Synopsis:
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is book four in the Dream Harbour series by Laurie Gilmore.
As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.
Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available, she shudders at the thought. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees.
As Archer and Iris get used to their new roles, is it possible that they might have more in common than they first thought, or is Olive just determined to play match-maker…
Review:
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is my favourite Laurie Gilmore book so far. I loved every second of it and completely devoured it. It’s definitely not the best written book in the world, but it was exactly what I needed at the time so I had a great time reading it.
Having kids in romance books, especially ones with a little bit of spice, is usually something I’d avoid. I find they just make it feel so awkward but that’s not the case in The Strawberry Patch Pancake House. Olive was such an important character, literally none of this book would happen if she didn’t exist. She was written and acted like an actual child and her relationship with Iris was so sweet.
Watching the family dynamic grow between Archer, Olive and Iris was genuinely lovely. Even though she lost her mom, she was the most loved little girl in the world. So many people in that town would go to war for her and it was so heartwarming.
I don’t want to spoil too much but one of my least favourite tropes is used in this book, but I actually didn’t mind it. It made sense for the plot, the characters and what they wanted. I’m not a fan of making women feel trapped in a relationship because of certain circumstances (is that giving it away?) but it didn’t feel like that happened in The Strawberry Patch Pancake House.
The constant tension between Iris and Archer was perfect. I do love a ‘I want to but I shouldn’t’ romance. Yeah, it’s quite unprofessional to get it on with the nanny, but the forbidden nature of the romance is what makes it so exciting to read. The majority of their relationship was built on pure lust, but as soon as Archer’s relationship grew with Olive, Iris was swooning all over the place. Their emotional chemistry (is that what you would call it?) developed at a reasonable pace and made the progression of their relationship more believable.
There are so many cute moments I could swoon over in The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, but I think I’ll leave my review there. This book definitely has its moments of cringe, like most romances, but the overall vibe is cosy and heartwarming and that’s enough for me.
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