Review: "The Nanny and the Hothead" by Krista Sandor

The Nanny and the Hothead by Krista Sandor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"The Nanny and the Hothead" by Krista Sandor, book #2 of the Nanny Love Match series, was a laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and heartwarming story with the perfect complement of steam. Characters from the previous book in the series make appearances in this one too, but it reads as a standalone.

To say that aspiring photographer Charlotte Ames is having a run of bad luck might be something of an understatement. She's recently lost both of her jobs as a waitress and a "photographer's assistant" (read: pretend mermaid for children's parties), is facing eviction from her apartment because the building is going condo, and has less than $10 remaining in her bank account. Adding insult to injury, her former professor/photography idol just told her that none of her photographs are good enough to submit with her application to the 2-week intensive photography workshop in London that Charlotte dreams of attending. She advises Charlotte to "go back to the beginning" and figure out why she wanted to become a photographer in the first place. In need of a way to support herself in the meantime, Charlotte reluctantly accepts an offer from nanny matchmaker Madelyn Malone for a placement with one of her clients. Both Charlotte and the client, celebrity chef Mitch Elliott, are shocked to discover that they already know each other; until recently, Charlotte was a waitress in Mitch's restaurant, and her departure was quite memorable given that she threw a salad at his head on the way out the door.

Mitch's career tanked after an angry outburst was captured on camera, but he has one last chance for a comeback if he can deliver the first draft of a new cookbook to his publisher in 60 days. The problem is that he doesn't have a clue where to start on the project, and his personal life has been upended by unexpectedly having to take full custody of his son, 6-year-old Oscar. He desperately needs help, and shockingly, Charlotte turns out to be the perfect candidate. If only he didn't secretly find her so attractive...

Charlotte and Mitch were both incredibly relatable, endearing characters, and I loved them together. I admired Charlotte tremendously for managing to keep hope alive and remain positive in the face of so much adversity. Aside from a successful career in photography, she just wanted to find love (her "Mr. Cheesy Forever") after a lifetime of neglect by her parents and a series of terrible boyfriends. The only people she could ever really rely on were her three best friends, Penny, Harper, and Libby. As for Mitch, beneath his angry, grumpy exterior was a big, tender heart, and I loved the way he slowly opened up to Charlotte and his son and let himself love them.

Overall, I adored "The Nanny and the Hothead" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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