THEY

not for me

2.5✨

"I don’t want to get married. I don’t want kids and diapers and skinned knees and advice." I like a strong heroine who knows what she wants. It's refreshing to find a fictional character in a romance novel who doesn't want kids and doesn't have people trying to change her mind. Why aren't there more like that?

This is an age gap book with a little bit of daddy kink in it. The daddy kink is still new to me but this was written well. The MFC (main female character) is a shy woman that it trying to find the right one and only realizes that the right one is her next door neighbor who is also 17 years her senior. The MMC (main male character) is sweet and caring and only wants what is best for his neighbor who he is attracted to as well but hold back. Our FC asks our MC how should her dates have kissed her after a day and oh boy does he shows her how. This is a sweet semi spicy novella.

I liked it, it was intresting. For me it missed something, not sure of what it was but it did. Now I want to read more age gap.

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[estranged family (due to religious reasons), minor sexual shame (due to religious upbringing, but quickly reframed by heroine) (hide spoiler)] Age gap isn’t one of my personal favorite tropes, but when it’s done really well, oof. After hearing all over Twitter how steamy this book was, I decided to check it out myself and I’m glad I did. “Chemistry with an older, more mature guy who knows what he’s doing in the bed and can talk filth? That’s the trifecta.” This is tropey goodness – besides the age gap (43 vs 25), they’re also neighbors, and they’ve got the grumpy/sunshine dynamic going on. Plus, the basis of the plot: a virgin heroine in need of sex lessons. Jerusha was raised in an extremely conservative religious family (think homeschooling, no TV, no secular influences) and now that she’s out on her own, she’s eager to experience, well, everything. And who better to help than her super hot (and helpful) silver fox neighbor Karl? Karl’s busy running his restaurant/bar and hasn’t really had time for dating. And while it’s certainly neighborly to help out Jerusha with installing ceiling fans, lusting after her colorful but sheltered self is probably not a good idea. While on the surface he’s all gruff and stern, he’s quite sweet on the inside, so when she asks for kissing help after another no-chemistry date, well, how could he refuse? “I’ve been married, dammit. I’ve been in love. It’s just never been like this. Incendiary. I worry about her. I worry about myself. But not enough to stop this. I’m not an idiot.” I thought the age gape was handled well. It is the main stumbling block in their relationship, but it’s worked through thoughtfully. Having both characters’ POVs helped, I think. Karl’s 18-year-old daughter, Harper, and Jerusha actually had overlapping friend groups, and I liked how he took her approval of the whole relationship into consideration as well. Karl was also super respectful of boundaries and frequently checked in with her to make sure she was comfortable with what they’re doing. On top of a seriously hot masturbation scene, the sex lessons are both steamy and sweet. There’s a lot of tension built up between them and it’s absolutely delicious. Despite the title, there’s only a dash of daddy kink in the story. That was fine with me – it’s not something I’m particularly in to – but just an FYI for other readers. Overall, this was a fun, steamy and quick novella!

Jerusha's next door neighbor Karl chases off her shitty date and discovers he not only has major pants feelings for the much younger woman but also she wants him to teach her everything about sex. See, Jerusha grew up in a conservative religious family that made her feel ashamed of her sexuality and her desires, but now that she's an artist making her way in her own right, and with friends who help her to see she's wonderful in so many ways, she's ready to explore. After fighting some misgivings about their age-gap (Karl's in his 40s, Jerusha is 24 and acquaintances with his daughter), Karl soon finds himself outlining a sexual education that will also lead to discovering he and Jerusha share a very satisfying kink, and also just might be falling in love along the way. The eroticism in Daddy Crush comes not from pushing the filth boundary but from these two fully exploring and embracing, with glee, their desires and kinks. The throbbing emotion (yes yes I said throbbing) is what made me blush along with the "yes, daddy's" and the truly best use of a beard in romance 2020. More like this please!! **the daddy stuff stays strictly in the bedroom and is not age play