The way he treats his husband and his husband’s weight pisses me off. Dante went as far as to imply that his husband’s biological kid is ugly due to his husband’s genetics saying that at least 3/4 of the kids are pretty due since they come from Dante… WTF.
In addition I have great issue with how Dante is represented. Despite the cover showing two (seemingly) white men it is implied that Dante is black or mixed race (described at one point as having dreads in college and his looks are compared to Idris Elba). I have great issue with the author choosing to portray the absent father who doesn’t know his kids, who is demeaning (I would go as far as to say abusive) to his spouse, is sexist, a drunk, etc (the list goes on), as a black man. I don’t understand the thought behind this choice and it really strikes me the wrong way.
There are a serious lack of POC characters, especially main characters, in mm romance and to see one portrayed in this way emphasizes some deep issues in this genre as a whole.
I cannot in good faith finish or recommend this book knowing the characters end up together. The way Dante acts is inexcusable and his internal thoughts are even worse. The way he treats his husband and his husband’s weight pisses me off. Dante went as far as to imply that his husband’s biological kid is ugly due to his husband’s genetics saying that at least 3/4 of the kids are pretty due since they come from Dante… WTF.
In addition I have great issue with how Dante is represented. Despite the cover showing two (seemingly) white men it is implied that Dante is black or mixed race (described at one point as having dreads in college and his looks are compared to Idris Elba). I have great issue with the author choosing to portray the absent father who doesn’t know his kids, who is demeaning (I would go as far as to say abusive) to his spouse, is sexist, a drunk, etc (the list goes on), as a black man. I don’t understand the thought behind this choice and it really strikes me the wrong way.
There are a serious lack of POC characters, especially main characters, in mm romance and to see one portrayed in this way emphasizes some deep issues in this genre as a whole.
April 7, 2022
I kept seeing this get recommended so, I got my hopes up and gave it a shot.
At first, I was really enjoying it. Reuben was trying to stand up for himself, Dante was acting like a proper jerk. So I was looking forward to some good groveling.
However, Dante very quickly reached a point of no return. He was so out of line, it was despicable. There was no way he could redeem himself in my opinion because that's how terrible he was to Reuben. It wasn't a case of saying something mean in the heat of the moment. That's just actually he who was.
Reuben was too forgiving and deserved someone much much better.
IDK why people were praising this so much. This book should've ended in divorce. It is not a second chance romance. Also, I love how the cover looks nothing like the characters described. 😑
At first, I was really enjoying it. Reuben was trying to stand up for himself, Dante was acting like a proper jerk. So I was looking forward to some good groveling.
However, Dante very quickly reached a point of no return. He was so out of line, it was despicable. There was no way he could redeem himself in my opinion because that's how terrible he was to Reuben. It wasn't a case of saying something mean in the heat of the moment. That's just actually he who was.
Reuben was too forgiving and deserved someone much much better.
IDK why people were praising this so much. This book should've ended in divorce. It is not a second chance romance. Also, I love how the cover looks nothing like the characters described. 😑
December 3, 2022
I appreciated the depth and humanity of this book. I read this when it first came out and have read it again. It is a memorable story with which many spouses and parents can identify.
It is honestly written and tells an excellent story with very good characters.
It is honestly written and tells an excellent story with very good characters.
October 20, 2022
3.5 stars
Reuben is a stay at home dad to his and Dante's 4 young kids. They've been married for 12 years, together for 18. He's depressed, he feels like he's drowning, alone in his marriage and has finally had enough and asked for divorce. As a last ditch effort, Dante asks him to give him 10 dates to prove his willing to make a change and save their marriage.
I have mixed emotions about this one. As a stay at home mom I could sympathize with Reuben but I wanted to give Dante the benefit of doubt. However, right away his POV just proves what a selfish , self-absorbed , shitty person he is. It honestly takes half the book for him to pull his head out of his own ass. He's the definition of both a shitty husband and shitty father. God, thee way he has completely taken Reuben for granted and broken down his self esteem and made him feel bad about the weight he's gained is just horrible. Yet no matter how much I hated Dante I couldn't stop reading, it was a train wreck that I was gladly watching go up in flames. Then at some point he actually manages personal growth and begins to realize the good he has at home and actually tries. In the end, I definitely thought he redeemed himself.
P.S. what the hell is up with that cover. Whitewash much. They are literally a mixed race couple, Dante has dreads and he even faces an encounter where someone thinks he stole his youngest daughter because she's fair skinned. Why not embrace the couple's diversity on the book's cover.
TW: homophobia, racism, fat phobia
Reuben is a stay at home dad to his and Dante's 4 young kids. They've been married for 12 years, together for 18. He's depressed, he feels like he's drowning, alone in his marriage and has finally had enough and asked for divorce. As a last ditch effort, Dante asks him to give him 10 dates to prove his willing to make a change and save their marriage.
I have mixed emotions about this one. As a stay at home mom I could sympathize with Reuben but I wanted to give Dante the benefit of doubt. However, right away his POV just proves what a selfish , self-absorbed , shitty person he is. It honestly takes half the book for him to pull his head out of his own ass. He's the definition of both a shitty husband and shitty father. God, thee way he has completely taken Reuben for granted and broken down his self esteem and made him feel bad about the weight he's gained is just horrible. Yet no matter how much I hated Dante I couldn't stop reading, it was a train wreck that I was gladly watching go up in flames. Then at some point he actually manages personal growth and begins to realize the good he has at home and actually tries. In the end, I definitely thought he redeemed himself.
P.S. what the hell is up with that cover. Whitewash much. They are literally a mixed race couple, Dante has dreads and he even faces an encounter where someone thinks he stole his youngest daughter because she's fair skinned. Why not embrace the couple's diversity on the book's cover.
TW: homophobia, racism, fat phobia
October 10, 2021
There were a lot of emotional parts that were very well done in this book, which I believe was its biggest strength, but it fell short of my expectations in other areas. While I love second chance romances, I had a hard time finding Dante redeemable. He was ashamed of his husband and of being gay, to the point of buying tampons just so some random store clerk would think he had a wife (and the internalized homophobia was never really addressed), he neglected his kids for years, and the way he thought about his husband was sometimes so spiteful that I just couldn't see how anyone could move past all that. I didn't love Reuben either, and at some points I wasn't even sure I wanted them to be together.
Unfortunately I think this was a case of me setting my expectations too high for a book that wasn't a good fit for me. I'm not usually a fan of books centered around kids, which was a big part of this book.
Unfortunately I think this was a case of me setting my expectations too high for a book that wasn't a good fit for me. I'm not usually a fan of books centered around kids, which was a big part of this book.
June 13, 2025
4.5 🌟
Angsty and emotional marriage in trouble story. Dante is trash in the beginning and I was wishing Reuben would leave his ass! He does turn things around and the new connection they build is so sweet and satisfying. I found it hard to get over the horrible thoughts and comments he made about Reuben in the beginning. A leopard doesn’t just change its spots, but this is fiction so I’ll let it go
Angsty and emotional marriage in trouble story. Dante is trash in the beginning and I was wishing Reuben would leave his ass! He does turn things around and the new connection they build is so sweet and satisfying. I found it hard to get over the horrible thoughts and comments he made about Reuben in the beginning. A leopard doesn’t just change its spots, but this is fiction so I’ll let it go
March 2, 2021
Wow. This was great. I mean, I’m on the fence with Dante (because dude was a huge dick), but I loved reading about the breakdown and rebuilding of a relationship.
July 16, 2024
Absolutely loved it. The first half I wanted to strangle Dante Ang hug Rueben, the second part got me all in the feels.
March 4, 2022
Wonderful!
I really enjoyed this book, I really felt for Ruben and could sympathize. Dante was just annoying enough and blinded by his ego that his redemption was realistically done. The kids were cute, the oldest daughter as a slight bit annoying but most kids that age are, so again .. realistic lol
It is paced very well where you don't get too much of any one thing where the plot becomes stale or stuck. So far have enjoyed both books in this series! Would recommend!
I really enjoyed this book, I really felt for Ruben and could sympathize. Dante was just annoying enough and blinded by his ego that his redemption was realistically done. The kids were cute, the oldest daughter as a slight bit annoying but most kids that age are, so again .. realistic lol
It is paced very well where you don't get too much of any one thing where the plot becomes stale or stuck. So far have enjoyed both books in this series! Would recommend!
October 15, 2023
yeah, no!
October 4, 2024
Yeah I don't think I can get past what a completely insufferable shitheel Dante was.
October 28, 2021
Enjoyed this book immensley. There were times I wanted to throttle Dante at the beginning and times I wanted to shake Rueben in the middle, but it turns out super sweet.
December 27, 2022
I am giving this story one star because of a very weird writing aspect that annoyed me to no end. The author is allergic to using positive adjectives to describe anything. Everything sucks, from a pair of jeans to the whole concept of fatherhood. It was so very annoying and exhausting to read, and even though I liked the concept, this problem totally dampened my enjoyment.
If you want to write a story about a concept such as parenthood, you can't focus only on the negative aspects. Of course children can be messy, loud, and inconvenient, but they can also be wonderful, which is literally the reason why people want to have kids. If you only show me the negative aspects, it will quickly become a living hell.
If you want to write a story about a concept such as parenthood, you can't focus only on the negative aspects. Of course children can be messy, loud, and inconvenient, but they can also be wonderful, which is literally the reason why people want to have kids. If you only show me the negative aspects, it will quickly become a living hell.
April 29, 2022
Solid 4.5!
Wanted to read this ages ago and it wasn't on KU but now it is and it's worth a read 😍
So few books focus on the long-term post HEA and this was great.
Dante's redemption arc is huge but believable
great writing that draws you in from start to finish :)
Wanted to read this ages ago and it wasn't on KU but now it is and it's worth a read 😍
So few books focus on the long-term post HEA and this was great.
Dante's redemption arc is huge but believable
great writing that draws you in from start to finish :)
March 3, 2025
Dante: 38, journalist, works out of the home, uninvolved dad of 4, checked out of his marriage. Goes to work, goes the bar after work, sometimes goes to the gym, then goes home to sleep. He's Black. (The cover isn't really accurate, because Dante is definitely a Black man with locs with an undercut.)
Rueben 38, SAHD of 4, or I guess a WAHD because he runs a parenting blog. He's living the "married single dad" lifestyle. He's white. No time for the gym, and he eats his emotions. So he's become a bear as he approaches 40. He's very insecure because Dante is so insanely good looking.
They met in college, and Dante just fell in love. Rueben was a bit of a grumpy nerd, and Dante had to win him over. They got married. 12 years ago, Dante suggested having kids via surrogate, which they did. Dante is the bio father of 3 of the kids. The youngest one, 10 month old Avery, is biologically Rueben's. (So Avery is their only white child, the rest are mixed race.)
The problem is, Dante is a man-child. He went from his mom taking care of him, to Rueben taking care of him. He wanted kids like a toddler wants a puppy (with no concept of responsibility, just the intense feeling that you WANT it, but you expect the adult to take care of it.)
So, Dante checked out of his husband/father role 5 years ago when he fathered his last bio child.
6 months ago, Rueben found an unopened box of condoms in the suitcase Dante uses for work trips. He checks it occasionally to see if the box is ever opened or a new box is ever bought. It hasn't been. The same unopened box is still in there. He never confronts Dante about it. (Which, honestly, I understood because when your marriage is already dead and you're just trying to raise your kids, you kinda don't care.)
One day, Rueben is at the grocery store with all 4 kids. Dante calls him to tell him the washing machine is broken. It's not broken, Dante just doesn't know how to use it and wants Rueben to do laundry for him. The resulting argument becomes the last straw. Rueben tells Dante to move out.
So, Dante has been having some really negative thoughts about Rueben for a while now. All Rueben does is sit on the couch all day and spends Dante's salary (he doesn't understand the hard work of taking care of a baby who needs 24 hour care and supervision), Rueben is lazy and should stop eating so much, go to the gym, Rueben can't do any better than Dante so he's not really going to get a divorce, on and on and on.
When they separate, Dante just thinks it's temporary and performative, and he gets irritated that Rueben won't make the "reconciliation nonsense" easier.
Eventually, as he spends time alone in his childhood bedroom at his mom's house, Dante starts to get that he is the problem. He's a shitty husband and a shitty father. He comes up with this idea of taking Rueben on 10 dates to spend time together and rekindle their relationship. At first, he's really bad at it and the dates go horrible. But as time passes, as they spend more time together and as Dante spends more time with the kids, things improve.
It's really a character arch for Dante to mature and actually become a family man after having 4 kids.
It's written in 3rd person present POV, which was strange at first, but it makes everything happen in real time, in the moment, so it worked really well.
There's an explanation for the condoms in the suitcase. So it's really just perceived cheating, not actual cheating.
Kind of low spice, or mid level, they do oral and stuff, but no penetration till the end, IIRC.
Rueben 38, SAHD of 4, or I guess a WAHD because he runs a parenting blog. He's living the "married single dad" lifestyle. He's white. No time for the gym, and he eats his emotions. So he's become a bear as he approaches 40. He's very insecure because Dante is so insanely good looking.
They met in college, and Dante just fell in love. Rueben was a bit of a grumpy nerd, and Dante had to win him over. They got married. 12 years ago, Dante suggested having kids via surrogate, which they did. Dante is the bio father of 3 of the kids. The youngest one, 10 month old Avery, is biologically Rueben's. (So Avery is their only white child, the rest are mixed race.)
The problem is, Dante is a man-child. He went from his mom taking care of him, to Rueben taking care of him. He wanted kids like a toddler wants a puppy (with no concept of responsibility, just the intense feeling that you WANT it, but you expect the adult to take care of it.)
So, Dante checked out of his husband/father role 5 years ago when he fathered his last bio child.
6 months ago, Rueben found an unopened box of condoms in the suitcase Dante uses for work trips. He checks it occasionally to see if the box is ever opened or a new box is ever bought. It hasn't been. The same unopened box is still in there. He never confronts Dante about it. (Which, honestly, I understood because when your marriage is already dead and you're just trying to raise your kids, you kinda don't care.)
One day, Rueben is at the grocery store with all 4 kids. Dante calls him to tell him the washing machine is broken. It's not broken, Dante just doesn't know how to use it and wants Rueben to do laundry for him. The resulting argument becomes the last straw. Rueben tells Dante to move out.
So, Dante has been having some really negative thoughts about Rueben for a while now. All Rueben does is sit on the couch all day and spends Dante's salary (he doesn't understand the hard work of taking care of a baby who needs 24 hour care and supervision), Rueben is lazy and should stop eating so much, go to the gym, Rueben can't do any better than Dante so he's not really going to get a divorce, on and on and on.
When they separate, Dante just thinks it's temporary and performative, and he gets irritated that Rueben won't make the "reconciliation nonsense" easier.
Eventually, as he spends time alone in his childhood bedroom at his mom's house, Dante starts to get that he is the problem. He's a shitty husband and a shitty father. He comes up with this idea of taking Rueben on 10 dates to spend time together and rekindle their relationship. At first, he's really bad at it and the dates go horrible. But as time passes, as they spend more time together and as Dante spends more time with the kids, things improve.
It's really a character arch for Dante to mature and actually become a family man after having 4 kids.
It's written in 3rd person present POV, which was strange at first, but it makes everything happen in real time, in the moment, so it worked really well.
There's an explanation for the condoms in the suitcase. So it's really just perceived cheating, not actual cheating.
Kind of low spice, or mid level, they do oral and stuff, but no penetration till the end, IIRC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2024
first off, the writing style was very well done. the characters felt REAL, rather than just names on paper like some mm books
the problems I had in the book were concerning Dante (which isn't much of a surprise but I digress). The way he spoke about Reuben initially at work was such a red flag- who cares if it's for jokes! That's literally your HUSBAND!!
also the whole thing with the blowjob vacuum?? got swept under the rug so quick like can we address that? so fucking disrespectful to talk about your partner that way.
I get that Dante ended up trying in the end to actively become a good husband and father, but I feel like his actions were forgiven too easily and ik that they have 10 long dates, but I don't even remember there being a formal apology (I may be wrong I genuinely just don't remember one)
tbh I think some parts really just pissed me off bc it reminded me of my own dad, how he still comes home but is basically absent in our lives and doesn't regard the work my mum does as real 'work' (okay vent over 😂😂)
genuinely this was pretty well written I won't lie, but I felt like Dante could've done more and I freaking hated the way he acted as if none of it was his fault. now these are my personal gripes with Dante's character- but that doesn't mean he isn't well written!! he's written as a shit husband and father and the author does that well
my only problem with the book tbh is some of the development of characters and whilst the book was supposed to be about BOTH Dante and Reuben, I feel like Reuben's character fell short at times.
also referring to another review I read and agree with- why have more kids if you clearly aren't ready?? Dante joking about adopting another was not funny whatsoever like sir??
was a little sad to see that Reuben hardly has a life outside being a parent 💔 because it definitely mirrors what I've seen in my own life.
all in all- 4.25 ⭐
the problems I had in the book were concerning Dante (which isn't much of a surprise but I digress). The way he spoke about Reuben initially at work was such a red flag- who cares if it's for jokes! That's literally your HUSBAND!!
also the whole thing with the blowjob vacuum?? got swept under the rug so quick like can we address that? so fucking disrespectful to talk about your partner that way.
I get that Dante ended up trying in the end to actively become a good husband and father, but I feel like his actions were forgiven too easily and ik that they have 10 long dates, but I don't even remember there being a formal apology (I may be wrong I genuinely just don't remember one)
tbh I think some parts really just pissed me off bc it reminded me of my own dad, how he still comes home but is basically absent in our lives and doesn't regard the work my mum does as real 'work' (okay vent over 😂😂)
genuinely this was pretty well written I won't lie, but I felt like Dante could've done more and I freaking hated the way he acted as if none of it was his fault. now these are my personal gripes with Dante's character- but that doesn't mean he isn't well written!! he's written as a shit husband and father and the author does that well
my only problem with the book tbh is some of the development of characters and whilst the book was supposed to be about BOTH Dante and Reuben, I feel like Reuben's character fell short at times.
also referring to another review I read and agree with- why have more kids if you clearly aren't ready?? Dante joking about adopting another was not funny whatsoever like sir??
was a little sad to see that Reuben hardly has a life outside being a parent 💔 because it definitely mirrors what I've seen in my own life.
all in all- 4.25 ⭐
October 11, 2022
Lovely 2nd chance romance
This was just a lovely second chance romance and I’m really glad that I stuck with it.
Two things at the beginning, for some reason the writing felt very dry and stilted to me, adding to that , Dante was just an absolute jerk.
I really didn’t think that there was a story arc and character development that could redeem him but as the story moved along it was a wonderful journey, if a tad unbelievable for Dante to have a complete personality makeover. But I’m a sucker for established couple angst stories.
Dante and Reuben have been married for a long time and their marriage has grown stale and they have grown apart with four kids, young kids they don’t have much meaningful conversation. Reuben is a SAHD who has become kind of a door mat, and Dante a never home, nearly alcoholic absent breadwinner.
And after I got used to the authors writing style I really loved the kids in the story, she wrote the kids very sweetly.
It was nice to read a romance about an established couple who really worked and made an effort to renew their relationship.
Four stars great story.
This was just a lovely second chance romance and I’m really glad that I stuck with it.
Two things at the beginning, for some reason the writing felt very dry and stilted to me, adding to that , Dante was just an absolute jerk.
I really didn’t think that there was a story arc and character development that could redeem him but as the story moved along it was a wonderful journey, if a tad unbelievable for Dante to have a complete personality makeover. But I’m a sucker for established couple angst stories.
Dante and Reuben have been married for a long time and their marriage has grown stale and they have grown apart with four kids, young kids they don’t have much meaningful conversation. Reuben is a SAHD who has become kind of a door mat, and Dante a never home, nearly alcoholic absent breadwinner.
And after I got used to the authors writing style I really loved the kids in the story, she wrote the kids very sweetly.
It was nice to read a romance about an established couple who really worked and made an effort to renew their relationship.
Four stars great story.
September 30, 2025
Singlehandedly instilled a fear of marriage in me.
The (Bad) Husband's Handbook is almost perfect. This is the very first book I've read in quite a while, and while it did not disappoint, I can't help but point out the bad.
I, personally, am a firm believer that Dante hasn't suffered enough. Is Reuben a pushover? No. But Dante is a real charmer because if I was in Reuben's shoes? Oh, I'm taking the kids and leaving.
There are also some times when the conversation is getting serious. The build up is there, and then, suddenly, it becomes humorous. Maybe it's a personal preference but when it's drama, as much as possible, I'd like it to continue being that: drama.
Now, for the good. I love Reuben. I see myself in him. I feel for him. I'm also very insecure about my body and Dante doing a bad job at reassuring Reuben did not sit right with me. But in the end, he ended up changing for good, and I guess that's all that matters.
Is it perfect? No. But definitely the best read of 2025 for me.
The (Bad) Husband's Handbook is almost perfect. This is the very first book I've read in quite a while, and while it did not disappoint, I can't help but point out the bad.
I, personally, am a firm believer that Dante hasn't suffered enough. Is Reuben a pushover? No. But Dante is a real charmer because if I was in Reuben's shoes? Oh, I'm taking the kids and leaving.
There are also some times when the conversation is getting serious. The build up is there, and then, suddenly, it becomes humorous. Maybe it's a personal preference but when it's drama, as much as possible, I'd like it to continue being that: drama.
Now, for the good. I love Reuben. I see myself in him. I feel for him. I'm also very insecure about my body and Dante doing a bad job at reassuring Reuben did not sit right with me. But in the end, he ended up changing for good, and I guess that's all that matters.
Is it perfect? No. But definitely the best read of 2025 for me.
October 20, 2021
Is this a perfect book? No.
There are a couple problems with this book. I overlooked them because the story and the characters were so real.
I didn't like the dialogue much. It was a mix of valley girl and dude bro.
Through a lot of the book, Reuben was written as a female and Dante a male.
Dante and his internalized homophobia was infuriating!
I gave 5 stars though. This story is a familiar one to a lot of people and it doesn't get written much. Two men on the brink of divorce fall back in love.
It's emotional. It's humorous at times. It's real. We all know people just like these characters in real life. A lot of us have been these characters.
There are a couple problems with this book. I overlooked them because the story and the characters were so real.
I didn't like the dialogue much. It was a mix of valley girl and dude bro.
Through a lot of the book, Reuben was written as a female and Dante a male.
Dante and his internalized homophobia was infuriating!
I gave 5 stars though. This story is a familiar one to a lot of people and it doesn't get written much. Two men on the brink of divorce fall back in love.
It's emotional. It's humorous at times. It's real. We all know people just like these characters in real life. A lot of us have been these characters.
October 16, 2023
4.5 a nice surprise I didn't expect
Well this was one of the best surpises I've had in the past weeks, I love books where couples don't get back together inmediatly (I hate those stories, even more when they fall in bed in like a day), and Dante was such a stupid man that I didn't expect to grow fond of him but well color me surprised, I ended up loving him as much as Reuben. I liked the groveling, the way Dante worked his ass to get his family back. the way he kept adoring Reuben so much (even more than Reuben himself), how he pushed him and keep saying how gorgeus he was, and how he become a better father and spouse.
I'm probably getting back to this book later this year
Well this was one of the best surpises I've had in the past weeks, I love books where couples don't get back together inmediatly (I hate those stories, even more when they fall in bed in like a day), and Dante was such a stupid man that I didn't expect to grow fond of him but well color me surprised, I ended up loving him as much as Reuben. I liked the groveling, the way Dante worked his ass to get his family back. the way he kept adoring Reuben so much (even more than Reuben himself), how he pushed him and keep saying how gorgeus he was, and how he become a better father and spouse.
I'm probably getting back to this book later this year
February 1, 2025
I made it 41 pages in, which is not a lot but I cannot stomach any more of this.
The blurb makes it seem like a stay at home dad and a working dad both have it hard and they need to come together. That is NOT what this is. It's a stay at home dad being shit on constantly with absolutely no support or affection while a working dad pretends he has it tough, but spends most of his time making terrible jokes (on your period type jokes) and thinking poorly of his husband. I mean...I guess it can take some work to have no redeeming qualities.
Hopefully he changes towards the end of this book, but really I'd only want to read it if Dante died and fucked off to hell.
The blurb makes it seem like a stay at home dad and a working dad both have it hard and they need to come together. That is NOT what this is. It's a stay at home dad being shit on constantly with absolutely no support or affection while a working dad pretends he has it tough, but spends most of his time making terrible jokes (on your period type jokes) and thinking poorly of his husband. I mean...I guess it can take some work to have no redeeming qualities.
Hopefully he changes towards the end of this book, but really I'd only want to read it if Dante died and fucked off to hell.
August 4, 2025
I loved this series because whilst it was heartbreaking at times, the characters were all beautiful messy humans. A lot of the time, even with angst, romance characters and their actions are quite polished and precise (and this is still enjoyable to read) but I love how the author made these characters seem so human. I won't lie I was ready to throw my kindle out the window with Dante, his head was soo far up his own backside even after his 'redemption arc' started, but I'm so glad he started treating Reuben the way he deserves.
February 16, 2024
I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
I don't always love marriage-in-crisis stories. I haven't actually read that many of them, but the ones I have read have been pretty middling. And this one wasn't perfect; Dante was a caricature for the first third of the book, for example. But something about it was compelling and charming, and by the end I was really rooting for Dante and Reuben. Plus, the kids weren't annoying, which is kind of rare.
I don't always love marriage-in-crisis stories. I haven't actually read that many of them, but the ones I have read have been pretty middling. And this one wasn't perfect; Dante was a caricature for the first third of the book, for example. But something about it was compelling and charming, and by the end I was really rooting for Dante and Reuben. Plus, the kids weren't annoying, which is kind of rare.
January 20, 2024
Hilarious and touching what a great combination
This book is so well written with the most amazing characters, the banter is hilarious, specially the kids! I never hated a character as much as I hated Dante at the beginning of this book but the fact that I loved him by the end is a testament to the fantastic story telling. Chef's kiss!!!
This book is so well written with the most amazing characters, the banter is hilarious, specially the kids! I never hated a character as much as I hated Dante at the beginning of this book but the fact that I loved him by the end is a testament to the fantastic story telling. Chef's kiss!!!
March 16, 2024
This book is SO good. I love books that are about the nitty gritty of long term relationships and staying in love, working through problems. And this is SO good!
The book does refer to babywearing as using a “papoose” which is very insensitive but otherwise the book is good.
I HATED Dante at first and didn’t think the author would be able to turn it around, but she did!
The book does refer to babywearing as using a “papoose” which is very insensitive but otherwise the book is good.
I HATED Dante at first and didn’t think the author would be able to turn it around, but she did!
January 8, 2025
One day I was looking for a angsty, marriage in trouble type of book and this was recommended to me. The writing was great and I felt immediately immersed to the story. I wasn't sure how the marriage could me saved, because Dante was an ass. Slowly but surely though everything started take shape until finally they got their happy ending (or better, new begining).
September 28, 2025
That was extremely realistic and it touches a lot of subjects! I really enjoyed the book and the redemption and growth of both characters. Unfortunately, I still couldn’t forgive the MMC for all the things he said and done and my dislike for him till almost half of the book didn’t came close to how much I liked him as a person after he realises what he’s done.
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