Grumpy the Bear by Marika Ray

 

Title: Grumpy the Bear

Series: Bluebell Band of Brothers #1

Author: Marika Ray

Genre: Small Town Romantic Comedy

Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Single Dad, Enemies to Lovers

Release Date: June 8, 2023

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My review:

Spice: ¾

Grumpy hero.  Sunshiny heroine. Small-town romance.  Sign me up!  This was everything I expected plus more. 

After an injury at work, Gannon is starting over in a new town building a glump camp.  New to the parenting thing, he was trying to build his camp with his five-year-old daughter tagging alongside. 

Paisley is stuck at home after an injury and her neighbor is disturbing her peace.  She finds herself agreeing to help her sexy but grumpy neighbor with his daughter, Elise.  Can Paisley and Gannon survive being neighbors?

The humor and witty banter between Gannon and Paisley hooked me from the beginning and kept me reading until the end. I loved watching Gannon’s grumpy layers slowly get peeled away to reveal what a big-hearted teddy bear he really was. His daughter Elise was so adorable, and he was such a great dad.  I loved seeing Gannon and Paisley’s slow-burning romance grow as they came to know each other.  This book was full of fun and flirty banter and will leave you smiling at the end.  It is the perfect book for the summer.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

He’s a tattooed, blue-eyed jerk who has no business being a single dad. He’s also my next-door neighbor, and after negotiations, my grumpy employer for the summer.

I don’t put up with cocky males normally and I certainly won’t put up with that man making noise at all hours of the day and night while he builds his glamp-ground. I offer advice, but the stubborn fool just turns his tractor on to drown me out. He returns the favor by pushing my buttons and making me so angry I can’t see straight. And I really want to be able to see his gorgeous body in those well-worn jeans and backward hat.

Amidst the verbal warfare, I discover he’s hiding scars from a recent accident. I also find out his light eyes heat up to a smoldering icy gray when I give as good as I get. Makes me want to see just how far I can push him and what he’ll do when he boils over.

Gannon’s been dealt a rough hand in life, and when I find a way under that gruff—and stupidly handsome—exterior, I find that maybe he’s not Grumpy the Bear as I nicknamed him, but instead just a teddy bear.

I pulled the hat off his head so I could see his eyes. I needed to see them when I asked this question, even though it wasn’t the question I wanted to ask. What I really wanted to say was that I needed more than just a physical release from him every now and again. I wanted to be with this man for real. I didn't care if we were neighbors or that I was currently the nanny for his daughter.

“You’re not playing fair, cowboy.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “You can’t just play a song for a girl on your guitar and not put out. It just isn’t done.”

Understanding dawned. “You need more of those orgasms, Pearse?”

I tilted my head and went for what I wanted. “I need sex, cowboy. Sweaty, physical, blow-my-mind sex. I don’t want to walk straight tomorrow.”

Gannon groaned, dropping his head to my shoulder.

Let's see if my grumpy neighbor could ignore me now...

Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author of steamy and sweet RomComs, spending her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking any beach she can find, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll smile at least once with every book.

More information can be found at www.marikaray.com

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