Review: Sweet romance with its share of steamy scenes thrown in- watching the MC's try to fight their attraction was classic!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
Marine For Hire was a cute, fun read with some really sexy times throughout. Whew! Sheri's best friend Kelli sums it up best when she says:"Ohmygod, I love you." Kelli said. "If you don't get to be her manny, will you be mine?"He smiled politely. "How many children do you have?""None. That's not a problem is it?"Let me first say- every time someone referred to Sam as a manny, I couldn't help but chuckle or grin. Thinking of this huge Marine who is built like a linebacker as a male nanny is enough to make anyone giggle. I really liked Sam's character. He was a good guy who had a rough experience while stationed in Kabul and now carries a lot of blame and guilt over what happened. While on leave, he has been helping his parents out by doing odd jobs to keep him busy. When his good friend Mac approaches him and asks him to watch out for his sister Sheri and her 7 month old twin boys, it is the last thing Sam ever expected to do. Sam remembers Sheri from college and even though Mac warns him about keeping his hands off his sister, that is definitely easier said than done. Watching Sam struggle between his obligation to his friend and his obligation as a man who is attracted to a beautiful woman plays a big role in Sam and Sheri's burgeoning relationship. It definitely felt a bit back and forth between the two, but I felt Fenske handled it in a way that wouldn't drive the reader crazy or made it overly angst-filled and I liked that.I really liked Sheri! She did drive me a bit crazy with the whole 'normal moms would or wouldn't do this' bit though. Sheri's world came unraveled the minute she found her husband with another womanand left her to fend for two twin boys by herself. Sheri is no pushover, but she does feel like she's not living up to the maternal expectations that society has placed on her. My heart ached for her because I feel like when I have kids I will be just like Sheri. She's got to cut herself some slack though. She's a newly divorced single mom taking care of TWIN boys. She's going to make her fair share of mistakes and she's allowed to! Still, she really lets that get to her and she is constantly questioning and picking apart her choices and decisions as new mom. I love that Sam is there to set her straight. He basically tells her to eff normal- what's so great about normal anyways? As long as the boys are safe and provided for, the route that got them there doesn't matter! Screw you Stepford Moms everywhere!When it comes to relationships though, Sheri is not interested right now. She has enough on her plate with her new job and taking care of those boys. However, her resolve is greatly tested when sexy Sam enters the picture. Not to mention, as her manny, he will be living with them too. An incredibly studly, sexy Marine of a man is staying in my house? Fuhgeddaboutit! So props to you Sheri for not jumping that man's bones right away. Sheri has sworn off military men though. Her ex husband was not only military, but also overbearing and that is not the type of man she wants. She also hates liars and cheaters. This is going to present a big problem as her brother makes it clear to Sam that he will need to keep his identity under wraps as Sheri would freak big time knowing her brothers were the ones that hired Sam to not only be her manny, but keep a watchful eye out for her ex-husband.Sam knows he should come clean with her especially after she makes it clear how much she despises liars, but he doesn't as he knows as soon as he does, she will be upset and make him leave, thus leaving her with no protection from her ex who is still sniffing around and calling! Again, Sam is a Marine- his sense of duty is incredibly important to him. He doesn't want to betray his friend, but it is killing him to lie to her especially once they start to get physical with one another.While I enjoyed the story, I did feel there were a few plot lines I would have liked to see more in depth, such as Sam's struggle with his conscience over what happened in Kabul, and even a bit more from Lieutenant Limpdick (her ex husband, as Mac affectionately calls him). I did feel everything came to a resolution rather quickly also and I would have preferred to see it unfold at a slower pace.Overall, this was a sweet romance with its share of steamy scenes thrown in and watching Sheri and Sam try to fight their attraction to one another is classic. Envisioning Sam changing diapers while thinking about taking apart a rifle or singing the Marine Corps hymn to the boys to get them to sleep is beyond adorable and definitely makes him that much more appealing!