This book is a great addition to the Dream Harbor series! It delivered in storyline, characters, and romance. I appreciate that I know exactly what I am getting with each of these books. If a small-town romance quick read is what you’re looking for, look no further!

I am absolutely obsessed with the Dream Harbor series. It is such a cozy series! Listen, you aren't going to pick up this book if you want 5-alarm spice with all the chili peppers. But if you want a good read with well-developed characters that make you want to cozy up with a fuzzy blanket, hot beverage of choice, and have some steamy scenes, this series is perfection.

Archer, a chef out to prove himself and build his career is thrust (ha!) into a new town and the need for a nanny. Iris, not actually a nany, takes the job out of desperation and comes to realize that settling down a little bit may not be a bad thing. Together, Iris and Archer navigate some real and understandable emotions and find their way to each other.

There are some great tropes in this book with slow burn and forced proximity being my faves. Archer and Iris have such great banter.

Oh. This book should come with a warning. You WILL crave pancakes.

This book is the 4th of the Dream Harbor series, and my faorite. The chemistry between the characters is so fun! The fact that this one included the twist of a child was so sweet. I felt so warm and cozy reading this book. It also had less of the back and forth angst that a lot of romances have, and I like that as well!

Easily my favorite in the series. I can't seem to put down any book in this series. Laurie does a great job of telling interweaving stories.

*Put this in your wife's Easter basket with fresh strawberries and whip cream if you want to set a mood!

Your 4th Dream Harbor getaway features a forced proximity employer-employee forbidden romance between a hot chef/single dad Archer and a hot yoga instructor Iris who fall in love while learning to parent and recreate an elusive pancake recipe. It was definitely not my fave in the series so far, but good enough to tide me over until Book #5 "The Gingerbread Bakery" (the enemies-to-lovers EPIC that everyone has really been waiting for between Mac & Annie) comes out this September. It's already been pre-ordered and better be the spice and rum in my cider! But I digress...

There are some hot scenes and a LOT of tension build up in this one. The story did not go the way I thought it would. I was hoping Archer would be a bit more alpha and chase down his woman. Would've loved a proposal scene (maybe it will be tucked into "Gingerbread?"). I feel like we skipped a few interesting chapters with the epilogue that picks up 7 months later. You can definitely read this as a standalone, but I highly recommend "Cinnamon Bun" and "Christmas Tree" if you, like me, wish Hallmark romances were spicy and dealt with real problems instead of cheesy, superficial and ending with a first kiss. Plus, the covers are the cutest! Makes we want a vacation in Maine. Solid three out of five for story and 8 out of 10 on the spice scale.

I adored this book! I loved the single dad/nanny trope as well as the sweet foundation of a relationship between a father and his daughter. It was such a satisfying slow burn with the good spice that you expect to see in the Dream Harbor series. And it was overall just such a sweet story of family. I truly loved it.

This was my favorite one yet! Absolutely devoured this one up!! I hope they release a special edition with sprayed edges for all of them because I need this series on my shelf!!

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore is the perfect recipe for a heartwarming escape. From the very first page, you’re welcomed into a charming small town filled with lovable characters, sweet romance, and the irresistible scent of pancakes and fresh strawberries.

Laurie Gilmore has a gift for creating cozy atmospheres and relatable characters. The story is full of warmth, community spirit, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Whether it’s the quirky townsfolk, the slow-burn romance, or the cozy setting of the pancake house itself, everything comes together in the most delightful way.

This book feels like a warm hug—comforting, uplifting, and impossible to put down. If you’re a fan of small-town romance, feel-good fiction, or just need a bit of comfort in your life, don’t miss this gem. I can’t wait to read more from Laurie Gilmore!

I have a soft spot for chef romances and, in this story, we have an elite chef who moves to the small town of Dream Harbor all the way from Paris - talk about a culture shock! He comes to Dream Harbor when he learns he has a five-year-old daughter after her mother dies in a car accident. This is a cozy, small town, nanny/chef romance and I enjoyed this lighthearted story.

When Archer first meets his daughter, Olivia, she is a little afraid of him. He is very serious and 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 as a head cook for a 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 tries 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 swim classes for seniors 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 babysitting experience 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 the cooks warns him the town won't like him making changes to the menu. But they can’t find the original recipe and they can’t reach the old cook so Archie, who is determined to make the perfect pancake, 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 night 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. We see characters from the earlier stories in the Dream Harbor series but I don't think it's necessary to read them first. This book is able to stand well on its own.

I was entertained by this lighthearted story and think readers looking for a cozy, small-town summer read might enjoy an escape to Dream Harbor and The Strawberry Pancake House.

This was the perfect Hallmark movie fluff fest wrapped in a book. The amount of times the words pancakes and strawberries were used probably set a record. The tropes included accidental pregnancy, nanny/boss and single dad, so if you're into those, this will be a good cheesefest for you. I haven't read the others in the series, but this one can be a standalone. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I love this series so much!! Dream Harbor is one of my favorite fictional small towns. I knew this was going to be good when I saw that Archer (MMC) was a single dad and Iris (FMC) was his nanny! But I wasn’t sure how great it would be that we haven’t had much appearances from Iris in Christmas Tree Farm. But of course as always these new characters were easy to fall for. But Olive (his daughter) was by far my favorite. She was so cute 🥹 she made me tear up a few times and her naming skills were adorable 😂 I was really happy with the ending! I just wish we saw more from the secondary characters in this one. I missed having more interactions with the town’s kooky characters. As always, this was a quick and cozy read 🩷 I am SO excited for Annie and Mac’s story next! FINALLY!!

One of my favorite tropes: Single Dad and Nanny, however, this book didn't do the trope justice. Iris and Archer's chemistry was a little off-putting. Olive felt older than 5 years old. It was quick ready, light, not much thought needed. Enjoyable, just not something I would re-read.

Overall another cute read. I will say it took me a bit to warm up to both of the main characters and by a bit I mean at least a good chunk of the book. But overall another cute addition to the series. The only weird thing to me is that they weren't really part of the main set of characters you kept reading about in the first three books.

This book was absolutely 5 stars. I’m pretty sure that it’s my favorite in the series. This found family aspect left me wanting more about what happens to these characters. I’m so emotionally invested.

Oh Laurie Gilmore, you just keep giving with these delightful books! Dream Harbor has become my absolute favorite fictional small town and the characters are just quirky enough to still be loveable. The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is probably my favorite book in this series so far! A single dad who is also a chef, say less!! Grumpy sunshine, and forced proximity absolutely. The connection between the two main characters was amazing and felt so believable. I felt like I was dropped into Dream Harbor and instant friends with Iris. Add in the cute little 5 year old, Olive, and I’m there to say. That little girl had some much spunk and sass and constantly reminded me of my own little spicy, spit fire. This book literally has my heart and I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy soon!

I liked this the best of this series, but the end did let me down. It felt so rushed in the final 5 chapters, and the added drama between the couple was not needed. I liked watching both Archer and Iris fall for Olive and become a family though. I also found the pancake journey of the diner delightful as it carried through!

I thought this was going to be my favorite in the series, but I ended up not enjoying it as much as I thought. The story had weird pacing for me, parts were slow, then it would speed up to be slow again. The ending felt rushed. I also was not a fan of the (spoiler) accidental pregnancy.

When people say this series brings the Stars Hollow vibes, they aren't lying! The cozy, small-town vibes were immediate and reading this story felt like settling in for a new Gilmore Girls episode.

While I didn't love the literal immediate hardcore crushing between Archer and Iris, they fit together so well as they actually got to know each other.

Also, I absolutely adored the adorable banter with Olive! That little girl is amazing.

I've yet to read the previous books in the series (though I own them all), but this makes me all the more eager to get to them! Overall, the spice is mostly kept to just a couple of scenes in the latter half of the book, for any curious. I personally prefer milder spice, but those scenes are easily skimmable without missing out on the story 🥰

*Thanks so much to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC!*

This book was a great addition to the Dream Harbor series. While the plot was a little predictable, the small-town romance while balancing single-parenthood was enjoyable. Laurie Gilmore does a great job of incorporating the heat without sacrificing the story line. Can't wait for the next in the series.

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is about a single dad named Archer and town native, Iris, in the 4th book of the Dream Harbor series. Archer is a renowned chef in France who has to move to Dream Harbor to care for his daughter, who he didn't know existed until her mother dies suddenly and she's left without a guardian. Archer is forced to take the only cooking job he can find at the local diner and becomes the head chef. Meanwhile, he needs someone to take care of his daughter when he's at work and Iris is in desperate need of a job -- she ends up as his live-in nanny and though neither of them have any experience with children they start to figure out caring for Olive together.

If you are looking for a light-hearted read that's perfect for spring, this is the book for you. Though there is a controversial trope (or two) in this book, I loved it, even if I don't always love that trope. I think the author took a risk and it paid off, for me. The relationship between Archer and Iris felt authentic and natural and despite him being the single dad and her being the nanny, Gilmore managed to make it feel swoon-worthy instead of cringe-worthy. The will they/won't they tension builds well and helps us root for the characters and their relationship. Of course, just like with Gilmore's other Dream Harbor books, the town is absolutely a character and since it's book 4 the town is well developed and it's fun to get some updates on your favorite characters from the previous books in the series.

If you're a fan of romance, feel-good stories, personal growth, or if you're a parent you might love this one like I did. Though it can be read as a stand-alone, I would definitely recommend reading the other books first to get the best experience. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!