Romancing the Grump is book 2 in the Appies series by Jenny Proctor.
I loved book one A Groom of One's Own by Emma S. Clair.
So I was so game for book two written by Jenny! And she didn’t disappoint either.
Delightful and fast read. Fans of hockey romance won't be disappointed by this book.
This was a lovely, romance with likable characters that I was immediately drawn to. 
The characters were so well written and felt real and relatable. The romance is so swoonworthy with off the charts chemistry.

Thank You NetGalley and JPC Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3.5⭐️



Algo que en los 4 libros de los appies es constante y que me gustó es la unión de los 6. Logan, Felipe, Eli, Van, Alec y Nathan.

No negare que en algún punto quería sacudir a Nathan, el tipo no podia ser más diferente a su padre y aun así se aferraba a que no podía tener una relación.

La escena en el hotel cuando Nathan se cayó al cuarto de Summer me dió mucha risa.


¿Riley y Alec serán algo ???


Gracias Netgalley por el ARC.

🤍Book review 🤍

Romancing the Grump
A Sweet Hockey Romcom
by Jenny Proctor

"Romancing the Grump" by Jenny Proctor is a delightful hockey romcom that left me eager for more. Meeting the grumpy Nathan Sanders and the determined Summer Callahan was an absolute treat. As they navigate a fake relationship that starts to feel all too real, I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. Proctor's charming storytelling had me hooked from the start. I appreciated how the characters took a deep look into their lives, unraveling layers of complexity and vulnerability. Despite their initial reluctance, their chemistry is undeniable, leading to a slow-building romance that is both heartwarming and satisfying.
With plenty of humor, romance, and just the right amount of spice behind closed doors, this book has something for everyone. I can't wait to dive into more books by this talented author.

Very grateful to the author for this copy, opinions are my own.


#RomancingTheGrump #JennyProctor #BookReview #HockeyRomance #Romcom #FakeDating #Chemistry #Heartwarming #Humor #Spice #SweaterWeatherSeries #Bookish #ReadingCommunity

From hate to heat! If you love books that have quick wit, romance and a bit of spice, this is the read for you! Overcoming familial pressure to find true happiness! Loved this book so much and cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and JPC publising for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved this book! It has everything I love in a rom-com: grumpy-to-sunshine, hockey romance, fake dating, dual POV, 'touch her and die' vibes, only one bed and cute text messages. I couldn't stop reading.
It's my first time reading this author and the Appies, and OMG! Can I call myself an Appies fan already?! They are the best. I really want to read the other books in this series, but all books stand alone and can be read in any order. I think there were some connections with the other books, but if you haven't read them, it doesn't make you not understand what was happening.
Summer is a strong character, really smart, and she says what she thinks. She is independent and takes risks. She is willing to help others despite the fact that she might get hurt. I really enjoyed getting to know her and her family. The relationship with her sisters is so sweet.
Nathan, what can I say, I love him. He is so grumpy but adorable at the same time. I like the relationship he has with his teammates; they made me laugh. The bus scene was really nice. You can see how he grows during the book and opens up his feelings. He is so protective of everyone, especially with Summer.
The chemistry between them is great and you can feel it from the beginning. They made me laugh and gave me goosebumps in some scenes. After finishing the book, I totally forgot it doesn't have really spicy scenes. It is a closed-door romance. I think it has the perfect balance between sweet and sexy. I really love it.
The author's writing style makes you not want to put the book down. It has dual POV, which is great for me; I got to know exactly what Summer and Nathan were thinking. This is a plus for me in every book. The texting message scenes were so cute; I really enjoyed all of them. I like the mentions of some TV series, books, and board games.
The epilogue literally is what I like, and I can't wait to read the second one in her newsletter.
If you like sweet hockey romance, fake dating, dual POV, grumpy-to-sunshine, and closed-door romance, I highly recommend it! I'm looking forward to reading more of Jenny's work.

I would like to thank netgalley and JPC Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable romp in the Appies universe. Looking forward to more of these books.

Jenny Proctor writes the most adorable romantic comedies, and "Romancing the Grump" is no exception! This book is the second in Proctor's "Appies" series, centers around Nathan Sanders, a famous up-and-coming hockey player and Summer Callahan, the team's new legal adviser. While the two have crossed paths before, there's no denying the sparks between them this time. This book contains many of my favorite tropes: only one bed, fake dating, grumpy vs. sunshine, etc. I really enjoyed how Proctor ramped up the chemistry and sexual tension without being vulgar.

This was a really cute book, and I read it so quickly! I'll definitely check out the other books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read from Jenny and I am so grateful to have gotten the chance to read it early. Just by reading the title I knew this book would be up my alley and I was right. This book had some of my favourite tropes done right. The grumpy x sunshine trope is a classic that is always amazing. One of my favourite tropes is when a character takes care of each other when one is sick and this scene was written out beautifully. I love a good found family trope and Nathan’s teammates were adorably supportive. Lastly, normally with fake dating it leads to misunderstanding and a third act break up which was not the case here which made it absolutely perfect!
Now onto the actual book, I adored Summer & Nathan’s personalities together. I love that Summer was such a strong character and didn’t back down or get scared away without being pushy in any way. The way she was feeling about falling for Nathan was very relatable and I found that her use of percentages for how much she liked him was very cute. I really enjoyed reading about how Summer affected Nathan. Seeing him fall for her while trying not to was adorable. I really enjoyed seeing both of them being protective of each other as well it was incredibly sweet. I really appreciated that this was a closed door romance. There was tension and they were touchy with each other and kissed but that was all. As much as I enjoy romance books I’ve been skipping spicy scenes lately.
My only complaint and the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I wish the book would've been a bit longer and given the characters more time to develop and interact with one another. However, the length made it a cute and easy read and I could never complain about that.

The chemistry between Nathan and Summer is palpable from the start, but their fake relationship truly ignites the story. Their connection deepens as they navigate the charade, revealing layers of vulnerability beneath Nathan's gruff facade.

What sets this romcom apart is its balance of heart and humor. While the banter between the characters keeps the pages turning, there's also a touching exploration of emotional growth and healing. Readers will find themselves rooting for Nathan and Summer as they stumble through the highs and lows of their faux romance.

"Romancing the Grump" is a closed-door romance, focusing on the emotional journey rather than steamy scenes.

Romancing the Grump was my first book from Proctor and I'm glad that I had met with her pen. If you know me a little you know that I love sport romances and especially hockey, and romancing the grump was the perfect hockey romance with one-bed, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating and forced proximity tropes. The other thing that intrigued me the most about this book was the chemistry between the FMC and MMC because there was definitely a chemistry! and if I can't get that sense of chemistry between the MCs in a book I'm reading, that book is a flop to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-Op for the ARC.

If Grumpy vs Sunshine is your jam then this is the book for you and Jenny Proctor has written it perfectly! Nathan is the broody defender of the Appies ice hockey team and Summer - who, just like her name suggests, is sunshine personified - is the team's new lawyer, and even they try to fight the feelings they have for each the reader knows that in this case resistance is futile. And the friends of both Nathan and Summer seem to know it very early on too!

Romancing the Grump can totally be read as a standalone but I think that it is even better if you have read the previous books in both the Sweater Weather and the Appies series. Or, if you haven't, then this book is a fine way to start getting to know Harvest Hollow and it's wonderful residents! Highly recommended!

Grumpy-sunshine hockey romcom. Let’s gooooo!

This one is part of the Appies series but also has characters from the Hawthorne Brothers series and the Sweater Weather series as well.

Love the chemistry Summer and Nathan have with each other. Both characters have strong family ties, but the found family vibes are strong with the Appies.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Romancing the Grump to come out April 23, 2024.

Summer Callahan was drawn to the grumpy Nathan Sanders from the moment they met. Now working for the Appies as part of the legal team, they were seeing each other more often than not. Nathan didn't like that he was drawn to her too, but circumstances forced them together in a fake dating ruse to ward off unwanted attention that Nathan was getting online.

Having had a father whose life was seemingly ruined by being a hockey player with a wife and kids, Nathan was averse to relationships and sought to fight his growing attraction for Summer.

She wasn't easily warded off though, sneaking past his defenses to the softie underneath. I loved how she'd even look for terrible dad jokes to wrangle a smile out of him. He was a good sport even though he didn't let up with his frowns 😂

It was nice getting back into the Appies' world yet again. The Dream Team with their text exchanges and their chemistry and range of personalities was a treat. I also loved seeing the Hawthorne clan and Summer's family some more. Definitely looking forward to Summer's twin sister Lucy's story 😃

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the next installment in the Appies’ universe on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it. I absolutely adored Nathan and Summer’s story and read it all in one sitting. Their connection was so well portrayed I was hooked from the first line. Overall, a great read and I would definitely recommend diving into the Appies’ stories to all those in their hockey romance era! Thank you to Jenny Procter and NetGalley for the ARC!

This review will posted to good reads immediately and to Amazon Australia when the novel is published.

A genre that is pretty flooded right now, as the author herself says, hockey romance. But we are all here for it and loving it!
This book perfectly combines a very grumpy man with a very strong woman. Both have pasts that stop them from being truly honest with each other but as I'm coming to love both are pretty good at communicating.
I didn't love the name of the hockey team but I loved all the characters.
I will have to go back and read the others in the series.

!!!!!!!!!

Those explanation marks are my feelings about this book.

I just finished bingeing the Hawthorne series, and I could not wait for this book! I love the Appies, I love Summer, Lucy, and Aubrey, and I love the Hawthornes…so Romancing the Grump was the cherry on top 🍒.

But now… how am I going to wait for more Appies. And what will Lucy’s story be? I am super intrigued by Dumbo. I am invested in the dream team group chat. I need more of this North Carolina world stat!

Dual POV
Grumpy/sunshine
Hockey player
Only one bed
She takes care of him
Fake dating
Forced proximity

I’m submitting this review as my official job application to join the Appies team staff!
But in all seriousness, this book felt like coming home to check in on some old friends!!! Visiting the Appies and Harvest Hollow never disappoints and Jenny Proctor has held true to that with Romancing the Grump!

This book follows Summer and Nathan as they navigate through a friendship, family, hockey, fans, and of course drama and romance! The chemistry and character development are so heartwarming, and I found myself grinning constantly feeling excited for the characters as their relationship developed.
There are so many fun book tropes throughout this feel good sweet story. Including: sunshine and grump, fake dating, forced proximity, and many others!!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own!

I am definitely not a hockey fan but I’m loving this series because I fall for each new hockey hunk.
Nathan is a big snarly silent bear who disguises his teddy bear tendencies.
I love it when he stakes his claim on Summer without even realizing what he’s doing.
There were so many scenes that made me slide off my couch into a puddle on the floor and made my toes tingle but my favorite is the first real smile Summer elicited from frowny Nathan.
It’s a sweet story as Nathan comes to grips with his fears and realizes running from living just means love will find him twice as fast.

I love Jenny Proctor and the Appies series. It’s so fun meeting new players and getting the latest updates on those we met before. Also a closed door sport Romance?! Heck yes!

This one wasn’t my fav as at times the main characters felt a little immature but at the same time their chemistry and banter made it all worth while.
Highly recommend

I was so happy to see that there was a new book in the Appies universe! Summer and Nathan were a great grumpy/sunshine pairing, and I loved reading as Nathan tried to fight his feelings for her. Very interested to see if the author is going to write another book featuring another Appies player like Alec or Van.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.