Daddy Needs a Date

By: Sean Michael

Narrated by: Steve Balderson

With four girls, single dad Ryan Withers has his hands too full to look for romance. He’s not complaining - he loves his daughter and the three nieces he adopted when their parents died, and he would do anything for them. He's caught off guard when his mother and daughter decide to play matchmaker.

Alex Bernot works in disaster relief, his job taking him all over the world, helping others, for extended periods of time. He’s staying with his aunt while he’s home, and she sets him up on a blind date. Finding a special someone isn’t really on his mind, but he goes to make his aunt happy.

Ryan and Alex enjoy each other’s company more than either of them expected, and they soon make a second date. Their lives are complicated, though, in very different ways, and soon, family needs and their jobs conspire to pull them apart. They’ll need to figure out how to work through the things keeping them apart, but first, they’ll have to decide if they even want to....

©2017 Sean Michael (P)2018 Dreamspinner Press

Enjoyed This

I enjoyed the storyline as well as the narration. It held my attention from the beginning until the end.

Sweet family story

Ryan Withers knows what it’s like to be busy. As a single dad to four girls romance is the last thing on his mind. That is until his fifteen year old daughter and his mother decide to play matchmaker and sets him up on a date with Alex. The two hits it off right away, but finding time isn’t easy with four kids, and Alex’s work as a disaster relief isn’t helping matters as he could get called away on short notice. I loved Ryan and Alex together and Alex really fit into the family dynamic as if he’d always been there. Sure it wasn’t always easy, but it was well worth the fight.

What I really loved about this book was the lack of glamour. The story and the characters felt grounded. Life with four kids is messy and busy (I imagine), and everyday life doesn’t consist of going out to clubs or dining at fancy restaurants or being up to date on the latest gossip or what not. It’s putting food on the table, even if it’s only peanut butter sandwich and the circus just before bedtime making sure teeth are brushed etc. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real. All of the characters feel real and credible. Sean Michael makes you believe and with this story, he created hope that even if you are too busy to look love will find you anyway.

I’ve been listening to many new to me narrators this week, with various success. Steve Balderson, I think, has been my favourite. I loved his voice and pacing, and I think he was great for the story, he made you feel everything and become invested in these lives, mayhem and all. Okay, so the mayhem was mostly imagined on my part, because despite everything this family have been through they are all well-adjusted and happy. Balderson made you become a part of it, colouring with the young ones and in general having a great time.

Daddy Needs a Date was an audiobook that will spread some happiness and sweetness. Definitely recommended when you need a dose of family.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

Single dads need love too

I liked the concept of this book going into it. A gay single dad raising his own daughter as well as his sister's kids after his sister and brother in law died in an accident. Each of the girls had their own distinct personality that was evident in the writing of the story. It was kind of fun listening to them, especially the younger ones expressing themselves the best way they know how. The relationship between Ryan and Alex moved really fast, a little too fast for me especially with Ryan being a single dad of four girls. It felt a little too like insta-love for me. This was my first audio with this narrator and I'll say he had some pros and some cons. I loved the emotion he put behind the words, like you could almost feel what the character was feeling. There were a couple of times though that I had to rewind because I didn't catch whether or not I was listening to Ryan or Alex.

Overall I enjoyed this one and I would listen to another book by Balderson to see if this was just a one off.