
Member Reviews

Archer and Iris are a fantastic couple who have to find their way like everyone else does. The dynamic in the town is amazing as well. Makes you want ro live there.

Spoilers Ahead!
I really wish the last 10% of this book did not happen. The unexpected pregnancy trope is probably the only trope I hate. It is generally completely unnecessary which was the case for "The Strawberry Patch Pancake House".
Besides that, the rest of this book was a very enjoyable slow burn and would have definitely been a 5 star without the fumble at the end.
This is my second book by the author. I didn't really love the first book and am uncertain if I'll pick up more by her.
Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

An elite chef in Paris moves to Dream Harbor when he learns he has a five-year-old daughter after her mother dies in a car accident. This is a sweet, cozy, small town, nanny/chef romance.
When Archer meets his daughter, Olivia, she is afraid of him. He has a stern look about him, even though he tries to be gentle and kind to her. Archer rents a house in town so Olivia can be near her grandmother, school and friends. He hopes in six months she will feel more comfortable around him and that they will be able to move back to Paris. Meanwhile, he needs a job and the only one he can find is for a head cook at the local diner. It is humbling for him to go from working in fine restaurants in Paris to making pancakes at the diner but he makes the best of it and it brings a lot of humor to the story. When he is trying to juggle work and watch Olivia (who is an escape artist), the owner of the café, Gladys, suggests he hire a nanny.
Iris is struggling to pay rent. She teaches yoga in town and senior’s swim classes at the Y as well as filling in at the coffee shop but it’s not enough. Gladys suggests she work for Archer as his nanny. She doesn’t have any experience babysitting but she’s creative, knows CPR, likes Olivia and realizes how much they both need her.
It gets funny when the townspeople don’t like Archer’s pancakes. One of cooks warns him the town won't like him making changes to the menu. When they can’t find the original recipe and they can’t reach the old cook, Archie spends time at night trying different pancake recipes and Iris helps taste test. They flirt and have fun, yes Chef!
Archer likes coming home to Iris and Olivia and makes them delicious meals each day and Iris begins to see why people might want a partner to share their lives with, but there are still a few more challenges before they get their HEA. While I loved all of the characters and the way everything came together at the end, I would have liked a little bit more to their story. The different pancakes Archer came up with sound delicious, especially the strawberry ones he makes for Olivia (she loves strawberries).
I think readers looking for a lighthearted, summer story will find themselves smiling through this one. Thanks to the author, Harper360 and NetGalley for an ARC. My review will be posted at All About Romance closer to the review date.

This is hands down my favorite of the Dream Harbor series so far!
I’m not usually one for the single dad trope, but could not help but fall in love with Archer and Olive as he adjusted to being a dad with Iris’s help. Having a child in the book can sometimes get in the way of really developing a relationship in a romance, but this just added to their characters and who they be and throughout the book.
The character growth in this book really drew me in, they both changed so much from the start of the book to the end, but neither of them was a weak or underdeveloped character to begin with. They just really became a family through their situation.
I loved the town doing what they do best, being skeptical of anything new or changing, and finally finding out what the secret ingredient was in the “original” pancakes!
It was of course great to see all of the other loved Dream Harbor residents again, with some exciting developments for the future!
If you want a sweet and caring relationship set in the cutest town that ever existed, this book is for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As always an amazing beautiful love store they makes me happy. Perfect for spring time. The best romance writer as someone who strictly likes fantasy I love this and will read all her work and recommend it

I enjoyed this way more than I anticipated!! Archer did have me scared for a second because he REALLY was missing France, but he turned around quick and like me fell in love with this little town. I'm a sucker for a single dad and Archer found his way. I am so excited to read more about this crazy cozy town.

This series is so adorable. I’ve read all of the books before reading this one and I always get so excited when I see a new one come out. I feel like every book just gets better and better. I am not normally a romance girlie but these books are just too cute. This is definitely a slow burn book, which again, is not something I usually go for, but the authors writing is too good not to enjoy these. I do love the single dad trope (maybe because I’m a single mother) so I was happy to see it in this. Also, can we talk about the name Dream Harbor? Just the cutest name, I would love to live there.

AAAAAH Laurie Gilmore does it again!! This book was so precious. Olive immediately stole my heart and helllloooo single dad? Sign me up!! I read this book in one day and absolutely devoured it. I cannot even begin to explain how fun and squishy this whole book made me.

Oh my gosh! I loved The Strawberry Patch Pancake House! I loved the chemistry between Archer and Iris. I absolutely adored Olive! Possibly this is my favorite in the series!

I enjoyed the book, but I realize I really shouldn’t read storylines where it’s the boss/employee hooking up. Gives me the icks. Still gave it 4 stars though because that’s more of a “me” thing that shouldn’t be held against the author LOL Still a good story and I love the continuation of the series. Looking forward to book 5!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Strawberry Patch Pancake House to come out March 18, 2025.

I didn’t realize this was book 4 oopsies! I need to read the other ones first. Time to go add the other ones to my to be read list!

What I love about this series is how light, and easy, and fun it is. Reading feels like watching a rom com and being wrapped in a warm hug. Even for the heavier elements of this book (discovering an unknown child, the grief of losing a parent, dealing with a surprise pregnancy), it all manages to feel rather happy. It’s not the most hard-hitting book, but it’s exactly the comforting balm my brain wanted.
4 stars
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars - a fun and easy read.
To those who have read this series, this will feel like quintessential Laurie Gilmore and while it’s not the story we all want (cough couch…Annie and Mac) it is a nice addition to the series.
To those who haven’t read any of the Dream Harbor series, this is a mix of a too steamy to show on hallmark movie set in Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hallow. While the plot is full of common tropes and a bit predictable (single dad, nanny who doesn’t want her own kids, instant love) it’s still enjoyable. I think the broader character crew really helps the story - especially Olive and the general town shenanigans.
Thank you to Laurie Gilmore, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love all the romances in this series and devour them in one day (even though I am not usually a fan of romances)! Always a perfect combination of a sweet love story and some spicy intimate scenes between realistic & likable characters. These books always have some soft of conflict which (temporarily) stops the love interests from getting together. It doesn't always ring true for me, but in this story it felt natural & well developed. I highly recommend!

If there's one thing Laurie Gilmore has perfected, it's the ability to create the cheesiest and cutest heartwarming stories. All of her books are instant requests on NetGalley for me, and this is the one I was most excited for. I'm a sucker for a chef, and after reading The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, I've become fond of the nanny/Dad trope.
I loved that this featured more of the town and its crew than the last two books, and that we got to see another born and bred Dreamer as the MC. While this book did feature a trope I typically DNF for, it was towards the end and I honestly didn't mind it in this book. I laughed, I blushed, I teared up; all in all, another great edition to the Dream Harbor series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Archer is a world class chef working in Paris when he receives the new that he's a father to a 5 year old girl and the mom was killed in a car accident. He's granted temporary custody for 6 months and must move to a small town in the North East USA. He ends up working at a diner where everyone's upset that he changed the pancake recipe and hires a nanny, who has no experience with children or staying in place for more than 6 months. It's a cute story of Archer finding his way.

I think that this installment was my favorite of the series. I loved the main characters of this story as they worked through their insecurities and learned that life is not always what we planned for it to be.

Fun, cute, and found family abound! I love this little town and the people in it. I definitely can't wait to read what's next for this town

This is the fourth book in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore and I really, really enjoyed it! To me, it’s right up there with The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. Iris becomes a nanny for Archer, a single (new!) father who moved to Dream Harbor after finding out he has a daughter. They both do not have plans to stay, but quickly fall in love…not just with each other, but the town and all of its characters. Who could blame them?
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is definitely my favorite book in the Dream Harbor series as of yet. Laurie Gilmore’s writing just keeps getting better with each book. I loved reading about Archer’s journey with meeting Olive, the daughter he didn’t know existed. Their relationship progression was so sweet, from her not being comfortable at all with him to them just being the cutest father-daughter duo ever. I wish this book had even more scenes between the 2 of them!
The relationship between Archer and Iris was equally as sweet. She really brings out the good man that he is and I loved their back and forth. You definitely start the book thinking Archer is going to be the one in the relationship with the commitment issues, so it was an interesting flip that it was Iris instead.
I’m excited to tune in for book 5 and the long awaited Annie and Mac!