Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: night & day
AUTHOR: Rachel Ember
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 208 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2022
BLURB:
Ty’s parents seem to have their act together, and his little sisters are old enough that he doesn’t have to constantly worry about them anymore. He could even enroll in some college classes if he could find an overnight job that won’t kill him. One where he might be able to study occasionally, or catch a nap. When he sees the advertisement for a night nanny, it sounds perfect. After all, he’s got a soft spot for babies, and raised his sisters himself.
If he’s having some seriously sinful thoughts about Isabel’s handsome, melancholy father-well. His thing for older men is nothing new, and he can keep himself under control for the half-hour their paths cross in the morning and evening.
Jonathan is overwhelmed by his wife leaving abruptly–though, to be honest, he’d known it was over for years–by the new responsibilities he’s just been handed at his law firm, and by the baby daughter he adopted three months ago, Isabel. The baby his now-vanished wife had been begging for. He was lucky to get a place for Isabel in the best infant care program in the city, but it closes at 5 p.m. Before Isabel, Jonathan had never held a baby or changed a diaper. He needs help day and night.
When Ty answers his advertisement, and he looks past the tattoos and piercings at the way Ty expertly soothes the baby, Jonathan hires him on the spot. The only problem in the weeks that follow is how much Jonathan begins to look forward to Ty’s arrival every night, and not just because he’s ready to hand over the baby and get some sleep. There’s something that fascinates him about the kid who steps out of the darkness late each night with a crooked smile.
Then, Isabel’s daycare temporarily closes unexpectedly. A desperate Jonathan asks Ty if he can work more hours, and Ty says he can–if he can crash in the guest room, too.
REVIEW:
night & day is a sweet, opposites attract story about the romance between a single father and the nanny he hires.
Shortly after adopting a baby girl, Jonathan’s wife walks away from him and their baby and disappears, without explanation. He’s a full-time lawyer with Isabel in daycare, but his nights are hell with an infant who won’t sleep or stop crying. Jonathan can’t function so he looks to hire a night nanny. No one who interviews for the job can console Isabel, that is until Ty walks in the door. Dressed in worn out jeans, a t-shirt shirt showing off his tattoos, and old Doc Martens, Ty isn’t what Jonathan envisioned for his daughter’s carer, but there’s no denying he’s a miracle worker when the baby immediately stops crying. Ty adores babies and is smitten with little Isabel.
Ty garnered his experience with babies from helping to raise his three younger sisters. Their parents are profoundly neglectful so Ty hates leaving the youngest – thirteen-year-old Sam – alone with his parents while he’s working at night, knowing they might be out partying all night or getting in trouble with the law. Again.
The night nanny position turns into a full-time day and night nanny job when Isabel’s daycare falls through. By this point, the attraction between them is apparent. Jonathan’s mind and body are becoming alert to Ty, and it’s the first time in many years anyone has stirred up those feelings. And clearly, his marriage is over.
And then tragedy strikes.
And then there’s an intriguing twist.
And in the end, Ty’s family and Jonathan’s family become one. The ending was cohesive and satisfying, tying up all loose ends.
However, I didn’t realize this story was originally a newsletter serial, which might explain why it felt underdeveloped to me. This book would have been so much more if it had been expanded upon into a longer story. There are many areas that could’ve been delved into to provide greater depth, including the involvement of Ty’s parents beyond one conversation between Ty and his mom, and the future with the character we know as Shay. The story wasn’t disappointing in any way, I just felt it could have had a greater impact. I do recommend it, though, to those that enjoy the single dad trope.
RATING: 
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