Trope
Clean Grumpy Sunshine Romance Books
I've lived this one. I'm the sunshine, my husband is sometimes the grumpy. What I love about it on the page is the way each one helps the other. Sunshine pulls the grump out of himself, and the grump helps sunshine stay grounded when she needs it. The trope works on a simple promise: one of them is going to break, and it's not going to be the sunshine.
These are all no spice, closed door at the very furthest. The grumpy character isn't actually mean in these. He's tired and keeps to himself, used to being alone. She's the first person willing to push back without flinching. That's where the chemistry starts and it pays off slowly. The softening reads as real because the walls come down through actual conversation, not bedroom scenes.
The list covers the prickly small town boss and the new hire who calls him on his nonsense, the gruff widower with the kid who adores the new neighbor, and a few "he's like that with everyone but her" moments that earned every page they took to set up.


Stay with Me
#3 in Cypress Valley Sweethearts




Perfectly Complicated Christmas Romance
#4 in Perfect Crush Hockey Romance

Serving Scrooge
#2 in The Peppermint Playbook


Goalie and the Girl Next Door
#5 in Love in Maple Falls

In Every Chapter
#2 in The Reluctant Romantics

En Route to Romance

How to Kiss on Christmas Morning

Stuck With My Christmas Crush
#4 in Sweet Christmas Kisses


Tied Up for Love
#1 in For Love



My Merry Mistake
#3 in Holidays With Hart

Love on the Ropes



The Perfect Rom-Com

Eloise and the Grump Next Door
#1 in Oakley Island


Our Marry Little Christmas

Romancing the Grump
#4 in Appies Hockey Romance



Deck the Hills
#6 in The Peppermint Playbook


Checking Mr. Wrong
#3 in Love in Maple Falls

But He's My Grumpy Neighbor
#1 in But He's a Carter Brother

Madeleine's Mistletoe Meet Cute
#4 in Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs

Love in Overtime
#4 in Love on Thin Ice

Charlie Takes a Chance
#2 in Pine Ridge Ranch


Booked for Love
#7 in It Happened Up North

A Heart Creek Christmas
#1 in Return to Heart Creek

Falling for Your Brother's Best Friend

Date Yourself a Grinch
#3 in Have Yourself a Merry Little Romance


Margo and the Faux Good Luck Beau
#4 in Nebraska Knights
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