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Firsts in the City #1
That First Night
My new boss is a CEO Billionaire who hired me to be a nanny for his son.
This should have been easy for me considering my experience with children. Except the man I’m working for is Thomas Ford. A man I never thought I would see again, especially not 5 years later.
Now, I live in his penthouse in the city.
I refuse to cross the line because one, he’s my boss and two, I don’t do relationships anymore.
It’s hard to deny this man when his touch lights my body on fire. I told myself I wouldn’t risk losing my job by giving into temptation but all it takes is one night in his kitchen and I am done for.
But who am I kidding? I was a goner that first night.
** That First Night is a steamy, single dad romance that is sure to make you laugh out loud and blush at the same time. This book is intended for mature readers only. This is a stand-alone and can be read on it's own.
This should have been easy for me considering my experience with children. Except the man I’m working for is Thomas Ford. A man I never thought I would see again, especially not 5 years later.
Now, I live in his penthouse in the city.
I refuse to cross the line because one, he’s my boss and two, I don’t do relationships anymore.
It’s hard to deny this man when his touch lights my body on fire. I told myself I wouldn’t risk losing my job by giving into temptation but all it takes is one night in his kitchen and I am done for.
But who am I kidding? I was a goner that first night.
** That First Night is a steamy, single dad romance that is sure to make you laugh out loud and blush at the same time. This book is intended for mature readers only. This is a stand-alone and can be read on it's own.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2023
891 people are currently reading
9573 people want to read
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April 25, 2023
I have so many thoughts on this book.
I wanted to like it. When the author first announced and started posting about it on social media, I was all for it and hoped it would be a success. There has been SO SO much hype and unfortunately for me it just fell way short of that hype. This is nothing personal, just my honest opinion.
Firstly, at no point did I see a trigger/ content warning. Personally I would have really appreciated a note at that start (and please correct me if I’m wrong and missed this) warning that there is a cancer storyline. I don’t have many triggers at all but this is a huge one for me.
Secondly, there are so many references to other romance authors/ books/ bookstagram. It made me cringe. I think it’s because the author loves these authors and bookstagram, but it just felt really forced and not genuine. It didn’t make sense. For example why would you tell someone who has never even heard of booksta that you won something in a bookstagram giveaway?! It almost felt to me like making a mockery of it at times.
Thirdly, the stuttering. Oh the stuttering. Peyton is apparently anxious and shy. This is what we’re told. The only time she really acts this way though is when she stutters and it’s a lot- again it feels forced. Also she says ‘t-thank you’ a lot. Wouldn’t this be ‘th-thank you’?
Peyton is vegan. She tells us this constantly. We get it. Not sure why it’s such a big deal? At one point she says people sometimes look at her differently when they find out she’s vegan. Really? In 2023?!
I didn’t really ever feel the chemistry between Peyton and Thomas. We are told lots but never really shown it. The same between Peyton and James. He loves her, but we never really see them spend much time together. I’m not sure I can think of any time where the 3 of them spent time together. James is a sweet kid but he speaks and acts much older than a 3 year old.
Peyton and Thomas just go from one spicy scene to the next, we never really see much more of their relationship and after a while it gets old and repetitive.
Thomas is a billionaire, yet twice at galas he’s excited by the free whiskey and appetizers. He’s impressed by ‘red bottoms’ (designer shoes) - really?
He lives in a penthouse in a fancy building with great security, and even has a private elevator which is in the staff only area for security and privacy. Great. But then Peyton is given a keycard which says on it ‘Private Access to the Thomas Ford Penthouse’. What?! So if she loses that not only could someone easily gain access to his home, but also his child!
Finally, the ‘girl gang’. Oh gosh, I just couldn’t with these girls. They don’t speak, they just scream or shriek. Constantly. They seem so immature for their age. Call each other ‘bitch’ all the time. They’re just annoying and I found myself skimming bits where they appeared.
I have no issue with swearing but it’s so overdone in the book that it looses all impact. I searched my kindle at one point and the F word is in there 497 times! Totally unnecessary and just distracted from what the characters were saying.
It’s got some great tropes and ideas but the writing doesn’t flow well and it feels like it’s checking boxes to include certain things, many of which felt familiar, and the way they’d been put together didn’t work.
There is one beautifully written scene at around 90% which showed a lot of potential and it was a shame the rest of the book didn’t follow.
I wanted to like it. When the author first announced and started posting about it on social media, I was all for it and hoped it would be a success. There has been SO SO much hype and unfortunately for me it just fell way short of that hype. This is nothing personal, just my honest opinion.
Firstly, at no point did I see a trigger/ content warning. Personally I would have really appreciated a note at that start (and please correct me if I’m wrong and missed this) warning that there is a cancer storyline. I don’t have many triggers at all but this is a huge one for me.
Secondly, there are so many references to other romance authors/ books/ bookstagram. It made me cringe. I think it’s because the author loves these authors and bookstagram, but it just felt really forced and not genuine. It didn’t make sense. For example why would you tell someone who has never even heard of booksta that you won something in a bookstagram giveaway?! It almost felt to me like making a mockery of it at times.
Thirdly, the stuttering. Oh the stuttering. Peyton is apparently anxious and shy. This is what we’re told. The only time she really acts this way though is when she stutters and it’s a lot- again it feels forced. Also she says ‘t-thank you’ a lot. Wouldn’t this be ‘th-thank you’?
Peyton is vegan. She tells us this constantly. We get it. Not sure why it’s such a big deal? At one point she says people sometimes look at her differently when they find out she’s vegan. Really? In 2023?!
I didn’t really ever feel the chemistry between Peyton and Thomas. We are told lots but never really shown it. The same between Peyton and James. He loves her, but we never really see them spend much time together. I’m not sure I can think of any time where the 3 of them spent time together. James is a sweet kid but he speaks and acts much older than a 3 year old.
Peyton and Thomas just go from one spicy scene to the next, we never really see much more of their relationship and after a while it gets old and repetitive.
Thomas is a billionaire, yet twice at galas he’s excited by the free whiskey and appetizers. He’s impressed by ‘red bottoms’ (designer shoes) - really?
He lives in a penthouse in a fancy building with great security, and even has a private elevator which is in the staff only area for security and privacy. Great. But then Peyton is given a keycard which says on it ‘Private Access to the Thomas Ford Penthouse’. What?! So if she loses that not only could someone easily gain access to his home, but also his child!
Finally, the ‘girl gang’. Oh gosh, I just couldn’t with these girls. They don’t speak, they just scream or shriek. Constantly. They seem so immature for their age. Call each other ‘bitch’ all the time. They’re just annoying and I found myself skimming bits where they appeared.
I have no issue with swearing but it’s so overdone in the book that it looses all impact. I searched my kindle at one point and the F word is in there 497 times! Totally unnecessary and just distracted from what the characters were saying.
It’s got some great tropes and ideas but the writing doesn’t flow well and it feels like it’s checking boxes to include certain things, many of which felt familiar, and the way they’d been put together didn’t work.
There is one beautifully written scene at around 90% which showed a lot of potential and it was a shame the rest of the book didn’t follow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2023
Okay before everyone starts hating me for my review. Let me emphasize I will only ever give my honest opinion. I mean no disrespect towards the author. I know this is her first published book and that’s an amazing accomplishment!
First, I really wanted to like this one bc some ppl I follow LOVED it. Ugh, let’s dive right in - shall we 🫣
The biggest problems I struggled w/or had with this book:
the character connection felt weak
When the characters reunite after 5 yrs the MC came across as being way to soft & all heart eyes. Esp after coming across as such a playboy earlier in the story.
The banter felt forced…with everyone
Then it felt like the proposal was tossed in quickly to just finish the book
Then James. The 3yr old son. He was cute, but even that character felt forced to me.
I say none of this lightly bc single dad is my fave trope. Again, this is just my honest opinion and no disrespect towards the author.
Single Dad
One Night Stand’ish
Se ons Chance
Forced Proximity
No third act breakup
First, I really wanted to like this one bc some ppl I follow LOVED it. Ugh, let’s dive right in - shall we 🫣
The biggest problems I struggled w/or had with this book:
the character connection felt weak
When the characters reunite after 5 yrs the MC came across as being way to soft & all heart eyes. Esp after coming across as such a playboy earlier in the story.
The banter felt forced…with everyone
Then it felt like the proposal was tossed in quickly to just finish the book
Then James. The 3yr old son. He was cute, but even that character felt forced to me.
I say none of this lightly bc single dad is my fave trope. Again, this is just my honest opinion and no disrespect towards the author.
Single Dad
One Night Stand’ish
Se ons Chance
Forced Proximity
No third act breakup
April 26, 2023
3.5 stars
This was such a sweet book & a very enjoyable story!! I fcking LOVE single dad romances, especially when the have the sweetest little angels as children ❤️ swoon central!
I absolutely loved the meet cute between Thomas & Peyton!! The Immediate attraction & chemistry was 🔥🔥🔥 and then something happens to where they eventually get a second chance at finding each other again.
When Peyton gets hired to be the nanny for the sweetest little boy, the last thing she expects is for him to be the child of the man who got away & never expected to see again. And you already know where this goes 😉 we get a little forced proximity. A little accidental bathroom walk in…lingering stares…OH BABYYYY. I enjoyed that!
I will say, the way Peyton stuttered in her dialogue (and not from a speech impediment) started to bug me as the book progressed. It was a bit overdone and it made her seem weak & unsure of herself, and we know that she is a strong independent woman!! Sometimes it took away from the story because I couldn’t stop focusing on it 😭
At certain points while reading, I feel like some of the scenes weren’t authentic because it felt like boxes were being checked off to include specific quotes or phrases vs them naturally flowing into the scene. I appreciated them being in there, but again it messed with the flow of the story while reading.
Praise Jesus for no third act break up!! I was a bit nervous because you never know what could happen after a run in with the ex. But NOPE. Not today!!! More books need to get on this train because most of the time they are so not needed!
And this friendship group was exactly what I needed! Avery & Kali are BADDIES and I hope we get to see them in future books, and I just have a feeling that we might ;)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
Single dad
Boss x nanny
Second chance
Billionaire
Forced proximity
Thank you Jenn for the ARC of your first freaking book in exchange for an honest review!
This was such a sweet book & a very enjoyable story!! I fcking LOVE single dad romances, especially when the have the sweetest little angels as children ❤️ swoon central!
I absolutely loved the meet cute between Thomas & Peyton!! The Immediate attraction & chemistry was 🔥🔥🔥 and then something happens to where they eventually get a second chance at finding each other again.
When Peyton gets hired to be the nanny for the sweetest little boy, the last thing she expects is for him to be the child of the man who got away & never expected to see again. And you already know where this goes 😉 we get a little forced proximity. A little accidental bathroom walk in…lingering stares…OH BABYYYY. I enjoyed that!
I will say, the way Peyton stuttered in her dialogue (and not from a speech impediment) started to bug me as the book progressed. It was a bit overdone and it made her seem weak & unsure of herself, and we know that she is a strong independent woman!! Sometimes it took away from the story because I couldn’t stop focusing on it 😭
At certain points while reading, I feel like some of the scenes weren’t authentic because it felt like boxes were being checked off to include specific quotes or phrases vs them naturally flowing into the scene. I appreciated them being in there, but again it messed with the flow of the story while reading.
Praise Jesus for no third act break up!! I was a bit nervous because you never know what could happen after a run in with the ex. But NOPE. Not today!!! More books need to get on this train because most of the time they are so not needed!
And this friendship group was exactly what I needed! Avery & Kali are BADDIES and I hope we get to see them in future books, and I just have a feeling that we might ;)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
Single dad
Boss x nanny
Second chance
Billionaire
Forced proximity
Thank you Jenn for the ARC of your first freaking book in exchange for an honest review!
April 22, 2023
Less than ⭐️ (I mean no disrespect to the author. This is just my honest opinion.)
What a disappointment! I was so excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I DNFed pretty early on, because I just couldn’t take it!
The language in this book overall is just so juvenile. For adults to talk that way… nope!
Everything felt so forced, unauthentic and just downright ridiculous?? A billionaire excited about free whisky at a charity event? Oh, pleeeaaase!! The FMC being shy and having social anxiety but then just allowing the MMC, a stranger, to finger-f*ck her in a hallway in public not even ten minutes after meeting? Seriously??
And the way that this author wrote men.. how they think and talk about women, was honestly, an affront to feminism and men! Crass, disrespectful and honestly just disgusting! I mean the MMC quickly gave up intimate (really intimate) details of his ‘encounters’ with the FMC to his brothers… THE F*CK??
I would love to erase the book from my mind!
What a disappointment! I was so excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I DNFed pretty early on, because I just couldn’t take it!
The language in this book overall is just so juvenile. For adults to talk that way… nope!
Everything felt so forced, unauthentic and just downright ridiculous?? A billionaire excited about free whisky at a charity event? Oh, pleeeaaase!! The FMC being shy and having social anxiety but then just allowing the MMC, a stranger, to finger-f*ck her in a hallway in public not even ten minutes after meeting? Seriously??
And the way that this author wrote men.. how they think and talk about women, was honestly, an affront to feminism and men! Crass, disrespectful and honestly just disgusting! I mean the MMC quickly gave up intimate (really intimate) details of his ‘encounters’ with the FMC to his brothers… THE F*CK??
I would love to erase the book from my mind!
October 17, 2023
That First Night
star rating: 3.85
spice rating: 3.75 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Full RTC
star rating: 3.85
spice rating: 3.75 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Full RTC
November 4, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
What to expect:
✔️ Close proximity
✔️ Single dad
✔️ Nanny
✔️ Second chance
✔️ Spicy af- once it gets going, it gets going 🫠
✔️ An highly determined and work-driven MMC who will not to let the FMC go again now that he’s found her a second time
✔️ A curvy FMC who has been spurned by men in the past but can’t help how drawn she is to the MMC
✔️ So many cute moments, especially with JJ and Pey
This was a good debut novel by Jenn McMahon and was a May 2023 Book Club for me to read. I haven’t read a nanny/single dad book before and I can honestly say I will now be scouring goodreads for other books in this trope 🙈
He just thinks he's got a daddy superhero. His words, not mine. Again, smartest kid in the world.
Thomas as a dad was 10000x better than Thomas 5 years before. JJ was the cutest kid and Thomas really was a brilliant dad to him. Overall, I really liked our MMC and I could feel the chemistry between him and Pey from the 5 years earlier, and even more so when they found each other again.
Pey was very likeable and relatable, and I instantly connected with her character. Her and Thomas were electric together and the will-they-won’t-they had me dying at times 🫠. I liked that she took control in this relationship and really found herself and her confidence/sexiness. That was beautiful to see. Plus I enjoyed the neatness of the ending. That was very cute.
JJ was the cutest damn kid everrrrr. I wanted to just jump through the page and wrap him up in a hug! 😭 the part where he was saying her missed/wanted his mum broke my heart so much. I can’t. That was so sad. Bright side though, the dynamic between JJ and Pey was the most beautiful, cute and heartwarming thing 🥺, he feel in love with her and she fell in love with him, and then she didn’t want to leave JJ or Thomas 😭
Gigi was a wonderful addition to this book and I enjoyed her connection and relationship with Peyton. Her death absolutely broke me. The way Pey was reminded me so much of how I felt when I lost my nanny and I just could feel the loss through the page. This part was very well written.
So what didn’t I like?
I will admit, I was not a fan of the multiple pop culture references throughout the book… there was an unnecessary and semi-lengthy Jack Harlow one in there between the MMC, his brothers, and his best friend. There was several bookstagram references, references to tropes including the single dad, hot nanny, hot dad tropes lmao, and close proximity too at one point if my memory is correct. This is all ironic because the book itself features all those tropes so not only was it unnecessary and kinda annoying, it was also like an inception moment almost where the characters in the book I’m reading were too self-aware 😂🙈. There were also several references to other books (the FMC was an avid reader and has many “smut trophies” her words, not mine).
Similarly, I was not a fan of the repetition of certain phrases throughout this book. This was mainly seen on dialogue between the main characters, and I have list some examples below:
• The MMC constantly kept saying to himself and her how her boobs were the perfect size. Like great. But it did get annoying after the 5th or so time.
• The FMC kept describing to herself how ripped the MMC was almost every single time she saw him, and in great detail. But I’m the same detail each time if that makes sense. She never pointed out new things.
• The MMC kept saying how the FMC turns him into an animal. He would say this almost every time they did anything sexual and it became very repetitive.
I was just longing for the dialogue to be switched up a bit. It did get old fast reading the same comments over and over.
As a side comment, I hated how the characters talked about their sexual partners to their friends in general throughout this book especially Pey with her best friends and Thomas with his. Eg. ”I was her meal in the office the other day” 😒🥴. They continually described everything they did sexually in a lowkey vulgar and somewhat disrespectful way… idk… it didn’t sit right with me…
"Hey there, Daddy, I'm Avery." She holds her hand out to shake mine.
"Avery-" Peyton growls at her.
If I ever see Avery, I’m slapping her on sight. This comment plus, her multitude of other ill-timed sexual innuendos and unhelpful commentary was the most irritating thing ever 🙃. She was a girl with major “pick me choose me” vibes + hyper-sexuality (which I’ve noticed is a common theme for a lot of female side character best friends in contemporary books I’ve read… 🤔. All in all, she gave me nothing but eye rolls, but I would put money on the next book being hers with Marc 🥲.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed this read and once I started it I did not put it down. I would defs recommend it to someone. It’s a good and heartwarming single dad/nanny second chance romance that has the added benefit of a heaping serve of spice! 🙈🌶️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
What to expect:
✔️ Close proximity
✔️ Single dad
✔️ Nanny
✔️ Second chance
✔️ Spicy af- once it gets going, it gets going 🫠
✔️ An highly determined and work-driven MMC who will not to let the FMC go again now that he’s found her a second time
✔️ A curvy FMC who has been spurned by men in the past but can’t help how drawn she is to the MMC
✔️ So many cute moments, especially with JJ and Pey
This was a good debut novel by Jenn McMahon and was a May 2023 Book Club for me to read. I haven’t read a nanny/single dad book before and I can honestly say I will now be scouring goodreads for other books in this trope 🙈
He just thinks he's got a daddy superhero. His words, not mine. Again, smartest kid in the world.
Thomas as a dad was 10000x better than Thomas 5 years before. JJ was the cutest kid and Thomas really was a brilliant dad to him. Overall, I really liked our MMC and I could feel the chemistry between him and Pey from the 5 years earlier, and even more so when they found each other again.
Pey was very likeable and relatable, and I instantly connected with her character. Her and Thomas were electric together and the will-they-won’t-they had me dying at times 🫠. I liked that she took control in this relationship and really found herself and her confidence/sexiness. That was beautiful to see. Plus I enjoyed the neatness of the ending. That was very cute.
JJ was the cutest damn kid everrrrr. I wanted to just jump through the page and wrap him up in a hug! 😭 the part where he was saying her missed/wanted his mum broke my heart so much. I can’t. That was so sad. Bright side though, the dynamic between JJ and Pey was the most beautiful, cute and heartwarming thing 🥺, he feel in love with her and she fell in love with him, and then she didn’t want to leave JJ or Thomas 😭
Gigi was a wonderful addition to this book and I enjoyed her connection and relationship with Peyton. Her death absolutely broke me. The way Pey was reminded me so much of how I felt when I lost my nanny and I just could feel the loss through the page. This part was very well written.
So what didn’t I like?
I will admit, I was not a fan of the multiple pop culture references throughout the book… there was an unnecessary and semi-lengthy Jack Harlow one in there between the MMC, his brothers, and his best friend. There was several bookstagram references, references to tropes including the single dad, hot nanny, hot dad tropes lmao, and close proximity too at one point if my memory is correct. This is all ironic because the book itself features all those tropes so not only was it unnecessary and kinda annoying, it was also like an inception moment almost where the characters in the book I’m reading were too self-aware 😂🙈. There were also several references to other books (the FMC was an avid reader and has many “smut trophies” her words, not mine).
Similarly, I was not a fan of the repetition of certain phrases throughout this book. This was mainly seen on dialogue between the main characters, and I have list some examples below:
• The MMC constantly kept saying to himself and her how her boobs were the perfect size. Like great. But it did get annoying after the 5th or so time.
• The FMC kept describing to herself how ripped the MMC was almost every single time she saw him, and in great detail. But I’m the same detail each time if that makes sense. She never pointed out new things.
• The MMC kept saying how the FMC turns him into an animal. He would say this almost every time they did anything sexual and it became very repetitive.
I was just longing for the dialogue to be switched up a bit. It did get old fast reading the same comments over and over.
As a side comment, I hated how the characters talked about their sexual partners to their friends in general throughout this book especially Pey with her best friends and Thomas with his. Eg. ”I was her meal in the office the other day” 😒🥴. They continually described everything they did sexually in a lowkey vulgar and somewhat disrespectful way… idk… it didn’t sit right with me…
"Hey there, Daddy, I'm Avery." She holds her hand out to shake mine.
"Avery-" Peyton growls at her.
If I ever see Avery, I’m slapping her on sight. This comment plus, her multitude of other ill-timed sexual innuendos and unhelpful commentary was the most irritating thing ever 🙃. She was a girl with major “pick me choose me” vibes + hyper-sexuality (which I’ve noticed is a common theme for a lot of female side character best friends in contemporary books I’ve read… 🤔. All in all, she gave me nothing but eye rolls, but I would put money on the next book being hers with Marc 🥲.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed this read and once I started it I did not put it down. I would defs recommend it to someone. It’s a good and heartwarming single dad/nanny second chance romance that has the added benefit of a heaping serve of spice! 🙈🌶️
April 19, 2023
Probably the fastest I’ve DNF’d a book so far. 🥲 I just couldn’t handle the way it was written and the over-use of the FMC’s nickname in the first 30 pages and the stuttering…I wish I could’ve liked it but I did not.
April 24, 2023
The writing is terrible and immature. I quit at 36%. This book needs a lot of help.
April 17, 2023
“i’m pretty sure i fell in love with you, that first night.”
title: that first night
author: jenn mcmahon
rating: 3/5
spice: 3/5
tropes: nanny x single dad, forced proximity, second chance, billionaire
triggers: death of a loved one, abandonment
i’m not really sure where to start with this one. i really, really wanted to love it. but unfortunately it fell kinda flat for me in a lot of places. so my review might be kind of all over the place.
to start with what i liked: the individual characters. i really did like each and every character on their own, even sheila at the end was tolerable. there was a good amount of development of all of the characters and it was great to see how they interacted with each other. i especially loved james—because i too am a nanny and love kids—but there were definitely times that he did not act 3. i just had a really hard time believing he was so young when he acted so mature. i also really liked the reasoning for why they lost touch years before because usually when something like that happens it’s because of cheating or something dumb. this worked well.
however, here’s a hot take: i hated how much spice there was. i know i gave it a 3 for spice, but my spice scale is based on quality as well as quantity. if we’re talking quantity, i’d give this a 5. there’s literally a spice scene in practically every chapter. but quality?? this gets like a 1.5. they were so repetitive. like literally word for word the same for multiple scenes. thomas and peyton just kept doing and saying the same things over and over and i got bored and annoyed by how unnecessary it all was. i love spice as much as the next girl, but this was over-doing it.
i also really strongly disliked the development of thomas and peyton’s relationship because the whole premise is that she’s off-limits because she’s the nanny but literally day one on the job they were flirting and day two they hook up (maybe not exactly but it felt that fast). there was no fighting the urge to get together or tension or angst between them. i got the chemistry, but i wish this had been a bit more of a slow burn and had more back and forth and fighting the feelings than it had before they ever got together, especially since that’s literally how the book is advertised.
there are also MULTIPLE times where references to tropes/bookstagram/other actual books and authors are made and a whole speech at the end where peyton tells thomas he’s like the guy from her romance books and like i get it… but it really brings me out of the story. like i understand maybe mentioning the actual title once or something, but for it to happen so many times really made me lose that connection to the story. i love bookstagram and all, but i don’t want to read about it. i want to forget i’m reading and mentioning real things like that ruins that feeling.
anyway, this book has serious potential to be good, it just fell really flat for me. i expected and had hoped for a lot more from it. THAT BEING SAID, i will read book two when it comes out because i love avery and i already know her and marc will have good banter.
thank you so much to the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review <3
title: that first night
author: jenn mcmahon
rating: 3/5
spice: 3/5
tropes: nanny x single dad, forced proximity, second chance, billionaire
triggers: death of a loved one, abandonment
i’m not really sure where to start with this one. i really, really wanted to love it. but unfortunately it fell kinda flat for me in a lot of places. so my review might be kind of all over the place.
to start with what i liked: the individual characters. i really did like each and every character on their own, even sheila at the end was tolerable. there was a good amount of development of all of the characters and it was great to see how they interacted with each other. i especially loved james—because i too am a nanny and love kids—but there were definitely times that he did not act 3. i just had a really hard time believing he was so young when he acted so mature. i also really liked the reasoning for why they lost touch years before because usually when something like that happens it’s because of cheating or something dumb. this worked well.
however, here’s a hot take: i hated how much spice there was. i know i gave it a 3 for spice, but my spice scale is based on quality as well as quantity. if we’re talking quantity, i’d give this a 5. there’s literally a spice scene in practically every chapter. but quality?? this gets like a 1.5. they were so repetitive. like literally word for word the same for multiple scenes. thomas and peyton just kept doing and saying the same things over and over and i got bored and annoyed by how unnecessary it all was. i love spice as much as the next girl, but this was over-doing it.
i also really strongly disliked the development of thomas and peyton’s relationship because the whole premise is that she’s off-limits because she’s the nanny but literally day one on the job they were flirting and day two they hook up (maybe not exactly but it felt that fast). there was no fighting the urge to get together or tension or angst between them. i got the chemistry, but i wish this had been a bit more of a slow burn and had more back and forth and fighting the feelings than it had before they ever got together, especially since that’s literally how the book is advertised.
there are also MULTIPLE times where references to tropes/bookstagram/other actual books and authors are made and a whole speech at the end where peyton tells thomas he’s like the guy from her romance books and like i get it… but it really brings me out of the story. like i understand maybe mentioning the actual title once or something, but for it to happen so many times really made me lose that connection to the story. i love bookstagram and all, but i don’t want to read about it. i want to forget i’m reading and mentioning real things like that ruins that feeling.
anyway, this book has serious potential to be good, it just fell really flat for me. i expected and had hoped for a lot more from it. THAT BEING SAID, i will read book two when it comes out because i love avery and i already know her and marc will have good banter.
thank you so much to the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review <3
April 3, 2023
HOLY SPICE!!!! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I loved this story. I’m a jersey girl so this has a special place in my heart. The football / giants talk & LBI vaca was everything. This book also has the best tropes, single dad, nanny, & second chance. Also the Gigi reminded me of my nana 🥹
I really enjoyed this. It was a very quick and fun read! But warning, it has a tonnnnn of spice! 😜
I loved this story. I’m a jersey girl so this has a special place in my heart. The football / giants talk & LBI vaca was everything. This book also has the best tropes, single dad, nanny, & second chance. Also the Gigi reminded me of my nana 🥹
I really enjoyed this. It was a very quick and fun read! But warning, it has a tonnnnn of spice! 😜
July 23, 2023
Esto es lo más forzado que he leído en mi vida, el romance está sumamente mal desarrollado y lo único que destaco es el spice. Me odio por haberlo disfrutado, pero ¿que puedo decir? Está malísimo pero es entretenido.
July 9, 2024
a little done before… @southern.lady.reads
Almost nothing new about this one unfortunately. Skimmed as much as I could because I really wanted to like it but it’s a plain ol nanny billionaire romance
Almost nothing new about this one unfortunately. Skimmed as much as I could because I really wanted to like it but it’s a plain ol nanny billionaire romance
April 23, 2023
Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 53%. I know this was the author’s first book, and I do feel like she started out with strong potential. However, the book felt very rushed and forced. Also, the amount of references to bookstagram kept taking me out of the story.
April 21, 2023
2.5 ⭐️
Things I liked:
- No third act breakup
- Lots of spice 🔥🔥🔥
- hot single dad with an adorable son
- lots of cute interactions with the kid
- supportive BFFs
- young single dad falling for the nanny is a fantastic trope
Things I didn’t like:
- I am a punctuation nazi and there were sooooo many misused/unnecessary commas. Like, A LOT. I almost DNFd based on the grammar and punctuation alone.
- The MMC threatened to “take you over my knee” more times that I can count but he only followed through one time. It just always felt weird and unnatural for the moment instead of being sexy.
- The MMC kept saying he “can’t do relationships” like there was some major thing preventing him from being able to be in a serious relationship, but we were never given a reason
- The story 100% pandered to the Booktok crowd. It felt like certain scenes were placed in there just so they could be used as clickbait quotes on TikTok. And of course The FMC is obsessed with reading SMUT and of course the MMC is always wearing gray sweatpants or rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
- Did the MMC have a single flaw? He was the perfect dad, super generous, and amazing brother, and a good communicator. His only “flaw” was that for some unknown reason he had a hard time saying “I love you” to anyone other than his son.
- I found myself skimming a lot of the story because the dialogue fell a little bit flat at times. Like they played a game of cards against humanity that was supposed to be super hilarious and I didn’t even come close to laughing.
- For some reason I am having a really hard time believing that FIVE YEARS passed and at the age of 27 the FMC was in exactly the same spot with no career and couldn’t get a job, even though she had a teaching degree. Idk, just seemed weird to me.
- I know this is the author’s first book and I think she shows promise. I enjoyed a lot of elements from the book and I am hoping we see improvement in the next book.
And for the love of god, please have a comma expert edit the next book.
Things I liked:
- No third act breakup
- Lots of spice 🔥🔥🔥
- hot single dad with an adorable son
- lots of cute interactions with the kid
- supportive BFFs
- young single dad falling for the nanny is a fantastic trope
Things I didn’t like:
- I am a punctuation nazi and there were sooooo many misused/unnecessary commas. Like, A LOT. I almost DNFd based on the grammar and punctuation alone.
- The MMC threatened to “take you over my knee” more times that I can count but he only followed through one time. It just always felt weird and unnatural for the moment instead of being sexy.
- The MMC kept saying he “can’t do relationships” like there was some major thing preventing him from being able to be in a serious relationship, but we were never given a reason
- The story 100% pandered to the Booktok crowd. It felt like certain scenes were placed in there just so they could be used as clickbait quotes on TikTok. And of course The FMC is obsessed with reading SMUT and of course the MMC is always wearing gray sweatpants or rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
- Did the MMC have a single flaw? He was the perfect dad, super generous, and amazing brother, and a good communicator. His only “flaw” was that for some unknown reason he had a hard time saying “I love you” to anyone other than his son.
- I found myself skimming a lot of the story because the dialogue fell a little bit flat at times. Like they played a game of cards against humanity that was supposed to be super hilarious and I didn’t even come close to laughing.
- For some reason I am having a really hard time believing that FIVE YEARS passed and at the age of 27 the FMC was in exactly the same spot with no career and couldn’t get a job, even though she had a teaching degree. Idk, just seemed weird to me.
- I know this is the author’s first book and I think she shows promise. I enjoyed a lot of elements from the book and I am hoping we see improvement in the next book.
And for the love of god, please have a comma expert edit the next book.
June 26, 2024
3.5/5
I ate that up. IN ONE NIGHT. A sucker for this trope.
I ate that up. IN ONE NIGHT. A sucker for this trope.
April 22, 2023
DNF. Honestly, follow Jenn on IG and was super excited for this book but I can’t even finish it. What’s up with girls calling each other Bitch and shrieking all the time? So annoying. Felt like she was trying too hard. Did not finish, not worth the time. I’m surprised by the 4 star reviews. Between the grammatical errors and annoying characters this wasn’t even worth a read.
May 5, 2023
I've never DNFed a book so fast in my life.
A reviewer said there was over 400 uses of 'fuck' in the book. That's my favorite word but that's absolutely insane and unnecessary.
The girl gang. I can't. That makes me literally cringe 😬
The stuttering? No. Just no.
A billionaire saying he is happy a gathering has free drinks and apps? Yeah no. That doesn't pass the smell test.
And than the amount of bookstagram references makes me cringe even more.
Maybe this was a me issue, but I don't really care to find out because everything stated above is not my cup of tea.
*major props to anyone who takes the time to write a book, I could never.*
A reviewer said there was over 400 uses of 'fuck' in the book. That's my favorite word but that's absolutely insane and unnecessary.
The girl gang. I can't. That makes me literally cringe 😬
The stuttering? No. Just no.
A billionaire saying he is happy a gathering has free drinks and apps? Yeah no. That doesn't pass the smell test.
And than the amount of bookstagram references makes me cringe even more.
Maybe this was a me issue, but I don't really care to find out because everything stated above is not my cup of tea.
*major props to anyone who takes the time to write a book, I could never.*
April 20, 2023
The way that this author wrote men, and how they think about women, was honestly, an affront to feminism and men! Genuinely, it just came across as crass! I was really excited for this book, and forced myself past the choppy start (there is a before|after motif) and it was not worth it.
Gigi was cute, but the rest of the characters were essentially flat, one note and really hard to root for.
It’s a no for me.
Gigi was cute, but the rest of the characters were essentially flat, one note and really hard to root for.
It’s a no for me.
August 11, 2025
Все так мило
April 18, 2023
That First Night is @jennmcmahon.author debut romance and it has skyrocketed up on my list of fav romances!! Available NOW on KU!!!!
Thomas Ford is the ultimate daddy, with a mouth that will make you swoooon. Peyton is the beautiful shy girl, but get her alone with Thomas… phew! They both come from different lives & truly seem like polar opposites on the surface. Their insta-love connection was spicy, and their reunion? 🤌🤌🤌
I think what I loved the most about this book as a whole was the fact that Jenn writes side characters SO well. I adore a book that has the best side characters and you really get to know them and feel their deep connections to the mains. Avery, Kali, Marc, Logan & GIGI🥹🫶🏻 I loved them all!
The banter was hilarious, like in tears laughing at some of the shit these characters would say. That being said, there are some heavier topics in the story and they were handled with absolute grace.
Read if you like:
🍪 Cookies!
🍪 Friends that are family
🍪 Single Dad
🍪 Billionaire Romance
🍪 She’s the Nanny
🍪 Cards Against Humanity
🍪 Side characters you’ll love
🍪 Sex & the City vibes
@whatjenn_reads I am so proud of you for doing the damn thing!!! You inspire me and have really created a beautiful story I already can’t wait to reread!! Thank you for an opportunity to read and review your book! Xo
Thomas Ford is the ultimate daddy, with a mouth that will make you swoooon. Peyton is the beautiful shy girl, but get her alone with Thomas… phew! They both come from different lives & truly seem like polar opposites on the surface. Their insta-love connection was spicy, and their reunion? 🤌🤌🤌
I think what I loved the most about this book as a whole was the fact that Jenn writes side characters SO well. I adore a book that has the best side characters and you really get to know them and feel their deep connections to the mains. Avery, Kali, Marc, Logan & GIGI🥹🫶🏻 I loved them all!
The banter was hilarious, like in tears laughing at some of the shit these characters would say. That being said, there are some heavier topics in the story and they were handled with absolute grace.
Read if you like:
🍪 Cookies!
🍪 Friends that are family
🍪 Single Dad
🍪 Billionaire Romance
🍪 She’s the Nanny
🍪 Cards Against Humanity
🍪 Side characters you’ll love
🍪 Sex & the City vibes
@whatjenn_reads I am so proud of you for doing the damn thing!!! You inspire me and have really created a beautiful story I already can’t wait to reread!! Thank you for an opportunity to read and review your book! Xo
April 28, 2023
5/5 ⭐️
“There will be no happy ending in this book. This is a forever kind of thing. You’re my happy forever.”
this is one of my top reads of the year so far, no words. if you love spice and a happy ever after, pick this up stat.
“There will be no happy ending in this book. This is a forever kind of thing. You’re my happy forever.”
this is one of my top reads of the year so far, no words. if you love spice and a happy ever after, pick this up stat.
June 6, 2023
DNF at 23%
April 14, 2023
It was a classic meet cute; their eyes met across the ballroom, bringing with it a sizzle of attraction. They started to get to know one another but then a fire alarm sounded, and in the chaos they were separated.
5 years later, Peyton has moved to NYC after losing her parents. Looking to start fresh, she applies for positions as a Nanny and is shocked when her new Boss is none other than Thomas, her mystery man. Now a father to three year old James, with no mother in the picture, Thomas is desperate for a female role model for his son. Can they keep their relationship strictly professional? Or will their sizzling chemistry take control?
The first 4 chapters of this book had me absolutely captivated. Peyton and Thomas' meeting was pure magic and their chemistry was amazing. I don't often catch my breath during a book but DANG 🔥 and it didn't stop there. The entire book only expanded on the tension that was felt in the first four chapters.
The book wasn't only spice, there were some incredible characters (Gigi, Avery, Kali, Marc & Logan) who really added to the development of both Peyton and Thomas. Gigi was a stand out; who doesn't want am incredible older woman in their life like her.
This book captivated me and was a brilliant concept! Thank you to @jennmcmahon.author for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
5 years later, Peyton has moved to NYC after losing her parents. Looking to start fresh, she applies for positions as a Nanny and is shocked when her new Boss is none other than Thomas, her mystery man. Now a father to three year old James, with no mother in the picture, Thomas is desperate for a female role model for his son. Can they keep their relationship strictly professional? Or will their sizzling chemistry take control?
The first 4 chapters of this book had me absolutely captivated. Peyton and Thomas' meeting was pure magic and their chemistry was amazing. I don't often catch my breath during a book but DANG 🔥 and it didn't stop there. The entire book only expanded on the tension that was felt in the first four chapters.
The book wasn't only spice, there were some incredible characters (Gigi, Avery, Kali, Marc & Logan) who really added to the development of both Peyton and Thomas. Gigi was a stand out; who doesn't want am incredible older woman in their life like her.
This book captivated me and was a brilliant concept! Thank you to @jennmcmahon.author for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 3, 2023
4.5 stars!
The Billionaire single dad/nanny trope is always amazing, and this book was no different. All the feels...all the spice 🥵. Hot... The MMC is very swoonworthy. I loved the side characters especially Avery and Gigi!!! Tons of laughs! Great first novel by Jenn!!!
The Billionaire single dad/nanny trope is always amazing, and this book was no different. All the feels...all the spice 🥵. Hot... The MMC is very swoonworthy. I loved the side characters especially Avery and Gigi!!! Tons of laughs! Great first novel by Jenn!!!
April 25, 2023
Ah, okay.
I really struggled with posting this review because of ig/bookstagram.
I know this is a debut from Jenn so absolutely no disrespect to her or anything.
However, I just couldn't get through the book. The writing needed some more development editing, and the maturity of the characters didn't seem to match their age.
It just wasn't for me and that's okay!
Also, just the milking is a love or hate it thing. LOL
I really struggled with posting this review because of ig/bookstagram.
I know this is a debut from Jenn so absolutely no disrespect to her or anything.
However, I just couldn't get through the book. The writing needed some more development editing, and the maturity of the characters didn't seem to match their age.
It just wasn't for me and that's okay!
Also, just the milking is a love or hate it thing. LOL
April 20, 2023
I absolutely loved Peyton and Thomas! Their relationship was so sweet and watching them slowly realize how much they love each other was so fun. I looooved the entire cast of characters and I cannot wait for the rest of these stories. What an awesome debut, Jenn!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: billionaire, single dad/nanny romance
When Jenn said “single dad” I was like SOLD 💸💸💸
Literally say no more, single dads are one of my fav tropes right now. Furthermore, BILLIONAIRES, like yes please shower me in gifts.
I love the way Jenn wrote Thomas, he was clearly so taken with Peyton, even when neither of them realized it and it was all the little things he did along the way to really make me swoon.
Peyton and her girl gang were fabulous. Peyton was written in such a relatable way that I could see parts of myself in her and her friends.
Let’s just talk about an epic friend group, I mean come on! If you like the friend group dynamic of the Twisted series by Ana Huang you’ll love that aspect in these books also.
Then, even though Jenn wrote all this amazing banter and hilarious moments, she went threw in some tears and big emotions too.
I still can’t believe this is your debut and I’m so happy for you, Jenn! Congratulations! 🥂🍾
Read this if you like:
🥃 billionaires
🥃 single daddies
🥃 one night stands (but not!)
🥃 no third act break up!
🥃 girl gangs
🥃 Nate Smith
🥃 Cards Against Humanity
🥃 dinosaurs
🥃 chocolate chip cookies
That First Night is available in paperback NOW on Amazon! 🙌🏼
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: billionaire, single dad/nanny romance
When Jenn said “single dad” I was like SOLD 💸💸💸
Literally say no more, single dads are one of my fav tropes right now. Furthermore, BILLIONAIRES, like yes please shower me in gifts.
I love the way Jenn wrote Thomas, he was clearly so taken with Peyton, even when neither of them realized it and it was all the little things he did along the way to really make me swoon.
Peyton and her girl gang were fabulous. Peyton was written in such a relatable way that I could see parts of myself in her and her friends.
Let’s just talk about an epic friend group, I mean come on! If you like the friend group dynamic of the Twisted series by Ana Huang you’ll love that aspect in these books also.
Then, even though Jenn wrote all this amazing banter and hilarious moments, she went threw in some tears and big emotions too.
I still can’t believe this is your debut and I’m so happy for you, Jenn! Congratulations! 🥂🍾
Read this if you like:
🥃 billionaires
🥃 single daddies
🥃 one night stands (but not!)
🥃 no third act break up!
🥃 girl gangs
🥃 Nate Smith
🥃 Cards Against Humanity
🥃 dinosaurs
🥃 chocolate chip cookies
That First Night is available in paperback NOW on Amazon! 🙌🏼
April 21, 2023
I’m confused why this is supposed to be romantic? He gets a f buddy pregnant (which is already a red flag because he didn’t even like her that way) a year after supposedly falling into deep lust with the heroine. Yea, it would have been much better if he had the kid before he even met the heroine. It just gives me the 🤢. I wouldn’t even give him a second glance to be honest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2023
Lots of spice but very lacking in story.
Where it went wrong for me:
• the “giggles” Peyton was reduced to at every intimate encounter
• the shrieking, vapid girl gang
• the bros that spoke like drunken frat boys rather than full grown, professional men
Where it went wrong for me:
• the “giggles” Peyton was reduced to at every intimate encounter
• the shrieking, vapid girl gang
• the bros that spoke like drunken frat boys rather than full grown, professional men
October 30, 2024
DNF. Це найгірша книга за увесь рік. По-перше - це жахливо написано! По-друге - це просто сміття. Як її могла написати жінка? Жіноче тіло виставляється наче шматок м'яса. А слова "цицьки" та "кицька" зустрічається більше, ніж імена головних героїв. Боже, яка я зла. Як таке можна публікувати? Це бляха не смішно! Як можна ставитися так до жінок? Чому так брудно, наче це не дівчина яка тобі подобається, а шмат м'яса на вечерю. Фу. Мене нудить.
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