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    One Small Thing
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    One Small Thing
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    One Small Thing
    Ebook257 pages5 hours

    One Small Thing

    By Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    One Thing: Book One

    “Daddy” is not a title Rue Murray wanted, but he never thought he’d have sex with a woman either. Now he’s the unwitting father of a newborn named Alice. Between bartending and cosmetology school, Rue doesn’t have time for babies, but he can’t give her up. What Rue needs is a babysitter, and he’s running out of options. He’s on the verge of quitting school to watch Alice himself when he remembers his reclusive new neighbor, Erik.

    Erik Van Nuys is a sci-fi novelist with anxiety issues to spare. He doesn’t like people in general, and he likes babies even less. Still, with his royalties dwindling, he could use the extra cash. Reluctantly, he takes on the role of manny—and even more reluctantly, he finds himself falling for Alice and her flamboyant father.

    Rue and Erik are as different as two people can be, and Alice is the unlikeliest of babies, but Rue has never been happier than when Alice and Erik are by his side. At least, not until he receives an offer that puts all his dreams within reach and he’s forced to choose: the future he’s always wanted, or the family he thought he never did.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateMay 4, 2012
    ISBN9781613724972
    Unavailable
    One Small Thing
    Author

    Piper Vaughn

    Piper Vaughn is a queer Latinx author and longtime romance reader. A reader to the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book. Piper grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago and loves putting faces and characters of every ethnicity in their stories, making their fictional worlds as colorful as the real one. Above all, Piper believes there’s no one way to have an HEA, and every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page. www.PiperVaughn.com

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    Reviews for One Small Thing

    4/5

    77 ratings14 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This was a sweet story.
    • 3/5
      3 stars. Enjoyable and very sweet story but I didn't feel the chemistry between the MC's. Though if the author's do Dusty's story, it will be on my 'auto-buy' list!
    • 4/5
      Extrovert meets Introvert: This was an incredibly adorable story about a young man named Rue making a dumb mistake in sleeping with a girl just to make sure he's completely gay - he is - and ends up with a baby nine months later. He wants to finish cosmetology school and *needs* to work at his job as a bartender, so he needs to find some kind of childcare. Which is how he ends up meeting his new upstairs neighbor, an odd, nerdy man with a thing for Star Wars (like who doesn't, amirite?)

      This isn't the usual kind of thing I go for - no aliens, no epic journeys ala Lord of the Rings - but I ended up smiling at my Kindle the whole time I was reading. And when I was all done, I was still smiling.
    • 4/5
      3.75 stars. Very sweet. A nice light read.
    • 3/5
      This book was so cute and unexpected in so many ways! It's your usual "one character needs to find a nanny and he founds love instead" story but the nanny is a very shy geek and the dad is a very outgoing clubber, so it's from a different angle even from the start.I really liked how Rue's life changed with a one moment decision and how it made him a better person. To top it all, it's not unrealistic. People make those types of decisions everyday and him keeping the baby probably saved his life, it was so adorable to see that. Underneath all that make up and purple hair and clubbing I wouldn't expect a heart like his would surface and I loved it. Erik was a silent lion and I liked him as well. I got scared when Dust and Erik got a little bit close but I'm glad writer didn't go for the love triangle route. All in all, it was a sweet, sweet read and I didn't get bored.
    • 5/5
      Rue is bar tending to earn money while attending cosmetology school, when he gets a visit from Natalie ,a woman he spent one drunken night with, telling him he is going to be a daddy. Erik is a sci fi writer and a Star Wars fanatic who is on the verge of becoming a total recluse. To supplement his income , Erik agrees to watch baby Alice for Rue. Rue , Erik and baby Alice are just getting settled into a routine and maybe the start of a life together , when Rue gets the job offer of his dreams, and is forced to choose between the two.

      I think I fell a little bit in love with the self proclaimed "super gay" Rue and his eyeliner and double pierced bottom lip....whimper. The shy, reclusive, Erik had some surprises for me, and I think for himself also. Sometimes we are stronger than we think we are.

      I loved everything about this book. It was sweet and charming and I was captivated from the first page. I didn't want it to end.

      Rue's best friend and secondary character Dusty, was intriguing too. I'm anxious to read more about him in the next book and see if he gets his HEA.:)

      Just as good the second time around!
    • 4/5
      Sweet, romantic story. Not too deep but a nice read with likeable characters and a cute baby. Good if you're looking for a romance with an unusual love interest. My critical comment would most likely be that things work out too easily, but depending on your mood, that could be a good thing!
    • 3/5
      3 stars. I wanted to give this a 4 so bad, but I had several problems.

      Some are just personal, for instance I'm not a fan of kids at any age from newborn till around age 15. That's all on me since Alice seemed like really sweet child. Still, the subject matter didn't interest me.

      Also, Rue appeared to be a complete slut yet the first and only girl he's with he doesn't worry about birth control or condoms?? I guess the baby plot had to be there, but it really stuck out for me.

      Also, up until maybe 50%, I really thought that Dusty was going to be with Erik and it was kind of odd to me.

      I thought the salon-must-go-to-California angst plot point was seriously weak. I mean Rue is in his early 20's. That is plenty of time to discuss with Erik what their future plans are and figure out what each of them is comfortable with and what they'd like to do. So this whole we MUST end if I can't take you to California plot device seemed a bit contrived.

      Also, up until about 60%, I really felt most of the relationship between Rue and Erik was told rather than seen. It didn't really allow me to get attached to either until way later in the book.

      Also things like being told that Rue knew Erik was inexperienced with sex. How??? When did this discussion come up? Also, why would someone that wore purple fishnets with a pink bikini bottom briefs and a rainbow headband be jumping into the bed with a woman? I mean I"m not trying to stereotype or judge, but based on my own personal experience with my gay friends and straight women, that just doesn't seem likely.

      All that said, I think these two authors when they are in their groove, write intimacy and sex so, so fucking well. After Rue and Erik got together??? Golden. So much goodness and tenderness and hotness.

      Overall, good book that could have been great with some kinks worked out.
    • 3/5
      Torn between 3 and 4 stars, I'd really say 3.5 stars. A quick, cute story with a bit of angst that could have been solved by talking to each other.

      Three things I think that make me not give it a four:


      1. I really wanted this to be a poly relationship. It's not, don't worry for those who don't like it. But the friendships are so loving between all of them that I really wanted a happy ending for Dustin. Which I hear we get in book two. But in many ways I see Dustin as an interpreter between the two and it would have been interesting. Yeah, yeah, would have changed the entire tone and certainly was not the intention of the authors. I guess I just Johnlock'd it.

      I suppose that the reason for the star to be affected is that their friendship actually distracted me and for a bit I wanted Dustin and Erik to get together.

      2. Sometime I forgot that Rue was a guy. It's not that he was overly twink or effeminate (although he was very stereotypical), I have read plenty of gay romances where there were effeminate males and I had no doubt he had a penis and knew how to use it. But sometimes on the descriptions I just got lost.

      3. The lack of communication. I can understand it from Erik, he is socially awkward and has a medical issue. But I found no excuse for some of Rue's action. The only reason that I can think is because we "needed more angst" as a plot device.


      Bottom line: I enjoyed the book and will read it again. I will even check out the next book. I just had some issues/preference with some details.
    • 5/5
      Rue has always topped and is stuck working as a bartender while going to school. He's only friend is Dusty. Erik has a "few" issues and keeps to himself and his routines. But now Rue is a dad and Erik gets his orderly world shook up. I like that it didn't gloss over the problems of having a relationship while being a parent and when one partner has lots of issues that he needs to overcome. The struggles felt real and heart wrenching.
    • 5/5
      GORGEOUS! I adored the MCs, smiled like a proud mama during their ups, sniffled my way through their downs, and I want a sequel with Dusty RIGHT NOW!

      BUY THIS!
    • 4/5
      The characters in this story are immensely distinct and loveable. The situation, a gay man ending up with a child, is unqiue and interesting. Unfortunately, this aspect of the story is rather underdeveloped; the reader could not be blamed if he forgot there was a baby sometimes. However, the relationships between the main characters is realistic and emotional--the friendships are obviously sincere, development of love true to life and easily recognizable. The end brings the story full circle in a surprisingly satisfactory way.
    • 4/5
      Re-read August 2021Re-read after 9 years, and I still liked the book but I didn't love it. It's too simple and cute for my current tastes.
    • 4/5
      Originally posted at Romance Around the CornerI bought this book on a whim and read it in one sitting. I wasn’t expecting much, and I certainly wasn’t expecting such a cute story. But cute was exactly what I got.Rue is a flamboyant cosmetology student that works as a bartender at nights while dreaming of becoming a famous stylist in LA. He’s also very promiscuous. One night when he apparently runs out of men, he decides to make a girl-experiment and has sex with a woman. If you take a look at the cover you can guess what comes next: she gets pregnant. When she tells him that she will give the baby away, he remembers what was like to be an unwanted kid, so he decides to keep the baby. Now he has a newborn baby, school, a job, and no one to take care of it. That’s when he remembers his new neighbor.Erik is a sci-fi writer with a lot of issues. He suffers from almost crippling anxiety, doesn’t like to be touched, needs everything to be in order, doesn’t know how to be social and has difficulty adapting to new environments. Personally, I felt he had some type of autism like Asperger’s Syndrome, but that’s never properly addressed so it’s pure speculation on my end. But you get the general idea. He lives alone, doesn’t have friends and to seeks refuge in his routine, which includes watching Star Wars over and over. The least he expects is for his neighbor to ask him to take care of his daughter. But that’s exactly what happens.Your ability to suspend disbelief will be tested, but it’s worth it. Erik agrees to take care of Alice. And little by little he comes out of his shell and develops a relationship with the baby, Rue, and Rue’s friend, Dusty. And what starts as a friendship ends up a romance between two people who couldn’t be more different from each other but fit perfectly. The best word to describe this story is adorable. I kept smiling the whole time because Rue and Erik were so likeable that I just wanted to hand them their much deserved happiness. Rue was a bit slutty and he mentions his difficult past, but he never comes across as jaded or damaged. Instead, he was hardworking and positive. His relationship with his friend Dusty was just as great and I really liked that the book takes time to focus on their friendship. At times I felt that Dusty played the role of the sidekick, but I liked him regardless.Erik was a nerdy virgin struggling to live in a world he had trouble comprehending. But instead of feeling sorry for him, all I felt was sympathy. It was interesting to see him develop some self-confidence, and although at times he behaves in a way I found incongruent to what we knew about him, overall I liked him very much.There are many tropes in this book: opposites attract, virgin hero falls for slutty hero and friends-to-lovers. The romance takes time developing and you can see the transition from strangers, to friends, to lovers. There isn’t much angst and the conflict is internal and subtle. The story is about two people finding each other and falling in love. That’s it. No complications and no angst. Just a lovely romance.