Stand by Your Manny

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ FOUR-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

> > Judging a Book by it's Cover < <
Cute cover. Single figure in the foreground. Nothing really stands out. If it were not for the author name, I might have completely passed this one up.

> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Third person

Described as a stand-alone although it's the 3rd in the series, STAND BY YOUR MANNY is the first book in this series that I've read and, at times, I felt like an outsider at a family picnic. There are some strong secondary couples in Cooper and Sammy's story and it's clear they've had their story told prior to this, so I'd highly recommend reading the series in order for maximum benefit.
Cooper was too small of a guy to be working construction sites safely and efficiently and when an accident happened that could have been fatal, he was taken off the crew for his own good. But he had secrets that were about to explode into the open and now he is dependant on trustworthy help. Not easy for a product of the system.
Sammy was pampered for most of his life and he was always humble enough to not forget just how lucky he truly was. He had big dreams and aspirations but when your own body betrays you, it's hard to reconcile with the fact that your dreams may never reach fruition.
The main couple were fairly solid and their chemistry was nice. The secondary cast were enjoyable and the interaction was entertaining. The plot felt a little tamer than I was used to, despite the gravity of Sammy's condition. I had a hard time understanding how Channing and Tino could have so many connections and be able to virtually move mountains at their bidding but they could not find a matching donor for Sammy? It just seemed fairly odd. Also, it seemed too easy to transition Felicity from her original situation to adoption with no struggle. The conflicts were managed between Sammy and Cooper well. Predictability was low. I struggled with the conclusion the most. Instead of giving the ending to the main couple, it was hijacked by a secondary couple; a decision which baffled me.
Overall, it was a nice read but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous two books prior to this.
.
Rating: [PG-13+] ~ Score: 3.925 ~ Stars: 4
==========================
⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

Sammy is a young artist who attends musical classes in College, works as a teacher in a middle school and helps with his two siblings. He can’t run around town for his classes, work, and siblings, so he needs help, and besides, he also has a health condition that can be life-threatening if it’s not treated well.

Cooper was a foster kid, he’s on his own since he was seventeen, and he takes care of Felicity, his foster sister. He’s lonely and has to assume all the responsibilities for Felicity.
When Cooper’s injured while working on a construction site with his boss Brandon, Brandon decides to help him and introduces Cooper and Felicity to Sam’s family.

Cooper and Sam are at crossroads in their lives, at 21 years-old, they have to decide for their future, but there’s a difference between what they want and what they can have.

Stand by your Manny is book 3 of The Mannies’ series. I liked this book; it was a very sweet story to read.
Cooper has trust issues, which is understandable after the childhood he had. He’s very shy and careful, but he’s also very smart and strong. He wants to be loved; he wants to belong to a family, and he just wants to be accepted for himself. I really liked him; I found him so adorable and beautiful, I wanted to hug and hold him a lot.

Sammy is a brilliant young man. He’s smart and kind with a big heart. He tries his best to help his uncles who raised him with his younger brother and sister. When he meets Cooper, he wants more than a friendship with him; he wants everything. Sammy has a health condition—something minor but can be really dangerous without being properly treated, and Sammy forgets a lot his treatments because he just wants to be normal, be accepted without being seen as weak. That’s exactly what Cooper gives to him.

I had a sweet moment with them, it was my first book in this series, I didn’t read (yet) the two previous books, but this one can be read as a standalone.

You’ll have a sweet time with Sammy and Cooper.

3.5 OptimuMMs because Sammy & Cooper’s world things!

As I’ve mentioned in my reviews of the first two books in this series, one of the things I love about ‘The Mannies’ is all of the family that sticks together - whether they’re blood or not - and will do anything to help each other. ‘Stand by Your Manny’ features Sammy, Tino and Channing’s nephew introduced in the first book, and Cooper who works with Brandon whom I met in the second book. A number of years have passed since ‘Manny Get Your Guy’ but I couldn’t wait to see how the Robbins-Grayson and Robbins-Lowell families were going to swoop in to help care for Cooper and Felicity.

“Look, Cooper? Here’s the thing. You haven’t met Keenan and Letty yet—but I’ll give you a heads-up. They don’t look anything like me. I grew up here with my two gay uncles, and both of them have loved me like a father—except my father hasn’t been a part of my life since I was a kid. Brandon, the guy who pretty much came and told us you would be taken in? He’s—and get this—my uncle’s husband’s sister’s husband’s cousin. And his boyfriend is my uncle’s husband’s sister’s best friend.”
Cooper laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Oh my God!”

Sammy is in college working toward his music degree and he’s just as sweet, kind, and a little lost in his own head sometimes as he was as a little boy. He loves his brother and sister, Keenan and Letty, whom Channing and Tino adopted as babies nine and six years ago, respectively. Cooper’s mother dropped him at foster care and never went back for him so the idea of a home like Sammy lives in has always been a dream. Felicity is Cooper’s foster sister and when he aged out she ran away and begged him to let her stay. She has been living on the couch in his tiny apartment for two years and Cooper is constantly terrified they’re going to be caught. When Cooper is injured at a construction site, Brandon brings Felicity to Tino and Channing, and when Cooper is released from the hospital he goes there, too. Cooper has to earn a wage and he can’t work construction right now but he can work for Tino and Channing as the live-in manny.

Sammy and Cooper are very close in age and they are so sweet I had tears in my eyes more than once watching these young men navigate the world of adulting. Hell, half the time I can’t navigate it and I’m far older. Sammy really wants his uncles to see him as a responsible adult but seeing as how he often neglects to take care of himself, causing his anemia to worsen, Tino and Channing struggle with loving him and letting him adult. Cooper has been adulting for several years already but not always doing a great job. He’s constantly terrified that social services will come and take Felicity away and he promised her that would never happen. I fell very easily for both of these men and their hopes, dreams, wishes, and sometimes stumbles in the dark.

Another sweet, delightful, gentle love story with a little drama, some definite humor, and the constant reminder of how wonderful family is. I adored Sammy and Cooper and being able to see characters from previous installments just made my reading even more enjoyable. The ending was wonderful and Nica giving birth to her sixth child after her husband has had two vasectomies AND she was on the pill made me laugh outright. Thank you, Amy, for this beautiful glimpse of family.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review at Rainbow Book Reviews.

**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.**

Stand by Your Manny is the third book in Amy Lane’s The Mannies series. Personally, I think you should read the series in the appropriate order to get the most enjoyment from it. Sammy was introduced in the first book when he needed a nanny.

Sammy is in college and still lives with his uncles and siblings. Because of health issues, Sammy isn’t able to spread his wings as much as he’d like, but he’s not going to let that stop him. Sammy is finding himself, and learning how to adult and take care of his own medical issues. He’s taken care of his siblings on summer breaks but this year he has two other jobs lined up. Though the death of his mother was difficult, Sammy has had a good life. Cooper, on the other hand, has not. Cooper aged out of foster care, and when he went, one of his young foster siblings followed him. Cooper’s been struggling to care for both of them and when he’s involved in a workplace accident, he expects the worse but he ends up in a family he could never have expected. Cooper’s learning to trust, and though he’s attracted to Sammy, he has a lot to worry about.

This was a story of two young, virgin, barely adult men figuring out life, love, family and naked times. Though I was excited to read Sammy’s story, my preference would have been to read it when he was a little older since I’m not a fan of teen/college age stories. This story was sweet with very little angst. It was two young men discovering and learning about each other. This is a sweet story of exploration and first love. If you enjoy stories with young MC’s just starting out in life and trying to figure out how to care for themselves, you’ll love this one.

Rating: 4 stars