Grump Gone Wild

Grumps Unleashed #1

by Cassie Mint

I’m fake-dating the man of my dreams.

But these feelings? They’re all too real.

Here’s some friendly advice, from me to you: don’t ever fall for your grumpy boss.

And here’s another top tip: when said boss asks you to fake-date in front of his awful snooty family, say no. Run fast and run far.

Whatever you do, don’t mix up what’s real and what’s fake. Don’t fall for his hungry stares, don’t let your touches linger, and definitely don’t sneak off into a hedge maze together. What good could come of it?

Remember: it’s all a lie. A perfect, delicious, tingly lie.

And he’s just playing a role.

Isn’t he?

Grump Gone Wild is a short and steamy instalove story, starring two fakers who REALLY need to get a clue.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Grumpy Sunshine, Contemporary Romance, Workplace Romance

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2023

About the author

Cassie writes outrageous, OTT insta-love with tons of sugar and steam. She loves cookie dough, summer barbecues, and her gorgeous cat Missy.

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Reviews

[probably reading smut - safety reviews]

5/5

This was just what I needed!! A safe, sweet instalove romance with some spice and funny moments.

Fliss (Felicity) has been working for Sebastian for four years and has loved him that entire time. She's a bit eccentric, with pink streaks in her hair and a tattoo of her cat, Rusty, on her wrist. Sebastian is the complete opposite of Fliss. He's a Bamford, they're all born with silver spoons in their mouths.

His family is hosting a party and he needs a date so he picks Fliss and gives her a makeover. They get closer during the party... especially in the hidden maze. ;) But Fliss doesn't want to be a secret. She thinks she's not good enough for him. Will he convince her otherwise?

I really enjoyed this novella! Cassie Mint is an incredible author and her novellas just suck you right into the story!

SAFETY:
Ages: unknown, but he's 10 years older
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, hinted that he's a celibate H
OM/OW drama: none
Cheating/sharing: none
Tropes & Keywords: grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee, instalove, age gap
HEA?: yes!

[Huda]

LOVE IT!
Short and perf!

[*˚Remnant Light ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾]

**2.5/5 stars**

Felicity aka Fliss has had a crush on her boss Sebastian for four years now, and when he asks her to be his fake girlfriend for a family gathering, she can't help but say yes. It might be her chance to get close to him, even if it's only for a weekend. Sebastian's family being snobbish and conservative, Fliss has to change her otherwise hurricane demeanor to something more uptight and 'presentable' to Sebastian's judgmental family.

Girls like me don’t land dreamboats like this. We nurse our forbidden crushes, then go home alone and snuggle with our stinky old cats.-Fliss

I don't have much to say about this story. It was a bit on the boring side with lack of chemistry for me. The mutual crush the characters had for each other seemed very shallow and I didn't feel the attraction. We don't even know what prompted this mutual pining to begin with.

I didn't like Fliss (that nickname makes me cringe). She was all over the place, was a bit immature and weird. She also always talked about her cat Rusty. Like sure, I like cats, but I'd like the story to be more about the romance between the main characters. As for Sebastian, he wasn't really a grump, more like an introverted guy.

[...] her fingers are still in my hair. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to buck into her touch like a cat, purring like a madman.-Sebastian

The cat theme was strong with this one...

I don't know, this novella didn't do it for me.

✔️HEA Epilogue: 3 years later, they are married and h is pregnant
✔️Novella
✔️Dual POV
✔️Fake couple
✔️MC's age Not mentioned. But knowing Cassie Mint's h is probably in her 20s and H in his 30s.
✔️Introverted H
✔️Weird/ Virgin h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Safe
🔥 Steam level: 1.5/5
⚡Content warning No condom/ First time/ Foreplay/ Fingering/ Handjob/ Oral sex

Would I recommend this novella? It was okay. Nothing outstanding but still decent.

**Note that I do not rate novellas and full-length books by the same standards**

Grumps Unleashed Series
1. Grump Gone Wild* - 2. Grump Gone Bad
3. Whole Lotta Grump

[Lolina ⋆]

-=- 2 stars for Felicity shamelessly reading pirate smut to spite Sebastian-=-
(and for grandma Maude)

Look I know I said I wouldn't be reading anything because I'm busy but CM just dropped a new book and I have no impulse control 💀:

I didn't love this book plainly because I didn't like the character's situation. I enjoyed it on a base level, but it felt quite disjointed, especially because these characters had already known each other and were literally in LOVE with each other for FOUR YEARS- but just didn't say anything for no absolute reason. I was just detached from them as a couple, it was hard to be invested in them, jumping straight into their story without any context.

4 years' worth of pining doesn't really mean much if you don't see it, you know?

Like why are we all wasting our time- just get with each other, you literally have no obstacles, because let's be real, HR is nonexistent in the book world 💀 don't try and fool me. We're living off novella time, and a girl has things to do 😭🤞.

Nevertheless, this was still a cute story- that ending in particular was so sweet.

Anyways Maude made the book for me, what an icon 😌💅:

“Sweetheart?” She pats my arm. “I’m eighty seven. I don’t give a shit.”

-=-
(Hey CM it's me again, please, please, please write a full novel. Please 💀. Help a poor, desperate girl out 🤧)

[Kate Russo ❦ (Rina Kent’s Version)]

3.75 stars
OMG THIS WAS SO FUCKING CUTE AHHHHH I LOVED I absolutely adore fliss honestly wish I had a friend like her Irl and omg their relationship WAS SO ADORABLE AHHHH THE WAY HE STUCK UP FOR HER INFRONT OF HIS FAMILY BIG GREEN FLAG

[Alison]

I loved this!

The one thing about these short instalove reads that really suck is when you find one you love, you just wish they were longer.

I loved Sebastian and even though Felicity was “zany” and “quirky” it didn’t come off as annoying as it often does. I think I want Sebastian as my new book boyfriend.

The one thing I didn’t like? Let’s not call Felicity Fliss. It was awful. It sounded unnatural and every time I read it I just thought of floss. Lol

[Luna ♡]

This one was okay, I think? The plot was a little boring but the main characters were lovely together. The fact she reads smut besides him was so funny. Enjoyed reading but there are better short stories than this one. :)




#1 Grump Gone Wild ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Grump Gone Bad ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Whole Lotta Grump ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[atomickitten]

5 stars

Oh my, this is the Cassie Mint I love the most!



With all my favourite tropes:

✤ grumpy-sunshine
✤ forced proximity
✤ boss-assistant
✤ loved you from afar
✤ one bed
✤ and last but not least: fake dating

I just knew I would love this one.
We can't forget the slow burn vibes that only Cassie Mint knows how to insert into a novelette.

I absolutely loved it.
Plus, grandma Maude rocked! :D

And so if you're looking for a great, quick read, this book is a great choice.
Highly recommend!!!

[Elizabeth]

This one was fun but I wanted more! Things get resolved too fast and not deeply enough.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers]

You're gonna see me reviewing and rating some Cassie Mint books I read over my day off lmao so I'm not going to write a lot in the review but!!! I highly recommend them if you want something quick, fun, romantic and very steamy.

Grump Gone Wild follows an assistant who has to pretend to be her boss's girlfriend for a family weekend at this house. He's old money rich and she's the sunshine to his grumpiness. They've been pining for each other for over 4 years. There's this cute scene of him holding her high heels because she hates wearing them and takes them off all the time so he always has them in his hands lmao.

[Kate]

3.5 - 4 smut-scale stars!

Felicity (Fliss) works for Sebastian and is head over heels for the grumpy man. Fliss is vibrant and fun and the complete opposite of Sebastian but she can't help but be drawn to him.

"I’m there, no sweat, because I’ve been gone for my boss since day one. G-O-N-E. Head over heels for this beautiful grump, with his neat bronze hair and his tortoiseshell glasses and his perfectly pressed suits. I love him so much, it gives me indigestion.

Sebastian is a Bamford and with that comes specific expectations and responsibilities. When his stuffy family hosts a party, he asks Fliss to come as his fake girlfriend. Fliss agrees without a thought and the two of them set off to fake it...or do they?

This was super cute and spicy and I really enjoyed it!

[riley ☠︎︎]

3.75 stars. She’s so real.

[Averie]

this was just eh for me

[Djilan]

Sweet short story

[kymagirl]

Personal assistant Fliss (h) has been secretly crushing on her grumpy boss, Sebastian (H), who likewise has fallen for her too. He asks her to be his fake girlfriend for a weekend at his family’s estate, though she’ll have to make a few changes to fit with their ideal society image. Things heat up between the two as they spend time together and they both begin to want the relationship to be real. Maude is definitely a keeper. Sweet grumpy boss, fake girlfriend romantic quickie with a side of heat.

[cole ♡]

I like Sebastian's pov way more than Felicity's, and her character kinda annoyed me, but overall, it was a decent read

[Solara!]

(2.5/5) can u tell im desperate to reach my reading goal😛

[Khe]

nothing but vibes & smut!

[Eve]

Hell freakin yeah! This was short but it really hit the spot! Heheh feelings

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁]

It was fine. Not that memorable.

[Christy]

Cute story

A quick, sweet read. Fake girlfriend turns into a real wife. Uptight boss turns into Mr. Incredible. You never know how it's going to end with all the over thinking.

[Ignacia]

The only memorable thing about this story was Felicity reading pirate smut to Sebastian.

[Shannon O'Connor]

Smutty and hysterical. Highly recommend

[Julia]

I loved this book! I'm not even gonna lie I laughed my ass off at their dialogue in their room!



Words swim into focus. I frown, temples throbbing from the strain of reading without my glasses, and it takes me a few sentences to realize what I’m reading.

I choke quietly. Pirate sex?

“This is the best part,” Felicity says, tapping the screen again. “Want me to make the font bigger?”

No!

“Please,” I mutter, shifting an inch closer.


“What is this?”

“It’s called Walking His Plank.”

Of course it is.

[Melissa]

Good

Safety and Spoilers

Safe. No ow/om drama. I’m pretty sure H has been celibate a long time and especially since he hired h four years earlier. h was a virgin.
I like how h brought out the fun and less serious side of H. He was so stuck in his strict ways and h brought down his walls.
No abuse or cheating.

[S]

Good but ends too soon. And there's no epilogue.

[˗ˋˏ mckenna ˎˊ˗]

this novella won’t be winning any awards any time soon but it was a fun and fast read

[Jen ♥]

i didn't expect to actually enjoy this novella. there's just something with the writing style that got me hooked. the characters were likeable too, sebastian was the grump ceo and felicity/fliss was his sunny assistant. they've been working together already for 4 years and they were both pining for each other just as long. but were too afraid to confess their feelings, fliss thinks it was one sided and seb thinks he didn't deserve her sunshine. both dumbass (their words) for wasting so much time.

but what i really loved about this story was fliss character. she was just so full of sunshine and unashamed of who she was. she was feisty and didn't cower from seb. actually it was all thanks to her effort that somehow seb was becoming a little less stiff and grump. she was a decade younger than him but with their interaction readers wouldn't even see that age difference, they were just in tuned with one another.

as for seb he was rigid and grump but that was because of his upbringing. he came from this circle where people were uptight that held so high standards and follow so many etiquette. he was different though, he never wanted to be like those people but they're family and friends so he kept coming to their events/celebration.

this was just sweet and hot at the same time. when they decide to stop faking their relationship, everything just falls perfectly into place. they loved one another for a very long time and it was just so swoony reading them finally be together. 💖

[Sabrina]

I’m not big on office romances but since majority of this book took place outside the office I was okay with it. I love a good fake dating situation and this one was so much fun. Sebastian’s family is snooty and rich. He’s due to go visit his family and needs a date. Felicity works for him and he’s had his eye on her for 4 years. You can tell Sebastian is super shy and not sure of himself because of who he is but Felicity brings him out of his shell, especially since she’s loved him for just as long. I love these characters so much but I especially loved Sebastian’s grandma, Maude. I feel like every book with a stuffy family should have a grandma like her. This was a super fast paced read and very short. The ending was perfect. I highly suggest it!

[nouran]

This was pretty good but this was a pretty instalovey novella which are not really my thing.. but this was pretty cute and fun!