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The Single Dad Playbook #1
Mad Love
He's a quarterback, a single dad, and now he's my roommate�
For a long time now, I’ve despised Weston Shaw. He’d been someone I’d admired, taking my favorite football team, the Colorado Mustangs, to the Super Bowl.
But that all turned upside down after one night that had nothing to do with me.
We share one undeniable connection: his son, Caleb.
Unfortunately, the circumstances behind that have never been my story to tell.
But now, the truth is out, and I’m left to deal with the consequences.
I’m living under the same roof as Weston, and each day, I discover a side of him I never expected.
He’s not the selfish jock I imagined. He’s caring, thoughtful, and unexpectedly charming.
I find myself drawn to him in ways I never thought possible. It’s terrifying and exhilarating, but I can't deny it any longer�
I’m falling for the one person I shouldn’t� Weston Shaw.
Mad Love is book one in The Single Dad Playbook series. Each book can be read as a standalone.
For a long time now, I’ve despised Weston Shaw. He’d been someone I’d admired, taking my favorite football team, the Colorado Mustangs, to the Super Bowl.
But that all turned upside down after one night that had nothing to do with me.
We share one undeniable connection: his son, Caleb.
Unfortunately, the circumstances behind that have never been my story to tell.
But now, the truth is out, and I’m left to deal with the consequences.
I’m living under the same roof as Weston, and each day, I discover a side of him I never expected.
He’s not the selfish jock I imagined. He’s caring, thoughtful, and unexpectedly charming.
I find myself drawn to him in ways I never thought possible. It’s terrifying and exhilarating, but I can't deny it any longer�
I’m falling for the one person I shouldn’t� Weston Shaw.
Mad Love is book one in The Single Dad Playbook series. Each book can be read as a standalone.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2024
2,721 people are currently reading
21.4k people want to read
About the author
Willow Aster
45books4,137followersWillow Aster is a USA Today Bestselling Author of emotional, angsty love stories with a side of quirk. She is co-writer of The End of Men series with Tarryn Fisher and co-writer of the G.D. Taylors series with Laura Pavlov.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,264 reviews
Shelved as 'not-for-me'
July 10, 2024self note:
- single dad (fmc's late sister was the baby mama)
- reformed manwh*re
- single dad (fmc's late sister was the baby mama)
- reformed manwh*re
July 10, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
The story begins when her sister dies in an accident, leaving behind a child. Suddenly, the child's father appears, unaware he was even a parent. The news hits him like a bucket of cold water, and they now decide to live together in the same house to raise the baby.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and I enjoyed it very much. As for the characters, Weston is one of those sweet protagonists, while Sadie is charming with her charisma. The connection between the main characters is lovely to read, and at the same time, the family moments with Caleb, Weston's son, are precious.
The moments they share are adorable because the love between them is genuine and enchanting. The tension between the protagonists was good and kept you hooked with every scene between them.
While it may not have the most original plot, the book has all the elements to be thoroughly enjoyable. The blend of unexpected parenthood, forced proximity, and budding romance creates a compelling narrative.
This is the first book in a new series about single parents, and I'm so excited to read the next book. I'm particularly intrigued by how the author will explore different challenges of single parenthood and develop new romantic relationships in future installments.
Many thanks to Valentine PR and the author for providing me with a copy of this book.
The story begins when her sister dies in an accident, leaving behind a child. Suddenly, the child's father appears, unaware he was even a parent. The news hits him like a bucket of cold water, and they now decide to live together in the same house to raise the baby.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and I enjoyed it very much. As for the characters, Weston is one of those sweet protagonists, while Sadie is charming with her charisma. The connection between the main characters is lovely to read, and at the same time, the family moments with Caleb, Weston's son, are precious.
The moments they share are adorable because the love between them is genuine and enchanting. The tension between the protagonists was good and kept you hooked with every scene between them.
While it may not have the most original plot, the book has all the elements to be thoroughly enjoyable. The blend of unexpected parenthood, forced proximity, and budding romance creates a compelling narrative.
This is the first book in a new series about single parents, and I'm so excited to read the next book. I'm particularly intrigued by how the author will explore different challenges of single parenthood and develop new romantic relationships in future installments.
Many thanks to Valentine PR and the author for providing me with a copy of this book.
July 7, 2024
one of my fav single dad books i’ve read in a while!! he’s a pro football player and becomes a dad unexpectedly. it’s a sweet slow burn but once the spice starts it doesn’t stop 🤭 low drama and just honestly a good time and a great listen!! connor crais and ava erickson are sooo good in this one. i know this will make it into the comfort audiobook rotation
February 27, 2025
4 stars
I love a good single dad romance! I think this series is going to be so fun. Weston and Sadie are great together and I loved little Caleb.
I love a good single dad romance! I think this series is going to be so fun. Weston and Sadie are great together and I loved little Caleb.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Connor Crais & Ava Erickson
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 7h 53m
July 15, 2024
This one was a 3.5 star read for me. Sometimes first books are here for me because it's the intro to a new world, new characters and maybe the author is testing the waters. Usually the stories get better as the series goes on. I liked the characters in this one. I liked the found family and the text banter. I had a harder time with the timing of everything. The transition from enemies to lovers was pretty fast in my opinion or maybe it just didn't seem as natural though the situation they found themselves in was not as natural. I also didn't love the reason for the tension at the end. I just didn't feel like a lot actually happened if that makes sense? That being said, I am planning on reading the future books in this series to see who brings down all of the side characters I adored.
Weston feels like he is at a fork in the road of life. He isn't enjoying these one off hookups and has slowly stopped them almost altogether. He is enjoying his career but finds himself wondering what else is there. Then everything changes. He gets a call from a hospital that his son was in a car accident. A son he didn't know that he had. When he arrives, he finds a woman who is the sister of one of said hookups being a guard dog over his son. He is his actual son. Because he is not a monster, he wants Sadie, his son's aunt, to be in his life. He invites her back to stay with him for a minute. They can coparent together and figure out what this looks like. The problem is the longer they are coparenting the more Weston finds himself envisioning a future with her in it not as his son's aunt but as his more. He is honest with himself and recognizes that he had no feelings for his son's mom. It was a one night thing. But what he feels now? He has never felt before. He respects Sadie's wishes though and keeps things platonic for as long as he can. Until he sees his window and decides to shoot his shot. But he has to remind himself being the partner of a famous athlete isn't for the faint of heart. Especially when there is scandal involved. Will Sadie be able to stick it out and be with him how he wants? All Weston knows is that he is excited to be a part of the single dad club with his teammates and he hopes that he will be the first that gets to break the mold.
Sadie is so angry. Her sister was killed. Her nephew doesn't have a mom. Her nephew's dad shows up and acts like he has never heard of him despite her sister specifically telling her the opposite. She feels cornered. She doesn't want to get cut out of Caleb's life so she agrees to get close to the enemy that is Weston Shaw. She agrees to help coparent and try to figure this thing out together. What she does not agree to is the guilt she starts feeling over realizing that Weston is not who she thought he was. He is kind and genuine and really didn't know. What she doesn't expect is to find her sister's journals which confirm the truth, she never told him. What she doesn't expect is to find herself envisioning a little family with her, Caleb and Weston together. That can't happen though right? It's too taboo. I mean Weston was with her sister but was he? Now she is navigating through these feelins that she has and how she wants the world to know but the world is mean. She decides to lay low for a while until things calm down. But she hates that. She has to decide if what she feels for Weston is bigger than caring what people she doesn't know think. Let's hope she chooses wisely.
Something I did enjoy in this book was how grief was portrayed. It was genuine in that it comes in waves and all forms and that there are layers which we witnessed in Sadie. I appreciated that in this storyline.
Thank you to Valentine PR and Willow for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Looking forward to book 2.
Weston feels like he is at a fork in the road of life. He isn't enjoying these one off hookups and has slowly stopped them almost altogether. He is enjoying his career but finds himself wondering what else is there. Then everything changes. He gets a call from a hospital that his son was in a car accident. A son he didn't know that he had. When he arrives, he finds a woman who is the sister of one of said hookups being a guard dog over his son. He is his actual son. Because he is not a monster, he wants Sadie, his son's aunt, to be in his life. He invites her back to stay with him for a minute. They can coparent together and figure out what this looks like. The problem is the longer they are coparenting the more Weston finds himself envisioning a future with her in it not as his son's aunt but as his more. He is honest with himself and recognizes that he had no feelings for his son's mom. It was a one night thing. But what he feels now? He has never felt before. He respects Sadie's wishes though and keeps things platonic for as long as he can. Until he sees his window and decides to shoot his shot. But he has to remind himself being the partner of a famous athlete isn't for the faint of heart. Especially when there is scandal involved. Will Sadie be able to stick it out and be with him how he wants? All Weston knows is that he is excited to be a part of the single dad club with his teammates and he hopes that he will be the first that gets to break the mold.
Sadie is so angry. Her sister was killed. Her nephew doesn't have a mom. Her nephew's dad shows up and acts like he has never heard of him despite her sister specifically telling her the opposite. She feels cornered. She doesn't want to get cut out of Caleb's life so she agrees to get close to the enemy that is Weston Shaw. She agrees to help coparent and try to figure this thing out together. What she does not agree to is the guilt she starts feeling over realizing that Weston is not who she thought he was. He is kind and genuine and really didn't know. What she doesn't expect is to find her sister's journals which confirm the truth, she never told him. What she doesn't expect is to find herself envisioning a little family with her, Caleb and Weston together. That can't happen though right? It's too taboo. I mean Weston was with her sister but was he? Now she is navigating through these feelins that she has and how she wants the world to know but the world is mean. She decides to lay low for a while until things calm down. But she hates that. She has to decide if what she feels for Weston is bigger than caring what people she doesn't know think. Let's hope she chooses wisely.
Something I did enjoy in this book was how grief was portrayed. It was genuine in that it comes in waves and all forms and that there are layers which we witnessed in Sadie. I appreciated that in this storyline.
Thank you to Valentine PR and Willow for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Looking forward to book 2.
July 25, 2024
ೃ⁀� 2.5 stars
This book is about Weston and Sadie, one day Weston gets a call saying that his son Caleb was in the hospital (he didn’t knew that he had a son) and the son’s mom died in the accident, when he gets to the hospital he finds Sadie (older sister of the baby mom) and then they start to live together to raise Caleb. And that’s how it starts. I thought that the premise was interesting and it got my attention at first.
I loved the all the characters, the families, the friends, everyone. But that’s the only thing that I liked.
My problem is that it felt very fast paced, they fall in love right away with each other, and there wasn’t anything interesting in the plot other than Caleb, no drama, no connection between them, no anything. The dialogues were boring too, like I was waiting for something to happen and nothing happened :/ also there were so many things that didn’t had any type of closure but whatever.
Another thing is that I don’t know why but they were mentioning Sasha (the baby mom) too much, I get it, she was the mom but it felt like she was another main character in the book. I would say that at least in 60% or more of the book she was mentioned and not always in the best way.
I don’t really think I’m going to keep reading the series once it comes out because I dislike the writing style a lot🤷🏻♀�
tropes :
•single dad
•found family
•football player
•forced proximity
•small town
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January 1, 2025
4.5 stars
I am SO excited for this series! This is a pretty angsty romance where the hero is a professional football player and he gets a call that his son is in the hospital, a son he never knew he had. The mother passed away in the accident, so that means his son's aunt will be taking care of him. He wants to be a part of his son's life, so he asks her to move in with him and his son. And that's how he romance starts! This is obviously an angsty and emotional romance because they are falling for each other when she's the sister of the girl he had a one night stand with and had a baby with, and she had died. It's a bit of a slower burn as they focus on his son, but I really enjoyed it! I loved his friends too! The end did slow a bit down for me because there wasn't too much drama in their actual relationship other than what others will think if they got together, but overall I really enjoyed this one!!
I am SO excited for this series! This is a pretty angsty romance where the hero is a professional football player and he gets a call that his son is in the hospital, a son he never knew he had. The mother passed away in the accident, so that means his son's aunt will be taking care of him. He wants to be a part of his son's life, so he asks her to move in with him and his son. And that's how he romance starts! This is obviously an angsty and emotional romance because they are falling for each other when she's the sister of the girl he had a one night stand with and had a baby with, and she had died. It's a bit of a slower burn as they focus on his son, but I really enjoyed it! I loved his friends too! The end did slow a bit down for me because there wasn't too much drama in their actual relationship other than what others will think if they got together, but overall I really enjoyed this one!!
April 2, 2025
4.25 stars
I know I wrote a brief review for this book back in January but it somehow disappeared.
The plot and my thoughts
Mad love has an interesting setup as Sadie's nephew Caleb is the son of Weston, the main male character. Weston had a one night stand with Sasha, Sadie's late sister who just died in a car accident. never knew about his son but he is informed about him after the mother of his child's death.
Sadie does not want to be cut out of Caleb's life and she does not want a stranger to be with him, even if he is his father.
Weston offers for Sadie to move in along with Caleb with him and she accepts the offer.
He is kind and respectful to her and Sadie starts developing feelings for him, despite the fact that he is the father of her dead sister's child.
Weston also starts developing feelings for her.
They eventually end up in a relationship but what will happen after outside forces start threatening their relationship?
This was really cute and I definitely read it at the right time because I was really in the mood for this type of book.
This book takes a while to have a spicy scene (the first one occurs at 70 percent) but there are 3-4 of these scenes after that.
I would say the second book is more spicy though and the spice happens quite a bit earlier in that one.
I know I wrote a brief review for this book back in January but it somehow disappeared.
The plot and my thoughts
Mad love has an interesting setup as Sadie's nephew Caleb is the son of Weston, the main male character. Weston had a one night stand with Sasha, Sadie's late sister who just died in a car accident. never knew about his son but he is informed about him after the mother of his child's death.
Sadie does not want to be cut out of Caleb's life and she does not want a stranger to be with him, even if he is his father.
Weston offers for Sadie to move in along with Caleb with him and she accepts the offer.
He is kind and respectful to her and Sadie starts developing feelings for him, despite the fact that he is the father of her dead sister's child.
Weston also starts developing feelings for her.
They eventually end up in a relationship but what will happen after outside forces start threatening their relationship?
This was really cute and I definitely read it at the right time because I was really in the mood for this type of book.
This book takes a while to have a spicy scene (the first one occurs at 70 percent) but there are 3-4 of these scenes after that.
I would say the second book is more spicy though and the spice happens quite a bit earlier in that one.
November 7, 2024
Una pena que no me haya gustado con lo mucho que amo el single dad.
El principal problema fue que no me creí el romance, no me gusta que pongan saltos temporales largos en los que te tienes que imaginar qué interacciones tuvieron para enamorarse. Además, las escenas de ellos estaban narradas muy rápido, le faltó sentimiento para mi gusto
Lo único que me gustó del libro fue el niño.
El principal problema fue que no me creí el romance, no me gusta que pongan saltos temporales largos en los que te tienes que imaginar qué interacciones tuvieron para enamorarse. Además, las escenas de ellos estaban narradas muy rápido, le faltó sentimiento para mi gusto
Lo único que me gustó del libro fue el niño.
Shelved as 'not-for-me'
July 10, 2024Single dad and the child’s mother is the h’s sister (no thanks)
September 30, 2024
Sweet as sugar and so swoony. I love this couple
August 9, 2024
3.5 stars
I have quibbles: no guy would ever invite his newly discovered baby’s aunt to live with him in perpetuity, no pro football player ever looked at another man and made a comment about his “bee-stung� lips, the heroine spent way too much time crying, and everyone involved, especially the MMC, was generally too unbelievably nice. Except for the tabloids, of course, who really don’t tend to focus on pro athlete’s girlfriends unless said girlfriend is a music superstar so how Sadie ended up in all of them was overblown and unlikely.
But this book was unexpectedly engaging. The falling-in-love-with-baby felt authentic. The budding romance was sweet and scary. The single dad group was NOT believable but was at least fun. The emotions felt right for the most part.
I liked it.
I have quibbles: no guy would ever invite his newly discovered baby’s aunt to live with him in perpetuity, no pro football player ever looked at another man and made a comment about his “bee-stung� lips, the heroine spent way too much time crying, and everyone involved, especially the MMC, was generally too unbelievably nice. Except for the tabloids, of course, who really don’t tend to focus on pro athlete’s girlfriends unless said girlfriend is a music superstar so how Sadie ended up in all of them was overblown and unlikely.
But this book was unexpectedly engaging. The falling-in-love-with-baby felt authentic. The budding romance was sweet and scary. The single dad group was NOT believable but was at least fun. The emotions felt right for the most part.
I liked it.
July 7, 2024
I adored this! This was my first Willow Aster and it will not be my last. I'm ready for the entire Single Dad's Playbook gang and I want all my friends to read it too.
I was immediately won over by Weston and the way he jumped into being a dad with his whole chest, body, and soul. Even though he had it made as an NFL Star and there's nothing holding him down. That doesn't stop him from stepping up to be a dad when he gets the call. Especially a scary call telling him his previously unknown son is in the hospital and the mother of said son has just passed away in a car accident.
When Weston rushes to the hospital with questions and a heavy heart, he is met with a furious Sadie, who is the aunt to his new son, Caleb, and she has a pretty poor view of Weston. As she believes he knew about Caleb and just didn't give a shit. When he sets her straight they find themselves in a tough place. He never knew he had a son, she is now without a sister and in danger of losing her nephew to this stranger.
Luckily, what makes this book a delight is that Weston doesn't hold any of it against Sadie or her parents. The only one with answers, is sadly dead, and there's no point in wallowing, it's time to take care of Caleb. So Weston invites Sadie to move into his home and they will co-parent Caleb together.
I am deceased. I don't need to anything else. I'm hooked.
I don't want to spoil anything else for you either, but suffice to say... Weston started strong on the character front and he only impressed me more and more. I am a goner for Weston Shaw. He has his family, his teammates, and now Sadie by his side. It was a joy to watch him become a dad.
I also couldn't help but love Sadie. Her initial distrust is warranted based on what she thought she knew and her fear that she must play along or lose contact with Caleb. My heart ached for her.
These two are both such genuinely great people and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I hope you will too! I loved the supporting cast and I can't wait for the other dads to share their tales as well.
This was beautifully performed by Ava Erickson & Connor Crais. They kept me engaged and I was living for every second.
5 stars
3 on the spice scale
CW: death of a loved one
*Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for an ALC of this title.*
I was immediately won over by Weston and the way he jumped into being a dad with his whole chest, body, and soul. Even though he had it made as an NFL Star and there's nothing holding him down. That doesn't stop him from stepping up to be a dad when he gets the call. Especially a scary call telling him his previously unknown son is in the hospital and the mother of said son has just passed away in a car accident.
When Weston rushes to the hospital with questions and a heavy heart, he is met with a furious Sadie, who is the aunt to his new son, Caleb, and she has a pretty poor view of Weston. As she believes he knew about Caleb and just didn't give a shit. When he sets her straight they find themselves in a tough place. He never knew he had a son, she is now without a sister and in danger of losing her nephew to this stranger.
Luckily, what makes this book a delight is that Weston doesn't hold any of it against Sadie or her parents. The only one with answers, is sadly dead, and there's no point in wallowing, it's time to take care of Caleb. So Weston invites Sadie to move into his home and they will co-parent Caleb together.
I am deceased. I don't need to anything else. I'm hooked.
I don't want to spoil anything else for you either, but suffice to say... Weston started strong on the character front and he only impressed me more and more. I am a goner for Weston Shaw. He has his family, his teammates, and now Sadie by his side. It was a joy to watch him become a dad.
I also couldn't help but love Sadie. Her initial distrust is warranted based on what she thought she knew and her fear that she must play along or lose contact with Caleb. My heart ached for her.
These two are both such genuinely great people and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I hope you will too! I loved the supporting cast and I can't wait for the other dads to share their tales as well.
This was beautifully performed by Ava Erickson & Connor Crais. They kept me engaged and I was living for every second.
5 stars
3 on the spice scale
CW: death of a loved one
*Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for an ALC of this title.*
July 10, 2024
This book was everything I needed at this moment! Nothing gets me quite like a single dad trope. Add a surprise baby to the mix - even better! I definitely don’t want to spoil anything, but this was utter perfection. Professional football players that make up a Single Dads Playbook type group - count me in!! These men melted my butter like nothing else. I forever have that Brittney Spears - Toxic scene of them all dancing around the baby burned in my brain!! So stinking cute! This had the angst, started off with a literal bang and then the whole sequence of events after had me eating this story with a spoon. So many elements that I adore and written with a twist and NO FREAKING DRAMA. Thank you Willow. I’m itching for the second book and wondering which single dad is next out of the group. Weston was so 🌶� 🔥
June 29, 2024
Mad Love is a small town, enemies to lovers, sports romance (🏈), with a single dad hero and forced proximity (roommates)! This is the first book in the Single Dad Playbook interconnected standalone series and it was so cute!
Weston Shaw is a talented quarterback part of a NFL team and loves his life in Colorado! One day his entire life gets turned upside down when he gets a call saying his two month old son is in the hospital…and he didn’t even realize he had a child! He rushes to the hospital and is met with Sadie, the sister of someone he had a one-night-stand fling with in the past and the aunt of his son! He finds out his son Caleb’s mom recently passed away and Sadie was under the assumption that Caleb was just an absentee father who didn’t care to be there for his son. Sooo they definitely start off rocky, especially when she wants custody but he obviously does to!
She quickly realizes that he actually didn’t know about his son and they do try to work together to raise him, she even moves in and they become roomies! I’m a sucker for forced proximity and this delivered. I loved how he was allll in as soon as he found out about his son! It was so cute seeing him and his teammates/friends start writing the “single dad playbook� with all their tips and tricks for one another, makes me very excited for the rest of the series! A little series crossover moment too since his sister Felicity is from the Landmark Mountain series (Stay). I just had a great time with this one and seeing them coparent together! Can’t wait for the rest of the books in the series now.
I received an audio ALC and had the best time with this one! It’s narrated by Ava Erickson and Connor Crais and they really brought these characters to life and made it so easy to binge this read in a day!
Weston Shaw is a talented quarterback part of a NFL team and loves his life in Colorado! One day his entire life gets turned upside down when he gets a call saying his two month old son is in the hospital…and he didn’t even realize he had a child! He rushes to the hospital and is met with Sadie, the sister of someone he had a one-night-stand fling with in the past and the aunt of his son! He finds out his son Caleb’s mom recently passed away and Sadie was under the assumption that Caleb was just an absentee father who didn’t care to be there for his son. Sooo they definitely start off rocky, especially when she wants custody but he obviously does to!
She quickly realizes that he actually didn’t know about his son and they do try to work together to raise him, she even moves in and they become roomies! I’m a sucker for forced proximity and this delivered. I loved how he was allll in as soon as he found out about his son! It was so cute seeing him and his teammates/friends start writing the “single dad playbook� with all their tips and tricks for one another, makes me very excited for the rest of the series! A little series crossover moment too since his sister Felicity is from the Landmark Mountain series (Stay). I just had a great time with this one and seeing them coparent together! Can’t wait for the rest of the books in the series now.
I received an audio ALC and had the best time with this one! It’s narrated by Ava Erickson and Connor Crais and they really brought these characters to life and made it so easy to binge this read in a day!
October 25, 2024
Sport Romance
Single Dad
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Cuando la hermana de Sadie muere en un accidente deja huérfano a su bebé de dos meses y lo último que quiere es que entre en sus vidas el papá, que tuvo una aventura de una noche con su hermana, quedó embarazada y no quiso saber del bebé.
Weston recibe una llamada de que su hijo está en el hospital y tiene que ir a verlo, lo último que esperaba es que sería padre y sobre todo padre soltero.
Sadie y Weston llegan a un acuerdo, que ella vivirá con ellos como la niñera del niño, ya que él no sabe nada de bebés y ella no se quiere separar de su sobrino.
Sadie odia a Weston pero con la convivencia se da cuenta que no es lo que ella pensaba y sus sentimientos hacia él van cambiando.
Empezó muy bien me enganchó muy rápido, pero a medida que avanzaba la historia se volvió flat, no hubo tantos altibajos y drama.
Está bien para pasar el rato pero no es la gran historia.
Single Dad
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Cuando la hermana de Sadie muere en un accidente deja huérfano a su bebé de dos meses y lo último que quiere es que entre en sus vidas el papá, que tuvo una aventura de una noche con su hermana, quedó embarazada y no quiso saber del bebé.
Weston recibe una llamada de que su hijo está en el hospital y tiene que ir a verlo, lo último que esperaba es que sería padre y sobre todo padre soltero.
Sadie y Weston llegan a un acuerdo, que ella vivirá con ellos como la niñera del niño, ya que él no sabe nada de bebés y ella no se quiere separar de su sobrino.
Sadie odia a Weston pero con la convivencia se da cuenta que no es lo que ella pensaba y sus sentimientos hacia él van cambiando.
Empezó muy bien me enganchó muy rápido, pero a medida que avanzaba la historia se volvió flat, no hubo tantos altibajos y drama.
Está bien para pasar el rato pero no es la gran historia.
October 28, 2024
4.5⭐️
THIS WAS SOOOOO CUTE OH MY GOSH😭
THIS WAS SOOOOO CUTE OH MY GOSH😭
August 13, 2024
2.25� | 2🌶� | 2💞 | 2🔥 | 1🧪 | 1.5💌
[ARC-Review]
This was... cute and the premise was........ interesting
What I cann tell ya is that the single dads in this story are wholesome, and I’m eager to read more about them in their standalone books
However, I did encounter some issues with the author's writing style..... The pacing felt awkward (coughing more than 3 times in a row in a classroom level of awkward) at times, and the conversations between the MCs seemed forced, lacking the chemistry needed to make their relationship believable.
I can't count how many times I thought "no one talks that way?!?", because it felt SO unnatural
What i disliked most was Sasha was portrayed as this awful adult character, acting like a teenager in puberty, that goes after married men🤨🤨 (literally keeping a list of famous men she wants to sleep with???) and it felt like the author just did that to make Sadie's feelings towards Weston valid?? Which was SO unnecessary to make her that unbelievably unlikeable🤨🤨🤨
The abrupt time skip was particularly jarring. Key moments in the relationship between Caleb, Sadie, and Weston were glossed over (it was all tell, no show😖!!!), which undermined the development of their chemistry and the build-up of tension. I think the skipped moments were crucial for the story, and their absence made the subsequent events feel rushed and unconvincing😫
Besides that, the smut scenes also felt kinda cringeworthy... Like bro..........A bigggg personal pet peeve of mine is when books feature constant smut after the first smut scene, and unfortunately, this book fell right into that pattern. Also the way Weston talked...😟😟😟 The pick up lines were NOT hot🤨🤨🤨 bro the pick up lines made me want to DIE and jump off a cliff.
By about 60%, I was tempted to DNF the book, as the story seemed to lose its excitement. The characters had already declared their lifelong love and were excessively affectionate
Despite my disappointment with the writing, I remain intrigued by the other single dads in the story and might (though I don't think I will😁) continue with the series to explore their stories
July 10, 2024
This was the perfect feel-good book that made me all warm & ooey gooey inside!!! LET’S HERE IT FOR NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP **aggressive clapping**
I love Weston so much wow he’s like actually the perfect man� him & Sadie were *chefs kiss* and don’t even get me started on Caleb. What a sweet angel boy. Ugh, it made me have baby fever & ya girl isn’t even think about children!! This story was so sweet but also heart-felt, emotional and honestly just a wonderful book all around.
I loved the single dad’s club! Goofy but solid guy groups are one of my favorite things EVER in books because they’re so manly but lowkey the most lovey dovey men & so funny 🤣 the text threads always have me rolllinngggg
What a great first Willow Aster book for me! Safe to say I’m a fan 🫶
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book type: audio
Tropes:
Small town
Sport romance
Enemies to lovers
He falls first
Single dad
Found family
Forced proximity
Thanks MLA for my ALC of this book!!
I love Weston so much wow he’s like actually the perfect man� him & Sadie were *chefs kiss* and don’t even get me started on Caleb. What a sweet angel boy. Ugh, it made me have baby fever & ya girl isn’t even think about children!! This story was so sweet but also heart-felt, emotional and honestly just a wonderful book all around.
I loved the single dad’s club! Goofy but solid guy groups are one of my favorite things EVER in books because they’re so manly but lowkey the most lovey dovey men & so funny 🤣 the text threads always have me rolllinngggg
What a great first Willow Aster book for me! Safe to say I’m a fan 🫶
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book type: audio
Tropes:
Small town
Sport romance
Enemies to lovers
He falls first
Single dad
Found family
Forced proximity
Thanks MLA for my ALC of this book!!
August 17, 2024
2.5�
This felt very 'paint by the numbers', formulaic CR. I can enjoy that when done well but this was just a bit superficial and boring for me
This felt very 'paint by the numbers', formulaic CR. I can enjoy that when done well but this was just a bit superficial and boring for me
February 24, 2025
Desde el principio, Sadie y Weston se comprometieron y cuidaron de Caleb. Aunque al inicio tenían una relación algo conflictiva, la cercanía forzada y el lazo que formaron por Caleb los unió. Me encanta que Weston no dudara en expresar sus sentimientos; fue hermoso observar cómo su amistad evolucionaba hacia algo más profundo. Se brindaron apoyo y disfruté de su colaboración en la crianza de Caleb. A pesar de la falta de comunicación entre ellos, cuando decidieron trabajar juntos, fueron sinceros sobre sus miedos. Sin embargo, aunque disfruté de los personajes y la historia, sentí que algo no encajaba del todo. La relación entre ellos avanzó demasiado rápido, lo que hizo que se sintiera apresurada y poco desarrollada. Me hubiera gustado que tuvieran una conexión emocional más fuerte y una evolución más gradual de su relación. Aunque aprecio un inicio dinámico, creo que este libro podría haber ganado con un comienzo más pausado para lograr un mayor impacto.
October 1, 2024
this is without a doubt one of my favorite single dad romances ive read to date 😭🫶🏼
i went in blind for the most part after having seen the alt cover for this, i looked at that and the tropes and was absolutely sold. as it was my first willow aster book i wasnt entirely sure what to expect but i can definitely say that i am SO excited to go through her backlist after devouring this one.
it was the perfect blend of emotional yet funny & heartwarming, it dealt with heavy topics in such a beautiful way and once they both had their fuck it moment MY GOD the the relationship that blossomed between these two had me blushing constantly 🤭
the amount of emotional availability and lack of toxic masculinity in every single man that appeared in this book was just WOW, i was drooling over every single one of them LOL.
men who can express their feelings ✔️
men who will dance and sing britney spears to get a baby to smile/laugh ✔️
men who drop everything to help you succeed at becoming a parent in a traumatic manner one random afternoon ✔️
everything about weston and sadie’s relationship was just so beautiful 🥹
i am very much eagerly awaiting the next book and can already tell this is going to become one of my all time favorite series 🩷
i went in blind for the most part after having seen the alt cover for this, i looked at that and the tropes and was absolutely sold. as it was my first willow aster book i wasnt entirely sure what to expect but i can definitely say that i am SO excited to go through her backlist after devouring this one.
it was the perfect blend of emotional yet funny & heartwarming, it dealt with heavy topics in such a beautiful way and once they both had their fuck it moment MY GOD the the relationship that blossomed between these two had me blushing constantly 🤭
the amount of emotional availability and lack of toxic masculinity in every single man that appeared in this book was just WOW, i was drooling over every single one of them LOL.
men who can express their feelings ✔️
men who will dance and sing britney spears to get a baby to smile/laugh ✔️
men who drop everything to help you succeed at becoming a parent in a traumatic manner one random afternoon ✔️
everything about weston and sadie’s relationship was just so beautiful 🥹
i am very much eagerly awaiting the next book and can already tell this is going to become one of my all time favorite series 🩷
July 12, 2024
"𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’� 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴."
4/5 �
add to your tbr if you love:
🧸 single dad
🧸 found family
🧸 he falls first
🧸 forced proximity
weston shaw is a very successful football player, he is well known in this small town where he grew up and truly made a name for himself. suddenly, his life changes when he gets a call from the hospital saying that his son has been admitted to the er. the question in his mind truly was, what son?
sadie has been taking care of her sister for as long as she could have possibly known. between taking extra shifts to be able to make rent to taking care of her nephew that would probably know her as more of a mother than his own, she only had time for those responsibilities.
the truth is, these two people were leading very different lives. but a terrible accident is what brought them together, is it enough to make them stay together; that’s where we get to know them.
between having a son and having a life changing event, these two completely different people are forced to navigate a life alongside each other while being completely strangers to each other.
4/5 �
add to your tbr if you love:
🧸 single dad
🧸 found family
🧸 he falls first
🧸 forced proximity
weston shaw is a very successful football player, he is well known in this small town where he grew up and truly made a name for himself. suddenly, his life changes when he gets a call from the hospital saying that his son has been admitted to the er. the question in his mind truly was, what son?
sadie has been taking care of her sister for as long as she could have possibly known. between taking extra shifts to be able to make rent to taking care of her nephew that would probably know her as more of a mother than his own, she only had time for those responsibilities.
the truth is, these two people were leading very different lives. but a terrible accident is what brought them together, is it enough to make them stay together; that’s where we get to know them.
between having a son and having a life changing event, these two completely different people are forced to navigate a life alongside each other while being completely strangers to each other.
October 7, 2024
I binged this in one day.
This was cute & written so well.
A whole series of single NFL daddies yes please.
And small town.
Gimme gimme.
But Weston 🫠
NFL quarterback and pretty well sweetest guy ever.
(Reformed playboy)
Sadie, the sister/aunt.
I liked her.
Caleb. What’s not to love about a baby.
If you’re on the fence because it’s a dead sisters baby daddy trope. Get off the fence. I’ve never been ok with a character being ☠️ as much as the sister. And I know that’s awful to say but I’m saying it..
This was cute & written so well.
A whole series of single NFL daddies yes please.
And small town.
Gimme gimme.
But Weston 🫠
NFL quarterback and pretty well sweetest guy ever.
(Reformed playboy)
Sadie, the sister/aunt.
I liked her.
Caleb. What’s not to love about a baby.
If you’re on the fence because it’s a dead sisters baby daddy trope. Get off the fence. I’ve never been ok with a character being ☠️ as much as the sister. And I know that’s awful to say but I’m saying it..
Shelved as 'avoid'
July 12, 2024- single dad (fmc's late sister was the baby mama)
yuck, not for me. avoiding.
yuck, not for me. avoiding.
July 31, 2024
4.5⭐️ rounded up 2.5🌶
ARC Review
Weston is a pro quarterback, well known for not being into long-term relationships. Until he gets a call saying his infant son, Caleb, has been in an accident. A son he had no idea existed. For reasons I can't say without risking spoilers, Caleb's aunt comes to live with Weston and Caleb in his mansion. I'm sure you're picking up forbidden vibes there with Weston and his baby mama's sister, plus forced proximity. 🥵
Plot was great, interesting and fun, so much tension. While it's not a wildly unique plot - but I'm 100% good with that in romance books. It's still interesting and enjoyable to read to see how and when it will play out. This one is all the emotions.
The pacing was great, a steady medium. It hooked me from the get go.
The prose was good. So many beautiful quotes in this one.
The characters are great, well developed and show growth throughout. The dialogue and banter are SO good.
I haven't read many Willow Aster books, but I feel like there may have been some character cameos that others would recognize.
If you like pro sports and/or single dad romance - this one is for you. And it's available on KU.
Thank you to @willowaster and @valentine_pr_ for the gifted eARC. This is my unbiased review.
ARC Review
Weston is a pro quarterback, well known for not being into long-term relationships. Until he gets a call saying his infant son, Caleb, has been in an accident. A son he had no idea existed. For reasons I can't say without risking spoilers, Caleb's aunt comes to live with Weston and Caleb in his mansion. I'm sure you're picking up forbidden vibes there with Weston and his baby mama's sister, plus forced proximity. 🥵
Plot was great, interesting and fun, so much tension. While it's not a wildly unique plot - but I'm 100% good with that in romance books. It's still interesting and enjoyable to read to see how and when it will play out. This one is all the emotions.
The pacing was great, a steady medium. It hooked me from the get go.
The prose was good. So many beautiful quotes in this one.
The characters are great, well developed and show growth throughout. The dialogue and banter are SO good.
I haven't read many Willow Aster books, but I feel like there may have been some character cameos that others would recognize.
If you like pro sports and/or single dad romance - this one is for you. And it's available on KU.
Thank you to @willowaster and @valentine_pr_ for the gifted eARC. This is my unbiased review.
July 23, 2024
“I've waited to give my heart to someone too. But it’s yours now. It’s all yours.�
This follows Weston a star athlete on the Colorado Mustangs, single and a target for the ladies that just got a call that has turned his world upside down. Then we have Sadie, who lives in a small apartment with her sister and baby nephew, working hours as a waitress. Now tragedy has struck her family and now she is co-parenting with the enemy and star football player.
What a beautiful story of navigating changes and the loss of a sibling while doing what's best on behalf of baby Caleb. At the start, between the two was a little tense from Sadie’s side. Weston jumped head first and made the most of being a father. He was compassionate of Sadie and what she was going through. I loved Weston and Sadie’s chemistry and how patient this man was with her. They deserve each other. Also excited to continue the series. I highly recommend the audiobook. Connor and Ava were brilliant as Weston and Sadie.
If you love:
🔹Small Town
🔹Sports (NFL)
🔹Single Dad
🔹Enemies To Lovers
🔹Co Parenting
🔹Slow Burn Intimate Spice
Genre/Type: Adult Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook
Audiobook Length: 7hrs 53mins
Narrators: Connor Crais and Ava Erickson - Dual
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Book One In The Single Dad Playbook Series
Tropes or Themes: Small Town, Single Dad, Enemies To Lovers, Sports (NFL), Roommates, Secret Baby, Slow Burn, Chemistry, Self Doubt, Jealousy, Grief, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Jersey Scene and Mirror Scene.
Mentions: Death Of Sibling, and Tragic Incident
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | ŷ | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews💫
This follows Weston a star athlete on the Colorado Mustangs, single and a target for the ladies that just got a call that has turned his world upside down. Then we have Sadie, who lives in a small apartment with her sister and baby nephew, working hours as a waitress. Now tragedy has struck her family and now she is co-parenting with the enemy and star football player.
What a beautiful story of navigating changes and the loss of a sibling while doing what's best on behalf of baby Caleb. At the start, between the two was a little tense from Sadie’s side. Weston jumped head first and made the most of being a father. He was compassionate of Sadie and what she was going through. I loved Weston and Sadie’s chemistry and how patient this man was with her. They deserve each other. Also excited to continue the series. I highly recommend the audiobook. Connor and Ava were brilliant as Weston and Sadie.
If you love:
🔹Small Town
🔹Sports (NFL)
🔹Single Dad
🔹Enemies To Lovers
🔹Co Parenting
🔹Slow Burn Intimate Spice
Genre/Type: Adult Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook
Audiobook Length: 7hrs 53mins
Narrators: Connor Crais and Ava Erickson - Dual
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Book One In The Single Dad Playbook Series
Tropes or Themes: Small Town, Single Dad, Enemies To Lovers, Sports (NFL), Roommates, Secret Baby, Slow Burn, Chemistry, Self Doubt, Jealousy, Grief, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Jersey Scene and Mirror Scene.
Mentions: Death Of Sibling, and Tragic Incident
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | ŷ | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews💫
July 7, 2024
I had the pleasure of reading Mad Love as my 3rd ARC. This was an amazing read for me! I love sports romance and throw in a single dad romance just made this read so much better! Mad Love is the very first Willow Aster book I’ve read and it did not disappoint.
After a tragedy Weston who the quarterback for the Mustangs discovers he has a son whose name is Caleb and who’s absolutely adorable. Caleb’s aunt Sadie and Weston decide to co-parent Caleb. They make the perfect team in my opinion. 🥰
Weston had my heart from the start. Also loved the amount of family/friend support on both sides of the family in this book. I can’t wait for the rest of this series! ❤️
Thank you Willow Aster and @valentine_pr_ for giving me the ARC and the opportunity to read such an amazing book!
After a tragedy Weston who the quarterback for the Mustangs discovers he has a son whose name is Caleb and who’s absolutely adorable. Caleb’s aunt Sadie and Weston decide to co-parent Caleb. They make the perfect team in my opinion. 🥰
Weston had my heart from the start. Also loved the amount of family/friend support on both sides of the family in this book. I can’t wait for the rest of this series! ❤️
Thank you Willow Aster and @valentine_pr_ for giving me the ARC and the opportunity to read such an amazing book!
September 26, 2024
Such a sweet, wholesome, single dad romance and I love every minute. Audio is a must as it’s narrated by Connor Crais and Ava Erickson. Weston is unexpectedly is tossed into fatherhood and Sadie is struggling with the loss of her sister. This is the sweetest slow burn and when the spice finally hits. 😮💨😮💨😮�
I am totally invested in Weston’s entire friend group and looking forward to book 2!
I am totally invested in Weston’s entire friend group and looking forward to book 2!
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