Basically, I loved this book. Like, loved with a capital L. It’s one I’m going to be thinking about for a long time. I am concluding this review with a promise that my new mission in life is to get a written promise that Jessica not only never stops writing books, but that she always sends them to me as soon as she can. (Once she gets out of emotional jail. Do you think she would succumb to a power play where I offer her a nail file in return for this written agreement?) When Cassie is laid off from the job she loves, she has to look for a new gig. The perfect one materializes when she sees an ad for a nanny and meets the charming father of her new would-be charge. Aiden is more than handsome, a busy chef at a Michelin starred restaurant who is grappling with the challenges of single fatherhood. Cassie is the best candidate he’s met, and she takes the job. It’s only after she’s moved in and started work that Cassie realizes Aiden used to watch her OnlyFans. Not only that, but their digital relationship was pretty intimate. When their relationship starts to steam up in real life, Cassie has to find a way not just to be honest, but to be brave.

I loved this book, and it’s a particularly impressive début. The story is tight and well-written, the protagonists feel anchored and don’t fall into archetypes, and the emotional stakes are high. I loved Cassie and Aiden, who are both dealing with a lot and have needs not being met. Aiden is emotionally vulnerable, due to being new to single fatherhood, and feeling like he doesn’t have anything to offer a partner. He feels insecure about being a good dad to Sophie, especially due to the fact that his job is incredibly demanding. Cassie came from a loveless home and she’s had to work to support herself since age eighteen, which makes it hard for her to be open with another person. She’s empathetic and caring, but has a hard time accepting love, which makes sense for her character. While the story is told exclusively from present day, each chapter begins with snippets of Aiden and Cassie's anonymous online relationship, when he was paying for the privilege to watch her... ah, play with "toys," if you will. Aiden is a chef who is married to his job, so it was easy to see how his loneliness could lead him to getting a little carried away with a masked beauty online. That certainly added some extra tension and history to the relationship, especially once Cassie realizes the connection. It also makes sense why they connected so easily over the physical side of things in present day, though I think I would've preferred for them to connect emotionally in present day before realizing that they are extremely compatible in the bedroom. That would've been stronger to me, but the way things play out makes this a super sexy read. I also think it was a missed opportunity not to have them connect more emotionally, since Aiden does have so much work to do on himself. He's struggling as a single dad, he's struggling with work, and he's pushing his daughter's aunt away. So there was a lot of potential to dig in deeper there, and that didn't really happen. That being said, I loved the light and sexy vibes. It's a smile-inducing, feel good read much of the time, paired with tons of heat. And I've got no complaints about that! So this ended up being a very solid read for me, but there were too many missed opportunities for me to call it 5 stars. Outside of the main couple, I love how well Ruby balanced the transition of one series to another while not letting the new details overshadow the couple at hand! There were so many new things to get excited about for the future that we saw in this book, but it never took away from the sweet, sweet satisfaction of finally seeing precious baby R'Jaal (with a surprisingly dirty mouth (praise, Ruby)) get his happily ever after.

From the moment we met R'Jaal on the island and saw him making sad eyes because Marisol didn't resonate to him—I knew I was not going to get any rest until I saw him get happiness. It was a long wait, but boy was it worth it. Rosalind was everything R'Jaal needed, and R'Jaal is the definition of "it's always the quiet ones". (THANK GOD.) There was that staple translation error human between sweet baby R'Jaal and Rosalind (poor babies will just never understand slang) and the romance that blossomed between them was so sweet and scorching hot.

Also Lana is one of the funniest authors I’ve ever talking to & I am so glad I got to meet her through this book & give her all my updates while reading 🫶🫶 I love this book so much! Main characters were incredible! I became a big fan of Wanda! And I loved Sophie so much, totally agreed with her Encanto obsession and not to talk about Bruno! Also, this was a book about a chef that doesn’t cook for her once in the whole book. He does repeatedly ruin pancakes though, because he inexplicably can’t manage to get that right. And I’m convinced the author has never met a human child.

See a Problem?

Smart, fun, sexy, and sizzling with romantic tension, TheNanny is a mouthwateringly delicious take on second chances with a healthy dash of steam.I can’t wait for more from Lana Ferguson!”—Sara Desai, author of The Singles Table The sexual tension between Aiden and Cassie is like the most decadent chocolate and the payoff is definitely rewarding. It left me hot and bothered. If you're looking for a swoon-worthy romance that'll make your love butterflies flutter, this is the one!