Welcome to my Grumpy Sunshine Trope book recommendations list!
Welcome to a world where opposites attract and love blossoms in the most unexpected ways. In this blog post, we dive into the enchanting realm of books that feature the irresistible “Grumpy Sunshine” trope. This delightful trope explores the dynamic between two characters who couldn’t be more different on the surface, yet find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. And is one of the most popular book tropes in romance.
The “Grumpy Sunshine” trope brings together a brooding, grumpy, or prickly hero with a bright, cheerful, and optimistic heroine. It’s a delightful collision of personalities, as the grumpy character is often guarded and reserved, while the sunshine character exudes warmth and positivity. The resulting chemistry between these contrasting personalities is undeniably magnetic, creating sparks that ignite the pages of these captivating books.
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
A brother’s best friend enemies to lovers angst between an ice cube of a man and a sunshine of a girl. Smutty and explicit (for the spice lovers out there). Hero is driven by revenge and has a ‘tragic backstory’. Lots of possessive and jealous scenes.
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
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 spiralled 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.
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.
A billionaire romance between a sunshine idealist and a grumpy billionaire. Has the secret identity trope where the hero initially hides his identity from the heroine.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
A Hades and Persephone retelling! Recommend for Greek Mythology geeks like me. I like how they incorporated the grumpy sunshine trope within the mythology of the romance between Hades and Persephone. Hades really is the grumpy one and Persephone is a literal sun of a woman.
King of Wrath by Ana Huang
Another Ana Huang book haha. It’s not a coincidence, this trope is literally her thing. So many of her series have this trope for the couples. For this one, it’s an arranged marriage billionaire romance with smut (of course). Also includes angsty enemies to lovers and slow burn!
Hooked by Emily McIntire
A dark contemporary romance fairytale re-telling where villains get the girl, i.e. the villains from fairytales getting their happy endings. In fact, this entire series is like that. So make sure to check out the other books if this one was enjoyable to you. Has smut and mature content.
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.
But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.
Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.
Reallyyyyyy slow burn for a grumpy sunshine. As expected for a Mariana Zapata book.
Managed by Kristen Callihan
Each book in this series is a standalone in the same universe. The first book is a romance between an idol and a civilian, and this one focuses on the idol’s cold and grumpy manager.
It Happened One Summer 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.
Romance between a sunshine fashionable “it” celebrity girl with grumpy sea sailor local. Bright cheerful icon x cold ordinary sailor combo meal.
Managed by Kristen Callihan
Celebrity musician MMC x a PR assistant FMC romance. The MMC is a grumpy troublemaker (for lack of better term) and Lena is a sunshine that needs to keep this wild man on a tight leash.
Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly
The first time Cassio meets his fiancée, she calls him “sir.” After losing his wife, Cassio is left to take care of two small children while trying to establish his rule over Philadelphia. Now he needs a mother for his children and someone who can warm his bed at night.
But in a world as traditional as his, choosing your wife is duty not pleasure.Rules have to be followed, traditions heeded. That’s how he ends up with a woman—a girl—barely of age. She may not be what he and his children need, but she’s lovely and a sweet temptation he can’t resist.
Giulia has always known she’ll marry the man her father chose for her, but she never expects to be given to someone so much older. Suddenly she’s supposed to be a mother to two small children when she hasn’t even held a baby before.Giulia quickly realizes that Cassio isn’t interested in a relationship on equal footing. Her mother has warned her that men of power, like Cassio, don’t tolerate insolence. Tired of being treated as a nanny, Giulia decides to fight for her version of a happy family.
An age-gap arranged marriage romance between an older grumpy mafia and cute fake younger fiance.
As many readers may know (especially romance book readers), oftentimes we like to seek out book tropes and read romance books that include the book tropes we usually like and the book tropes we want to read at the moment. It’s what drives a lot of book recommendations and is a common way we seek out books to read.
If you are a reader who is interested in:
- Tracking tropes that you have already read
- Tracking tropes that you would want to read in the future
- Collect original trope ideas that you came up with (and haven’t come across before)
Then this book trope reading journal is perfectly made for you!
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