18+ Grumpy x Sunshine Romance Books That Prove Opposites Really Do Attract

There’s something so satisfying about a grumpy x sunshine romance. The brooding, emotionally constipated love interest? Check. The relentlessly cheerful main character who pokes at all their walls? Double check. It’s the ultimate opposites attract romance, and it never fails to deliver on the swoon.

Whether it’s a grump who secretly cares way too much, a sunshine who radiates joy and chaos, or a love story that balances banter with soft, slow-burn feels- these books are basically comfort food in paperback form.

So if you’re in the mood for some emotional thawing, flirty tension, and characters who fall harder than they meant to, you’re about to meet your next obsession.

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her…

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby-making dance—when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing and the home-insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter—I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine.

Perfect for fans of:
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Small Town Romance
• Age Gap
• Curvy FMC
• Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar… in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart. 

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town… where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong. 

The Fine Print by Lauren Asher

Rowan
I’m in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don’t get happy endings.
Not when we’re destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything.
Especially not us.

The Fine Print is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world

A diverse new adult steamy romance from Tiktok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Ana Huang.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen-but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Twisted Love is a contemporary brother’s best friend/grumpy sunshine romance. It’s book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.

When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend―until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?

The Chase by Elle Kennedy

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.

My Grumpy Billionaire by Nadia Lee

“Don’t worry. I can’t get pregnant.”

Famous last words. I said them to a hot one-night stand during my divorce-cation, to reassure him when the condom broke. After all, one of the reasons my marriage ended is that I couldn’t get pregnant, and my terrible ex blamed me for it.

And now my doctor says I am pregnant. With triplets.

I just have to find a way to tell the one-night stand he’s going to be a dad…

My Grumpy Billionaire is a laugh-out-loud swoonfest including a smoking hot masked hookup, a few silicone toys, and a peopling-averse hero you can’t help but love. It’s a stand-alone romance guaranteed to give you all the feels, along with the grand gestures and happy ending you crave.

Forbidden Hearts by Corinne Michaels

First rule of being a nanny? Don’t fall for the single dad, even if he is smoking hot.

But that’s exactly what happens when grumpy small-town sheriff Asher Whitlock reluctantly hires me to take care of his daughter for the summer. Neither of us is thrilled with the arrangement, but he’s desperate for help, and I need the money for grad school this fall.

All we need to do is keep our distance and remain professional . . . turns out, that’s easier said than done.

Instead of focusing on my future, all I see is the strong jawline, crystal-blue eyes, and rock hard body right in front of me. We try to resist each other, but we end up crossing every line until I’m in his bed.

I tell myself it’s just this once.
Okay, twice.
All right, every night.

But it’s got to end–he’s fourteen years older than me, with a kid and a stressful job. Have I mentioned my dad is his boss? Then there’s the past I’m trying to forget. Secrets aren’t easy to keep and mine are getting too big to hide.

Walking away is never simple but when I do, I can’t look back.

Even if it means leaving behind the man I was never meant to love.

Offside Play by Lyssa Lemire

The grumpy goalie wouldn’t hold the door open for most people—but for me, he’ll pretend to be in love.

Hudson Voss: Grumpy, brooding hockey star with a permanent scowl on his face and a storm in his eyes. Six feet, four inches of tattooed muscle. Every girl on campus swoons over him—most at a distance, because he’s too scary to approach.

Me: A concert violinist who always looks on the bright side. I’ll be sitting next to Hudson in English class all semester long, but his bad vibes won’t affect me. With my motivational quotes of the day and positive affirmations, I won’t let the grumpy goalie faze me.

But one thing does faze me: my entitled ex who decides he wants me back.

Maybe if he thought I was already taken—by a man who could crumple him up like a piece of paper—he’d back off.

In a lapse of sanity, I ask Hudson to fake it with me; and to my shock, he agrees.

Now the goalie with no heart is buying me flowers and kissing me like I’m really his.

I know the truth, though. It’s all an act. There’s no way a surly hunk like Hudson could fall for a bubbly former band geek like me.

Right?

Offside Play is a full-length college hockey romance novel with lots of steam, no cheating, and a guaranteed happy ever after!

Tropes:

grumpy/sunshine
he falls first
fake relationship
no 3rd act breakup
dual POV

Falling for the Pucking Grump by Natalie Belle

He’s in black ice skates, ripped black jeans, and a yellow and black New Brunswick Wolverines shirt that fills out his vast shoulders, brawn biceps, flat torso, and anything else he has going down underneath his shirt.
Reid doesn’t utter a word when he stops within two feet of me, even taller and more intimidating than yesterday because I think being on the ice is his superpower, and he looks like he can do anything on it.

My life takes an unexpected turn when I meet Reid “The Reaper” Pierce- the grumpy enforcer for the New Brunswick Wolverines.

When the gorgeous hockey bad boy is slapped with a fifteen-game suspension, he is forced to rebuild his tarnished image.

Reid reluctantly becomes an assistant coach for a youth hockey team.

A challenge, to say the least, for the broody, alpha left winger, given his lack of kid-friendly skills.

Enter Hollyn Mayfield.

I’m sunshine with a dash of nerdiness and a touch of self-consciousness.

I find myself thrust into the role of the other assistant coach.

My expertise? Mostly handing out juice boxes and snacks to kids during practice.

An unlikely duo, we strike a deal.

I’ll help him ease up on the kids, reducing post-practice tears and parent complaints.

In return, he’ll assist me in scoring a date with my crush, the head coach Weston Higgins.

Weston, as Reid points out, is a B-class wannabe.

Despite this, I remain determined to snag that date.

Reid agrees to teach me about hockey, hoping it will help me connect with Weston.

Along the way, though, he might want to keep me with his jersey number on my back.

Falling for the Pucking Grump is a Grumpy/Sunshine, Guy Falls First, Hockey Romance. This is Book 1 in the standalone series New Brunswick Wolverines.

Revenge Puck by L.A. Hart

After Elle Townsend is dumped by her hockey star boyfriend Christian Riley on the eve of the championship playoffs, she devises a plan for sweet revenge—a fake romance with Christian’s arch-rival.

Preston Lawrence takes his hockey career very seriously because brawling on the ice is the only thing he’s good at. With the championship trophy and his contract extension on the line, he needs to figure out a way to control his temper that always flares and gets him ejected whenever he faces his rival.

So, when a heartbroken blonde asks Preston for a photo with him to try to make Christian jealous, he raises the stakes. Known for avoiding the spotlight, Preston kisses Elle in front of a crowd of sports reporters, certain the video will go viral.

Their “fake” kiss felt a little too real for Elle and Preston. It looks real to Christian too, who goes ballistic when he sees Elle in the stands wearing Preston’s jersey, and holding up a sign that insults the size of Christian’s “stick.”

Infuriating Christian helps Preston keep his head in the game so his team could win game one of four. That’s why he suggests to Elle that they keep up their charade through the championships.

Christian and Preston have a complicated history. Their rivalry intensifies further when they begin to fight over Elle.

As Elle and Preston grow closer, secrets unravel, causing Elle to question if Preston’s feelings are genuine or just a part of his revenge plot against Christian.

Will Preston be able to convince Elle that his feelings for her are real, or will Christian find a way to win her back?

Flirting with the CEO by Layla Hagen

I wanted to hate her. Instead, I desperately need her.

I didn’t get to be CEO by playing nice. I’m driven and ruthless—and yes, occasionally rude. But it gets the job done, and that’s all I care about. My business partners disagree. They insist I need to improve my communication skills. That’s how I end up with Zoey Thomas shadowing me.

From the moment she steps into my office, I have one goal: ignore her until she quits. I don’t need anyone telling me how to conduct my business. I call the shots. Always.

But the more I push Zoey away, the more she persists. And she’s starting to piss me off. She’s too chirpy, too sassy, and far too sexy. When we finally sit down to discuss how I could communicate better, I barely manage to pay attention. Instead, I fantasize about exploring her body all night long, and that won’t do.

I manage to keep my distance, right until she shows up at the boxing ring where I blow off steam. Outside the confines of the office, instinct takes over, and I kiss her.

She wants me and I want her, and we explore each other in all the ways I imagined.

But Zoey Thomas should be completely off-limits. She’s fun and walks around with her heart on her sleeve. I’m the exact opposite. Worse, I’m married to my work. Always have been and always will be. I can’t offer her what she wants.

But how am I supposed to let her walk away when all I want is to keep her?

Truly Madly Deeply by L.J. Shen

This old flame just might set them on fire.

Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life—food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.

***

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.

Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she’s always been clumsy.

Truly, Madly, Deeply, is a grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers romance. It is the first in the Forbidden Love series, but can be read as a standalone.

Breaking Away by Toni Aleo

BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.

To Nashville Assassins’ leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy… as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That’s until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his very angry sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.

For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman… and her hot-as-sin uncle.

However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, one night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of “One Last Time” that has the potential to be something more… if only Reese and Claire allow it.

Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?

Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer

He’s the hot, grumpy goalie I had a crush on in high school… and now I’m his live-in assistant.

After my ex crushed my dreams in the music industry, I’m done with getting my heart broken. Working as an assistant for an NHL player was supposed to be a breeze, but nothing about Jamie Streicher is easy. He’s an intimidatingly hot, grouchy jerk who can’t stand me. The guy has a massive ego. Keeping things professional will be no problem, even when he demands I move in with him.

Beneath his surliness, though, Jamie’s surprisingly sweet and protective.

When Jamie learns how bad my ex was in bed, his competitive nature flares, and he encourages and spoils me in every way. The creative spark I used to feel about songwriting? It’s back, and I’m writing music again. Between wearing his jersey at games, rowdy parties with the team, and being brave on stage again, I’m falling for him.

He could break my heart, but it might be worth it.

Behind the Net is a grumpy-sunshine pro hockey romance with lots of spice and an HEA. It’s the first book in the Vancouver Storm series, and can be read as a standalone.

Tropes:

grumpy sunshine
slow burn
boy obsessed
pro hockey
forced proximity (boss vs assistant + roommates)
spice coaching

Wallflower by Cookie O’Gorman

Wallflower (wohl-flou-erh): Identifier for someone who is shy and/or awkward. For reference, see Viola Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Viola Kent likes being invisible. Well, not literally, but she’s content being a loner, reading her books, and hanging out with the animals at the shelter. She just wants to keep her head down and get through her senior year at Durham High.

Driving Dare Frost to school every day wasn’t part of the plan.

And when Viola finds out her dad recruited Dare, his number one player, to be her friend?

Her inner Slytherin demands revenge.

The solution: Get Dare to be her fake boyfriend.

Convincing the star athlete to pretend is easier than she’d thought it would be. The hard part is protecting her heart. With every word, touch, and kiss, Viola’s feelings become more real.

The problem: Viola knows she’s falling for Dare—but he doesn’t believe in love.

This book features two sets of soulmates, one happy pooch named Hermione, so many sizzling kisses and answers the question:

Can a dork and a jock fake their way to true love?

Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles

It was supposed to be a fresh start. A small town where I could hide my little girl from the shadows that haunt us. A place where I could keep us safe.

The last thing I expected was him.

A surly, broody mountain of a man who helps me save an injured deer in a snowstorm.

Now, Roan Hartley keeps showing up with his glowers and grimaces. But they only make his rare smiles and the gentle way he talks to my daughter mean that much more.

When forces from my past find us, Roan is determined to keep us safe—even if that means sleeping on my ancient couch every night.

As days turn to weeks, his touch has my walls crashing down. But someone out there doesn’t want me to find happiness. He doesn’t want me left breathing at all…

If You Give a Single Dad a Nanny by Ann Einerson

I, 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 much
2.He lives next door – literally next door to my perfect pink house
3. There are no secrets in a small town

I’m an optimistic artist, never living in one place for too long.

He’s a cynical billionaire, trying to raise his kid on his own like a “normal” person.

Since I’m not going to fall for Dylan Stafford, it shouldn’t matter that he shovels my driveway or looks at me like he could devour me.

One kiss later – I, Marlow Taylor, am completely screwed.

Bonds of Cupidity by Raven Kennedy

I found love. Now, I need to try and keep it.

I spent years in the Veil as an invisible cupid. Unable to talk, touch, or love anyone, which made me a little bitter.

Now, I have a life…and a bounty on my head. The fae prince wants me dead, and my three gorgeous genfins are arrested. The culling of the Royal Trials is about to begin, but I’m not going to let everything be taken from me without a fight.

There’s rebellion in the air, a princess who’s not all she appears to be, and a lamassu fae who claims to be my mate.

Love is getting complicated.

But for a cupid, it always is.

Author’s Note: This is a slow-burn why choose fae-fantasy romcom, where the FMC will end up with multiple mates. It includes explicit language and sexual situations. Intended for audiences 18 years and older. This series is complete.

Conclusion

There’s just something about watching a grump slowly crumble under the sunshine’s smile, right? These pairings give us the banter, the pining, the “I hate everyone but you” energy we can’t get enough of.

Got a favorite grumpy-sunshine duo that lives rent-free in your brain? Drop it below, we’re always collecting chaotic cinnamon rolls and their emotionally stunted soulmates