Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Oh my how I couldn't wait to read this sequel to The Nanny Diaries! I just loved The Nanny Diaries when I read it back in 2003, and a few years later, I moved 1200 miles from home to be a nanny, so when I heard a sequel was coming out I was thrilled to receive a copy.

The story returns with Nan Hutchinson who is married to "Harvard Hottie", aka Ryan, and has recently moved back to the U.S. (NYC to be exact) after traveling all over the world for her husband's job. She is finally glad to be back, although their house renovation project keeps her from actually living in her new home. What she is also glad to have is the start of an HR consulting business, and friends from long ago. Well...what she thinks are friends (really a bunch of snobs).

Then bam - one day Grayer shows up at her door, and hence...the return of "Nan-eh!" and the X family. Except Grayer is now a disturbed teenager with a kid brother. Who is in need of some serious help and guidance as his parents are off making messes of their own lives. When Mrs. X asks Nan to help Stilton, Grayer's kid brother, with some school projects, she agrees.

Only you just know that once she says yes...

Pretty soon, Nan is the only worthy female figure in Stilton's life (and Grayer's too, but he seems to have it out for her). I couldn't believe some of the things Nan ended up doing for the X boys because of their folks...first of all, she stood in for Mrs. X so Stilton could get into a prestigious school, she helped the boys as their life unraveled when their parents split up, she took the boys into her care for a week - a week! - when Mrs. X was "off receiving cancer treatments" that didn't turn out to be cancer at all, and Mr. X couldn't deal after the truth came out about his investment firm being so far in the hole and his famous actress-fiance left him. Whew!

All the while, Nan's husband was absent working, pressuring her to have a baby, all of her friends were actually having babies, and her consulting project required her to become a little too familiar to Grayer's life at a prep school. And all the teenage shenanigans that came with that. As shocked as I was to read about some of the activites in which the teens were partaking, I really shouldn't be so surprised. It was NYC after all.

In the end, Nan realized what a great mother she would make as she considered asking Mrs. X for custody of the 2 boys. And after having it out with Grayer, her husband came home and she felt content again. Happily ever after, right? Or will there be another one?

*Disclaimer: I received this novel from Kathleen at Simon & Schuster.