Sweetheart Daddy

By: Morgan Lysand

Narrated by: Zachary Zaba

After moving back to his hometown to help his dad with the family bookstore, recent grad Rory Doyle is in desperate need of fun. So he puts himself up for auction on a dating app hoping to catch someone’s eye. A free three day vacation courtesy of the dating app sounds like just the antidote to his lousy mood. He and a sexy stranger could get up to something fun.

Everyone thinks Jacob Rodgers is scary. He’s a mechanic close to seven feet tall, but he thinks it’s the beard that covers old scars and tattoos down his neck that have people scurrying away everywhere he goes. No one knows Jacob has the caring heart of a Daddy underneath the rough exterior. All he wants is someone to take care of. When Carousel has its yearly auction, Jacob bids on the beautiful blond that appears to be perfect for him. Hopefully the man won’t shy away from Jacob’s terrifying appearance.

Sweetheart Daddy is a spicy MM age gap auction book featuring a mechanic Daddy and a prickly college graduate in need of serious cuddles and fun… maybe an aquarium date. Sweetheart Daddy was previously a part of the Sweetheart Escapes multi author series. It can be listened to as a standalone.

©2023, 2024 Morgan Lysand (P)2024 Morgan Lysand

Sweet and spicy short story

Love the low angst story of these two. It definitely could have been longer so we saw more of their relationship building and growing, but very entertaining.

Sweetheart Daddy

This is an enjoyable story about finding your true self and reaching for what you truly want.

Rory is a young man just beginning his journey in life. Along the way he meets Jacob and the attraction between the two cannot be ignored. It was nice to see the way Jacob helps and supports Rory when he needs it. The two are good together and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. It was nice to see the friendships and relationships that are made and strengthened in this story. Narrator Zachary Zaba does a nice job of bringing the characters and emotions to life and I was quickly immersed in their story.

Sweetheart

1st person, present tense, dual POV
Rory Doyle, boy (early 20's), recent college grad helping his family's bookstore survive and thrive
Jacob Rodgers, daddy (43), mechanic

Audiobook (4h8m), Narrated by Zachary Zaba: 4.5 stars
I have listened to this narrator before and while I do enjoy his narration it does take me a minute to acclimate to his style and cadence since it doesn't feel 100% natural to me, more performative. I do find it easy to listen to and enjoy the way he uses different voices to distinguish between characters and that the voices suit the characters well; Rory was sweet, light and lilting, while Jacob was gruff, commanding, and considerate. I definitely won't shy away from listening to more of his work.


Story: 4 stars
Ooooh, loved the side rep and how it was addressed, extra impressed that it was not a major sticking point of the story and that Rory didn't suddenly "get over it" because "he'd finally found the one". Bonus points for Jacob being extra awesome and comforting about it given Rory's history.

I though that this was in interesting set-up for the series, this installment ties in quite closely with the previous book in the series, [book:My Sister's Sweetheart|179942524], which I read last autumn and loved, as Rory and Rowan are best friends. I'm glad I had that context before reading this but you could read it as a standalone.

I listen exclusively in the car, usually during my commute to work so I prefer low angst, light, fluffy, easy-to-follow stories that don't require a huge amount of emotional investment or brainpower to follow. This fit the bill perfectly. It was such a cute, sweet story. I enjoyed the set-up and that both Rory and Jacob had issues they were afraid would be dealbreakers to their sweetheart match and so things progressed a little slowly at first as they got to know one another.
By the time they physically meet they are more than smitten. I loved the dates, the aquarium, the way they worked together to help Jacob's brother, Milo. I enjoyed Rory's friendship with Rowen and ADORED how Rory really came into his own in helping his dad rescue the family bookshop and make it thrive. I wasn't so keen on the family drama caused by Rory's sister, but it was a minor blip in my enjoyment as far as I'm concerned.

I'm dying for Milo to get his HEA, it just about broke my heart when he called Jacob upset at not having been bid on. I just checked at it looks like his upcoming story will be a Christmas story, which are my favourite, I can't wait!

I'm horrible at writing audiobook reviews because I can't scroll back through and see things I've highlighted or made notes on and I have the attention span of a fish - squirrel!

I was given an Audible code and voluntarily wrote an honest review.

So cute!

This is such a cute and fun story. I love the build of Rory and Jacob’s relationship. They are just so cute together. Jacob is an amazing daddy. This will be a great comfort read when I want something that will just make me smile. Narrator Zachary Zaba did an excellent job bringing these characters to life. This story is definitely worth listening to! I can’t wait for potentially more stories.

So Much Sweetness and Absolute Acceptance!

Zachary Zaba was the perfect narrator for Rory and Jacob's story! Rory is a bit out of his element now being back home and he really needs a Daddy to care for him and guide him. I was so happy that Jacob picked him. Jacob just knew Rory was the boy for him and that Rory would accept him too. Jacob is a very large man, and he has physical scars he worries will scare away his beautiful boy. Lots of Coziness and Cuddliness Ensue!

Sweetest of Daddy/boy Stories

Rory & Jacob

Sweetheart Daddy was exactly how the title sounds. I love how each moment between Rory & Jacob is perfectly sweet and fun. They interact and connect so well, as all Morgan Lysand characters do. Jacob is clearly the ultimate teddy bear daddy, and Rory is his perfect boy.

Their supporting friends and family were wonderful to interact with as well. Rory and his friend Rowan are a total hoot to listen to back and forth. Their banter had me giggling much of the time. I love that they each consider one another their soul mate, but that each of their partners understand that it's not a romantic mate situation, just the best of friends kind of love.

Jacob and his brother Milo have an incredible family dynamic that makes them so close despite their decade age difference. Their difficult past brought them together in the worst way, but they both benefited from their closeness. I was happy to watch Milo's circumstances shift during the story too, considering he's not one of the MCs in this book.

The ending of Sweetheart Daddy really warmed my heart, and I love seeing what feels like genuine happiness grow and bloom between the characters. Jacob & Rory are the perfect, sweet couple, and I wish I could continue to follow their journey of love.

Audiobook Update:
Zachary Zaba is an absolutely fantastic narrator, as always. His ability to isolate each character's voice and identity to coincide with the author's story is incredible. I've listened to several of his narrations now, and I am blown away by the control and quality he brings to the stories. I have no clue how a book narration is actually made, but I can't imagine it's as easy as he makes it seem.

I received an authorized copy of this story/audiobook and am volunteering my honest review.

daddy boy done beautifully

Zachary Zaba has proven again to me why he has become one of my goto narrarators. Rory has a beautiful innocence to him that Zachary made even sweeter, that just draws you as a listener in. Than on the opposite side he gives a beautiful daddy voice for Jacob. A great distinction to both characters.

This is a great daddy boy romance if looking for a sweet romance with fun spice mixed in. The main characters and their support network are so accepting and supportive in their friends. Jacob is a great daddy in he makes all the people in his life feel love and supported with even more towards this beautiful boy when they meet. Just a great overall quick read that will be added to my comfort resistance pile for sure.

So Sweet

I liked Rory and Jacob's story so much. It was very sweet and they were great for each other. It was entertaining to read. The audiobook for this was so good. I loved the narration by Zachary Zaba.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion