Eloise and the Grump Next Door

Title: Eloise and the Grump Next Door

Series: Oakley Island Romcom #1

Author: Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor

Genre: RomCom, Contemporary Fiction, Humor, Clean Romance

Publisher: Emma St. Clair & Jenny Proctor

Source: e-copy provided, bought paperback

My review:

I will read anything that Emma St. Clair writes. You never know what you are going to get when two authors write together, especially if one is new to you.

While there are some scenes I am sure Emma wrote, I would be hard-pressed to pick the book apart and figure out what each author wrote. I am now looking forward to picking up and reading something by Jenny Proctor and figuring out her writing style 😊

Eloise and the Grump Next Door is a fun read! While Jake is not as grumpy as you might expect (I give that role to Merritt!), he can be grumpy. Eloise insists on being called "Lo" which I never got, but she is young, so I guess it fits her personality. There is a wonderful, zany cast of characters. The family dynamics are interesting and I love the small Island feel.

My biggest complaint with the story is Jake doing what he thinks is best for Eloise, and it comes across as very controlling. He never asked her what she wanted and didn't let her express how she felt about that. Also, my daughter is getting ready to be twenty, so if I think too much about the age gap, it will diminish my enjoyment of the story. I would not be okay with her dating someone that much older than her at this point in her life. 

While we will get Merritt and Sadie's stories in later books (Eloise's sisters), I would love to see Naomi get her own story. The authors have done a fabulous job of setting up Merritt and Sadie's stories. I can't wait to see what happens.

I highly recommend Eloise and the Grump to anyone who needs who enjoys clean romance novels.

Synopsis (Goodreads): 

I’m not sure which is worse--the lawyer handling my grandmother’s estate or the attack pelican living on the screened-in porch. Just kidding--I’ll take the pelican any day.

After graduation, I thought I’d be off to grad school, doing research on my favorite poet. Instead, I’m renovating my late grandmother’s home and posting about the process on Instagram. Talk about a detour …

But here I am. Turning Gran’s beach house into a bed and breakfast--a process that would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to deal with the grumpy lawyer living next door. It doesn’t help that the night Jake and I met, I got a little tipsy, and he had to carry me back to my hotel.

But the longer I stay on Oakley Island, the more I feel a connection to my childhood and to my grandmother. This isn’t the life I dreamed of, but dreams can change. Especially when new dreams include a future with Jake. On the outside, he might be pricklier than a puffer fish, but I catch glimpses of a delicious, cinnamon roll center.

Did I mention the tattoos he hides underneath those crisp button-down shirts? Yowza.

When I’m suddenly presented with the academic opportunity of my dreams (former dreams?), my picturesque life on Oakley starts to unravel.

A part of me wants to stay. If only a certain tattooed grump didn’t seem so determined to send me away …

Eloise and The Grump Next Door is a grumpy sunshine, closed door romantic comedy. The Oakley Island Romcom series follows three very different sisters as they renovate the house they inherited and find love on the island along the way. Each book will have sizzling chemistry but no spice.