Rich in Your Love by Pippa Grant

Octavia "Tavi" Lightly is a social media influencer. She's vegan, sugar-free, and exercises regularly. Except, she's a fake. Really, she's just trying to keep her head above water because she's spent her money on a cacao farm. And now that her grandmother has instructed her entire family to move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink, her entire house of cards might come tumbling down. 

Dylan Wright was a wild teen. Now he's the town's only plumber and Tavi's assigned project. Gigi wants her to help Dylan get onto social media to raise the town's profile.

There's some pull and push. It's over the top. Not my favorite Grant story but fine. 

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #2

Follows The One who Loves You

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant

Phoebe Lightly's life is turned upside down when her grandmother chokes on dinner and nearly dies. After a minute in hell, Gigi has decided that the whole family needs to turn their lives around. To do that, they're going to mimic an old move and move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink.

This... is not in Phoebe's life plan. She has been climbing the family's corporate ladder pretty steadily with the aim of one day running everything. She did make a recent misstep but she's still sure she can figure out how to make Gigi proud of her.

Teague is a local resident. His life turned upside down about twenty years ago when he ran away from his family. These days, he's living in a tiny house and coparenting his daughter with his ex-wife and her new wife. When the Lightlys come to town, he's not impressed. But there's something about Phoebe that is intriguing.

The two might have more in common than it seems at first sight but it will take some time for them to figure out what that is and how to be together. 

I'm not loving this new series but my joy in the Thrusters and Fireballs is more in the whole coterie rather than the single books so I'm hoping that will prove to be the case for these as well.

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #1

Followed by Rich in Your Love

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Irresistible Trouble by Pippa Grant

Cooper Rock is a baseball god. But his game is in the toilet. His superstition is that he does better when he's having sex. And he hasn't been having sex. Mostly because he's run in to Waverly again.
We've seen Waverly peripherally in previous books. She's a rock star at the Taylor Swift level. But she's got issues. And Cooper Rock is one of them. Eight years ago, they slept together and she never heard from him again. She doesn't know that her aunt Zinnia (also her manager) scared him away.
Now that they've met again, they know that the attraction is still there. But can two incredibly busy people make a real connection?

Three stars

This book came out September 29, 2022

Copper Valley Fireballs #4

Follows The Grumpy Player Next Door

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Secret Hook-Up by Pippa Grant

Both Addie and Duncan have appeared in previous books by Pippa Grant. Addie is the batting coach for the Copper Valley Fireballs, a major league team. Of course, she's experienced her fair share of sexism. Not only do people not acknowledge that she might know how to do her job, they also seem surprised when she shows up to an auction in a dress.
Duncan isn't thrilled that Addie is doing the auction. But he at least knows that her bosses asked if she wanted to do it. But that doesn't mean that he's happy hearing how men are talking about her. And not just because the two of them used to hook up.
I really enjoyed this story. Duncan was a little too perfect but Addie got to grow quite a bit. You could really see how the two fit together. That being said, for all that the two had a relationship before, it took a long time for them to get together and figure it out

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 1, 2024

The Copper Valley Thrusters, #6

Follows I Pucking Love You

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own 

A Royally Inconvenient Marriage by Pippa Grant

Peach needs a husband. She lives in Alabama and wants to adopt her sister, Papaya. But the old-timey (and incredibly old) judge seems to think she needs a husband. 

Viktor needs a wife. He's heir to a throne in the kingdom of Honoria (I listened to this so some spellings may be suspect). It's known as the country of love so the monarch must be married in order to ascend the throne. 

Well, it seems like there's an easy solution here. So, the two get hitched and move to Europe taking Papaya and Peach's MeeMaw with them. But all is not smooth. Papaya is still causing problems and the country needs a lot.

I really do enjoy Grant's books. They're usually just the right amount of crazy but this one did have a little more crazy than usual and it made it just slightly less enjoyable.

Three stars

This book came out August 31, 2018

The Royals #3

Follows Rockaway Bride

Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Mister McHottie by Pippa Grant

After the "bratwurst incident", Ambrosia Berger stopped going by "Bro" and asked people to start calling her "Sia." She didn't have the life she expected to live after the incident but she's carved out a pretty could niche on the social media team of Crunchy, an organic food store. Too bad her nemesis (and the other person involved) has just bought the store. 

Chase Jett grew up with the Berger twins and spent a lot of time with their sister. They had a history of pranking each other but their time together is still in his memory. He doesn't think they can pick up where they left off but he knows that the spark they had is still there.

This is barely a three star for me because there is just So Much Misunderstanding in this book.

Three stars

This book came out October 30, 2017

Girl Band #1

Followed by Stud in the Stacks

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Royally Pucked by Pippa Grant

What do you do with a spare royal heir when he's acting up? Manning Frey's family moves him to the United States where he is on a professional hockey team. He doesn't mean to knock up Gracie Diamonte but he's not exactly upset about it. Except that he's technically sort of engaged. 

Gracie isn't thrilled to be pregnant but that's what life is. She finds Manning incredibly charming but isn't ready to believe that he is read to settle down with a woman like her, she barely graduated high school and is from nowheresville Alabama.

Not as fun as other books from Pippa Grant but still a fast read and enjoyable enough to finish.

Three stars

This book came out April 6, 2018

The Copper Valley Thrusters #2

Follows Pilot & the Puck-up

Followed by Beauty & the Beefcake

Royals #1

Followed by Rockaway Bride

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Dirty Talking Rival (formerly Master Baker) by Pippa Grant

Some Pippa Grant books I love and some are fine. I can't tell you where the line is because they are all a little crazy and over the top but some are just more fun. I'm currently doing a timeline re-read and figured I'd include some of the ones I'd skipped before. This was one of them and it's fun. It's fast. It's fluffy. It's just a little annoying and I think it's because the reason Grady and Annika can't be together is more of a "reason." 

Annika is on leave from the Army to help her mom and her thirteen-year-old sister get set after her mom had some rapid onset blindness. Some of the getting set is opening a bakery, her mother's dream. Not Annika's; she can burn water. Luckily, her sister is good at baking and is holding them up. Unluckily, they live in a small town and it may not have enough people to support their business. There is a next town over though.

Too bad, in the next town over, her former best friend Grady already has a bakery. And he's actually good at baking. And really enjoys it. But he's barely breaking even himself. So they get talking long enough for them to decide to ride the storylines of rival bakeries (it works because their two towns have been rivals for generations anyway.)

So, in public they are trash talking each other while falling in love behind the scenes.

Three stars

This book came out June 27, 2019

Part of the Bro Code universe

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own 

Flirting with the Frenemy by Pippa Grant

Ellie and Wyatt have been at each others throats since they were kids. They had one frantic night together but, when he expressed regrets, she ran out. Then she was in a car crash.
Eighteen months later, he's staying at his friend's house in a small town called Shipwreck. When he walks in with his son, they find Ellie in the tub. Well, Wyatt does. And he's intrigued.
Ellie, on the other hand, is not so intrigued. Not only is Wyatt now walking in to her week at her brother's house, he's messing up her plan for the week. Her best friend is getting married to the brother of Ellie's ex. To make things less awkward, Ellie has lied about having a boyfriend. Through... circumstances... her best friend comes to believe that Wyatt is the new boyfriend. So now they have to spend time together.
Grant's writing is good in this one, I just don't love the storyline. I would say there's too much drama but that is sort of usual for a Grant book, this one is just TOO over the top for me.

Three stars

This book came out March 1, 2019

Bro Code #1

Followed by America's Geekheart

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant

Maisey was one of the stars on a D-list home improvement show. Her ex-husband was the other. She knew more about home repairs but was content to be the comedic partner. The ex wanted a bigger star and divorced her so now she's on her own except for her daughter, Junie. If that wasn't bad enough, Maisey's mother was the head of a Ponzi scheme and their names became mud in their home town so Maisey has moved them both to Wyoming. The book opens with them confronting a bear (Earl) and accidentally scaring a man off his horse. 

Flint isn't excited about his new landlord. She never came to visit her uncle and she is a dilettante who is telling him he can't run his after-school program on her property. He'd rather not deal with her at all and wishes that her uncle had finally changed his will to leave his property to the town like he had always said he would.

There are definitely misunderstandings between the two but after some time (and some heated stolen moments that they each assure each other they shouldn't be taking), they figure out they might be perfect for each other. 

I loved getting to see Maisey figure out her new life. I never quite warmed to Flint but I could see why she would. If you like Grant, you will enjoy this book.

Four stars
This book came out August 15, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Worst Wedding Date by Pippa Grant

I usually love a Pippa Grant book but this one was just okay and I think it's because Theo's personality seemed to be bro-dude who likes cats and I'm just not sure why Laney would get involved with him. And the tension between Theo and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Chandler, is kept going for way too long. I will definitely read the other books in this series, especially Theo's sister, but this one won't probably be kept when I re-read the series.

Laney's very best friend has just asked her to do the impossible, keep Theo under control. The only problem? Theo is known for playing pranks and pissing off Chandler. In fact, the story basically opens with a prank. And some of that opening scene is funny but it gets quirkier from there including Theo waking up with a hand around his dick, assuming it's Laney's, and finding out it's his own arm which had fallen asleep.

Three stars

This book came out April 13, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Last Eligible Billionaire by Pippa Grant

Begonia is definitely the sunshine character in this book. She is also bordering on manic pixie dream girl as the first time she meets the hero of our book, she is basically naked in his house having fallen for a fake-AirBnB-type scheme.

Hayes is sometimes a little overly grumpy and hard to get to like in this book. He is the reluctant savior of his family's Disney-type film company. His brother, a well-known actor, has always been the golden boy so he can't step in when Hayes's cousin dies leaving a seat open as heir to the throne of the business side of things. He is not at all delighted to find an intruder in his house. Especially one with a dog that he is direly allergic to. But he needs Begonia. His mother keeps throwing women at him, women that he's not particularly interested in, and having Begonia as his fake girlfriend will throw her off. 

I do enjoy Pippa Grant but this particular book was a little too silly with too much time spent on shenanigans and not enough time building a believable relationship between two such opposite characters.

Three stars

This book came out March 3, 2022

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Humbugged by Pippa Grant and Lili Valente

I think it is probably better to read all of the books in this series closer together. I've forgotten some of the names and it made it hard to keep track of everyone. Also, the nutiness of a Grant and Valente book is better when it's sustained, still enjoyable when broken up, but better as one book after another. I liked that Grant set up a way for the two to have an HEA but I'm on a string of woman-giving-up-her-life-for-her-man books and I just wish one, ONE, were different. 

Noelle is a Marine Corps brat who was also a traveling photographer but she never managed to break into the big leagues. So she settled down in Atlanta with a "young Santa" and thought she was living her HEA. But then, just days before a romantic trip, he ghosted her. And took her favorite coffee mug. So, even though she attracted to the younger man, Clint, she is trying to put down roots in her new hometown, Happy Cat, and open a bakery devoted to cupcakes. It's just too bad that msot of her creations seem to be going wrong.

Clint is a fun-loving, over-the-top, Marine who truly believes he is a hero. And he is for a lot of people and especially Noelle. He is pretty much halfway in love (or at least to this reader's eyes) with the woman and doesn't even mind the ribbing he gets from his brothers on that score. He knows that she's been burned before but he's already all in on trying to make her change her mind. And good for her for calling him on it. But they do eventually figure out their relationship and make it work. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out December 10, 2019

Follows Hitched

Opinions are my own

The Grumpy Player Next Door by Pippa Grant

Tillie Jean Rock is the sister of baseball superstar (well, at least he's really well known in Copper Valley) Cooper Rock. She got involved with one of his teammates ONCE and now her brother is paranoid about her seeing anyone else. Sure, she flirts with most of them but they all know it's not serious. The only one who might reasonably hold her interest is Max Cole but he's avoiding her because Cooper is his best friend on the team and he doesn't want to screw up that relationship. Plus, he had a really complicated childhood and doesn't want to inflict his angst on to anyone else. 

But Max has moved next door to Tillie Jean in the off season and suddenly the close proximity means all bets are off...

One of my least favorite tropes is the "we can't date because you're my sibling's friend." And this book leans hard into Cooper not taking their relationship well. Grant tries to turn it around and make the prank war between Tillie Jean and her siblings amp up because of it but it didn't really click for me. Also, I never really saw that Max was trying to work through his issues with romance. In a romance novel. I wish we had seen more introspection and working toward healing from his crappy childhood but it mostly seemed magically resolved. 

Three stars

This book came out July 8th, 2021

Copper Valley Fireballs #3

Follows Real Fake Love

Followed by Irresistible Trouble

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Crazy for Loving You by Pippa Grant

Daisy Imogen Carter-Kincaid is known in the tabloids as a billionaire party girl. She is footloose and fancy-free. Except that her cousin, famous for giving people one star reviews, has died and left Daisy her child. But Daisy isn't the only person left in charge of the child, so is West Jaeger, former Marine, current contractor. 

West thinks that this is one big joke. His brother Tyler is a hockey player and his team is known for their pranks. But then he figures out someone (who fired him by the way) has really left him a child. And that he needs to stick around so that the child doesn't go to his even worse paternal grandparents.

This may be one of Grant's earlier books because, while it has the absolute crazy-pants parts of the plot that she includes in all of her books, there are plot points that are thin to the point of invisibility and the character development is lacking. We hear that West and Daisy work but there isn't much explanation out of that. 

Two and a half stars

Follows Wild Open Hearts

Bluewater Billionairs #4

This book came out November 8th, 2019 (oof, not as early as I had thought)

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Reread as Kindle ebook October 2024

I Pucking Love You by Pippa Grant

Muffy Periwinkle was introduced in a previous book as the cousin of a heroine. She is a hapless matchmaker who never quite makes the right connection. In the previous book, Muffy even set up her cousin with the ex-boyfriend of one of the cousin's friend who was a complete douchebag. So, she's not doing well. Not helping? Her mother who keeps calling her fat and spends up her credit cards. In order to make ends meet, she's even working at a Long John Silver-esque fish and chips place. And it's at that second job that she again sees Tyler Jaeger.

Jaeger is a hockey player who is in a bit of a funk. His penis hasn't been working since he and Muffy hooked up. He's not thinking she's the forever-one but he's also sort of surprised to find himself volunteering to be Muffy's date for an upcoming... thing. He's not sure what it is but he finds himself wondering whether Muffy might be the answer to his problems.

So, there's a little bit of a road trip and enough of a glimpse of his brother West and West's wife Daisy to convince me to read Crazy for You but otherwise the zaniness of this book (that Pippa Grant does so well) overshadows the actual relationship growth in this book. It was worth a read and I will definitely re-read whenever I read the whole series again but not one of my favorites.

Three stars

This book came out April 8th, 2021

Follows Charming as Puck

Followed by The Secret Hook-Up

Copper Valley Thrusters #5

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Reread as Kindle ebook October 2024

The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob by Pippa Grant

Levi Wilson is famous. First because he was in the boy band Bro Code but then because of his solo career. Eight years ago, his life changed because of a woman in the crowd of one of his performances. Since then, he's been working toward being a better human being. It doesn't always work (hello, he's a pampered rock star). Today, he's in his home town but still slightly lost. When it seems like some fans might get too rabid, his guard helps him duck into a nearby bookstore. And the owner of that store? The woman from the crowd. 

Ingrid Scott is astonished to see a famous person in her store. Especially since it seems like he's hiding. And then hitting on her. She's the single mom of three children who split with her husband because he was gone so much. How can she be falling for a man who's job description has him never at home?

A solid addition to the Grant canon. The end dragged a bit but I overall liked the kids, the adults as characters, and the kookiness involved with squirrels. 

Three and a half stars

Follows Liar, Liar Hearts on Fire

Bro Code #4

This book came out January 7th, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Reread as Kindle ebook October 2024

The Hero and the Hacktivist by Pippa Grant

This book is... crazy. Just nuts. And yet... still sort of fun. The craziness palled after a little bit but it was still a good Grant book.

Rhett Elliot is the brother of a previous heroine in the Girl Band series. He is just looking for someone to hook up with for a night at his sister's wedding. Eloise Jayne (probably her name... well, maybe) is the only single bridesmaid and she seems like she might be down to... well. So they find a room and complete the deed. At least, she does. But then Parker (the sister/friend) comes in before Rhett can really get off. From there, it seems like their relationship should be over. It was a one night stand.

But Rhett is sort of hooked. He is used to chaos, as a Navy SEAL. But his team ran into a problem (that is sort of described but not really) and it seems like the life he loved is no longer attainable. Eloise, however, seems to create her own chaos. 

Eloise isn't as interested in a relationship but she could use the help of a SEAL. She is a hacker-activist (hactivist) who is going after an MLM marketer who is bilking women out of millions of dollars. But the marketer is fighting back and Rhett might be the only person who can help. 

Three stars

This book came out November 9th, 2018

Girl Band #4

Follows Rockaway Bride

Opinions are my own

Reread as Kindle Unlimited October 2024

Beauty and the Beefcake by Pippa Grant

We've met Ares Berger in previous books in the series. He's tall. He's a brute. He doesn't talk very much. Nor do we see him talk a lot in this book. But Felicity Murphy talks enough for both of them. She's a talented ventriloquist and incredibly smart but (according to her parents) hasn't quite figured out what she wants to do with her life. Many Master's Degrees but she hasn't found a job. Partly because she hasn't found her niche but mostly because her life goal is to work for the Thrusters, the team her brother Nick and Ares both play for. Well, usually. Right now Ares is out with a severely sprained ankle. So Nick volunteers their grandmother's house as a place for him to recuperate knowing that, not only is Felicity studying to be a physical therapist thus being valuable to Ares, but she could use some muscle to protect her from a stalker-ish ex-boyfriend.
Not as good as other books in the series; Ares is fun and Felicity is fine but why the focus on the men that she attracts. So much attention paid to that. Still crazy pants on the Grant level but the fun just isn't quite there

Three and a half stars

Copper Valley Thrusters #3

Follows Royally Pucked

Followed by Charming as Puck

This book came out May 17th, 2018

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Reread as Kindle Unlimited ebook October 2024

The Pilot & the Puck-Up by Pippa Grant

This book is... I'm having trouble describing it. It's the best kind of bat crap crazy. Zeus Berger is one of the famous Berger twins who tear up the hockey rink. We meet him as he enters a club wearing a tight skirt, high heels, and a girdle. I think it's because there's a bet? But it may just be that he wants to shock all of the people who are trying to show off how much money they've donated before participating in a golf tournament the next day. And Zeus, wearing heels, clocks in at over seven feet so he is a sight to behold. When he is dared to pick up a woman, his friends point out Joey Diamonte.

Introducing herself as Fireball, Joey is at this fundraiser under duress. She's not normally the front person for her zero gravity company, she's the pilot. But Peach has to be at her grandmother's surgery so Joey is at this incredibly boring charity event, trying to drum up an investor who will help take her company to the next level. And she thinks Chase Jett might be that man; but his friend Zeus keeps distracting her. The man is HOT.

The shenanigans in this book start from the opening page and just continue from there including ordering pizza in to the fundraiser, golfing with cans, and more. If you need something to read that is bananapants but still somehow makes you care about the character, this is your book.

Four stars

This book came out February 16th, 2018

The Copper Valley Thrusters #1

Followed by Royally Pucked

Ebook borrowed from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Reread from Kindle Unlimited October 2024