The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore is the fourth book in the Dream Harbor series. Although it’s part of a series, all of the novels in the series can be read as a standalone story.
At the time of publishing this guide, this story was available on Kindle Unlimited.
Here’s more about the book, along with our free Dirty Dozen downloadable discussion question guide for your spicy book club.
Book description
As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.
Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction.
Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a cozy romantic mystery with a single dad and found family dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House book club discussion guide
**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS DISCUSSION QUESTION GUIDE MIGHT INCLUDE SPOILERS**
We’ve provided the Dirty Dozen below; twelve spicy and intriguing questions to spark discussion and help you uncover the spine-tingling depths of the story.
The Dirty Dozen
Foreplay – Warm Up Questions
1. What’s the overall spice level? 1 (Not Spicy) – 10 (Spiciest Thing I’ve Ever Read)?
2. How does the spice level compare to the other books we’ve read together?
3. Whew! Archer is thrown straight into the fire when he learns the truth about Olive. Have you ever had a life-altering moment that shifted your entire trajectory in one breath?
The Spicy Bits – Gettin’ Down and Dirty with the Plot
4. Cate kept Olive’s existence from Archer. Even if her reasoning came from love, was it an unforgivable betrayal—or a mother’s right to protect her child?
5. Iris calls herself “curlicues, not straight lines.” Do you see yourself as the messy, winding type, or do you crave neatness and order? How does that play out in your own relationships?
6. The town’s pushback against pancakes feels stubborn and a little absurd. Is it really about flapjacks, or about the deeper fear of change and losing tradition?
7. Iris learned from her mother that “romantic love is fleeting, but sex is fun while it lasts.” Do you agree, or do you think she was sold a lie? What lessons (good or toxic) did you inherit from your own parents about love?
8. Everyone has a dream pancake, so what’s yours? Are you a plain-stack-with-syrup person, or do you want decadent, over-the-top creations that melt into indulgence? And if your favorite thing to top is your partner, what toppings would you choose for a perfect sweet treat?
9. Who really changed Archer: Olive, by grounding him in fatherhood, or Iris, by tempting him with a messy, beautiful new life? Or was it both, in different ways?
10. Let’s talk tropes: kids in romance can divide readers. Do you love the single dad angle? Does nanny-meets-dad work for you, or does it feel tired? And, be honest, do you secretly like the breeding-kink energy that sometimes sneaks in?
11. Do you think Iris was right to leave like she did? Or could it have hurt Olive even more after the loss of her mom?
Aftercare – Final Thoughts
12. That ending – turning the diner into a pancake house where everyone has their own signature dish. Did it feel like a sweet resolution, or a too-neat bow? What did it symbolize to you about community and chosen family?
Bonus: What questions do you have for the author? If you could dog-ear a page with a question for the author, what would it be?
Please feel free to use this post as a starting point for your spicy book club discussion questions and use the comments below to share your thoughts and insights about the book. You can also get a free downloadable copy of the discussion guide using the button below.
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