Zoë Miranda's Reviews > Teddy

1st person, present tense, dual POV.

Teddy (Theodore Maxwell Lavoie) (36), adult film star at Elite 8 Studios
Kipp (Kipling Delaney Lavoie né Mercer ) (29), software development

'Wake Up Married' is one of my least favourite book tropes and so I've put off reading Teddy because of it. Finally, I gave my head a shake because it's Emmy and I both love and trust her writing.

I always have a hard time with the set-up of a 'wake-up married' story and this did feel a little awkward to me but I really liked how the author arranged the forced proximity aspect of this book; it was pretty inspired. Part of why I read romance is to watch the characters get to know and fall in love with each other and I felt like I missed that journey with this book. In its absence we did see a small exploration of a light D/s dynamic in the bedroom, which was fun, but, it came about pretty fast and easy. I enjoyed the Daddy/boy compromise that Teddy and Kipp fell into because the word 'boy' was a little triggering for Kipp. Teddy felt a lot more developed than Kipp and it made me feel some kind of way about their bedroom dynamic at times, but the caretaking was so delightful that I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

The other guys all make their requisite appearances and the found family vibe was just so wholesome and good, especially the banter.

I really enjoyed this book but found that the main conflict of was not enough to carry the story so I found it dragged a little given the length of the book. The whole "I like him but wonder if he likes me back" aspect of the story got a little tiresome, especially considering the actions of both characters spoke volumes. There wasn't a whole lotta plot to keep the reader engaged There was some external family drama for both characters that played out mostly in the background of the story. I was worried it would cast a pall over the whole relationship but it really didn't, in fact, it was resolved pretty easily, without much fallout or deep conversation.

At the end of the day I enjoy Emmy's writing and loved both Teddy and Kipp, so I was happy to watch them dance around each other for a while before realizing they were both all in. They don't compare to Malibu though and that's what I'm hoping to find when I pick up an Elite 8 book.