Bedside Manner

by Stephanie Archer

Dr. Grant Cross is the hot, grumpy surgeon who makes my job hell… and my first client as a brand-new escort.

I can get along with anyone—except him. One of the most prominent pediatric plastic surgeons in the country, he terrifies the other residents, the nurses despise him, and his bedside manner sucks.

I want nothing to do with him.

When he puts me on retainer to sleep with him and only him, though, the money is too good to pass up. The deal is simple: I sleep with him, he pays me, and neither of us get feelings.

Sleeping with Grant is surprisingly fun and intimate, and with his pediatric fellowship at risk due to his lack of interpersonal skills, I vow to teach Grant how to be more likable, and see a whole new side of him.

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

Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 8, 2026

About the author

Stephanie writes spicy, hilarious rom-coms. Her books feature sharp banter, stubborn women, lots of laughs, and guaranteed HEA’s. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Reviews

[Grace Quan]

I was a little skeptical when I read the blurb, but I’m so glad I trusted Stephanie Archer because this ended up being such a fun read.

For those wondering, “Why would Linden want to be with a man who’s on an escorting app?” My answer is simple: you just have to read the book to understand. Grant is a complex and multifaceted character so don’t make the same mistake I did by judging a character based on the blurb.

Full disclaimer: this book will not be for everyone. I found the concept to be a fun and good way to turn off my brain and relax. But if the topic of sex work makes you uncomfortable, then it would be best to skip this one. Although I did think the topic was written respectfully and without romanticizing it. Every time Linden mentioned that Grant was paying for the sex, it made my stomach turn. Which I thought was an appropriate reaction because there’s nothing less romantic than your man paying you to have sex with him. Luckily, this wasn’t mentioned too often and I was able to get lost in their story and chemistry.

Speaking of chemistry, boy, did they have it by the ton. And what’s more, it was accompanied by YEARNING. Male yearning to be exact. And this was a single POV book so we didn’t even get Grant’s perspective, yet his yearning was so visible through the pages. Grant had a wonderful journey throughout this book and it was a treat to watch his transformation.

Linden’s journey was also just as enjoyable. I loved the setting of the hospital and her role as fourth year resident. Seeing her go from a people pleaser to someone who stands up to senior doctors and advocates for her patients was such a treat.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the writing. It was easy to digest and this book was perfect for relaxing. 10/10 for the writing.

4 stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

📆 Publication Date: December 7, 2026

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡]

pre-read:

buddy reading with charisse bb 💌🫶🏼! this was honestly an impromptu br because we’re both in a slump and received this book 🤭 i personally enjoy stephanie archer books because it just really comes to me whenever i need a good fast-pacing book, so i hope this delivers for us too 💜🌟

・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・

pre-release:

WDYM I GOT THE E-ARC? INSANE! i’m so excited to read this 🙂‍↕️🌟💗

[Ace]

5 stars. This just might be my favorite contemporary romance novel from the last 5 years. Thank you—and I truly mean THANK YOU—to NetGalley and Ballantine for gifting me with a promotional copy of this fantastic book so I could share my thoughts about it.

Imagine opening a book to Chapter One, and experiencing—within a the span of a few pages—the feelings of “awww, cute!”, humor, pride, happiness, sadness, grief, determination, annoyance, indignation, attraction, and finally, a sudden desire to apply to medical school to help save kids.

Welcome to Bedside Manner, the 10/10 amazing romance novel I didn’t know I needed in my life until right now.

I’ve read Stephanie Archer’s books before, and always solidly enjoyed them. This, however, was next-level. There was the perfect amount of everything: plot, angst, longing, spice, romance, adoration, the amazingly hot male lead (Grant) protectively worshiping the female lead (Linden), siblings, outings…I just LOVED IT.

I sat down to start reading this book Saturday morning, and then found myself physically unable to put the book down until I finished it Saturday evening. I read the entire book with a smile stretched across my face and little hearts floating around my head. The writing was great, the story flowed VERY smoothly, and the plot bounced very nicely from the hospital workplace back to their personal lives without feeling unbalanced. I also really appreciated that while they were at different points in their career, there wasn't a power imbalance where he had control over her future.

Absolutely purchasing a hard copy this book for myself when it comes out.

[luna ♡]

this was so darn stinking cute, i will admit though, that the blurb got me intrigued and confused. i'm sooo glad i requested for the arc because eeeek i loved it sm. will definitely check out more books from stephanie now!


hehehehehhe i got approved for the arc 🤭

[makenzie ⊹ ₊ (inactive)]

you had me at "teaches her to swim" everyone pray that they accept my request

[fromthestudyof]

SIX STARS!!!!!!!

No one is doing it like Stephanie Archer & I stand 10 toes down on that

This romance was PERFECT. There is nothing on earth like the high of a man that has been down so ridiculously bad for a girl that has no clue. Tattoo it on my heart!!!!!!!

rapid fire thoughts as I process:
- he’s H-O-T hot!!!!!!!!
- a hot guy that’s down bad but a little socially awkward is truly CRACK TO ME
- no 3rd act breakup (an argument but that’s not the same)
- him shirtless in her yard getting it cleaned up & planting a garden? A+
- him secretly yelling at her irresponsible coworker to take her shift when she’s sick? A++

I love everything about this book. An all time great from Archer

Will be in my top favorites of 2026

[Flor ❁ (HIATUS)]

She's an "escort" but he pays for sex 🤨🤔 sounds like prostitution 🙂‍↕️ and since when is it right to write about it (romantically)?Why would you fall in love with someone who pays you for sex?

[Robin]

so he tracked down an out of print mass market historical romance because she mentioned it offhand one time??? he’s a good man savannah

[glavreads]

I was lucky enough to beta read this book and my email back with my comments said, and I quote “how dare you write such a hot, [redacted] nerd!!!!”

Bedside Manner answers the question “What happens when the rude, scary, extremely hot surgeon at my hospital hires me as an escort?” That age-old question.

If you’ve seen any of my other reviews of Stephanie Archer books, you know I think she is a brilliant, beautiful starfish who writes THE best banter and praise. Bedside Manner is no different. Such a unique, fun premise and they are so horny but also so cute and careful with each other. I cannot wait to reread this book.

[CNA]

What on earth has happened to my used to be favorite authors this year?! The last two books in Vancouver Storm were so mid. With a weird don’t let the woman finish during first sex scene fetish in BOTH. And now we have a SINGLE POV (ew) novel about a doctor who’s also an … escort. And the hero is the kind of man who pays a woman for sex? Literally we are almost halfway through 2026 and I’m just sad at the current reading choices my favs have been producing. Maybe I just need to give up and stop reading.

[Katie’s Bookshelf]

4.5⭐️
Okay now I FULLY loved this. I was a little unsure when I read the blurb but I shouldn't have doubted Stephanie Archer because I really enjoyed this

Dr. Grant Cross and Dr. Linden Starling were the CUTEST. This is a very Olive Smith/Adam Carlson relationship, very grumpy/serious scientist who's hard on his students and sunshine optimist who can make him smile. So if you like that I think you will LOVE this

I loved how the growth with Grant was handled. He takes his work incredibly serious and is hard on his residents and other doctors and nurses when he believes they need to do better. Basically most of the hospital is either terrified of him or refuses to work for him because he can be so harsh. At first I was worried that Linden would try and change him but she quickly realizes that he's not being tough for the hell of it and helps him give more constructive feedback.

Grant and Linden were also just adorable. I loved the slow fall into each other while also insisting that there will be NO feelings. They start spending more and more time together and get to really understand each other the way no one else does and I ate it all up

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[maddy]

I got so excited when I saw I got approved for the ARC of this, and couldn't wait to read and review it!

I was a bit nervous to start this as I'm not a big fan of solo POV romance books, but this completely changed my opinion on them!!

I was obsessed with the grumpy sunshine trope and the workplace trope. I love how it was set in a hospital!!

Linden and Grant were sooo good. I really enjoyed Linden's character and found her really interesting and extremely relatable for a lot of people. I love a book where an FMC is hardworking, sweet, and sticks up for herself, and this really had all of that. Grant was the best too; he was so obsessed with Linden from the start, and it was so sweet to see him slowly show it throughout the book. Whenever Grant and Linden would interact, I would be giggling because it was always so funny and felt natural.

I really don't like third-act breakups, and unfortunately this book had one (causing it to be 4 stars for me), but it made sense for the book.

I do wish we could've learned more about Linden's backstory; it's touched on a bit, but not fully, which is strange when it seems like everything she does is because of how she was raised and her experiences as a child.

This was my first Stephanie Archer book, and it did not disappoint at all!! She's one of the authors I've been meaning to read, and now seeing how she writes, I'm requesting the rest of her books from the library!

If you're looking for a good romance book with all the best tropes in one, I'd definitely recommend this book!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

[Kristina]

Got the arc! I wanted to try this author but she has previously only written hockey romance 🤮, this one is a doctor romance. 🥰

[Meghan]

New Stephanie Archer I AM SAT

[Holly Schwartz]

Stephanie Archer doesn’t miss!! This was fantastic!! It was fun and witty and full of so much tension and YEARNING!! Everything about Linden and Grant was SO good!!

There is something about a sad sunshine girl and that’s exactly what Linden was and I LOVE HER SO MUCH! I love how much she loves her job! How much she loves her home!! How hard she’s working to keep her home!! Which is what ultimately leads her to Grant! And GRANT CROSS! The grumpiest man alive!!!! And the man who has been PINING after his dream girl forever and finally has a shot to make something happen?! But also has no real idea what he’s doing!!! I seriously loved them so much. THEY WERE HOT!!!! And they were so soft with each other! I loved seeing how easily they became so comfortable with each other!

I don’t know if Stephanie’s writing this as a series, but if she is!!! This was a great start! And if not it was also a FANTASTIC standalone!!

Thanks to Dell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[livi ❞ ♡⃕]

4.5 🌟 das war SOOOO fun!! ich bin so froh blind reingegangen zu sein; denn der blurb hätte mich wahrscheinlich sehr verunsichert, ob das so das richtige für mich wäre.

Es hatte alles, was ich von einem Romance Buch erwarte, und hat mich trotzdem immer wieder überrascht. & Grey’s Anatomy Vibes!!!! loveee

[Amanda Blanche]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC releasing in December 2026.

I was hooked on this book. Couldn’t put it down. An opposites attract, grumpy - sunshine romance but with depth and soul. It’s not the unlikeable MMC and naive people pleasing FMC kind of stereotypes - it’s the depth to see why these characters are the way they are and how they can be misunderstood. And when the love story has someone seeing you and loving you as you are, not as what you show the world, it just makes me wanna kick my feet. Add in tons of spice, yearning and flirty banter and it’s a great read.

Linden is trying to stay afloat. Drowning in student and home related debts, being a medical resident isn’t exactly bringing home the bacon. But she’s in a career that she loves, with people that she loves working with. Well, except for one. Dr. Grant Cross is a renown pediatric surgeon - and grump. The most unliked man in the whole hospital. And this is where Linden and Grant find themselves in a place to make a deal - financial for Linden, and social for Grant. Add in a spicy website as a catalyst for an awkward encounter and it’s on. But soon a strings free deal is getting far too tangled for either to keep tract of what is real.

[maisy]

4.5 ⭐️
3 🌶️

Omg, new Stephanie Archer favorite coming in hot!!!!!! 🚨 🚨🚨 Linden and Grant are perfection and I read their story in less than 12 hours.

Let’s start by saying, while these two get together via an escort app, these two only had eyes for each other and it was very classy meeting. Linden is a bad-ass anesthesiology resident who is friends with everyone she meets while Grant is the most hated pediatric plastic surgeon in their hospital. What starts as dislike on both ends (or so we thought 😮‍💨) turns into such a genuine connection that gave me butterflies. Linden is trying to smile through feeling lonely when always surrounded by friends and Grant is truly misunderstood. Grant is SUCH a softie who shows his love through acts of service and I am obsessed with him!!!!!!!

I think my issue is that the escort/paying for services part of the book went on too long and interfered with these two expressing their feelings but overall, such a good book!!!

[Erin Henderson]

I was hooked by page two. This was such a cute, fun and sweet read!

I love a grumpy sunshine trope, and our MC’s were the perfect caricatures. Linden was the perfect amount of joy hiding loneliness and Grant was the perfect amount of misunderstood.

Honestly, it’s such a solid feel good read. And while there’s a bit of miscommunication, it doesn’t overwhelm the story or become annoying.

Loved it! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abbey]

This was fun! I appreciated Grants character development throughout. He and Linden also had good banter/chemistry. I do feel like Linden’s backstory could’ve been delved into a little further, as all we learned about her grandmother/mother was very surface level.
Thank you to Ballantine for the arc!

[courtney]

Same vibes as the Love Hypothesis

[Emily]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

ughhhhh this was a perfect book up until the final act breakup and now I’m mad!!! I loved the grumpy/sunshine where the mms isn’t actually a dick and the fmc isn’t annoying! And Stephanie Archer really knows how to write spice 🥵 really was giddy kicking my feet the first 90% of this book.

[Sonja]

Was this the perfect romance for me? No, but it came pretty darn close! These grumpy/sunshine, fake dating doctors are the closest thing to perfect that I have read in ages. Loved It! It was heartwarming, amusing, and sweet, I'm a sucker for the Eliza Doolittle type trope.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

[☆Laura☆]

No comparto el punto de vista de la autora, quien apoya que el trabajo sexual se legalice y se regule. De hecho, yo espero que algún día se erradique. Estoy de acuerdo en que las personas que se dedican a esto merecen respeto y no deberían pasar por todas las atrocidades que muchas veces enfrentan. Eso sí lo comparto.
Nunca apoyaré algo que convierte a las mujeres en objetos y permite explotar sus cuerpos. Porque, si realmente fuera un buen trabajo, ¿por qué los millonarios no se dedican a eso? ¿Por qué son las personas que tienen necesidades económicas y no encuentran otra salida las que terminan recurriendo a la prostitución?

Ahora, hablando del libro, fácilmente pudo haber sido un fake dating y podría haberle dado 4 estrellas. Honestamente, lo leí por curiosidad, principalmente para ver cómo manejaría la autora este tema y cómo lograría convertir a Grant en un buen protagonista, porque, simplemente por saber que recurre a servicios de prostitución, no me parecía una persona agradable, sino que me resultaba detestable. Y me costaba entender cómo alguien como Linden podría enamorarse de alguien que paga por sexo y cómo podría confiar en alguien así.

Aquí van los spoilers:

Grant estaba enamorado de Linden, pero tenía un carácter pésimo y nadie lo aguantaba, incluida ella. Grant lo sabía, así que una noche se emborrachó y entró a una aplicación que su hermano le había instalado. Decidió buscar a alguien parecida a Linden para intentar dejarla ir. Sin embargo, después de hacerlo, se olvida por completo de la situación y cuando ella aparece en su casa, no puede creerlo. Inmediatamente cancela la cita.

Al día siguiente hablan y Linden le cuenta que está llena de deudas y necesita dinero. Entonces llegan a un acuerdo para fingir que son novios. A cambio, ella tiene que ayudarlo a ser una persona más agradable para que pueda conseguir las cartas de recomendación que necesita para el trabajo que quiere.

[Brittany Steminist Booknerd]

STEM FMC: pediatric anesthesia resident; STEM MMC: pediatric plastic surgery attending
This was an interesting take on a fake dating, grumpy sunshine, medical workplace romance. She ends up doing an escort service to help pay her debts down, and he happens to hire her. An agreement ensues, so you can imagine how spicy it is.
If you like these books, then you'll enjoy this one: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary, and Operation Boyfriend by Zarah Detend. All of these are STEM workplace romances where he falls first, most are grumpy/sunshine, most have them traveling together for a wedding or a conference, most have recovering people pleaser FMCs that the MMC works to cure, and most have an age gap. If you're into those things, this won't disappoint.
The character development for both the MMC and FMC in this book are excellent. I really wish this was a physical slow burn instead of the escort service, but you still get an emotional slow burn.
I docked half a star for the FMC's constant pressing reminder of the agreement and willful ignorance of the development of feelings. At some point, it was just frustrating, and the third act conflict happens so late in the book that you are lulled into a false sense of security.
4.5 stars

[rach wolf]

This was so fun and a page turner because of the rom com writing style! I’m going to agree with everyone when they say they were nervous going into a book with this kind of trope (sex work/payment), but I will also agree with everyone that the author is a great job with writing the situation. My thoughts and feeling reflected the main character, Linden, where I was forgetting and remembering their “deal” as much as her. And I think everyone knew what was actually going to happen in the end. Another part of this book I loved was our misunderstood, grumpy MMC. I eat this up EVERY TIME. He was so well written and if I had to pick a dream book boyfriend - he is 100% up there on my list.

My one complaint with this book was the “third act breakup” drama you could call it. It just felt so rushed. It was over before it started? I mean literally, problem solved in 2 chapters. Which is good because we got over it fast, but then it also felt like what was the point. But other than this, thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I will be keeping an eye out for future books in this series! Thank you to the author and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC early.

[Amber Shepherd]

Stephanie Archer knows how to write a damn good book and this one was no different!

Grant and Linden get together in the most unconventional way and I actually loved it. I’m not usually one for a spicy read (i’m normally skip through lol) but this was a fun one.

I’m not usually a lover of single POV (love to know what the man is thinking lol) but I feel this was executed so well and I could understand what Grant was thinking just by description.

This whole story is funny, light hearted and all around wholesome. I think the grumpy sunshine vibe was done really well and I really enjoyed how it concluded.

I also enjoyed how it was fake dating in a non fake dating way!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting this eArc in exchange for my honest review.

[kara]

DR GRANT CROSS THE MAN THAT YOU ARE OMG !!! I feel like this is going to be a divisive romance, but I loved this so much. The chemistry and the yearning is top tier, holy shit!!! The character growth was so amazing and believable.

Stephanie Archer is an autobuy romance author for me, and this is no different. This is unlike any romance I have read, and I appreciated that she had a sensitivity reader for this one. Cannot wait to scoop up a finished copy in December🫶🏻

[Abby (bookrecsbyab)]

This was unlike any previous Stephanie Archer novel, and in a good way. The vulnerability of both Linden and Grant was beautiful. I absolutely loved them both. Obsessed with Grant and all of his quirks. He is a man obsessed. The care taking 🥹 You’re going to want to read this one.

[Ania]

This book is kinda like if Mark Sloan (when the nurses refused to work with him) and Meredith Grey (if both her parents were dead and she inherited Ellis’ house but no money) got together. But if McSteamy was McRude and McNosocialskills. A good light intermission from my opioid crisis book.