The 17 Best Grumpy Sunshine Romance Books to Read in 2026
“Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone’s bad qualities because they somehow complete you.”
Hello fellow book lovers! Welcome to Cozy Book Cafe. Thank you for visiting our website. Here you will discover the most anticipated books of 2026. Dive into captivating new stories, discover new authors, and let your imagination soar.
If you love a classic opposites-attract vibe, the best grumpy sunshine romance books are just what you need! These charming stories pair a grumpy, serious type with a bright, bubbly, and endlessly optimistic partner, creating a perfect mix of sass, smiles, and swoony moments. It’s all about fiery sparks, heartwarming laughs, and watching two very different personalities fall head over heels!
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⭐ BOOK CLUB TOP PICK ⭐
On the Brink of Bliss by A.L. Jackson
The last thing I expected when I found the trespasser bathing in my river was for it to be her…
Daisy Adair has always been my dream girl. From when we were best friends in high school to finding her now. A gorgeous mother who shows up on my property with three kids in tow.
But I became a recluse for a reason. The life I chose is full of wickedness and peril. The last thing I need is the object of my every fantasy invading my space and risking her life because of me.
Only when she tells me she’s on the run from her ex, I promise to do anything to keep them safe, even marry her to protect her kids.
That single kiss at the altar rips through every barrier, our passion unleashed. Now, living under the same roof blurs the lines I’ve drawn. Each glance of her down the hall and I am splintering. Each brush of her hand and I am brought to my knees.
Our future—bright, hopeful, and almost within reach—hovers on the edge of becoming real… Until we discover the threat surrounding her is grimmer than either of us imagined.
Now I’m fighting to save her and her children before our second chance at forever is burned to the ground…
The Lie of Having It All by Morgan Elizabeth
From a young age, child star-turned pop star Willa Stone knew “having it all” was a myth. The truth is, at some point, you have to choose what you really want in life: a career or a love life, fame or friends, success or peace.
Knowing her true purpose in life is to create music and perform, she’s long accepted that her life would always be on display, and every moment would revolve around building the brand. Even her relationships are manufactured, a lifetime of fake PR relationships in order to build interest in her next album.
When she’s instructed to hide from the limelight for a while, she isn’t sure what to do with herself. That is, until she stumbles into Holly Ridge. There, she starts daydreaming about finding balance and, for the first time in her life, having it all.
After a health scare made him realize he was living for nothing but his job, Leo Sinclaire is out to find balance in his life. This starts with buying a rundown house, connecting with the roots he’s ignored since becoming a cutthroat publicist to some of the world's biggest stars, and, most importantly, being alone.
Unfortunately, he quickly finds that if he wants to be alone, Holly Ridge is the wrong choice. That peaceful existence completely evaporates when he discovers his biggest client—and biggest headache—has the same small town as her place to hide away. He spends time trying to keep her in line, both for his job and his sanity, but after a while, old feelings start to surface, and even though dating a client is strictly forbidden, he can’t seem to stop thinking about her.
What happens when those thoughts turn into trying to figure out if they can have it all, together?
Over the Line by Hailey Rodger
The plan was supposed to be simple. Heal, rehab, get back on the ice. Definitely don’t let anything past the line—especially Dr. Carina Park.
She’s the last person I should want. Too young and off-limits. Too focused on her career as an orthopaedic surgeon. She has a spine of steel and doesn't flinch, no matter how grumpy I get.
From the second she puts me back together after my knee blows out, I know I’m in trouble. Because under all that armor, she’s fire and focus and the kind of sharp I’ve always respected.
So when one unexpected night turns into something neither of us planned for, the line between what’s right and what’s real stops feeling so clear, and I stop pretending I don’t want more.
Nothing about this is simple. She’s built her life in the OR, and I’ve built mine protecting the goal line. Now we’re both fighting for something we never saw coming.
She wasn't part of my plan, but I've never wanted anything more.
And if she wants me too, I’ll gladly step over the line.
Grumpily Ever After by Teagan Hunter
Wedding planner Odette Chambers has a knack for ruining every ceremony she touches.
But her latest gig could be a curse breaker. The bride is her best friend, Izzy, and the venue is a local cidery with the Pacific Northwest mountains as a beautiful backdrop.
The cidery’s only rotten apple is its owner, former NHL player Noah Stevens—Izzy’s older brother and a recently divorced, fully committed grump who doesn’t believe in happy endings.
But Noah can’t say no to his hopeful little sister. His decision sends Odette barreling into his life, and she insists on making picture-perfect renovations to his cidery. She’s demanding, irritatingly optimistic, and quite possibly the prettiest woman he’s ever seen.
Noah is turning Odette’s head, too, but if she wants a wedding to finally go off without a hitch, he’s a handsome distraction she can’t afford. Right?
As Noah risks a second chance at love, Odette’s luck might change as well. For better or for worse.
Main Character Energy by Kendall Ryan
Andi Callahan prefers the quiet company of the dead.
As a morgue tech in a sleepy coastal town outside Boston, she lives for silence, predictability, and zero small talk.
Living people? Too loud. Too messy. Too nosy.
The dead don’t interrupt her, meddle in her life, or flirt with her.
Cole Hartley does. He’s everything Andi avoids—charming, persistent, and entirely too good-looking.
The town’s beloved firefighter-paramedic has a hero complex the size of Massachusetts and a dangerous talent for cracking Andi’s ice-cold composure.
What starts as a harmless bet to make her smile turns into something neither of them saw coming.
Now Cole’s determined to prove that life is worth the mess—and that love might be the riskiest, most rewarding thing of all.
Wild Card by Elsie Silver
Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands. It's the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he's also my ex-boyfriend's dad.
A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart. One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof-which makes everything between us downright messy.
Because even after all this time, he's still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can't get over no matter how hard I try.
He's working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.
But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine. The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.
We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this. But then again...following the rules never has been my strong suit.
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem.
But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom Lucie, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid.
But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending. . . even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots.
But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
Ridley Sawyer knows what it's like to miss someone, to feel like a piece of her vanished―because it happened to her the night her twin sister disappeared.
Now, Ridley channels that loss into hope, traveling the country covering cold cases for her true crime podcast. She might not have found justice for her sister but that doesn't stop her from finding it for others.
Until Sheriff Colter Brooks gets in her way.
Colt knows what it's like to have reporters descend on his town in the wake of a tragedy, and he's not about to let a fiery podcaster stir up trouble. It doesn't matter that her haunting blue eyes tell him there's more to Ridley's story or that he can't stop imagining what it would be like to touch her.
But when Ridley's cold case turns hot and she's thrust into the crosshairs, Colt has no choice but to step in. Suddenly, Ridley's living at his house, drinking his whiskey, and stealing his dog's affections. But she's also proving that she's so much more than his first impression.
And as they get closer to the truth, the game they've been playing might just turn deadly…
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad . . . depending on who’s telling it.
Fragile Sanctuary by Catherine Cowles
The scowl should've been my first clue to stay far away from Anson Hunt. The sexy smirk and the fact that he's my brother's best friend? Reasons two and three. Not to mention, he's the new contractor working on my house.
He's everything I'm not: grumpy, rude, and more than a little attached to his solitude. It doesn't matter how many times I try to kill him with kindness; the man simply won't crack.
Until he sees me shatter.
Because when my world comes crashing down around me, Anson is the one catching me as I fall. And as so-called accidents start plaguing every part of my life, it's Anson who steps in to keep me safe.
As he does, I can't help but feel a flicker of heat. And it only takes a single moment for that spark to ignite into flames, engulfing us both.
But Anson's a man with secrets, and they have a price. When they're revealed, neither of us will make it out unscathed...
From Air by Jewel E. Ann
When Jamie Andrews moves in with a house full of firefighters, things start heating up fast.
Battling the wilderness of rural Montana, these guys are always charging into danger—for a living, for duty, for the rush—and since Jamie is a psychiatric nurse, they fascinate her analytic mind.
She can’t help but fixate on Calvin, a grumpy, enigmatic smoke jumper ten years her senior.
She makes playfully tormenting him her pet project, trying to get him to open up. It turns out he gives as good as he gets.
When something smoldering between them sparks, they’ll have to keep it quiet, which makes Jamie start to wonder about Calvin’s secret, the one he won’t explain. She’ll learn more after life pulls them apart.
But as she follows the truth like a trail of flame into the dark, will it lead her to hearth and home with Calvin…or will it all go up in a blaze?
Wed Like Wildfire by Lauren Helms
Once upon a time, there was a grumpy CEO who met a wedding planner who never stopped smiling…
Cassie
You could say that I live and breath weddings and love, and as a wedding planner, a happily ever after is the main event. So when I learn that Theo Abbot absolutely hates weddings, that should be my clue to run for the hills as fast as my sexy little black stilettos will take me. But I digress. I'm on the hunt for my own epic love story, one T-Swift herself could write a song about. Which means unavailable and seemingly uninterested CEOs are off limits. Even if the man oozes sex appeal and his grumpiness turns me to mush. A little flirting never hurt anyone.
Theo
Cassie Winters shines so bright I need a pair of Ray-bans to look directly at her. Problem is, once I've set my eyes on her, I can't seem to look away. The woman is a walking, talking promotion for all things love and happiness. Hand me an antacid. Counting, on one hand, the amount of times I've failed in my life, leaves me knowing I won't ever do "love" again. I'm set in my ways and not even this sexy little spitfire could sweet talk me out of my decision to never get married. Yet it only took one drink to derail that plan. But, things aren't always as they seem and when real life gets in the way of this fairy tale, we're both forced to take a hard look at what we truly want. Are we both ready to wed or is this a wildfire that's about to burn out?
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
Ama Torres is an optimistic wedding planner who doesn’t believe in marriage. But weddings? They’re amazing.
Elliot Bloom is a brooding florist who hates owning a flower shop…until a certain bright-eyed, donut-loving workaholic shows up at his door.
Once upon a time, they collaborated on events by day, and by night, Ama traced the intricate flower tattoos etched along his body. Then Ama shattered his heart and never spoke to Elliot again.
Now they’re working on an event that could make or break both of their careers—except neither of them has gotten over what happened two years ago.
It doesn't help that the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot, are determined to set them up.
But as the wedding takes on a life of its own, Ama and Elliot are about to discover that some things can survive a complete catastrophe...
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
Escaping her seemingly perfect wedding, Naomi Witt arrives in rough-around-the-edges Knockemout, Virginia, running to the rescue of her estranged twin, Tina.
Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn't changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi's car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected: the 11-year-old niece she didn't know she had.
Now she's stuck in town with no job, no plan, no home and a whole lot of extra responsibility.
There's a reason local barber Knox doesn't do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones.
But since Naomi's life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into trouble, he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.
At least that's the plan, until their lives begin to entwine in ways they never imagined...
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation.
Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof.
So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend.
But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy.
Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.
But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart.
And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.
Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance.
But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company.
Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.
Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…
But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.