Manny Get Your Guy

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Manny Get Your Guy is Book 2 in Amy Lane's The Mannies series. I don't think this book can be read as a standalone. I read the first book, and it was hard for me to keep characters straight at the beginning of this book. I actually went back to my review and the synopsis of Book 1 to remind myself of who everyone was. Do yourself a favor and start with book one; and, really, these books are enjoyable so it's not a hardship. 😊

Taylor was introduced in book 1 and was not a very likable guy. But years later he's returned to his hometown and has grown up while away in the military. He loves Nica and her family, and though he never considered being a manny, he was willing to do what was needed to help Nica out. Though Taylor has grown up, he still has some old issues and new to work through, and fortunately, he has Nica's very involved family to help him. The only person not supportive of Taylor acting as the manny, is Brandon. Brandon is Jacob's (Nica's husband) cousin, who lives over their garage. Jacob, Nica and their family is the only family Brandon has and he's very protective of them. He's harsh in judgmentment of Taylor, but soon learns that Taylor is great with the kids. Brandon was a jerk to Taylor at first, and I didn't like him. His behavior toward Brandon made no sense, except he was attracted to him, and instead of acting like an adult, he was the bully on the playground who was mean to his crush. But, don't hold that against Brandon, he gets his head on straight thanks to a talk with a family friend, and once that happens, the relationship between Brandon and Taylor is like lightening!

This series is really about family (in all variations), love, and acceptance. I absolutely love the extended family in this series, starting with Nica and Tino's parents. They accept their children for who they are, and that love extends beyond to their spouses, children, extended family and friends. They welcome everyone with the same love, care and acceptance and you can see how that support affects Taylor and Brandon, who did not experience this from their own families. They are all involved in each other's lives, and draw together to provide whatever support is needed. This is especially important for Taylor, who came from an abusive family. Nica's family has been his support almost all of his life, and that allows him to finally work through what happened when he was a teen (a lot of this was in Book 1). And, Taylor is definitely someone you want to have your back. He was a wonderful support to Brandon when it was needed most.

I absolutely loved this book and these characters! And I loved that the kids in this book was just kids, they were funny and normal kids. Sometimes books have to have the smartest, or the brattiest, or the most annoying. These were just normal kids that most parents could relate to with their little idiosyncrasies. This is not a light, fluffy read, but it's not heavy in angst and heartbreak either. I think the author had done a fantastic job with this book, and I highly recommend reading the series.

Rating: 5 stars!