Sailor Boy

All American Boy

by Kris Jacen

alternate cover edition of ASIN B09TJN2GNH

All American Boy Series

Jeremy Riley fell in love with sailing when he was a troubled teen and sent away to camp for the summer. Now he’s sailing for a living. Getting a bachelors in vessel operations was the best thing that he could’ve done. Most of the year, he’s on the ship helping with hands-on education for the New England Maritime Academy.

The bright spot in Kendall Winters’ life is his daughter, three-year-old Savannah. How his sister had deserted Savy when she was diagnosed with cancer and needed her the most boggled his mind. Her loss was his gain — and there was no way he was ever giving Savy back to her. Now if he could find someone to share Savy’s highs and lows with, that would be amazing.

A summer trip to the Tall Ship Festival to get away from his parents and let Savy explore ‘boats’ seems like the best idea. Sun and sea for him and Savy sounded perfect to him. Add in a gorgeous sailor with eyes that sparked with mirth? Sign him up.

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Family

114 pages, ebook

First published April 7, 2022

About the author

Kris Jacen is the Executive Editor and Formatting Director for ManLoveRomance Press and its imprints. She was invited to join the MLR staff in 2008 and has never looked back. Working with over thirty-five phenomenal authors such as Rick R. Reed, JP Bowie, James Buchanan, J.L. Langley, Ally Blue, Jet Mykles, William Maltese and has allowed her to both hone her editorial skills and indulge her inner fangirl. Kris also acts as editor, mentor and sounding-board for newcomers including Kimberly Gardner, Lex Valentine, S.J. Frost, Patric Michael and Z. Allora. With this stable of talent under her guidance, Kris is quick to tell anyone who will listen that she loves her job. And her authors are just as quick to say that they love their editor.

Reviews

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆]

I'm still waiting for that magical moment when I'll be actually able to feel the chemistry between the MMCs in this series.
It's non-existent, again.

This book was terrible. I won't be rating it, because I simply have no words here, I wonder where are all the amazing reviews from, because this book's storytelling was awful.

🟣 #3 installment in All American Boy series
🔵 Sailor/single dad
🟢 It was all about kid, the whole book
🟡 This kid is 3 years old yet she can't talk/pronounce more than a couple of syllables and even those aren't correct, which is odd (and they're all written down)
🟣 Insta-love like you wouldn't believe
🟠 Cringe dialogues
🔵 Relationship isn't believable, no chemistry, nothing
🟡 Every single female side character in this book is awful and a downright villain, they're doing tons of things wrong (either accusing of sexual assault, are a drug addict, a bad mother, you name it)
🌶️ Some sex, it didn't even matter because the story was so bad

Kendall is a single dad and he is the official guardian/parent of his niece, his drug addict sister's daughter. The daughter had cancer and Kendall is very protective of her, his family wants the mom to have more time with her, but he's not letting it happen.

Kendall meets Jeremy, the sailor guy, when Kendall and his daughter go on vacation. Kendall and Jeremy supposedly had instant chemistry and hit it off, exchanged phone numbers and met up a few days later, but they didn't have it. There was no chemistry.

“How about how you ended up with such a cute daughter?” Jeremy asked. “There’s got to be some story there since you’ve said you’re gay. Did you test out whether you were straight and ‘oops the condom broke’?”

🥴😐

In fact, a couple of days after Jeremy and Kendall met, this happened

"He was going to make all the ideas he could see in Kendall’s eyes come true, even if it took him the rest of his life. The thought of the rest of his life with Kendall gave him pause, but then Jeremy realized that it was something they’d be building toward."

Hold your horses. They met once - on a ship! And went their separate ways. This guy was going to go see Kendall after that, they know nothing about each other, they didn't even have sex yet!

When Kendall was trying to kiss the guy or do something more, Jeremy was thinking

"Holy shit. How he’d stopped that erotic attack from Kendall, he wasn’t sure. Why he had? Yeah, that reason might not be in his mind either."



What the hell are these two even doing? What is going on?? Like what's their end goal here, are they playing house, they're playing family? They have to be playing because I have no idea what they're doing.

There's some drama with the kid and the deadbeat mother and the whole ordeal is like a bad school play. Jeremy has known Kendall and his daughter for two seconds, yet he's butting in like they're married and the thing with his lost long brother was pointless, it made absolutely zero fucking sense.

“I have more rights than your daughter has. You have ripped the heart out of the man I love by going against his wishes. You ignored the court’s orders. Now, answer my question,” Jeremy growled.

So this was Jeremy yelling at Kendall's parents and by day 2.746 he already loves the guy, wow!
My god, what a bunch of idiots.

The writing wasn't to my liking, the storytelling wasn't good, at this point I'm wondering what's with this series, because nothing so far has been good.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
Once again I'm ready to pack my bags and head to Stony Brook, ME- fictional town or not!

Kendall and Savy deserved all the love and happiness and I'm so glad they, okay Savy, barreled into Jeremy. Kendall is such a wonderful father to Savy, they are the sweetest twosome!
Kendall never expected to find love while on vacation, but sometimes the unexpected can lead to something amazing, and that's exactly what happened for Kendall, Savy, and Jeremy.
I wish the epilogue had taken place farther into the future- I wanted to see Savy captaining her own boat!
I really loved the premise of Sailor Boy and thankfully it lived up to my hopes and expectations, for the most part. There were a few little things that bothered me, but not enough to round down to 3*.


This is the second book I've read this year with a brother adopting his sister's child because she was a drug addict. Both had meddling parents who made me angry, but Kendall's mother was the worst!

[Lyndsay TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and Sweet

This was a really quick romance about single dad, Kendall, and sailor, Jeremy. Their instant connection followed by short love story was a perfect in between read in this series. Savy of course made the book that much sweeter with her personality and love to give to Jeremy.

[Edga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Savvy, she's a doll. Three and a half stars from me. I enjoyed Kendall and Jeremy. They were so sweet and hot together. I enjoyed how their relationship grew, and how Jeremy and Savvy bonded. A little predictable, however, still worth a read. 3.5 stars.

[TL Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

It packed just the right punch of action, enough cuddly lovey time to ooh and ahh over. And the perfect amount of found family to keep your heart warm.

[Van Hardison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story

Just the right balance of sweet against the history Jeremy and Kendall are each dealing with. Plus a precious little girl. Highly recommend.

[Cody James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second attempt at getting into this anthology series of MM romance, but I think I’m gonna have to move on from this series. While each story has the potential to be great, the simple length is such a hinderance and I can only imagine the same will be true movie forward. Here we had a concept that should of been thrilling and enticing: an uncle that’s taken over custody of his young niece after his drug addicted sister left her in his care as the young girl undergoes treatment for leukemia and the ever present push from his sister and parents to let her have access to the child again. Romance aside, this should of been an enticing read. However, the character of Merry and her demons wasn’t fully flushed out, the connection between her boyfriend on and Jeremy was blink and you’ll miss it, and Kendall’s moms atrocious behavior all fall to the wayside because we have 114 pages to get through a full romcom/suspense and it just was way too rushed.

[Sammy Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ★'s

That was a quick and sweet read. We meet Kendall and his adorable daughter Savy, and Jeremy a sailor.

Kendall adopted Savy after his sister abandoned her when she is diagnosed with cancer as a baby. He was only 22 years old and was determined to do all he could for her. He is such a sweetheart and I just wanted to hug him. His mother was the worst and his sister wasn't any better. He felt so alone and he had to cope with so much by himself.

Jeremy is working on a ship that ends up at the ship festival Kendall was at. They meet and they connect immediately. He is amazing with Savy and that warmed me so much to him. They just clicked straight away and I was happy that they didn't jump into anything. They got to know each other first and then the magic happened. Jeremy steps up for Kendall and is a great fit in their little family.

There is some drama with Kendall's family, mainly his mum and sister. The big event at the end made me glad that Savy has Kendall as her dad. Everything happens at warped speed and they don't get much time together. At times I also kept getting confused as to who was who. I had to reread to see who's POV it was, it just changed all over the place.

It is a sweet read but too short to flesh out the characters and story.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

[Tenise · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the story begins we find out that Kendall has been raising his niece as his own child since his POS sister jumped ship and gave up her rights. We also find out early on that Kendall's mother is a pretty crappy human but we shall do our best to ignore that old loon. Needless to say, Kendall needs to take a weekend to go somewhere fun with his daughter. He decides a weekend away at a boat festival is just the place to go since his little Savvy is obsessed with boats.

Jeremy is a sailor and the ship he has been a part of its crew for a few years now is in the festival Kendall and Savy are going to this weekend. I'm sure you have an idea of what you think happens next but I will leave you to find out without me spoiling it for you.

I enjoyed this quick MM read by new to me author, Kris Jacen. I give it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review.

[Amys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steamy and very explorative!

What a grand romantic mm story in Sailor Boy by Kris Jacen. This book is part of a multi-author All American Boys series, a set of 9 books. I've read MM romance stories from Jacen before, and I enjoyed reading this one. It, for one, fit the series of the All American "Boy," and introduces us to Kendall, and Jeremy of course, Kendall's daughter, Savy. It's the love of the seas and exploring that sets the tone for this series. Both with their own pasts, and then determining what the next step is, and if it's just having "fun in the sun." I am a fan of this author! This author brings the story to life. The characters had a lot of depth, and were very realistic. It’s one of those embraceable stories. It's a wonderful mm romance, and the chemistry between the characters are definitely not forced in writing. Sailor Boy is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤ A fantastic book.
Ooh a great start to the story with Kendal arguing to mum about his daughter.
A great first dramatic meeting for Kendall and Jeremy with little Savy scaring them. Hot chemistry and instant connection with the banter also make this a good start. This was a gorgeous story for them and it had its funny moments and dramas. Both Jeremy and Kendall had baggage that involved around drugs into the storyline. This is a feels and emotions book for Savy as she's had a lot in her young life. Beautifully written with dual povs with sexy scenes included for a HEA ending but not without some problems coming up.
Heat Rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Kendall and his daughter where of to a vacation whether his parents liked it or not.
Jeremy was the 2nd mate on a ship in the harbour with the festival.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a lot.

I’m a sucker for a good single dad story and this one was really enjoyable. There isn’t too much angst in this book; it’s primarily really sweet. What angst there is deals with Kendall’s mother and the fact that she wants his drugged-out sister to have access to Savvy.

Jeremy is super sweet and I loved how much he cared for Savvy and Kendall. This is a novella so there isn’t a lot of time for character development but I thought the author did a good job of handling the instant attraction between Jeremy and Kendall. I didn’t feel like this was as short as it was (that’s a compliment).

An advanced copy of this book was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some parents don't know everything. Kendall, is raising his sister's child, Savannah/Savy, as his own. He barely tolerates his intrusive, oblivious parents who feel they have a say in his parenting skills and plans. He decides to attend the Tall Ships Festival to give Savy a new fun experience. Jeremy, fell in love with ships and sailing from a young age, went to school and found a career he loves. Savy, is absolutely delightful. Jeremy and Kendall bond as if they are magnets. Nice romantic characters, nice nautical story. Can they form a new found family? Does Kendall's Mom go too far? Can Kendall find someone to share his family with? Good story. Gotta go to the Festival. Nicely done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Roger R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s another story in the All American Boy series. Love how different authors would use Tall Ship Festival as the central event in this small town in Maine. This one was sweet and at one point intense!!!
It focuses on Jeremy, who helps with the New England Maritime Academy manning a boat. He crossed path with Kendall, a single father of a young daughter named Savanna (Sav) who actually is Kendall’s niece. Sav’s mother who is Kendall’s sister abandoned her when she was stricken with leukemia so he adopted her. They had eyes for each other’s and Jeremy was very sweet to Sav. Feelings developed between them. Then a scary event occurred. That’s where I’m going to stop and encourage you to read the short novel and find out. It’s a very good read and I’d give it 5 stars.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Jeremy, Kendall and SAVY!!! Savy kind of stole the story, sorry! Jeremy was walking down the pier when he caught a little girl running away from her dad, Kendall. Kendall had a tough go into parenthood adopting his niece when she was a few months old. They take a trip to the Tall Ship Festival and meet Jeremy. Instant connection and chemistry along with family drama makes a great story. Overall this was a great story, hooked me and introduced me to a new author! The story was really well written, the pacing flowed smoothly, highly recommend. I am voluntarily leaving a review form an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet with a little angst

I have read a few others in this series and loved them, and they are all instant attraction followed almost immediately by love. The characters are are all sweet and very personable, and the town of Stoney Brook gives all the stories a nice shared background.
Kendall and Jeremy had that instant connection too, but I just didn't love it as much as the others. I don't know why that is but it didn't work as well, I thought. I'm not keen on kids in books but Savy was necessary for the angst in this one, and I didn't dislike her completely so that's not it. I just needed more of something though I don't know what.

[K-Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this a five Star Novella rating! Since this is a short story though, I do not want to give a lot away. Kendall is the sweetest of adoptive Dad's! His single Dad status leads him to an adorable first meeting with Jeremy our stunning sailor man! I really felt their instant attraction and chemistry and daughter Savy just brings them all together perfectly! They need each other! We of course have some family drama from the outside to keep things interesting! I received an ARC, and this was a heartwarming all the family feels wrapped up in a boating adventure!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short, instant attraction story between sailor Jeremy, single dad Kendall and even his daughter Savy was delightful. Jeremy and Kendall were so good together, and the addition of adorable Savy created a sweet, easy read that hooked me in from the beginning. The story had emotion, suspense, some angst, heat and a lovely HEA. It was a great addition to the All American Boy series, and I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from GRR to review, and this is my honest and voluntary opinion.

[T Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story that you can’t wait to see how it ends. Reading through you can’t help but feel things are going to go south at some point, you’re not wrong. The romantic part of the story is there, it’s subtle but the father/daughter aspect is stronger to me, the main focus, and I liked that. Jeremy is the love interest of Kendall’s and they’re great together, they make a good couple. Their connection is strong right off the bat and the support Jeremy offers won me over quickly. The ending is good, too, as they get their HeA. I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

so adorably addictive

Loved this story. Kendall is amazing and honestly so standup to take on the full time care of his niece at such a young age. He is amazing. The interactions between Savy and Kendall were adorable. Then Jeremy just fit into their lives so effortlessly. I understand his parents wanting their daughter to get better but to blatantly disregard savys legal guardians wishes was ridiculous. But it seemed like it was more so on his mother. So crazy. Loved how Jeremy was there for them. Great story!

[Jamey A Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. Loved it from start to finish. Sweet, entertaining and heartwarming. Can two men fall in love in a day? Kendall takes his daughter/niece to the Tall Ship Festival where he meets the gorgeous Jeremy who is holding Kendall’s daughter who managed to escape. His daughter is quite taken with sailor Jeremy. There is an immediate attraction between the two men. At the end of the day Kendall is quite taken to Jeremy as well. Can the three of them find their way to love? Full of family drama and a touch of suspense. I highly recommend.

[DD · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book is absolutely adorable. I was tearing up by the first paragraph. Kendall is such a sweet saint. The love and adoration he has for his daughter is heart-melting. And what he’s gone through for her, they deserved each other. Jeremy took to them and fit into their family perfectly. I actually shook with anger on Kendall’s behalf when it came to his mother. He had more control towards her than I would have. What a stupid woman. This multi-author series is so great. I’m going to read them all.

[Mrs.V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet story!
Kendall and Jeremy hit it off instantly (just after a tense meeting where Kendall threatens to call the cops on Jeremy!) and I loved how they stuck together facing the good, the bad and the ugly from the get go. No drama between them, just effortless love, that allows them to develop their relationship very strong!
Savy, Kendall’s sweet girl, is of course the real star of the book, with her adorable toddler’s speech and her sunny smile lighting up everything!

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second book of this collection. It's a sweet single dad romance as they bond over boats. The daughter was adorable if not a bit precocious. There was serious drama for both MCs. Unfortunately tackling serious topics in shorter novellas doesn't work well for me. These really need more time to develop. The ending of course is wrapped up in a neat little bow.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy provided by GayRomanceReviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable series, I've already read three others, all great reads as is this one. They're all set around the Tall Ships Festival, this one partly set on one of those ships. The connection between Kendall and Jeremy is instant and deep, little Savy, so freaking cute, seals the deal with her innocent babble. A lovely, gently written story with lots of love, some angst, and a bitch of a Mother. Well, actually, two bitchy Mothers.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sailor boy got his best crew.

Kendall and Jeremy meet in an unsuspecting way...through Kendall's three year old daughter. Kendall doesn't think Jeremy would want him with baggage but things happen. The only thing I don't understand is why not have Kendall's mother and sister dragged through a court case? It would provide angst and the mother would know what her daughter really is. But authors have to hide things so that so readers don't get upset.

[Bkwrm24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy + Kendall + Savy = ❤️

4 Stars 🌟

Quick but super cute story !!! The single dad finds his man.....the single sailor finds his family ❤️ there's so much to adore about this one, it was totally insta love but the cuteness and fluff of it works so well in this short. I'd recommend if your looking for a light and sweet read.

* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *

[kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This single dad romance is a quick, sweet read. I really enjoyed Sailor Boy.
Loved Jeremy, Kendall and SAVY!! The connection and chemistry between Jeremy and Kendall is instant. Add in an adorable toddler and I'm sold. Savy is too cute.
There is enough emotion, a touch of angst and lots of feels to keep the reader turning the pages until this family gets their well deserved HEA.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. The daughter Savvy was one of my favorite parts. This book was short sweet and fun to read. Kendall is a single father to Savvy who meets Jeremy and they get to know him. It was fun to watch their relationship grow. The two had great chemistry with each other, and Jeremy and Kendall's daughter bonded together. Definitely recommend this book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasure to read the love story of Kendall and Jeremy as well as their interaction with Savy.
Kris Jacen brought out the concern for a little 3 year old and how two men would fight tooth and nail for her.
Part of the Tall Ship Fair at Stoney Brook in the All American Boy series, the author has kept to the premise of the surroundings and atmosphere of all the stories.