Tag: grumpy/sunshine

REVIEW: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

REVIEW: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Petunia DeVere loves her job. But she never imagined being a personal assistant for a young royal-by-marriage to be as… complicated as it’s been. Her charge is a well-intentioned klutz who seems to be a magnet for trouble. And somehow she always ends up in the crosshairs.

One bit of that trouble comes from the tabloids – rumors that he’s having an affair with Pet. So the palace’s solution is to make it look like Pet is already in a relationship – with the bodyguard.

Pet tried to strike up a friendship with the brooding security professional, but she could never crack through his stoic, by-the-book approach to everything. But now they’ll have to figure out how to pretend to be “more than coworkers.” And Pet’s not sure they can ever be convincing at that.

Review

As soon as I realized this was a fake dating story, I bought it. It’s my favorite trope. And in this case it was even more fun than usual because the only people they were lying to was the public and the tabloids. It was theatre more than subterfuge which scaled back a lot of the relational angst that sometimes shows up in fake dating stories.

The angst gap was then filled by all of the ridiculous – and serious – situations their boss kept creating. I laughed SO much! And not just at the wild scenarios. The writing here is just super clever and so funny! I was impressed with the author’s ability to have me cackling one moment and tearing up the next. I had all the feels in this – and I loved it.

I loved the characters in this. It’s exactly the sort of grumpy/sunshine pairing I like – and that’s not a trope I seek out. But here you get point-of-view pieces from both characters so you know what Matthias is really thinking all along. You get to watch them both fall for the other – and it was so fun and sweet.

I don’t love food-based stories, so I skipped book one in this series, Battle Royal. But I had no issues following this without having read book one. I highly recommend this one – it was a fun read! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

 

REVIEW: Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

REVIEW: Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Laurel never planned on lying. Yes, her life was in total disarray. And she desperately needed a job. But she clearly stated in her interview that she ran social media for Meadow Rose Farm. Her boss made the assumption that it was her farm. But when she could have corrected him, she didn’t.

She *really* needed that job.

And so far it’s worked out. Her twin sister, Holly, and her husband, Darius, do own the farm. So Laurel writes her pieces about what HOLLY does – just in first person.

But now her boss has invited himself to Christmas Eve Eve at the farm. And while Holly is happy to help with the subterfuge for Laurel’s sake, she’s not willing to sacrifice Darius to the cause. So they’ve invited Max Beckett to play Laurel’s husband. Too bad she hates the man.

Review

This absolutely has those Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. And I was here for it! This was so fun to read! I adore fake relationship stories – although the “be my date to all the things so my relatives leave me alone” style usually involves less outright lying than this did. But I loved Laurel and her whole family. And Max was my favorite sort of grump – you know there’s depth there. The “sunshine” just has to slow down and give him a chance.

Yes, the inevitable disaster was as painful as you can imagine. But the resolution was also all I had hoped for. I can’t recommend this highly enough. This should appeal to Hallmark fans, grumpy/sunshine fans, fake relationship fans, fans of the author’s other books, as well as everyday romantic comedy fans. Do not miss this one! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher

REVIEW: Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases February 7th.]

Summary

At one time, Rose Maxwell was the Prima-apparent, training to take over from her grandmother one day. But when her sister Vi finally came into her magic (Not the Witch You Wed – ♥♥♥♥½), she became the heir. While Rose has been enjoying her freedom, she had been training to be Prima most of her life. And Rose is still trying to figure out what this means for her future.

When a well-intentioned animal rescue mission goes awry, Rose finds herself doing community service at the animal rescue which means working with the sexy – and grouchy – Damian Adams, a half-demon veterinarian. After a brief hook up weeks ago, Rose hasn’t been able to get Damian out of her head. But Rose is NOT looking for a relationship. And Damian is too infuriating to ever be a romantic possibility. So Rose is just going to clock her hours and then have nothing to do with the sexy vet ever again.

Review

This was fun! It took me a little longer to warm up to this than it did for book one, which I adored. (It was one of my top 10 reads in 2022.) Grumpy/Sunshine is not a trope I usually seek out, and the “half-demon” aspect of this put me on my guard. For me, there’s a line in the world of paranormal fantasy for what is harmless fun and what starts to push the horror/occultish side. But this remained on the fun side. I fell for Rose and Damian, and I really enjoy the world-building and community in this series.

The fantasy/paranormal elements here are secondary to the solid romantic story. He has history and is sure he can only share his bed, never his heart. She’s not looking for forever but finds it anyway in an unexpected place. The magical elements were icing on the cake – I love a magical setting!

Readers could start the series here – the story stands on its own. But you will want to pick up book 1 to get Vi’s story while we wait for book 3. And that will be a must-read for me. This book does some nice set up work for the next story – and I am here for it!

Grumpy/Sunshine fans, series fans, and paranormal romance fans should not miss this one! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

REVIEW: Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

Cranky Chicken inadvertently saves a worm and finds herself with an unexpected, chipper friend.

As I said recently in another review, when it comes to books for adults, I don’t usually seek out the Grumpy/Sunshine trope. But when it comes to kids books, I love it! This reminds me a lot of Piggie and Gerald books or Ballet Cat in all the best ways. This made me laugh out loud more than once. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.