Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: To the Moon and Back
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
PUBLISHER: BlueHeart Press
LENGTH: 220 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 23, 2023
BLURB:
Gideon Ellery had the perfect life. Nice house, great job, and a long-time boyfriend. Weeks after adopting his nephew, his boyfriend splits, leaving Gideon a single father to a newborn. Overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and unsure how to navigate fatherhood, he’s asked to return to the office. He’s overwhelmed and at his breaking point.
Toby Barlow is back in Sydney after three years of studying, travelling, and nannying in the UK. He needs work and a place to live, and the perfect solution drops in his lap. After all, caring for a sweet baby in a beautiful home owned by a gorgeous single man isn’t exactly terrible.
Gideon isn’t too keen to share his life with a stranger, but his need for help is too great. Sunshiny Toby isn’t prepared for a grumpy Gideon or his utterly adorable son, Benson. Or how easily he slots into their lives. And Gideon’s not prepared for how much he needs Toby.
Or how much he wants him.
Neither is prepared for the complications of falling in love.
REVIEW:
To the Moon and Back is a sweet, grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee romance between a single father and the nanny he hires to care for his twelve-week old son, Benson. Gideon had expected to co-parent with his boyfriend of six years, but the boyfriend bailed and left Gideon high and dry and “spitting mad”. He’s overwhelmed and finally calls a nanny agency for help.
Toby is the live-in nanny he hires. Just like Gideon, Toby is smitten with Benson who appears to be the happiest, easiest baby ever, always smiling and gurgling. I wish I had had that experience with my own. I think he only cries once or twice in the book. Anyway, Toby is a perennially optimistic, forthright young man who, sooner or later, falls for Gideon as much a he does for Benson. He slides so perfectly into their lives. But as much as he’s feeling for his boss – and vice versa – he won’t risk his job caring for Benson by pursuing a relationship with Gideon. Gideon is lonely, though, and Toby is the balm to his pain.
Things I loved about this book:
- Gideon is so besotted with and devoted to Benson. His love radiates off the pages. Now that he has Toby to alleviate his stress, he can appreciate his time with Benson so much more.
- Toby is also besotted with and devoted to Benson. He will make a wonderful father.
- Toby immediately starts calling the baby “chicken nugget” or “chicky nuggy” much to Gideon’s dismay. It’s so endearing.
- Ms. Walker has included an enjoyable cast of characters including Gideon’s married friends, Jill and Lauren, and Toby’s family who exemplify what a loving, supportive family should be. Gideon misses having a family and adores being embraced by Toby’s and brought into their fold.
- What’s better than an epilogue? Two epilogues – one when Benson is a year old and a second a year later. The second one, in particular, provides all the HEA swoons.
This isn’t a complex story but it’s a sweet, heartwarming read with lovable characters. I recommend it for any contemporary MM readers looking for a low-angst escape.
RATING: 
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