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Stuck With My Grumpy Protector: A Clean Small Town Enemies To Lovers Romance
The grumpy man I can’t stand just rescued me.
Now I’m stranded with him—and starting to wish he’d kiss me.
For three years, I’ve kept my bookshop running and my broken heart firmly off-limits.
Caleb Ward apparently missed the memo.
Tidehaven’s infuriating emergency coordinator keeps showing up with storm warnings, evacuation orders, and opinions I never asked for.
Then a hurricane hits, and the only man I want to avoid becomes the one I can’t get away from.
One tiny shelter. One long night. Far too little space between us.
Beneath his gruff orders is a tenderness I never saw coming. And when he pulls me into his arms, I want something I thought I’d buried with my husband.
A future.
Until I discover the promise my husband asked Caleb to make.
A sweet, closed-door coastal romance featuring enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a protective grump, a widowed bookshop owner, and a happily ever after.
Now I’m stranded with him—and starting to wish he’d kiss me.
For three years, I’ve kept my bookshop running and my broken heart firmly off-limits.
Caleb Ward apparently missed the memo.
Tidehaven’s infuriating emergency coordinator keeps showing up with storm warnings, evacuation orders, and opinions I never asked for.
Then a hurricane hits, and the only man I want to avoid becomes the one I can’t get away from.
One tiny shelter. One long night. Far too little space between us.
Beneath his gruff orders is a tenderness I never saw coming. And when he pulls me into his arms, I want something I thought I’d buried with my husband.
A future.
Until I discover the promise my husband asked Caleb to make.
A sweet, closed-door coastal romance featuring enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a protective grump, a widowed bookshop owner, and a happily ever after.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Elena and Caleb are both dealing with the grief of loss. Elena isn’t ready to open her heart to a new relationship but Caleb keeps showing up whether she wants him to or not. Throw in time spent together during a hurricane, talking, and getting to know each other better might change her mind. A sweet, slow burn story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 3, 2026
I don’t know about you, but I love small towns. I grew up in a small town. We had one red light, they tried two, but it just held up traffic. Everyone knew everyone else; you knew who your neighbors were and in high school you were either in band, drama, or sports.
Elena owns and operates a bookstore; Reading Nook and she has her daily routine. Her store is warm and inviting and just feels welcoming. The town is a beach town and it’s storm season. Maggie comes in with croissants and of course, her opinion. Caleb is the local law enforcement officer and works hard to keep everyone safe during inclement weather. Elena has an oak tree that many people are worried about. It needs to be removed, but she’s just not ready for that to happen. Caleb drops by to get Elena’s evacuation zone paperwork…which he already knows she hasn’t made one yet.
There’s a tropical disturbance that is forming about two hundred miles from them. Caleb heads out to check on people, especially the older citizens. He likes to make sure they have their supplies ready (water, generators, gas, etc.) before any storm gets too close. The community center is one of the safe places that people can go to when a storm is approaching. It’s the safest structure in town.
The storm has been upgraded to the status of a hurricane. Caleb continues to check on people and making sure they have what they need and getting items securely tied down. He stops by Elena’s since her car is still in the driveway. He finds her on the floor carefully wrapping items. She is in no hurry at all. He reminds her that her home is in the voluntary line and she should be gone. He gives her ten minutes to get packed and to the car. By the time they make it inside the safe building, Elena looks a little worse and Caleb assures her that the building has been rated safe for this weather. She talks about how she thought she had time to get some things taken care of, but when he arrived, she realized she did not.
Caleb is on top of everything, food and water have been checked, he’s checked doors and the boarded windows to make sure they’re still secure.
When the storm gets closer it is evident by the noise of the howling winds. Elena is frightened that the building’s roof may blow off. Caleb reassures her it has been checked and rated. They talk about different things trying to keep their minds off the storm.
I don’t want to ruin the story by revealing too much. Will the roof hold? Will the building be standing after the storm passe. What will happen between Caleb and Elena? Will her house still be there when the storm is over? Will the two of them grow closer together due to the storm? To find out the answers to these questions and more, get your copy of Stuck with My Grumpy Protector by Violet McBride today!
Elena owns and operates a bookstore; Reading Nook and she has her daily routine. Her store is warm and inviting and just feels welcoming. The town is a beach town and it’s storm season. Maggie comes in with croissants and of course, her opinion. Caleb is the local law enforcement officer and works hard to keep everyone safe during inclement weather. Elena has an oak tree that many people are worried about. It needs to be removed, but she’s just not ready for that to happen. Caleb drops by to get Elena’s evacuation zone paperwork…which he already knows she hasn’t made one yet.
There’s a tropical disturbance that is forming about two hundred miles from them. Caleb heads out to check on people, especially the older citizens. He likes to make sure they have their supplies ready (water, generators, gas, etc.) before any storm gets too close. The community center is one of the safe places that people can go to when a storm is approaching. It’s the safest structure in town.
The storm has been upgraded to the status of a hurricane. Caleb continues to check on people and making sure they have what they need and getting items securely tied down. He stops by Elena’s since her car is still in the driveway. He finds her on the floor carefully wrapping items. She is in no hurry at all. He reminds her that her home is in the voluntary line and she should be gone. He gives her ten minutes to get packed and to the car. By the time they make it inside the safe building, Elena looks a little worse and Caleb assures her that the building has been rated safe for this weather. She talks about how she thought she had time to get some things taken care of, but when he arrived, she realized she did not.
Caleb is on top of everything, food and water have been checked, he’s checked doors and the boarded windows to make sure they’re still secure.
When the storm gets closer it is evident by the noise of the howling winds. Elena is frightened that the building’s roof may blow off. Caleb reassures her it has been checked and rated. They talk about different things trying to keep their minds off the storm.
I don’t want to ruin the story by revealing too much. Will the roof hold? Will the building be standing after the storm passe. What will happen between Caleb and Elena? Will her house still be there when the storm is over? Will the two of them grow closer together due to the storm? To find out the answers to these questions and more, get your copy of Stuck with My Grumpy Protector by Violet McBride today!
October 3, 2026
Such a sweet read with two main characters juggling grief, obligation and then falling in love.
Elena has been grieving her husband's death as well as juggling a thriving bookshop. But each day she gets back to back flyers, notices, and advice from Caleb all in an effort to keep her safe. He's the emergency coordinator, its his job to keep everyone prepared but the feelings he now has for his late friend's widow are not easy to overcome. As time spent together send sparks flying they both don't rush to define their feelings. But when a secret comes out that changes all their interactions their left deciding if they can see a way forward.
Gosh, I was so excited for this! And it had so much potential, and honestly some really great parts. But I think if this was my first book reading in the series I would have been able to rate higher. But having read all the ones prior...this one copied A LOT of the same details, became really repetitive and even used some of the same phrases over and over. It just kind of seemed off that it did that and because of that I can only give a 3 star. Hopefully if there are more to this series they all have a fresh story, fresh backstory, new details. I truly kept checking between stories because parts of this one were so similar.
*I read this through KU, on release day!
Elena has been grieving her husband's death as well as juggling a thriving bookshop. But each day she gets back to back flyers, notices, and advice from Caleb all in an effort to keep her safe. He's the emergency coordinator, its his job to keep everyone prepared but the feelings he now has for his late friend's widow are not easy to overcome. As time spent together send sparks flying they both don't rush to define their feelings. But when a secret comes out that changes all their interactions their left deciding if they can see a way forward.
Gosh, I was so excited for this! And it had so much potential, and honestly some really great parts. But I think if this was my first book reading in the series I would have been able to rate higher. But having read all the ones prior...this one copied A LOT of the same details, became really repetitive and even used some of the same phrases over and over. It just kind of seemed off that it did that and because of that I can only give a 3 star. Hopefully if there are more to this series they all have a fresh story, fresh backstory, new details. I truly kept checking between stories because parts of this one were so similar.
*I read this through KU, on release day!
October 6, 2026
3.25 STARS
I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this story, and like the interaction between our main couple. Then the last fourth of the book I almost gave up. I didn’t like how the h treated the H when she overheard a conversation. She didn’t give him a chance to explain everything, and the misunderstanding lasted way too long.
This is a standalone story, but it has crossover characters from previous stories. Some of the topics from the last story are in this one but from a different POV. But, at times was repetitive.
The story takes place in a quaint little town, where everyone knows each other, and has their backs. It was interesting to see how a town braces for a stage three hurricane. You have some people who follow the rules and some who want to ride it out and then pay for it. There was some great banter in humor in the story.
Both the main characters have had loss in their lives and deal with it in their own way. It affects both of their futures, but slowly they are beginning to trust each other.
I believe this is the last of the series, no cheating, very bumpy road to HEA, and it’s clean. Story ended at 94% on my e-reader rest are teasers. I can’t improve on the blurb just giving you extra tidbits to decide whether to purchase.
I received ARC, and all opinions are my own and freely given. (ljb).
I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this story, and like the interaction between our main couple. Then the last fourth of the book I almost gave up. I didn’t like how the h treated the H when she overheard a conversation. She didn’t give him a chance to explain everything, and the misunderstanding lasted way too long.
This is a standalone story, but it has crossover characters from previous stories. Some of the topics from the last story are in this one but from a different POV. But, at times was repetitive.
The story takes place in a quaint little town, where everyone knows each other, and has their backs. It was interesting to see how a town braces for a stage three hurricane. You have some people who follow the rules and some who want to ride it out and then pay for it. There was some great banter in humor in the story.
Both the main characters have had loss in their lives and deal with it in their own way. It affects both of their futures, but slowly they are beginning to trust each other.
I believe this is the last of the series, no cheating, very bumpy road to HEA, and it’s clean. Story ended at 94% on my e-reader rest are teasers. I can’t improve on the blurb just giving you extra tidbits to decide whether to purchase.
I received ARC, and all opinions are my own and freely given. (ljb).
Review of advance copy received from Author
Another sweet slow burn visit to Tide Haven pairs 2 individuals struggling with grief.
Elena lost her husband to the sea 3 years ago. She performs the motions of life while protecting her heart from another loss.
Similarly, Caleb lost his brother to a water rescue and carries the guilt of being responsible even though the official report cleared him. He does not believe he deserves love and buries himself in work.
These characters both have depth that gives the reader insight and compassion for what they have endured. The world building is detailed and accurate, the hurricane description felt real. As typical of small towns, there are other characters who are too involved in their story. I especially enjoyed Sophie’s insights as she is perceptive for her age.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Elena lost her husband to the sea 3 years ago. She performs the motions of life while protecting her heart from another loss.
Similarly, Caleb lost his brother to a water rescue and carries the guilt of being responsible even though the official report cleared him. He does not believe he deserves love and buries himself in work.
These characters both have depth that gives the reader insight and compassion for what they have endured. The world building is detailed and accurate, the hurricane description felt real. As typical of small towns, there are other characters who are too involved in their story. I especially enjoyed Sophie’s insights as she is perceptive for her age.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“Stuck with My Grumpy Protector” by Violet McBride
-This is a sweet, slow-burn coastal romance about finding love after grief. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.
Elena, a widowed bookshop owner, and Caleb, a protective grump, share a touching connection as forced proximity draws them closer.
A realistic hurricane, Sophie’s thoughtful insights, and Biscuit the cat add warmth and personality to this visit to Tidehaven. Their journey toward healing and a happy ending makes this an emotional, heartwarming read.
-This is a sweet, slow-burn coastal romance about finding love after grief. I received a free copy and am voluntarily sharing my honest thoughts.
Elena, a widowed bookshop owner, and Caleb, a protective grump, share a touching connection as forced proximity draws them closer.
A realistic hurricane, Sophie’s thoughtful insights, and Biscuit the cat add warmth and personality to this visit to Tidehaven. Their journey toward healing and a happy ending makes this an emotional, heartwarming read.
October 4, 2026
Stuck With My Grumpy Protector is an emotional, small town romance about moving on after profound loss. Caleb lost his brother. Elena lost her husband. They have both been stuck with the grief. As a new storm forms, Caleb tries to keep everyone safe and Elena resists until it is almost too late. As they interact while riding out the hurricane in a shelter, their relationship finally begins to develop. I enjoyed the book but I have to agree with the other reviewers that this series is rather repetitive.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Elena and Caleb had known each other for while, neither was looking for romance just friendship. Caleb had lost his brother six years ago and felt that since then he had to earn everything good in his life through duty. Elena lost her husband three years ago and felt that love was too dangerous to risk again. When they find themselves sheltering from the hurricane they each see
someone they could care for. I enjoyed the relationship the Elena and Caleb had and how their feelings changed.
someone they could care for. I enjoyed the relationship the Elena and Caleb had and how their feelings changed.
October 4, 2026
This was a sweet read. Caleb is trying to keep a promise to a friend. Elena is trying to run her bookstore and grieve for her husband. A clean, sweet read that pulls you in. The characters were great and the secondary characters were great too. A happily ever after story. Definitely recommend reading it
October 16, 2026
Elena and Caleb's story is such a sweet story. They both have guilt issues from past experiences. They dodge speaking of their feelings for a long time. Then their secrets come out and things get even harder. He was bound by a promise made to her dead husband, then his feelings become real and things get even more complicated. A great book. You will love it
October 5, 2026
He made a promise to look out for her and he took it seriously. That opened the door. A relationship of arms length friendship that suddenly feels very comfortable. A really good story and I enjoyed it a lot.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A fairly short quick read but I found it very similar to Violet McBride's other books in the same series so sorry i can't give it any more than a 3*
Review of advance copy
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I'm glad that Caleb and Elena are finally able to put the past behind them and admit they love each other.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews