Frankie
The wrong side of the town is paradise compared to where I grew up. It’s all I’ve ever known, but that doesn’t make it home.
When I’m given an unexpected out from that life, I don’t hesitate to take it. Except there’s a catch.
Byron Benson needs a nanny. It’s almost comical that the grumpy single dad looks at me and sees someone trustworthy for the role. There’s not a maternal bone in my leather-clad body.
But as it turns out, Byron isn’t in charge of the search. His little girl has big plans for me and her dad doesn’t need any convincing.
Byron
I didn’t plan to raise my daughter on my own. Try as I might, even all the money in the world can’t replace a mother’s love.
Francesca Keller appears like a shadow, disappearing much the same. The memory of her tangles us in trouble and I’m not sure how we’ll escape. Until one day she needs a place to stay.
My little girl welcomes Frankie into our home with wide open arms. What the ex-con gets from me is a lot less friendly.
Personalities clash. Loyalties are tested. But one thing remains constant.
Frankie belongs at my side, fulfilling the needs we’re desperate to satisfy, and I’m not letting her go without a fight.
(ARC Read)
I love a good opposites-attract romance, but Tangled in Trouble takes it a step further by throwing an ex-con “nanny” into the life of a grumpy, widowed single dad who absolutely should know better, and then letting his daughter make the final call. And honestly? Ronnie might be the smartest character in the whole book.
Frankie is chaos in the best way. She’s sharp-tongued, guarded, and completely out of her element stepping into a role she was never meant for. She’s spent her whole life surviving, not belonging, so watching her try to navigate something as soft and unfamiliar as family hit in all the right ways. She fights her feelings hard, mostly because she doesn’t know what to do with them, and that made her growth feel so real.
“Are you going to deny her?”
“This isn’t fair.”
Frankie motions to the position she’s been put in. I let my earlier chuckle tumble free. “Little Menace, you of all people should know life ain’t fair.”
And then there’s Byron. He’s broody, emotionally closed-off, devoted-to-his-daughter Ronnie. He hasn’t let anyone close since losing his wife, and you can feel that weight in everything he does. His love language is 100% acts of service—quiet, steady, always showing up—and it makes every small moment between him and Frankie land that much harder. But don’t let the grumpy exterior fool you, this man has a mouth on him when the walls start coming down.
“I need to get her under my roof where I can take the reins and regain control.”
Their dynamic is pure tension. They clash, they circle each other, they try to keep their distance and fail spectacularly. The chemistry is instant, intense, and impossible to ignore, and once they stop fighting it? The payoff is so worth it.
“Less talking. More eating.”
“My mouth is full of your pussy. I’d love nothing more than to drown in you.”
But what really makes this story stand out is Ronnie. She sees something in Frankie that no one else ever has and refuses to let it go. Watching Frankie soften for her, this woman who swore she wasn’t built for motherhood, was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Ronnie doesn’t just bring them together, she changes everything.
There’s also a subtle thread of suspense woven in that keeps things moving, but at its core, this is a story about second chances—about choosing love, even when it feels unfamiliar or undeserved.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Menace. Not to me.”
Harloe Rae absolutely delivered here. Frankie gets to stay unapologetically herself while still learning it’s okay to let people in, and Byron? He proves that even the most closed-off hearts can open when the right person, and the right little girl, walks into their life.
Release Date: April 22nd, 2026
Thank you to Harloe Rae for the ARC read!