Down Too Deep was my first J. Daniels book, and I am in love! This super emotional slow burn was a gorgeous look at the building of a blended family.

Nathan is lost and struggling when it comes to handling his toddler, Marley, on his own. A single mom to twins, Jenna is drawn to the precocious Marley and knows she can offer Nathan the helping hand he needs while still tending to her twins. But, when everything starts feeling a little too comfortable and a little too much like a family, both Nathan and Jenna will be forced to face their pasts and their fears in the hopes of giving themselves and their children the future they deserve.

Ahhhh, this book. I adored these characters and felt so invested in their happy ever after, that it wasn’t even funny. Jenna is such a beautiful and giving soul. She’s an amazing mom and loyal friend, and exactly what Nathan and Marley need.

Nathan is truly lost until Jenna helps him reconnect with both himself and his daughter. Since his wife died, he’s been alive and not living. It’s Jenna and her children that teaches him to love and form connections and to move past the fear of losing and focus on living instead.

I also loved how much the kids were the focus of this book. Jenna’s twins, Oliver and Olivia are simply the coolest kids. They took Marley in and bonded with her so quickly and accepted Nathan easily as well. Their interactions add so much depth to this story and really drives home to readers just how high stakes the romance between Nathan and Julia really is. It’s not just their hearts on the line, but their children’s as well.

While much of the book is fun and flirty, there are some really beautifully done angst filled moments that make it feel so real . .. both characters have too much baggage to fall seamlessly into a relationship, and these bits of reality give great depth to the plot.

Down Too Deep was breathtaking and stunning. A flawless love story with a happy family as the end goal. 5 stars

This is the first book I have read by J Daniels and after reading Down Too Deep m struggling to get understand why she hasn’t crossed my radar before now. This may be book 4 in the Dirty Deeds Series but I’m proof that this story can certainly be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone but that being said I’m now desperate to read the previous books.
Single parent stories seem to be all the rage at the moment and this story is one of the best, it’s a well written, emotional roller coaster that had me captivated from the first page to the very last line.
Nathan hasn’t really wanted anything to do with his 2 year old daughter Marley since his wife died, it was easy to pass her off to his parents but now the time has come for him to step up and be the dad Marley desperately needs. Jenna is a single mum of 8 year old twins and who offers to help with Marley but it isn’t long before feelings come into play for both the adults and the children. Will Nathan take another chance on love or will hearts be broken......
This book ticked all my boxes and it has all the feels you want in a great read, I laughed at the great one liners from the kids , I shed some tears and I was left smiling like a Cheshire Cat as this couple became a family. I loved everything about this book and I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author .
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.

Down Too Deep showcases J. Daniels’s sentimental side. I can’t seem to get enough of single parent romances lately, and this one is a real treat. Get ready for cuteness overload.

Jenna is a single mom to eight-year-old twins. Nate is a widower with a toddler that he barely knows. When Jenna offers to babysit Nate’s daughter for the summer, their lives quickly become intertwined.

Alpha males are fairly common in romantic fiction, and I am definitely a fan. However, I love that Nate is a man who is at his weakest point, and he isn’t afraid to let his vulnerability show. Jenna is straight up Superwoman with her awesome parenting skills. She is generous with her time, and always offers Nate emotional support without being judgmental. Their chemistry is fantastic.

Seeing Jenna’s kids fall for Nate and his daughter is almost as wonderful as watching Nate and Jenna fall in love. Oliver, Olivia, and Marley are so stinking cute. I absolutely adored them. The whole story is charming and virtually drama free. Of course, J. Daniels also throws in some spicy sex times as well. Well done.

Emotionally and raw read. Lana~White Hot Reads

Nate and Jenna are two single parents trying to make it. Jenna helps out Nate with his adorable daughter Marley. She is so selfless in everything she does. Nate is just trying to cope with all his feelings of losing his wife and Jenna helps him see that things will be okay. Not only did Nate and Jenna steal the show, but the kids did as well.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. Down Too Deep is hands down one of the best single parent romances I have EVER read. Nate, Jenna, Marley, Olivia and Oliver will completely steal your heart and have you falling in love with them from the very start.
Nate is a widow and after the loss of his wife he shut down, his sweet baby girl spent more time with his parents. That is until they tell him to man up and take care of his daughter. Nate was clueless when it came to Marley. He didn’t know what to do, what she liked or how to take care of her. Enter Jenna. She instantly fell in love with the sweet little girl and offered to take care of her for Nate. She also helped him learn what his daughter liked, how to soothe her, and her schedule.
Let’s talk about the kids for a moment. Olivia and Oliver, Jenna’s twins, and Marley instantly stole the story and my heart. I loved the bond the three of the formed instantly. They were all truly like siblings from the start and there was so much love between them. I couldn’t get enough of them all.
Back to Nate and Jenna. I loved these two so much. They are both single parents and trying to do what is best for their children and to give them the best lives they possibly could. There was always a level of attraction and chemistry between them and when they finally gave into it I felt like my heart was going to burst.
This book is truly beautiful. Not just the story itself, but the writing. I couldn’t put this book down and read it in one sitting because I was so in love with the characters and the story.
This is the fourth book in a series, however, it can be read as a complete standalone. If single parents are your thing then trust me, this is one book you MUST READ. It’s worth an infinite number of stars.

Ever since reading Four Letter Word I wanted to know Nate's story. A widower with a toddler, whose mom committed suicide? That had angst written all over it. Now let me start by saying that DOWN TOO DEEP was way less angsty than I expected.

We start out with Nate's parents basically dropping his kid in his lap and saying "you've got this." You see, Nathan hasn't been taking charge of Marley's raising since his wife passed away due to postpartum depression. I did see that he loved his daughter but over the course of the first half of the book I got to watch him falling in love with her cute and animated personality and that was all kinds of heartwarming. Being the owner of a restaurant he can't just drop everything to raise his child so when Jenna, Brian's sister (Four Letter Word) offers to babysit Marley Nate is not just relieved, a huge weight has been taken off his shoulders.

"His desire to know his daughter was written all over his face. And the way he’d look at her before he left for work and ask about her day when he got home…how he made an effort even though he appeared so unsure, which, God, was the most important thing he could ever do—Nathan was trying so hard."

Jenna is a supermom. She is one of those women who are born to have children, who make it their life goal to be the best mother they can be and make it look easy. The moment she meets Marley she falls in love. Jenna seems sometimes like she could be a pushover because she is very easy-going, kind, sweet and young but I'm happy to report that she's got a backbone and stands up for herself where it counts.

Falling in love was overwhelmingly scary. It was also becoming the easiest thing I had ever done.

I loved the family dynamic. I know, a lot complained about the super slow burn romance and that the focus was too much on the kids. I didn't feel that way. I found it wonderful to watch all of them fall in love with each other. Jenna and Nate's friendship grew so strong over time, they could talk about anything and it was sweet to see how Nate adopted Jenna's kids.

"You’ve become my favorite person to talk to."

Now I have to admit that from the previous books I expected Nate to be a lot more somber and broken. In DOWN TOO DEEP he showed some teenager-like behavior and said some things that kinda sounded a little cheap to me and a little out of character, like:

“What are you thinking about right now?” I asked.
“I’m not thinking about anything.”
“And I’m not borderline obsessed with your rack.”

Maybe I'm nit-picking because other than that I loved sexy Nate who made the females in his life giggle with abandon.

We get to catch up a little with Brian and Syd and Jamie and Tori. There are side characters I see potential for books in a new series. Travis, Jamie's brother for one and then there is football player Davis, Nate's best friend.

Overall, J. Daniels gives us an emotional, sweet and sexy, slow-burn love story for Nate and Jenna and the epilogue was one of the most beautiful and my favorite part of the book. The angst picks up a little in the last 15, 20% of the story and you can't help but root for them.
I'm a little sad to say goodbye to this series but if my gut feeling is right we'll be able to hang out with the characters of this series in future books. This installment is a worthy conclusion of the Dirty Deeds series that left me happy and content.

Down Too Deep is the fourth and final book in J. Daniels' Dirty Deeds series. Each book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. Personally, it's my first experience with the series and I look forward to going back and reading the previous three books.

Nate has spent the last two years since his wife died buried in his work and ignoring his little girl. When his parents make him step up he feels completely over his head but thankfully he is offered help from Jenna, mother of two. She spends her summers working from home and caring for her set of twins, so she doesn't mind helping Nate out with his daughter Marley. They quickly develop feelings for each other and try to take it slow since there's little hearts at stake too. Nate struggles with his wife's passing and Jenna wants to protect her kids' hearts and hers but it's hard to fight how important they have become to each other.

The character were all great but I think my favorites were the kids themselves. Anytime Jenna or Nate interacted with them it made my heart melt. The back and forth between Jenna and Nate was a little frustrating especially towards the end. As a parent myself I understood the initial hesitation but to pull back when they were both in so deep seemed drawn out and unnecessary. Both the friendship and sexual relationship between Nate and Jenna had a good balance between serious and fun. I always love when a couple can make each other laugh and have fun in the bedroom, it doesn't always have to be serious and intense.

Overall, whether you're new to the series or a fan from the beginning, Down Too Deep will not disappoint. I wonderfully heartfelt single parent romance filled with both passionate kisses and children giggles.

This book was just so sweet to me! This single parent romance was sexy, practical, and full of people learning and growing from their interactions together. The kids involved in the story truly made me want what is best in the world for the parents, which in this instance happened to be each other.
The turmoils these 2 people have to get over felt very realistic, which made the whole story feel mature. I loved that mature feel to the novel. I plan to go back and read more in this series to get the full setting of this one, and then read it again, to enjoy it to its fullest.
I don't want to spoil things, so I will leave this review here.
*TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR SUICIDE*

Down Too Deep by J. Daniels was a beautiful, soothing, engaging and passionate love story. It is a very unique single parents romance. There was slow burn. There was heart break. There were tons of emotions and sweet love and sexy moments. I just loved the overall journey of the relationship. Which was extremely relatable, honest and touching.


What I loved most about this story is the kids had a strong voice and presence. They played significant parts in the story. Jenna's twin babies Oliver and Olivia are the most amazing kids ever. They are smart, nice, compassionate and full of every positive thing you can love in eight year old children. Nathan's girl Marley is so adorable and cute. The relationship's evolution revolved around these kids and that was amazing. The struggles and bindings and insecurities of single parenthood came alive through J. Daniels' writing. But even single parents deserve HEA!

I am so in love with Nathan. Who doesn't love a gorgeous and charming man with a broken heart and sad soul? He is perfect. I could not stop my heart from melting when he shared his love with Jenna's kid. And he is so sexy and dirty in bed. The sex scenes in this book were hot and filthy and at the same time sweet. An impossible combination but J Daniels did it. And Jenna is a beautiful soul. She has experienced so much heartbreak but she still loves with everything she has and she gives hundred. Her ability to embrace Nathan's darkness and love Marley unconditionally astonished me. I have only respect and awe for her. The chemistry was on the mark. A little shy. A little hesitant. A whole lot of needy and longing and desperate. The emotional rollercoaster took my breath away. It all came to taking risks and being brave for each other finally!

J. Daniels has written a captivating and heartwarming story. Charming and alluring storyline. Dreamy and unforgettable characters. And swoony, irresistible and magical chemistry.

Y'all. My heart is so, so full after finishing Down Too Deep. I'm not sure I can even put into words just how much I loved this book, but I'm going to try. It wasn't my first J. Daniels' book, but it was the first I've finished in the Dirty Deeds series. I absolutely adored it. I also need to go back and read the first three books at some point. Not that I was lost while reading because these are definitely standalones, but because I want to learn more about the characters and couples mentioned in this story. 

I fell SO HARD for Nathan early on in Down Too Deep. He was so clueless and lost and basically I just wanted to give him a big hug and help him put things back together again. Of course, Jenna beat me to it. I can’t imagine a more perfect pairing. I used to shy away from single parent books because I wasn’t big on kids in books, but I’ve had a major change of heart in the last few years. In this book two single parents and three absolutely adorable children melted my heart in the best way possible. I've not stopped thinking about it since I finished reading. 

Down Too Deep wasn't without some conflict, but it felt honest and real. Nate was dealing (or at times not dealing) with a lot after the loss of his wife and trying to balance that with work and now all these new feelings for Jenna and her kids. It was complicated and not always sunshine and roses. My heart broke for him and Jenna (and the kids) at various times. This was an emotional read, but it wasn't TOO heavy. There was just so much to love about this book, from the characters to the relationships to the little everyday moments that made this story so special. What a sweet, swoony, sexy and satisfying book. 

Favorite Quotes:

I believed in love. Why wouldn't I have faith in it?

"Your heart is on the line. Or in your case, three hearts. What's that saying, you gotta play to win?"

"I really like Nate, Mama. So, so much. These feelings feel too big for me."

4 1/2 stars!

Down Too Deep gave my heartstrings a strong tug.. This was seriously such a wonderful love story. When I make that statement, I want to be clear that I'm not just referring to the romantic love between Nathan and Jenna. It is a story of how Nathan is able to connect with his daughter, Marley and have the parental relationship with her that he has craved but not known how to develop. It is also a story of the blending of two small and wounded families into one strong and beautiful one. They way that Nate and Jenna were able to love one another's children as their own was incredible. I found myself smiling through my tears while I was reading. It was so moving.

When we meet Nathan at the beginning, he is a workaholic who is trying to ignore the pain of losing his wife over a year ago. He has no sense of balance in his life and is relying on his parents to raise his daughter while he works himself to exhaustion. When given an ultimatum by his parents, he is forced to find other options for childcare. After a few exhausting weeks of trying to watch Marley and work at the same time, Jenna happens to be at the restaurant that Nathan owns one day and learns of his plight. She volunteers to watch Marley for him over the summer and that is how it all begins. It isn't an easy transition from nanny and employer to friends and then to romance. They both fight it for different reasons. Nathan carries tremendous guilt for his wife's death and that leads him to feel undeserving. Jenna feels shut out when Nathan can't let her in and she needs to protect not only her own feelings, but those of her children as well.

I simply loved so much about this book. Seeing two very deserving people finally get their HEA was amazing and Ms. Daniels gifted us with a phenomenal epilogue too.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As much as I wanted to love this book sadly it did not happen. I didn’t feel the connection between Nathan and Jenna. I felt the kids overpowered the story at times. I wanted more time seeing the relationship build between Nathan and Jenna. I felt like I was told about it and didn’t get to see it unfold for myself. I also felt their relationship moved really fast and considering kids are involved I was expecting more precautions to be taken. It was still a cute story but didn’t blow me away as I hoped it would. It was nice seeing characters from the other books.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. It was deeply emotional and compelling. Nathan is a single dad who is struggling to put his life back together after losing his wife. Jenna is a ball of sunshine that bursts through his life at the perfect moment in his not so perfect moment of need. This story hits all the right points for me, a slow burn of a romance, it pulls at all your feels while also delivering a believable romance with characters you won’t forget. You feel every emotion throughout the story and there are plenty of highs and lows. Jenna and Nathan have a chemistry that is fire throughout the story. You feel it in every page and I can’t get enough! Down Too Deep finishes off the series (but is a standalone) but I wish there was more!

I have been waiting for Nathan and Jenna. For so long. Nathan is a widower, alone with his two old daughter Marley, and Jenna is a single mother to her eight year old twins Olivia and Oliver.
Jenna is a wonderful mother who enjoys being just that. A dedicated and loving mother whereas Nathan has other priorities. Work and keeping himself busy so he can’t think about his own failures and guilt especially when it comes to him bonding with his daughter and his deceased wife.
Jenna and Nathan had lovely chemistry and they bonded over their children. I enjoyed how Jenna made Nathan fall in love again with being a father . Also how Jenna grew closer to his daughter and Nathan to hers. They became a family and they fell in love.
The other characters from the series made appearances too. Jenna’s brother Brian and his girl Syd along with her bestie Tori which was great.

The reason for my rating all comes down to me and my expectations. I felt the focus was centered too much around the children and they took too much attention away from Nathan and Jenna as a couple. 65% revolved around Nathan and Jenna being with the children and it just became too repetitive and not much happened. I’m a huge fan of the single parent trope but here I felt the kids overshadowed their parents story wise. I would’ve liked more of their courtship. Of them exploring one another.
Down Too Deep is the final book of the Dirty Deed series and despite my issues with it and it not being my favorite of the four books it still had great closure to all the characters. I’m still a huge fan of the author and I will continue to read her books. This just didn’t live up to my own expectations.

***5 Stars***

Talk about pulling on all of those heartstrings!

If you are looking for a book that will pull every emotion out of you, then this book is for you. Down too Deep seriously has it all and then some. You will want to reach out and Gibbs smack some sense into people, you will swoon, grin like a loon, your ovaries AND your panties will explode and you’ll find your heartbreaking even as it’s pieced back together again and want more when there are no more words to read.

Nate. This man. I knew going in that his journey would be a rough one. With all the hints dropped in the previous books, it wasn’t a surprise and it was rough. This man has so many demons riding him that he can’t see what’s right in front of him. But as he starts to work through everything, I ended up adoring him because he is this sweet, laid back guy who has an open and generous heart, who sees a lot more than anyone ~ even himself ~ could ever know.

Jenna is amazing. Things went a little sideways in her past, but she pulled on her shitkickers and kept living, not only for herself, but her twins. The love she has for them and giving them the best life possible is just one of the reasons I adore her. The other is that she truly believes that there is more out there for her and her kids. She believes in love and happiness and that you can always make things better if only you try.

As for Nate and Jenna’s journey to their HEA, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for single parent romances and considering we get a double whammy here with both of them being parents, it was hard not to get lost in the pages. I loved the moments where they were all together as much as the moments where it was just Nate and Jenna. There may have been a few awkward moments, but they were honest in their awkwardness and only served to make me root harder for them to be together. Of course, things get bumpy for them, but they had to. There were issues that not only Nate, but Jenna had to confront and work through, but in the end, I loved how everything turned out for all of them.

This book hit all the right buttons for me, even the ones that had me growling in frustration, it simply worked on every level from start to finish. There are triggers in here, some pretty big ones, but all were handled with care and respect. As for the crazy cast of characters in this one. I loved catching up with all of Whitecap’s crew et al. But the true stars of this one were Olivia, Oliver and Marley, these three definitely pulled on the heart strings in every way possible. We do get to meet a few newbies in this baby who I would be more than happy to spend a lot more time with, so I’m crossing my toes that this isn’t the last time we’ll see them!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via Net Galley & voluntarily reviewed ~

A sexy, emotional read, Down Too Deep by J. Daniels has plenty of angst, an abundance of steam, and just enough humor to keep you laughing throughout this contemporary romance.
One of the things I liked most about this book was that Nate and Jenna develop a natural friendship first. Sure, there's physical attraction almost immediately -- but their relationship is first built on a foundation of friendship. They bond over single parenthood and genuinely enjoy each other's company.
Jenna makes no qualms about putting her kids' needs first, and Nate learns this first-hand when he screws things up. (I mean, you know there were gonna be some hurdles!) She's a strong, fierce heroine and deeply devoted to her kids, and I loved her all the more for these characteristics.
Nate is a hot mess, although it's pretty understandable given the grief he's been going through. Seeing him come into his own as a father and as a man is really enjoyable; his character growth over the course of the book is deeply satisfying.
It's worth noting that Down Too Deep is the fourth book in Daniels' Dirty Deeds series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I haven't yet read the other books in this series, and I had no problem getting to know the other characters and slipping into their world.
A book filled with lots of emotions, hilarious moments, and some steamy romance.

This is my first J Daniels book but it won't be my last. From the first page this book drew me in. I really felt like I was feeling exactly the way the characters were feeling. I'm not a fan of single parent romances but this one sure changed my mind! This one is part of a series but can be easily read as a stand alone and I will for sure be going back to read the other books!!

It was a sweet story, Nathan and Jenna both single parents, I love J Daniels books but this one seemed to focus on the children more than the couple and single parent is not my favorite trope to read, but for those who love them I am sure you will love this story. I loved that I got to see some old characters from the series. The emotions hold into the story are all there, you will get dragged in and get the angst and romance you are looking for. The chemistry and steamy scenes between the characters is perfect.

I can’t believe it’s over!! 😭😭😭😭

I feel like I’ve been waiting for Nathan forever and I loved him so much more than I thought I could.

I loved both Jenna and Nathan. They’re both single parents and both have sadness in their past but find happiness again with each other. They have to overcome their past, but once they do, it’s perfect.

I loved that they bonded with their kids also. It wasn’t “I love you, so I love your kids.” This book was very much “I love you and I love your kids.” That was probably the sweetest thing for me in this story.

There are some things, tiny things that are completely a personal choice that made this not a 5 star book for me, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I all kinds of loved this couple and this book.

Nathan might now be my ultimate J. Daniels hero. 😍

This was my first J. Daniels book and I really enjoyed this single parent romance! I am a sucker for a good single parent romance where the kids are absolutely adorable! I loved watching Jenna and Nate fall in love and also find themselves.

Nathan is a widower who doesn’t really know his 2 year old daughter because of his grief and shame. This relationship broke my heart because he was so very lost and I loved watching him with Jenna’s help mend this. Jenna, a mom of 8 year old twins is such a great character. She is an amazing mom and I absolutely loved getting to know her. She offers to help out Nathan with watching Marley. This book was sweet, steamy and definitely warmed my heart ❤️