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My Mr. Manny

Jennifer Garcia (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 63 ratings · 33 reviews

Mia Balducci misses her childhood days and yearns for the big, Italian family that she left behind in small town Massachusetts. At the tender age of sixteen, Mia moves with her bachelor father to Los Angeles, but no matter how many years pass, it never becomes home to her. The years spent living with her father aren’t easy, especially since she can’t stop thinking about wh ...more

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Paperback, First, 174 pages

Published September 2013 by Renaissance Romance Publishing (first published August 27th 2013)

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· 63 ratings · 33 reviews

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Jul 17, 2013 AnnMarie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: blog-tour, http-www-goodreads-com-review-lis, arc-reviews, my-reviews, loved-these, short-stories

Great debut!

Such a sweet, heartwarming, feel good story. All the feels and hugs that will make you smile. Nicely balanced easy read. Good characterizations, great visuals that really were expansive putting you right in the story. Really a good flow. Secondary characters were well thought out and helped drive the story offering a nice well rounded balance to the story line on a whole.

There was instant attraction between Mia and Dominic that was a bit typical in many stories that I see lately, b ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Tbird London rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-have-reviewed

I was asked to be part of the blog tour and give a review for My Mr. Manny. I have dedicated myself to giving honest reviews so I feel I must tackle the things about this book that I wasn’t fond of first. Although the story plot was interesting, I just felt like the characters didn’t have time to be fully developed. I was left with wanting more than what the few pages gave me. There was so much information and events in this story, I didn’t feel like each event had the proper amount of time for I was asked to be part of the blog tour and give a review for My Mr. Manny. I have dedicated myself to giving honest reviews so I feel I must tackle the things about this book that I wasn’t fond of first. Although the story plot was interesting, I just felt like the characters didn’t have time to be fully developed. I was left with wanting more than what the few pages gave me. There was so much information and events in this story, I didn’t feel like each event had the proper amount of time for me to become emotionally invested in the characters.

Now for the good things, as I said the plot was interesting, wife, husband, child, normal family unit. Husband works all of the time leaving the mom as a single mom. One night determine to keep the marriage together she decides to surprise him. Unfortunately it was her that was in for the shock. She finds him with another woman. Now this is what I did love about this book, instead of becoming a victim, she takes a stand and kicks him to the curb. She moves on with her life and plans a future for her and her daughter.

In comes Mr. Manny, she needs help raising her daughter alone and working full-time. Since she never limited herself to conventional ways, she hires Dominic to be Mr. Manny. One thing leads to another and emotions start to grow. Of course we can’t have a love story without obstacles such as not everyone in the family agrees to this new relationship.

It came down to having to decide what was best for her and her daughter and was Dominic worth fighting for and was he willing to fight for them? As I stated, this was a good plot and I can only imagine how much more intense this would have been with more pages to fill in the gaps for us. I was pleasantly surprised to find a strong female lead character who didn’t crumble when she had found out the truth about her husband. It was refreshing to see her take the control of her life back and vow to make a life for herself and her daughter. I loved how she was willing to take risks in loving again and not caring about how society viewed it.

I also loved the fact that Dominic was comfortable with himself to become the Mr. Manny, he was a strong male but not afraid to show his paternal nature. We get so many alpha male stories these days, it was nice to see the role reversal in a the home. Of course he wanted to work and bring his own money into the family, which only reinforces that the characters were strong and mature and responsible. You won’t find the usual drama in a love story between young people, but you will find the emotional roller coaster that comes with finding their way in life as a new family. ...more

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Sep 09, 2013 Babus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a sweet love story. It seemed to go by in a rush at the beginning. We went through over 10 years in the first few chapters. Then we get to know Mia at her current stage in life, figuring out how to raise her child on her own. When her cousin suggests that she hire a nanny, Mia agrees to meet this man turned nanny.

Sparks fly when Mia meets Dominic. They dance around each other for a few months while Dominic takes care of Lucia and the house and Mia works during the day. We watch their rel ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Roses Book Blog rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mia Balducci grew up in Boston. When she turned sixteen she moved to Los Angeles to live with her dad. She misses her big Italian family and her friends from her hometown. She forces herself to change things like her voice so she’ll fit into her new high school. She’s always felt out of place that is until she gets to college and becomes best friends with her roommate Susan. While Mia still feels out of place, it’s at a football game that she runs into Alex who was her friend growing up.

Alex a Mia Balducci grew up in Boston. When she turned sixteen she moved to Los Angeles to live with her dad. She misses her big Italian family and her friends from her hometown. She forces herself to change things like her voice so she’ll fit into her new high school. She’s always felt out of place that is until she gets to college and becomes best friends with her roommate Susan. While Mia still feels out of place, it’s at a football game that she runs into Alex who was her friend growing up.

Alex and Mia reconnect and start dating moving into a condo together as they grow closer. Much to their surprise Mia becomes pregnant and Alex quickly proposes to her a short time later. Lucia has become the light of Mia’s life over the last five years. Gone is the supportive loving husband that she married. He’s never home, he can’t be bothered, and never sees his child. Mia understands that being CEO he’s very busy but it’s almost like Mia has been a single parent for their daughter’s entire life taking her to school, feeding her, and helping with her homework.

Finally one day Mia wakes up and decides that it’s time for Alex to start spending time with them, but Alex can’t seem to be bothered and even when Mia tries to rekindle some of their passion, Alex ignores her. Fed up with his treatment towards her and their daughter, Mia decides to go to his office to confront him only to discover a sobbing woman in his arms who he’s been having an affair with. Mia isn’t upset about the affair, she’s upset because he’s strung her along all this time without being honest or spending time with his kid.

He’s quick to move on with his life, giving up all parental rights to their child, leaving Mia without a husband and Lucia without a father. Mia begins to realize that as Lucia gets older, she’s going to have a hard to managing everything that will be going on her life. Between school, ballet, and coming home every night to cook for her, Mia thinks she needs help. Her cousin Lori who is in town visiting knows exactly what Mia needs, a nanny. She has the perfect man for the job. Dominic is her husband’s brother who just lost his job on Wall Street, his fiance left him since she was only after him for money, and he’s looking to start over somewhere else and as a manny.

Lori is quick to arrange an interview between Mia and Dominic and Dominic quickly moves in and takes over. Dominic is so much more than a manny to Mia and Lucia. He cooks, cleans, and takes care of them both, never taking time to himself. Mia thinks he’s too good to be true and from the moment she first laid eyes on him, she’s been in love with him. But Mia is afraid if she voices her attraction to him, he’ll run away and leave them when they both desperately need him in their lives. Can Mia get over the hurt and betrayal caused by her ex and take a chance on a man who has quickly come to mean so much to her and Lucia?

This story was such a refreshing change from some of the other books that I have read. It was sweet, heartfelt, and enjoyable. I loved the relationship between Dominic and Mia, there was not a whole lot of drama to their love story other than Alex, and I loved having an easy and light read to fill my day with. This is the second book by Jennifer I have read and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future, 5 stars!

***ARC provided by author in exchange for a honest review*** ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Kim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If you loved the show "Who's the Boss?" Then you will love My Mr. Manny. I received a copy of My Mr. Manny for Jennifer's Blog tour for My Mr. Manny release. Well it is a quick read and didn't take me long to read it. I do wish there was a little more of the story about Mia but with the amount of pages Jennifer got a whole story in and didn't bore you with any extra stuff. Maybe I am used to a lots of things added in a book that I thought maybe more should be added not sure. I do love that Mia g ...more

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Aug 28, 2013 Philomena Callan Cheekypee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a fab light hearted read. I thoroughly enjoyed this storyline. It had me smiling & saying awe a few times. The characters were so loveable.

I certainly recommend this book especially if your looking for a nice easy read.
Received from author in return for an honest review.

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Sep 04, 2013 Dominique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved it, finished it in a day! Some very cute moments, and a sweet storyline. Love that Mia took charge and didn't come off as a victim. Dominic was a great male/father figure and Lucia was adorable. :) ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Sarah Aisling rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

Review will be up on my website 8-29-13! www.sarahaisling.com ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Catarina Szelsky † rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was so sweet!

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Aug 11, 2019 Patty rated it really liked it

I love it when there is a second chance at finding love. It doesn't have to be with the same person, but that feeling of finally having that special relationship gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling. Jennifer Garcia gave me that as I listened to My Mr. Manny. Mia thought she found her happily ever after with Alex. Having their daughter is the highlight of her life,but as years go on, life changes. Now single, she needs help and hires a nanny... Dominic. With instant chemistry, we want to think t ...more

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Dec 20, 2013 Sarah Aisling added it

My Mr. Manny is Jennifer Garcia’s debut novel. I read a short story, In My Mother’s Footsteps, written by Ms. Garcia under her pseudonym Forbes Arnone, which I really enjoyed. (You can read my review of that story here.) So, when the opportunity to review her novel came up, I jumped at the chance.

Mia Balducci comes from a big, close-knit Italian family. She leaves all that behind when she moves to the west coast to live with her father. A chance meeting with a childhood friend leads to a whirlw ...more

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Mar 06, 2014 Carrie Elks rated it it was amazing

When I first picked up this book I thought it would be a lightweight, fluffy story about a professional woman and her male au-pair, but nothing could be further from the truth. Although there is lightness in the writing--and the promised HEA--My Mr Manny also explores the pain of a marriage breakup, the fears of moving on, and the fierce attachment that a mother feels toward her child.

The book starts with a scene from Mia's childhood; a golden time when children could run around the block until When I first picked up this book I thought it would be a lightweight, fluffy story about a professional woman and her male au-pair, but nothing could be further from the truth. Although there is lightness in the writing--and the promised HEA--My Mr Manny also explores the pain of a marriage breakup, the fears of moving on, and the fierce attachment that a mother feels toward her child.

The book starts with a scene from Mia's childhood; a golden time when children could run around the block until nightfall. The scene establishes the importance of her extended family, which is particularly poignant when, at age sixteen, she moves across the country to LA to live with her father. When she reconnects with one of her childhood friends at a college football match, you'd be forgiven to think Mia's found her HEA. But this is only a small way into the story, and we know from the summary that she has many hurdles to face before she can finally be happy.

As Mia goes through the pain of divorce, we get to feel all her emotions; her fear of the future, hurt for her child and anger at the husband who has rejected them. All this is further confused when she is introduced to her cousin's brother--a man looking for a change in career--and interviews him for the position of her Manny (a male nanny of course!)

Dominic is hot. We know that from the start because Mia makes herself look a complete fool in front of him. But he's also kind enough to ignore her fawning, and before long he's offered the job. What follows is a story of love. Not just between Dominic and Mia, but between her daughter, Lucia, and the two of them as well. Love me, love my child could be Mia's motto, and it's clear to see that Dominic does exactly that.

What I loved about the story was the hope that was woven throughout the text. We could have forgiven Mia for feeling angry and bitter after everything she'd faced, after all, who hasn't wanted to give up when trying to work a full time job and raise a child single-handed? But she doesn't do that, she strives to give Lucia a happy childhood, and more importantly is willing to accept help where it's offered. That kind of strength is what attracts Dominic to her, and lights the bright flame that burns between them. ...more

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Dec 03, 2013 Anita rated it liked it

This is a sweet romance story which is mostly in `telling mode' by the main character with some dialogue so the reader only sees one side of the story. I wanted to know the other side of what happened to Mia - in that why did her ex-husband give up all parental rights to their daughter? Why did he go from a man in love to a workaholic who neglected his family? No reasons were given other than he met someone else, but I would have liked to hear his reasoning.

Mia is disappointed about being a divo ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Cassy Witthar rated it liked it

ARC received for an honest review.

This was a nice, light, fluffy romance story. When I saw the opportunity to sign up for the blog tour and the chance to read and review this book, I jumped on it. I thought it would be something a little different from what has become my norm. The beginning did seem a little rushed. There was basically 10 years of back story in the first few chapters. I felt that I could have connected with the characters a little better. But the concept is a good one. It has a ...more

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Jan 21, 2014 Sassy Moms Say Read Romance added it

Thanks to Jennifer Garcia and Ren Rom publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this story. I have been looking forward to this one since Jennifer first mentioned it on Facebook. I wasn't disappointed either.

The concept of a male nanny, manny, is something that is foreign to me, but it intrigues me. This is the second manny story I have read and yet again, I am still intrigued. The way Jennifer told this story was one that had me wanting more and I didn't put it down until I w ...more

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Oct 09, 2013 Lindsey Gray rated it really liked it

This story is about more than a Manny and his lady boss. My Mr. Manny is about the journey Mia Balducci makes from childhood in a small town outside of Boston to divorced, single parent adulthood in Southern California. The reader truly gets to know what makes Mia into the woman she is before the Manny, Dominic, comes into the picture. I felt I had an honest picture of who Mia was when Dominic came into her life and made her family whole.

Dominic is the dream Manny of any single mom out there. He ...more

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Jan 17, 2014 Renee rated it really liked it

This was what I needed. I got a big smile on my sappy love story enjoying face!

If you are a big chick-lit fan, like me, then this is for you. Some parts were cliche, but I loved it. The characters were very relatable for me. The fact that Mia was sort of expected to get married seemingly happy, she has a great life. Well for a while it rolls along, then she thinks she needs to spice up her life. This leads to drama, sadness, and infidelity. My heart broke for her disappointment when she got all ...more

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Aug 31, 2013 Irene ~ Ice Cold Passion rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit-romance, ebooks-read, adult

Received an advance reading copy from: the author, this in no way influences my honest opinion.

This everything you don't want to read about when you just came out of a 7 year long relationship. This book could have been my live story minus the kid. Why didn't I want to read this?, well the first half of the book was about Mia's relationship with her ex-husband, even though she was marry she always had to do everything alone (which was a very confront story for me). Then she finds out why, and is ...more

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Dec 31, 2013 Lisa rated it it was amazing

I received Mr. Manny as an ARC for an honest review. This book was so cute well cute may not be a good word for it. More like this book was funny, sad, lovable, and full of a hottie you just can't seem to get enough of. Mia grew up with a big family always feeling like an outsider, but totally loved. Growing up living next to her family she could do anything, then she moves to California with her dad and her life just passes her by. When a chance encounter with Alex from back home brings her pea ...more

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Jan 06, 2014 Tiffany rated it really liked it

This was a pleasure to dive into. Well written and well edited, the story is crisp, clean and most importantly, cute. There are certain books that you want to read if you are feeling down or just plain blah, and this book fits the bill. Low on the angst and high on the sweet, this book just leaves you feeling great when you are finished it.

Our heroine is a mature woman, geez, I thought no one wrote a woman who didn’t simper anymore. Mia is capable and strong and even if she does swoon a little, ...more

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Oct 17, 2013 Highland-dreamer rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 17, 2014 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Mia is a single mother raising her daughter on her own while juggling a full time job and housework. Mia’s sister convinces Mia she needs a manny (male nanny) for her daughter Lucia, and she had the perfect one in mind. Dominic!

Though I felt Dominic was too perfect, he was an immensely likeable character and was a perfect fit for Mia. While they both are recovering from disastrous relationships, they unexpectedly find what they are looking for in a relationship with each other. The story is abou ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Jen Cothran rated it really liked it

Shelves: thc-reading-challenge, review-posted-to-blog, reading-to-review

I was given this book to read and give my honest review. I truly enjoyed its moments of sugary sweet swoon-worthy flirting and hot hunky Manny!! This was an interesting read as the prospect of a male nanny wasn't one I would have considered. However, after Mia's first marriage ends and she realizes the increase in her daughters activities and her work load, help is just what she needs. With the advise of her cousin, she agrees to interview the brother of her cousins husband for the position of t ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Melonie Merritt rated it really liked it

When I first heard about this book I thought it would be something that I might like. I was so glad I was not disappointed. It is a good fluffy read. The book starts out giving you the back story on one of the main characters Mia and her daughter Lucia. Then Dominic storms into their lives. He is the kind of guy every girl dreams of. Their love story is one of fairytales and one as a single mother I can only hope to have. I could really relate to Mia in this story. While it was a good book and i ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 United Indie Book Blog rated it really liked it

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Oct 14, 2013 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Ever find yourself reminiscing about your life? Peeking back into memories and becoming nostalgic about your roots while trying to see how your past has influenced your choices, then pausing to figure out how you arrived at a particular moment in life?

Well, grab Mr. Manny and curl up in your favorite chair. Mia's personal journey of reflection and self-discovery is a heartfelt story; one you'll find yourself relating to on many personal levels.

...more

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Feb 15, 2014 Sandy Grassini rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance

The ARC was given to me by the author for my honest review. I really liked this book. It was a great carefree love story. It was an easy read. I found myself picking it back up so many times because I wanted to see what happened next. So if you want to curl up with a great read, I recommend this one.

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Dec 31, 2013 Breanna Eichhorn rated it it was amazing

I received this book as a gift from the author in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. The story line was really good. The characters were very well developed. Jennifer Garcia is a very talented author. I will be recommending this book to family and friends

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Aug 27, 2013 Jess Brown rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a fun, light read--the sort of book one should take to the beach. I loved Manny. You will, too.

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Mar 02, 2014 Amber rated it it was amazing

This was a cute story and I really enjoyed reading it .... ;)

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About Jennifer Garcia

Jennifer Garcia

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Other pseudonyms: Forbes Arnone
Jennifer Garcia’s lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Originally from Boston, she currently resides in Los Angeles as a wife, mother, and grandmother. Believing she can do it all, with the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of the nig ...more