An edited form of this review will run at Shelf Awareness around release date.
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A single dad and his new live-in nanny find a second chance where they least expect it in Lana Ferguson's steamy romance debut*, The Nanny. Former camgirl Cassie Evans has just been laid off from a children's hospital when she finds an ad for a high-paying job that can accommodate her occupational therapy degree study. Executive chef and single dad Aiden Reid needs a nanny who can provide consistency for his nine-year-old daughter Sophie and accommodate his late hours. It's a perfect fit--except for the inconvenient, intense chemistry.
When she spots Aiden's distinctive scar, Cassie discovers that he isn't just any hot dad, he's one of her former OnlyFans patrons. The same man who ghosted her a year earlier when they'd been talking about meeting in person. Even as Cassie tries to decide when and how to tell Aiden, it's not long before they give in to temptation and Aiden and Cassie's physical relationship dominates their time together. The deception plot is complex enough that it's believable, but Ferguson doesn't drag it out for too long, choosing instead to focus on the protagonists' remaining obstacles on their way to Happily Ever After. Ferguson balances the heat by developing the relationship between Cassie and Sophie and lightens things up with regular visits with Cassie's former neighbor, Wanda.
For fans of A Merry Little Meet Cute and Rosie Danan's The Roommate, this high-heat, high-sweet romance is a funny, sex work-positive take on the boss-employee trope.

The Nanny was such a cute rom com! I loved this book so much. It was super sweet and super duper steamy. This book also has some major heartache in it. Adian, Cassie and Sophie were amazing but for me it was Wanda!!! Wanda literally had me laughing out loud at the one liners. I love her!!!
The Nanny is a must read and I know it is only early April but peeps this would make a great beach read! This is the first book from Lana Ferguson but I am now a fan and cannot wait to see what else she writes!!!!
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What a great new voice in contemporary romance! I'll definitely read anything Lana Ferguson writes in the future.

Cassie is in grad school for occupational therapy when she's downsized from her job. She finds a cushy position as a live in nanny for the nine year old daughter of a thirty something single father chef, Aiden. She quickly falls in love with her charge, but also starts developing an attraction for Aiden, which seems to be mutual. The catch comes when she discovers that Aiden used to be a very devoted client of her OnlyFans page. They even had plans to meet up but he never showed, prompting Cassie to shut down her account. Cassie struggles with navigating her feelings for Aiden, as well as how to tell him the truth.

Things I liked: the sex positivity! Even while Cassie struggles with her secret, it's somehow never stigmatized that she worked as a cam girl. There are also some really touching themes about parenting and finding yourself as a parent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are instances in which I read a romance novel and I end up feeling detached while reading it. It is a personal matter. Most of time, it is often the characters, sometimes the writing style or the pacing that cause such reaction.
Sadly, The Nanny is one of the books that I found myself unable to connect with.
One of the major setbacks I had was the plot. The summary provides an interesting and unique concept that is unheard of in the romance genre by combining romantic comedy, forbidden romance, the single parent trope, and the platform that is OnlyFans.
By the end of the book, I found that the execution of the story was deficient. There is promise of steamy romance, but while the promise of steam is upheld, the romance was teetering between the lines of lust and love. As a result, the story lacked emotional depth in terms of romance and at times the story felt juvenile.
I thought that the characters, Aiden and Cassie, were great individually, but together, their love felt a bit forced due to their history in OnlyFans and their sexual relationship. Their individual relationships with Sophie (Aiden’s daughter) was a great addition and added a sense of maturity to the story. The conflict was also great and made sense in the context of the plot and each characters’ struggles.
I thought the pacing was adequate, although the ending was a tad rushed.
If you like the insta-lust trope with a forbidden romance that evolves, then this is the book for you! Personally, I don’t believe I was the intended reader or audience for it.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinions.

I have been excited to read this book since it was announced more than a year ago. The premise is just like yes that is the book for me. Single dad? Yes. Spicy? Yes. Ex OnlyFans girl? Yes.

I inhaled this book and it was just as enjoyable as I expected it to be!

Holy steam!!!! This was a super cute and quick read. And...like I said....steamy!!!

Sometimes I find that if a book is super steamy, the connection between the main characters (Cassie and Aiden) isn't as strong, but I did not feel that way at all with this one. Their connection felt real and the connection between Cassic and Sophie (Aiden's daughter) felt real, too. Not to mention the side character of Wanda, Cassie's 70-year-old neighbor. Can we have a Wanda book next?! I genuinely enjoyed and liked each character despite their flaws. I also think the book dealt with some heavier topics, but in a not so depressing way, which was nice.

I very much enjoyed this one and I was pleasantly surprised to find that THE NANNY is Lana Ferguson's debut- special thanks for the sneak peek chapter into Lana's new book coming out later this year.

One thing about me is that I will never shy away from a good romance novel. And an especially steamy romance novel? Complete swoon. That's exactly what I got when I read an ARC of The Nanny by debut author Lana Ferguson.

Cassie Evans is a grad student who just lost her job and needs to find a new one fast. When she spots an ad for a live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity because the alternative is to restart her OnlyFans account…and that’s not an option. Single dad Aiden Reid is desperate and practically begs Cassie (who is the most qualified candidate to apply) to accept the job, which she does. What neither knows is that Aiden is already familiar with Cassie…or at least with her body. When Cassie finds out that Aiden used to be her top subscriber, she struggles with a way to tell him the truth and maintain the budding relationship that is developing.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. It’s steamy and spicy and has a whole lot of heart. Each of the major characters is completely fleshed out and relatable in their own way. Each character also has their own trauma, big or small, to work through and it humanizes each of them in a way that makes you feel like yeah, maybe I could meet someone like this in real life. The standout is definitely Wanda, who is the living embodiment of the idea that women have power and don’t need saving. Despite being in the later years of her life, she has sass and spunk to spare. I would like to enter my Wanda era now, please.

This book is low stakes and high spice. Going in, you think the climax (giggity) of the story will be one thing but it ends up being another - and it works so much better than I could have even imagined! Nothing feels like life and death (at least, not to the reader - Cassie may tell you differently!) and it’s easy to get sucked in without getting unhealthily emotionally attached. AND THE SPICE. I don’t know where Lana has been for so long, but she is going to take the romance genre by storm. This book is beyond H-O-T HOT and I cannot wait to see what she brings us next.

Hilarious and fast paced! I was cackling within the first page.

This book doesn’t take long at all to get started, which I loved. The premise laid out in the blurb (A former OnlyFans performer looking for a job is hired to be the live in nanny for a single father’s daughter) is set up and going within the first chapter. From there we really jump right into our characters and their story.

Off the bat I liked the in person awkwardness and initial tension between our two main leads, the fumbling and banter was endearing. Even more so, I loved the teasing references to Cassie’s past as a cam-girl and the ‘incident’ between her and Aiden that ended it. The little mystery did a lot to drive the story forward as things develop.

Our conflict throughout is light-hearted and surprisingly sensitive. Nothing is too high stakes, but our characters and their problems feel very real and relatable. A nice balance for a romcom to strike, funny and comforting without being ridiculous. (Though, really I do have to wonder how exactly Cassie didn’t put together that A dropped out of her subscribers around the time Rebecca died, the silly miscommunication here was really one of the only parts of the plot that didn’t totally resonate for me - Here especially I appreciated that there was an interesting cast of side characters for Cassie to interact with, to help her keep things in perspective. thank goodness for Wanda being the voice of reason!)

It also warrants mention that, as one would expect from a romance featuring a former cam girl, the spice level in this one is off the charts. There is lots of it once the physical relationship begins, and I’ll just say: DAMN

Sweet and spicy with a dash of found family. What else could I want? I’ll definitely recommend this one!

This was a cute, quick read! I loved Sophie & her attitude, she was portrayed so realistically as a 9 year old little girl. I really liked Aiden & Cassie together, & Iris just annoyed me. The spice was pretty good, but I thought a lot of the conflict was unnecessary. Overall a fun, easy read!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I LOVE when characters have history and fate brings them back together. Who am I to argue with the universe? I can’t imagine that Cassie ever thought she would meet her biggest OnlyFans fan. Yeah, the universe works in mysterious ways, and I found this to be an intriguing connection between the hero and heroine.

What really made this book a hit for me were the characters. Aiden was in a tough spot trying to build a relationship with his daughter following her mother’s death while also maintaining his challenging career as an executive chef. Being a single parent myself, his struggle really spoke to me, and his attempts to forge that bond with his daughter endeared him to me.

Cassie was great too. It was adorable the way she won Sophie over, and it filled my heart with joy to see Cassie fitting so well into their family. Why? Because it was something Cassie never really had, and gosh darn it! She deserved that sort of loving environment. I was also grateful that Cassie had her cantankerous neighbor, Wanda, to give her support and kick in the rear when needed. The bond they shared was something special, and Wanda was a wonderful part of Cassie’s (found) family.

Despite there being quite a few open-door sex scenes, I found this book to be fun and sweet. I felt the love that was freely flowing between these characters, and my heart’s desire was for them to become a family. Overall, this book charm, warmth, and humor which resulted in a great reading experience for me.

It's well-written, but the OnlyFans twist that was added to this romance—and I’m loving all the new additions to the genre that acknowledges and has characters involved in adult entertainment—doesn’t quite stick the landing. Maybe they could’ve held off a little bit longer before becoming more intimate; maybe the interludes that harken back to Aiden and Cassie’s customer and performer relationship on OnlyFans break abruptly into the story too much. I’d say having Cassie hide her OF work from Aiden and/or worrying about Sister-in-Law Iris finding out (only she does find out) would heighten the tension, but then we need to stop demeaning sex work. There were already enough conflicts going on—adding Cassie’s own issues with her own parents, on top of the sister-in-law—to carry along the plot. I wish I had better advice. Still an interesting read.

A feel good romance that had all my favorite tropes!

Single dad. Live in nanny. Need I say more? Oh wait… OnlyFans….🔥

I devoured The Nanny in a few days, it was cute, steamy and so very hot. Literal *chefs kiss*. I love the storytelling, chemistry, banter, internal dialogue and of course the sizzling sexual tension. A must read romance for all this year.

This was an enjoyable read. It was fun and steamy but I did have a few issues with it. Cassie & Aiden had great physical chemistry but outside of the bedroom things were pretty surface level. I was hoping for a deeper connection between them but that never happened. I also felt like I knew nothing about Aiden. His whole personality was that he was a workaholic chef & a dad. I wish we could have learned more about him. My favorite part of this book was the bond that Cassie made with Aiden’s daughter Sophie. I thought it was really special! Overall though, I had a good time with this story and I will read more from this author in the future.

I found this to be an "okay" romance novel. Nothing jumped out that made the characters engaging to the reader. The Nanny and the child have the best relationship in the book. There is a tease that the h participated in some racy online stuff prior to this current job, but it rather skirts the situation, rather than making it a conflict in the storyline.

A nice escapist novel, nothing outstanding.

This was HOT and super steamy. I was fanning myself for most of it, top-tier steamy-ness. But, other than that, the story, unfortunately, fell flat for me. It was good and definitely worth the read, but it wasn't as great as I was expecting it to be. Cassie's relationship with Aiden's daughter was very sweet, but their own relationship was lacking something for me. I also felt like Aiden didn't have much depth.

Another thing that bothered me is that Aiden is a head chef at a fancy restaurant, but, he never cooks in the book?! This was such a lost opportunity for me. I'm a sucker for foodie scenes in romances and there could have been such amazing scenes of him cooking her romantic dinners but he only cooked once and it was to make pancakes (which he burned because he doesn't know how to make pancakes??) lol

Overall a fun read but could have been much better.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC

Cassie and Aiden have been living rent free in my mind for months! The minute I read the premise of this book, I knew it would be an instant favourite. Single dad x nanny, perfection. Former OF star, perfection. Mutual pining, perfection. Lana has written one of my favourite romances of all time!! It’s so good!! Lana combines heat and humour in a delicious masterpiece. Any romance reader should have this book on their radar.

I'd heard SUCH good things about this one. but it's just not doing it for me. Here's why:
- The inner monologues are QUIRKY (I like some quirk, but this was just way too much. This felt like way more than even Olive from The Love Hypothesis, who was already dancing on the line of too much for me)
- Insta-love. I was not here for it.
- The child. Children in romance books are always kinda if-y for me. and this one just didn't work.

This is not to say that there no potential here, because I can foresee a lot of people really enjoying it. There are so cute moments, and the spice is pretty spicy for Berkley. It just wasn't the thing for me right now.

I was so excited to read this and didn't want to put the book down. The tension was great, the spice as well- it kept you blushing, laughing, swooning, and having fun the entire way. I don't usually go for single parent / nanny romances, but this one was absolutely fantastic. I already know I want to buy this as a physical copy as soon as I'm able to. A new favorite for sure.

A single dad and the nanny? I was definitely interested to see what would happen here especially since the nanny had an OnlyFans account. Here’s what I thought:

+ If you like steamy, hot scenes – this book is definitely for you. From the recollections of Cassie’s OnlyFans sessions with her favorite client to her and Aiden getting it one. Oh boy…this one is on fire!

+ The single dad trope I thought was done pretty good. He’s busy and needs some help and Cassie is definitely qualified.

+ My favorite characters in this book are Sophie who is definitely a typical 9 year old, playing on her Switch and thinking kissing is gross. She’s had some trauma and a busy dad so I totally understood her reservations. Also Wanda, Cassie’s best friend, an elderly woman with so much spunk is hilarious.

~ As much as I enjoyed the smutty scenes and I like that Aiden and Cassie have a connection. I wanted them to connect on a deeper level. I just didn’t feel it and honestly, I did feel like Iris (Sophie’s aunt) was correct to be worried that Aiden didn’t do enough for Sophie. He barely spent time with his daughter in this story and if he did, and was a bit more protective of her, even when it came to Cassie who was new to their family – I have been more endeared to him I think? I give him credit for trying but as a character – I felt like he was not putting enough effort. And you’d think as a chef with a famous restaurant he’d at least cook something good for Cassie but he never does! I was waiting for some amazing meal scene or something along those lines.

~ The conversations between Aiden and Cassie got repetitive at times and lacked the kind of banter I love in a romance. It would start off okay and they do well in the bedroom but outside of the bedroom I felt like they needed better communication skills.

~ Cassie is a sweetheart but honestly, sometimes she got on my nerves because she knows what sleeping with her boss would do and especially in the eyes of Iris. I’m glad Wanda was there to tell her what is up because that girl needed some guidance. Also when Cassie decides to leave – did she not think how that would affect Sophie who’s mom just died? So leaving without a goodbye is a good decision? Just little things like that bugged me.

Tropes: single dad, dad and the nanny, one house

Why you should read it:
*hot sex scenes
*single dad trope, live-in nanny romance
*Wanda is the best character

Why you might not want to read it:
*repetitive and need better communication between the characters

My Thoughts:

I was not expecting the blush factor in this book, it’s got some steamy scenes which I enjoyed! I just wish the two main characters connected better outside of the bedroom as well as they did inside of it because as much as I enjoyed the smut, I was skipping a few of it at the ending because I wanted the emotional parts of these two characters. Also their conversations felt repetitive. My favorite character is Wanda, Cassie’s spunky friend who is the closest thing to family that she has. She brought a lot of the humor into the story. Overall I thought the book was still enjoyable despite the some of the issues I had with it.

Pretty steamy romance alert! This was a fun one that I didn't have any real expectations for as far as the plot, but I loved it! Super spicy and fun!