The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, Laurie Gilmore (Review by Kristin Kurek)

Have you ever seen that Disney movie, Zootopia? The main character wants to be a police officer but her parents discourage her. Dad Bunny: Judy, you ever wonder how your mom and me got to be so darn happy? Well, we gave up on our dreams, and we settled. Right, Bon? Mom Bunny: Oh, yes. That’s right, Stu, we settled hard. Welp… that’s the gist of this book. The main character settles hard and learns to be happy about it. Archer is a world-renowned chef who is setting the culinary world ablaze in Paris. He learns that he has a biological daughter whose mother has just died leaving him as a single parent to a five year old. Archer moves to his daughter’s New England small town to build a relationship with her and ultimately gain custody. He becomes a chef at the local diner, but the locals are disappointed by his elevated cuisine. He simply cannot replicate their beloved diner pancakes. Meanwhile, he falls in love with his daughter’s nanny, Iris. Iris is a flighty fitness instructor who has no interest in long term relationships or motherhood. Will Asher and his daughter change Iris’s mind? I am struggling with writing this post because I did genuinely enjoy the first 80% of this book. It was very steamy, and the slow burn was absolutely addictive. I couldn’t put it down! But, oh boy, did it take a VERY NOT SEXY turn at the end. While I found the presence of children, constant thoughts of motherhood, and a sexual relationship with an employee to be distracting for a romance, I mostly enjoyed this book. This book is for family-oriented readers. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy romance but doesn’t mind children in their romance books.