Next of Kin

A Foster Guardian's Romance (Next Series, Book 1)

By: Hannah Bonam-Young

Narrated by: Penelope Ann Rose

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

When people-pleasing Chloe learns that her birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, she doesn't hesitate to become a next-of-kin guardian. But when she fails to pass Child Protective Services' financial evaluation, she is faced with a choice: see her baby sister placed in foster care or participate in CPS' new initiative, TeamUp.

Enter Warren, a surly mechanic's apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother after failing CPS' housing evaluation. The two strangers immediately clash but agree to live together until Warren can find housing elsewhere and Chloe can further grow her freelance career.

As their lives intertwine, Chloe and Warren both realize that they're far more similar than they could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural—and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but they must each decide if what burns between them is worth risking their arrangement.

With banter, heart, and steam that will have the listener blushing, Next of Kin is a true underdog story of two young adults redefining what family can look like.

©2022 Hannah Bonam-Young (P)2023 Tantor

Stress free and sweet

Has some sexy bits but it’s not the focus. It’s a good story with no loose ends and a happy ending.

Amazing sweet and spicy

Story
Starts out with the female lead grocery shopping to get a call her drugy mother gave birth to a baby. Cps is giving her an option to take baby or let the state take them.
Cps interview shows she does not make enough money so putting her in a program she meets another in her situation. The male lead is trying to get his brother but much older child. They bother have a rough start to living together. After some time. They learn to become friends. With there past family troubles. They both have a lot to learn about family.

My review
I love this story. The female lead is so funny and out of the box. She meets the male lead and wow is he a jerk. But she has an interesting way of dealing with it. They both have there past traumas and they kinda play off of each other. The male lead starts out rough but when he warms up. It makes you feel more connected to him and his story. This story is well done and keeps you hooked. Little bit of a slow burn but added well into the story. Spicy bits are great, drama is amazing, edge of your seat story that will keep you up late finishing the book in one go.

Reader did a wonderful job. Was able to pull the emotions out of the story and make you feel along with the characters.

My first book from author and I hope this awesomeness keeps up. I highly recommend this book.

Cute

Next of Kin is low angst for the subject matter. The hero and heroine become roommates to gain guardianship over their siblings. Both have been through the system before and were matched together by CPS. The romance is really slow burn, but I enjoyed the story!

So good!!!!!!

This author is turning into such an insta buy! She’s so great. This is such a short sweet book. Obsessed!

truly such a cute story and audiobook!

I had already read next of kin and it’s now been such a lovely experience on audio! the narrator was perfect for chloe’s character. she spoke so softly and with kindness which I thought perfectly represented chloe. it’s the perfect audiobook for when you’re looking for a sweet story filled with heart and emotions!!

Precious

So wholesome and sweet. I was grinning through half of it. So cute. Loved it!

Engaging but not too heavt

I thought this was a unique take on the forced living arrangement love story. I loved that it didn't end when the couple got together, but included some of their difficulties after they got together. Had a happy ending. There were a few sex scenes, but they were all breif

The perfect happy ending

It’s a perfect slow burn without any huge disasters to pull them apart. Honestly would read this again

Anticlimactic

So, I originally got this book due to screenshot I saw of the dedication. It said “This book is dedicated to those who think Jess was Rory’s best boyfriend. The rest of you are wrong.” The Rory & Jess fan in me had to read it when I saw that. I was let down though- it wasn’t at all as good as I hoped. The main character finds out that she has a newborn sister and her estranged mother wants her to take custody of her. The baby she names Willow (yes, her mother wanted her to choose her name too) is born with health problems and she’s told the only way she will be able to get custody of her is if she shares her apartment with a complete stranger also seeking custody of someone for the next five months. Some new program they are doing. Her new roommate is Warren, and he’s trying to get custody of his 15 year old brother. The majority of the book feels like it mostly focuses on the doctors appointments and feedings and so on and less about the romance. Yes, they have moments. She brings a date home and Warren scares him off of course but instead of getting together, they decide to be just friends until the 5 months is up so they don’t risk either of them losing the chance of gaining custody of their siblings. It feels like this is the shortest part of the whole plot. It doesn’t take them long to give in at all and the last part of the book starts with their first date.. Finally, right? You figured they’d get together, something would go wrong, then they’d work it out by the end but nope. It’s a boring lead up to them getting together, and when they finally do… we expect some hot yet romantic sex right? Nah. Their first time is him demanding she sit on his face first. Not even joking. She even asks him to… I don’t think I’m allowed to say that word on here so I’ll sub it… duck her. Their first time is something out of a porno. It was so anticlimactic. (Well, not for the main character I guess as she climaxed twice. 😂) I don’t mind a spicy scene at all, but this just lacked romance & the feeling of a first time for two people who have been longing for each other for months. Felt more like an awkward tinder hookup. That wasn’t the ending though. Warren gets angry and punches a hole in the wall because he finds out his brother has been secretly talking to their dead beat dad & plans on moving in with him. Chloe tells him he needs to leave and cool off & of course he has to be dramatic & assume she meant they were over. She goes out looking for him because his phone is off, finds him at a hotel, they make up, blah blah. It was just a little too unrealistic. Then the epilogue. Fast forward in time a little & they are at her sisters birthday party, and she announces that she adopted her. She adopted… her own sister… her sister… is now her daughter… it’s weird to be honest. Oh, and they also get engaged in this tiny epilogue. The writing had me hooked at the start, but the plot starts to get slow & boring. The ending is, again, anticlimactic. I never even had any Jess & Rory vibes which was the entire reason I wanted to read this.

The narrator did a great job though, even when voicing Warren.

Found family 🩷

Sometimes sad circumstances bring on the best parts of life. Loved the story and the characters, unlikely duo but the chemistry was on fire. I love their little family.