If you like Elsie Silver you will love this. This book is about a horse ranch manager and a grumpy show jumper who has the career she always wanted. A super cute cowboy read!

Great story but it moves very quickly. Its definitely on the shorter side of books that I have read and I wish there was a little more time and pages for the characters to develop and fall in love. The MMC's personality changes from grump to not grump very, very quickly but it's wasn't a bad or unbelievable transition. Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Thank you for allowing me to review. This was a nice fun read. It was a little repetitive and could have used a little bit more chemistry. MMC went from grumpy to not grumpy very quickly. I enjoyed not having a third act break up but I wish the romance was spread out a little more.

This was my first Katy James experience and I loved it!! It’s pretty much exactly how she describes it in the author acknowledgments—a horse girl-centric book but with romance and spice.

I enjoyed her writing style a lot, even though I’m typically skeptical of 3rd person POV. You could really feel the deep wells of emotion both MCs were working with, and overall their emotional connection was just as strong if not stronger than their physical one.

Listen, I can’t lie, this book totally caught my eye because it mentioned Elsie Silver in the blurb, so I had to read it! This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it! Ian is a big grump at the beginning, having recently given up his career as a show jumper because of an injury. It’s safe to say he’s not at all expecting Bronwen, the barn manager, when he shows up at Morning Song Farm, though he’s not exactly what she’s expecting either. It’s clear Bronwen is passionate about her job and isn’t going to let anything, including a grumpy stand-in for her new boss, get in the way of her job. There’s an attraction between the two of them, but Ian’s too set on becoming a recluse to explore anything. Or at least that’s how it is until they start spending time together where Bronwen’s passion for horses starts to help Ian find what he thought he had lost and they can’t avoid the pull between them anymore! I really enjoyed getting to know the whole crew from the barn and seeing how close their friendships are. This one’s got all the feels; it’s sweet, we get to know Ian & Bronwen’s stories and how they ended up at the farm, and it’s got some spice! It was a quick read (I think that’s my only “complaint;” I would have loved more), but was exactly what I was hoping for based off the blurb! I’m excited for more in the series–I want to know more about Anne and Olivia and the rest of the crew! I do also want to mention this book is closer to 4.5 stars than a true 4 for me!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harelquin Romance and Katy James for an ARC of The Grump Whisperer.

As a life long horse girl, I was so excited to get my hands on this book. Horses (SHOW JUMPING none the less!!), small town romance, and a grumpy MMC? It had all of the makings of a rom com tailored perfectly for me. Overall it was a delightful read, I LOVE that we didn't have to deal with the mess of a third act breakup, and I enjoyed Bronwen and Ian as main characters.

However, all of that being said, the chemistry and dynamics of the story did fall a little flat. Ian's grumpiness didn't last very long (I mean, can you blame him?), and the instant connection between Ian and Bronwen felt like there wasn't really anything to support it. I think a little more depth to the characters' development and relationship could've had more payoff!

I would recommend The Grump Whisperer for fans of small town or cowboy romance, like Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage.

I was so excited for this one a grump with horses it sounded like the perfect mix. It just fell flat for me unfortunately. There was something missing, it went from grumpy to not grumpy waaaay too quickly. I mean it is in the title so I was expecting it to be more grump and more slow burn. It just did not work for me.

The Grump Whisperer
by Katy James
3⭐️

I am a big fan of small town cowboy romances and this has all the bones for being something I would love but it fell a little flat for me. The writing style didn’t work for me at all, it felt very repetitive and clunky. I also feel like it had some insta love vibes because the chemistry and emotional connection were lacking. I wish the grumpy to falling in love connection had been a little slower and little more meaningful. I did love that there’s no third act breakup and how sweet things ended up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for this gifted arc!

Unfortunately this wasn't for me, Ian is marketed as being the Grump in the book Iast for all of 5 secs, and Bronwen. was able to overcame all her fears just because Ian just told her to get back on the horse. And with this being a shorter book, everything happened so fast.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was extremely excited to read this story. I grew up with horses and could relate really well to Bronwen after her fall (I too had a bad fall and broke my wrist and fearlessness of riding). The horse world was written pretty accurately and I had no trouble following that aspect of the story - -which I loved.

Unfortunately, this story really fell flat for me. Ian was not very grumpy and it his "grumpiness" lasted about a chapter. There wasn't any character development or even realistic character arcs. The pacing was off -- things happened too quickly including the romance. There was no sexual tension or build up. The scenes weren't terribly steamy and didn't add much to the relationship. One minute they didn't like each other and the next day, bam in the hayloft. I didn't really find Ian an appealing romance interest. He was so flat. He had the potential to be so much more. The whole story kind of felt rushed and I just really wasn't invested in the characters, their romance, or the ending.

I loved this book! If you loved horse books growing up. Then you will love this horse romance book! It as so cute in this book!

As someone who grew up a Horse Girl(TM), I get SUPER irritated when people seem to think horses are internal combustion engines with legs. Details like galloping for hours (not possible!) throw me right out of a story.

Reader, I was so delighted with this book, I cannot even tell you how much. Despite the title, it's more of a Beauty and the Beast tale with two wounded protagonists and a horse that needs both of them so they can all heal. The other people who board their horses at the barn where this all takes place are quirky, wonderful individuals and reminded me a lot of the other people at the barn where I used to board my horse. All in all, a delightful love story with a richly developed cast of secondary characters and perfect details about keeping, riding, and training horses.

Love loved this story! I really liked the name Bronwen is an unusual name and one I definitely liked.
I read this one straight through because it was so good!! Anything with horses is awesome!
They do say that opposites attract! These two were kind of cute together and I loved in getting to know them.
I thought the romance was just the right amount of sweetness.
Me as a horse lover this book in many ways refreshed my memory in dressage and a few other things.
A great read that includes horses and the main reason why I chose this particular story.
This story brought back wonderful memories.
I didn't want the book to end. I hope there's more to come!
5 stars for an excellent read! I recommend this fun rom com. There are places that will make you smile and laugh and rooting for our characters.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

This one is for the horse girls haha!

This had a nice blend of heart & humor. It reminded me a bit of Saddle Club but for adults. This is a workplace, dislike to lovers, slow burn romance. I liked the build up of the relationship. There was a lot of tension and emotional depth between Bronwen and Ian. I think these two had a lot of obstacles to overcome and I thought this added more to their romance. The romance was very sweet and heartwarming.

I think the plot could have been tighter. There seemed to be a lot of balls in the air but not all of them landed. The pacing also seemed a bit slow at times.

Katy James just proves that there are not enough books for us horse girlies around! Absolutely loved a romance with a barn setting and actual equine knowledge.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was such a lovely rom-com - I devoured it all in a day. As a former horse-girl who lived in the city, and also knows nothing about dressage or the show world, it felt like the author really knew details and explained them well to a lay-person. I appreciated that attention to detail! But this book is definitely for all of the Heartland lovers out there - we have a grumpy-sunshine trope with some recent sports trauma as Ian begins to emerge from this shell. I particularly loved that Bronwen was the one to push, multiple times, for their sexual relationship to start - and she never had this internal monologue of doubt or embarrassment over it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Afterglow for the chance to review this title.

I was totally charmed by this short and sweet Harlequin romance between a horse barn manager and show jumper, who both must overcome past traumas to get back on the horse (literal and figurative) and open themselves up to love and friendship. Would definitely recommend to horse girls (gender neutral) and those looking for a short, sweet, relatively low-angst contemporary.

4.25/5.

I am enjoying this book, and appreciate the opportunity to review it!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
All opinions are my own.

A barn manager and a former horse jumper are brought together by their love of horses to make ends meet. He is grumpy and she is full of sunshine so it's a rough start, but the pair bond over trauma. The Grump Whisperer is a romance full of emotions, horses, and obstacles that are meant to be overcome.

Bronwen is a barn manager and loves what she does. Things are getting tense when a new owner that no one has gotten the chance to meet is unable to be contacted, especially when bills and staff are unpaid. That's when she meets Ian. He is the brother of the owner, but isn't the easiest to get along with. He seems standoffish and is unwilling to help. But his love of horses makes him change his attitude and step in for his sister.

This is a cute romance that can easily be read in one sitting. I was a fan of the romance and emotional connection between Bronwen and Ian. The setting was beautiful to read and I could picture every detail.

Thanks for the ARC to the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Okay so I loved the horse aspect of this book. I did not love the romance. It was grumpy at first and then not grumpy very fast and if grump is going to be in the title, I feel like it should have been more slow burn. The characters got together around 45% and so their relationship didn't really progress or do anything until the end and the third act conflict. That's a big part of the book where if it was more slow burn and more tension, the relationship development could have been more spread out. But yeah, I am a horse girl and loved the horse training, horse community, etc.