Family Camp

Daddy Dearest, Book 1

De: Eli Easton

Narrado por: Matthew Shaw

When Geo signs up for Family Camp, he envisions nature hikes, s’mores, and a chance to win over his recalcitrant new foster kids, Jayden and Lucy. He’s tried to become a dad for so long, and he hopes the three of them can be the family he’s always wanted. What he doesn’t anticipate is the prickly and gorgeous camp counselor who constantly comes to his rescue.

Travis spends a week every year at Camp Evermore, the camp his adoptive parents own. As a pro baseball player, his presence guarantees a full campground and excited campers. He has one rule: Never, ever mess around with anyone at camp. His profession demands he stay in the closet. But one sweet and funny new dad is about to test all his resolve.

Sparks fly for Geo and Travis, and not because of the nightly campfire. Having been a foster kid himself, Travis is drawn to Geo’s sincerity and big heart and to his kids. The four of them just fit. But will this be a summer romance? Or can they find a way to be a family long after Family Camp is over?

About the Daddy Dearest series

The Daddy Dearest series will consist of stand-alone contemporary novels focusing on single gay dads who find hot romance. Expect laughs, sweet and sexy slow-burn romance, and lots of family feels!

©2019 Jane Holmes (P)2019 Jane Holmes

I loved the book and the audio made it even better

I loved this story when I first read it back in March 2019 and now I love it even more after listening to the great narration by Matthew Shaw. I don't normally re-read books but I do enjoy listening to the audio of books that I've already read really enjoyed.

When I listen to a story that I've already read, I always think that I won't need to pay that close of attention to it and can get other things done while listening; that was not the case with Family Camp. The narration was so good that it held my attention right from the get-go. Great job on the story by Ms. Easton and great job on the narration by Matthew Shaw.

Below is what I wrote about the story when I first read and reviewed it:

I'm a relatively late-comer to Eli Easton's writing so I'm just now beginning to realize how versatile of a writer she is. I've read one of her books with dog shifters, one with a mail order bride that isn't at all what you might think, one that was heartbreakingly realistic and a fantastic historical Christmas novella. I consider each of these to be wonderful books but oh so very different types of stories.

Now we have Family Camp and what a great story it is! I'm a sucker for gay romances that include kids. The fact that Geo is fostering two of them, and wants nothing more than to give them a stable home-life and environment, really got me in the heart.

The two MCs (main characters) don't exactly get off on the right foot with each other when Travis, a hunky pro baseball pitcher, misinterprets something that Geo says. Once that misunderstanding is straightened out the sparks really begin to fly.

Family Camp really is all about family. Geo becomes friends with several moms and the kids during the course of the week. Travis's family runs the camp and his parents and several of his siblings are integral to the story. There are a lot of fun things in the story and Geo's sense of humor is really delicious.

The book is also a coming out story. As a pro baseball player Travis has hidden his sexuality from everyone but one of his sisters (she guessed his secret). He's denied himself any kind of romantic relationship but he is so drawn to Geo that he just can't resist.

I won't say any more about the coming out part of the story as it would be too spoiler-y, but it's one of the better ones that I've read lately.

If you like a great feel-good romance, with just the right amount of angst, I think you will love Family Camp. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Emotion tempered with humor

Family Camp pulls at the heartstrings with a too sweet, somewhat hesitant romance and two adorable children. Most times in romance, kids are used for some cute dialogue and oh, how sweet moments, but Jayden and Lucy are just as much main characters as Geo and Travis, and the story revolves around them just as much as the romance.
Geo and Travis are so different but absolutely perfect for each other. Travis has had a successful career in professional baseball, but he also has plenty of insecurities from his childhood. A childhood that makes him the exact person young Jayden and Lucy need to understand their new situation. Geo has so much love to give and is determined to bond with the kids, which is what leads them to family camp.
There is a little bit of misunderstanding to slow the start of this romance, but it's quickly resolved and this pair of sexy guys can't keep their hands off each other. The real angst in the story comes from exactly where I expected given Travis' career and insecurities keeping him in the closet. It is done a little differently than the norm, and it's not over the top, keeping the story on the lighter side.
There are so many wonderful characters in Family Camp. From the other campers to Travis' family, they all add something to the story. I absolutely loved Travis' family and how they responded to the bit of turmoil between our romantic couple.
The narrator for this one did take some getting used to. In fact, I wasn't sold on him at first, but as the story progressed, I warmed up to Matthew Shaw's performance and enjoyed the story.
All in all, this one is emotional, especially with the kids' adjustments to their situation, plus the blooming romance between Travis and Geo, but it's all tempered with some wonderful wit and humor.

All the feels....

Hot - Funny - Sweet - Lovely. Truly a good read. The story and narration are excellent

Wonderful Family Trope Romance!

Oh my gosh, soooo funny! Geo's sense of humor is amazing. The deals he makes with himself, "I promise I'll give up watching Project Runway for the rest of my life, if (fill in the blank) works out". Simply adorable.

Really lovely "family trope" romance, beautifully performed by Matthew Shaw.

Family is not of blood but of your choosing

Awwwww ... and awwwwwwwwwwwwww .. and awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww 😍😍😍 Damn, all the good feels in the world. 🥰 Eli Easton has been one of my favorite authors since my very first book of hers and there’s definitely a legit reason for that. She writes one of the best feel- good, heart-warming, all the tingly feels stories. 👏 And “Family Camp” definitely isn’t an exception, it was sweet, warm, romantic and invokes all the right feels in you. 😊 You can’t help but falling in love with both MCs and their misfit of a little adoptive family while reading this very lovely story. 💜


Geo is a very fresh dad with two very uncooperative and mistrustful foster kids. So he decided going to a family camp over their summer holiday is the cure to all his parental problems. 😁 He thought he had given up his sex life for at least another decade when he got these two kids in his life. 😏 That is until a knight in shining armor riding ... I mean driving a car came rescuing to his predicament of being stranded in the middle of the road with no gas in his tank on the road to said family camp. 😂 Talk about chemistry on the first sight, it was sizzling. 🔥 And the knight kept coming to his rescue over his stay at the family camp. Perhaps, the kids needed an another daddy to complete their perfect equation. 😁 And if Geo is honest with himself, he wants kind and loving Travis so desperately for himself and his kids. If only being together after a summer fling would be so easy when said fling happens to be a celebrity Major League Baseball player who’s not out at all. 😉


Although this is kind of an insta-lust/love thing that spanned over a week long vacation at a family camp, it didn’t feel rushed or unauthentic at all. 😌 Travis is tired of not being himself and under public scrutiny all time and Geo is a kind, loving, understanding man who has a heart big enough for his foster kids and Travis. It was the right romance and right chemistry at a very right time. ❤️ I loved the slow-burn, sexy romance between Travis and Geo, all the stolen glances and bashful flirting. 🥰 And when they finally gave into their attraction? It was glorious! 🔥 And I loved those two kids, they are just so vulnerable and scared, my heart aches for them. 😭 And it was so good to see them becoming a real family in the end. 👏 The chemistry and the sex was hot and erotic but not overly done. And their love story is just so adorable. 😍 And bonus point for a perfect epilogue. 👍 Matthew Shaw did a terrific job narrating this story too. It was really lovely listening to his voice. ❤️ I’m really looking forward to more books in this series. 😌




4.5 family is not of blood but of your choosing stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫