Delayed Penalty by Teagan Hunter

Delayed Penalty (Seattle Serpents #3)
Author: Teagan Hunter
Published: September 2024
Publisher: Teagan Hunter
Pages: 432
Format: ARC eBook
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:

I have two goals this season:
1. Prove to the Seattle Serpents I’m not a complete screwup.
2. Stay away from the nanny.

I’m hardly able to keep myself out of trouble, let alone a seven-year-old, but when my estranged brother gets a life sentence, I have no choice but to clean up my act and take the kid in.

It’s all going according to plan…until I’m forced to hire Quinn Benson.

She’s everything I need to avoid—flighty, messy, creating chaos everywhere she goes. But she makes my niece happy, so I hire her anyway, keeping our interactions as brief as possible, even when she moves in with me.

Thing is, the more she’s around, the more I want her around—and not just as a nanny. I can’t seem to stop falling into bed with her even when I know I shouldn’t. Quinn goes against everything I’m trying to accomplish, but I can’t stay away.

This might be one delayed penalty I don’t mind serving…

Review:

First I'd like to thank Teagan Hunter & Team for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for a review! Honestly as always I am a fan and this book was no different!

I was drawn right from the beginning to Hayes, Flora and Quinn's story. While he may not be a single parent, he is a single guardian and I felt like there was so much more to that story alone than anything else. How he was thrust into this position without even really knowing he had a niece is crazy, but as their story progresses, you can see how much he truly cares for Flora and will do anything he can to make sure she no longer has the life she was living with his brother, and to know that she's capable of anything and everything.

One thing I will say I wish there was more of was the drama. I was kind of hoping that Hayes' brother would make some sort of appearance, even if it was by a phone call or by having someone else come to his home and cause a disruption. I was kind of hoping for that little bit of drama to heighten and amp up the story just a tad more than it was already. But also that's me talking about wanting to add even more *emotional damage* to the story...

Right from their first interaction though, you can see that Quinn and Flora are like two peas in a pod. Quinn understands Flora in a way that no one else really did, but was able to go with the flow and still make conversation with her when she would practically shut down to everyone else. That's when you know she's going to be the nanny no matter what. And to see Flora's development throughout the book was so so sweet!! There's little moment when she opens up to Quinn more and it really breaks your heart to find out all that she went through, but at the same time, you get to see her finally become a kid again and do all the things kids should get the chance to do without everyday life things drag you down into a shell of a person.

Another thing that I loved was even though things started off rocky, and even Hayes couldn't stand Quinn from their first few interactions, the more time they spent together, the more he could see that she was different from all the previous notions he had. And when they spent time with her family, that man had to have had so much strength to not punch Quinn's brother in the face, it's unbelievable how they were treating her. I am glad that some aspects of that particular scene got resolved, without spoiling it, but the way Hayes handled himself and said his peace was just *chefs kiss!*

Overall, this was another great book by Teagan Hunter! It played all the heartstrings you'd see in a single guardian romance, the rocky roller coaster ride that was both Quinn and Flora's story. I mean how can you not fall in love with the sweetest and hilarious little girl ever?! Their dynamic was amazing, even getting in scenes with Hayes' work family was so great to see. It was swoony, oh so spicy, and had me in all my feels! I think this one may be my favorite when it comes to how much emotion was written in here.

That's all for my review, I hope you enjoyed it and be sure to one-click your copy today and binge the entire series if you haven't yet!

So until the next time, keep reading!

Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)