An enemies-to-lovers / sports / grumpy-sunshine / neighbor romance
I, Tillie Jean Rock, am not in love with my brother’s teammate. Sure, he might have those biceps and that “I am the grouchiest of grouchy bears” smolder, and he might shovel snow off his driveway next door wearing nothing but boxer shorts and rubber boots, and he might be running a side business feeding all the stray goats in town, but studliness is only skin-deep.
And I might flirt with him every chance I get, but I swear it’s only to annoy my brother.
And him.
Because Max Cole?
Under all of those glorious muscles and chiseled cheekbones and searing glares beats the heart of a heartless devil.
I could no sooner fall in love with a guy who treats me like a kid, and judges me at every opportunity, and sets an army of garden gnomes loose on my yard, than I could fall in love with my grandfather’s pet parrot.
But I can definitely annoy him. I can one hundred percent get on board with annoying him.
That’s what you do when you don’t like your neighbor, right?
But you know what they say about love and hate…
It’s a very thin line.
Especially when the real reason I’m not in love with Max Cole—that he’s incapable of love—might not be true at all.
The Grumpy Player Next Door is a fun-filled enemies-to-lovers romcom featuring a ray of sunshine on a mission, an athlete who’s only grouchy around her, and an epic prank gone wrong. It stands alone and comes complete with small-town shenanigans, a goat who’s not nearly as wise as his name suggests, and proof that sometimes, love is the best kind of vengeance.
Review:
Another super fun, sparkly (literally, LOL) rom com from Pippa Grant! The Grumpy Player Next Door is a grumpy-sunshine romance with a touch of forbidden thrown in there (she’s his BFF/coworker’s little sister, and Cooper’s already had one player traded off the team after he slept with his little sister).
And glitter. So. Much. Glitter. Just when you think you’ve seen as much glitter as you’re going to see, THERE’S MORE.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you 😉
Though it does take forever for Tillie Jean and Max to finally get together, Ms Grant keeps things interesting with stolen kisses, half-naked snowball fights (one of them is properly attired, the other is in boxer shorts–don’t ask), epic prank wars, renegade goats, and a potty-mouthed parrot so that you almost don’t notice. (This is a lie. You totally notice. But you’re almost entertained enough that you don’t mind…much.) When they do get together, it’s all kinds of fun–even though it takes a whole other dose of forever (and an incident) for them to go public.
But then you get a black moment, reconciliation/grand gesture, HEA and epilogue in relatively short order, and I dare you to try to get the goofy grin off of your face that they’ll all (OK, not the black moment, but everything else) leave you with.
The Grumpy Player Next Door is the third in the Copper Valley Fireballs series, but it *could* work as a standalone if needed. However, the other couples from that series do play small roles–as do some characters from related series (Tillie Jean is Grady’s sister from Master Baker , and the Bro Code guys get mentioned at least once) those new to the author might feel a bit like a newcomer to a town where everybody knows everybody else, but those who have read and undoubtedly loved her books will feel right at home.
And for those who have read the other Copper Valley Fireballs books, no worries–the team mascot(s!) absolutely make some rather memorable appearances here 😉
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.