Book Review #netgalley #marikaray #grumpyashell #smalltownromance
If a lighthearted, sexy, small town romance is your cup of tea then look no further than Marika Ray's Grumpy As Hell. This novel is fun and fast paced, with a delightful balance of steamy and quirkiness to create a lovely small town charm. This is the first novel I have read by Marika Ray and I found her writing to be well assessable with a tone that is conversational and quippy. Ray's characters are fun and unique, I love the way the hero and heroine are able to challenge each other and grown out of old misunderstandings into something fun and new.
Abby is a yoga instructor who finds herself in a precarious situation at the top of the novel with Ace, a sexy firefighter, who she has known her whole life. When these two but heads they challenge each other outside of their normal way of thinking. When Abby is enlisted to teach a First Aid class, Ace plans to thwart her at every step of the way. But soon these two learn that maybe they are better when they work together.
This is truly a fun and lighthearted romance, between two frenemies to lovers. These two might like to pick on each other but they easily let their chemistry take them to the next level. I really loved the opposites attract element to the story and how we could see the ways Abby and Ace both were able to balance each other. This small town is full of interesting characters that really brought the world to life and created a lovely place for this romance to bloom.
I would definitely recommend this book by Marika Ray and I am looking forward to exploring her backlist for myself!
Thank you to Marika Ray and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.