"Mr. Smithfield" was a funny, sweet, and heartwarming age gap romance between grumpy lawyer Gabriel Chase, single dad to 4-year-old Bethany, and sunshine Autumn Lumen, Bethany's new live-in nanny and the sister-in-law of Gabriel's best friend Dex. I really liked that neither of them tried too hard to resist their feelings for each other or had to "seduce" the other; they acted like adults, acknowledged the possible challenges and risks if they chose to pursue a relationship, and decided to move forward anyway. At first, they took things day by day and tried not to think about the future, but their relationship never felt like a fling to me. They opened up and shared parts of themselves that they usually kept hidden. I also liked that they didn't lie about the relationship or try very hard to keep it a secret. They were private about it in the beginning, but when asked directly, they didn't deny what was happening. It was truly refreshing to read a forbidden/age gap story in which the characters didn't spend half the book angsting over how "wrong" the relationship was and what their friends and family would think if/when they found out what was going on!
In addition to Autumn and Gabriel's relationship, the story itself was quite compelling and made it difficult for me to put the book down. There were several unexpected twists and turns in the second half and I couldn't wait to find out how they would navigate those challenges. Above all else, I loved how devoted Gabriel was to his daughter and how he prioritized spending time with her.
I highly recommend "Mr. Smithfield" and look forward to whatever Louise Bay writes next.
*Review copy provided by the author via Candi Kane PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Mr. Smithfield"
Wanted: American nanny for an adorable four-year old. Must be able to handle a moody, brooding, sexy British boss.
I'm a single father, a lawyer and some say the most serious man in London. I'm completely focused on raising my four-year-old daughter.
Since my wife walked out three years ago, the only woman who has ever caught my eye is the strictly off-limits sister-in-law of my best friend, Autumn Lumen.
But temptation is easy to resist because Autumn is only visiting London from Oregon.
Until she moves to London. The nanny quits. And she's the only woman for the job.
Mr. Smithfield is a stand-alone romance.
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