When You Knew

Ian Crawford, an insufferable do-gooder who travels the world to bring aid in the wake of disasters, accidentally upends his life when he takes a job as a temporary nanny for wealthy Gentry Cabot in the tedious third installment of the Cabots contemporary romance series. When Gentry’s infant son has an ear infection, she assumes the child will be barred from day care for weeks, and asks Ian to take over his care. Ian’s humanitarian mission is depicted as laudable, but it’s poorly described—he doesn’t seem to be affiliated with any particular organization—and his constant judgment of Gentry’s life and choices makes him eminently unlikable. Gentry’s flightiness and persecution complex are understandable given her terrible family, but readers will still wish she’d grow up a bit. The plot lags as the two circle and snipe at one another while supposedly falling in love, and the end, when it finally arrives, brings more relief than satisfaction. The full cast of unpleasant characters along with a tepid romance make for an exhausting reading experience. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (June)