★★★★ Romancing the Grump by Jenny Proctor, A Sweet, Hockey Romantic Comedy
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC e-copy of this book from the author. 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.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
He’s a grump and happy to stay that way. But can her sunshine melt the ice around his heart?
Nathan Sanders didn't earn his reputation as the grouchiest player on the Appies hockey team by chance. So when Summer Callahan breezes into his life with her flirtatious smiles and endless charm, he responds like he always does: he completely ignores her.
But Summer is intrigued by the surly defenseman, so when a viral social media post requires her to step in and fake it as Nathan's girlfriend, she jumps at the chance. She's convinced the ones with the hardest shells are often the softest underneath, and she's determined to prove it.
But Nathan doesn't crack so easily. Despite their obvious chemistry, he makes his lack of interest in a relationship—any relationship—perfectly clear. But the longer they pretend, the less fake everything seems, and the more Summer starts to fall.
She can only hope her fake relationship doesn't lead to real heartbreak.
Romancing the Grump is a closed door, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating hockey romcom with heart and humor, sizzle but no spice. Perfect for fans of sports romance who want a little less heat.
MY REVIEW: ★★★★ 4/5 Stars
This was a cute, fun and swoony read with flirty banter and charming characters!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Hockey Team/Brotherhood
She Falls First (or does she?)
Grumpy/Sunshine
Broody, Cinnamon Roll Hero
Fake Dating
I loved the chemistry between Summer and Nathan from the very start. Nathan's silent, grouchy behavior and Summer's bright, bold personality gives them excellent balance for the first part of this story. It was really sweet to watch their relationship unfold and grow into something more.
I enjoyed the fake relationship for the sake of the team's social media and Nathan's reputation. I also loved the brotherhood between him and his teammates, with appearances from past characters that I adored in previous books. The traveling team aspect was creative and allowed for a refreshing change of scenery in the story. As always, Jenny Proctor delivered well-rounded characters that are multi-layered and personable, making them easy to like and, of course, cheer for. In addition, she included scenes that made me laugh out loud. I smiled my way through most of the book!
While I loved the story, I did find the author's use of mild swearing to border on too frequent for my personal taste in a sweet romcom (Her normal 2-5 uses increased to 12).
Overall, a great story and one that is sure to trend among the hockey/sports team theme books!
Content + Trigger Notes:
Rated PG. Kissing only. Mild swearing - uses included words of d---n, h---l, a-s, d----t.
