FINALLY, Summer and Nathan's story! I've liked Summer since the last of the Hawthorne series and was glad she made an appearance on Gracie and Felix's story.
Summer's character is consistent with her previous appearances. I like that Nathan is a grump but he's not cruel towards Summer (or anybody). I like that they can be honest with each other and become each other's anchor at some point. The relationship feels natural.
But tbh I don't like too much inner thoughts, although it keeps me entertained. Good laugh, good friendship, heartwarming story, love the found family. Perfect cozy read for one sitting ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for the ARC! I absolutely loved this book, it was such a sweet romance! I definitely will recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Jenny’s books

OMG! I love this book!
Nathan is a dream boat and Summer is the sweetest, most caring person on earth. He doesn’t want a relationship because of hockey responsibilities and she’s in love at first sight. She helps him when he’s sick and he brings her coffee every morning. *melting*
I love hockey romances and this one is amazing!!! Totally worth the read.
A closed door romance that makes your heart flutter. Fake-dating, grump vs sunshine, and forced proximity.

Thank you NetGalley and Jenny Proctor for this ARC, this is my honest review.

Summer starts her new job as a legal counsel to a minor league hockey team, The Appies. In the car park, she bumps into one of the players, Nathan who she had previously asked out - but been rejected by. She tries to strike a conversation with him but he’s kind of rude to her. Summer thinks he’s totally not interested in her but we quickly learn that hasn’t been able to get her out of his head since they first met.

Nathan is having some family issues with his younger brother and he confides in Summer, seeing if she can help which starts to bring them closer together. Then Nathan begins trending on TikTok but it’s not in a positive way so the teams social media manager suggests that Summer and Nathan fake date, to start a new “trend”. Summer is hesitant because she has real feelings for Nathan but in the end, she agrees.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the characters and could tell that Summer and Nathan would end up falling for each other! It was an easy read with low drama and no spice. The hockey team felt like a family and I like how supportive Nathan’s actual family were. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I would read more in the future. Rating 4/5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC!

I went into this book blind and with low expectations and wow was I surprised to find that this book was really lovely. I knew at the 20% mark that this book would be one of my favorites ever by the end of it. My only issue was that I didn't read the books before this one before reading Romancing the Grump because I know that if I go back and read them now, I'm just going to be upset that Nathan and Summer won't be together in them.

Nathan... What a stand up guy. In all seriousness, he is one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time now. I loved seeing his internal battle with being in a relationship but seeing his treat Summer with so much care and love. And Summer. Don't even get me started on her; I LOVED her. Granted, I did get a lot of second hand embarrassment from her, but somehow I was able to overlook that (which I usually can't) because she was genuinely such a lovely character to read. I loved how much Nathan and Summer protected each other; Nathan getting Dominik away from Summer, and getting her ex-boss away from her, Summer getting the reporter off his back, and helping him when he was sick. I don't see that very often (granted, a lot of books don't really need it to further the plot) and if I do I usually cringe, but this was done so well and you could feel the love between them, even if they were just "faking." I loved being able to see their love for each other develop properly; they did have feelings for each other before the story fully began but I loved seeing the love grow and the way they interacted with each other change. Another thing I did like was the third-act breakup (does it count as a breakup if they were never really together?) which is a sentence I never thought I'd say. I liked that it made sense to the story and didn't happen because of some miscommunication. I liked that it didn't really feel like a breakup (possibly because it didn't last long) because we knew Nathan loved Summer and wanted to be with her, we just needed to wait for him to realize that he wasn't destined to be like his dad.

I think I need to start picking up more books by this author because in case you couldn't tell, I LOVED this one. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

5/5 - I loved Nathan and Summers story! Such a sweet romance. Fake dating, hockey romance, grumpy sunshine, what more could you ask for!! This is my first book of Jennys and can’t wait to read more!!

I didn’t realize that this was a “clean romance” until I was pretty deep into it. I don’t have a personal problem with clean romances but, if there is no spice to fill the pages then there needs to be a really solid plot. I don’t think there was much of one here. The main characters like each other from the very first page but Nathan is extremely adamant about not being in a relationship for no reason except that he doesn’t think his schedule as a semi-professional athlete is compatible with it. Except, in this case, Summer WORKS FOR THE TEAM. She can travel with them whenever she wants. It’s her job! And the reason for the fake relationship seemed a stretch. And they knowingly lied about it to the GM! They could both be fired for that. They filed paperwork with HR that was also a lie at the time they filed it. And Summer is supposed to be a lawyer!

The other thing that I found unbelievable was that this minor league team is so much fun that none of the players want to get called up to the NHL. If you have gotten to the semi-pro level of a sport then most people are highly competitive by nature and will want to be the best in their game; not hang around the minors because their teammates are buddies.

I think that the by-line here of this being a “sweet” rom-com are correct. It is very sweet. Too sweet for me but that is just a personal preference. The writing was good and I think that someone looking for that extra sweet vanilla romance will enjoy this just fine.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for a copy of this book for my honest review!

Solid 4.75 stars for me but is in my top 10 favorite hockey romances.

This book is a true grumpy sunshine and I am here for it.

What I loved:
-the FMC & MMC. I feel like they were both relatable, especially with their overthinking and anxiety surrounding "they like me, they like me not". Quite honestly it would've been hilarious to have a scene where one of them was pulling Petals and having that inner conversation. Also, I fell in love with both of them.

-the side characters besides Lucy. Ok Lucy is fine, but the Appie family is everything I look for in a "found family". They were hilarious and full supporters.

-the banter. I will die on the hill that for me strong banter in a book automatically earns a star.

The literal only thing I did not like is that Summer is so freaking sunny 🤣 I just want to read a book where a girl named Summer, Sunny, etc. Are "dark and twisty" as my favorite Grey's Anatomy character would say. I would just like some contradiction because I can imagine that not everyone named Summer is a ray of sunshine. Well one more thing, I do kind of feel like the situation with Summer's last boss was semi-glossed over BUT her situation was also very realistic and in real life tens to be glossed over so it also made sense.

This book made me laugh almost immediately. I cried, I swooned, I kicked my feet.

Did I immediately buy this book and several others by this author and within the Appies home? Yes I did and so should all of you.

Fun, easy, and quick read. I said it once and I will say it again, I am clearly in my hockey romance era and I have no plans to move on yet.

I loved this book. It had so much fun in it: grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, fake dating, great friend group. I couldn't help but cheer for them all along the way. Summer and Nathan were meant for each other. I also loved the family aspect in the story.
Go Appies!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars
🌶️ - spice
—
✨ Hockey Romance

✨ Grumpy x Sunshine

✨ Fake Dating

✨ She falls first

—
Summer is an astounding attorney, now working for Nathan’s Hockey team. After meeting in the previous book, you do NOT need to read before, she has a slight crush on the broody hockey star. What happens when his spotlight becomes the opposite of family friendly? Will the two be able to fake long enough to realize their own feelings for one another?
—
Jenny wrote an amazingly easy read about Summer and Nathans romance that I ATE UP. Her writing was easy going and allowed me to fall in love with both of the characters, as giggle at those in the background. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a non spicy romance, specifically for us hockey lovers !!

This was my first hockey romance! I absolutely loved it! This was a closed door rom com but I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for closed door romance sometimes 🙈.
I really liked all the characters. I also really liked how there was no real third act break up. It was more like a little break, and the characters were able to discuss their feelings. There was no miscommunication, which I also liked.
It was a very fast read, which was nice. There was no big build-up, no wordiness, no anything that made me get annoyed with rom coms lol. This was just a super cute, super fast, plain, and simple romance.
Also, i liked how it makes you realize that men can be and are objectified and sexualized in the entertainment industry as well. People have to do better.
I would definitely recommend this

For reasons of helping the team, Nathan and Summer pretend to be in a relationship to help the social media uproar against Nathan the Grump. Good sports romance story, and was a fun read. Would highly recommend.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
If you’re in your hockey romance era this one’s for you. I adored this one! It’s so fun and sweet!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🤍 fake dating
🥅 forced proximity
⛸️ hockey romance
🌞 grumpy / sunshine
🚪 closed door romance
🏠 dysfunctional family
🍲 she takes care of him when he’s sick
⛰️ the Appies
💗 found family
✌🏻 Dual POV
😂 Romantic comedies

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
I loved all the side characters

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The reason behind the fake dating wasn’t the best
The social media aspect

I had a lot of fun with this book, and I can't wait to dive into all the others in the same universe!

Grumpy X Sunshine never fails to deliver, and this book was a feast. I loved all the characters, whether it be the Appies or Summer's family. As this is the first book I read in this universe, I can't wait to discover the love stories of all the other couples (I also sense that Lucy's story is coming hehe, Alec's too, though I'm not sure who both their love interests will be).

At first, I found Summer to be too direct. She always blurts out what she's feeling, and it leaves me yelling "HOW can you be so honest in a moment like that??? You don't have to tell him everything, girl". But that's also ironically what I like about her. It's more like I know I could never be like that that made me slightly uncomfortable, but deep down, I wish I was also a little bit like her.

I liked Nathan's character development. I think it was a great decision to give him the time and opportunity to find some sort of healing. Honestly, both the characters were lovable and endearing. They were so cute together, although I couldn't NOT yell at them "get together already". I understand though why it took time to unfold. The slow-burn was great btw.

Anyway, if you're looking for a cute hockey romance that gives all the feels and makes you smile like an idiot (without the spice), this one's worth it!

I need more Appies Please!!!! I can't tell you how happy I am that Jenny Proctor and another author had such a great response to their books in the Sweater Weather series about some hockey players and that led to them each writing another book about a hockey player from the Appies hockey team! And I don't think any of their fans will complain if they kept writing more! *Hint, Hint* *Winks*

This one is a grumpy/sunshine trope and I loved how the author pulled it off! It's not my favorite trope but I still read several books with that trope. But this one definitely is in my top favorites that includes this trope!

I just adored everything about Nathan and Summer. You don't quite know what to get from Nathan but he was a wonderful surprise for Summer around every turn. And their banter was top notch! I giggled and laughed out loud so many times with these two! I loved it! And I was swooning too!

There were several sweet and tender moments woven throughout as well that just had me loving these two even more. And can I just say a brooding hockey player standing up to protect a woman is pretty awesome to read about! You'll know what scene I'm talking about when you get there! Be still my heart! ;-)

Read all of the Appies books and go back and read the Sweater Weather books as well. Lots of great reading material there!!!

Content: Clean. Some talk of team members drinking alcohol, talk of a family member who suffered from alcoholism. A few kisses but nothing further. No language. I'd let my teenagers read it.

I received a copy from the publisher/author, JPC Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Such a sweet hockey romance. The characters had interesting and positive attributes that made it a fun read. Overall it’s a great rom com that’ll make you laugh and smile.

Sooo good and so cute! I love the whole crew from Harvest Hollow and the Appies! So wholesome.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Él es el gruñón del equipo de hockey, puede parecer duro por fuera, pero tiene un gran corazón. Ella entra en su vida con su encanto y sonrisas. Él se siente intrigado, aunque lo oculte bajo su actitud gruñona.

La verdad estuve muy ocupada con la uni y me costo mucho seguirle el rollo a la historia, pero lo disfrute a pesar de que iba poco a poco leyéndola. En lo personal no fueron personajes muy memorables, pero disfrute leyendo la historia porque se lee rápido solo que no tenía mucho tiempo para leer.

Si buscan un grumpy x sunshine este esta bueno ✨

Muchas gracias por el arc a netgalley

I love both sunshine-grumpy and sports tropes, so Romancing The Grump caught my attention. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed reading this. I especially love that there were no explicit scenes, yet the attraction was clearly portrayed. Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

I wasn't sure what to expect from a new author and a new (to me) series, particularly a closed-door romance. But I really loved Romancing the Grump and have since gone back and read the first in the Appies series and the other Appies books in the Sweater Weather series, too. I found I didn't much miss the spice, mainly because there was plenty of substance and interest in the narrative, and the characters were so much fun. I also thought it was great that the setup was something I hadn't seen before: the Appies are an AHL team with a larger-than-usual following, due to some social media canniness, so the whole pace of life for the players and their friends and families is different to the high-stakes lifestyles that tend to characterise other hockey romances. In this respect, the relationships and vibe was actually most similar to Emily Rath's Jacksonville Rays books, but with the spice dialled right down compared to those.

All in all, an excellent example of a hockey romance, with an original spin, engaging characters, and a sweet romance at the heart. Definitely recommend, both for those who prefer a little less spice, and really for anyone wanting something a little different.