Audiobook Review: Boy Toy
Authors: Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby
Narrators: Tanya Eby and Teddy Hamilton
Audio Listening Speed: 1.25x
Series: Man Hands #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased
Boy Toy is the third story following three good friends as each finds true love. This time around it’s Sadie’s turn for happiness. After watching her marriage fall apart in the first two books, we find that time has passed and Sadie is raising her twin two-year old girls with little help from her ex. It’s a chance meeting with a boy from her past that puts Sadie in a place to start dating again. However, Liam comes with some strings for Sadie – first he’s the twin’s caregiver at daycare, and second – she use to babysit Liam and his siblings when she was in college. Thank god that Liam is the perfect man for Sadie, or this relationship wouldn’t have worked out.
Sadie has a lot of hangups about herself, making it hard for her to want to start dating again. She’s been through a rough divorce that shook her self-confidence. Since she’s last been on a date, she’s older and her body has carried twins. Like many of us moms, she sees only the flaws of motherhood and age, rather than focusing on the good. I feel the authors do a great job making Sadie’s fears genuine.
Liam is the man to help Sadie get passed her anxiety because he’s been in love with her since he was 14 years old. He is patient and kind, and he loves the twins (and visa-versa). He’s everything that is lacking in her ex, but it takes Sadie a while to figure this out. I love how the authors give Liam a 14-year-old self who realizes his own fantasies coming true as Liam and Sadie begin a relationship. As you may guess, there is a lot of room for humor with Liam and his 14-y-o self.
While Boy Toy is a standalone story and romance, I enjoy the trio of friends and watching them each find love over the course of the series. Their manic humor and enthusiastic friendships made me laugh. And in Boy Toy, I like seeing how each couple is doing post book, but thankful that their storylines don’t dominate Sadie and Liam’s romance.
While I was sad to learn that Luke Daniels & Erin Mallon didn’t return as narrators for the third Man Hands book, Tanya Eby and Teddy Hamilton fill the roles wonderfully. Both Teddy and Tanya are familiar to me, as I’ve enjoyed their work on other books. I didn’t notice any issues in transitioning to new narrators. Teddy played the tough-yet-sensitive Liam to a tee with a soft, gentle, yet manly voice for the caregiver. But he also manages to ham it up when 14-y-o Liam makes his appearances. Teddy’s female voices are convincingly feminine. I also liked how he can add heat and hardness, like when dealing with Sadie’s ex or Liam’s father. Tanya nails Sadie’s kindness, as well as her insecurities. She has a solid range of well-suited male voices. I liked that I just listened and felt the narrators were the characters sharing their story.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed Boy Toy and the entire Man Hands series. While some of the characters are stereotyped and the plot predictable, Boy Toy made me smile. I enjoyed watching Sadie and Liam fall in love because I felt they both deserve happiness. I like how Sadie regains her confidence and realizes some truths about her life. I adore Liam who is gentle and kind, giving so much of his self because he loves Sadie.
My Ratings:
Story: A-
Narration (both): A-
Jen
About the Book:
Liam
The moment Sadie Matthews walks through the daycare center door, I feel my world tilt in her direction. Again. I fell for her when I was fourteen, and I’m still not over her. Problem: she still thinks of me as a teen she used to babysit. But I’ve learned a few things about pleasing a woman in the last fifteen years. I can’t wait to show her how good it could be. I need to move quickly before I lose her again. This is more than a game to me, but I still plan to win.
Sadie
I’ve just survived the worst year of my life. As a single mom of twin toddlers, I don’t have time for a man. I barely have time to finish a thought. Who knew that Liam McAllister would grow up to be so devastating? He’s everything my husband was not: tall, built, and willing to have a tea party with my girls.
I can’t possibly get involved with him. He’s too young for me. Too handsome. But he’s so persuasive…