B+

Bombshell

Bombshell by C.D. Reiss really took me by surprise in the best of ways. Based on the description, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d enjoy it. I’m not big on single parent characters and sometimes, with celebrity heroes, romances can often fall into the trap of including bitchy, rival female characters. Reiss is also a new-to-me author, but after this, I will definitely be checking out Reiss’ future books.

To sum up, Brad Sinclair is a big time actor (with a secret I won’t reveal). He slept with a woman before his career took off and it resulted in a pregnancy, one Brad knew nothing about. His former fling dies in a car accident and now he has to adjust to raising a five year old daughter.

Cara DuMont is a nanny extraordinaire. She’s really good at what she does, though she’d rather work for well-off clients in the business sector. She’s not looking to end up in the tabloids by nannying for a celeb. But Cara has a way with Brad’s daughter and he decides that he has to have Cara for a nanny. Cara is resistant, but agrees to a trial period to help Brad get his dad-footing.

The book opens with Brad’s daughter having a fit in the bathrooms after pooping her pants. I remember reading the scene in Starbucks and laughing to hard. Bombshell really does a great job balancing humor with the romance and I never once felt the daughter was merely a plot device. There are some great female relationships and even the villain is redeemed in a way at the end, which kept the characters from feeling too one-dimensional.

The cast can be dizzying at times, and I had a hard time keeping the names and connections straight. The ending also had a ton of problems thrown in at the last moment which affected the pace. Most of the book was spent with Brad and Cara fighting their feelings, so all this extra stuff at the end felt forced.

Still, I enjoyed it and I recommend Bombshell for those who like their romances a little less angsty and with a “found family” element.

– Amanda

From New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss, a standalone romance about a nanny, a Hollywood star, and a love they never expected.

Hollywood bad boy Brad Sinclair always gets his way, whether it’s the role he wants or the bikini-clad model he has to have. But when a bombshell gets dropped in his lap in the form of a dimpled five-year-old from a forgotten relationship, he knows his life is about to change forever.

Cara DuMont isn’t exactly thrilled when she gets assigned to be the nanny for the latest box-office king. She has one rule: no celebrity fathers, especially single ones with devilish good looks and rock-hard abs.

But as soon as Cara meets Brad and his adorable little girl, she knows she’s in for a world of trouble. Because there’s something about the way Brad looks at her that makes her believe that some rules are meant to be broken…