WANTED: Nanny who will put up with an infuriatingly grumpy Irish billionaire.

If you throw an Irish billionaire out of a plane at 40,000 feet, would he fly?  That’s the question I asked myself when Declan Bryne basically told me that it’d be “grand if I could stop talking.”

I can’t help it. I’m a nervous flyer.  But that should’ve been my sign to hit EJECT!  Because this is doomed to fail.

He’s a total grump.  He obviously doesn’t like me.  He’s too distractingly gorgeous to be around for any length of time.  And he’s made it clear that as soon as he can find another nanny, I’m gone.

But this Minnesota girl is made of tough stuff. I know I can make it through one Irish summer with one sexy Irish curmudgeon.

At least, I thought I could until he became that much harder to resist.  The way he is around his niece, Catie, is Hallmark-worthy.  The more I work for Declan, the more I realize there’s something growing between us…an attraction that’s impossible to resist.  Declan hides a kind heart behind his stormy, gruff demeanor.  And that accent.  That suave Irish brogue makes my insides melt.

The cardinal rule of being a nanny is to not get involved with the family.  To maintain a professional distance.  Sleeping with Declan would definitely cross that line.

Some rules are meant to be kept.  Others are meant to be shattered.

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Booksprout ARC

Title:  The Bossy One
Series:  -standalone-
Author:  Leslie North
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  September 7, 2023
Publisher:
My Rating:  4.5

The Bossy One is such a compelling, complex, and even complicated story… in all the best ways, that is.  In a stand-alone romance (one that’s not stand-alone within a series), I’m drawn to those slightly complex stories of family and more than only the hero and heroine to get to know.  And Olivia, along with Declan and Catie, certainly gave me some emotional moments in their story.

Declan is a self-made billionaire.  But that doesn’t mean he gets to go through life without a care.  His sister has admitted herself to a rehab center to deal with a problem that’s gotten out of control, and in doing so, she will heal herself with help but also put her precious daughter, Catie, into Declan’s care for the summer.  Being a loving uncle, that’s not a problem at all – but being a bachelor and needing someone to care for Catie while he’s working is.  The solution?  A live-in nanny.  And it turned out that the nanny he’s hired is certainly far from what he expected.

Olivia is a good nanny, she loves caring for kids – it’s the parents who just won’t listen to her or to their kids that she cannot stand.  Perhaps that’s why she’s so often fired from those positions.  She’s been given one last chance to prove herself by heading to Ireland to care for a child through a very specific checklist that describes Olivia perfectly.  She’s a nervous flyer, a chatter by nature, and, unfortunately, her flight seatmate isn’t at all impressed.  Too bad that the first impression she gave her new employer was of that nervous, not-at-her-best flyer, for who knew that she’d be seated right next to the man she’d be working for?  Life is about to get interesting for Declan and Olivia in ways that they cannot even imagine.

There are so many layers to The Bossy One that I’m not even going to try to cover them in this review.  Loving uncle – loving brother – fierce businessman- holder of grudges – slow to admit that he’s wrong… all describe Declan.  He’s slowly discovering who Olivia is under that professional, at times maddening personality, and the more he discovers, the more he’s acknowledging the attraction between them.  Their romance is going to go through some rough moments before it all smooths out into a happily-ever-after ending. 

This is a story that will bring out so many emotions in a reader, along with some laughter, some anger, and some appreciation for some steamy moments as well.  Their love story is complicated, sometimes by themselves, and it will take a bit of growth and compromise before they’ll admit their true feelings.  I loved watching their story unfold and the additional people we’ll meet in this story.  There are lessons to be learned, some sigh-worthy moments, and a really good story to devour.  Not going to give away much – but I loved this one and would highly recommend it to any reader who loves a well-written, complicated romance.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle as this title is currently in KU