Finding Southern Comfort (Windy City Romance #0.5)

After graduating from design school, Harper Kirkpatrick couldnt find a job. Needing to earn some money so she wouldnt get evicted, she got a temporary position working as being the entertainment for children’s parties. That was working fine for her, until her boss sent her to entertain at a bachelor party. They expected a stripper which she was not. Even dressed in a Catwoman suit she couldnt pull it off. It didnt take long for the host to realize she wasnt experienced and send her on her way.

Single father Cameron Bennett is a wealthy architect who works long hours restoring buildings in Savannah. Needing a nanny for his 4-year-old daughter, Bella, and help for his housekeeper, he places an ad. Harper is desperate for money so she applies even though she doesnt have any experience with children. Imagine her shock when her interview is at the very house where she messed up at the bachelor party. She had to go in because she couldnt pass up the chance to make the money the job was offering and it came with an apartment. She was thrilled to get the job. But could she take care of the little girl?

I really liked this book. Even though Harper was wacky in her dress and behaviour, she had a good heart. I liked her a lot. Harper was wonderful with Bella. Bella clearly had issues, proven in her eating disorder. But Harper patiently worked with her on this. Cameron was a surprise. His earlier life was waaaay different from his current, wealthy one. Not everyone in this story was wonderful, though. Like Camerons girlfriend, Kimmy. She was someone you couldnt help dislike.

Even though the ending was a bit fast, I liked the way things turned out in this heartwarming book.

We are introduced to Harper Kirkpatrick when she shows up to deliver a performance at a childs birthday party, wearing a catsuit aka Catwomanonly she was sent to perform at a bachelor party for some very drunk guys. Except for Cameron Bennett. Hes stone cold sober. Cameron quickly recognizes that something is not right with the dancer that was hired for the bachelor party but Harper vainly tries to pull off a performance. It doesnt go so well and Cameron escorts her out. Fast forward a bit and Harper applies for a nanny position at, yep, you guessed it: Camerons home for his little girl! Their story truly is all about the dance they do to keep their distance from one another and how they try to help little Bella. Bella will make you smile, make you shake your head, and break your heart all at the same time. The author did a great job writing Bellas character and I really enjoyed how the three seemed to work thru their problems. Loved, loved, loved Camerons staff they have sneaky senses of humor that I really enjoyed. And Kimmy, Camerons girlfriend? Hooboy! And Harpers best friend in Savannah? Its wonderful to have a friend like him. Great read I read it straight thru in an evening but it IS book length. I just stayed up later than I should have. I cant wait to read about the rest of the Windy City gal pals!

This should have been a really good story but I agree that the southern colloquialisms were over the top. Im gonna disagree that a 4 yr old would have that level of maturity and most likely would not be able to develop the eating issues that she did in the way that she did. Children at the age of 2 are more likely to develop bathroom issues. Its like my mom always said hell eat when hes hungry so that whole line was just silly. Everything was resolved way too quickly. I wont be continuing. As an aside, I dont know that fashion design requires studying architectural design so that was off for me as well.

The only thing more embarrassing than finding that her gig was at a bachelors’ party instead of a kiddies event, was finding herself back at the same address applying for a job as a nanny. However, one look at the little girl Bella, tells Harper that she is exactly where she needs to be. At first glance, Harper and Cameron are a mismatched pair, but as they find common ground, they are in fact more in tune with one another than one would have thought. This gentle romance touches the heart on more than one level as Cameron and Harper combine forces in trying to break through Bella’s reserve to discover what is holding her back from eating. It speaks of brokenness, a divided family and unresolved issues that need to be confronted. Harper is exactly what the small family needs and as she befriends both father and daughter, her unconventional personality brings hope and healing. I enjoyed this well-written novel and found myself becoming immersed in the lives of the characters, feeling for them and trusting that they would find the solution each needed. This is a tender romance that touched my heart.

I almost didn’t read this free book because I read the low-star reviews first, but although it slides past some real issues, it’s still a good story. The main problem I think is that it’s set in the South but supposedly about the heroine’s Chicago family, and while the interactions are referred to, there isn’t enough of a “Windy City” base established first – maybe needs a prequel?

As I mentioned in the comments-section of one of the one-star reviews, I agree that it’s not realistic that the little girl’s eating problem was not taken seriously by anybody; I can’t believe that a licensed “therapist” would not have insisted on medical involvement, or that the preschool would not be legally required to at least notify CPS about the situation. (The celebrity “pop-psychologist” girlfriend could have made a lot of trouble about it, too; she was all about her publicity, so I can’t believe she’d have missed that!)

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