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.

Enchanting!

OMG! I LOVED this one! This author has an amazing way of weaving a story to tell the characters tale but adds in humor that thrills the reader/listener. In here I had so many moments where I was smiling, laughing to myself or chuckling. I completely loved the whole of Chapter 4! The actions of the characters just made my day! I can’t really say only Chapter 4 was that way but it is my favorite! The rest follows suit but that was my first introduction to the scene.

I loved the whole surprise baby part since essentially that is what Knox is to the Harvey family. Watching him re-meshing with the family while getting the rest of his life in order..what a feat.

Overall I really liked this one. Possibly my favorite of the series. I did listen to this on audio. Ryan West and Carly Robins did an awesome job with the narration. They each brought additional life of these people.

Surprise Baby + Single Dad = Lots of Laughs

4th in the series and it stands alone quite well, but to get the full impact you should at least read book 3 because Knox appears heavily in that one and definitely sets the stage for the depth of reaction to his situation as we start this book.

When I started this one I hadn't read the blurb (I know, bad Janine, right?). So when I started and was looking as some of the material I was like "Single Dad? Maybe it's a typo, Knox doesn't have a child." Then I started the book and all things were made clear (also, I went and read the blurb, lol).

Knox has just come out to the Henry Clan as being one of them (at least half of him is) and if you've read book 3 (and it is given in the text of this one) you know he's been in Dragonfly Lake for several months before he drops this bombshell news. In a twist of fate that his half siblings (some of the brothers anyway) feel is full on karma, Knox's ex fiancé drops a little bundle of joy named Juniper in his lap and vanishes with only a note in explanation.

Quincy has an almost magical way with kids and immediately takes a shine to little miss Juniper and helps Knox figure out the immediate needs and he takes things a step further and begs her to be his live in nanny to care for the little one and teach him the ways of fatherhood.

As we all know, single dads and lovable nannies are a perfect match made in heaven... just not right away and not without a little drama. Add in some hilarious moments of "I'm glad it's not my kid anymore" glimpses of parenthood and I was in both stitches and tears through this book.

The Audiobook was performed by Ryan West and Carly Robins. They both did a great job with this one. The comedic timing, the emotional impact, the inner turmoil, it was all so well done. I absolutely adore when a book breaks me and causes a physical reaction. In this case I both cackled with laughter (I got some side eye from people around me) and teared up (both because my heart was so broken for Quincy at times and because the joy was so well earned).

I would love to visit Dragonfly Lake again and again.

I requested and was provided with an advance copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.

Amazing Ending To The Series

Unexpected is the fourth book in the Henry series. Since we all know and love the characters in this series, we've already fallin for Nox, Quincy wasn't hard to like. I thought the first restaurant scene was so funny. This whole book is a series of oooo's and ahhh's, this is the perfect book for the end of a series. The narrators did an amazing job. Maybe Amy can do a Single Dad's of Dragonfly Bay series? Time to listen to the North Brothers series.

Swoony Single Dad

Oooh, this was my second book by Amy Knupp and I loved it! This small-town, big-family series is delightful and utterly heartwarming. “The only easy day was yesterday.” True for the Navy Seals and true for parenthood. I loved getting to know the Henry family better. If you’re looking for a sweet & spicy small-town romance, you need Unexpected on your TBL!

Ryan West and Carly Robins were the perfect casting choices for Knox & Quincy. Ryan’s whiskey-smooth, deep and sultry timber was fantastic for Knox. Carly embodied the effervescent, kind hearted Quincy with a delightful performance. Carly’s unique delivery and lighthearted style brought Quincy’s journey to life superbly. Carly and Knox gave marvelous performances to bring Amy’s characters and wonderful love story off the page.

Heartfelt, steamy and sweet single dad romance

I’m so glad I discovered this series because I have loved each one so much. “Unexpected” is a heartfelt, steamy and oh so sweet single dad small town romance that I couldn’t stop listening to once I started.

After the truthbomb that Knox dropped in the last book, he’s finally finding his way in Dragonfly Bay. The family knows who he is and the weight of carrying it around has somewhat been lifted off his shoulders. But when he finds a surprise left in his car, an infant named Juniper, he’s suddenly a single Dad. Panic sets in and he races to his half brother’s restaurant where the clumsy but kind Quincy is there to save the day. Quincy loves kids and is planning to go back to school to be a teacher. She offers to help by being Juniper’s nanny and help Knox in a crash course of learning how to raise a child.

I loved that Knox finally got his story and it has easily become my favorite of the series. Knox is a confident man when it comes to his career but was thrown for a real loop finding out about his Dad, his half siblings and then literally becoming a single Dad overnight. He was scared at first but he fell into the role so seamlessly, he was meant to be Juniper’s dad. And I loved Quincy right from the beginning. She was so relatable in figuring out her career later in life. She’s so sweet, genuine and was an instant comfort for Juniper and Knox. Knox and Quincy’s relationship developed so naturally and I loved them together. There is about a 12 year age gap and it was just perfect for them. Knox struggled with it some but despite the difference, they were both at the same place in life. I loved having lots of scenes with the Henry family. The ending was so sweet and the perfect way to wrap their book.

Carly Robin and Ryan West were so perfect as Quincy and Knox. Carly brought all of the sweetness and tenderness that Quincy was when it came to Knox and Juniper. Ryan was so passionate narrating Knox and all of the vulnerabilities he went through after finding his family and his new daughter.

Favorite of the series

This is the 4th and final book in Amy Knupp’s Henry Brothers series. While this can be enjoyed as a stand alone – because there’s so many updates for couples from the previous books I think it’s best enjoyed after those, starting with Unraveled. Also, this review includes spoilers to earlier books.

My absolute favorite of the series. Not only does this have some of my favorite tropes/themes: age gap, nanny, small town, found family – but I adored how deeply Knupp allowed me to get to know these characters. Knox’s big announcement at the end of Undone about being a previously unknown son of Henry patriarch, Simon, is huge. This begins with the fallout, good and bad, of that revelation. THEN poor Knox has a baby dropped off with nothing but a note claiming it’s his.

Don’t want to spoil it, but all the fun (well, for us as readers) of the completely unprepared and incompetence regarding all things baby is glorious. Enter 28yo Quincy who, despite being 14 years his junior, has years of childcare experience and innate connection with kids. I enjoyed how realistic and relatable living with a baby Juniper’s age is. Balanced with the cuteness, parenting victories, and milestones, this is not a baby who conveniently disappears or never cries.

I love how Knupp weaves Knox & Quincy’s romance throughout all this chaos. It makes for great pacing and a truly believable relationship. Evolving from “just physical with a time limit” to something so much more. Not only do they have to discover what they each really want in life but also how that includes the other. When they finally end up together for real – I cheered.

I love epilogues and there’s two that serve as the perfect HEA for Knox & Quincy as well as wrapping up the entire series.

Narration:
The adorable onesie on this glorious book baby is the perfect narration by Carly Robins and Ryan West. Gah! I cannot say enough wonderful things about both of their performances. West’s delivery for Knox evolves with him – from that overwhelmed and scared new dad to competent then confident. Robins is absolutely adorable as Quincy. Finding that balance between young and still capable. West and Robins compliment each other perfectly.

While I own the ebook, I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Home Cooked Books and am leaving an honest review.