When I saw the cover of this book, I immediately knew I was going to want to read it. The Boy Toy tells the story of Samira, a thirty-seven year old Indian woman who is originally from Australia. She currently resides in Los Angeles, and has been avoiding going home, as she still resents her mother for her arranged marriage that ended in divorce. One day, Aussie stuntman Rory Radcliffe shows up at Samira's place of employment. Rory has a stutter, but now he has the chance to be in front of the camera, and so he needs Samira's help. What could possibly come of this? According to Samira, nothing because one, Rory is not Indian, and two, Rory is ten years younger than she is. But we know that some of the best romances come from one or two people denying their feelings. I adored this book, and I know that I can always count on Berkley Romance to deliver funny, entertaining, cute, and even steamy reads, and this one was no exception. I am in an interracial marriage, so I always love to see interracial relationships represented in books. It is becoming more and more prevalent in today's book,and I am totally here for it. Like so many contemporary romances, I loved how this one dealt with many issues that were anything but superficial. Through Samira, we get not only get representation in ageism, but we also get a lot of cultural representation through her Indian heritage. Marsh speaks to the culture and stigmas of arranged marriages. I also liked how Rory had a stuttering problem. Perhaps "liked" is the wrong word, but this obstacle that he had to overcome made him self-conscious and vulnerable in a way that was charming and made my heart go out to him. The readers are almost immediately drawn into Rory and Samira's characters and story, and I found myself rooting for him throughout the entire book. I thought this was a quick and entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Berkley Romance for the digtial ARC. I will be posting this review on my bookstagram page @readingmama_reviews a little closer to its November 17 publishing date.

Excellent Case Study In Storytelling. Over the last month, I've read all three of the books Marsh is releasing (from three different publishers) over the course of six weeks from early October 2020 through mid November 2020 (when this, the last of the books in this "series", releases). And each has been dramatically different from the last, which speaks to Marsh's true skill as a storyteller. Second Chance Lane, the first of the series, was a Hallmarkie romance. My Sister's Keeper, the second, was a weaving, winding, soap opera of a tale that my wife says would work well as a Lifetime Movie.

And here, with The Boy Toy, we get arguably the most cinematic of the three books, in the vein of a multicultural Knocked Up / Hundred Foot Journey. We get an older lead female. We get a look at various facets of Indian culture (that as my friend Ritu says in her own review, many of Western cultures won't be as familiar with - more on that momentarily). We get a more-balanced-than-usual look at the struggles of infertility as it relates to those who actually want children. (Vs childfree people like me that *don't* want children and thus infertility is actually a blessing of sorts.) We get an age-gap *ish* romance with the *female* being the older person in the couple.

And yes, we get sex. A lot of it. And all over the place, beginning as little as 10% into the book. If you're looking for a "clean" / "sweet" romance... you're not gonna want this one. ;) Similarly, getting back to the cultural issues... Marsh does a good job of not hiding at least one Indian equivalent of what I call "Talibaptists" in the US. She does a great job of showing the pressure they can wield socially and the damage it can wreak, and she doesn't shy away from this aspect at all - instead giving a solid example of how to overcome it. Every culture has these types, sadly, but Marsh shows them in depths not often explored, particularly in a romantic comedy, and again - shows her strength as a storyteller in doing so.

Ultimately though, this is a fun and funny romantic comedy that hits all the right notes, discusses some heavy topics, but leaves you satisfied in every way text on some surface can. Very much recommended.

I sat with the book a couple of days after finishing to really get my thoughts straight about it. I would give this a 3.75. I enjoyed it and thought it was a fun read that touched on more dramatic topics not often depicted in romcoms. Ultimately, for me, it began to fall a bit flat as the story came to a close.

My main gripe was that I just could not connect with Rory. We learn so little about him as a person outside of his speech impediment - nearly every time we see him, that is what he's thinking about (how can I not slip up? did she notice that I slipped up?). Not to say that's not a realistic depiction but for it to consume his every waking moment, I expected there to be a bit more pay off when it was revealed. Any scene where we were to learn anything that should be interesting about Rory was too brief to even be entertaining.

I liked the writing style a lot and I'd read another Nicola Marsh book with two fully realized characters.

This book didn't quite live up to my expectations. I like rom-coms, and there were a lot of elements about this that seemed like it would be a read I'd love. I think, ultimately, it felt like all the pieces never really took on a life of their own and the characters never really truly came to life. I appreciated that she showed an older heroine and a younger hero, a hero with a stutter, the heroine's family working through long-standing issues, and the Indian community in Australia.

While temporarily back in her hometown after a long absence, Samira engages in a delicious one-night stand, which turns into more. When things get complicated, Samira must decide if this man who seems so wrong for her on paper can actually be her Mr. Right.

This was a delightful read for me. The relationship started off with a BANG, and though they seemed like such an unlikely pairing, I adored Samira and Rory together. The story did take a turn, which changed the tone of the book a bit, but I enjoyed the way Marsh used it to move the story forward.

A big thing for me was really wanting everything good to happen for Samira. She had been pushed into a marriage and it went up in flames. The experience left her scarred, and therefore, I was excited to see her meet a man, who was not only attracted to her, but made her feel wanted, needed, and special. That little not-so-surprising twist sweetened the deal for me. Even if I saw it coming, I loved it, and I appreciated the way Marsh used it explore multiple issues.

I am all for these May-December romances, where the heroine is the December. I always feel like I am reading romances featuring characters in their 20s or very early 30s. It's refreshing to see a heroine pushing 40 finding love, and with a man ten years her junior, none-the-less. I also loved that she had a successful career and was independent. But, mostly, I was happy to see her open herself up to the possibility of love. It didn't hurt that the two had great banter, chemistry, and lots of heat between them either.

Overall, I had a wonderful time seeing Rory and Samira heal and find forever together. This low drama romance packed quite an emotional punch, and the ending left me in a rather celebratory mood.

This is a great fast paced romance. I loved both of the main characters and really liked that they felt like real people, and not the perfect characters you find in many romances. They both had struggles and things to overcome. Also the steam! Overall, I enjoyed this one!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I overall enjoyed this book. I thought it was fast paced with some unexpected plot twists. I really appreciated the representation of a woman in her late thirties looking for love. I thought the representation of Anglo-Indians was very informative. I have not read many books if any with this kind of representation. Some of the tougher parts of the story like infertility really made you feel for the characters and reflect on their conversations. The way that the strained relationship between Samira and her mom was displayed was beautifully written. Specifically when both realized their need and love for each other outweighed their need for community. I love that this book got into the steamier parts of the story very quickly. However, some of the scenes didn't have a lot of descriptions for me, it kind of felt like it faded to black. I thought the writing was very quirky but I enjoyed it. The food descriptions were so well done. I felt that I could taste the food.

This was my first Nicola Marsh book and it won’t be my last! It held my attention right away! I loved Rory and Samira!!! I loved that these characters weren’t perfect and that they had real life struggles. If you like steamier romances then this one won’t disappoint. I would absolutely recommend this one!!!

I liked this book. It had a unique setting and I loved that it featured a women of color as the lead. Having the male lead have a stutter was also something I appreciated. Overall the story moved really quickly, but it was a fun quick read.

What I thought I was getting with this read:
▪️Steamy
▪️Witty
▪️Quick
What I actually got:
▪️steamy, lustful interaction
▪️witty
▪️strong female
▪️Aussie stuntman
▪️vast hunger from mentions of Indian foods
▪️not a fast-paced story, but quite a story nonetheless.

All around. Not a bad story. 3.5 rounded up.

There are quite a few trigger topics mentioned in this story. Parental loss, infertility, and divorce.

Thank you @berkleyromance and @netgalley for an advanced copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it after The Trouble With Hating You by Sanji Patel and these two books paired very well. This book stood out to me because of the perspective from the main character. She was able to overcome a lot of things on her own, I thought Samira's character was well written and very strong. She knew what she wanted and wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way. I liked that the author was able to bring more to the plot than just a romance story. There was loss, and struggle but each character also found their happiness. Overall a great read.

I love the premise of this novel! I wish it had better character development but it was still super cute and super spicy. A quick fun read!

Romance novels with depth and representation has become my favorite genre of books lately, and The Boy Toy is an excellent addition to that genre. She’s a biracial Indian-Australian woman who fled Melbourne after her arranged marriage ended in infidelity, and returned to help her cousin launch her business. He’s a stuntsman who has a stutter, looking to move into voice roles. They meet in a random bar and sparks fly. It’s a thoroughly predictable book with a common plotline (one that Ties That Tether did a better job of, in my opinion), but it was still an enjoyable read.

THE BOY TOY moved from 0-60 too fast for me.

I love the characters individually, and I love the premise of the novel and the important representation it brings to the table, but I found the chemistry between the leads to be off-- the emotional level of investment didn't match the physical investment.

I didn't end up finishing the book, but I would still recommend romance lovers give it a shot, because I really do just think it's a matter of personal preference.

The Boy Toy blends together an age gap, cultural differences, one night stand turned something more, and a protagonist with a speech impediment. It's a lot, but it's a fun read.

This was an okay novel. I would have preferred better character development.that is subtle. I think this is an author to watch in the future.

Cougar love story. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I expected. I want more, I expected a better plot, but regardless it was sexy and spicy. It was a fun and it was quick to read.

I love love LOVED this book! Pia was the perfect BFF - supportive but not too over the top. Rory seemed like a real person and Samira wasn't some ridiculously perfect person. Plus, I liked that she was 20-something and she admitted to wanting to fall in love with her first husband and have it all work out. Wanting a baby is a lame plot point only because I personally don't identify with it but it was interweaved into the story without it taking over or seeming silly. Overall - I loved this book and thought it was written.

A steamy romance! Nice to see an older character (not that 37 is old! But it was refreshing when many romcom characters are in their 20s) fall for somebody unexpected.

I enjoyed this book and all of its drama, angst, humour and romance. The only drawback for me was that Samira's LA life didn't seem real-- she doesn't communicate with, or even mention, the people she knows there once she's back in Australia. And given how initially she is so set on going back, I find that a little unbelievable in this day and age of social media.