A Little Too Late by Staci Hart

🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

I wasn't supposed to fall in love with the nanny.

When my wife left, she took the illusion of happiness with her, and I've been caught in a free fall ever since. For nine long months, I've been fighting to figure out how to be a single dad, how to be alone.

For nine long months, I've been failing.

When Hannah walked through the door, I took my first breath since I'd found myself on my own. She slipped into our lives effortlessly, showing me what I've been missing all these years. Because Hannah made me smile when I thought I'd packed the notion of happiness away with my wedding album.

She was only supposed to be the nanny, but she's so much more.

The day my wife left should have been the worst day of my life, but it wasn't. It was when Hannah walked away, taking my heart with her.  

***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review***

I loved both of the main characters. I saw myself in Charlie which I think a lot of people will. Who doesn't at one point feel like they are failing as a parent or feel like they are not where they want to be in their life? He was trying his best to provide for his children and struggling under the weight of everything that he was dealing with. I love the effort that he puts into being a parent. It is a lot of hard work being a parent and mistakes are made but he keeps trying. Hannah was a breath of fresh air as a character. I loved how it seemed so natural and effortless for her to care for and nurture children. I have known both women and men that are like this and I am in awe of them. I don't feel like these types of characters are written about enough in books.  I enjoyed the fact that they were not dramatic characters and that the drama in the book comes from other characters.
I feel like after what happened to Hannah with her previous nanny placement, the progression of her physical relationship with Charlie was a bit quick for me. It seemed odd and threw off the pacing of the book. I'm not sure why Hannah would be so quick to be physical with Charlie when they each struggled with the boundaries between them.
I thought the the kids were funny and sweet. They reminded me of my son and the antics that he gets up to. There was one scene in particular that takes place in the book that reminded me of something I went through with my son and it felt like Stacie Hart took a page straight out of my journal. I could feel the emotions of the characters and felt that the author truly understood what it is like to feel scared and helpless when it comes to your children.
The story line wasn't particularly unique but there were elements that made the story appear fresh. Hannah, is from Holland and the author added a cultural aspect to the book by adding a second language and speaking about traditions in that culture. I think that the story is also made fresh by the fact that Hannah is new to America and has taken a job as a nanny but has quite a bit of trouble fitting in in a new country. She seems to feel out of place which is added to the fact that she had some issues at her last placement for her job.The characters were refreshing in personality and how loving/nurturing they both were not only with the children but with each other.