Review: The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

The Boy Toy
by Nicola Marsh
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Nov. 17, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

A woman ready to give up on love discovers that age is truly just a number in this heartwarming and steamy new romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh.

For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn’t stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she’s finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she’s there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk.

Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can’t refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he’ll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it’s the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand…

Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he’s ten years her junior, for one, and he’s not Indian–something Samira’s mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there’s no reason to tell her mother…is there?

The Boy Toy was a really good story. When Samira meets a guy in the bar and has a one-night-stand, she doesn’t expect to see him again. However, there he is, in her office, seeking a dialect coach. Needless to say, what was supposed to turn into a one-night-stand becomes more of a fling. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing if he wasn’t a decade younger than her, and not of Indian descent.

I really liked that this story not only focused on the romance, but there was a lot of that Indian richness to it. Samira hasn’t been home in a long time due to her past. When she was young, she allowed her mom to set her up with the “perfect” guy, who turned out to not be so perfect. Samira has resented her mother for that, but has recently come back home to make amends. We get to meet some nosy auntie’s during her return. As well as be witness to her mother setting her back up with another “great guy”. Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t put quotation marks around that since Manny was actually a pretty stellar guy. I won’t lie, there were points where I got confused as to who I was rooting for and was hoping for Manny to find a happily ever after. Anyway, between the traditions of the Indian culture and the talk of all the delicious food, I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. It made Samira more full-fleshed and less of a character on the page.

This was a pretty good romance. You had a really great guy as the leading man. The heroine was also pretty stellar. There was the added bonus of rich culture on Samira’s side. As well as Rory needing speech therapy due to his stutter. I can really appreciate that the author not only incorporated her culture into the story, she also incorporated herself into this story as well. Between her mixed heritage, profession, home city, infertility issues, and growing up with a speech impediment. I think it’s very admirable for her to put so much of herself in this story. I look forward to seeing more from this author. I hope that Manny gets his own story soon because I feel like he deserves it.

Favorite part…

“Rory couldn’t remember the last time he cried, but in that moment, he rested his forehead against the woman he loved and let the tears fall.”