Books like 'Comforting the Grump'
Readers who enjoyed Comforting the Grump by Nora Phoenix also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers found-family cheerful-mc grumpy-sunshine age-gap
-
The Resurrection of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt took me a while to learn that sometimes no matter how much, or how hard you love someone, or something, you have to let them go. You can’t save a sinking ship.Sometimes, you have someone else you have to be strong for, who needs you more.You make a choice.A devastating one.And you hope, maybe one day, they’ll come back to you...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book contemporary -
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMy new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out.Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy... -
Finn Rhodes Forever by Stephanie Archer
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe guy who broke my heart is now an arrogant, too-hot firefighter… who’s hell-bent on getting me back. This summer, I have one goal: field work. I need it to finish my PhD. I never expected Finn Rhodes to offer help. He broke my heart twelve years ago, and now that he’s back in town, I want nothing to do with him. Finn wants one thing—me. We were inseparable as kids until everything changed...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc forced-proximity friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book comedy -
She's Like The Wind by Carrie Elks
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’d be a fool to fall for his long-legged, barefoot employee. But bad decisions have never stopped him before… Successful businessman and single father, Nate Crawford, doesn’t need any more complications. That’s why he’s moved his business – and his life – to a small beach town. He’s expecting sun, sea and tranquility, but what he gets is a whirlwind in the form of town sweetheart, Ally Sutton...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc friends-to-lovers forced-proximity romance sports -
-
Starting Over Scottish: A Grumpy Sunshine Holiday Romance by Tricia O'Malley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc forced-proximity found-family grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book contemporary -
And All Their Stars by Riley Nash
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWe’re complete opposites, the sun and the moon, things that were never meant to touch.Everything changed the day this brooding, high-powered lawyer found his forever in a scrappy farm boy from Iowa. Jonah’s my sun, the center of my orbit. Separately, we’re lost souls. Together, we make something unforgettable... -
Trouble by Brittanee Nicole
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCoach Fitzgerald's story...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family -
Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws, Erin Mallon
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA brand new spicy small town romance by Amazon #1 Bestselling author, Amy Daws. This book is the start of a mountain man spinoff series based on the three Fletcher brothers featured in her previous release, Last on the List.Coming April 11Help Wanted: Grumpy Mountain Man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only... -
Defender by Nicole Dykes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTravis WyattAll I’ve ever wanted was to go to college and get out of Kensley. That small town is all I’ve ever known. I want to be free to be myself, not stifled by small minds in the football-loving town where I grew up.And then I blew my one and only chance.So now, I’m just stuck. Stuck in small-town life, with the same small-town people I’ve always known. Stuck where I don’t want to be...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity romance -
The Steady by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHot for teacher? No.Hot for teacher's widower? Maybe a little more than I should be.I merely meant to comfort Ren, to help him find steady ground in the middle of an ocean of pain. It was supposed to be a one-time thing.Only… our chemistry, set ablaze by our extreme size and age differences, was something neither of us had experienced before... -
Awaken My Heart by Kat Baxter
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAbraham:I already had my happy ending. Childhood sweethearts, my late wife and I made four beautiful kids together who are now grown and married off themselves. I’m content to be their old dad, tending to my ranch and my tomato plants. Until Emily Carson and her tempting curvy body and her smiles that she hands out like candy, crashes into my life making me want things I have no business wanting...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family forced-proximity romance insta-love -
Christmas on Firefly Hill by Garrett Leigh
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe single dad and the rootless vagabond. Expect: a shy, hunky firefighter and an ethereal dancer down on his luck. A sizzling contemporary MM age-gap holiday romance. Mild hurt-comfort, found family, and friends-to-lovers galore. Firefighter Logan Halliwell doesn’t have much time for romance. A relentless work-life-balance and an expensive divorce have sucked the festive cheer from his days...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc forced-proximity found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq -
The Punk by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPunk Rock Superstar Collapses In Front Of Record CrowdHendrix Cavanaugh Rushed To Hospital In Mexico CityCavanaugh Leaves Hospital AMAI've loved Hendrix Cavanaugh since his high school mascot days, and seeing him grind himself down like this has been driving me up a wall. Now that he's collapsed on stage, I can't watch from the sidelines for a second longer...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers found-family romance contemporary small-town mental-illness -
The Beautiful Mess by Aimee Nicole Walker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heroic, sworn bachelor risks his neck to save lives, but his heart needs a daring rescue.Kerry likes his beer cold, his coffee hot, and sex without strings. Running an emergency response crew takes up most of his time, and he reserves the rest for his family. Besides, he’s experienced enough heartache for two lifetimes and isn’t looking for more misery... -
-
Show Me Wonders by Riley Nash
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWait for me. Never let me go.I fell in love with Jackson Moreno in hell, the only two survivors trapped in a catastrophic tunnel collapse. But when rescue comes, I discover he has secrets darker than I could have guessed. He disappears from my life as quickly as he came, and I can’t afford to chase after him when I have to raise my daughter alone... -
Once Upon A Bet: A Grumpy Single Dad Romance by Penelope Bloom
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAll I ever wanted was the perfect happily ever after.All he ever wanted was to ruin my freaking life.Okay, that’s a smidge dramatic, but hear me out.My new neighbor might as well plant an “unavailable” sign in his front yard.He’s got biceps made for pulling swooning maidens out of danger, eyes built for melting glaciers (and panties), and a smile that makes my knees want to buckle... -
Jaxon by Kate Oliver
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLeahWho knew buying a run-down house would be so much work? It was hers, though, and while it might not be much, to Leah Day, it was perfect because it meant she was free from her cheating ex-husband. What she wasn’t prepared for was the roof to leak into her bedroom… She also wasn’t expecting her hot neighbor to come marching over to scold her for climbing onto the roof...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family romance contemporary steamy -
Easton by Riley Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEastonI’m the youngest Swift brother. The one who’s always in trouble and can’t get his life together. I wouldn’t know where to start, and ever since my twin died, I can’t bring myself to care. After my last “situation,” Dad washed his hands of me. And though my brothers should’ve done the same, they stood up for me, fracturing their relationship with him too... -
Rough Country by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGood fences do NOT make good neighbors, especially when that neighbor is a city boy with more dollars than sense.Emery McAvoy is a walking disaster who should never be allowed to step foot on another ladder. Heck, I’d bet my favorite Golden Girls T-shirt that he rearranged his entire life because his ten-year-old daughter likes ponies...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family forced-proximity age-gap -
Handy by K.M. Neuhold
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy new neighbor may be grumpy but he's also hot, and very good with his hands…I definitely overestimated my own handyman skills when I bought this fixer-upper. I have to say, the view from my new place is worth it though. Especially around seven o'clock every morning when my big, furry bear of a neighbor drinks his coffee shirtless on his back porch.He's dedicated to the bear thing too... -
Stay by Willow Aster
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA scorching hot small town, age gap, single father/nanny romance by USA Today bestselling author Willow Aster... -
Heartbreak & Cupcakes by Shawna Renae
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAlex VaughnThe last thing I wanted was to be named San Francisco’s Most Eligible Bachelor. The title alone was misleading. I wasn’t a bachelor. I was a widower and single father. One who wasn’t available or interested.Well... there was one person who might have piqued my interest. Cupcake Girl. But interest and intent are two very different things...Categorized as:
cheerful-mc forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book contemporary fiction -
Resting Beach Face by D.J. Jamison
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's the only man who doesn't want me...and the only one I really need.Cash and Declan's story is coming soon in Resting Beach Face! This will be Book 4 of Swallow Cove, which follows a tight-knit group of friends in a quirky lake town...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers age-gap found-family grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc -
The Brazen One by Daisy Jane
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc forced-proximity grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine adult book contemporary -
-
If You Give a Single Dad a Nanny by Ann Einerson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI, Marlow Taylor, need to stop fantasizing about the hot, single dad next door.Should I have agreed to nanny his cute six year old who loves my dog Waffles? Absolutely not.But her dad seems to think he can do everything himself. ( no one can)3 reasons why I absolutely cannot fall for Dylan 1. He’s grumpy and doesn’t seem to like me very much2...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family forced-proximity romance contemporary -
Naughty or Nice by Sophie Snow
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRora Stanley hates Christmas.But when her best friend needs a Santa photographer for her family’s toy store, Rora is forced to return to her Christmas-obsessed hometown for the holidays.Henry Whitten loves Christmas.And a few weeks in Wintermore, Wyoming playing Santa is exactly what he needs as he stands at a career crossroads...Categorized as:
age-gap forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family romance contemporary -
The Contractor by Raleigh Ruebins
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe’s my best friend, my best worker, and it was just a silly crush.Then he kissed me. Now it feels like he's mine…I’ve shown my best friend Tristan everything: how to use a circular saw, how to lay grout, and how to do a kitchen renovation right. On the job, we became close friends—then even closer as we learned to share a camping tent.It was all harmless. Just like my crush on him... -
A Cowboy in the Streets by Elizabeth Bright
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom USA Today best selling author Elizabeth Bright comes a new grumpy/sunshine, single dad, steamy romance set in wild and beautiful Colorado.Working as the head trainer at Lodestar Ranch is my chance to prove I have what it takes as a woman in a man's world. The only problem? My boss is the world’s grumpiest cowboy… and I can’t keep my eyes off him... -
Pure Country by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI’d sooner cage a wild bird than try to pin that cowboy down. But God, I want to make him mine.Our sizzling banter and filthy texts are the stuff of legends, but Rowdy is the king of one-night stands, and one night with him will never be enough.I crave a future with him, which is exactly why I’ve kept him at arm’s length... -
Christmas On Stardust Lane by Garrett Leigh
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA scarred ex-biker with a hardened soul. The hot new nurse in town guarding his own bruised heart. Tam Dubois is used to being alone. With a body that bears the marks of his mistakes, he’s grown to like it. But scratching out a living with pen and ink is tough, the numbers don’t work, and the only solution he can think of gives him the opposite of Christmas cheer.A lodger...Categorized as:
mlm lgbtq friends-to-lovers forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc angst -
Navarro by Kelly Fox
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy late wife made a bet with me: if I marry her brother, I have to take his last name. “That's the rule. You marry two Navarros, you become one of us.” Renée always did have a sense of humor—even as she was dying—but I’ll never love anyone the way I loved her. Falling for my brother-in-law? Psh. Desi’s almost twenty years younger than me and far too pretty. Besides, my son would never forgive me... -
Virgin Skin by K.M. Neuhold
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI know I have to keep my hands off of my best friend’s son, but it’s hard… really, really hard…I didn’t know the guy I picked up in the bar last night was Hero’s son. To be fair, he didn’t even know he had a son until today. I guess we’re all just scrambling to put on our poker faces.Keeping my hands off of Milo is hard enough thanks to his lickable dimple, flirty smiles, and virgin skin... -
Promise Me Never by Nichole Greene
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt was supposed to be a carefree summer, a chance for me to shed my bookworm ways and get some experience under my belt. Literally. Instead I find myself thrown in the path of the grumpy and frustratingly sexy, Luke Stone. He’s my grandpa’s right hand man on the ranch which makes him inescapable.After tragically losing my wife I swore off love...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity angst romance western -
A Lifetime Kissing You by Riley Hart
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCharlesI have a great family, a successful career, and never struggle to find the company of a man when I want it, and I do—often. The loss of my brother years ago is the one dark spot in an otherwise perfect life. But at forty-three, my world suddenly feels emptier than it should. Something’s missing... -
-
Rear Ended by K.M. Neuhold
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLove is a highway, and Henry just got Rear Ended I’ve spent my entire adult life working eighty hours a week, chasing money, security… success . When my recent start-up went under, leaving me with nothing to show for years of grinding myself down to the bone, I’m not sure who I am anymore... -
Sweet as Honey by Lucy Lennox
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWhen I rode my bike into Aster Valley, it was supposed to be temporary. A quick, relaxing visit with friends. No entanglements. Zero drama.But then I saw the bumblebee being harassed on the side of the highway. More specifically, I saw Truman Sweet, Aster Valley’s resident botanist, spice merchant, and bee-costume enthusiast, being harassed...Categorized as:
age-gap angst cheerful-mc found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq -
Merry with Me by Kaylee Ryan
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new grumpy-sunshine standalone holiday romance.BlakelyWhen my boss tells me I’m taking over the planning of the annual Christmas gala, I can barely contain my excitement. Not only is it a huge opportunity, but I also love all things Christmas...Categorized as:
forced-proximity age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc friends-to-lovers romance workplace -
A Gift-Wrapped Holiday by Amy Aislin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMal's first priority is giving his six-year-old son the best Christmas ever, a goal made trickier by a recent move to New England after losing his job. As a single dad, he's not looking for romance—especially not with a blond California boy ten years his junior...Categorized as:
age-gap cheerful-mc found-family friends-to-lovers grumpy-mc grumpy-sunshine lgbtq mlm -
Got Me Merry by Casey Cox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCan my best friend get me to enjoy the holidays? Ho... Ho... Um…No? Christmas just isn't my jam. The crowds. The cold. That Mariah Carey song blasting everywhere I go. Thanks, but no thanks.Don't get me wrong. I'm no Grinch. The holidays are awesome if you have a great family and money to shower them with gifts. Unfortunately for me, I have neither of those things... -
Like I Pretended by Charlie Novak
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPretending to be in love never felt so real. Henry Lu hates being a superstar. Action movies have left a sour taste in his mouth and filming a queer period drama on the Yorkshire coast sounds like the perfect antidote. Meeting grumpy coffee shop owner, Alex, is the cherry on top... -
Meant To Be: A Prequel Daddy Novella by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPJ couldn't be more surprised that he needs a Daddy in the bedroom...Joel and PJ met as pre-teens at Takoda Outreach Center. They’ve shared every secret, first as best friends, then roommates. But now that they’ve graduated from college, adulting presents circumstances and unforeseen problems that they never saw coming... -
System Overload by Saxon James
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKellerBanging my son’s bestie was a total accident that will never, ever happen again. I’m sure of it.While he might be gorgeous and caught me in a weak moment, when it comes right down to it, my son has been my entire life for the last twenty-six years. I don’t know how to be anything other than his dad.But with Molly heading off to Seattle, he leaves me with a parting gift: Will.His best friend... -
Jaxon by Ruby Raynes
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings***Jaxon - Love in Ink - Book 2***AlexMy life is going fine. Okay, it was going fine until I found myself both homeless—my trusty car Trixie on her last leg—and in need of a fake fiancé. What I don't expect is for Jaxon, my long-time crush and the owner of Ink Me, to come swooping in like a knight in shining armor...Categorized as:
mlm age-gap friends-to-lovers lgbtq found-family forced-proximity romance contemporary -
Love...It's Wild by Jeannine Colette
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFalling in love has never been this wild… I’m a woman who knows my own worth. And more than anything, I deserve love. Wild, passionate, all-consuming love. What I did not deserve was being forced to hang around my small town to watch the jerk who left me at the alter fawn over his new wife. Instead, I ran. Right into him. Robert Bronson is my friend’s grumpy brother-in-law...Categorized as:
grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity angst found-family age-gap romance -
-
Golden Hour: A Porch Bitches Novel by Chelsie Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey say to mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy. If only.June McCawley has been the golden girl of Maple Creek, Illinois since she was old enough to walk. The people in her town have always been in her corner, active participants in her successes. But after she experiences a professional tragedy, June loses faith in herself and the girl everyone always said was perfect. Enter Grady Nash...Categorized as:
forced-proximity grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc found-family romance contemporary small-town -
My Mountain Man Recluse by Sadie King
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe’s his best friend’s daughter.She’s off limits.She’s half his age……and she’s totally irresistible…My Mountain Man Recluse is a forbidden love, short and steamy romance featuring an ex-military recluse and the curvy innocent woman he can't stay away from...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc forced-proximity romance forbidden-love small-town -
Stalked by the Mountain Man by Mia Brody
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere’s only one man I’ve ever loved—my father’s best friend, my stalker.MackenzieHe follows me around town. He prowls around my house. He’s always in the shadows. My father’s best friend thinks I don’t know he’s the man stalking me.But here’s what he’s about to I’m as obsessed with him as he is me. And tonight, I want to tease him out of the shadows and into my bed...Categorized as:
age-gap grumpy-sunshine cheerful-mc grumpy-mc friends-to-lovers romance contemporary small-town -
Bear by Jacki James
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen two big, strong men who are both accustomed to being in charge fall in love, you have to wonder… Who’s the Daddy?One thing Ty Ingalls knows is when you’re six-foot-three and two hundred and twenty-five pounds, people make assumptions about you. And Ty doesn’t like to disappoint people. He has been the go-to guy for everyone’s problems for as long as he can remember... -
Banger by Kiki Clark
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIf there was one thing Kevin knew, it was that his BFF’s ex was bad news.Hank is arrogant, a sloppy drunk, and a complete flirt. And he didn't treat Kevin’s friend the way he deserved.Enough said.It doesn’t matter that everyone else has forgiven and forgotten what happened between Hank and Kevin’s bestie. He won’t let himself fall for the older man’s sweet words or endearments... -
To Hold a Hidden Pearl by Fearne Hill
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNominated in five categories in the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Awards 2020-2021. Also an Honourable Mention in the 20-21 Rainbow Romance Awards...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.