Romancing the Grump 🥅🏒💙

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Sports Romance
Author: Jenny Proctor

“But if you’re willing to gamble on someone as screwed up as I am, I want to try. I want to try to love you like you deserve.”

Summer is the new lawyer for the Appies hockey team. Nathan is the grumpiest player on the team and is known as the Brooding Beast. After a hashtag brings some bad press for Nathan, they begin fake dating. Will she be able to crack through his tough exterior? Can they convince the public of their relationship without either of them getting hurt?

I LOVED this book! It was my first hockey romance to read, but it definitely won’t be my last. I was grinning ear to ear the whole time and couldn’t put it down. Jenny Proctor does a great job of building tension without any actual spice. If you are looking for a clean/closed door romance, this is your book!

This book is part of the Appies hockey romance series but can be read as a stand alone. I love this team of guys and hope we get a book for each one of them!

I’ve waited so long for this book lol not really that long but still. SO WORTH THE WAIT. I absolutely love this series.

thank you to jenny, netgalley, & publisher for the arc!

i enjoyed this book! closed door romances aren't my norm, but i thought this one was the perfect amount of romantic swooniness. i do love a good ol' hockey romance and this one was enjoyable. i thought the plot was fast-paced and had a realistic vibe to it, and especially liked the tropes between the characters. while i found the writing to be bland/not my style, the characters were funny and wholesome, and overall i did like this book, just wasn't a favorite of mine.

"I don't think you're half as grumpy as people say you are. You've got this broody, frowny persona publicly, but deep down, you're kind of a big softie."

"That crowd was vicious. I'm not sure this is enough." She shrugs. "Then kiss me." "What?" "Kiss me," she repeats. "If you want them to know you're spoken for, then show them you belong to me."

"I don't... want you to go," he says, and my hand stills. "I just...think you should go because of how much I want you to stay."

Read if you like:
* Fake Dating
* Forced Proximity
* Grumpy/Sunshine
* One Bed
* Hockey RomCom
* Closed Door Romance
* Dual POV

Fake dating/forced proximity meets closed door hockey romcom and written by Jenny Proctor...be still my heart! I am so glad that the Appies books from the Sweater Weather series morphed into a whole series dedicated to the Appies!!! With all of the hockey romcoms out there, I am so happy to see more closed door entries in the genre.
I loved Summer and Nathan. Summer is strong, smart and outspoken. Nathan is a sweet grump with a protective streak.
The banter, the chemistry, the humor, the friendships...it's everything I've come to expect from this author and she did not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jenny Proctor for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you so much NetGalley and JPC publishing for this eARC!

Romancing the grump is the 2nd book in the Appies series and tough I didn’t know it at first ( my fault entirely) it was nice to see this can totally be read as a standalone.

This is a YA romance and we follow Summer Callahan, who just took a job as a legal counsel for the Appies, small Hockey Team. There, she meets Nathan again, the guy she is attracted to but rejected her a few months ago and who also happen to be one of the players on the team. He is grumpy and is against relationships.

I’m usually not into love at first sight, I prefer slow burn romances but this was a truly cute, swoon worthy kind of romance. It’s grumpy x sunshine, fake relationship, friends to lovers, we get a dual POV and I loved the fact that Summer is a girl who owns her feelings and isn’t afraid to say whatever she thinks. Nathan felt a lot more complex character though, with his daddy issues and his no dating rule. I really appreciated his character nonetheless, and the way he can always tell her apart from her twin sister.
Their relationship was really sweet and there’s a lot of respect and protectiveness on both parts.

I feel like I have to say that this has no spice whatsoever but if you’re into feel good, cute love story, this might just be the one for you!!!

One thing about me: I get super excited about books. In an unreal and super weird way. So when I received the email that my request for this book had been aproved, I literally let a little scream out (just for narrative purpuses, it was past midnight). So what did I do? Instead of sleeping, like a normal person would do, I read through the night.
I've read some of Jenny Proctor's works before and really enjoyed them. I've read her previous hockey themed book (couldn't recommend it enough, it is part of the Sweater Weather Series) and the Hawthorne Brothers series (go!! read!! it!!). So, as you see, I'm a big fan of Jenny Proctor (hence my excitement for this). Also, I did not remember anything from the blurb.

This book is fast paced, it already starts with Summer and Nathan's first interaction, something I really appreciate, specially after reading some pretty slow paced books. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the fact that they already knew each other from a previous situation, so this made much more easier for them to start having feelings. Even liking each other from the start, they (mainly Nathan, tbh) had their reasons for not pursuing a relationship.

"𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺. "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦. "
"𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"
"𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

This book is incredibly funny (chapter nine had me laughing so loud). I also wanted to highlight how funny were the text threads, I love when books show the characters exchanging messages and this one did not disappointed.

"𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳: [...] 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦.
𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦.
𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘋𝘰 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?
𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦."

Imagine my surprise when I realized Summer was not only Gracie's best friend from Absolutely Not in Love, but also Audrey's sister from How to Kiss a Movie Star! I admire so much authors that manage to connect all their books, and Jenny does that in the most incredible way! And let me tell you: in this book we got to see a lot of characters from the Hawthornes series, the Sweater Weather Series and the previous Appies book. It was just fenomenal.

This book is the perfect grumpy-sunshine hockey romance and I couldn't recommend it - or any Jenny Proctor book - enough.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC! You are the best!!

I loved this book.

Romancing the Grump is my first read in this series about the Appies hockey team. But I guarantee you it won’t be my last.

The story, told in duel first-person points of view, is fast-paced, and kept me reading. First and foremost, it’s a grumpy/sunshine themed romance. But Jenny Proctor also treats us to a fake-dating theme as well.

This story starts with a parking lot meet-cute. “You stole my parking space,” Nathan Sanders tells Summer Callahan.
The Appies have a huge TikTok following and unsurprisingly Nathan is one of the reasons for that. The team also purposely projects itself as a wholesome, so families want to attend their hockey games. But when the reactions to his presence becomes less than wholesome, something has to be done.

And that something is to give Nathan a girlfriend—a fake girlfriend. And you guessed it. It’s Summer. This brings all the awkwardness I love about fake dating. And since both had an attraction to the other before the planned photo ops, well, it makes it even better.
The chemistry between the two is evident from the meet-cute and the fake dating only makes it more apparent. And there are so many tender moments that made my heart melt.

Proctor makes Summer and Nathan real people for me. I was thinking about them long after I read the last words. She gives us subplots that were not only realistic but gave us to root for their relationship.
Romancing the Grump, by the way, is part of a series. While it’s not the first in the series, it’s definitely a stand-alone. This book is its own story. Not once did I feel as if I was left out of a backstory or a previous shared event. Now, though, I need (and I do mean need) to read the rest of the series.

Oh, and here’s one of my favorite quotes. It’s when Summer is wondering why she has this strong attraction to Nathan who appears not to feel a thing for her: “Or maybe fate had simply misfired—a weird, cosmic miscalculation, best ignored.”

This book was super cute! I loved the slow burn and it was nice to see the MMC be such a big teddy bear! Most of the sports romances tend to be a little crazy or go from 0 to 100 really quick but this one seemed a little more realistic. Honestly enjoyed reading it

Ever since Parker became the social media influencer for the Appies, their popularity has blown up countrywide. Nathan Sanders, the grumpy team enforcer, is known for his broody frowning photos, making female fans go crazy to try and tame him. When it gets out of control, Parker enlists the help of a woman he least expects... a woman he can't seem to get out of his head.
Summer hired on as the Appies legal counsel. Ever since attending a game with her friend Grace, she's been drawn to Nathan, but he seems completely ignorant of her attention. When Parker approaches her for help for Nathan she jumps at the chance to spend more time with him as his fake girlfriend. But he's dead set against relationships and it becomes harder and harder not to lose her heart in the process.
Poor awkward, broody, complicated Nathan. I've liked his character all along and was hoping he'd get his own story. Summer is absolutely perfect for him, showing up and protecting him at every turn. My favorite scene was when he called her for help when he was sick and he started to rethink everything. Stubborn swoony man lol! I've totally fallen for the Appies and I can't wait to find out who's in the next book! This is a clean hockey romance with all the feels. It can be read as a standalone but better enjoyed with the rest of the series (Sweater weather & Appies both)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love me a good fake dating hockey romance and this one definitely delivered! It was funny, fun, and so sweet! The chemistry between Summer and Nathan was sooo good! I have some other books by the author that I've been dying to read too, so I'm excited for those as well.

"I don't think you're half as grumpy as people say you are. You've got this broody, frowny persona publicly, but deep down, you're kind of a big softie."

This was such a cute, closed-door rom-com!
Summer is a very relatable and likable character. I really appreciate how logical and realistic she was. "I could write poetry about that kiss..."

Nathan is exactly how I would imagine a grumpy hockey player to be. Handsome without trying, broody and deep down, just a marshmallow.
"I guess it's good one of us isn't scared- because she cares the hell out of me..."

Their love story was very sweet and I couldn't wait to see how things finally came together. I look forward to reading about the other Appies because I really loved all the characters and I need to know their stories too!

4⭐️ Another success for fake dating in the Appies universe! So much tension and SO. MUCH. SWOON! I think Summer and Nathan are my favorite MCs so far in this series. Nathan was a grumpy sweetheart and Summer complemented him with her happy, sunshiny personality. That resulted in them having such fabulous chemistry from the very beginning. I loved every moment that they were together, and luckily, we got a lot of on page moments of them spending time together and having conversations. That is a must. We love fake dating for that reason! I also really enjoyed the writing. It isn’t your hallmark cheese book (there is nothing wrong with that), but it was still fun and fluffy and really enjoyable to read.

Read if you enjoy:
- Dual POV
- Fake dating
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Only one bed
- Hockey romance

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It took me way less time than it probably should have to finish romancing the grump by jenny proctor. I had no prior knowledge of the author or the universe, and went into this having no expectations whatsoever - I was not disappointed!

the chemistry between Summer and Nathan is there from the first page onwards. I really liked Summer as a female protagonist, since she wasn't your usual damsel in distress, and knew what she wanted.

The friendship between the hockey players was my favourite thing ever though! how are they all so great in their own ways?!

besides that, the book touched on all the romantic tropes, from grumpy × sunshine, forced proximity, to fake dating, it had it all! if these are your thing, this book is for you!

the only "criticism" I have is that I wish we could've seen more of Summer and Nathan as a couple, rather than just putting all of that in the epilogue... but that's the way it's done, I get it.

thank you netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the arc!

I don’t typically read closed-door romances, but I really enjoyed this book. Romancing the Grump is a: workplace romance, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, hockey romance. It’s part of an interconnected standalone series, but I was able to follow along pretty well without having read any of the other books.

After seeing his father’s failures trying to have a family as a professional hockey player, defenseman Nathan Sanders swears off relationships until he retires. But can his aversion to relationships hold true when he and the team's lawyer, Summer Callahan, have such natural chemistry between one another? Nathan’s closed off and grumpy exterior just makes him more appealing to the Appies over eager female fans. To combat that, the team's social media rep suggests that Nathan and Summer let the public speculate they’re dating to try and bring some of the inappropriate attention down. But can Summer and Nathan handle their real feelings in their fake relationship?

I thought it was a really neat concept that the story is about an AHL team versus a NHL team like most hockey romances. Usually hockey romance characters talk about their fear of getting sent down to the teams AHL affiliate, so it was fun to see characters who embraced being in a position that so few get while not complaining that they aren’t at the highest level.I thought the pair had really good chemistry, and appreciate that Nathan truly was just grumpy versus being plain rude like some other grumpy-sunshine MMCs.

Thank you NetGalley, Jenny Proctor, and Booked with the Emily’s for a copy of this book!

Romancing the Grump is a grumpy/sunshine closed-door romance about a minor league hockey player - Nathan Sanders - who is notoriously broody, so much so that his fans create a hashtag on social media about wanting to tame the brooding beast. In order to control the unruly fan interest, the team's social media manager concocts a plan to make Nathan look "tamed", i.e. having the team's new legal counsel - Summer Callahan - pretend to be his new girlfriend. The only problem is that Summer and Nathan are already fighting feelings for one another and pretending to date in public causes some confusion for them both as their feelings become conflicted and their fake-dating starts to feel all-too real.

This was a super cute hockey romance with funny characters, charming leads, and heart. I read it in one sitting and stayed up far too late to finish, but I have no regrets. Summer and Nathan will make you swoon. The second book in the Appies series with ties to other series by Jenny Proctor as well, but can be read as a standalone (which is what I did).

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Proctor, and JPC Publishing for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After an unpleasant job at the DA's office Summer is looking forward to her new role with the Appies. It has nothing to do with the attraction she felt to Nathan when she met him once at Harvest Hollow. Really. And when he's the first person she meets and he accuses her of stealing his parking spot, it's clear that any attraction was one-sided. Nathan is good at being the team grump, and is quite happy in the role. But when the idea of taming the grump takes off on the team's social media and women start throwing themselves at him, it's quite a different story! Fortunately, Summer helps him out by taking the role of pretend girlfriend, to get them off his back. Unfortunately, that makes it all the harder to fight the attraction he feels towards her - and since he's determined not to marry, at least until he finishes playing hockey, fighting it is a necessity. Can Summer convince him that history doesn't need to repeat itself?

A thoroughly enjoyable read, with plenty of good clean fun but also characters you'll really care about, touching moments and friends worth having as secondary characters. Of course, there's also the bonus that some of the secondary characters have their own stories, so you can see more of the group. At the same time, each is a standalone story. which is good - I don't like cliffhangers. In this case, we get to go 'behind the scenes' of Nathan, and find that he's really not so much a grump underneath - which is nice. We also get to see the joys of social media, which always reminds me why I choose to stay away... :-) All in all, an enjoyable, well written story, and a great addition to the Appies collection. 4.5 stars.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

I absolutely loved this book! This was just what I wanted in a romance book. If you are looking for a clean hockey romance. This book is for you. The romance and plot was perfectly done!

Very sweet, fake dating, two POVs, hockey romance. It’s not a super spicy book. More pinning than anything but absolutely adorable. I want to read more from the author because it seems like there are a lot of cameos from other books. Adding them all to my TBR pile!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

4.5/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’m a sucker for hockey romance and this was right up my alley! I was drawn in quick and couldn’t put the book down.

Grumpy x Sunshine is Nathan and Summer to T. And could Summer have a more perfect name to be the sunshine (I mean come on!). There’s other tropes as well like fake dating and forced proximity. If you’re a fan of romance and sports romance I think you’ll enjoy this book!

AHHHH this book!!!
I am a sucker for a hockey romance, and I have read a couple of other books by this author, I have read Felix and Gracie's story as well as Piper and Logan's. This book was amazing, I genuinely loved it so much, I love Summer and Nathan, they are so cute together. There was fake dating involved and that is one of my favourite tropes. I love how much he so obviously cared about her, even if he didn't want to admit it. I love this team, it feels like a found family between the main guys on the hockey team. I definitely recommend this book especially if you love a good hockey romance or a quick easy read.

I have also read Absolutely not in Love and How to Kiss a Movie Star by this author so it was cool to see the characters from those mentioned. I will definitely be reading more of her books!!


I want to thank netgalley and the author for this ARC