GRUMPY BILLIONAIRE: A forced Proximity Romance

by Nikki Woodward

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

Hi, I’m Nikki — a believer in love’s power to heal, transform, and set hearts on fire. Every story I write is a small piece of my heart, woven with emotions that linger long after the last page is turned.

For me, romance isn’t just a genre — it’s a language. It’s the way we find courage in vulnerability, beauty in imperfection, and hope in heartbreak. Through my books, I aim to capture the pulse of modern love — the messy, magical, unpredictable kind that makes us feel alive.

My novels,are love letters to anyone who’s ever dared to believe in second chances, soul-deep connections, or the kind of love that changes everything. Each character I write breathes with desire, tenderness, and truth — because I believe that every heart deserves its story.

So wherever you are in your own love story, I invite you to pause, take a breath, and step into mine. Between these pages, I hope you’ll find warmth, passion, and the reminder that even in chaos, love always finds a way.

With all my heart,

Nikki

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars. First the good things - The word choices and cadence were excellent. There were no choppy, brisk sentences like so many romance novels. I wish the book had been longer because the shortened format led to repetition and a very loose plot. Whichever reviewer called this book “hot hot hot” must not read much romance because this is a 2 out of 5 on a very generous spice scale.

[BP34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like enemies to lovers romances, you'll love this book. Maya was a top engineer for Thornton and Associates and they were contracted by Sebastian, CEO of Crowne Resorts for a hotel project. He had the reputation of being the billionaire grump of New York City. Her world comes crashing down and her reputation is on the line when she's accused of bribery, falsified reports and kickbacks. She is furious and arrives unannounced at Sebastian's office to plead her case. When he fires her, she is furious and pushes a chair so hard it breaks. She insists that she's been framed, but he doesn't believe her. She's determined to prove her innocence. He finds himself strangely attracted to her as no one has ever confronted him like this. Guilt and doubt come into the picture as his attraction grows and they agree to investigate together and prove her innocence. Late nights, hours of investigations and scandal all add to the picture. Twists, sabotage, trust issues and media madness. The book can easily be read in less than two hours, but it packs a lot of drama, spice and suspense. No spoiler here, but it does end with an HEA and no cliffhanger. I read a free arc via the author and voluntarily chose to write a review.

[Sharon Akshar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2026
Format: Paperback
I really liked this story by Nikki Woodward called "Grumpy Billionaire". It was a good plot to it and ran with a decisive and quick storyline. Maya is an Engineer who has been framed to look as if she had been doing dishonest practices with her work. She quickly storms into the head office with justified anger when she reads that she is being blamed and protests loudly and really gets enraged when the CEO of the company blames her without investigating the charges and fires her. When she shoves a chair against his desk and causes it to break, then Sebastian pauses long enough to realize that she seems to be angry enough to be innocent of being blamed. He stops his pre-diagnosed assumption long enough to do some investigating and is shown to be wrong about her. After apologizing to Maya, they both work together to see who is using her as a scapegoat.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOT, HOT, HOT, cover and be ready for this quick romance story to light up your kindle reading about Sebastian and Maya. I don't think I have ever fallen in love reading a romance book as quickly like I did this one right here and OMG it's a winner of a story. So, when you're ready to add some heat to your day read this book right here.

[Michelle Shamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one hell of a hot and spicy quickie. Seb and Maya were yum! I thought this was going to light my iPad on fire it that was hot. Loved this quick read.