Down Too Deep

Ive been a fan of J. Daniels since the beginning. I have read every single word shes written, and Ive loved them all. Daniels is a natural storyteller, and she has her own, unique and addictive voice. She writes these all-consuming, grand romances that are unputdownable stories for her readers. For this romance reader, a new release from J. Daniels is a much-anticipated, planned-around experience.

I love the Dirty Deeds series, and Ive been looking forward to Nates story since we met him in Four Letter Word, the first book in the series. Daniels hoarded precious details about Nate throughout this series, doling them out sparingly to readers over the course of the previous three books. As much as I was focused on the previous stories as I was reading them, stumbling upon a detail about Nate was a treat and definitely amped up my anticipation for his story.

A widower, deeply lost in his grief, Nate is not managing his role as a father very well. Its not that he doesnt want to be the father that his precious, two-year-old daughter, Marley, needs, he just isnt sure how to go about doing it. After a much-needed, albeit brutal, wake-up call, in steps an angel in the form of Jenna, a single mom of twins, Oliver and Olivia. She reaches out a hand to help Nate, and he latches on gratefully to that lifeline. Instead of condemnation or judgment, Jenna offers him kindness, patience, grace. His relief is palpable, and he doesnt squander this opportunity. He pays attention to Jenna, and Marley responds to his attention. My heart was full watching Nate come into his own as a father.

Theres just something about a damaged hero that really does it for me, and oh boy, did my heart ache for Nate. He was haunted by his wifes death, his was ashamed about his lack of involvement in his young daughters life and the fact that he had no clue how to care for her. As the owner of a busy restaurant, it was easy for him to get lost in the day-to-day running of it, but even that was taking a toll on him, and he was just overwhelmed with the constant juggling of all of it. But when Jenna offered to help him, he had no idea that he would be getting so much more than a sitter, a helpera friendin the process. Jenna and her kids breathed life back into Nate, and he begins to shed the grief and the guilt, and for the first time in far too long, he feels hopefuland happiness. He struggles with even that, though, and I was on the edge of my seat as he sifted through those emotions, trying to make sense of what he was thinking, what he was feeling, and what he wanted. The problem is that more than just Nate and Jennas hearts are at stake here, slowly but surely everyone was becoming very invested in what was starting to look a whole lot like a family every passing day.

At its core, Down Too Deep was a story about loss, forgiveness, moving forward and starting over. Daniels never shies away from difficult topics or emotions in her stories. She doesnt hesitate to run her readers through the wringer right along with her characters. The emotion in this book, though, positively wrecked me. WRECKED ME. I weptcrying big, loud, hiccupping sobswhile reading this book. I felt Nates guilt like a second skin, I felt his desperation to know even the simplest, smallest, most basic things about his daughter. But I also felt love, my goodness, so much of it, so huge, and coming from all five of them. I felt Nates hope bloom, his optimism surge and his heart open to possibility. I felt Jenna and her kids love for this man and his little girl. Oh yes, I felt every single heart-wrenching, tugging and mending feel that Daniels wanted me to feel here.

Not exactly a light and breezy, easy-to-read romcom, Down Too Deep was a moving, heart-breaking story richly told with depth, genuine emotion and passion. There were highs and there were lows, and as difficult as that was at times, it was worth every single step of the journey these characters had to take to find this kind of love. My own emotions were all over the place while reading this book, a true testament to the power of Daniels amazing writing here. A truly memorable reading experience and one that will stay with me for a long time to come, Down Too Deep by J. Daniels is a top favorite for the year, and it gets five smooches from me!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I’ve enjoyed all of the books in the Dirty Deeds series, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting on Nate’s book. I think a lot of people have and what we got from J. Daniels was fantastic! This book was full of emotion, humor and heart.

Nathan “Nate” Bell is a restaurant owner and a widowed father of an adorable little two year old named Marley. To say that the past two years since his wife passed away have been a challenge is a gross understatement. Nate has felt everything you possibly could, however guilt was the predominant emotion and it got the best of him to the extent that he barely spent time with his young daughter. He’s now been put in a position where he has to step up and he has no clue what to do. A chance meeting with Jenna at his restaurant might be just the thing he was hoping for.

Jenna is a single mother of eight year old twins, Oliver and Olivia. She is friends with several of the women that work at Nate’s restaurant and her kids love eating there. When Marley escapes from Nate’s office one day when Jenna and the twins are there, she offers to take her back to her father. When she does so, she instantly has a connection with the toddler and when she learns that Nate needs someone to watch her, she offers to be that person.

As Nate and Jenna start to spend more time together, Nate begins to reconnect with his daughter thanks to Jenna’s encouragement and it’s clear that they are attracted to one another. With the baggage that Nate is still carrying from his wife’s death and the fact that Jenna is technically working for him, plus the fact her twins have quickly become attached to Nate, things turn out to be a romantic slow burn to ensure everyone’s feelings are taken into consideration.

I loved both Nate and Jenna. They both had their issues, but more than anything this book was about forgiving yourself and believing that second chances are both possible and worth taking. There is no way I could write this review without talking about all three kids. They were adorable. Marley was just precious and the twins were adorable, precocious and wise beyond their years.

While I’m sad that this series is ending, I’m glad it ended with Nate’s story and one that I loved so much!

Loved this final Dirty Deeds story. Filled with Ms Daniels usual brilliant well rounded characters, great dialogue, realistic situations and brilliant humour.
I loved Nate and Jenna together. The relationship the author has created is real and so heartwarming.
Need I say more?… If you are already familiar with Ms Daniels writing then what are you waiting for?? If you arent then start with book one and read in order… you wont regret it
A must read….. whats next?!?

Nate was one of the characters I always wanted to know more about. I’m so hsppy he got his own book. I loved it.

Absolutely adored this book, read it cover to cover. Now my favourite book by J Daniels, didnt want Nate & Jennas story to end.

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