Review: Cute and funny and so much more
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
Not having had the opportunity to read one of Tawna Fenske’s many works before I had no idea what a treat I was in for with Marine For Hire.  A bit of research on the author reveals she is known for her quirky humorous romances with unique storylines.  Marine For Hire fits this description to a tee and then some.How do you turn a military beefcake into Mr. Mom? Dangle a gorgeous, busy mother of twins with a broken brain-to-mouth filter in front of him, add a dash of indebtedness to an overprotective brother and hilarity ensues.  Sheridan isn’t exactly on board with the scenario, but after her lying, cheating ex leaves her in a lurch she doesn’t have much of a choice.  Sheri has sworn off military men and hates one thing above all else, lying.  This doesn’t bode well for Sam who is masquerading as a male nanny, or manny, in order to keep her and her boys safe.The premise of the big burly marine trying to fake it till he makes it, appearing to be an experienced manny, is extremely creative and as you can imagine leads to some original and immensely amusing situations especially when caring for two 7 month old boys.  Speaking of the twins, this element of the story is absolutely priceless.  One baby is hard enough to handle even for the most experienced caregivers, but two can make it nearly impossible and quite possibly bring anyone, even the brawniest of Marines, to their knees.Much like the premise, the writing is cute, witty and funny. The dialogue is chock full of witty banter, the inner monologue of both characters, especially Sheri, is downright hysterical at times, and the narrative is thoroughly entertaining and amusing.Just when I thought that this book would simply be a quick, fun read, I was hit with the details of Sam’s last mission.  His story was eye opening and heart wrenching and actually brought tears to my eyes. The feelings of inadequacy that Sheri experienced really resonated as well.  She is constantly comparing herself to “normal moms.”  There isn’t a mother, or father, for that matter who hasn’t felt the pressure to be more for their kids or felt like they are failing their children in some way at some point in their children’s lives.  These elements really struck a chord and made the story real, relatable, and really brought it to a whole other level for me.Marine For Hire has a little of everything – a bit of drama, a bit of suspense, a bit of realism, a bit of steam, and a healthy dose of comedy making this a thoroughly enjoyable, highly entertaining, and entirely engaging read.  I am eager to read more from Tawna Fenske and with plenty of room left to expand on some of the friends and family members from the story, I am hoping to see more from these characters.