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Erin Nicholas

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Bayou With Benefits (Badges of the Bayou): a firefighter, single dad, friends to lovers stand alone small town rom com Kindle Edition

by Erin Nicholas (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 1,034 ratings

Part of: Badges of the Bayou (4 books)

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They are friends. Without benefits. Unfortunately.

Michael LeClaire is small-town Louisiana. A firefighter. A single dad.

And Amelia Landry is New York City. A social media influencer. A model.

Sure, she’s his son’s favorite person on the planet.

And yeah, their families spend so much time together it’s hard to remember who shares DNA and who just shares secrets, inside jokes, and a sincere lack of boundaries.

And okay, he’s seen her nerdy side. Her sweet side. Her funny, self-deprecating side.

Fine, yes, resisting this woman has taken a saint’s share of willpower.

But he has to. He just cannot do long-distance. And he can’t have a casual fling with someone he’s known–and will know–forever.

Thankfully, he only has to hide his feelings a few times a year when she visits.

And then, he slips. One time. One spontaneous I-knew-it-would-be-everything kiss and he’s a goner.

Now every time they see each other it's harder and harder to ignore the heat.

And when she shows up on hisdoorstep after a car accident changes her entire life, there’s no way he can resist the chance to see if this can last…or if they’ll finally flame out.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book grabbed me and held on. It is an emotional, romantic, delicious slow burn with heartwarming, imperfect characters." ★★★★★ Julie, Goodreads

"Michael and Ami and Andre gave me all the FEELS and I think this may be one of my favorite books by this author." ★★★★★ Amy, Goodreads

"Erin Nicholas creates endearing, thoughtful, and slightly insecure people. It's that touch of insecurity that makes you root for them and cheer when you reach the satisfying and joyous conclusion." ★★★★★ Elizabeth, Goodreads

"Every time I think I've found my favorite Erin Nicholas hero, she pulls the rug out from under me by writing yet another book with a sweet and swoony, caring and possessive, nerdy but smooth-talking Cajun man. Oh, and this one is a firefighter! So. dang. Hot!" ★★★★★ Cheryl, Goodreads

"Could this be my favorite Erin Nicholas book yet??? Another great steamy, romantic, family filled story from Nicholas that is bound to make your day a little more fun and your heart a little warmer!" -★★★★★ Terri, Goodreads

"Any book I read by this author makes me laugh, sigh (in a good way), and shed a tear or two (also in a good way). It can be heart breaking and heartwarming with a touch of humor all in the same paragraph. From laughter and silliness to love and warmth, I highly recommend this book and this series."-★★★★★ Elizabeth, Goodreads

"Michael and Ami are INTENSE and ah-mazing! These badges of the Bayou surely know how to take on the Landry Boys and give them a run for their money when incredible bayou boys are concerned." -★★★★★ Luisa, Goodreads

"The juxtaposition of small town easy going characters with complex situations is what Erin Nicholas excels at and this was no exception. A beautifully crafted story of friends to lovers through adversity. A beautifully crafted story of friends to lovers through adversity." -★★★★★ Jezabel Nightingale, Goodreads

"I just love a book that grabs me and takes me for such an enjoyable cannot put it down ride....The story of course has plenty of hilarity, steamy scenes, sweet moments, family support, painful pasts, big feelings, and small town goodness." -★★★★★ Tammy, Goodreads

From the Author

"If you don't want our sisters to think they're right about everything, you have to quit looking at me like that."

Michael LeClaire had three choices here.

He could pretend he had no idea what Amelia Landry was talking about, turn, smile nonchalantly, and try to have a normal, casual conversation with her.

That was going to be nearly impossible, of course. This was Ami. There was no being casual around her. He hadn't been able to pull nonchalant off since he'd first seen her walk down the dock in a lime green bikini the summer she'd turned twenty. But then, eleven months ago, everything had changed and now...yeah, casual was completely off the table.

He'd known she'd be here. Of course. It was her sister's wedding. She was a bridesmaid. He'd been preparing to see her. Still, it had been three months and the last time...leaving her at that airport had been so much harder than he'd expected. He didn't think there'd be anything casual about the things he'd end up saying to her tonight if they talked alone.

His second option was setting something on fire so that he would have to don his fire gear and do something with his evening other than watch Ami in her off-the-shoulder peach-colored bridesmaid dress, laughing and dancing and looking stunning while he struggled to remember why they were only friends. As he did every single time she stood too close to him.

Yeah, setting something on fire kind of seemed like a great idea.

And then there was his third option: turning, throwing her over his shoulder, taking her straight back to his house, and not letting her out of his bed for a week, whether they could be together long-term or not.

Which would only make all of this—the wanting her, the thinking about her, the missing her—so much worse.

He wasn't going to be able to do any of those three things.

He was screwed.

So, he sucked in a deep lungful of oxygen and turned, deciding to go with his fourth option—just praying to not f*ck everything up.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09S8ZNW42
Publisher ‏ : ‎ EN Fiction, Inc. (October 18, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 18, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2844 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #40,969 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #455 in Multicultural & Interracial Romance (Kindle Store)
- #466 in Multicultural & Interracial Romance (Books)
- #1,911 in Romantic Comedy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,034 ratings

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Erin Nicholas

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Erin Nicholas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty sexy contemporary romances and rom coms. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy, and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

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Elizabeth

Michael and Ami! ❤❤

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022

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I LOVE the Badges of the Bayou series! It’s everything an Erin Nicholas series is plus more!!! Bayou With Benefits is the second book in the series and is Michael LeClaire, single dad, fire chief, and all-around hot bayou man’s chance at a HEA. It is glorious and beyond amazing! Ami Landry, cousin to the Boys of the Bayou and Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild Landry’s is a model and beauty queen, social media influencer and the new face of a Bella Bobbi cosmetics. Ami also has a fabulous relationship with Michael’s son Andre with their love of all things Warriors of Easton. Erin Superfans will remember the successful game from the Hot Cakes series. You don’t have to read the other series to know who Michael and Ami are because they are brought to life in Bayou with Benefits with all their brilliant imperfections.

Could they be more different? Maybe not, but it doesn’t stop the attraction between Michael and Ami, though they are not going to act on it. She lives in NYC and he in Autre, LA. His life and family are in Autry, and he needs to be near his significant other to be able to ‘fix things’ when the unexpected happens. Ami loves her new job in NYC and has no intention of moving back to Louisiana. However, after an accident changes the course of her life, Ami is ready for something new… and that’s in Autre, with Michael.

Watching Ami and Michael grow and learn from each other was beautiful. I loved that Ami realizes her opinion isn’t the only one that matters and is willing to accept other views that don’t match her own. Michael, who cares so deeply, also grows and learns he can’t always be the fixer; sometimes, even if he can be, maybe he shouldn’t. He's such a strong hero, yet willing to become more when needed. I love Andre, while a great kid, isn’t perfect and gets into some emotional things he needs help to handle.

Of course, the cousins of the loud and loving Landry family get involved as do Ellie and Leo the matriarch and patriarch of the family. I literally clapped when I knew more Leo advice was coming. And it is perfect! Any book I read by this author makes me laugh, sigh (in a good way), and shed a tear or two (also in a good way). It can be heart breaking and heartwarming with a touch of humor all in the same paragraph. From laughter and silliness to love and warmth, I highly recommend this book and this series. I received an arc of this book, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

One person found this helpful

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Tammy Moldovan

Embracing a new path together

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022

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I loved Michael and Ami’s friends to lovers story. I especially liked the plot device of showing us the moment Ami’s life and their relationship shifts super early in the book and then backing the story up and walking us back to the big moment. I got so invested in the story this way - I wanted to go back to see what was happening but at the same time I wanted to see how they got to that point. I just love a book that grabs me and takes me for such an enjoyable cannot put it down ride. This is a book that reminds you that good things can result from bad events and that everything’s going to be okay. Michael is a single dad and a paramedic in small town Autre, LA. Ami is a model and lives in New York City but has family from Autre. Ami and Michael have feelings for each other but have agreed not to pursue it because of the distance. But then a car accident changes everything. You’d think the journey to their HEA would be easy from that point forward but that’s where the hard part begins. There’s a lot of growth and change for the characters along the way. This is not another light breezy romcom though there are definitely laugh out loud moments. This story has character depth, deeper emotions, and grit. I especially loved that Andre, Michael’s son, was a wonderful and integral addition to the story rather than a flimsy story prop. The story of course has plenty of hilarity, steamy scenes, sweet moments, family support, painful pasts, big feelings, and small town goodness. I willingly reviewed an early copy of this book.

2 people found this helpful

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Beckymmoe

Another fun series installment!

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2022

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Such a cute story!

I have to admit, this one went in a few directions I really wasn't expecting--it's definitely not *just* an opposites attract (firefighter and a model) or single dad/nanny romance--there's a whole lot more going on here than the lighthearted rom-com-y vibes it gives off might suggest. Part of it is alluded to in the blurb (Amelia's car accident) but some of the implications of that event--for Ami, Michael, and Andre (his son) were not at all what I thought they'd be. (In a good way!)

If you're new to Ms Nicholas's books, this one should work just fine as a standalone--it focuses mainly on the main couple. Past series (and previous series!) couples show up, but you don't have to have read their stories to appreciate this one. For Erin Nicholas fans, though, you will absolutely love not only reading about Ami and Michael here, but also visiting Autre and its happy couples (and ever-increasing menagerie!) once again.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022

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Another fabulous trip to the bayou, this time with Michael and Ami. The chemistry was on fire with these two and it was hard for them to be just friends even when they thought that is what they needed to do. Ami had an exciting modeling career that kept her away from Autre and Autre was were Michael worked and was raising his son, Andre. When Ami was in an accident and her whole world was turned upside down, she went to Michael because he is who she thinks of when she thinks of home. Ami wanted to start this new phase of her life with Michael and Andre. Michael loved that he could now be all in on fixing anything that came Ami’s way. When Ami has a chance to use her scars from her accident to help people, Michael starts to realize that this is something he can’t fix for her, even though that isn’t what Ami is needing from him. Michael and Ami were such a wonderful couple and you could feel the chemistry and love between them, and Ami’s love for Michael’s son, Andre.
And of course no visit to the bayou is complete without the other Landry’s and other honorary Landry’s popping in.
I am looking forward to Colin, JD, Beck, and Asher’s books. Yes I am hoping they all get books!

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Top reviews from other countries

Karen Bee

Feel Good Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2024

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this instalment of the Badges of the Bayou series. Singe Dad Michael and Ami, a former beauty queen and now social media influencer, decide not to start a long distance romance, but those feelings just don't go away in this romantic and touching story with a fair bit of depth.

SJK

Micheal is a bayou sweet heart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

Love being back in the bayou. Micheal is a real sweet heart whose family comes first. There’s more to Amelia than meets the eye and she’s glad to be home after her accident. A loving story where they find their way to being a family, with of course the interference/ advice of the family. Loved it can’t wait for the next one.

Cashdown

Happy Sigh

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

Back in my happy place of Autre, Louisiana. Michael (super hot firefighter, single dad and all round hero) and Ami (model, sister, cosplaying fan) have the ultimate friends to lovers romance. Firefighter and model could be a bit trite, but Nicholas puts a fantastic spin on it and once again draws you into a world where I’d love to live… even with all the alligators. One of her best.

Gill

Erin Nicholas does it again!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

Another fantastic read, set in the Louisiana bayou. Loved Michael before he got his own book and love him more now. Some deep thoughts and conversations which were very well done and as usual from Erin, lots of funny moments. And Ellie and Leo are again on hand. It doesn't get better than that!

Marie P

'Dangerously inappropriate and honest'

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

It is great to see Michael brought to his knees by Ami, he is a fixer and needs to be needed. Ami however is a nurturer and so doesn't need him to 'fix' everything for her which completely disarms him, but makes him so much hotter too! I love befuddled and confused Michael so much!
Pack your bags and head to Autre...you won't be disappointed.

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Bayou With Benefits (Badges of the Bayou): a firefighter, single dad, friends to lovers stand alone small town rom com Kindle Edition

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