virgoreader

★★★★ "One night in a snowstorm..." two people who have been hiding their crushes give in - age gap, kids, forbidden status be damned.

Every time I get in the mood for a "single parent trope" I reach for this book. There's something so adorable to me about a book with a single father who has primary custody of his kids and tries so hard to be better for them. I just wish the cover did them justice because I picture Mack as a huge, burly guy who's got longish hair (or at least not a shaved head) and is going salt and pepper.

This book has so many of my favorite tropes: it's forced proximity and a workplace romance two times over because Frannie is the nanny for Mack's three daughters. It's also kind of "off limits" because she's the bosses daughter, and over a decade his junior (hello, age gap!). And of course, it's single parent because Mack and his wife is divorced (she doesn't appear in person in the book, so no other woman drama). 

The setting of Cloverleigh Farms (Frannie's family business) is so lush. It's a small town romance but even more isolated since it's a restaurant / wedding venue / kind of hotel. 

I almost want to say it has the vibes of a Hallmark movie, which is strange because I don't even enjoy Hallmark movies. But I think people who are fans tune into them because they know there are warm fuzzies guaranteed, and a low angst plot line - both of which this book has. Melanie Harlow does contemporary, low angst books so well.

When the book opens we quickly find out there's been some mutual pining. Mack has a crush on Frannie, but won’t act on it because she’s young, he doesn’t think he has anything to offer her, and she’s the bosses daughter. 

Then one night in a snow storm… 

This book is adorable. And the conflict felt very real, because it was all about Mack’s insecurities. Could he give Frannie a life she deserved? The time she deserved? If you like single parent romances this one is definitely worth a try.