When it comes to romance, there’s something about a grumpy/sunshine trope that will have you giggling and immediately needing more between this pair. The grumpy exterior of one protagonist being slowly chipped away at from our bright and sunshiny other protagonist all in the hopes of love? It’s powerful. If you love a grumpy/sunshine trope, check out some of these couples that’ll have you falling head over heels!
King of Wrath by Anna Huang
Dante Ruso is a billionaire who never wanted a wife. When the threat of blackmail forces him to become engaged to Vivian Lau, the heiress of his newest enemy, his plans of doing everything he can to destroy the evidence is complicated when he refuses to let her go.
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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Olive Smith is a third-year Ph.D. candidate who does not agree with her best friend when it comes to lasting romantic relationships. In an effort to prove she’s dating, Olive kisses the first man she sees. But that man is the strict and crabby professor, Adam Carlsen, who agrees to keep Olive’s experiment a secret and pretend to be her fake boyfriend. As the two keep up with the charade, Olive begins to find herself becoming more of a believer.
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Collide by Bal Khabra
There’s only one thing standing in Summer Preston’s way of becoming a sports psychologist. Aiden Crawford is the hockey team’s captain feeling the pressure after a teammate’s mistake. When they have to work together on a research project, Summer and Aiden couldn’t be more unhappy. Summer is driven and Aiden is laid back. While both need to finish the project, will they develop more than a friendship before it’s over?
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You & I, Rewritten by Chip Pons
Will Cowen just accepted a dream promotion at a publishing house in New York City and is moving in with one of his oldest friends. After meeting the gorgeous heir to the publishing house, Graham Austin, Will does not make the best first impression. After reading an amazing manuscript that could make or break his career, the author is a no-show to an event, and Will soon finds himself being comforted by Graham, sparking a romance that could make or break his heart.
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Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
When her twin, Tina, needed her, Naomi dropped everything – including her own wedding – to come home to save her. But Tina hasn’t changed at all and the next thing Naomi knows, Tina is gone, leaving Naomi with no cash and no car…and an eleven-year-old daughter Naomi didn’t even know existed. Knox may try to stay away from complicated women, but finds himself reluctantly helping Naomi so that once she’s on her feet, she’ll be out of his hair. When trouble turns into danger, Knox finds he may have to wait a bit longer for that peaceful lifestyle he’s craving.
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The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Catalina Martín told one little white lie about an American boyfriend and now she needs a date for her sister’s wedding, and it’s going to look suspicious if her fake boyfriend isn’t by her side. With only a few weeks to find someone willing to go to Spain with her for the wedding, Catalina’s tall and handsome, yet irritating coworker Aaron Blackford offers to step in. While he might not be her ideal fake boyfriend, Catalina takes him up on his offer and realizes he may not be as awful as she thought.
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Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Keaton’s girlfriend wants a threesome for her birthday…and she wants the third partner to be a man. Signing into a hookup app to find the right guy, Keaton begins chatting up with a mystery man and soon finds himself fantasizing more about this stranger he’s chatting with than his girlfriend.
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Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Anastasia is on a full scholarship to the University of California which includes a place on the competitive figure skating team. Nothing can take this away from Anastasia, especially Nate Hawkins, the captain of the hockey team. After an incident with the figure skating team, Nate is doing all he can to keep his team on the ice. Now, Anastasia and Nate must put their differences aside when Anastasia’s skating partner’s future looks uncertain.
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Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
Logan and Rosemary used to be best friends until the summer before high school turned them into enemies. After graduating, they went ten years without speaking. Now, in their thirties, they are both working as teachers at their alma mater and couldn’t be more different. When their former English teacher and mentor tells them he only has a few months to live, the two decide to set aside their differences to take him on his lifelong dream of a cross-country road trip.
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Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Chronically ill computer genius Chloe Brown is ready to rebel after a near-death experience. Her life has been nothing but boring and now she has a list of things she’s wanted to do but has been too afraid of like riding a motorcycle and having no-strings-attached sex, but who could help her? Bad boy Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is the perfect person to help with his bad boy image, tattoos, and motorcycle.
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A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn
Lottie has just gotten fired and Huxley is quite angry after a business deal has gone wrong. When the two bump into each other in Beverly Hills, you’d think with a romance that sparks would fly. Not immediately. The two find themselves at lunch in which Huxley asks Lottie to make a deal with him which includes pretending to be in love and live in his mansion. Getting paid to pretend to date someone with no other expectations when she needs money, Lottie agrees. What happens if she does…or did…accidentally fall for Huxley?
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Love, Hate and Clickbait by Liz Bowery
Thom Morgan is a ruthless political consultant working for the governor of California’s presidential campaign. His job would be rather easy if not for Clay Parker, the data analyst who gets under Thom’s skin like no one else. When Thom and Clay get into a big blowout, a journalist takes a picture that makes their intense argument look like a hot and heavy kiss and the photo goes viral. To help the campaign, the governor asks Thom and Clay to pretend to date for publicity and soon enough, the faux relationship begins to lean toward tension that the two men won’t be able to resist.
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By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Life didn’t go the way Isabelle planned when she began her career in publishing after graduating college as she still lives at home and is one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. After hearing her boss complain about a popular author who has yet to hand in their much-anticipated manuscript, Isabelle thinks this exactly what she needs to get that promotion, but Beau Towers will not make this easy. Beau is standoffish and jaded, but as the two get to know one another, his story begins to pour out of him…right as the two realize something else might be brewing between them.
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Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green never planned on returning to Brighton Falls and seeing her distant stepfamily. When her estranged sister, Astrid, convinces Delilah to photograph her wedding, she heads home. Not too long upon her arrival, she meets the snobby Claire, Astrid’s friend, who runs a bookstore. As Delilah and Claire have to work together for wedding preparations, Claire finds herself attracted to Delilah.
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Hidden Scars by Andi Jaxon
Jeremy is a college hockey player who has just met his new roommate and teammate, Preston. Preston infuriates Jeremy and sees no problem publicly humiliating him when he screws up…on and off the ice. Although Jeremy can’t stand Preston to begin with, there’s something that is alluring about Preston and after one weekend when Preston returns back to their dorm broken, Jeremy accepts the challenge to get to know who Preston really is underneath his grumpy persona.
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