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Creative in Love #1
The Grumpy Guy
Fairy shop owner Carissa Lewis has a new neighbour and he’s grumpy, infuriating and way too gorgeous. She’s determined to keep her distance from the single dad, but Brody’s adorable daughter Molly has other ideas.
Brody Elliott is doing it tough raising his young daughter. He harbours guilt for the loss of Molly's mother and will do anything to protect his little girl from heartbreak again. So when Molly befriends their vivacious new neighbour, he’s wary.
But what’s a guy to do when the relentless attraction between him and the lovely Carissa grows and they can’t fight it?
Does the dour dad have room in his heart for love?
Brody Elliott is doing it tough raising his young daughter. He harbours guilt for the loss of Molly's mother and will do anything to protect his little girl from heartbreak again. So when Molly befriends their vivacious new neighbour, he’s wary.
But what’s a guy to do when the relentless attraction between him and the lovely Carissa grows and they can’t fight it?
Does the dour dad have room in his heart for love?
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2006
76 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Marsh
419 books1,446 followersUSA TODAY bestselling and award-winning Australian author Nicola Marsh writes page-turning fiction to keep you up all night.
She has published 86 books across genres, including contemporary romance, women's fiction, domestic suspense, and fantasy.
She's a Waldenbooks, Bookscan, Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a 2013 RBY and National Readers' Choice Award winner, and a multiple finalist for many other awards.
She loves chatting on social media!
She has published 86 books across genres, including contemporary romance, women's fiction, domestic suspense, and fantasy.
She's a Waldenbooks, Bookscan, Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a 2013 RBY and National Readers' Choice Award winner, and a multiple finalist for many other awards.
She loves chatting on social media!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 6, 2022
Just a good book
This was just a good book....good book by a good author. :) On to the next one😇😇
Can't wait to start it !!
This was just a good book....good book by a good author. :) On to the next one😇😇
Can't wait to start it !!
November 20, 2020
3 Stars ~ This is a lovely romance with the hero and heroine both coming to terms with their pasts. Carissa, after being orphaned, had been adopted by a couple who should never have been granted a child. As a result her choices in partner is on the bland side, steering wide of anyone who hints at being a challenge. Brody has a fear of losing people he loves; having lost both his parents as he was growing up, then at 18 his uncle who raised him and finally his wife Jackie when his daughter was just a toddler.
Carissa has an immediate bond with Molly, and wishes she could get her grumpy dad to let go of that wall he's built around him. Her cheerful and always optimistic personality slowly starts to loosen the bricks. But when she lets him know that she'd like to explore their obvious attraction, he shuts her down and pushes her away.
I enjoyed this romance. The story evolves rather slowly at first, however, once we get to know Brody and Carissa things start to shake up. Molly is delightful. The HEA is very satisfying.
Carissa has an immediate bond with Molly, and wishes she could get her grumpy dad to let go of that wall he's built around him. Her cheerful and always optimistic personality slowly starts to loosen the bricks. But when she lets him know that she'd like to explore their obvious attraction, he shuts her down and pushes her away.
I enjoyed this romance. The story evolves rather slowly at first, however, once we get to know Brody and Carissa things start to shake up. Molly is delightful. The HEA is very satisfying.
March 4, 2015
The title of this book is deceptive. Brody wasn't looking for a wife at all. Carisa his next door neighbour owns a shop all about fairies. And loves children. She spots Molly hanging around near her garden. And in her seems a younger version of herself at that age.
Both parties have there own issues with Brody having to deal with the death of his wife. Which he feels responsible for.
It takes Carissa leaving for him to realise how he really feels for her.
Both parties have there own issues with Brody having to deal with the death of his wife. Which he feels responsible for.
It takes Carissa leaving for him to realise how he really feels for her.
October 23, 2022
loved it
Well written, enjoyable characters, an adorable youngster, whimsy, what’s not to like? Only a few editing issues, mostly an occasional missing word. Well worth the read.
Well written, enjoyable characters, an adorable youngster, whimsy, what’s not to like? Only a few editing issues, mostly an occasional missing word. Well worth the read.
May 22, 2022
Super dry. Drags a lot. Clean? It felt by accident, as a result of a failure to develop- not purposeful intention.
Brody, widower/single dad/ex cop, isn't so much grieving his wife's death as using it as an excuse to lash out. He mentions multiple times he only married her because she got pregnant- and he thought she was a shit mom. As a bonus every time his kid does something he doesn't like- it mentions how the negative behavior is just like her mother- and how hard he's trying to prevent that. Classy.
Enter Carissa, orphaned, adopted by child abusing high society alcoholics, re-orphaned at 19. Desperate for her own family. Falls in love with Brody's kid.
Somehow that translates to loving Brody? Even though he acts like a jackass for the vast majority of their minimal interactions-when he isn't avoiding her. Brody spends a lot of time avoiding her.
I spent 70% waiting for some kind of development. There's no growth- not in Brody. Not between Brody and Carissa. Carissa does spend a lot of time with his kid, Molly.
I find it just a wee bit creepy that the first thing Carissa thought when she met Molly was that Molly looked like she could be her own daughter. Necessary? No. Weird? Yes.
She decides Molly needs her, and needs a mother so she goes for it. It's written to seem all sweet and based from Carissa's childhood trauma. So. Yeah. Anyway.
Carissa flees to Sydney after Brody rejected her for the nth time(after all the 0 chemistry/flirting/bonding/banter), and shes forced to accept she won't get to be Molly's mom.
Brody realizes he loves her(his kid loves her and hes attracted to her), follows, declares his love(she doesn't believe him) and so in what has to be the most literal grand gesture I've ever read...
He buys a billboard that says he loves her and proposes. On the billboard.
At best you could believe they both love his kid. But have 0 actual connection.
Another KindleUnlimited, and to be completely honest I think I have once again grabbed a book by a random author bc I thought it was by someone with a similar name.
It might just be that it was hella boring, but this could EASILY be turned into a thriller where Carissa snaps and kidnaps Molly. The childhood trauma. The fixation on a random child. The failed attempts to "seduce" (quotes bc they never do more than kiss once and eye each other when they think no one is looking) the ex cop dad. It's all there!
Brody, widower/single dad/ex cop, isn't so much grieving his wife's death as using it as an excuse to lash out. He mentions multiple times he only married her because she got pregnant- and he thought she was a shit mom. As a bonus every time his kid does something he doesn't like- it mentions how the negative behavior is just like her mother- and how hard he's trying to prevent that. Classy.
Enter Carissa, orphaned, adopted by child abusing high society alcoholics, re-orphaned at 19. Desperate for her own family. Falls in love with Brody's kid.
Somehow that translates to loving Brody? Even though he acts like a jackass for the vast majority of their minimal interactions-when he isn't avoiding her. Brody spends a lot of time avoiding her.
I spent 70% waiting for some kind of development. There's no growth- not in Brody. Not between Brody and Carissa. Carissa does spend a lot of time with his kid, Molly.
I find it just a wee bit creepy that the first thing Carissa thought when she met Molly was that Molly looked like she could be her own daughter. Necessary? No. Weird? Yes.
She decides Molly needs her, and needs a mother so she goes for it. It's written to seem all sweet and based from Carissa's childhood trauma. So. Yeah. Anyway.
Carissa flees to Sydney after Brody rejected her for the nth time(after all the 0 chemistry/flirting/bonding/banter), and shes forced to accept she won't get to be Molly's mom.
Brody realizes he loves her(his kid loves her and hes attracted to her), follows, declares his love(she doesn't believe him) and so in what has to be the most literal grand gesture I've ever read...
He buys a billboard that says he loves her and proposes. On the billboard.
At best you could believe they both love his kid. But have 0 actual connection.
Another KindleUnlimited, and to be completely honest I think I have once again grabbed a book by a random author bc I thought it was by someone with a similar name.
It might just be that it was hella boring, but this could EASILY be turned into a thriller where Carissa snaps and kidnaps Molly. The childhood trauma. The fixation on a random child. The failed attempts to "seduce" (quotes bc they never do more than kiss once and eye each other when they think no one is looking) the ex cop dad. It's all there!
September 6, 2023
The Grumpy Guy by Nicola Marsh is the first book in the Creative in Love series. Carissa Lewis owns a fairy shop and is as sunshine as her new neighbor is grumpy. She is determined to stay away from the infuriating man even though he is oh-so-gorgeous. Brody Elliot is determined to raise his young daughter, Molly. He holds a lot of guilt over the loss of her mother and is determined to protect his daughter from any heartbreak in the future. When Molly befriends Carissa, he’s wary but can’t seem to stay away and Carissa’s sunshine demeanor is getting harder and harder to fight. Can he find the strength to love again? Will her sunshine attitude clear away the storm clouds around his heart?
Nicola Marsh is usually known for her psychological thrillers. However, she can write sweet romances. The Grumpy Guy is a sweet sunshine-grumpy romance. At first, the story seems to drag and there is no real connection between Carissa and Brody other than being neighbors. However, as Molly spends more and more time with Carissa, Brody seems to thaw a bit toward Carissa. Carissa has deep scars in her past but she refuses to let those hurts bring her down while Brody has let the past cloud his future. And Molly is a sweet and adorable child. Overall, the happy ever after ending is a bit predictable; however, sometimes one doesn’t read romance for the unpredictability. If you enjoy a sweet romance, I recommend The Grumpy Guy.
The Grumpy Guy is available in paperback and eBook
Nicola Marsh is usually known for her psychological thrillers. However, she can write sweet romances. The Grumpy Guy is a sweet sunshine-grumpy romance. At first, the story seems to drag and there is no real connection between Carissa and Brody other than being neighbors. However, as Molly spends more and more time with Carissa, Brody seems to thaw a bit toward Carissa. Carissa has deep scars in her past but she refuses to let those hurts bring her down while Brody has let the past cloud his future. And Molly is a sweet and adorable child. Overall, the happy ever after ending is a bit predictable; however, sometimes one doesn’t read romance for the unpredictability. If you enjoy a sweet romance, I recommend The Grumpy Guy.
The Grumpy Guy is available in paperback and eBook
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November 6, 2022
Nice story line but very boring.
March 29, 2023
This was so boring. There was zero connection or chemistry between the two characters.
May 18, 2012
This book was just okay. It had a good story. The hero was a widower who had shadows in his past and he constantly had to fight against them. The heroine was a fairy store owner who loves children and had a hard past of her own. I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't all that original. I don't get the title. The hero was not looking for a wife or mother for his daughter. In fact, he wanted the opposite. To be left alone and brood in his own hermit lifestyle. I wouldn't read this book again, but it was good enough for me to finish without having to sludge through the story.
April 29, 2022
Carissa come off as pushy. Brody obviously don’t want to be in a relationship and she keeps on bugging him. The man wanted to be left alone. She wonder why she keeps on dating losers who doesn’t treat her right yeah well it’s because she lets them and also she chose to be with them like now she chose to let Brody treat her like she’s just his daughter’s “nanny”. He goes hot then cold. Doesn’t she have any self-esteem or dignity. She said she wanted to find a good man to love her. Then why does she waste her time basically begging Brody for scrapes of attention?
January 5, 2020
I am normally not a reader, but I really liked this book. It had a beautiful story line
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews