Unexpected

The Henry Brothers, Book 4

De: Amy Knupp

Narrado por: Carly Robins, Ryan West

Who says love can’t show up on your doorstep, completely unexpected?

Quincy

I have a plan, and it doesn’t include falling for the older, hot single dad who convinced me to be his short-term nanny. So, I will leave my small town and my broken heart behind and go back to college.

Or so I told myself.

But now I’m starting to wonder if my plan has room for an unexpected happily ever after....

Knox

To say I was overwhelmed when I found a baby on my doorstep would be an understatement. Quincy saved me when she stepped in to help.

The last thing I need is a no-strings fling with a 20-something woman with her whole life ahead of her. I should walk away, no matter how much I want her.

But I don’t. Now, I need to figure out how to let her go when the time comes. Preferably without breaking her heart. Or mine....

©2023 Amy Knupp (P)2023 Amy Knupp

So Good!

Unexpected is book #4 in The Henry Brothers series. Knox has recently discovered that he is the biological brother to the Henry boys, but raised in Texas by a single mom. He's moved to Dragonfly Lake to get to know his newly found family. What he doesn't expect to find is the baby in his front seat with a note from his ex-girlfriend. Quincy is a seasonal server for the Henry family restaurant, but has plans to go back to college. She agrees to be a nanny for Knox before school starts. These two try to keep it professional, but when sparks ignite...whew! The author gives us a great heartwarming story with small town/age-gap/nanny/single dad tropes and spice as the cherry on top! Just makes you fall in love with this family and town a little more.

The narration was fantastic! Carly Robins and Ryan West brought the awkwardness, chemistry, and ALL the feels of the characters. 5 stars!!

Unique development of a tricky trope…

Knox and Quincy are up in book 4 of Amy Knupp’s Henry Brothers series. And though the set up here includes some of my least favorite tropes (age gap- older man/younger woman; nanny/parent), the book ended up being a pleasant surprise to me. This is down to how Knupp handles those tropes and the characters she has created.

I already loved Knox from the previous book (definitely read that first to get a fuller view of Knox, as this is where Knupp sows some key character and plot seeds that blossom in this book); he even outshone the hero in that book for me and I loved his friendship and professional partnership with Ava. It was cool to see that relationship continue to grow. Plus he gets a single dad posse! They become another support network for him, along with the Henry clan; it was refreshing to see the male MC get as developed a support system as female MCs usually get. And now I want stories for single dad posse; it sounded like Knupp was laying some groundwork there.

Quincy is the female MC and she was a solid character. Part of the reason that the tired tropes worked here is because of the way Knupp developed her (and Knox). This is a heroine who knows her mind when it comes to her love-life (even if she’s still figuring the rest out). She takes charge, and is always clear about what she does and doesn’t want. I also appreciated that Knox struggled with the power dynamic and potential for an imbalance in their employer/nanny relationship. He was the one being hesitant to get involved as a result, which made it much more interesting to me. And though his reasons for pushing her away at the inevitable break-up-moment were a bit paternalistic, Quincy has no problem calling him out for that. The execution of the age gap was also helped by the fact that Quincy is closer to 30 than not (28), so it gave me less pause than had she been an early twentysomething getting together with a 42-year-old man.

This audiobook was fantastic. Carly Robins and Ryan West take this story to another level. There performances were definitely a major reason for my ultimate enjoyment of the story. West was a wonderful Knox. There are some many elements he handled so skillfully - from Knox’s interactions with Juniper, to his handling of his newfound connection to the Henry family, to his connection with Quincy - and he just made me love Knox all the more. And Carly Robins was equally great in bringing Quincy to life. Her performance was this wonderful blend of humor and confidence, vulnerability and strength. She just fit the character so well.

This one is an unreserved recommendation; it’s a unique approach to a tricky trope and a return to a world with some really great characters.

I received an ALC copy of the audiobook via Home Cooked Books. All opinions are my own.

Finding Your Path

The narrators did an amazing job bringing life to Knox and Quincy and pulling you in to their story. Knox has had one major life change after another and meets Quincy at the perfect moment. These two bond over his baby when Quincy becomes the nanny. Their relationship evolves and they soon find what has been missing in each other. Beautiful and emotional read with lots of depth into family dynamic. I really love this whole family and the realistic relation's portrayed. I have loved every book in this series and highly recommend it.

I was sent a free audiobook from HCB and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Great book with awesome narration

I love this series and the Henry Family. This book has several of my favorite tropes..small town, single dad, and age gap. Amy writes amazing stories with all the feels and emotions. Knox has experienced some life changing events recently, is trying to fit in with his new family and he needs help with his unexpected baby. Quincy is a hard working young lady who is off to college in a couple of months. She realizes Quincy needs help and offers her assistance. There is a definite attraction between the two but they fight it…until they can’t. These two characters are so amazing, full of passion and honestly care for one another and their futures. I love the cameos of the other characters in this series. Carly Robins and Ryan West deliver amazing performances. They give the characters perfect voice, emotion and personality.

Love those Henrys!

In Unexpected, book four in the Henry Brothers series, we finally get to see just what’s up with that Knox Breckenridge guy, the one who has been skulking around Dragonfly Lake since book one. He says he’s a writer who has fallen in love with the town and decided to make it his home. But he’s been keeping a big secret and when he reveals it, it’s quite the bombshell that drops on the Henry Family: he’s the biological son of Simon Henry, the family patriarch. Simon and Knox’s mother had a weekend together just over 42 years ago. Simon is stunned but realizes the timing works and is more than open to welcoming Knox as another son if that turns out to be true. The Henry “boys,” however, stay true to form in their reactions. Holden and Knox have been friends for a while and Holden thinks having a half-brother won’t be so bad. Seth needs to think it over, as usual, but will probably come around sooner rather than later. Cash – well, we all know Cash by now – he never has liked Knox and this just cements his anger, distrust, and suspicions. He wants to know what Knox is after, what Knox is trying to get from the Henrys.

What does Knox want? Simple. He wants a family. It was always just him and his mom. The identity of his father was only revealed to him in a letter his mother left when she died a few months ago. He just wants to see them, to get to know them, to wonder if his fervent hope to belong, to become one of them, is possible. It’s a lot for everybody involved.

And how ironic that as this little drama starts to play out Knox finds a surprise package in the back seat of his car: a 5-month-old baby girl with nothing but a note from Knox’s ex-girlfriend that says, “I can’t do this. She’s yours now.” Knox is as stunned as Simon was, and Cash doesn’t hesitate to ask, “How does it feel when it happens to you?”

From here on the story is delightful. Full of misunderstanding, misconceptions, mishaps. Knox knows absolutely nothing about babies and is terrified at the mistakes he might make, but little Juniper is growing on him and he begins to hope she really is his biological daughter and wonders what he’ll do if she’s not. Watching him navigate new fatherhood is fun and funny. What would he do without Quincy, the server at the Henry family restaurant who has agreed to be his nanny until she goes off to school in a few months. She practically raised her stepsiblings and loves children, especially this adorable little girl. And for Knox the question is – REALLY – what would he do without Quincy? Acting on the attraction he feels would be wrong in so many ways. She’s his employee, he’s not looking for instant family, and the biggest no-no in his mind: she’s 28 to his 42. His reactions, especially to being mistaken as her father, are priceless. But the attraction is real, on both sides, and doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

Unexpected is another wonderful visit to Dragonfly Lake and more time well-spent with those Henrys and the rest of the folks in town. I’m hoping there is another brother or cousin or someone somewhere so this engrossing, satisfying series doesn’t have to end. The narration is perfect, as it has been for each book. Ryan West’s Knox is uncertain, passionate, conflicted, besotted and comes to life. Carly Robins is as amazing as ever; her portrayal of Quincy is believable and appealing in every way. Good pacing, emotions that feel like the real deal, a genuine pleasure to listen to both of these narrators.

I received a free audio copy of Unexpected from the author via Home Cooked Books. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what’s next from author Amy Knupp. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.