Don’t let the illustrated cover fool you, folks. “The Nanny” by Lana Ferguson appears to be a sweet-as-pie story about the nanny falling in love with her single dad employer, and ok, that is true. However, this wasn’t the hallmark-esq story that I thought I was reading – Ferguson turns up the heat quickly. Shame on me for glossing over the “OnlyFans” mention in the blurb, because had I known what was waiting for me I might have cracked that spine sooner. (Just Kidding, I didn’t crack the spine, but I did open it swiftly on my kindle!)

Jokes aside, “The Nanny” balances the sweet and steamy exceptionally well. Cassie takes her job as Sophie’s nanny very seriously, and does everything she can to make sure that Sophie and Aiden have a wonderful relationship. It’s clear through the story that Cassie cares deeply about her charge, her employer, and really everyone she meets. Even people who seemingly don’t deserve her empathy.

“Don’t shoot yourself in the foot, honey. You can have good things, but you have to let yourself have them.”
When reading “The Nanny” you can expect a unique second chance romance that is sure to surprise you! You can also expect to shake your head at our main characters and yell at them to get out of their own way. (I personally phrased it as “stop being idiots, you guys!”)

I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed “The Nanny” and I look forward to reading whatever comes next from Lana Ferguson. I already have her next book “The Fake Mate” (publishing in December 2023) on my TBR.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this arc!

5/5 spicy peppers I MEAN STARS HAHA

This was even better than I thought it was going to be - and even more spicy! I love love loooveeddd ittt and can't wait to read more from Lana Ferguson 🩷🩷🩷🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This was STEAMY! Not what I expected going in but I definitely indulged. I'm eagerly anticipating more works by this author and would wholeheartedly recommend it! If you're seeking a book to reignite your passion for reading, this is the one!

I adored The Nanny, and Lana Ferguson is so deserving of a wider audience for her work. I cannot wait to read "Fake Mate".
I love the trope of love lost and found, and this book has the beautiful unwitting reunion between Cassie and her erstwhile OnlyFans supporter, Aiden. Lana's style is accessible, funny and witty.
I would highly recommend to any library patron.

What a sexy, steamy romance! The main characters are so lovable and real, while also bringing the spice.

Was I expecting the steam that came out of this book? No. Did I absolutely indulge? Yes.

Bravo on a fantastic read!

actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

"the nanny" by lana ferguson was an enjoyable read to break up the rest of my reading. i was drawn in by the intriguing premise and couldn't resist the charm of the two main characters, cassie and aiden.

cassie's struggle to find a job and her eventual nanny gig had me hooked. aiden reid, the hotshot executive chef with a heart of gold, was the perfect romantic lead. their chemistry was off the charts, and i couldn't help but root for them. i loveeeeeeee single parent romances, and this book delivered on that front. cassie's relationship with aiden's child was so adorable and i loved how big of a part she played in the story. also there was a 70 year old woman side character who ate.

unfortunately, the book felt a tad too long. some parts dragged a bit, and i found myself wanting the story to move along a bit faster. also, the conflict that arises in the story, while it added some drama, didn't quite hit the mark for me. it felt a bit forced and basic honestly.

despite these couple critiques, i had a blast reading "the nanny." the chemistry between cassie and aiden was undeniable. the book's unique twist on the nanny trope and the challenges of single parenthood were refreshing. so, while i had my reservations about certain aspects of the plot, i can't deny that this book provided a fun and steamy escape.

Ugh I just couldn’t get on board with this one. It was so CHEESY and the main characters had zero chemistry for me.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was sexy and fun. I loved that there was no judging in this book between the main characters, even once they found out their prior connection. I loved the relationship with the kiddo and the portrayal of the problematic (to them) aunt. I loved it.

The Nanny by Lana Ferguson was quite... spicy. I probably should have had a clue about that given the summary mentions OF. This book is about Cassie, a grad student who is on the verge of bankruptcy and eviction. She ends up getting hired to be a nanny by Aiden for his daughter Sophie. As it turns out, Cassie is really attracted to Aiden and the feeling is mutual. Cassie previously worked as CiCi on her OF account and it turns out Aiden was her biggest fan. She identifies that it's him but he has no idea she's CiCi. Tangled webs yall.

Well, this was QUITE the book. I mean that in a good way. Cassie and Aiden have excellent chemistry. I liked their connection and just how they vibed. Also, there's an elderly woman character who is a complete gem who I also loved. The spice is quite detailed and I thought well written. Granted, I listened to the audiobook and felt like I had to turn it down a bit driving through certain spaces and absolutely could not listen to it with children in the car. The audiobook is narrated well with Samantha Summers and Jameson Adams as the narrators. It is 13 hours 15 minutes. The story flys by and well, the connective tissue is there. I could appreciate that the third act breakup was completely different from what I expected it would be. Overall, I would recommend The Nanny by Lana Ferguson if you're looking to see what spice reading is all about.

Unfortunately, just not for me. The pacing was really slow, as the book seemed to drag on forever. Perhaps too many spicy scenes contributed to this feeling. Overall, I think the book could've easily lost around 100 pages and have not changed at all, so clearly stuff needed to either be cut or added to create a more compelling plot. Characterizations also felt a bit wishy-washy, with issues of the main character cropping up as set-up in the beginning and completely abandoned until the very end. I was really looking forward to this book and was disappointed to not love it--thank you so much anyways for the ARC!

Lana is a new to me author and I really wasn’t expecting this book to have this level of spice. It was a delightful surprise and so well done! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

When Cassie takes a job as a live-in nanny for Aiden, she never imagines that the DILF used to be one of her (favorite) OnlyFans supporters.

This one is STEAMY! Audiobooks are my favorite, and this one is really well done - but be warned, listen to this one with headphones.

The Nanny is sugar, spice and everything nice. Excellent chemistry, a really fun cast of side characters, top tier spice, and a tension filled case of hidden identities - this book had it all and I DEVOURED it! 
 
I could not put this book down - I think I read it (for the first time) in one sitting. It was perfectly paced - I really enjoyed the story telling method of having both Cassie and Aiden's POV as well as Cassie's old Only Fan messages and transcripts woven throughout. The story also had the perfect amount of angst - enough to build tension but not too much that the resolution wasn't believable.  
 
Aiden and Cassie's chemistry was unreal right off the bat (their first meeting involved a hand appreciate moment, I am a sucker for that). Their tension was off the charts as they tried to deny their mutual attraction for the sake of their employer / employee relationship. When that particular dam broke (and goddamn was it a glorious breaking) they were off to the races with superb spice and ever growing feelings. By the end of this book, these two were one of my fave book couples of recent memory.  
 
I also loved the side characters in this story - Sophie (Aiden's daughter) and Wanda (Cassie's neighbor / friend) both provided extra banter and levity to the story. All together they formed a lovely found family around Cassie and really helped to round out the story.  
 
I just can't gush enough about how much I love this book - this is a powerhouse debut! I've already had the pleasure of reading Lana's next book (The Fake Mate) and I can tell she has a long, successful career ahead of her. I can't wait to EAT UP whatever else Lana writes!

This was such a fun read! I can't wait for more by this author. I would absolutely recommend! If you are looking for a book to get you back into reading. This is it!

This is a spicy romance between a single dad and the new nanny. There's a unique twist to this story that adds an extra hot element to their romance. The relationship that Cassie develops with Aidan's daughter Sophie is so sweet and I loved that the aunt was still so involved with Sophie. The friendship that Cassie forms with the aunt is nice to see too. Aidan is hot and their chemistry is felt immediately. This is definitely a page-turner that you won't want to put down.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

It's a good summer beach read. There's a lot of spice so if you're into that, you will enjoy those bits. (I did!) But at the same time, there were some things that bothered me.

Cassie, our main heroine, is.... a bit annoying to be honest. She wasn't terrible to read, but she does some really dumb things and while I think this is supposed to be charming and endearing, it just made me want to shake her and tell her to pull herself together. I have no problem with her being on OnlyFans (more power to you), but then when she realizes who Aiden actually is, she hides it from him and they continue on their steamy way until (surprise!) he finds out. I'm sorry, but this is all sorts of gross to me because if roles were reversed, I would SO NOT BE INTO a man hiding his identity that we knew each other in a previous intimate capacity. So, thumbs down Cassie.

Aiden, our hero and resident DILF, is of course handsome, charming and loves his daughter. Conveniently, he was not in a relationship with his daughter's mother so when she dies, he has very little emotional baggage to deal with other than his daughter moving in with him and him becoming a full time dad. While I understand this is easier for the plot and romance, it was a little disappointing because Aiden sort of acted like any other romantic hero who didn't have a kid? Like there was no emotional baggage or anything from previous relationships (besides our main nanny herself, who he recognize)... I thought there was more potential there to explore that so it left me feeling that Aiden was cardboard and not very interesting.

Also his daughter, while cute, did not act her age. I have a kid and some of the things she said or things she was interested in were not really age appropriate. Was she 5 years old or 10? It actually really brought me out of the story because I felt this child was so inconsistent with their age.

That said, it was a fast read and there wasn't anything bad about it. The writing was solid and the romantic scenes were spicy. I enjoyed it and it didn't take me too long to get through.

Review will be published on Forever Young Adult's website on 7/25/23.

First Impressions: Ya Basic

I got this book for the synopsis. This cover does nothing for me. I know what the main characters look like now, but I always picture my book men as Henry Cavill and me as the main character so…

What’s Your Type?

Second Chance at Love
Forced Proximity
Workplace Romance
Grumpy/Sunshine
Miscommunication
Single Dad
OnlyFans
Dating Profile

Cassie needs a job while finishing up her degree. She applies for a nanny position that seems too good to be true. Room and board, great pay and enough time off to attend an in-person class. When she realizes who her new employer is, things get complicated.

Aiden, single dad and chef extraordinaire, is looking for someone to watch his 9-year-old daughter. Having recently lost his baby momma, he’s been struggling to balance his career and single fatherhood. Desperate for help, he puts out an ad hoping to find someone with enough qualifications to apply for the Nanny position.

Meet Cute: OnlyFan

Cassie and Aiden meet on OnlyFans before they meet again IRL. Cassie joined because it’s a super lucrative way to pay for school, and Aiden joined after a friend suggested it. Aiden finds Cassie’s page on a sidebar right after signing up and he is smitten. Anonymity is the name of the game, so neither one knows who the other is but they so want to.

A year-ish later Cassie applies for Aiden’s live-in Nanny position. The two are unaware that they know each other. Until she sees Aiden without a shirt on and all the memories come flooding back. Will Aiden recognize Cassie? Should she come forward about their past? How will this impact her relationship with his daughter? So many questions!

The Lean: Keep Your Hands To Yourself

The deep connection that Ferguson kept trying to get across between Aiden and Cassie never got to me. They fell flat as characters, and although they had other interests, it always came back to them wanting to bone each other so everything else felt unimportant. Usually, I would be pumped with a lot of sex scenes in a book, but I was missing the tension and didn’t devour this book the way I was hoping. I appreciate the twist on the nanny trope by making her a previous OnlyFans content creator and the flashbacks to those days were enticing, albeit short.

Dirty Talk: Intro Into Dirty Talk

Everyone loves a good praise kink and taking orders. Aiden definitely delivered on that. There was a lot of sneaking around, but it was never a high-stakes situation, which made the whole thing seem unnecessary. I wanted to love Cassie and Aiden, but I think they were more interesting apart than together. I appreciated that we got both Aiden and Cassie’s perspectives in the book. It made the sex scenes hotter…although, I’ve definitely read dirtier talk, so don’t expect to be shocked!

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose

Cassie’s Perspective:

“Good,” he grinds out, the sound harsh in my ears. “Good girl.”

I shiver, making a pitiful sound as my insides give another vain squeeze. Aiden rubs soothing circles at my thigh.

“You like that?” I feel his hand slipping between us, his thumb pressing against my clit to tease me.”

Aiden’s perspective:

“Careful,” I whisper in warning.

She slides her fist to rest just under the head of my cock, swirling her tongue around it as I shiver, her voice just as soft as mine. “What should I be careful of?”

“You should be careful that I don’t actually fuck that pretty mouth.”

“You can,” she teases, wrapping her lips around me to suck before she lets me go with a wet pop. “If you want.”

We Need to Talk: Secondary Characters

Aidens daughter, Sophie, was goofy and sweet. I wanted her to have more page time. Her interactions with everyone added more warmth and dimension to the story.

Cassie’s older friend (the mother she never had), Wanda, is a breath of fresh air. She’s smart and funny. Her conversations with Cassie flowed better than any conversation Cassie and Aiden ever had. You could tell that Ferguson had fun writing her scenes.

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It’s not my dream book. I didn’t spend hours thinking about it or telling people about it. It was fun and sexy, but like any healthy relationship, I wanted more.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from Penguin Random House and have not received compensation for my review.

If you love adult romances that have the perfect balance of steamy and fluffy scenes, then this book is for you. I absolutely loved reading this book. The story is so sex positive, emotional, and yes... SO steamy. This book has ALL of the good tropes! Forced proximity, second-chance romance, hidden identity, and A HOT DILF! I really loved Lana Ferguson's writing and I can't wait to read more from them!

this was SPICY and did not stop!!! so good, loved the characters — definitely had to suspend a lot of disbelief for this one, was almost a fan fiction like unlikely scenario but was so fun to do