Grumpy the Bear

Blueball Band of Brothers, Book 1

By: Marika Ray

Narrated by: Marie Hawkins, TJ Clark

He's a tattooed, blue-eyed jerk who has no business being a single dad. He's also my next-door neighbor, and after negotiations, my grumpy employer for the summer.

I don't put up with cocky males normally, and I certainly won't put up with that man making noise at all hours of the day and night while he builds his glamp-ground. I offer advice, but the stubborn fool just turns his tractor on to drown me out. He returns the favor by pushing my buttons and making me so angry I can't see straight. And I really want to be able to see his gorgeous body in those well-worn jeans and backward hat.

Amidst the verbal warfare, I discover he's hiding scars from a recent accident. I also find out his light eyes heat up to a smoldering icy gray when I give as good as I get. Makes me want to see just how far I can push him and what he'll do when he boils over.

Gannon's been dealt a rough hand in life, and when I find a way under that gruff-and stupidly handsome-exterior, I find that maybe he's not Grumpy the Bear as I nicknamed him, but instead just a teddy bear.

Contains mature themes.

©2023 Marika Ray (P)2024 Tantor

All the emotions, the hilarity, the swoons and the love

I loved, loved Gannon and Paisley’s enemies to lovers, single dad, nanny, next door neighbor, age gap, grumpy-sunshine romance of all the things. The witty banter and sexual tension between these two was romance perfection. All the laugh out loud hilarity upped the deliciousness. Add in two strong, determined but wounded main characters and this book is the romcom trifecta. I loved it. After suffering a career ending injury and becoming an instant dad to Elise, his 5 year old daughter, Gannon buys land in small town Blueball to make a glamping campground. Paisley is a line worker who is on temporary disability due to an ankle injury on the job. She is also Gannon’s new neighbor and eventually becomes Elise’s temporary nanny. Their meet cute involved a puppy and skimpy underwear and did not result in love at first sight but they do get there. Throughout this beautifully paced, hilarious and heartwarming story of Gannon and Paisley’s HEA, they each have to deal with their less than supportive parents, the scars of their pasts, and their fears. In between all the laughs, you’ll definitely feel all the feels. Gannon and Paisley are real, relatable people who have flaws, but are really trying to just do their best as messy human beings. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline as told through sweet moments, steamy scenes, laughs, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, mild angst and bunches of heart squeezing love. The secondary characters were well developed and I am excited to read more Blueball stories starring them.

TJ Clark and Marie Hawkins did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly.