Summer's Dad Bod

by Lola West

A man his age shouldn't want to spend so much time with his daughter's new friend.

Andrew worked too hard. He fed on his own success, the kind of man who missed all his son’s soccer games and all of his daughter’s piano recitals. He was supposed to be driving the night his wife and son were killed, but he was on a call. He sent a text: Go without me. That was ten years ago. Now, he’s no one. A wild recluse, nearing middle age, who never shaves but always stands on the beach at dawn to watch the sunrise.

Once a year, his now grown daughter comes to visit him. It’s usually awkward and uncomfortable but this year it’s even worse because she brings a friend: Summer.

Summer is escaping from something. She’s sad, he thinks, but also warm and jovial. She’s laughing in his living room and pulling open the curtains to let in the light. She’s dancing half naked in the moonlight just outside his bedroom window. And she’s there, on the beach at dawn watching the sunrise next to him. He can’t escape her and a piece of him doesn’t want to…
Summer's Dad Bod is a standalone age gap novella with an HEA, but it features characters from the Universe of all of Lola West's books.

Dad Bods made a big impression in 2021 - and they're not going anywhere! This January, some of your favorite contemporary romance authors are bringing you a sexy selection of brawny, hot Dad Bods and the women who love their men with a little something extra to hold on to.

These men may be built for comfort but don't be fooled - they will stop at nothing to protect the women who've claimed their hearts.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Contemporary

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2022

About the author

Lola's Website
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Lola West is the queen of sweet, smart, silly, sexy romance! She has a PhD in women's studies and a flair for the dramatic. She likes cotton candy, astronomy, kitten heels
and small town hunks.

Lola is a pen name.

The minds behind Lola are just like you - everyday people living regular lives, happy to day dream about sexy men and the sassy women they love.
​
LONG LIVE THE BOOK BOYFRIEND!

Reviews

[vxhexn reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected to have such an emotional reaction to this story. Andrew Warner has a special way about him that made me fall for him instantly.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭…” ~ 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫

He may be gruff and hard around the edges but he is disarming in nature. He doesn’t play games. He doesn’t do fake. He forces you to be as real as he is, in the moment whether you want to be or not. And the things he says *fans self* hit all the happy places in my soul.

“𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭.” ~ 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰

And yet there is a whole different side to him too. The side that’s spent a decade mourning the loss of his wife and son. Somehow his plight seems even more relevant in the world today than ever before. Many will not empathize with his level of mourning but most will understand his hesitation to reintegrate with society. One store at a time. One meal in a restaurant, in public. One close human interaction. The parallels to modern day are startling and in all honesty heartbreaking on a whole different level.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤.“ ~ 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐲

Summer Munroe is his daughters best friend. She and Bella have traveled through life for a decade together. They are bonded as what they quaintly call three-sixty-fivers, the kids left to fend for themselves year-round in boarding school. Summer is the quirky, artsy free spirited modern day hippie who sees herself as a healer. The jokester there to ease others pain. But with Andrew she’s transformed into someone else. Someone she’s never explored. Someone she comes to realize she wants to be not only for him, but for herself.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮, 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐞, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.” ~ 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰

🌶 insanely steamy chemistry and sex scenes
🔥 best friends father/daughters best friend
🔥 agegap romance
🔥 24yo artist
🔥 43yo former music industry exec
🖤 second chance at happiness for the H
🤧 may need a box of tissues
💔 mourning and loss


Interconnect character updates:
🖤 Leah McCarthy who we first met in Reckless Boy and saw an update on in A Christmas Tart is glimpsed again here.
🖤 Spend time in Laurent Bakery with Patrick and Max from A Christmas Tart



𝓋𝓍𝒽𝑒𝓍𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈
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[Liz [reads books] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. For once the Hero is pursuing his heroine for deep and meaningful while the heroine is only looking for casual relationships.
••••••
"I wasn’t looking to fuck anyone ever again. I don’t need to get my dick wet. But surprisingly, I want you. I want to know you. Sure, I want to see you come apart, shudder and shatter all over my cock. But I want a connection, a real one. Otherwise, it’s not worth the time we spend doing it. Whether it's brief or for a lifetime doesn’t matter. For me, it’s still got to be real.”
••••••
Luckily h gives in pretty quickly, and there's not even any argument from H's daughter aka h's BFF. It's an HEA for everybody 🎉

[Tanja OMGReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was super short, sweet and funny. I was afraid there for a second that this would turn out to be a daddy kink that is not my jam but thankfully it was not.

This was a super fast paced insta-love story about a man who's lost so much and is trying so hard to reconnect with his daughter and a young woman, who also happens to be his daughters best friend, who is a free spirit and takes what she wants and she wants him or it's better to say they wanted each other. What I liked most was how cool the daughter accepted their relationship. Now I kinda wish she too gets her HEA so help a girl out Lola West and give Bella her HEA.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog ***

[Mari (Mystics & Metaphysics Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew and Summer are fire together and from the first look, you can feel the air sizzle with their chemistry. While it should be forbidden, while reading you can't help but feel their connection and it's not easy but they end up making it work. I flew through the pages.

[April Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story!!

[Sam&Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sobbed like a baby while reading this book😭
It was sort of a sad background story, where all the characters had suffered some sort of loss.
The hero lost his wife & son in a tragic accident a decade prior but he didn’t know how to move on afterwards so he’s been stuck, not moving forward since that time. The heroine was a bit of a free spirit who enjoyed life and “just rolls with it”. Growing up as a military brat, she was too much of a wild child for her parents to handle so they shipped her off the boarding school.

In the end, our hero learned how to live& love again while our heroine finally was able to open up her heart and commit to love.

While there was not enough steam for me, plus a few unrealistic storylines, like the hero wanting something more than a casual hookup after having zero relationships with anyone for over 10 years (talk about jumping in with both feet;), It was still a sweet but very emotional read.

[Anna M_82 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THE FEELS in a quick instalove romance. I adored every character in this book and I loved the story even more! Andrew will break your heart with his sadness but he will also make your heart swoon. When Andrew meets Summer, his daughter Bella’s best friend, the sun shines on his dark world. He wants to live life again for the first time in ten years. He also wants to be what Summer needs. She’s a funny character, with her flighty but honest personality and her positive approach to life. She doesn’t even realize the heaviness on her own heart until she tries to heal Andrew. These two together were amazing. They way he lets her know he’s go her and is there for her. The scene at the beach where he talks to his late wife broke my heart but I also loved it. It was what he needed to move forward in life. I loved everything about this book and highly recommend reading it today!

I received an advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bill Jakobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an emotional love story

Actually this is a love story about three people learning to love. Bella and Summer have been friends for years. They went to boarding school together. Bell's mother and brother died in a car accident and she lost her father in grief. Summer was sent away from her family because her family didn't try to understand her, they kind of threw her away. Andrew is Bella's father who is trying to break away from his grief and show Bella he loves her. Who helps them, Summer. Who helps Summer find love and family, they do. Read the book to see how you feel about it. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have. Written by Cindy :)

[Trish- Late Knight Luna Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, sweet, steamy and heartfelt novella from Lola West in the “Dad Bods” series. “Summer’s Dad Bod” is a story about love and forgiveness and I could not put it down.

Andrew has been on his own for the last 10 years since his wife and son were killed in an auto accident. Even though he had his daughter, Bella, he pulled away from life. When Bella visits with her friend, Summer, something awakens inside him.

I love an age gap with relatable characters, physically and personality wise. Andrew is a cinnamon roll of a guy who was still hurt and trying to process his wife’s death. Having Summer come into his life who was the sunshine in the darkness. Summer is a carefree but very caring person and I loved that about her. There are some appearances from characters from her other books and it was nice having them in the storyline. It was like catching up with old friends.

[KristieReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, another fantastic book from Lola! This book is small but mighty and packed with love, understanding and forgiveness

Andrew has faced great loss in his life and he admits that he did not handle the loss well. His behavior had a great impact on his daughter who grew up at boarding school - away from him.

Summer is a free spirit and a great friend to Bella - Andrew’s daughter. Bella and Summer go to visit Andrew and there is a very unexpected outcome at the end of the visit.

This is a fun, smexy and delicious read that will tug at your heart but also light a fire!

I requested an arc and I am leaving my honest review.

[A.S. Fenichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

sexy little nugget!

I loved this sexy book with all its dark twists. Lola West really knows how to build tension. Great story!

[London · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, steamy and a hero obsessed with his heroine? What more could you want. This has a pinch of angst but the longing and the instant connection more than soften it. I volunteered to read and review an early copy of this. All opinions are my own.

[Denise Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic read! Andrew is the recluse dad of Summer’s best friend, Bella. She’s exited to accompany Bella on her trip home to Martha’s Vineyard. The last thing she expects is to fall for Bella’s dad!

[Jordana Rau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer brings light to Andrew’s darkness.

When Bella brings her best friend home, I don’t think she was anticipating her father’s reaction. Summer’s Dad Bod is a Super quick, extra steamy, read that should be on your To Be Read list!

[Sandra Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been an OK romance, but I had a few issues with it. Because of the issues below, it gets only 2 stars from me.

First, it was too short to have as much character development as I like. I knew that it was short when I decided to read it, but I needed more backstory on both Andrew and Summer.

The couple does fall in instalove, which was a little hard to believe -- since Andrew was still deeply grieving the loss of his wife and son. He had been lost in his grief for years, and was practically a recluse. I just didn't buy that Summer's arrival would have changed him that much, or that he would have recovered so suddenly.

Summer was annoying. I couldn't believe that she thought it was OK to seduce Bella's father, given that Bella had such a painful relationship with him. His profound grief had made him a terrible father for years, so visits with him were difficult for Bella. For Summer to ignore Bella's pain, and think of her own sexual needs, was just completely selfish -- especially when Bella was her best friend, and desperately needed her support.

The age gap between Andrew and Summer bothered me. He was 46, and she was only 24, so she was just too young for him.

I did like that Andrew wasn't the perfectly fit, chiseled male that is in most romances -- but was instead a good looking man who just happened to carry a little extra weight. I appreciate that the authors of this series understand that men (and women) don't need to have perfect bodies to be attractive.

One thing that bothers me a little about a lot of the stories in this series is the book covers. This is just my personal opinion, and it did NOT affect my rating, but I can't stand the heavy beards on many of the men. I know they are popular right now, but I don't like beards like that. A short, nicely trimmed beard is fine -- but those huge, thick beards are just not my cup of tea.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

[KKEC Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swoon!

Summer’s Dad Bod by Lola West

Published: January 28, 2022
Lola West
Pages: 65
Genre: Romance Anthologies
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I purchased this book from Amazon, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Lola West is the queen of sweet, intelligent, silly, sexy romance! She has a Ph.D. in women's studies and a flair for the dramatic. She likes cotton candy, astronomy, kitten heels, and small-town hunks. Lola is a pen name. The mind behind Lola is just like you - an everyday person living a regular life, happy to daydream about sexy men and the sassy women they love.

“Come on and just roll with it, baby.”

Summer comes from a very strict family, which didn’t mesh with her very free and wild spirit. She danced to her own music and moved with her friend's wind. She just lived. Meeting Bella at boarding school was a game-changer. The two became fast friends, and their relationship stayed right into adulthood. Bella invited Summer to come home for the annual visit to see her dad. The last thing anyone else Ted was romance. But when in Martha’s Vineyard…

This was a sweet story. I loved how free-spirited Summer was and that she was never afraid to do the things that made her happy. And also that she was such a beacon of light to those who knew her.

Andrew was carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders. He lived as a hermit for ten years, not feeling worthy of companionship until Summer breezed in as a surprise when Bella came home.

Bella was very sensible, sweet, intelligent, and understanding. She saw the happiness her inside her father, and knew that change was Summer. She chose to support their unconventional connection, and her support meant the world to both Andrew and Summer.

This had very sweet themes, and a deeply beautiful plot point of allowing yourself to go on, to live, really live, after loss. I love the way Lola tells a story, and that she is able to do so in so few pages. This was a whirlwind romance, with every necessary element. Swoon!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella Warner visits her father, Andrew, at his home on Martha's Vineyard for two weeks every June, but their time together is usually strained and uncomfortable. Andrew has been a recluse since his wife and son died in a car accident a decade ago. Unable to cope with the grief and guilt, he sent Bella away to boarding school, where she met her best friend, Summer Munroe. Summer has watched Bella struggle through the visits with her father for years, and this time, she's determined not to let her friend go through it alone. She volunteers to accompany Bella to Martha's Vineyard, hoping that her presence will ease some of the awkwardness between father and daughter. Instead, there's a new complication when Summer and Andrew are powerfully attracted to each other at first sight.

I've been intrigued by the mysterious Andrew Warner ever since he was introduced as a side character in an earlier novella, and his story did not disappoint. He and Summer were absolute FIRE together; there was so much chemistry between them that it practically leaped off the page. I liked that Summer wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted, and what she wanted was Andrew. She wasn't looking for an emotional connection at first, but after everything Andrew had lost, he had no interest in wasting his time on something casual or meaningless. Summer had never really opened up with a man before, and the idea was frightening to her because of negative experiences in her past. They healed each other in a lot of ways, though the relationship wasn't without its share of angst because they each feared Bella's reaction to the idea of them being together. In the end, Bella handled it surprisingly well, and the three of them became a cute, if non-traditional, family.

I'm not usually a fan of the insta-love trope, but this story worked for me. "Summer's Dad Bod" was a super cute yet deliciously steamy story and I highly recommend it for all contemporary romance fans, especially those who enjoy the age gap trope.

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first heard that there was a group of authors setting out to write a whole series based on hefty heroes. I was beyond excited!
I mean I'm all for a hero is doesn't have the 6-12 pack abs. The one who is like a giant teddy bear and can be cuddled with and keep you nice and warm on those cold nights ;)

So...
I don't know what it is about this author. I've read a few of her books (like maybe 3 or 4) and it just seems to take me forever to get into her books. I don't know if it's the writing style, or maybe the tropes she writes but I'm not big on women using sex the way Summer does. Which I think that may be the issue, many of this author's female leads do this and it's not my "thing".
Andrew on the other hand...she's not very "alpha" which is what I really love in my heroes. Honestly, I thought that is what many of the heroes were suppose to be in this series, or at least all the ones I've read have been for the most part.

This story. It was cute.
I liked the idea that Summer brought Andrew out of his self-inflicted isolation and was there to bring him to the present when he seemed to start freaking out while out. Summer is a fixer and seems to always want to fix problems that other people have. However, when it comes to her own issues she's not the one to fix them.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I got you...you're not alone'

I really loved this crazy instalove novel.
Summer is quirky, happy and bold, she could be irritating but manages to swerve into unique instead. However she uses her uniqueness as a shield to stop others getting close, with Bella being the one exception, and your heart aches for the emotional black hole she carries.
Andrew has spent ten years grieving, he is desperately trying to claw his way back into the land of the living but he is lost...until Summer shows him the light. I cried so many tears for Andrew, especially when he talks to the wife he lost. Heartbreaking but so beautiful at the same time.
This could have been a really sad, depressing novella, but even with the emotional baggage they both carry, it still manages to predominantly be a fun, flirty, dirty talking, slightly naughty, laugh out loud read. This is the first book I have read by Lola West and I will be looking for more, I read this on Kindle Unlimited.

[Cherie Alvaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the tragic death of his wife and son Andrew breaks down and hides away from the world. He can’t emotionally deal with his daughter and sends her away to boarding school. Dreading the up coming annual visit to her dad’s mansion in the country Bella invites her best friend from boarding school to join her. On arriving at the family estate Summer can’t fight the instant attraction for her best friend’s dad. For the first time in ten years Andrew finds him self interested in the young lady who has joined them for the summer holidays. When Bella is called back to the mainland to deal with a work crisis Summer remains with Andrew and set about to see where this feeling might lead to. I really enjoyed this short story and was sad for it to end. Lola West has published an easy to read, well developed storyline with amazing characters. It’s a book I’ll read again.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly was about to DNF this from the first pages because I don’t do daughters best friend books so idk why I kept reading it but I’m glad I did.

I didn’t expect a Novella to pack so much emotions, have good smutty scenes and good dialogue.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was summer kind of irritated me in the beginning of the book and daughters best friend still gives me the ick for the most part and that’s just something I will not get over.

[T Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

They Stimulate the Self-Rescue of Each Other

Legit tears for the redemption, the unconditional acceptance… Summer and Andrew were a pitch-perfect couple who got human contours and a happy ending with depth. So good! Makes me remember why I love romance.

[Letitia Bennion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

Talk about an emotional Rollercoaster. Anger, happiness, tears this story had it all. These two have to face their struggles and forge a new path. It was sweet and sexy and just loved it.

[Alicia Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so good

This book gave me all the feels; happy, sad, touched, sweet, happy sad, funny...it had it all. Great balance of emotion and character development, I loved it. Borrowed with KU, but plan to purchase to read again, and will most definitely be reading more by this author.

[Skye Yanovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed!!

I’m loving these quick insta love romances with some sexy DILFs. This was a super sweet story. I really enjoyed it.

[Jazzy Singh]

Pass.

[Moriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Andrew has been through heartbreak and Summer is the sun in his world. I loved this short, yet emotional love story.

[Zondra.Hallyahoo.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Rachel Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Dad Bod books in this series! Some of the best writing I’ve had the pleasure of reading lately. Great story!

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed reading this book