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Adventures In Parenthood
Forget Everest…parenting is a real challenge
There aren't many adventures Aubrey Hanson hasn't tried. But parenthood and domestic duties are definitely not for her. Then her twin nieces are orphaned and suddenly Aubrey needs those skills! There's one problem�their gorgeous uncle, Dixon Carter.
Officially, he's their guardian and he wants Aubrey involved, just not in charge. Unofficially…well, the spark that caused their almost night together still simmers. In fact, it's threatening to get out of control and disrupt raising the twins. Aubrey and Dixon can't keep the attraction a secret forever. So they need to figure out how to be together…with kids!
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Atkins
111 books79 followersI always wanted to be a writer--from the moment I put fat pencil to brown-lined paper in second grade to write an elaborate story using all the spelling words on our list.
Though I always wanted to be a professional writer, I wasn't sure I had the stuff, so I graduated from college with a teaching degree and taught elementary school--second and third grades (the best)--and then began freelance feature writing for newspapers and magazines, local and national.
I left teaching to work in public relations--skills I use today in my job as a writer/editor for the Arizona Education Association.
I met my husband, David Weiss, my very own hero, in 1980, on an airplane. We made the "love thang" permanent in 1985, when we married taking our Hobie sailboat to San Diego for our honeymoon. Then in 1990, we welcomed a son into our lives. He continues to be the light of our life together.
My first romance credits were two stories in True Love magazine. I went on to write a sexy romance in 1983, which was rejected--sniff.
Years later--1996--I got serious about getting published. Though I endured some rejections as I honed my craft, in 1998, I sold the first of two short romantic comedies to Kensington Publishing--Getting Zack Back, published in December. In July 2000, Baby Makes Three was released. After coming in second among published authors in a Harlequin Duets contest, I sold to Harlequin in 2001, quickly selling another comedy. In addition to Duets, I write for Temptation, Blaze and, the new comedy line Flipside.
Most of my hobbies--sailing, scuba-diving, playing the piano (badly)--have gone by the wayside as I devote all my non-family spare time to writing. I live in the Phoenix area with my husband and son, who proudly brings my books to his teachers and swears he doesn't read them--except for the funny parts.
Though I always wanted to be a professional writer, I wasn't sure I had the stuff, so I graduated from college with a teaching degree and taught elementary school--second and third grades (the best)--and then began freelance feature writing for newspapers and magazines, local and national.
I left teaching to work in public relations--skills I use today in my job as a writer/editor for the Arizona Education Association.
I met my husband, David Weiss, my very own hero, in 1980, on an airplane. We made the "love thang" permanent in 1985, when we married taking our Hobie sailboat to San Diego for our honeymoon. Then in 1990, we welcomed a son into our lives. He continues to be the light of our life together.
My first romance credits were two stories in True Love magazine. I went on to write a sexy romance in 1983, which was rejected--sniff.
Years later--1996--I got serious about getting published. Though I endured some rejections as I honed my craft, in 1998, I sold the first of two short romantic comedies to Kensington Publishing--Getting Zack Back, published in December. In July 2000, Baby Makes Three was released. After coming in second among published authors in a Harlequin Duets contest, I sold to Harlequin in 2001, quickly selling another comedy. In addition to Duets, I write for Temptation, Blaze and, the new comedy line Flipside.
Most of my hobbies--sailing, scuba-diving, playing the piano (badly)--have gone by the wayside as I devote all my non-family spare time to writing. I live in the Phoenix area with my husband and son, who proudly brings my books to his teachers and swears he doesn't read them--except for the funny parts.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 7, 2013
My first thought when I saw this title was the 80′s classic, Adventures in Babysitting. So I sort of had the pre-imagined idea that the set-up would be similar, but I didn’t really see any comparisons between the book and the movie. But that’s absolutely fine with me because this was a great book, heart-rending at times, but very smooth and well done without the over-cloyingness that you can get with some of the Harlequin lines.
Aubrey: She has an “every woman can be an adventurer” blog and is on the verge of getting a huge break, an actual sponsor for her adventures which would give her a lot more money, rather than just barely eking out an existence. This blog and her adventuresome nature has led to her being a rather distant aunt from her sister’s children, though she loves them dearly.
Dixon: A very serious man, determined to run the foundation his brother started, which helps disadvantaged souls find jobs and get a better life for themselves. He’s always dealt with the money, and constantly worries about the foundation, as one would be expected. He’s stayed very involved in the childrens’ lives though.
Aubrey and Dixon almost got it on at the wedding of their respective siblings, but pulled back at the last moment, leaving Aubrey with some confused feelings toward Dixon and Dixon a case of unabated lust toward Aubrey.
When they’re both devastated to learn that their respective siblings have been killed while on their first vacation since the twins’ births, they have to come together and find a way to raise their nieces. Dixon, being the serious type and having been with the twins for some time, has no trouble deciding to do it, and in fact believes he is the best one to raise the twins, given Aubrey’s very adventuresome and busy lifestyle. Aubrey is at first relieved, but then a bit hurt when she discovers her own sister had intended Dixon to raise the twins from the very beginning if something happened to them.
Both characters undergo some serious personal growth, and that was a great thing. Aubrey definitely has some major adjustments to make about her lifestyle and learns how to be more balanced. Dixon loosens up a bit. It’s always great when a couple actually moves toward the middle, rather than one side getting all the triumphs and having relatively little change in their life while the partner changes everything for them.
The twins themselves were a fantastic part of this story. You can feel their grief as they try to adjust to the loss of their parents and the sudden appearance of their aunt, who’s always just been an in-and-out figure in their lives. They weren’t caricatures of children, they were individuals with their own ways of dealing with the loss and to adjusting to their new reality.
I’m so glad i got a chance to read this book. Thank you, Harlequin and Ms. Atkins.
Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Aubrey: She has an “every woman can be an adventurer” blog and is on the verge of getting a huge break, an actual sponsor for her adventures which would give her a lot more money, rather than just barely eking out an existence. This blog and her adventuresome nature has led to her being a rather distant aunt from her sister’s children, though she loves them dearly.
Dixon: A very serious man, determined to run the foundation his brother started, which helps disadvantaged souls find jobs and get a better life for themselves. He’s always dealt with the money, and constantly worries about the foundation, as one would be expected. He’s stayed very involved in the childrens’ lives though.
Aubrey and Dixon almost got it on at the wedding of their respective siblings, but pulled back at the last moment, leaving Aubrey with some confused feelings toward Dixon and Dixon a case of unabated lust toward Aubrey.
When they’re both devastated to learn that their respective siblings have been killed while on their first vacation since the twins’ births, they have to come together and find a way to raise their nieces. Dixon, being the serious type and having been with the twins for some time, has no trouble deciding to do it, and in fact believes he is the best one to raise the twins, given Aubrey’s very adventuresome and busy lifestyle. Aubrey is at first relieved, but then a bit hurt when she discovers her own sister had intended Dixon to raise the twins from the very beginning if something happened to them.
Both characters undergo some serious personal growth, and that was a great thing. Aubrey definitely has some major adjustments to make about her lifestyle and learns how to be more balanced. Dixon loosens up a bit. It’s always great when a couple actually moves toward the middle, rather than one side getting all the triumphs and having relatively little change in their life while the partner changes everything for them.
The twins themselves were a fantastic part of this story. You can feel their grief as they try to adjust to the loss of their parents and the sudden appearance of their aunt, who’s always just been an in-and-out figure in their lives. They weren’t caricatures of children, they were individuals with their own ways of dealing with the loss and to adjusting to their new reality.
I’m so glad i got a chance to read this book. Thank you, Harlequin and Ms. Atkins.
Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 8, 2013
Adventures in Parenthood by Dawn Atkins
C, blaze, no kink, contemp, 384 pages
Aubrey has a popular blog where she chronicles all the outdoorsy challenges that she attempts. She is all about taking a risk. Dixon works for a charity organization and is all about being safe and stable. He avoids risks at all costs. When Dixon's brother and sister-in-law (who happens to be Aubrey's sister) die in a car crash, Dixon suddenly finds himself responsible for his 4 year old twin nieces. Aubrey wants to help too. As attraction builds between Dixon and Aubrey, so does the tension surrounding Aubrey's lifestyle. Can she help Dixon give the girls the stable life they need?
This book seemed rather formulaic. Take a risk-avoiding character and throw them together with a risk-loving character. Throw in two cute little kids. Add a dash of risk-related conflict. Mix well. Top with a sprinkle of predictable ending.
In general, I don't mind a predictable read. There's something comfortable in reading something new, but yet somehow familiar. However, I didn't like the ending. I just can't see the characters being happy in the long term. It seemed like too much of a huge change for one of the characters, rather than a compromise of sorts.
C, blaze, no kink, contemp, 384 pages
Aubrey has a popular blog where she chronicles all the outdoorsy challenges that she attempts. She is all about taking a risk. Dixon works for a charity organization and is all about being safe and stable. He avoids risks at all costs. When Dixon's brother and sister-in-law (who happens to be Aubrey's sister) die in a car crash, Dixon suddenly finds himself responsible for his 4 year old twin nieces. Aubrey wants to help too. As attraction builds between Dixon and Aubrey, so does the tension surrounding Aubrey's lifestyle. Can she help Dixon give the girls the stable life they need?
This book seemed rather formulaic. Take a risk-avoiding character and throw them together with a risk-loving character. Throw in two cute little kids. Add a dash of risk-related conflict. Mix well. Top with a sprinkle of predictable ending.
In general, I don't mind a predictable read. There's something comfortable in reading something new, but yet somehow familiar. However, I didn't like the ending. I just can't see the characters being happy in the long term. It seemed like too much of a huge change for one of the characters, rather than a compromise of sorts.
December 19, 2013
Atkins provides a realistic view of grief and the difficulties of rebuilding lives after traumatic loss. Both Dixon and Aubrey are complex characters with personal histories that make it easy to understand why they have become the particular people they are. I also appreciated that after their almost-fling, they both went on with their lives. Both have been seriously involved with other people in the interim, and the fallout from those failed relationships adds to their wariness with one another. Ginger and Sienna are credibly portrayed in their reactions to their parents’ deaths and to the changes in their lives. Not only does Atkins avoid making them cardboard kids, but she also avoids making the twins carbon copies of each other. All of these characters change during the course of the story. Atkins does an admirable job of showing the difficulties of getting on with life after great loss while giving readers a solid romance at the same time. If you think category romance can’t be satisfying and substantive, you should give Adventures in Parenthood a try.
See full review at:
http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2013/11...
See full review at:
http://justjanga.blogspot.com/2013/11...
September 26, 2013
Adventures in Parenthood was a sweet book, but it didn't exactly capture my attention. Dixon and Aubrey are in-laws, and his brother and her sister are in a traffic accident while taking a vacation and are killed. Dixon is a stable, dependable guy who stays close to home. Because of that, he was named guardian of his nieces in their will. Aubrey is an "adventure girl." She enjoys traveling and taking on difficult outdoor challenges that she writes about on her blog. Although she understands why Dixon was chosen, it still hurts her, and of course, she wants to be in the girls' lives. She and Dixon are also very much attracted to each other even though their personalities are different. They would like to have a relationship but aren't exactly sure how it would work.
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It was just a typical, average romance. I found myself enjoying the girls' characters more than Aubrey and Dixon.
*I received my copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It was just a typical, average romance. I found myself enjoying the girls' characters more than Aubrey and Dixon.
*I received my copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2013
This was a fun read, The premise was unique and the lead characters struck such sparks off each other, I was thrilled to stay around to see them catch fire. Dawn Atkins has offered readers good cop/bad cop, yin/yang, frick/frack, total opposites lead couple. The tension in their situation is palpable. I enjoyed their inevitable journey to love. The pacing was even, the dialogue and settings strong, and the humor appropriately done. The emotional investment ability was high, as well.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
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December 29, 2014"Atkins has created believable characters in Dixon and Aubrey, whose attraction to each other is quite realistic, as is their determination to rearrange their lives for the sake of their nieces. In Adventures in Parenthood, Atkins realistically depicts a family's grief after a terrible tragedy." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars
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December 31, 2015The writing style didn't engage me and I found the pacing quite slow. I was also a bit put off by where in the timeline this book started.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews