The CEO's Nanny Affair has a classic theme, but I never expected some of the twists and turns that Ms. Wood through in.  I very much enjoyed this book and loved all of the interactions with the kids and the Ballantyne family.  What a fun crew to get to know.

Connections to our past lives can cost us a lot of pain, heartache, sleep, selective memory loss, relationship, and time.  Most of all love.  We tend to either fear it, restrict it, with hold it, or run from it, in order not to get hurt.  That is exactly what Tate Harper was trying to do.  All in the name of her traveling food show.
     The only thing is she couldn’t out run her hurtful childhood memories of her aunt and her cousin/sister, Kari moving in and never leaving.  Causing her parents to fight and the breakup of their marriage eventually.  Her dad telling her mom, him or her twin sister.  She picked her twin.  He walked away never looking back for either of them.  Breaking Tate’s heart.
     Then, when Kari’s mom dies Tate’s mom adopts her and treats her better, therefore, losing her mom too.  Because her mom never set rules for Kari she became out of control that by 16 she was a handful.  Tate was counting the days until she was 18 so that she could move out to be an adventure she wanted to be.  Anything to get away from her mom and Kari.
     When she gets a call from Kari saying to meet her for a lunch in NY at the start of her two-month vacation she says fine she would.  When she gets to the small diner she doesn’t see Kari.  Being she looks a lot like Kari except for the eyes.  She has brown and Kari has blue.  The lady says yes that she was here that she had just gone into the restroom and she pointed out the booth she had been sitting at.  
     When she sits she sees a stroller between the booth of where she was sitting and the mixed-race couple.  The baby looked to be theirs.  Making her think of her nephew the baby that Kari had given up four years ago and how she wishes she had been allowed to visit.  When she notices the couple leaving but without the baby.  When she calls out to them that they were forgetting their baby they say it’s not theirs.  She gets a sick feeling.  She asks the waitress to check the restroom.  Sure, enough while they all had their backs turn Kari had slipped out.
     She starts looking in the diaper bag.  Sure, enough there is an envelope with her name.  It tells her that she needs her to take her daughter to raise.  If she is freaking out and needs help go to her son, Shaw’s father he is a billionaire and he will help her.  Being one to never ask for help she wants to say no.  But she is truly freaking out.  She has to do what is best for the baby.  She calls.
     Tate is pissed and scared.  She hates asking.  But this time she really needs it.  See how these two very strong personalities resolve this new problem that Kari leaves them with.  See how they heal their past hurts together.  I give this: 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

MY RATING: 3.5/5 STARS

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

The CEO'S Nanny Affair was something I wasn't expecting. Our single father, Linc Ballantyne has actually a lot of kids that he takes care magnificently. He's a family man all around and it was refreshing to read from a Harlequin Desire book. 

However, I'm quite picky with my harlequin novels. Some might say I'm old schooled and I prefer romances with characters that grow families together and have no children from past relationships. I know. I hear you booing. In real life, I'm much different. It doesn't matter to me but in books, I want things to be cookie cutter perfect. So, needless to say, this book was a little odd for me to adjust to since this book was basically cheaper by the dozen two. 

Moving forward, it was beautiful to watch Linc and Tate grow closer together. Through multiple failed attempts at hooking up, it was extra special to see when they finally did. They both seemed to want to keep their feelings light, not too complicated, which also led to a lot of misunderstandings about the state of their relationship. 

The ending was satisfying. Tate was a career woman who didn't want to give up her dreams of being a travel writer because she simply loved her work but she also loved Linc and the kids too. In the end, she had to make a decision of whether or not she could live suitcase to suitcase or settle down or even...a compromise. 

MY RECOMMENDATION

Read this one if you love big happy families.

The CEO's Nanny Affair is an example of what I find something fascinating about author Joss Wood. Her stories are contemplative and surprisingly wise works of art. It takes a complex person to drive a story that has twists that are hard to identify and still keep the story on track and readers interested. Ms. Wood makes that skill seem like a piece of cake. The dialogue flows smoothly, the characters come alive and the heart finds an emotional connection. Love, life and wisdom are the core Tate and Linc's journey to romance. It may be a heartbreaking journey but I deeply enjoyed the ride.

4 1/2 STARS!

Fiery attraction beats out common sense! He swore he'd never trust again ... and when it's another Harper woman in the picture, he ups the ante on that promise even more. She's different though ... her eyes show her feelings, her heart spreads kindness, she's unique. We're drawn to this couple and their story and can't stop being invested until we see them get that happiy ending they both so desperately deserve.

Tate Harper can't believe her irresponsible and flighty sister has done it again! She asked her to meet up with her and then ducked out, but left the present of a baby behind! She has to find her and there's only one man to turn to for help!

Linc Ballantyne wishes he could say he was surprised, but he has his own toddler that was left behind by his ex, so he's none too forgiving to the woman. They both find themselves in need of help ... Tate needs to track down her sister and make her take her baby back ... Linc needs a temporary nanny for his son. As they agree to help each other and settle into this temporary situation, sparks burn out of control ... can they truly walk away from each other?

This is my first read by Ms. Wood and I have to say that I loved her writing style.  I fell in love with the storyline and it had a small twist at the end.  I didn’t see that coming.  I know that I needed a couple of tissues because there were some tear worthy scenes.  

Tate Harper lived a life that some people only dream of.  She travels to different cities to different countries but the only down side is finding love.  She had a terrible childhood where her father left her and her mother and he never looked back.  Then it seemed that her mother didn’t pay attention to her after her aunt passed away and her cousin/sister seemed to steal all Tate’s mother’s attention.   Now her sister has done it again she has left another one of her children with someone else to take care of instead of taking care of them herself.

Linc Ballantyne has been caring for his son for four years and now he has another Harper in his home.  There is this instant chemistry between himself and Tate.  He didn’t want to have any kind of chemistry with a Harper sister but his mother put him in a pickle.  She wanted to live her life and she had found someone to live it with so she could no longer take care of her grandson.  Linc needed to find a nanny like in a couple of hours and his mother had the perfect solution.

Tate and Linc fight this chemistry but sooner or later they can’t deny it anymore.  They have this regular routine and they are both falling in love with this beautiful baby girl.  Tate knows that she needs to find her sister because she can’t keep her niece plus she needs to get back to work.  Once Linc and Tate lay hands on each other things change between them their feelings get in the way of what should have been a no strings attached affair.  In the end Tate receives news about her sister and in the end she is the one that walks away.  

The CEO’s Nanny Affair was an excellent read.  The characters were well developed.  The chemistry between Linc and Tate is passionate and sensual.  I love how Linc and Tate were able to work out their relationship and in the end they did have a happily ever after.

I totally recommend this read.  I know for sure I have to go back and read the first two books in this series and can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an Honest Review

My Thoughts:

I had a really hard time liking the characters in this book at the beginning. Linc, who is the ultimate single dad, is cold and doesn't seem to care at all that Tate is in trouble. Even though Ellie, Tate's niece, is his son's half-sister, Linc seems perfectly fine to let them go and wash his hands of them completely.

Tate is freaking out in every way. She never intended to be a mother or even to stay in the same place for more than a few months. Immediately after Ellie is left with her Tate sets about to find a way to get rid of her. Tate is determined to track down Ellie's mother or to find another suitable solution that doesn't include Tate retaining custody.

These characters were unlikable to me in the beginning of the book because they are deeply flawed and so well written. I came to care about what happened to Linc, Tate, and the children. It's always a sign of a good book (in my opinion) if the author can make me love the characters as much as the characters love each other. THE CEO'S NANNY AFFAIR did just that. By the end of the book, I had tears in my eyes and a satisfied smile on my face.

Rating:

the book girl gives THE CEO'S NANNY AFFAIR a 4/5

A fun short-ish read which will have you curious till the end. The novel lacked a little depth for me,  but that was made up for by the interesting story line and dialogue. 

Linc is a great character, he's alpha male, but loves children and understands the importance of family. However, his heart has been ripped out one too many times. Mainly by Tate's sister who he has a son with. Tate is the opposite, doesn't have family she is close to and tries to have as few ties as possible. 

I'd definitely read more by this author. The attention to emotion is really well done.

CEO's Nanny Affair is my first time reading Ms. Wood books.  I totally enjoyed Linc and Tate story.  So heart warming so much love for the children they were taking care.  I love the home feeling they were creating for the two children they love as they"re own.  I look forward to reading more of her books.

Tate and Linc's romance started with hot chemistry and kept moving at that pace until the end. I finished this read in hours. I had a couple unanswered questions and there were dropped storylines that I think would have added depth but I enjoyed the happy-ever-after ending. I would read more from this author.