I will devour Laurie Gilmore's books every damn time!! This book had me blushing and kicking my feet in delight. Archer just found out that he is a dad and dropped his whole life in France to go to his 5YO daughter. Iris is not one to hold on to a job long and sees the opportunity to be Archer's live-in nanny as another job to hold for the time being. Well, neither one expected the chemistry between them to be as hot as the griddle in Archer's diner. And the two can hardly keep their hands to themselves once the match is lit!

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore is a heartwarming & perfectly sweet & spicy small town romance between a chef/single dad & nanny. I think this just might’ve become my favorite of the series! It gave me all the best kind of feels mixed with some steamy moments, the entertaining & delightfully humorous charm of their small town community & the heart & family that make you feel like goo on the inside in the best way.

This is book #4 in the Dream Harbor series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I’ve read & enjoyed the entire series, so I do recommend it all!

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is great for those looking to read…
🍓 Small Town Romance
🍓 Single Dad x Nanny
🍓 Found Family
🍓 Forced Proximity
🍓 Sweet & Spicy Romance
🍓 Slowburn

There’s the cutest small town map I’ve ever seen along with an amazing playlist to go with the book. Dream Harbor is the kind of town I wish I could move to. I adored the antics of their small town. Olive was such an adorable kid. It was a joy watching the chemistry between the two leads was so berry fun.

If you are looking for a berry sweet & spicy small town romance, I highly recommend The Strawberry Patch Pancake House!


Massive thanks to NetGalley, Harper 360 & Harper Collins for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

📖 Title: The Strawberry Patch Pancake House-The Dream Harbor series #4

✍🏾 Author: Laurie Gilmore- Read books 1&2- 5*, book #3- 3*

📅Publication date: 3-18- 25 | Read 3-12-25

📃 Format: eBook 384 pgs.


Genre:
*Adult Fic/Women's Fic
*Contemporary Romance

Tropes:
*small town
*single father
*slow burn romance
*forced proximity
*found family
*workplace romance

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, dual- Archer and Iris

⚠️TW: death of parent, sleepwalking

🌎 Setting: Dream Harbor, New England

Summary: Archer just found out he has a 5-year-old daughter Olive and comes to Dream Harbor to take custody of her. Iris's rent is overdue and her job as an exercise instructor isn't enough. Gladys-the diner owner- suggests Archer work as a cook there and hire Iris as his live-in nanny.


👩🏾 Heroine: Iris Fraser- 26, a yoga instructor turned live-in nanny
👨🏾 Hero: Archer Baer-a chef from Paris, temporarily comes to DH

🎭 Other Characters:

*Olive-Archer's 5-year-old daughter
*Gladys-hires Archer as diner's new cook
*Cate Carpenter-Olive's mother (deceased)
*Rebecca-Iris's cousin
*Kira-Iris's friend
*Noah + Hazel-Archer's next-door neighbors
*Jim+ Cathi- Archer's father and stepmother


🤔 My Thoughts: I loved the effort Archer took to connect with Olive. They bonded over cooking and slowly Olive began to trust him. Iris never wanted to be a mother, but she was a natural taking care of Olive. The town also looked out for them having a small part in putting Archer and Iris together. It's a feel- good, cozy, HEA. I am excited for Annie and Mac's story next!

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 4/5 🌶️ open door, explicit

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harper 360, and Laurie Gilmore for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

This is the fourth book set in Dream Harbor, originally introduced to us in the internet famous, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. In this edition of the Hallmark Movie - ish series, we learn the romantic fate of Iris, who appears most recently as the main employee at The Christmas Tree Farm.

Out of work and out of a place to live, Iris meets grumpy, new single father Archer when he is new in town and in need of a full time nanny. Archer is a chef who is now forced to run a local diner and try to make pancakes that are not too fancy for the Dreamers. We all know where this is headed and we can expect some spicy love scenes along the way.

The Dream Harbor series is comfort food in book form. You read these for the same reason you watch fluffy christmas movies, they are calming and light and don't require much of you and you are never in doubt of the happy ending that is waiting for you.

✨🍓Thanks to Harper Collins Australia for providing me with an e-copy of “The Strawberry Patch Pancake House”, by Laurie Gilmore, for review ♥️✨

🥞What to expect:
Forced Proximity
Found Family
Single Dad
Slow Burn
Small Town

📖Summary:
Everything had been going exactly to plan for Chef, Archer Baer when a twist of fate sees him abandoning his life in France for the small town of Dream Harbor.

Suddenly, he’s balancing the demands of the quirky town’s unruly diner patrons with being a father to little Olive, who needs him now more than ever.

When free-spirited Iris steps into the role of live-in Nanny, Olive is thrilled. It seems like the perfect arrangement until the sizzling chemistry between Iris and Archer becomes apparent and the pair start to wonder if they have bitten off more than they can chew!


✏️My thoughts:
The Serotonin is heeeeereee! This book was the escape from reality that I so desperately needed right now. It’s equal parts funny and heartwarming, with an unhinged book club that I want to join immediately. The book left me with no doubt that Laurie Gilmore’s recipe for small town romance is flawless (and her thoughtful reflection on the story’s tropes in the acknowledgments section just made me love her work even more).

For me, life’s definitely batter at the Strawberry Patch Pancake House! (I said what I said!). 5 stars.

I love this series. This one was one of my favorite. The relationship between Olive and Iris was adorable. I love how the town "welcomed" the new chef to their diner. Perfect Hallmark story with some spice!

We’re back in Dream Harbor in the springtime! This time we’ve got world-renowned chef, Archer, who never planned on settling down in a small town. But for the time being, this is where he needs to be for his five-year-old daughter.

Then we’ve got Iris, who swiftly moves from job to job as the wind blows. But when she finds herself broke and needing a place to stay, a live-in nanny position seems like the answer.

🍓single dad
🍓nanny x chef
🍓small town vibes
🍓forced proximity

I loved this book! I have read all these books in the series and love each one more than the last. I loved the characters in this book - they had such a real life way of finding their way. I loved having characters from the other books pop up. And the ending had me crying!! I love this little family. I also LOVED the authors note at the end where she explained her inspiration - it made so much sense! Thank you SO much for the ARC!

🎉 Happy Pub Day Book Review

📖 The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
By @lauriegilmore_author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🥞 Pancakes
🏡 Small town
🧑🏻 Single dad
🧑🏻‍🍳chef
👩🏼Nanny
🫒 sweet Olive
💖He falls first
🐰 bunnies
🍓 strawberry festival
🎤 town meetings
🫂 forced proximity
☀️ grumpy sunshine
🔥 slow burn
🌶️ spicy

I love this small town series set in Dream Harbor. Such a cute, fun and light read. This one followed a single father who found out he had a five-year-old daughter when her mother passed away. She won’t talk to him at first but slowly starts to open up and it’s adorable watching all their relationships come together to find their family. I can’t wait to pick up my physical copy when I go to Barnes and Noble for my birthday haul!

Thank you @netgalley @harpercollins360 and @lauriegilmore_author for my ARC in advance for my honest review.

#happypubday #pubdaybookreview #thestrawberrypatchpancakehouse #lauriegilmore #dreamharbor #netgalley #harper360 #harpercollins360 #fourstarbookreview #slowburn #spicy #spicybooks #canva #strawberryfields #thebeatles #kindle

So this book was so cute, and I saw my husband as Archer! I loved this book, but I wanted to shake the sense into Iris about her kid phobia. She seemed so against it and little Olive seemed like the best girl! I loved seeing Kira again and how she supported Iris. I love this book and can't wait for the next wedding!!!

This book centers around Iris, a Dream Harbor resident, and Archer, a chef who just moved to town, after learning he has a 5 year old daughter he knew nothing about. His sudden life-shift means he needs to find a job in Dream Harbor, and will need a nanny to help take care of his daughter, Olive. Enter Iris, who is in need of a new job and a place to live, but is not good with children. She is very good with senior citizens however, and that seems to be enough for her to land the gig, as there are really no other options. As Archer and Iris navigate their new life taking care of Olive, will their forced close proximity lead to something more, or will it end in disaster? Additionally, if Archer gets custody of his daughter, will he decide to stay in Dream Harbor, or will he move back to Paris to continue on his quest to get a Michelin star?

THE STRAWBERRY PATCH PANCAKE HOUSE is a sweet and light-hearted romance that takes place in the charming small town of Dream Harbor. A famous chef finds out he's the father of five-year-old Olive and finds himself out of his depths and in desperate need of a nanny. Luckily, he comes across Iris, who may be what he and his daughter needs. The tropes of forced proximity and single dad make for a fun as Archer and Iris navigate living under the same roof while cooking up a lot of attraction between the two. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore is a cute, cozy, and romantic read. This is the fourth book in the Dream Harbor series and while you do not need to read them in order, you get glimpses of current events in the character's lives and relationships that were featured in the previous books. Its nice to get little updates. The cover art of the Dream Harbor series books always draws me in! The titles of the books in the Dream Harbor series are sweet and go perfectly with the stories.
This newest book follows the relationship between Archer and Iris. This is actually the first romance book I have read about a single dad. The story overall is well- written and relatable. The romance has a bit of spice and is not over the top. The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is an enjoyable, worthwhile quick read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Laurie Gilmore, and HarperCollins publishing for the ARC to read. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Absolutely loved this book!! I get so wrapped into any of the Dream Harbor books in the series because of the characters, small town community and spicy romance! I don't know what which book in the series is my favorite but I Really enjoyed this one!! I can't get enough of Laurie Gilmore. Looking forward to the next installment to the series!! Thank you Laurie Gilmore for writing these addicting and enjoyable books!! Cang wait to what's next in the near future

I love the dream Harbor series. It is definitely smut meets Hallmark. Iris is so fun and you can tell she’s a free spirit. She just looks at everything in life in a positive attitude. Archer was a great MMC. He starts out this grumpy guy who’s had his entire life turned upside down by fighting out he had a five-year-old daughter that was left to him when her mom died. This hits so many fun little tropes: boss/ nanny, he falls first, single dad just to name a few. This series is definitely one to add to your TBR.

𝑮𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 😂 😂
𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 🔥🔥
𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

✮✮✮✮.25

“He didn’t need to be striving and striving all the time. He could be home cooking for the people he loved.”

Wow, this book was simply amazinggg!! As someone who loves kids in books this was definitely up my alley. I’m so thankful to have gotten the ARC of this book through Net Galley!!

At the start of the book I was definitely a little skeptical about Archer and how he would deal with his daughter but as the book progressed I simply fell in love with them.

There were so many scenes in this book where I was just giggling and smiling. My favorite scenes were definitely the ones where Archer was able to get through Olive, even if it was just making her smile a little. I also loved how Iris came into their lives and helped them.

The romance was simply adorable. Even with all the troubles that they had throughout the book they were able to communicate and work things out. Archer and Iris now have a little piece of my heart!!

Lastly, I loveddd how Laurie Gilmore incorporated the cooking scenes throughout the book. They were so much fun to read about and were some of my favorite scenes!!

*The Strawberry Patch Pancake House* is the perfect blend of warmth, humor, and heart. With a single dad, a quirky and lovable heroine, and a small-town setting that feels like home, this story is as comforting as a stack of pancakes on a Sunday morning. Archer and Iris have undeniable chemistry, and their journey from hesitant housemates to something more is full of tender moments, laugh-out-loud banter, and just the right amount of spice. The found-family dynamic adds an extra layer of charm, making this a perfect pick for fans of cozy, feel-good romances. If you love small-town stories with a side of sizzling attraction and heartfelt emotion, this book is a must-read!

I have to say, I think this installment is by far the best one in the Dream Harbor series! I'm also generally a sucker for the single dad/nanny trope.

This was the best yet in the series, IMO. I, too, am not always a big fan of children appearing in a romance but Olive is such a dear little girl that you are hoping for a happy ending for her more than anyone. Of course, there's a formula but Gilmore does a great job of drawing you in and making you feel like you're part of this very Hallmark lovely town that you don't really care. Loved it! So cute! Oh, and the pancakes! Hilarious!

Received a free arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I thought it was a cute little single father, nanny romance moment. Had me laughing and a few times even had some tears in my eyes. I didn’t read the other books but now ima need to get them all because I adored this. A must read for sure.