Man Hands

this is the first book in a new series, and let me tell you... I am extremely thankful that this is just the beginning, because after inhaling this story in record time I absolutely need more ASAP :) no worries, this is a full standalone book with no cliffhangers whatsoever, but you'll want more as well after you read it ;) trust me on that :) but don't worry, I will actually tell you a bit more about this awesome book and why I loved it so much :)I fell in love with our main characters from the first moment I saw each of them :) Brynn is an english professor who is finishing her divorce and looking for a new job, with a delicious and a bit naughty food blog on the side ;) and she is absolutely hilarious... :) I started laughing during the first chapter and did not stop till the end of the book :) her two best friends are helping her get back on her feet and back into the world of dating :) and don't even get me started about Sadie and Ash, cause I absolutely cannot wait for sequels :) Tom is a... well, he's sort of a contractor with his own TV show :) he's absolutely charming, swoonworthy, and hilarious as well :) they meet in a very... unconventional way... :) and that's all I am gonna say about that scene, because... damn, it's so much better if you don't know what's gonna happen :) their relationship is sexy, so much fun to read about and... you can probably guess what adjective I want to use... yes, again... ;) hilarious :) but it truly is the best way to describe this story and those characters, so I am not gonna apologize ;) it's a whirlwind full of adventures and surprising twists and you will love them together :)I inhaled this book... I kid you not :) I started reading it on my way to work in the morning, then I got there and I adulted as long as it was necessary... ;) and then I got home, promptly picked the book again and finished it, because I couldn't concentrate on anything else until I read everything... :) if I could I would pick up the sequel straight away, especially after *that* scene at the end ;) fortunately for all of us, book #2 goes live in about a month, so I think I will somehow survive the wait ;) this book is co-written by two authors, and as much as I am a fan of Sarina Bowen, Tanya Eby was brand new for me... but after reading this story, she won't be much longer :) because now I am super curious how her unique brand of humor will look like without the mix of Sarina's writing style :) although I have to say I am a huge fan of this duo, and hopefully this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful cooperation ;) this book is written in 2 POVs which means we have chapters from Brynn's perspective, as well as Tom's and both are super entertaining to read :) the best compliment I can give, is that I was really unable to put it down... it's also one of the reasons why I can't really tell you much mroe about the actual book... ;) I don't want to spoil you anything, because trust me, this wild ride is definitely better if you don't know what's gonna happen next... ;) but also because some details are a bit... blurry ;) but that's what happens when you read the book as fast as I did... :) but it was sooooo good :) I couldn't help myself :) so get this gem immediately so we can sigh and laugh about how amazing it is together... and then wait impatiently for Ash's story... cause I am seriously counting down the days... ;)

I guess I have high expectations for a book co written by Sarina Bowen. It was over the top and trying too hard. Slapstick comedy is not my thing and if it is not yours either then skip this one. I love a book with good humor and there are several out there done tastefully and with subtlety. This is not one of them. It reads like the ramblings of two immature knitwits with the emotional intelligence of a gnat.

I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.4 stars — OK, I adore Ms. Bowen, and writing with Ms. Eby obviously brought out another side to her!! I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this one, b/c I’m not actually that attracted to those outrageous humour books that I see so many people love. I have a bad case of sympathetic embarrassment, in that when characters are doing something *I’d* be embarrassed about, I tend to spend a lot of time cringing. My favourite example is the movie Meet the Parents. Subconsciously I understand how funny the scenes were, but I honestly barely laughed b/c I was too busy feeling uncomfortable. This book was not even close to that bad, but there were definitely elements…. It took me outside my comfort zone, but you know what? I laughed anyways…and I laughed HARD at times. Yes, I cringed, but it was worth it.As with all books that I enjoy, I loved the characters in this one…and that’s partly why I was able to work around my sympathetic embarrassment. Brynn was unlike any heroine I’ve read. She was a bit crazy…OK, a LOT crazy. But I sympathized with her, and what she was going through, and the damage that had been done by her ex. They were actually an interesting pair, b/c I felt for Tom too. He had his own damage from childhood, and I kind of wished we’d learned more about what happened there…I mean, we didn’t find out what happened to his family, did we? Regardless, they were two lost souls just wanting someone to love them for who they were. Talk about heart squeezing.And they had great chemistry!! Normally I’m less enamoured with a couple when they go right to the sexy times, but once you read their “meet sexy/crazy” you’ll understand why it just works for some reason. So despite their rush into sex, I still really believed their relationship progression. I felt their feelings turn from just lust/attraction to more. I loved how they both couldn’t stop thinking about the other, and I adored how they went from sex back to almost bashful crushes. It’s hard to explain. I seriously loved how drawn to each other they were…and, because I’m a girl, I was particularly enamoured with how Tom appreciated all the things about Brynn that made her unique, and even the things that she thought made her less desirable (her love of food, her gorgeous curves). They were just kind of perfect together, and so adorable. And obviously the steamy moments were awesome.I also really appreciated that the climax in the plot didn’t play out in a stereotypical way…you have no idea how relieving that was. Brynn’s a smart girl and I applaud her for cutting through the crap right away. I always love it when a story surprises me in a good way.Another thing this story brought to the table was a great friendship between Brynn, Ash and Sadie. I love good friendship stories. These girls made me laugh so much when they were together, they were just very unapologetic. I did like the friendship between Tom and Braht as well, though I would love to know what brought them together in the first place…but let’s be honest, it was the girl’s friendship that was the star of the show. But I will say that as far as secondary characters go, Tom’s penis took the cake. He had his own personality and some good things to say, and Tom’s interactions with him made me laugh and laugh.So yeah, if you love a good dose of comedy with your romance, this is the book for you. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with Ash and Braht in Man Card.

Brynn is a teacher, after divorcing her husband she is suddenly 'let go' by her boss (and ex-father-in-law), forced to survive on her food blog "Brynn's Dips and Balls" and cookery books. She has two almost polar opposite friends - Ash is a blonde, cut-throat estate agent, Sadie is a hippy married mother of two. Their so-called advice consists of recommending that Brynn steer away from her usual type of weedy, intellectual, vegetarian man and instead go for someone manly, rough and butch.At a party thrown by Ash's mortal enemy Braht, Brynn sees her ex draped all over a younger, slimmer version of Brynn, her 'friends' advise her to run up to the nearest man who makes eye contact and kiss him. I mean really, is that ever good advice?Tom is a reality TV star who specialises in renovating homes. When a curvy woman launches herself at him while he is tending the garden he is astonished but game for anything. Brynn and Tom have a passionate encounter in the boat shed but unbeknownst to them someone filmed them. A few days later the sex tape is all over the internet and as damage control Tom's agent suggests they legitimise their one-night stand by pretending to be a couple and getting fake-engaged.Whilst plenty of others have raved about the humour in this book I honestly found it a bit juvenile - I mean how many times can you laugh at the word 'balls'? Brynn is described as curvy, sturdy and overweight (although of course that doesn't stop her wearing underwear made entirely of ribbons) and given the level of humour I picture her as a bit like the comedian Rebel Wilson.Overall, I liked the story, I loved Tom and I liked Brynn when she wasn't sniggering like a little schoolkid but this didn't have the subtlety of Sarina's other works for me and the humour was too extravagant, too forced, too silly.Still one of my favourite authors.

Unfortunately I found myself disappointed after reading this book. I love Sarina Bowen and her writing style. I really enjoyed the Ivy Years and True North series of books. I love the Brooklyn Bruisers series and I love her collaboration with Elle Kennedy on Him / Us and the WAGs series. However I have to say that if this had been the first book of hers that I read, I wouldn't read more.The main characters acted like teenage girls, and yes that includes the male lead at times too. The story I felt was lacking substance, such that it was almost a non-story. I'm not sure that we actually found out how the sex-tape was leaked, the staged confrontation between the male lead and his tv co-star was started but just fizzled out and all-in-all, it just left me feeling disappointed and a bit flat.I was determined that I would finish the book, so I made myself stick with it until the end. Had it been written by an author whose work I didn't enjoy so much, I would have given up and not finished it.I don't think that Sarina has made a wise move in pairing with Ms Eby if this is the quality of the writing produced. I haven't pre-ordered the next book in the series (as I would normally do for her work) and if I'm being honest, I don't think I'll be missing out if I don't read the next book in the series at all. She has written better, and I'd recommend those over Man Hands.

The plot line in one line:A plump lady who has lost confidence after being married to a loser finds love with a hearthrob handyman from TV, who's recovering from a broken heart and is being pursued by the paparazzi.The good and the bad:I love this series of books. There are actually three - Boy Toy, which is fab, this one and Man Card, which I am half way through reading now.Man Hands is a genuinely funny and sweet romp. Brynn and Tom are perfect for each other - from their dates to their juicy sex scenes, the authors capture the sparks between them so well. And they don't do the old cliched crossed wires thing to create tension at the end of the book. This is just a really gooey but funny story about two sweet people falling in lust and love.My only criticism - and it's forgivable because the book is otherwise excellent - is that the authors did not expand on Tom's difficult childhood. We want to know why he is the sweet man he is! It's alluded to but never explained.Otherwise, I really can't understand the few negative reviews of this book.

Feel like hammering home one of your favourite readings of the year? Then do yourself a favour and get to grips with MAN HANDS. Bowen & Eby nail it with their engaging plot, lovable characters, and unbeatable comedic timing. I couldn’t get enough. Move over Fey & Poehler there’s a new double act in town!Brynn is still reeling from the aftermath of her divorce. In her mid-thirties and in between jobs, her confidence is at an all-time low. Rallied her amazing besties, she’s gussied up and emotionally blackmailed into attending a party. Horrified by the presence of her ex-husband, she does what any self-respecting girl would do – which is to get off with another guy.The guy in question is down to earth and good-with-his-hands, Tom. He’s quite literally bowled over by Brynn. She’s just the whirlwind of a distraction he needs. The trouble is as soon as she blows in, she’s gone again. With some time off between his next big project, he makes it his new mission to hunt her down.Described by the authors as a “screwball comedy” it is exactly that. It’s over the top and hilarious and I giggled from the first page to the last, only stopping long enough to swoon. Fun and enjoyable, Man Hands is a refreshing and ground breaking start to a series that has renovated my take on romantic comedies.

This book was AWESOME!!!I loved it from first till the very last page!I loved the humour! I LOVED IT!!! I was laughing out loud so many times that I got suspicious glances from my husband MANY MANY TIMES!!!Both main characters were amazing and the second ones as well!! I CAN'T WAIT for Ash and Braht's book - January can't come fast enough!!!While reading it I thought - yes I know what will be the main drama but I was surprised it wasn't exactly what I thought it will be and it was different and so sooo goood!And our Mr. Fixit was soo DAMN SEXY!!!Sexy & Funny my favourite two things I love in a good book and this book has definitely delivered!! 5 stars!!!