Eloise and the Grump Next Door, A Sweet Romantic Comedy by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor | A Mini Book Review
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advanced reader e-copy of this book from the authors. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
I’m not sure which is worse--the lawyer handling my grandmother’s estate or the attack pelican living on the screened-in porch. Just kidding--I’ll take the pelican any day.
After graduation, I thought I’d be off to grad school, doing research on my favorite poet. Instead, I’m renovating my late grandmother’s home and posting about the process on Instagram. Talk about a detour …
But here I am. Turning Gran’s beach house into a bed and breakfast--a process that would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to deal with the grumpy lawyer living next door. It doesn’t help that the night Jake and I met, I got a little tipsy, and he had to carry me back to my hotel.
But the longer I stay on Oakley Island, the more I feel a connection to my childhood and to my grandmother. This isn’t the life I dreamed of, but dreams can change. Especially when new dreams include a future with Jake. On the outside, he might be pricklier than a puffer fish, but I catch glimpses of a delicious, cinnamon roll center.
Did I mention the tattoos he hides underneath those crisp button-down shirts? Yowza.
When I’m suddenly presented with the academic opportunity of my dreams (former dreams?), my picturesque life on Oakley starts to unravel.
A part of me wants to stay. If only a certain tattooed grump didn’t seem so determined to send me away …
Eloise and The Grump Next Door is a grumpy sunshine, closed door romantic comedy. The Oakley Island Romcom series follows three very different sisters as they renovate the house they inherited and find love on the island along the way. Each book will have sizzling chemistry but no spice.
MY REVIEW: ★★★★★/5
A collaborative from two super-talented romcom authors? Yes, please!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Small beachside town · Swoony Romance · Bumbling, brilliant heroine · Grumpy lawyer with a tender side · A pelican who lives on a porch · Age gap trope · Nosy neighbors and townspeople
This story couldn’t have been more fun to read! I devoured it. I was hooked from the first few moments between Eloise and Jake. I laughed out loud, found the characters to be incredibly relatable and enjoyed the small town vibes. The story line was creative and kept me thoroughly engaged. The push/pull between the characters was perfect and created just the right amount of angst. Plus, the secondary characters were great!
Content Notes For This Book (Not the entire series):
Main Character Age: Low-mid twenties plus early thirties
Romance: Clean - detailed kissing, touches and embraces, a scene in which the heroine loses a bathing suit (no details and no contact)
Profanity: None
Violence: None
Negative: None
Spiritual: None
Alcohol: Alcohol consumption and inebriation, light
Potential Triggers: Death of a loved one.
Summary:
Sweet, clean and funny! This is a definite recommendation from me and I can’t wait for more from these two authors, together!
