Sweet and cute. I liked both MCs. They were cute together. Tino definitely had this idea of what the future should be and he had a hard time imagining it any other way, not only for him but for others. Success isn't defined one way and Tino had this idea that was. He needed to change his thinking; it was what was getting in the way of having everything he really wanted for his future. I enjoyed that as a conflict for the story. ( )

If you are in the mood for a sweet, measured romance, this is perfect. It hits that sweet spot between trouble and joy, with the exact difficulty of a good story without undue drama. I very much enjoyed Tino's character arc - he learns quite a lot in the summer-long span of the novel. ( )

The Virgin Manny is the first book in the series ‘The Mannies’. This story is told in third person from Tino Robbins’ pov. He takes a summer job working for Channing Lowell, who is the uncle to Sammy.

2.5 Stars



I wanted to like this book. The blurb sounded cute, but this story didn’t work for me and I’m sure it was the way it was written. In fact, the blurb was more clearly written than the book itself. I’ve read numerous books by this author. I’ve read all of the ‘Candyman’ series and part of the ‘Johnnies’ series. None of them had the clipped, rushed feeling that this book did. The sentences were abrupt. It’s almost as if as fast as the author thought of the words, they were put to paper, sent off and that was it, no fleshing out. Each sentence was like a partial thought, just enough to convey the character’s or scenes basic outline, and just enough to tie it to the next sentence, but without depth or room to take a breath in the story, even though it’s not an action packed one. It’s just about Tino, Channing and Sammy adjusting to each other. This book just felt rushed, rushed, rushed.

Because this book felt rushed, I really couldn’t get into the characters and didn’t feel for their predicament. It didn’t help that there’s a lot of telling, almost as if the narrator was telling a fairytale. I couldn’t get into the switching of distance between the narrator and then Tino and back again. There was also a lot of repetition of Tino’s thoughts as he wrestled with his dilemma of wanting to get a REAL job since he had a degree, and his desire to stay with Channing and Sammy because he was attracted to Channing.

Speaking of Channing, the part where he propositions Tino the very day Tino interviews for the Manny job, was creepy. Tino was so money motivated and lust crazed, he was willing to take the chance of working for a man who openly said he was willing to have sex with his employee. That was creepy. Can you imagine going to a job interview and the boss saying that to you? If Channing’s desire showed up gradually in the story, I think it would’ve worked better, but I don’t get why the author wrote Channing that way. I found his behavior, I'll say it again…creepy. But, I suppose Tino didn’t care, he was thinking with his other head.

There were grammar issues and more than a few missing words. I want to give this story, 2.5 Stars, but I liked the plot so I’ll raise it to 3 Stars. I think the author skimped on this book, making it a rush job with clipped thoughts, dialogue and scenes, and too much telling. I’ll probably read at least one more book in this series to see if the writing improves. If it doesn’t I won’t continue on with it. The writing style just doesn’t work here.

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Tino Robbins has always worked hard to achieve his goals. He's taken his education seriously, and he's managed to balance working and attending college to keep himself on track. And it's all about to pay off as he approaches graduation with a business degree and a trajectory for a bright future. But when he covers one evening for his sister's dinner box delivery service, he finds himself bumped off that trajectory and not sure if he can get back on track. To blame? Channing Lowell, a charming and successful businessman who has just gained custody of his young nephew, Sammy, after his sister's tragic passing. Tino's quick connection with Sammy and ability to calm the chaos in the Lowell household after just a few minutes of being there leads Channing to make a lucrative proposition: if Tino will be Sammy's manny for the summer, Channing will pay off Tino's student loans and provide him with a glowing letter of recommendation, which should be enough for him to get a job anywhere. The offer seems too good to be true. And there's also the fact that Tino's not sure he could spend the entire summer living in the same house with Channing and hold not his virginity. But he also can't help but question if that's such a bad thing...

What an interesting cast of characters in this one! There is honestly quite a bit packed into these 228 pages, and it is interesting to watch the various characters--Tino, Channing, and Sammy for sure, but also some of the supporting cast--go through some major changes over the course of this book. Nothing seems forced, though, and as a reader, there was just enough reality laced into what many might see as a bit of a fantasy-type situation. How often does one just show up at a fancy house and get an offer like Channing's? But as readers get to know him a bit better, it's easy to understand why it doesn't faze him much at all to make his proposition. Worth a read! ( )

Audiobook by John Solo - 4.5 stars

Story-2.5 Its me, not the book stars

Ugh! i really wanted to enjoy this more but i couldn't connect with the characters. And honestly i don't get this authors writing style at some point, i was lost. But i will still read more of her books, until i get it, that would be like an achievement.

I enjoyed the narration, but the story was just ok... I am still living in the [b:Risky Behavior|33411778|Risky Behavior (Bad Behavior, #1)|L.A. Witt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485237460s/33411778.jpg|54168946] world.

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