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Stick Taps #2
Grumpily Yours
When a blacklisted chef is forced to work for a grumpy ex–NHL player, sparks fly in and out of the kitchen. A steamy workplace romance about rebuilding dreams, breaking rules, and finding forever.
When a public meltdown ruins chef Summer Turner’s career, she flees to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to rediscover her passion for cooking. Summer doesn’t want to work for someone else again, but when her father secures her a job at a local cidery, she doesn’t dare say no, even if it means working for scowling former NHL player Ezra Rawlings.
After a career-ending injury, Ezra knows what it’s like to lose everything. Emotionally guarded, he’s sworn off relationships to focus on business. But sparring with Summer ignites something he thought was gone forever, and what starts as a casual fling becomes impossible to ignore.
As their connection deepens and defenses crumble, their explosive chemistry threatens every boundary they’ve set. Summer’s determined to prove she’s not a failure, while Ezra’s convinced he’s too broken for love. But two stubborn hearts might be exactly what each other needs—if they’re brave enough to stop running.
When a public meltdown ruins chef Summer Turner’s career, she flees to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to rediscover her passion for cooking. Summer doesn’t want to work for someone else again, but when her father secures her a job at a local cidery, she doesn’t dare say no, even if it means working for scowling former NHL player Ezra Rawlings.
After a career-ending injury, Ezra knows what it’s like to lose everything. Emotionally guarded, he’s sworn off relationships to focus on business. But sparring with Summer ignites something he thought was gone forever, and what starts as a casual fling becomes impossible to ignore.
As their connection deepens and defenses crumble, their explosive chemistry threatens every boundary they’ve set. Summer’s determined to prove she’s not a failure, while Ezra’s convinced he’s too broken for love. But two stubborn hearts might be exactly what each other needs—if they’re brave enough to stop running.
283 pages, Paperback
Published July 21, 2026
About the author
Teagan Hunter
49 books5,622 followersTEAGAN HUNTER writes steamy romantic comedies with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. She loves pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When not writing, you can find her watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. She’s mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefers cooler weather. She married her high school sweetheart, and they currently live in the PNW.
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FOLLOW HER AMAZON PAGE:
amazon.com/author/teaganhunter
FOLLOW HER FACEBOOK PAGE:
facebook.com/teaganhunterwrites
JOIN HER READER GROUP:
Teagan's Tidbits on Facebook
FOLLOW HER INSTAGRAM:
@teaganhunterwrites
SIGN UP FOR HER NEWSLETTER:
Teagan's Newsletter
READING ORDER:
Reading Order For Teagan's Books
________________
Teagan does not regularly check this account. Please visit her website to get in touch with her.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
July 21, 2026
4.25 stars.
"Grumpily Yours" by Teagan Hunter is *so* good! It's a former chef x former hockey player romance between two very layered characters. I loved Summer (FMC), who is back in her small Washington hometown after a very public, very viral meltdown ruined her career and any future prospects in the cooking industry. Her dad, the sheriff of Port Harbor, had to get her a job at the local cidery called Stick Taps that is owned by Ezra (MMC), a former professional hockey player whose career ended due to a major injury before his time was up. Since then, he has channeled everything he's got and everything he is into the cidery. He and Summer have a contentious relationship at first, bantering and bickering at the drop of a hat, but it's obvious they cannot stay away from one another. His grumpy disposition slowly softens over time by her sunshine-y nature. The more he learns about her, the more he gets to know her, the more he wants her to have everything she wants, including a place to explore her passion for cooking again. After swearing everything was excellent as-is, he lets her reinvent the menu for the cidery and completely renovates the kitchen, giving her free rein to do whatever she wants. I LOVED the chemistry between these two people who are trying to figure out what's next for them in life. They have both been "beaten" in some way and are looking to reinvent who they are without the thing that has made them "them." What starts as a casual thing quickly becomes serious as they recognize the hurt in one another and seek to be a source of solace for each other. Still, the battle for their happily ever after is hard-fought. Summer doesn't want to depend on anyone, so she's constantly got one foot out the door. Ezra never wants to be let down by anything again (like he was with his hockey career), so he digs his heels in the ground from time to time. I felt for both of these characters so strongly. They have both had their dreams ripped away from them, and if they could only get out of their own way, they could start again anew with each other. As I mentioned, they have incredible chemistry. I was rooting for them the entire book! I loved the grand gestures in this story. Where I typically find them silly, I thought they worked here. I also think this book is the perfect length, balancing humor, spiciness, and sweetness in equal measure. I also adored the audiobook, narrated by Nelson Hobbs and Chloe Ryan. I think they bring these characters to life in an animated, perfect way. They fit these characters so well! If I had any critique, it's that Hobbs maybe doesn't differentiate his voices between each other all that much, but not so much that it made me get lost! I absolutely recommend this book!!
Favorite quote (made me laugh out loud!!):
-"What the f***, dude?” I stared down at my flaccid pen1s, half expecting it to talk back. “You’re just sitting there like a bald guy in a turtleneck. Let’s go."
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Hunter, VPR Audio, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"Grumpily Yours" by Teagan Hunter is *so* good! It's a former chef x former hockey player romance between two very layered characters. I loved Summer (FMC), who is back in her small Washington hometown after a very public, very viral meltdown ruined her career and any future prospects in the cooking industry. Her dad, the sheriff of Port Harbor, had to get her a job at the local cidery called Stick Taps that is owned by Ezra (MMC), a former professional hockey player whose career ended due to a major injury before his time was up. Since then, he has channeled everything he's got and everything he is into the cidery. He and Summer have a contentious relationship at first, bantering and bickering at the drop of a hat, but it's obvious they cannot stay away from one another. His grumpy disposition slowly softens over time by her sunshine-y nature. The more he learns about her, the more he gets to know her, the more he wants her to have everything she wants, including a place to explore her passion for cooking again. After swearing everything was excellent as-is, he lets her reinvent the menu for the cidery and completely renovates the kitchen, giving her free rein to do whatever she wants. I LOVED the chemistry between these two people who are trying to figure out what's next for them in life. They have both been "beaten" in some way and are looking to reinvent who they are without the thing that has made them "them." What starts as a casual thing quickly becomes serious as they recognize the hurt in one another and seek to be a source of solace for each other. Still, the battle for their happily ever after is hard-fought. Summer doesn't want to depend on anyone, so she's constantly got one foot out the door. Ezra never wants to be let down by anything again (like he was with his hockey career), so he digs his heels in the ground from time to time. I felt for both of these characters so strongly. They have both had their dreams ripped away from them, and if they could only get out of their own way, they could start again anew with each other. As I mentioned, they have incredible chemistry. I was rooting for them the entire book! I loved the grand gestures in this story. Where I typically find them silly, I thought they worked here. I also think this book is the perfect length, balancing humor, spiciness, and sweetness in equal measure. I also adored the audiobook, narrated by Nelson Hobbs and Chloe Ryan. I think they bring these characters to life in an animated, perfect way. They fit these characters so well! If I had any critique, it's that Hobbs maybe doesn't differentiate his voices between each other all that much, but not so much that it made me get lost! I absolutely recommend this book!!
Favorite quote (made me laugh out loud!!):
-"What the f***, dude?” I stared down at my flaccid pen1s, half expecting it to talk back. “You’re just sitting there like a bald guy in a turtleneck. Let’s go."
Thank you to NetGalley, Teagan Hunter, VPR Audio, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
July 22, 2026
I so very much enjoyed Ezra and Summer. The sparks were flying from their very first meeting, first the tension and then the 🥵🥵🥵. Summer is definitely a brat to Ezra's grump, but she's a snarky, fun one and I was here for it. Ezra... well, I'm a sucker for a grumpy former hockey player who thinks he's broken 🥺🫠. This was such a great trip back to Stick Taps!
July 21, 2026
This read was extra special for me because I was lucky enough to snag a physical print ARC directly from Teagan at Star of the North, and it has definitely earned a spot as one of my most prized possessions on my bookshelf!
I am such a sucker for a grumpy hero with a secret heart of gold and watching these two broken hearts help each other rebuild while sparring in the kitchen was everything. The spark between these two was electric. The angst was palpable, the banter was chef's kiss, and that constant back-and-forth had me completely captive from the start.
If you know me at all, you know I love a good immersive read, which is why I jumped at the chance to grab this one in audio! Nelson Hobbs and Chloe Ryan absolutely nailed Ezra and Summer. Nelson brings the ultimate low, rumbling grump energy that makes Ezra's soft moments hit so much harder, and Chloe brings all the quick wit, warmth, and relatable humor that makes Summer so easy to root for. Listening to them bring this story to life while following along with the pages was pure magic. 🎧❤️
Even though it’s book two in the series, you can totally jump right into this one as a standalone without missing a beat! If you love swoony former hockey players, delicious foodie vibes, small-town Pacific Northwest setting, and top-tier banter, do yourself a favor and add Grumpily Yours to your TBR right now!
I am such a sucker for a grumpy hero with a secret heart of gold and watching these two broken hearts help each other rebuild while sparring in the kitchen was everything. The spark between these two was electric. The angst was palpable, the banter was chef's kiss, and that constant back-and-forth had me completely captive from the start.
If you know me at all, you know I love a good immersive read, which is why I jumped at the chance to grab this one in audio! Nelson Hobbs and Chloe Ryan absolutely nailed Ezra and Summer. Nelson brings the ultimate low, rumbling grump energy that makes Ezra's soft moments hit so much harder, and Chloe brings all the quick wit, warmth, and relatable humor that makes Summer so easy to root for. Listening to them bring this story to life while following along with the pages was pure magic. 🎧❤️
Even though it’s book two in the series, you can totally jump right into this one as a standalone without missing a beat! If you love swoony former hockey players, delicious foodie vibes, small-town Pacific Northwest setting, and top-tier banter, do yourself a favor and add Grumpily Yours to your TBR right now!
July 14, 2026
Ezra is a fast-driving, grumpy ex-NHL star. Summer is a blacklisted—but incredibly talented—chef and the daughter of the town sheriff. After a very public meltdown in Chicago, Summer returns home, where her dad puts her to work at the cidery Ezra owns. Together, they create more than just heat in the kitchen. 🔥
This was my first Teagan Hunter book, and it definitely won't be my last! One aspect that really stood out to me was Ezra's journey with chronic pain and the loss of his family. Those themes added so much depth to his character and made him feel incredibly real.
The story hooked me from the very beginning and had a grip on me the whole book. I loved both reading and listening to this one, and the narrators brought the characters to life perfectly.
Thank you to VPR, Teagan Hunter, NetGalley, and Brilliance Audio for the ARC/ALC of Book 2 in the Stick Taps Series!
🏒 Grumpy x Sunshine 🍎 Small Town Romance 👨🍳 Chef MMC/FMC ❤️ Emotional Healing 🔥 Plenty of Chemistry 🎧 Dual Format Read
This was my first Teagan Hunter book, and it definitely won't be my last! One aspect that really stood out to me was Ezra's journey with chronic pain and the loss of his family. Those themes added so much depth to his character and made him feel incredibly real.
The story hooked me from the very beginning and had a grip on me the whole book. I loved both reading and listening to this one, and the narrators brought the characters to life perfectly.
Thank you to VPR, Teagan Hunter, NetGalley, and Brilliance Audio for the ARC/ALC of Book 2 in the Stick Taps Series!
🏒 Grumpy x Sunshine 🍎 Small Town Romance 👨🍳 Chef MMC/FMC ❤️ Emotional Healing 🔥 Plenty of Chemistry 🎧 Dual Format Read
July 17, 2026
A bitter ex-NHL player chasing his next rush meets a blacklisted chef who’s stuck in career limbo. Mix in a meddling father, a grumpy boss, and a sassy employee, and you’ve got a recipe for workplace chaos.
The tension between these two was so good. The angst, the banter, the constant push and pull…I was hooked from the very beginning.
If you love grumpy/sunshine vibes, workplace romance, a hero who’s secretly all heart beneath the gruff and plenty of smutty tension, you’ll want to add this to your TBR
The tension between these two was so good. The angst, the banter, the constant push and pull…I was hooked from the very beginning.
If you love grumpy/sunshine vibes, workplace romance, a hero who’s secretly all heart beneath the gruff and plenty of smutty tension, you’ll want to add this to your TBR
July 9, 2026
Thank you Valentine pr audio team for an alc of this book.
This was my first book by Teagan Hunter, and it did not disappoint. A grumpy ex-hockey player, and a blacklisted chef is forced to work together, and they soon get closer and they have great chemistry. The banter is also really good. This book deals with talks of greif of loosing loved ones, fear of loosing others, chronic pain and feeling like your dream was taken from you.
As someone that can relate to some of this, it really hit home. I’m sad that Ezra thought that he was weak just because he was in pain. Or that he would never be good enough to be loved. I just want to give him a hug.
Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs did an amazing job bringing this book to life, and I felt like they were a really good fit for the characters. I highly enjoyed this.
This was my first book by Teagan Hunter, and it did not disappoint. A grumpy ex-hockey player, and a blacklisted chef is forced to work together, and they soon get closer and they have great chemistry. The banter is also really good. This book deals with talks of greif of loosing loved ones, fear of loosing others, chronic pain and feeling like your dream was taken from you.
As someone that can relate to some of this, it really hit home. I’m sad that Ezra thought that he was weak just because he was in pain. Or that he would never be good enough to be loved. I just want to give him a hug.
Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs did an amazing job bringing this book to life, and I felt like they were a really good fit for the characters. I highly enjoyed this.
July 19, 2026
Ezra & Summer
Grumpily Yours focuses on the story of Ezra and Summer. Summer has come home and she is trying to get back on her feet. She left Chicago and honestly, it's probably for the best because the found family at Stick Taps is so much more than blood. These people go to bat for their people. Ezra might be a bit of a grump but it's only because he is in pain and he believes that's a weakness. It takes Summer to make him realize that it's okay. It's okay to hurt and to need people. Just like Summer being stubborn when she doesn't believe in her cooking.
He believes in her cooking and she believes in the fact he isn't a grump. It's a front and it's just above the surface of what a good person Ezra really is. I truly enjoyed these two and this book. Teagan does such a great job of making you feel like family and these characters have so many layers and depth.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing.
Grumpily Yours focuses on the story of Ezra and Summer. Summer has come home and she is trying to get back on her feet. She left Chicago and honestly, it's probably for the best because the found family at Stick Taps is so much more than blood. These people go to bat for their people. Ezra might be a bit of a grump but it's only because he is in pain and he believes that's a weakness. It takes Summer to make him realize that it's okay. It's okay to hurt and to need people. Just like Summer being stubborn when she doesn't believe in her cooking.
He believes in her cooking and she believes in the fact he isn't a grump. It's a front and it's just above the surface of what a good person Ezra really is. I truly enjoyed these two and this book. Teagan does such a great job of making you feel like family and these characters have so many layers and depth.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing.
July 12, 2026
Thank you Valentine PR and Teagan Hunter for the Advanced Listening Copy of Grumpily Yours. This is book two in the Stick Taps series but can be read as a standalone.
Ezra is a grumpy and chronically in pain from the hockey injury that took his dreams away from him. He’s also the co-owner of a Cidery.
Summer just moved home to take care of her father, the sheriff who keeps pulling Ezra over for speeding 👀, and just crashed out at her chef job in Chicago.
The sparks fly as they work together at the cidery, whether they want them to or not. This was a cute read. They fought their attractions to eachother but were just meant to be. Ezra is grumpy but is actually a great guy.
If you enjoy workplace romance, secret hookups, retired hockey players, and maybe a silly chicken, this is for you.
Ezra is a grumpy and chronically in pain from the hockey injury that took his dreams away from him. He’s also the co-owner of a Cidery.
Summer just moved home to take care of her father, the sheriff who keeps pulling Ezra over for speeding 👀, and just crashed out at her chef job in Chicago.
The sparks fly as they work together at the cidery, whether they want them to or not. This was a cute read. They fought their attractions to eachother but were just meant to be. Ezra is grumpy but is actually a great guy.
If you enjoy workplace romance, secret hookups, retired hockey players, and maybe a silly chicken, this is for you.
July 12, 2026
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Brilliance Audio in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Grumpily Yours by Teagan Hunter had a lot of potential on paper, but unfortunately, it ended up being a massive disappointment for me. I generally enjoyed the first book in this series, Grumpily Ever After (though fair warning: if you didn't care for Odette then, you still won't like her now), and having read Teagan's work for years, I was eager to download this ALC.
At this point in her career, Hunter isn't a new author; she has years of writing experience under her belt, yet this book felt like something a debut author would release. It is doubly frustrating considering this was traditionally published, meaning it theoretically had the benefit of professional Montlake and Brilliance editors to polish the execution.
The plot follows Summer, who returns to her hometown after a major career downturn coincides with her father suffering a heart attack. Her dad arranges for her to take a job at Stick Taps, a local cidery owned by Ezra. Ezra is heavily guarded, closed-off, and dealing with chronic pain from a career-ending sports injury. Meanwhile, Summer’s professional confidence has taken a severe dent after what went down at her previous job. Her time at the cidery rebuilds her self-confidence professionally, while her "sunshine" energy ignites something in Ezra.
On paper, that sounds great. In reality? The biggest flaw of this book is that absolutely everything was told to me as a reader instead of letting me actually experience it through the writing and character interactions. We are told about their growth and emotional healing rather than seeing it organically play out. While their chemistry and banter kept the story moving, it never completely wowed me.
Since I listened to this via audio, the narration was a bit of a mixed bag. Chloe Ryan did an amazing job bringing Summer to life. Nelson Hobbs struggled to distinguish between the voices of a few of the male characters which made listening to conversations incredibly confusing, leaving me constantly racking my brain trying to figure out who was actually speaking.
If you are just looking for a light, breezy grumpy/sunshine romance to pass the time, this is a perfectly enjoyable, but given the talent involved, it just didn't live up to what it could have been.
Grumpily Yours by Teagan Hunter had a lot of potential on paper, but unfortunately, it ended up being a massive disappointment for me. I generally enjoyed the first book in this series, Grumpily Ever After (though fair warning: if you didn't care for Odette then, you still won't like her now), and having read Teagan's work for years, I was eager to download this ALC.
At this point in her career, Hunter isn't a new author; she has years of writing experience under her belt, yet this book felt like something a debut author would release. It is doubly frustrating considering this was traditionally published, meaning it theoretically had the benefit of professional Montlake and Brilliance editors to polish the execution.
The plot follows Summer, who returns to her hometown after a major career downturn coincides with her father suffering a heart attack. Her dad arranges for her to take a job at Stick Taps, a local cidery owned by Ezra. Ezra is heavily guarded, closed-off, and dealing with chronic pain from a career-ending sports injury. Meanwhile, Summer’s professional confidence has taken a severe dent after what went down at her previous job. Her time at the cidery rebuilds her self-confidence professionally, while her "sunshine" energy ignites something in Ezra.
On paper, that sounds great. In reality? The biggest flaw of this book is that absolutely everything was told to me as a reader instead of letting me actually experience it through the writing and character interactions. We are told about their growth and emotional healing rather than seeing it organically play out. While their chemistry and banter kept the story moving, it never completely wowed me.
Since I listened to this via audio, the narration was a bit of a mixed bag. Chloe Ryan did an amazing job bringing Summer to life. Nelson Hobbs struggled to distinguish between the voices of a few of the male characters which made listening to conversations incredibly confusing, leaving me constantly racking my brain trying to figure out who was actually speaking.
If you are just looking for a light, breezy grumpy/sunshine romance to pass the time, this is a perfectly enjoyable, but given the talent involved, it just didn't live up to what it could have been.
July 21, 2026
What happens when an ex-NHL player is forced to hire a blacklisted chef to help run the bar in his cidery?
Teagan Hunter magic, that’s what.
It’s fair to say I’ve read my fair share of Teagan Hunter hockey and hockey-adjacent romance books over the last few years and they never fail to hook me. Grumpily Yours is the second book in the Stick Taps series, following Ezra (who exited the NHL due to injury) and Summer (the sheriff’s daughter who had issues at her previous job). When Ezra’s caught speeding - again - the sheriff convinces him to hire Summer while she’s figuring out what to do with her life since she’s come home. What follows is a forced proximity story about two people trying to rebuild their lives after their dreams have been taken from them.
Hunter’s great at blending plenty of light-hearted moments with more hard-hitting moments, and this is no exception. Aside from a main character living with chronic pain following a sports injury, there are discussions about the death of parents (historical, off page) and a parent who suffers heart issues/heart attack on page. Other things to be mindful of include a character who uses speeding as a coping mechanism, and a character experiences food poisoning on page.
I had a great time, as always, with this book. I laughed, I was teary and ultimately I was cheering Ezra and Summer on for their happy ending.
I received an early copy of Grumpily Yours in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TROPES
💙 Former NHL player
💙 Boss/exmployee
💙 Secret hookups
💙 Emotional healing
💙 Small town
💙 Returning to hometown
💙 Escape-artist chicken
Teagan Hunter magic, that’s what.
It’s fair to say I’ve read my fair share of Teagan Hunter hockey and hockey-adjacent romance books over the last few years and they never fail to hook me. Grumpily Yours is the second book in the Stick Taps series, following Ezra (who exited the NHL due to injury) and Summer (the sheriff’s daughter who had issues at her previous job). When Ezra’s caught speeding - again - the sheriff convinces him to hire Summer while she’s figuring out what to do with her life since she’s come home. What follows is a forced proximity story about two people trying to rebuild their lives after their dreams have been taken from them.
Hunter’s great at blending plenty of light-hearted moments with more hard-hitting moments, and this is no exception. Aside from a main character living with chronic pain following a sports injury, there are discussions about the death of parents (historical, off page) and a parent who suffers heart issues/heart attack on page. Other things to be mindful of include a character who uses speeding as a coping mechanism, and a character experiences food poisoning on page.
I had a great time, as always, with this book. I laughed, I was teary and ultimately I was cheering Ezra and Summer on for their happy ending.
I received an early copy of Grumpily Yours in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TROPES
💙 Former NHL player
💙 Boss/exmployee
💙 Secret hookups
💙 Emotional healing
💙 Small town
💙 Returning to hometown
💙 Escape-artist chicken
July 21, 2026
This is the second book in this impressive series, and this is Summer and Ezra’s story.
Summer is a chef, and when a public breakdown ends up with her being blacklisted, she returns to her hometown, and Ezra is a former NHL player after he suffers a career ending injury. When Summer’s dad arranger a job for her at a local cidery, she finds herself working for grumpy Ezra, and the sparks fly between them.
This is a well written action packed, emotional roller coaster story, with family, friendships, tension, determination, boss / employee, secrets, grumpy / sunshine, opposites attract, emotional healing, explosive chemistry, and love, which leads to an entertaining, and unpredictable small-town romance.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
Summer is a chef, and when a public breakdown ends up with her being blacklisted, she returns to her hometown, and Ezra is a former NHL player after he suffers a career ending injury. When Summer’s dad arranger a job for her at a local cidery, she finds herself working for grumpy Ezra, and the sparks fly between them.
This is a well written action packed, emotional roller coaster story, with family, friendships, tension, determination, boss / employee, secrets, grumpy / sunshine, opposites attract, emotional healing, explosive chemistry, and love, which leads to an entertaining, and unpredictable small-town romance.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
July 25, 2026
3.5⭐️ 2🌶️ 4🎧
I love that this series is based on retired hockey players finding happiness in a small town in Washington. And I LOVE a grump so I was so excited for Ezra’s book. I have been waiting for that man to melt.
I also love forced proximity so the sheriff blackmailing both Ezra and Summer into working together had me giggling!
But I absolutely loathe a bratty FMC ( to be clear I mean a brat out the bedroom) and Summer was a brat. She was difficult just for the sake of being difficult because she was scared about her father’s health and devastated over the loss of her dream job back in Chicago. I get it, those two events mean she has a lot of big feelings but how she handled them left me frustrated by childish behavior. I also fully understand that this is a me thing. I have friends who LOVE a brat. So if you love brats, this book is for you!
I loved the chronic pain rep in this book. Like so many Ezra tried to just suffer through it and not let it become a defining part of who he was. It broke my heart that his injury and subsequent pain kept him from what he loved doing most, playing professional hockey. I’m so glad he had the kids program to focus on. But he also had some unhealthy outlets that he needs to work on.
Basically both of them need a lot of therapy. 🤣
Chloe Ryan did a fantastic on of narrating Summer and Nelson Hobb was great as Ezra.
Thank you so much to Teagan and Valentine PR for this ALC.
I love that this series is based on retired hockey players finding happiness in a small town in Washington. And I LOVE a grump so I was so excited for Ezra’s book. I have been waiting for that man to melt.
I also love forced proximity so the sheriff blackmailing both Ezra and Summer into working together had me giggling!
But I absolutely loathe a bratty FMC ( to be clear I mean a brat out the bedroom) and Summer was a brat. She was difficult just for the sake of being difficult because she was scared about her father’s health and devastated over the loss of her dream job back in Chicago. I get it, those two events mean she has a lot of big feelings but how she handled them left me frustrated by childish behavior. I also fully understand that this is a me thing. I have friends who LOVE a brat. So if you love brats, this book is for you!
I loved the chronic pain rep in this book. Like so many Ezra tried to just suffer through it and not let it become a defining part of who he was. It broke my heart that his injury and subsequent pain kept him from what he loved doing most, playing professional hockey. I’m so glad he had the kids program to focus on. But he also had some unhealthy outlets that he needs to work on.
Basically both of them need a lot of therapy. 🤣
Chloe Ryan did a fantastic on of narrating Summer and Nelson Hobb was great as Ezra.
Thank you so much to Teagan and Valentine PR for this ALC.
July 22, 2026
Review of advance copy received from the author and VPR
Grumpily Yours by Teagan Hunter
book 2 in the Stick Taps series
Tropes
Workplace romance
Ex-NHL player X blacklisted chef
Grumpy and protective hero
Chef heroine
Forced proximity
Emotional healing
This is the story of Ezra and Summer. This is not only a story of them with each other but also how the rebuild themselves with the love from someone that maters so much. Summer was blacklisted as a chef and just wants to bring her talent to a kitchen. Ezra lost the ability to play professional hockey anymore and he doesn’t know what to do with his life at this time after he has pushed everyone away. When they first meet each other it was not pretty, they were like oil and water in handcuff, LOL. The more they fought the chemistry between them the harder it got to walk away. This was such a god second installment to this series.
Grumpily Yours by Teagan Hunter
book 2 in the Stick Taps series
Tropes
Workplace romance
Ex-NHL player X blacklisted chef
Grumpy and protective hero
Chef heroine
Forced proximity
Emotional healing
This is the story of Ezra and Summer. This is not only a story of them with each other but also how the rebuild themselves with the love from someone that maters so much. Summer was blacklisted as a chef and just wants to bring her talent to a kitchen. Ezra lost the ability to play professional hockey anymore and he doesn’t know what to do with his life at this time after he has pushed everyone away. When they first meet each other it was not pretty, they were like oil and water in handcuff, LOL. The more they fought the chemistry between them the harder it got to walk away. This was such a god second installment to this series.
July 9, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!!
Such a fun ride! Ezra is an extremely grumpy former hockey player with a bad hip who co-owns a cidery with his best friend. He gets caught speeding, again, and is lightly blackmailed by the sheriff into hiring his daughter Summer who has recently returned to town.
Ezra and Summer are obviously perfect for one another despite their traumas and prickly nature. I really enjoyed this book, it was the absolute perfect length and I read it in a day because I was heavuily invested in Ezra and Summer! This is the second book in an interconnected series so it’s not essential to read the first before this one. I do recommend you do because that book is a banger as well!
Such a fun ride! Ezra is an extremely grumpy former hockey player with a bad hip who co-owns a cidery with his best friend. He gets caught speeding, again, and is lightly blackmailed by the sheriff into hiring his daughter Summer who has recently returned to town.
Ezra and Summer are obviously perfect for one another despite their traumas and prickly nature. I really enjoyed this book, it was the absolute perfect length and I read it in a day because I was heavuily invested in Ezra and Summer! This is the second book in an interconnected series so it’s not essential to read the first before this one. I do recommend you do because that book is a banger as well!
July 24, 2026
Thank you to Valentine PR and Teagan Hunter for sending me an ALC copy of Grumpily Yours, book two in the Stick Tap series.
Summer Turner’s life cannot get worse; she lost her dream job, is living with her dad, and gets arrested during her hometown Spring Fling event. After bailing her out, her dad secures her a job with the town’s local cidery, but if you ask Ezra, it was more like blackmail. After getting another speeding ticket from Summer’s father, Ezra has to hire her in order not to lose his license. As Ezra and Summer learn to work together, sparks begin to fly, starting a beautiful love story.
I am a big sucker for a small-town romance, and I enjoyed the book a lot. The tension between Summer and Ezra was good, and I loved Summer’s sass. If you love a grumpy MMC and a Sassy FMC romance, this is definitely up your alley.
Summer Turner’s life cannot get worse; she lost her dream job, is living with her dad, and gets arrested during her hometown Spring Fling event. After bailing her out, her dad secures her a job with the town’s local cidery, but if you ask Ezra, it was more like blackmail. After getting another speeding ticket from Summer’s father, Ezra has to hire her in order not to lose his license. As Ezra and Summer learn to work together, sparks begin to fly, starting a beautiful love story.
I am a big sucker for a small-town romance, and I enjoyed the book a lot. The tension between Summer and Ezra was good, and I loved Summer’s sass. If you love a grumpy MMC and a Sassy FMC romance, this is definitely up your alley.
July 21, 2026
I’m in love with this series because it shows what retired hockey players do after their careers, and opening a cidery in a small town is amazing.
Grumpy Ezra was everything💙 I loved his secret soft side when it came to his coaching kids, and how much good he wanted to do for the community. His love for his friends was always there and no matter what they needed — he was always there.
Summer was such a relatable FMC. She was so fun and adventurous, but how she longed for a place to call home was lovely. Coming back to her small town was the perfect place for her.
I loved the enemies to lovers / coworkers to lovers vibes. Summer was black cat with a little bit of sunshine vibes.
Grumpy Ezra was everything💙 I loved his secret soft side when it came to his coaching kids, and how much good he wanted to do for the community. His love for his friends was always there and no matter what they needed — he was always there.
Summer was such a relatable FMC. She was so fun and adventurous, but how she longed for a place to call home was lovely. Coming back to her small town was the perfect place for her.
I loved the enemies to lovers / coworkers to lovers vibes. Summer was black cat with a little bit of sunshine vibes.
July 29, 2026
4.5⭐️ 3🌶 4.5🎧
I have been dying for this book after the fist in the series. The bits and peices of Ezra had my attention. This did disappoint. I really adored both Erza and Summer. They had some amazing chemistry and the banter between them had me giggling out loud. They both have some trauma to work through and seeing them work through it together was fulfilling. Their story felt real and the the way they cope, learn, deal and grow was realistic. This story was light hearted, fun and sexy while still hitting the emotional moments for connection beautifully. I appreciated how Teagan Hunter wrote Ezra and his beliefs on finding someone to spend forever with or date even.
This audiobook is in dual style narration performed by Chloe Rvan and Nelson Hobbs. I loved their performances of this book. I felt so connected to the story listening to them. The captured the tone and emotions of the story. I also enjoyed the pairing of their voices, they sounded great together. Im glad I bought the audiobook to finish my reading. OK so I started the whole book from the beginning and immersively read it than.
Thank you to Teagan Hunter and Valentine PR for this ARC. These are my honest opinions and feelings.
I have been dying for this book after the fist in the series. The bits and peices of Ezra had my attention. This did disappoint. I really adored both Erza and Summer. They had some amazing chemistry and the banter between them had me giggling out loud. They both have some trauma to work through and seeing them work through it together was fulfilling. Their story felt real and the the way they cope, learn, deal and grow was realistic. This story was light hearted, fun and sexy while still hitting the emotional moments for connection beautifully. I appreciated how Teagan Hunter wrote Ezra and his beliefs on finding someone to spend forever with or date even.
This audiobook is in dual style narration performed by Chloe Rvan and Nelson Hobbs. I loved their performances of this book. I felt so connected to the story listening to them. The captured the tone and emotions of the story. I also enjoyed the pairing of their voices, they sounded great together. Im glad I bought the audiobook to finish my reading. OK so I started the whole book from the beginning and immersively read it than.
Thank you to Teagan Hunter and Valentine PR for this ARC. These are my honest opinions and feelings.
July 21, 2026
Grumpy ex-NHL player hires a stubborn chef who’s moved back home after being black listed from her dream job. 4.5 stars! I loved getting to know Ezra and Summer and watching them grow and work through their traumas together and support each other in a healthy and realistic way. Their banter and joking had me giggling and kicking my feet, I was rooting for them the whole time. Set in small town PNW I’d recommend this to anyone looking for small town, enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine!
July 26, 2026
Wow what a book!!! They make such an adorable couple but troublemakers but have good hearts. Their attraction to each other is off the charts. This was such a fast and fun read. It was extremely well written with loveable characters. Dont miss out on this book ,I highly recommend, and so worth a 5 star rating
July 10, 2026
This one was really cute and I love a grumpy MMC. This book definitely had some slow burn elements so you can appreciate the growth in our MC’s relationship.
Thank you for letting me be on the ARC team for this one!
Thank you for letting me be on the ARC team for this one!
July 22, 2026
Whoop whoop!! A new Teagan Hunter ex-hockey player book! ❤️🏒 You can't go wrong here:
🏒 Grumpy ex-NHL player
🍽️ Blacklisted black cat-ish chef
🏡 Small-town charm of Port Harbor, WA
💼 Workplace romance, which means forbidden vibes
✨ Pinball machine sexy times
🏒 Grumpy ex-NHL player
🍽️ Blacklisted black cat-ish chef
🏡 Small-town charm of Port Harbor, WA
💼 Workplace romance, which means forbidden vibes
✨ Pinball machine sexy times
July 22, 2026
*4.5 stars
July 25, 2026
Hands down the best book I listened to this month!
Perfect length. Fun banter characters with great depth and dialogue. Narrators embodied the characters so well!
Perfect length. Fun banter characters with great depth and dialogue. Narrators embodied the characters so well!
July 21, 2026
What a series! I couldn’t wait to get a copy of this book; I knew I was going to love it but it was even better than I imagined: just a few paragraphs in and I couldn’t read fast enough. In Grumpily Ever After, the first book in favorite author Teagan Hunter’s Stick Taps series, we met Noah Stevens and Ezra Rawlings, the hot, cranky ex-NHL players who have opened a cidery in Noah’s hometown of Port Harbor in the Pacific Northwest. Kind of odd that two such grumpy guys would open a public establishment but is a popular place, as is the Stick Taps Community Iceplex they also launched where they both spend time with the town’s youth. When we met them, Noah was recently divorced and soured on relationships, but Ezra had a career-ending injury and is soured on life. Noah is the front man; Ezra is the finance guy and spends most of his time in the office. Noah found his happy-ever-after and actually smiles now, but it’s not looking hopeful for Ezra. His employees call him Grump ***. Don’t expect too many smiles from Ezra.
His pain in chronic and his one outlet for relief is speeding through town late at night in one of his five sports cars. His fines probably provide a good portion of the town’s income and it’s a good thing he has a lawyer on retainer – and that Sheriff Turner was a long-time fan. Except this time Ezra doesn’t get off with a warning but instead is ordered to report to the Sheriff’s Office, where he is introduced to his newest employee. Yes, they were planning to expand the staff, but it seems Sheriff Turner has streamlined the hiring process for them. Their newest employee is named Summer. Summer Turner, in fact. Also known as Sheriff Turner’s daughter Summer, back home to look out for her father after a heart incident and to hide out after the blow up in Chicago that ruined her career as a chef. She’s broken, bored and restless.
Sheriff Turner doesn’t give Ezra and Summer much – any – choice. Summer will get a job, not sit around all day and get in trouble, and if Ezra wants to keep his drivers license . . . . Not the best start for an employer-employee relationship. Attitudes, glowering looks, words exchanged. Two stubborn people who earned their reputations as troublemaker and grump fair and square; sparks fly. It doesn’t take long, though, for those sparks to change from anger to attraction. Burning hot, explosive attraction. Chemistry that won’t be denied. Even if they’ve been forced to work together, he’s still her boss and acting on that chemistry is wrong and inappropriate. But not acting on it is impossible.
Watching Noah thaw in Grumpily Ever After was fun; watching Ezra thaw in this book is fun, too, but also heartbreaking and heartwarming. He lost his parents very young, was raised by a loving uncle and hockey was his life. Now his life is constant pain. He’s weak, useless, can’t do what he used to do. Sure, he’s got the cidery and Noah and Odette but what woman would want to be saddled with a man like him.
Summer’s mom died when she was eight. She’s close to her dad and has wonderful memories of cooking with her mom. That’s where her dream of becoming a chef was born, her love of creating delicious food for others. But when she was given a chance at that dream she blew it; she couldn’t handle the pressure and ruined everything. She ruined her career and even worse wasn’t around when her dad became ill; she’s a failure and afraid to move forward.
Well, we know these two aren’t hopeless. They have good hearts, solid skills but fear is running their lives. Their attraction looks like it might be a good thing, and you know there’s hope for thawing Ezra’s icy heart and breaking through Summer’s walls when he starts calling her Sunny. Once again talented author Hunter takes us effortlessly through every encounter they have - fun, fraught, wry, ridiculous, tender, misunderstood, lustful – as she slowly leads us to the love part, where you can see it unfolding before your eyes and they see it, too. Even if it does scare the pants off of them.
I received an advance copy of Grumpily Yours. It was such a joy to read and spend time with these characters. I don’t know how Teagan Hunter manages to always make the people in the current book of hers I’m reading my favorites, but she does. She brings Port Harbor to life, filling it with the folks we loved from the previous book and giving us new people to love and takes us on a sweet, humorous, steamy, spicy journey with this delightful couple. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
His pain in chronic and his one outlet for relief is speeding through town late at night in one of his five sports cars. His fines probably provide a good portion of the town’s income and it’s a good thing he has a lawyer on retainer – and that Sheriff Turner was a long-time fan. Except this time Ezra doesn’t get off with a warning but instead is ordered to report to the Sheriff’s Office, where he is introduced to his newest employee. Yes, they were planning to expand the staff, but it seems Sheriff Turner has streamlined the hiring process for them. Their newest employee is named Summer. Summer Turner, in fact. Also known as Sheriff Turner’s daughter Summer, back home to look out for her father after a heart incident and to hide out after the blow up in Chicago that ruined her career as a chef. She’s broken, bored and restless.
Sheriff Turner doesn’t give Ezra and Summer much – any – choice. Summer will get a job, not sit around all day and get in trouble, and if Ezra wants to keep his drivers license . . . . Not the best start for an employer-employee relationship. Attitudes, glowering looks, words exchanged. Two stubborn people who earned their reputations as troublemaker and grump fair and square; sparks fly. It doesn’t take long, though, for those sparks to change from anger to attraction. Burning hot, explosive attraction. Chemistry that won’t be denied. Even if they’ve been forced to work together, he’s still her boss and acting on that chemistry is wrong and inappropriate. But not acting on it is impossible.
Watching Noah thaw in Grumpily Ever After was fun; watching Ezra thaw in this book is fun, too, but also heartbreaking and heartwarming. He lost his parents very young, was raised by a loving uncle and hockey was his life. Now his life is constant pain. He’s weak, useless, can’t do what he used to do. Sure, he’s got the cidery and Noah and Odette but what woman would want to be saddled with a man like him.
Summer’s mom died when she was eight. She’s close to her dad and has wonderful memories of cooking with her mom. That’s where her dream of becoming a chef was born, her love of creating delicious food for others. But when she was given a chance at that dream she blew it; she couldn’t handle the pressure and ruined everything. She ruined her career and even worse wasn’t around when her dad became ill; she’s a failure and afraid to move forward.
Well, we know these two aren’t hopeless. They have good hearts, solid skills but fear is running their lives. Their attraction looks like it might be a good thing, and you know there’s hope for thawing Ezra’s icy heart and breaking through Summer’s walls when he starts calling her Sunny. Once again talented author Hunter takes us effortlessly through every encounter they have - fun, fraught, wry, ridiculous, tender, misunderstood, lustful – as she slowly leads us to the love part, where you can see it unfolding before your eyes and they see it, too. Even if it does scare the pants off of them.
I received an advance copy of Grumpily Yours. It was such a joy to read and spend time with these characters. I don’t know how Teagan Hunter manages to always make the people in the current book of hers I’m reading my favorites, but she does. She brings Port Harbor to life, filling it with the folks we loved from the previous book and giving us new people to love and takes us on a sweet, humorous, steamy, spicy journey with this delightful couple. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
July 28, 2026
ɢʀᴜᴍᴘɪʟʏ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ || ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
“𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱, 𝓔𝔃𝓻𝓪. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮, 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱. 𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮.𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾.
✨5/5
🌶️3.5/5
It saddens me so much that Ezra feels incomplete and doesn’t think he deserves to be loved – not only has he been torn away from something he loves, but he also feels incomplete simply because of his bottom.
𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦
Ezra has once again been caught by the sheriff for speeding, whilst Summer’s rebellious nature has landed her father in trouble, and the sheriff has come up with an incredible punishment for the two troublemakers… Summer is now Ezra’s new employee.
“𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲.”
“𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?”
𝐈 𝐚𝐦.
Oh, I really love watching these two bicker – Ezra gets such a kick out of winding Summer up, and he really enjoys her retorts and the way she’s so keen to argue with him
I kind of wanted her to fight me. I want her to argue.
Although Summer says how much Ezra’s arsehole behaviour annoys her and doesn’t hold back from giving him a piece of her mind, she actually rather enjoys this back-and-forth between them
“𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡?”
“𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒.”
When Summer realised Ezra was hungry, she couldn’t help herself and wanted to cook for him; at the same time, she wanted him to be pleased with the meal she’d made, and although Ezra initially held back at the thought of being looked after, he was drawn in by Summer’s attention
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝.
Ezra, who is seen by everyone as grumpy and conceited, turns into a child in Summer’s presence; he discovers all the sides of himself that he has kept hidden from everyone else whilst with her, and is even surprised by this himself
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐸𝑧𝑟𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡’𝑠… 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙.
Seeing the smile that never left Summer’s face whilst she was cooking, the way she made the kitchen her own, and how she felt free and at peace there, Ezra suddenly found himself imagining opening a kitchen in his own venue, simply to create a place where Summer could feel at home and happy
𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧?
I just love Ezra and Noah’s relationship. The way Noah realises that his mate—who’s kept himself away from all the get-togethers and hasn’t shaken off his arsehole persona—is suddenly a different person when he’s with Summer, and how he teases him just to get a reaction out of him when he sees how much he’s changed. They’re the sweetest best friends in the world.
“𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒?”
𝐹𝑢𝑐𝑘. 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑜.“
𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑠… 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒.”
“𝑂ℎ 𝑏𝑜𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛.”
𝐺𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
The fact that Ezra, who usually keeps his distance from relationships, went completely mad with jealousy and became a right grump just because he saw Summer talking to another man.
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦? 𝐎𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦? 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟—“
“𝐈 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫.𝐈 𝐝𝐨!”
“𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚?𝐖𝐡𝐲?”“𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞.”
Sherif seeing that, after Summer started working alongside Ezra, she had forgotten all the past events that had hurt her and was happy again, just as she used to be; seeing that his daughter had started dreaming again; and realising just how good Ezra was for her
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑠. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐸𝑧𝑟𝑎.
𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟.
🍀Small Town Romance
⏳Age Gap
⛓️💥Chief x Boss
💼 Workplace Romance
🔒 Forced Proximity
“𝓨𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱, 𝓔𝔃𝓻𝓪. 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮, 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱. 𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮.𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾.
✨5/5
🌶️3.5/5
It saddens me so much that Ezra feels incomplete and doesn’t think he deserves to be loved – not only has he been torn away from something he loves, but he also feels incomplete simply because of his bottom.
𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦
Ezra has once again been caught by the sheriff for speeding, whilst Summer’s rebellious nature has landed her father in trouble, and the sheriff has come up with an incredible punishment for the two troublemakers… Summer is now Ezra’s new employee.
“𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲.”
“𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?”
𝐈 𝐚𝐦.
Oh, I really love watching these two bicker – Ezra gets such a kick out of winding Summer up, and he really enjoys her retorts and the way she’s so keen to argue with him
I kind of wanted her to fight me. I want her to argue.
Although Summer says how much Ezra’s arsehole behaviour annoys her and doesn’t hold back from giving him a piece of her mind, she actually rather enjoys this back-and-forth between them
“𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡?”
“𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒.”
When Summer realised Ezra was hungry, she couldn’t help herself and wanted to cook for him; at the same time, she wanted him to be pleased with the meal she’d made, and although Ezra initially held back at the thought of being looked after, he was drawn in by Summer’s attention
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝.
Ezra, who is seen by everyone as grumpy and conceited, turns into a child in Summer’s presence; he discovers all the sides of himself that he has kept hidden from everyone else whilst with her, and is even surprised by this himself
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐸𝑧𝑟𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡’𝑠… 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙.
Seeing the smile that never left Summer’s face whilst she was cooking, the way she made the kitchen her own, and how she felt free and at peace there, Ezra suddenly found himself imagining opening a kitchen in his own venue, simply to create a place where Summer could feel at home and happy
𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧?
I just love Ezra and Noah’s relationship. The way Noah realises that his mate—who’s kept himself away from all the get-togethers and hasn’t shaken off his arsehole persona—is suddenly a different person when he’s with Summer, and how he teases him just to get a reaction out of him when he sees how much he’s changed. They’re the sweetest best friends in the world.
“𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒?”
𝐹𝑢𝑐𝑘. 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑜.“
𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑠… 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒.”
“𝑂ℎ 𝑏𝑜𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛.”
𝐺𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.
The fact that Ezra, who usually keeps his distance from relationships, went completely mad with jealousy and became a right grump just because he saw Summer talking to another man.
“𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦? 𝐎𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦? 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟—“
“𝐈 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫.𝐈 𝐝𝐨!”
“𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚?𝐖𝐡𝐲?”“𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞.”
Sherif seeing that, after Summer started working alongside Ezra, she had forgotten all the past events that had hurt her and was happy again, just as she used to be; seeing that his daughter had started dreaming again; and realising just how good Ezra was for her
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑠. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐸𝑧𝑟𝑎.
𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟.
🍀Small Town Romance
⏳Age Gap
⛓️💥Chief x Boss
💼 Workplace Romance
🔒 Forced Proximity
July 29, 2026
After absolutely loving Grumpily Ever After, I was ridiculously excited for Ezra's book. He completely left me intrigued in the first one, and I couldn't wait to see what was hiding behind that permanently grumpy exterior. Throw in a boss/employee romance, forced proximity, a cozy small-town setting, and a retired hockey player, and I was convinced this was going to be another favorite.
Sadly... it didn't quite hit the same.
The premise is a lot of fun. Summer returns to her hometown after her career in Chicago falls apart, only to end up in trouble at a local fundraiser. Her dad, who's also the town sheriff, makes a deal with Ezra: he'll overlook Ezra's latest speeding ticket if Ezra gives Summer a job at his cidery. It's such a ridiculously small-town setup, but honestly, I thought it was charming and a fun way to throw these two together.
My biggest issue was that the emotional growth never really landed. The book keeps telling us that Summer is rebuilding her confidence after everything that happened in Chicago, and that Ezra is finally letting go of the guilt surrounding the injury that ended his hockey career. But I never really felt either journey. Instead of watching those changes happen naturally through conversations and shared experiences, it often felt like the book skipped straight to the end result.
Because of that, I never completely bought into the romance. They definitely had chemistry, and I enjoyed their banter, but emotionally I felt like I missed a few chapters. One minute they were arguing, and the next they were completely in love, and I kept wondering when that shift actually happened.
Ezra was another surprise for me. One of the things I loved most about him in the first book was that he was kind of an asshole, in the best possible way. He had this sharp edge that made him really interesting. Here, though, he softens almost immediately. I expected him to eventually, but it happened so early that it didn't feel nearly as satisfying as I'd hoped.
That said, I really enjoyed learning more about his backstory. His struggles with chronic pain and losing the career he'd built his entire identity around added a lot of depth to his character. My favorite scenes were easily the ones at the Iceplex with the local kids, especially Marshall. Those moments brought out such a caring side of Ezra that I wish we'd seen even more of.
Summer, on the other hand, took me a long time to warm up to. For the first part of the book, I found her exhausting. She came across as immature and unnecessarily argumentative, especially during the date auction scene. I understood where she was coming from, but it felt like she decided something needed fixing without stopping to consider whether the people involved actually had a problem with it. She also wasn't exactly making a great first impression at work, and her constant complaints about being stuck in town started feeling repetitive after a while.
The romance also leaned much more heavily on physical chemistry than emotional connection. I didn't mind the spice itself, but once Ezra and Summer got together, it started taking up a lot of page time. I just kept wishing some of those scenes had been replaced with more emotional development instead.
There were still moments I loved. Ezra taking care of Summer when she got sick and standing by her during her father's health scare were easily some of the sweetest scenes in the book. Those quieter moments showed the kind of relationship I'd been hoping for from the very beginning.
Overall, Grumpily Yours wasn't a bad book by any means, it simply felt like it never lived up to its potential. I still really enjoy Teagan Hunter's writing, and one disappointing sequel definitely won't stop me from reading any of her future books.
Sadly... it didn't quite hit the same.
The premise is a lot of fun. Summer returns to her hometown after her career in Chicago falls apart, only to end up in trouble at a local fundraiser. Her dad, who's also the town sheriff, makes a deal with Ezra: he'll overlook Ezra's latest speeding ticket if Ezra gives Summer a job at his cidery. It's such a ridiculously small-town setup, but honestly, I thought it was charming and a fun way to throw these two together.
My biggest issue was that the emotional growth never really landed. The book keeps telling us that Summer is rebuilding her confidence after everything that happened in Chicago, and that Ezra is finally letting go of the guilt surrounding the injury that ended his hockey career. But I never really felt either journey. Instead of watching those changes happen naturally through conversations and shared experiences, it often felt like the book skipped straight to the end result.
Because of that, I never completely bought into the romance. They definitely had chemistry, and I enjoyed their banter, but emotionally I felt like I missed a few chapters. One minute they were arguing, and the next they were completely in love, and I kept wondering when that shift actually happened.
Ezra was another surprise for me. One of the things I loved most about him in the first book was that he was kind of an asshole, in the best possible way. He had this sharp edge that made him really interesting. Here, though, he softens almost immediately. I expected him to eventually, but it happened so early that it didn't feel nearly as satisfying as I'd hoped.
That said, I really enjoyed learning more about his backstory. His struggles with chronic pain and losing the career he'd built his entire identity around added a lot of depth to his character. My favorite scenes were easily the ones at the Iceplex with the local kids, especially Marshall. Those moments brought out such a caring side of Ezra that I wish we'd seen even more of.
Summer, on the other hand, took me a long time to warm up to. For the first part of the book, I found her exhausting. She came across as immature and unnecessarily argumentative, especially during the date auction scene. I understood where she was coming from, but it felt like she decided something needed fixing without stopping to consider whether the people involved actually had a problem with it. She also wasn't exactly making a great first impression at work, and her constant complaints about being stuck in town started feeling repetitive after a while.
The romance also leaned much more heavily on physical chemistry than emotional connection. I didn't mind the spice itself, but once Ezra and Summer got together, it started taking up a lot of page time. I just kept wishing some of those scenes had been replaced with more emotional development instead.
There were still moments I loved. Ezra taking care of Summer when she got sick and standing by her during her father's health scare were easily some of the sweetest scenes in the book. Those quieter moments showed the kind of relationship I'd been hoping for from the very beginning.
Overall, Grumpily Yours wasn't a bad book by any means, it simply felt like it never lived up to its potential. I still really enjoy Teagan Hunter's writing, and one disappointing sequel definitely won't stop me from reading any of her future books.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Valentine PR, Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.Honestly, I wavered on my rating for this. And a lot of that was due to Summer. She was just such an insufferable brat at the beginning that I really, really, really needed someone to smack her. And there wasn't really even a reason for her bad attitude beyond "well f*ck the patriarchy and my dad always taught me to stand up for myself". But the whole reason she got arrested? We can discuss the whole "date auction" aspect and everything tied to it, sure. But a)that wasn't even a plot point beyond being a reason to introduce Summer the Brat and b)did she even bother to ask people if they hated it? If people were talking about only doing it because it's tradition, then sure, Summer's crashing the thing could be justified. But if people were doing it because they genuinely wanted to, then Summer can take her reasons and shove them. She doesn't get to decide what everyone else gets to believe. And up until about 25-30%, she had the same attitude. Like her first day at Stick Taps, where she freely admitted to being late because she was deciding if she even wanted to show up. I get that she didn't want to do it (and neither did Ezra in the beginning), but her father literally threw her a lifeline in not charging her. She thought she had issues in Chicago? She would have had 10x more if she'd been arrested doing something stupid. Her father's point of there being a time and a place was 100% correct and I wished she'd thought about it more. She just wasn't all that professional and it grated, especially with the number of times we had to deal with her internal "I'm only here for a short while for my dad", but like, again, if she got arrested, she wouldn't have an easy time finding anything anywhere, so wouldn't it be in her best interests to at least be on time and quasi-professional?
I've wanted Ezra's story since reading Grumpily Ever After , and it was interesting seeing more of his background. Finding out the self-loathing and blame he had for his accident. The reasons he might not want to get to close to people, all of it. Although I will say that while I get his reasons for driving at the speed of light, I feel like he needs to be a little more careful, especially when squealing into parking lots where he's only assuming it's going to be empty. Yes, it might be a good bet because of time of day, but still. I did like that once he and Summer got over their animosity, and he started spending time with her, he loosened up a lot. He didn't want to, but it just happened and we were hit with a lot of "oh, where'd that come from?" which was honestly hilarious. When Summer was sick, I loved the fact that he wanted to take care of her and how he didn't back down. Same with when her father ended up in the hospital and Summer tried to shoulder the blame.
I did like seeing the way Ezra was with the kids at the Iceplex, how he was able to pull Marshall out of his funk. It was sweet knowing why Ezra wanted to do it and how much he tried to be involved.
Book releases July 21st, 2026
July 12, 2026
🏒🍎 A grumpy ex-NHL player, a chef chasing a second chance, and enough sizzling chemistry to heat up the entire cidery. 🍎🏒
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.5/5)
Spice-meter: 🌶️🌶️☆☆☆ (2/5)
Audiobook: 🎧 Duet
Series: Stick Taps, Book 2 (can be read as a standalone)
HEA: Yes
Grumpily Yours was my first Teagan Hunter book, and it definitely won't be my last. This fun, heartfelt workplace romance perfectly balances humor, emotional healing, and undeniable chemistry. Summer, a chef trying to rebuild her career after a very public downfall, and Ezra, a grumpy former NHL player still carrying the weight of his own lost dreams, make for a couple that's impossible not to root for.
What really worked for me was how naturally their relationship developed. The banter is playful, the attraction is immediate, but beneath all the flirting is a story about learning to trust again and realizing that failure doesn't define your future. Summer's determination to reclaim her passion for cooking paired beautifully with Ezra's quieter journey of opening his heart after years of shutting people out.
And if you're wondering whether you need to read the first book don't worry. I jumped straight into this one without any issues and never felt like I was missing important background. If anything, it only made me want to go back and read the first installment even more.
What I Loved
✔️ Grumpy hero with a soft center
✔️ Strong, determined heroine rebuilding her dreams
✔️ Workplace romance with plenty of banter
✔️ Great balance of humor and heartfelt moments
✔️ Fantastic chemistry between the main characters
✔️ Easily works as a standalone
🎧 Narration
Performed in duet by Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs.
Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs were a fantastic pairing. Chloe perfectly captured Summer's wit, determination, and vulnerability, making her incredibly easy to connect with. Nelson Hobbs delivered Ezra's gruff exterior effortlessly while allowing his softer, protective side to shine through as the story progressed. Their chemistry translated beautifully into the audiobook, making every flirtatious exchange, emotional conversation, and heartfelt moment feel genuine and engaging.
Tropes & Vibes
✔️ Hockey Romance
✔️ Chef Heroine
✔️ Cidery Setting
✔️ Workplace Romance
✔️ Grumpy Hero
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Emotional Healing
✔️ Enemies-to-Lovers Vibes
✔️ Explosive Chemistry
✔️ Protective Hero
✔️ Rebuilding Dreams
✔️ HEA
Final Thoughts
Grumpily Yours is a charming, feel-good romance with plenty of heart, humor, and chemistry. Teagan Hunter creates two wonderfully flawed characters whose personal journeys are just as satisfying as their romance, making this a cozy, binge-worthy listen from start to finish.
If you love grumpy heroes, workplace romances, hockey-adjacent stories, witty banter, emotional healing, and characters finding their way back to themselves while falling in love, Grumpily Yours is absolutely worth adding to your TBR. I know I'll be picking up more from this series and more from Teagan Hunter in general.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.5/5)
Spice-meter: 🌶️🌶️☆☆☆ (2/5)
Audiobook: 🎧 Duet
Series: Stick Taps, Book 2 (can be read as a standalone)
HEA: Yes
Grumpily Yours was my first Teagan Hunter book, and it definitely won't be my last. This fun, heartfelt workplace romance perfectly balances humor, emotional healing, and undeniable chemistry. Summer, a chef trying to rebuild her career after a very public downfall, and Ezra, a grumpy former NHL player still carrying the weight of his own lost dreams, make for a couple that's impossible not to root for.
What really worked for me was how naturally their relationship developed. The banter is playful, the attraction is immediate, but beneath all the flirting is a story about learning to trust again and realizing that failure doesn't define your future. Summer's determination to reclaim her passion for cooking paired beautifully with Ezra's quieter journey of opening his heart after years of shutting people out.
And if you're wondering whether you need to read the first book don't worry. I jumped straight into this one without any issues and never felt like I was missing important background. If anything, it only made me want to go back and read the first installment even more.
What I Loved
✔️ Grumpy hero with a soft center
✔️ Strong, determined heroine rebuilding her dreams
✔️ Workplace romance with plenty of banter
✔️ Great balance of humor and heartfelt moments
✔️ Fantastic chemistry between the main characters
✔️ Easily works as a standalone
🎧 Narration
Performed in duet by Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs.
Chloe Ryan and Nelson Hobbs were a fantastic pairing. Chloe perfectly captured Summer's wit, determination, and vulnerability, making her incredibly easy to connect with. Nelson Hobbs delivered Ezra's gruff exterior effortlessly while allowing his softer, protective side to shine through as the story progressed. Their chemistry translated beautifully into the audiobook, making every flirtatious exchange, emotional conversation, and heartfelt moment feel genuine and engaging.
Tropes & Vibes
✔️ Hockey Romance
✔️ Chef Heroine
✔️ Cidery Setting
✔️ Workplace Romance
✔️ Grumpy Hero
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Emotional Healing
✔️ Enemies-to-Lovers Vibes
✔️ Explosive Chemistry
✔️ Protective Hero
✔️ Rebuilding Dreams
✔️ HEA
Final Thoughts
Grumpily Yours is a charming, feel-good romance with plenty of heart, humor, and chemistry. Teagan Hunter creates two wonderfully flawed characters whose personal journeys are just as satisfying as their romance, making this a cozy, binge-worthy listen from start to finish.
If you love grumpy heroes, workplace romances, hockey-adjacent stories, witty banter, emotional healing, and characters finding their way back to themselves while falling in love, Grumpily Yours is absolutely worth adding to your TBR. I know I'll be picking up more from this series and more from Teagan Hunter in general.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Here I thought Grumpily Ever After was the BEST and now I'm rethinking that statement because Grumpily Yours is even better!!! 😍
Summer Turner is a spitfire and I was instantly in love with her 🥰 😂 Oh, my goodness did her snark make me laugh and giggle. 😂 Summer is the daughter of the local sheriff and every time she opened her sassy mouth I was imagining what kind of trouble she had gotten up to in her youth and what I loved about her is that she is so much more just being the sheriff's daughter. If anything, she learned tenacity and grit, and just plain old stubbornness from growing up in a small town under her father's watchful eye. Summer may be trouble to a lot of other people in town, but to someone like Ezra Rawlings, a man who is a grumpy grouch on a good day, Summer is his catnip. 😂
Ezra meets Summer basically in lockup. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but Summer was in handcuffs and Ezra had basically been arrested too. 😂 Did I mention that these two were perfect for one another, yet...because I was cackling with glee over their entire meet-cute. I seriously couldn't get enough of sassy Summer, but more than that, I loved how these two grouchy-sarcastic-lovebirds 😏 couldn't stay away from one another. Over the course of the book, they both healed some deep emotional scars, without even realizing they were doing it. They could hardly deny the gravitational pull between them and that feeling of when everything locked into place. When life just feels a little nicer and you can breathe a little easier. That was Ezra and Summer as they fell for one another without even meaning to. Especially when neither wanted to. She planned to leave and he never wanted a relationship, but you know the best things come along when you never expected them, or so they say.😏
Noah Stevens and Odette pop up occasionally as they are planning their wedding, and Odette loves to give Ezra a hard time, which is hilarious. Ezra secretly, but also not so secret, loves when people push back, which is why he likes Odette for his best friend Noah and especially when Summer does it. Well, maybe he doesn't love Summer doing it in the beginning, but she pushes all of his buttons, and in a good way, since no one else talks back to him quite like Summer does, and she does it constantly. 🥵😏
Ezra and Summer have instant chemistry and they sizzle and pop throughout the entire book. Neither of them giving an inch, but it's also for their better good. She wants the best for him and he wants the best for her, but they are both incredibly stubborn about everything in their lives, so of course they have to push back. It's frustrating in the hottest ways, if that makes a lick of sense, but trust me. 😉 As funny as this book was, it was also quite wonderful to have these two perfect people find one another and just work, even when they didn't want it to work. These two are perfect for each other.👌
Summer Turner is a spitfire and I was instantly in love with her 🥰 😂 Oh, my goodness did her snark make me laugh and giggle. 😂 Summer is the daughter of the local sheriff and every time she opened her sassy mouth I was imagining what kind of trouble she had gotten up to in her youth and what I loved about her is that she is so much more just being the sheriff's daughter. If anything, she learned tenacity and grit, and just plain old stubbornness from growing up in a small town under her father's watchful eye. Summer may be trouble to a lot of other people in town, but to someone like Ezra Rawlings, a man who is a grumpy grouch on a good day, Summer is his catnip. 😂
Ezra meets Summer basically in lockup. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but Summer was in handcuffs and Ezra had basically been arrested too. 😂 Did I mention that these two were perfect for one another, yet...because I was cackling with glee over their entire meet-cute. I seriously couldn't get enough of sassy Summer, but more than that, I loved how these two grouchy-sarcastic-lovebirds 😏 couldn't stay away from one another. Over the course of the book, they both healed some deep emotional scars, without even realizing they were doing it. They could hardly deny the gravitational pull between them and that feeling of when everything locked into place. When life just feels a little nicer and you can breathe a little easier. That was Ezra and Summer as they fell for one another without even meaning to. Especially when neither wanted to. She planned to leave and he never wanted a relationship, but you know the best things come along when you never expected them, or so they say.😏
Noah Stevens and Odette pop up occasionally as they are planning their wedding, and Odette loves to give Ezra a hard time, which is hilarious. Ezra secretly, but also not so secret, loves when people push back, which is why he likes Odette for his best friend Noah and especially when Summer does it. Well, maybe he doesn't love Summer doing it in the beginning, but she pushes all of his buttons, and in a good way, since no one else talks back to him quite like Summer does, and she does it constantly. 🥵😏
Ezra and Summer have instant chemistry and they sizzle and pop throughout the entire book. Neither of them giving an inch, but it's also for their better good. She wants the best for him and he wants the best for her, but they are both incredibly stubborn about everything in their lives, so of course they have to push back. It's frustrating in the hottest ways, if that makes a lick of sense, but trust me. 😉 As funny as this book was, it was also quite wonderful to have these two perfect people find one another and just work, even when they didn't want it to work. These two are perfect for each other.👌
July 29, 2026
I loved this new fun to read grumpy-sunshine smalltown romance in this series, which centers on Ezra- a grumpy former NHL player and current cidery co-owner- and the sassy daughter of the local sheriff, whom he has to hire at her father’s insistence. The well-written plot is full of heartfelt emotions, past dramas and disappointments, LOL moments, witty banter and verbal sparring, steamy love scenes, small-town charm, and many endearing supporting characters (including an escape artist chicken). The tropes are:
- Smalltown Romance
- Grumpy-Sunshine
- Workplace Romance
- Boss-Employee
- Forced proximity
- Secret Romance
Fans of the series are already familiar with Ezra from Noah and Odette’s story. He’s definitely a grump but true to the saying “all bark and no bite,” he’s a tormented hero who had to give up his dream and now suffers from severe chronic pain, which has left him with low self-esteem. On the one hand, Summer is caring, confident, and defiant; on the other hand, she, too, has insecurities to overcome. The tension and chemistry between them is top-notch from the moment they meet. I liked how they slowly opened up to each other and showed their vulnerabilities.
When Summer Turner ruins her career as a chef with a spur-of-the-moment stunt, she travels home to her father—the sheriff of Port Harbor, who recently suffered a heart incident—to support him. But even there, she gets herself into trouble when she protests loudly at an event and is promptly taken into custody.
Ezra Rawlings, a former NFL player and co-owner of Stick Taps, a successful cidery in Port Harbor, loves the thrill of speed when driving, because it helps him stop thinking about the career he was forced to give up due to a serious injury that also led to chronic pain.
When Ezra is pulled over by Sheriff Turner yet again, he’s faced with a choice: either lose his driver’s license or hire the sheriff’s bratty daughter at the cidery—a girl who doesn’t want to be forced to work for him and challenges him at every turn. But despite their animosity, the two soon grow closer and begin a secret fling, since they both assume it’s only temporary. Ezra doesn’t do relationships, and Summer doesn’t know yet if she’ll stay in Port Harbor…
If you enjoy entertaining small town romance novels with endearing protagonists, a whole host of lovable supporting characters, grumpy bosses and sassy employees, secret romances, opinionated chicken, and plenty of humor, heartfelt emotions and spice, this book is for you.
Thank you Teagan Hunter, Amazon Publishing and Valentine Press for the ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.
#StickTaps #TeaganHunter #BossEmployee #ReturningtoHometown @amazonpublishing #Valentineprlm @valentine_pr_
@teaganhunterwrites
- Smalltown Romance
- Grumpy-Sunshine
- Workplace Romance
- Boss-Employee
- Forced proximity
- Secret Romance
Fans of the series are already familiar with Ezra from Noah and Odette’s story. He’s definitely a grump but true to the saying “all bark and no bite,” he’s a tormented hero who had to give up his dream and now suffers from severe chronic pain, which has left him with low self-esteem. On the one hand, Summer is caring, confident, and defiant; on the other hand, she, too, has insecurities to overcome. The tension and chemistry between them is top-notch from the moment they meet. I liked how they slowly opened up to each other and showed their vulnerabilities.
When Summer Turner ruins her career as a chef with a spur-of-the-moment stunt, she travels home to her father—the sheriff of Port Harbor, who recently suffered a heart incident—to support him. But even there, she gets herself into trouble when she protests loudly at an event and is promptly taken into custody.
Ezra Rawlings, a former NFL player and co-owner of Stick Taps, a successful cidery in Port Harbor, loves the thrill of speed when driving, because it helps him stop thinking about the career he was forced to give up due to a serious injury that also led to chronic pain.
When Ezra is pulled over by Sheriff Turner yet again, he’s faced with a choice: either lose his driver’s license or hire the sheriff’s bratty daughter at the cidery—a girl who doesn’t want to be forced to work for him and challenges him at every turn. But despite their animosity, the two soon grow closer and begin a secret fling, since they both assume it’s only temporary. Ezra doesn’t do relationships, and Summer doesn’t know yet if she’ll stay in Port Harbor…
If you enjoy entertaining small town romance novels with endearing protagonists, a whole host of lovable supporting characters, grumpy bosses and sassy employees, secret romances, opinionated chicken, and plenty of humor, heartfelt emotions and spice, this book is for you.
Thank you Teagan Hunter, Amazon Publishing and Valentine Press for the ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.
#StickTaps #TeaganHunter #BossEmployee #ReturningtoHometown @amazonpublishing #Valentineprlm @valentine_pr_
@teaganhunterwrites
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