Wanted: Gentle Daddy

Love on Tap: Fragile Hearts #1

by Sammi Cee

All I want is a soft and steady hand to guide me.

My body has been broken for as long as I can remember, and with the death of my granny, now my heart is, too. Did I mention that I also managed to lose my dream job on top of everything else?

When my only real friend secures a position for me waiting tables at The Tap Tavern, I don’t really expect it to work out. Nothing else has. But it ends up coming with an unexpected perk, a group of boys who seem to really accept me. Which would be pretty cool if they hadn’t decided that I should be the guinea pig for their new scheme to find us each the perfect Daddy.

When Tucker responds to the wanted sign to be my Daddy, my heart stops. He doesn’t realize he knows me—that I was the virtual assistant who disappeared—but I’ve been lusting after him from the other side of the computer screen for years now. How can I not? He’s sexy, confident, and he makes things happen with a finesse that makes my mouth water.

I would love nothing more than to be his boy, but I’m too awkward, my issues have issues, and eventually, he’ll figure out I’ve already let him down in a spectacular way.

Will Daddy Tucker’s gentle touch and soothing presence reassure Joey that he can trust him with all his pain, or will his fear of being broken beyond repair keep him from letting down all his walls?

Welcome to The Tap Tavern where this chosen family of boys are braver than they think, and their Daddies are ready to be what they want and so much more.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, BDSM, Contemporary, Audiobook, Disability, Gay

189 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

Sammi Cee was raised in a family of readers. Summer vacations consisted of a good book while sitting lakeside from as far back as she could remember. After growing up and having her own children, her appreciation of how the written word could transport you on an adventure, bring you to tears, or give you hope, took on a whole new meaning.

These days Sammi is watching her children develop into fine young ladies while doing the things she enjoys most: drinking coffee, eating chocolate, and writing her own stories.

Reviews

[Drusilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

So sweeeet, hurt-comfort with daddy-kink.
The build up is a bit lengthy, I would have liked a bit more time between Joey and Tucker, but the road to their “first” meeting took up quite a bit of space. I guess it's the balance that I'm missing.
Other than that cutie pie and Daddy are so adorable together and the few glimpses we get into their sex life are delicious and surprising. I could have used more of the intimate and romantic moments.

Holy Gawd. I’d felt them and seen them in that tight Henley, but that was nothing compared to seeing his six-pack abs and his rock-solid pecs. “Do you have another life as a competitive bodybuilder or something, Daddy?” 🤭

“Joseph, Joey, my cutie pie. I’ve been in love with you since you set your phone on the bathroom counter and yelled, I’m peeing, Daddy. There hasn’t been a moment that’s passed since then that every thought of my future isn’t tied up in you and making you happy.” 🥰🤭🥰

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey esta sufriendo de depresion despues de la muerte de su abuela, la unica persona que realmente lo queria y lo apoyaba en todo, por su depresion ha vuelto a caer en el hospital y perdio su empleo de asistente personal en linea. Pero gracias a su amigo Cameron, ahora tiene un trabajo como camerero en el Bar Tap, donde todos son como una gran familia y lo ayudan y apoyan en casi todo. Y cuando uno de sus amigos decide que es hora de conseguirle un Daddy, que lo quiera, cuide y respete, se les ocurre la idea de poner un aviso en la cartelera del Bar. El problema es que la unica persona que responde que realmente puede ser su Dady (segun sus amigos) es su ex-jefe, del que tiene un enamoramiento desde que lo vio la primera vez. Sera posible que de verdad quiera ser su Daddy?
Tucker comenzo en este estilo de vida como un Boy, pero poco a poco ambos su Daddy y el se dieron cuenta que su vida seria mejor si pudiera tener un Boy a quien cuidar.Y desde entonces ha estado buscando a alguien a quien cuidar y proteger, y lo mas cerca que llego es con su ex-Asistente en linea Joseph, quien desaparecio despues de la muerte de su abuela. Pero cansado de estar solo, decide darle una oportunidad a un aviso que hay en la cartelera de su Bar favorito, y cual es la sorpresa de que el joven que esta buscando al Daddy no es mas que su ex-Asistente. Pero ahora tendra que demostrarle que realmente quiere tener una relacion con el, que es cierto que quiere cuidarlo y protegerlo.
Joey y Tucker tienen la mitad del camino recorrido, ahora solo tienen que aceptar que realmente son el uno para el otro, y que su relacion puede ser lo mas real que han tenido en su vida.

Dulce, romantico, sin drama, es un libro tranquilo de leer que te llena de corazoncitos y suspiros, no tiene mucho de nada, los personajes son bastante sencillos, el universo muy tranquilo, pero es un libro de esos que tienes que leer cuando lo que queires es descansar la mente y creer en el destino y el amor puro y verdadero.
En fin, la serie promete, asi que continuare leyendola, y si todos los libros de este autor son de este estilo, seguro mas adelante en el ano lea otra serie de el.

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book safety, tropes and tags down below.

This was a perfectly enjoyable and sugar sweet daddy/boy story. I enjoyed the chronic illness representation (I’m a member of that particular club myself), and it was done well. It’s the perfect sort of easy-to-digest book. Low angst and cute.

Book safety

Cheating: No
OM drama: No
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 1st person dual
Strict top/bottom or vers: They’re vers, but don’t switch on-page


TW/CW

Death of close family member, chronic illness, Crohn’s disease, hospitalization, child abandonment

Tropes & tags

Daddy/boy, boy-turned-daddy, age gap, boss/employee (secretly at first), found family, lonely MCs, daddy bottom

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey started out as Tucker’s virtual PA. He has Crones and needs to work behind the scenes, and he never let Tucker see him. He lived with his grandmother, but when she gets sick and died, he is left all alone and extremely lost. When he ends up in the hospital from a flare up of his Crones, he quits his job. Tucker is simply lost without Joey as his PA, but also as his friend. Joey always kept him on the right track. Needing to work, Joey takes a job at a tavern restaurant as a server, and there he meets a group of boys. Finally, he has people he can depend on to be there for him, understand him, and can call his friends.

I love the creative way that Joey and Tucker met. One of Joey's new friends made and posted a sign in the tavern that read "Wanted: Gentle Daddy": and gave contact information. Tucker saw it and the rest, as they say, was history.

I really enjoyed this story! The story contained very little angst, which I always like. I hate seeing my characters that I have grown to like to have to suffer through an entire book although I know that they usually get a happy ever after in the end. Overall, it's a fairly short, well written fun read. There are two more books in the series that I will be starting soon.

[JonathanSamuelReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda boring

[Xanthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey and Tucker make for a wonderful Daddy/Boy couple in this gentle romance. Joey's story starts off with a prologue that has some very sad moments in it and !dad's to him working as a server at The Tap, a local bad and grill, with his friend Cameron. He and the other servers come up with an idea for a wanted sign with the kind of daddy one of them is looking for. Excepting nothing to come of it, he's more than surprised to find Tucker, his ex boss who he had to leave when he had some personal things going on. Tucker, however, is more than happy to find out who Joey is and is excited to see what they can become going forward.
I think there's an element of hurt/comfort here as well as the daddy romance and it adds a little something more to the story. Joey lives with Crohns disease and it's good reading a character with a health condition that impacts their daily life, physicians mentally, and then seeing how a possible partner deals with that. It's not just sexuality that needs to have diversity in writing.
I really enjoyed the development of their relationship, how caring and easy going Tucker is towards Joey except for when it comes to his well-being, then he's quite strict. There are lot of friends here that are so supportive even though to start with both think they don't have that many. They're quite the eclectic bunch but it sounds like the series will be fun to read from the young men we've met so far who are just waiting to find their own daddy. My heart also specifically went out to Joey regarding the relationship he has with his grandmother, that hit a personal note and was written very well.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.

[JenCW · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars!

This story was super sweet; I really enjoyed reading it. I could understand why Joey felt that he needed to not return Tucker's messages about his job after the loss of his grandmother, and how he felt about his health. In a way, I'm glad that Joey took the job at The Tap Tavern so that he not only found new friends, but allowed him to get to know Tucker outside of their original professional setting. I was glad that Tucker was on board with taking care of Joey and learning all that he could Joey's condition.

Joey and Tucker were perfect together. I'm glad that Tucker was patient and proved to Joey that he would stick around and be there for him no matter what. I was even happier that Joey realized that he had friends all around him and accepted the friendships of those important to Tucker as well.

I can't wait to see who is next for the community board. I really would love to know more about Levi.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was okay, though nothing remarkable. I liked all the characters well enough, but the constant 'cutie pie' stopped being cute about the 10th time Tucker called Joey that he called him cutie pie over 60 times in the book if I counted correctly. A lot of things Joey's father popping in toward the end after not seeing Joey for years, for one seemed to just be added for a little drama in an otherwise overly sweet story. And while I know Joey and Tucker had worked together virtually before Joey's grandmother died, I still feel that everything between them in the here and now happened way too fast.

I liked Joey's friends, and I'm sure I'll read the others in the series at some point. This one just didn't blow me away.

[Mia Phillips (currently in a book slump) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute fluffy book which unfortunately I found quite boring for the most part, however I’ve given it three stars as the characters are very likeable.

[Anna]

Former boy turned daddy and a boy with Crohn's disease find they way back to each other.

Joey and Tucker know each other, but Tucker doesn't know that. See Joey was Tucker's administrative assistant for his real estate company but it was a work from home position and Joey had his camera disabled so Tucker doesn't know what he looks like. All tucker knows is that Joey's mom died and after two weeks of bereavement leave Joey still didn't come back and ended up sending in a resignation.

Joey didn't quit because he wanted to quit, he ended up quitting because he felt so terrible that he got really sick after his grandmother died and ended up in the hospital which means that he missed his return to work date. Instead of telling Tucker about his disability he chose to just resign and move on

The two run into each other later at Joey's new job as a server at the Tap when Tucker see the sign for the wanted gentle daddy and is introduced to Joey and Joey has a minor freak out. I was really happy that this wasn't a case of they start a relationship and Tucker still doesn't know who Joey is because they laid all out on the line before they move forward with anything and that was really nice.

I feel like the disability representation was well done and considerately written in the story. It is own voices disability rep as the author notes in the beginning.

If I remember right there isn't too much of an age gap between the two beyond maybe 5 years? I do not care remember. Anyway I did really like this one there is a content warning for anxiety and panic attacks also death of a parent / grandparent. CW too for shitty biological parents.

[HarriReadsRoMMance · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Joey worked for Tucker as his virtual assistant but ghosted him after tragedy struck. Tucker answers a “Wanted” ad that Joey’s new friend and co-worker placed for him. Joey is a sweet young man who believes his health problems mean he’s not worthy of love, or the daddy he so desperately wants after feeling like a burden to friends, family and employers most of his life. He seems slow to trust anyone so at the same time we see him falling for Tucker, it is lovely to see him opening up more to the other young men who he works with at the tavern. Tucker is a sweet, “gentle” daddy desperately wanting a boy and to prove that he is the perfect daddy for Joey.

I enjoyed how Tucker discusses his ongoing journey with therapy and that it is presented healthily and not as something to be ashamed of. I also like the care Sammi takes when discussing Joey’s Crohn’s disease. It is a hidden disease that people have used to make him feel like a real burden from his father and teachers as a child, to employers in adulthood while it is actually quite a serious condition to suffer from. It is nice that they have a pre-existing friendship before things take a turn for the romantic. I do feel like the conflict that comes into the story near the end was completely unnecessary and the book would have been fine without it. This is a low angst, fluffy read that displays the strength and love of found family. If you’re looking for steamy then this book isn't it. I would consider it a slow burn as the don’t even have their first kiss until more than 50% of the way through the book. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Amos24601 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So incredibly sweet

This was such an adorable story. Joey and Tucker worked so well together.

Joey had so many obstacles working against him. He really just wants a daddy to help ease his burden and be comfortable with him. Tucker is looking for a boy to settle down with.

I loved that these two had a baseline friendship to start with, even if they didn’t know it. Once Joey actually decides to take a chance with Tucker, they absolutely blossom together. I loved how Joey’s medical issues were dealt with in a sensitive way and not just looked over. I loved that Tucker wasn’t a typical daddy and was 100% ready, willing and able to work with Joey’s preferences. They really were an excellent team together.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes and see all the boys we meet in this book find their perfect daddies.

*I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion.

[Molly Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

It's a great kickoff for the Love on Tap series. Joseph/Joey worked for Tucker until his mom passed, leading to events that made him choose to leave his job and start over. Tucker misses his assistant and doesn't understand why he left until they get their second chance. The servers of On Tap are a beautifully close set of boys who will do anything and everything for each other to find their perfect daddies, including putting out wanted signs. When Tucker and Joey get their chance at real life interaction, the beautiful foundation they had built when Joey was his assistant proves how well they work together.
Really enjoyed the slow pace of intimacy these two established prior to more. They went at a pace that was safe for Joey and his disease. Tucker showed him it's okay to let others carry the things that overwhelm you while showing what makes Joey such a strong man in other aspects of his life. A beautifully balanced story of love and support.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joey is Tucker’s virtual PA. He has Crones and needs to work behind the scenes. He lives with his Granny, but when she gets sick and dies, he is left alone and lost. When he ends up in the hospital from a flare up he quits his job. Tucker is lost without Joey as his PA, Joey kept him on track. Joey takes a job at a restaurant as a server, there he meets a group of boys and finally has friends. Joey and Tucker finally meet face to face. I really enjoyed this story! Loved the no angst! Overall, a great read. The story was really well written, the pacing flowed smoothly, highly recommend. I am voluntarily leaving a review form an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

MC with a chronic illness ( chrones disease)
Verse daddy who prefers to bottom
Daddy boy no age play
Mild steam

[Michelle Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the free prologue before reading this and enjoyed it enough to go on to this book; however, this book might be the last one I read in the series.

This is between a 2- and 3-star book for me; I know I will never read it again. To me, this book was almost exactly like the first book with just name changes for the MC's. Both books had damaged boys who never thought they could find love or a daddy, a sweet and gentle daddy looking for a full-time boy who immediately wants the boy to be his forever once they meet, and a quick turn around on the boys' trust issues with HEA following quickly.

It might just be me, but I felt like I was essentially reading the first book all over again with just minor changes. Not to mention that the daddies were just perfection, almost flawless in terms of what their boys needed. Perfection can get boring and that is how I found the second book.

If the third book in the series, coming out later in the summer, is on KU I might give it a try but if it also strikes me as a rerun of the two previous books, I will not give the author another chance.

[Bess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book was very sweet and cute. There was not much conflict, and what was there seemed to be crammed into the last 15%. My main reason for rounding down is that, while it was a cute and fast read, I don't really see myself returning to it in the future and the characters were not super memorable.

Those who don't like reading series will probably bristle at the number of characters introduced. It is definitely name overload. I know the author is doing so to set up future books (which I don't necessarily mind) but for some that might be a turn-off.

No diapers, no age play. Would not read if you have recently experienced a very close loss, as that is a key part of the book.

[Belinda Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great spinoff series

Ah, poor Joey. He has suffered so much throughout his life.
He sees himself as weak but in reality he's very strong.
I really enjoyed how his medical condition was conveyed throughout the story.
It was a focal point but it wasn't a complete information dump.
Tucker was the perfect Daddy for him because he truly made Joey shine and see his own inherent value.
They were so sweet together and the chemistry between them was scorching.
I absolutely loved the sense of found family between the boys.
I can't wait for more from this series and these sweet boys.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*** stars


Cute & sweet but 100% forgettable. Not going to continue this series, tho. The audio was fine but also nothing to write home about. Luckily it was short.

*************
Love on Tap

Book 1 - Wanted: Gentle Daddy - 3.0 stars
Book 2 - Wanted: Patient Daddy
Book 3 - Wanted: Understanding Daddy
Book 4 - Wanted: Tender Daddy
Book 5 - Wanted: Boss Daddy
Book 6 - Wanted: Doting Daddy
Book 7 - Wanted: Hot Daddy

[Brey (lil Sebastian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a sweet cute book. It was very light on the daddy kink and was more about caretaking versus the books that lean more towards punishment and more control. I really liked how Joey‘s Crohn’s disease was dealt with.

[moonydew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars…

Meh. Not too bad but it got kind of annoying at the end and there were too many characters to keep track of tbh. I also wanted more spice and bdsm and this just didn’t deliver (no age play btw)

1/5 on spice. 2/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears. Kinda meh

[Marika Schiavone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Jenny (In an HR fog with no return date 🥺) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute, sweet read. Definitely something to read if you want something simple. The boys seem to all have their own hang ups and trauma and their perfect Daddies come in to show them love. I like all the secondary characters and will dip back in when I’m in the mood.

[Jamie Lee Zonneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted: Gentle Daddy is the first book in the Love on Tap: Fragile Hearts series by Sammi Cee. This book is about Tucker and Joey. I really liked their story. It was sweet, sexy, full of feels and very well written.

[Penumbra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted: Gentle Daddy is the first book in the ‘Love on Tap: Fragile Hearts’ series. It stars Tucker, a real estate agent and Daddy, and Joey, his assistant and boy. This is told in first person from Tucker and Joey’s povs.

I don’t remember reading a book by this author before, and if this is their style of writing, I won’t be reading any in the future. The blurb is jumbled in regards to sequence of events, but it gives the basic plot so I won’t go over it again. I want to talk about the writing style for this story.

The plot was predictable, like the author had written down all the expected tropes and items that make up a Daddy/boy relationship, except none of it felt natural or flowed. It’s like the plot points were put in to tick off boxes that the author guessed readers would like. Right off the bat, the writing was an info dump with loads of monologue. I was so bored, I almost stopped reading, but decided to push my way through in case the writing improved. It did not. This book was told and not shown, so that I never felt pulled into the story or felt any interest in either Joey or Tucker. And the repetitive overuse of Tucker calling Joey, ‘cutie-pie’ was mind-numbing. The only good thing about this story, was the author made Tucker the Bossy, Bottom Daddy, and Joey the subby, top boy.

The relationship between Joey and Tucker felt forced, and I couldn’t believe in them as a couple. They didn’t act like a Daddy/boy relationship except for Joey calling Tucker ‘Daddy,’ and Tucker calling Joey, ‘cutie-pie,’ incessantly.

There are also numerous inconsistencies. One I disliked the most had to do with Tucker and him not knowing what he wanted. At one point, Joey responds in a sassy tone to Tucker, it wasn't anything mean. But Tucker thinks that he'll have to teach Joey not to sass at him. Later near the end, Joey is sassy again, and Tucker's attitude this time is that he loves Joey's sassy attitude and is glad that Joey is feeling comfortable enough to be his true self with him. So which one is it? If the author is going to write a Daddy, they should write a consistent Daddy, not a Daddy that sends conflicting messages that will only confuse his boy. This is what I mean by the author not knowing what a Daddy/boy relationship is like.

Wanted: Gentle Daddy is overflowing with info-dumping and internal monologue. The ticky boxes the author used to create the Tucker and Joey relationship and the plot were obvious, like the summation of all the Daddy/boy stories the author had read without the understanding or emotional depth. There are many other better written Daddy/boy books out there. Just not this one. I don’t recommend this book. I give this, 2 Stars.

[Myeshia Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because I enjoyed the prequel and I liked Tucker and Joey, but it was meh for me. So much felt disjointed or disconnected and at times it was hard for me to believe the chemistry between the main characters. The characters themselves were wonderful, but their story didn't really come together for me. It wasn't a bad story and I liked it just fine, it just felt like something was missing.

[Rainbow Reads and Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few chapters of this book were really hard to read. I had a very similar experience to Joey and his grandmother. If you are someone who struggles with grief, you may want to skip the first couple of chapters and be aware that Joey's grief is a somewhat prominent theme throughout the book.

I loved the prequel to this novel and I'm so glad that this one didn't disappoint. Both characters were very well written and I loved the tie in to the Takoda series.

It's not often that an author will take on a character that deals with a chronic illness and I think Sammi did a wonderful job handling the realities of living with an autoimmune disease. As someone who struggles with one, I could relate to Joey and his feelings/frustrations.

The only issue I have with the book is the scene at the Tap towards the end. I know it set up Tucker finally experiencing Joey's disease at its hardest, but the insertion of that character in the story felt forced.

Other than that, I really enjoyed getting to know Tucker and Joey and I can't wait for the next book!

I received an ARC, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!

[Mandy (MP Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joey's body began betraying him years ago when he was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease but now his world is in chaos and so his new friends search for a Daddy for him - however when his ex-boss volunteers Joey just panics. Can Daddy Tucker's gentle touch and soothing presence reassure joey that he can trust him with all of his pain or will his fear of being broken beyond repair keep him from the man he has wanted for years?

I loved this story with the relationship before and after his search for a Daddy and the great details of how Crohn's affects someone (yes I know it is individual to each person but I believe this is a good middle ground for inclusion in a book). Joey was just adorable and Tucker was just cool, calm and determined to help his boy to be the person that he could be. I loved their relationship and the way that they needed each other in similar ways - Tucker needed Joey to organise his work life and Joey needed Tucker to organise his non-work life. Easy to read, feel and understand. This book contains a mature MM BDSM-like DDLB relationship.

[LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Joey and Tucker together.
They are perfect for each other. Heat level is off the charts as is the sweetness.
It was wonderful to see the interaction between Joey, Cameron, Toby, Dylan and Levi . Christian is a great character too, who I hope finds someone for himself soon. Such a great group of friends.
Throughout this entire book I was chuckling, awww-ing, and smiling.
The sad part about Joey's mom made me tear up and when his unwanted visitor popped up, I wanted to smack him.....hard. Several times.
An amazing story with characters that just melted my heart.
Looking forward to Toby's story.
5/5 post it notes!