What a cute, heartwarming, and funny book! This is a new author for me, and I absolutely loved reading this story. Iris and Archer had perfect chemistry together, and given they were thrown together under really unfortunate circumstances, it truly was a match made in heaven. I'm a huge foodie enthusiast, so this storyline was perfect. Olive absolutely stole my heart, and her antics and the way she dealt with her new situation was amusing and heartwarming. The town of Dream Harbor was definitely something dreams are made of, and if you didn't like pancakes before you started this book, you definitely will by the end. Truly enjoyed this book very much, I love stories that make me run the gamet of emotions while reading!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

This was my favorite book of the series so far. Archer and Iris are so cute together. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Title: The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
Author: Laurie Gilmore
Genre: Romance
Tropes: Small town, Opposites attract, GrumpyxSunshine, Forced proximity, Single dad, Found family
Format: eARC
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Pancakes, parenting, and YES CHEF! Sweet and Spicy, small town romance

Summary:
Archer is a renowned chef, hell bent on dedicating his life and all his time to earning a Michelin star. He is so sure of his life’s plan and goals, until he gets a phone call telling him that a women he knew 5 years ago had passed away and left him a 5 year old daughter, Olive. Archer puts his life on pause and rushes to care for his daughter. Archer has no plans to remain the head chef of the diner in the strange, small town of Dream Harbor. But, he quickly realizes that it takes a village to raise a child.

Iris is a mess. Always late, bouncing between jobs and men. She is on the verge of losing her apartment and needs more stable, higher paying employment ASAP! Being Archer and Olive’s live-in Nanny seems like a perfect fix, except Iris doesn’t know a thing about working with kids. Archer hires her anyway.

He’s grumpy and she’s sunshine and opposites in many ways. Olive quickly trusts and begins to open up to Iris and Iris helps to bridge the gap between father and daughter. Iris is also helping Archer find the town’s original pancake recipe with late night taste tests/ kitchen meet ups. To protect all the progress Olive has made, the two try to deny their chemistry and budding feelings.

Thoughts:
This was my first romance book with the single dad trope and I loved it! The growth and development of Archer and Olive’s relationship/story was so sweet and well done. He was so patient with her. I thought the chemistry between the MCs was great! I really liked both characters and I found myself laughing out loud at their witty banter. I love seeing what the couples from the other books are up to and how they all support each other in this quirky community.

Great for readers who love interconnected standalones with small town vibes and spice!

Thank you to the Harper Collins (Harper360) and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Reviews posted to NetGalley, Amazon, and GoodReads.

Thank you to Laurie Gilmore, Harper 360, and NetGalley for an eARC of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House.

I absolutely LOVE the Dream Harbor Series and The Strawberry Patch Pancake House was no exception. I was so excited to get an ARC of this book. It took me a moment to place Iris because she wasn't a prominent fixture in The Christmas Tree Farm, but she did make a handful of appearances. I will say, Iris in this book was so different from the way I perceived Iris in the last book. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about her and seeing her relationship with Archer evolve over the course of this book.

I really enjoy the way Laurie Gilmore creates comfy cozy romances but turns up the spice in some scenes. Though this book dealt with some heavier topics (death of a parent and feeling like you don't have a course/purpose in life) I enjoyed the way Gilmore approached the topics giving the characters time to grieve and grow. Archer was definitely my favorite MMC so far, though. A cook and an overprotective dad? A recipe for success - pun intended!

I only have two complaints. One is that this book ended with my least favorite trope. Gilmore saved it and spun it in a great way, but I was NOT happy when I saw the turn the book was taking. The second is that I felt like we didn't see enough of our favorite Dream Harbor characters. Kira and Bennett made a handful of appearances, but Jeanne, Logan, Hazel, Noah, Annie and Mac weren't seen a lot which was a bit of a bummer. That being said, I know the next book is about Annie and Mac and I CANNOT wait!

Definitely worth a read if you enjoy cozy, spicy romances.

4.5 out of 5 stars rounded up!

I love this series and the books just keep getting better and better! Single dad x nanny troupe, a cute 5 year old and pancakes galore?! Say no more!

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. This is the second book I have read in this series. If I’m being honest, this was a big miss for me. I personally found the story to be really slowly developing and I didn’t find myself really invested in the characters.

Best one in the series, yet!
A hot chef with a surprise daughter.
An aimless d0-gooder not looking for any kind of commitment.
He needs a nanny and she needs a job.
Perfect pairing?
Not quite. At least not in the beginning.
But Iris and Archer find their groove and it gets...interesting along the way.
Throw in a bunch of late night cooking escapades, a 5 year old wise beyond her years, and the nosiest town ever devised, and the STRAWBERRY PATCH PANCAKE HOUSE is a nice read with a little spice, a little angst, and a few really great characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to review.
4 stars

This series is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, so it’s no surprise the newest installment was exactly that! I adore this author and I adore this series!

Spicy, male female, 3rd person dual point of view, contemporary romance. I really enjoy how this series is full of cozy seasonal romances. This one has a single dad trope and nanny trope. I enjoyed every single character - main and side. Perfect length sweet and steamy read.

Like all bookish girls, I've seen these books around Instagram and was so curious about them. The Strawberry Patch Pancake House was cute, kitschy, and a fast, fun read. The tropes were not my favorite (single dad, insta-love) but the characters were endearing. I love seasonal reads, and this one was perfect for early spring.

This story was my first Dream Harbor experience, but I'm definitely going back to read the rest of the series!

Oh, how I loved this book and to be back in Dream Harbor ❤️

I loved this next installment in the Dream Harbor series. Archer and Iris were a perfect fit for one another and I loved the convenience of their relationship.

Every now and then I get a last minute approval on Netgalley for a book about to be released- this was one of them. This small town, forced proximity romance was it and I will say I was pleasantly surprised. This is my third book approved in the series and I loved this book more than the previous.

Archer is a single father who only found out about a 5 year old daughter Olive after her mother's death. He was a chef living in France, but dropped everything once he knew he had a child that had no one except him.

Iris is a free bird who could never have imagined settling down, much less have a kid. She only agrees to take a job as Olive's nanny because she’s dirt broke. Iris is a yoga instructor and has had a lot of elderly clientele. I liked her interactions with these older ladies and she was cute with Olive, it was sweet and honestly lovely to read.

I will say the spicy scenes def surprised me, there were more than a couple. Which was interesting, but in part of the reason of why I gave it 4 stars. I love pancakes so reading all the recipes had me craving them all the time 😩

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing an Advance Reading Copy for review in exchange for an honest review!

Another amazing addition to one of my all time favorite series! This gets a very high 4 stars from me!!

Spring brings new beginnings and I absolutely loved reading about this one! Such a fun and heartwarming read centered on family and discovering one’s inspirations and desires.

I absolutely loved our couple, Iris and Archer, in this novel and found myself kicking my feet and giggling during their scenes. I loved their forced proximity but how that somehow wasn’t close enough for them. They were the absolute sweetest!!

Although I know they aren’t for everyone, I adored the addition of children and the depth they added to this novel.

I do wish we got more information of our main characters lives before this novel started.

Absolutely amazing and recommend to absolutely everyone!!

Thank you to the publisher for the arc through NetGalley! All opinions are my own honest opinions.

Laurie Gilmore done did it again. You guys know I’m impatient and slow burn isn’t my thing. But I have changed my tune!! This slow burn was done so nicely. Also I’ve never seen the appeal of the single dad trope? But boyyyyyy was I smiling almost every time Archer and Olive were together.

🥞 Single Dad
🍓 Slow burn
🥞 Small Town
🍓 He falls first
🥞 Found Family
🍓 Forced Proximity

Thank you for giving me this opportunity!

This was a lovely addition to the Dream Harbor series. I love the found family, small town, cozy feel that this series brings.

This particular story is great for those who love single dad, slow burn and forced proximity romances.

This series is wonderful for Gilmore Girls and Heart of Dixie fans that like a little spice with their romance!

As the fourth installment in the Dream Harbor series, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House delivers a heartfelt romance packed with spice, emotion, and small-town charm. While it wasn’t my favorite of the series, I still really enjoyed it. Laurie Gilmore brings another swoon-worthy love story to life with the grumpy-to-lovers trope, and this one might just be her spiciest yet!

The story follows Iris, a free-spirited and caring woman who unexpectedly lands a job as a nanny for world-renowned chef Archer’s daughter, Olive. Archer, who had no idea he had a child until recently, is forced to relocate to Dream Harbor and isn’t exactly thrilled about his new reality. Enter Iris—who has zero experience with kids but somehow is a natural. As she works her magic in Olive’s life, Archer starts to notice…and he can’t help but fall for her despite his gruff exterior.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Iris and Archer. Their chemistry was undeniable, and watching Archer soften toward both Iris and Olive was incredibly sweet. The grumpy-sunshine trope was done well, and the romance was filled with plenty of heat. If anything, this book might just be the spiciest in the series!

One of the best parts of this book was how seamlessly all the characters from the first three books were woven into the story. It was great catching up with familiar faces and seeing how their lives continue to unfold in Dream Harbor. The interconnectedness of the characters makes this series feel even more cozy and inviting.

Overall, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a solid addition to the series. It’s a good read with a cute ending that left me satisfied. If you enjoy small-town romance with a fiery, heartfelt connection (and love revisiting favorite characters!), this one is worth picking up!

The Perfect Escape - Sweet, Cozy, and Completely Irresistible!
After diving headfirst into dark thrillers and horror reads, I needed to swerve and readjust firing this week and read something light, fun, and heartwarming-The Strawberry Patch Pancake House was exactly that!
Laurie Gilmore swept me away to the charming small town of Dream Harbor filled with lovable characters, found family, and just the right amount of slow-burn romance. With a swoony single dad, forced proximity, and even a one-bed trope, this book had everything I adore in a feel-good love story. Plus, the food descriptions had me craving pancakes nonstop - the lemony poppy seed ones may not have been a hit in this town but I would have tried !
If you're in need of a cozy escape, this book is pure comfort-warm, sweet, and impossible to put down.

Archer is a renowned chef who's spent his life in pursuit of a Michelin star. Taking a job in a pancake diner in the small town of Dream Harbor is a far cry from his glitzy life in Paris. He also never imagined becoming the father of a five year old little girl named Olive. He only needs to stay in town long enough to gain custody, then he can return to his life. But soon his daughter and her nanny, Iris, have him rethinking everything he ever wanted.
This is a small town, single dad x nanny, forced proximity story. The cozy town setting and it's familiar characters (if you've read the rest of the series) draw you in and the fun banter and pining keep you turning pages. I'm not usually a fan of kids in my romance novels since I don't have any of my own, but I liked this one. I'm looking forward to Annie and Mac's story next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is part of a series of books about little shops with quirky names. I really enjoyed this book as much as the other three I’ve read.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. Archer is looking for a live in nanny for his daughter Olive. He's a single dad needing some help raising her. Here comes in Iris, who can barely hold a job and applies to be the nanny. This is a slow burn, but really well down. This one is my favorite so far in the series.