Grumpy Romance

Billionaire Dads; Single Dads #1

by Nia Arthurs

Miliardario. Padre single. Il mio nuovo capo da incubo.

Holland Alistair è l'affascinante prodigio dell'informatica che ha preso d'assalto il mercato immobiliare.
Arrogante. Scontroso. Occhi d'acciaio.
Mi incontra nel giorno peggiore della mia vita e sente la mia ira.
Sono certa che mi farà causa.
Invece, ricevo un'offerta di lavoro.
A quanto pare, gestire l'agenda di Alistair - e il suo caratteraccio - è in realtà la sua vendetta.
In ufficio, i suoi occhi mi seguono ovunque. Vuole licenziarmi o divorarmi?
Non riesco a decidere nemmeno io cosa voglio.
Progetto la sua morte nel tempo libero. Lo bacio appassionatamente nei miei sogni.
Odio e desiderio. Tira e molla. Non facciamo altro che girare intorno a ciò che c'è tra noi.
Finché un incontro casuale con la sua adorabile figlia cambia tutto.
All'improvviso, vedo il lato più dolce di Alistair.
Ma innamorarmi di lui non era nella mia descrizione del lavoro. E sicuramente non dovrei rubare baci nella tromba delle scale dell'ufficio.
Posso mantenere la testa sulle spalle quando il burbero dell'ufficio mi mette nel mirino? E cosa succederà se la notizia della nostra proibita romanzo trapelare?

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Billionaire Romance, Workplace Romance, Contemporary Romance, Workplace

Paperback

Published December 21, 2021

About the author

From an early age, Nia knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began chasing that dream when she was a teenager.

Nia writes interracial romance and contemporary romance with guaranteed happy endings. She loves strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, and just enough spice and drama to keep things interesting!

Look for the Taming Series (Taming Mr. Jerkface, Taming Mr. Charming, Taming Mr. Know-It-All, and Taming Mr. Darcy) in ebook format.

And catch up with Nia on Facebook @authorniaarthurs. Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

FUCK HER SISTER, the little bitch

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a NO from me. This author's books are way too tame for me. Slow, slow, slow burn, with no sizzle—at all. I'm not a fan of fade to black love scenes. You don't have to tell me EVERYTHING ... but tell me something.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously - Spoilers Included

I honestly don't know who was more of a spoiled Brat; Kenya or Sasha. Being strong and independent doesn't mean you have to be annoying and rude. Kenya got on my nerves so bad I wanted to throw this book away. Kenya was more mean and rude to Alistair than her step sister who slept with her boyfriend.

Kenya had come home from work event that lasted the whole weekend. When she got her, her step Mother asked her to go check on her step sister Sasha. In doing so, Kenya found Sasha and her boyfriend having sex in her apartment. When leaving her sister's apartment, she got a call from her Boss to come to work. When Kenya gets to work, she gets into it with her soon to new boss also CEO of her company, Holland Alistair. Because of Kenya's work performance and rave reviews at the conference, Alistair was there to offer her a promotion. It turned into a whole thing even how Kenya eventually arrived to the interview in jeans was stupid. Kenya had issues yet she was forcing Alistair to become better yet she didn't. I never wished for Alistair to stick to his guns and just leave Kenya alone. He deserved better. BTW Kenya's father is a waste of space. There is NO WAY I will disown my child when she was the one wronged. This book was annoying. I hope Alistair comes to his senses and leave Kenya.

[hawo ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

8 hours of my life that I will never get back. Tiktoks can be deceiving this book was predictable and 99.8% of the book took place in their workplace. How is it a single parent romance when the baby barley got screen time and everytime she did I visually cringed. You expect me to think for 80% of the book they “hate” each other then all of a sudden they introduce her to the kid and they kiss and bam they’re in love? They definitely break up after the epilogue tbh. I was rlly disappointed it had so much potential. They didn’t even call each other by first names and if the author did it right it could actually redeemed the book at that point but I visibly cringed and wanted to throw my kindle across the room whenever they said first names. & the sister be so fucking supercalifragilisticexpialidociously fr. Homegirl was forgiven to easily and they barley paid attention to that storyline it was like oh I hate her and now bam I wanna be in her life. I actually wish I could take back the time I spent reading this. Will I read it again no definitely not will I recommend it no way. It could’ve been so much better than it actually was I really am bottom line disappointed I’m never taking booktok reccs ever again solely because of this book.

[Alicia Sanchez · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I couldn't stand the main female character. She kept showing anger at all the wrong people and didn't take criticism even when everyone else is saying she is wrong about the male lead. It just got annoying real quick.

[Torri (BlackRomanceConnoisseur) · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

3/5 Stars
I’m convinced that all billionaires are evil, but here I am…
Alastair had the rich man going through something brooding vibe, and Kenya is a independent & opinionated woman that has had to work for everything that she’s accomplished. I absolutely LOVED that when Alastair would come at Kenya crazy and she would correct him every time.
I enjoyed the banter between the MCs and her exchanges with her best friend. Most of the first half had me laughing out loud.

I didn’t enjoy Kenya being a pushover for you know who and I feel like some of the elements could’ve been better addressed/resolved and some elements towards the end were vague. My main grievances: Drake must pay for his crimes. & I’ll just say when they are certain actions/offenses it is MORE than okay for people to catch hands (many missed opportunities for somebody to get popped in the mouth).

Side note: Ezekiel deserves a love story because they put my man through it.

Overall enjoyed this book.

[Sher✩･*˚⁺‧͙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I loved the banter, but it's was too slow burn. Nothing romantic happened until 60% mark

[Jomana Othman · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%

Miss girl is so mean and for whatt

[Karan Simmons · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very Disappointing!

This story up to 64% of this book was nothing but bickering and hatred between the two main characters. When they finally showed that they were interested in each other, that's when the author decides to skip over the relationship. She jumps right over the intimate scenes, which is very important to the relationship of the couple in A ROMANCE NOVEL! I totally lost interest after that and stopped reading this book. How can you connect with the characters if all you've read about them is how much they hate each other. Waste of my time.

[Ri · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a single ounce of chemistry in sight

[Fahima · Rating 2 out of 5]

i know the fmc is black but the constant “her brown finger” “her dark burgundy skin” was just annoying.
one of the reason that they broke up was “her image” but then that wasn’t even addressed after the break up
this book was an attempt to a slow burn - they didn’t kiss till 60% but then they’re fucking 2 chapters later.
also there was no smut.

[Starre 🇵🇸 🍉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had a nickel for every book I read in the past month where the main character has a sister who was sleeping with her boyfriend behind the mc’s back, gets pregnant and married to said boyfriend, and everyone thought the main character was a terrible person for not supporting the sister, I’d have 2 nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Least favorite trope. AND it makes me suspicious of my own sister (my parents said they’d be on her side btw which is upsetting)

But anyway this book didn’t do it for me, sorry. I started reading it because the “fantasy” I’m reading is overwhelming and I needed a nice little break but I wasn’t feeling it ):

[Ferelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yo soy muy rencorosa o no sé JAHDJAJ
¿Cómo perdonas a tu hermana que se acostó con tu novio, se casó con él y tendrán un hijo juntos? I mean, ¿CÓMO? Y luego el papá y la madrastra diciendole a la prota que es egoista por no perdonar a su hermana y blablabla.
Al final la prota perdona a su hermana porque "familia es familia" what a stupid thing to say, tbh. Recuerden que ser familia no vale nada si te hieren y estás en tu derecho de no quererlos volver a ver en tu vida. Ughhh, que horror.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Tropes:
- office romance
- billionaire
- enemies to lovers
- closed door

[Oro Monro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring. Heroine is a ridiculous doormat. I didn't stick around to the end for the love story because there's zero spice. I scrolled and skimmed, skipping over a lot. I stayed to find out how she was going to handle her family. That was also disappointing. Last book from this author. Wouldn't recommend her to anyone.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read. This is the second book I read by this author. It wasn’t until I saw her TikTok that said this was “fade to black“ that I realized the intimate scenes were not explicit. The emotion was there, the sexual tension was there… there just weren’t explicit sex scenes. It’s just a really fun story with grumpy boss and enemies to lovers.

Lots of fun writing and great turns of phrases.

It’s definitely on the higher drama side with a third act breakup that wasn’t my fav. But also, the dude needs lots of therapy. And not from his brother in law, cause that’s just weird.

There are some pretty toxic family relationships on her side and his constant anger and bad treatment of her is pretty unbelievable. This book isn’t perfect and that’s why it didn’t get five stars but I still liked it.

Please note that this does deal with grief and guilt about the death of a spouse.

[valentina · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you can tell me what happened in this book i’ll stand up and applaud you. yawning, next.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was so many things I didn’t like about this book. For starters, saying someone is hot and gorgeous every time you land eyes on them but hate them does not turn into love. Any controlling person thinking that they own you, sweetheart run the other direction. I thought this was suppose to be a romance book but where was the romance. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone giving this a chance. If you’re looking for mushy this book is it but far from realistic.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My anger issues could not take this book. The author created a lot of drama by making the MC’s sister stab her in the back by sleeping with her long-time boyfriend and by starting a family with him. She wrote the sister as bratty and unapologetic, acting like she was owed everything, and she made their entire family support said sister just because that terrible excuse of a human-being used to have cancer when she was a teen. Like I care about her sob story. There’s no lost love here. But wait for it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the MC just let it happen and basically was a walking doormat for everyone to spit on. Feeling guilty for not finding it in herself to understand or forgive. What the hell was up with that? This drama made me lose so much interest in the book and yet that’s what kept me here. After over 90% of this bullshit, I physically needed a satisfying retribution. I needed the MC to send them all to hell. She kinda did? A little bit? Let me tell you it was NOT worth it.
I thought the romance would make it better. The idea of a millionnaire boss as a love interest might sound appealing for some, and I guess the hot single dad trope does it for others, but that wasn’t the case for me. The boss was way too controlling for his own good. He did get better by the end but the tiny aspect of actual romance we got was disappointing. I liked his daughter, though. And Ezekiel and basically the staff he keeps close to himself, like Bernard or that old lady that takes care of the house and the kid. But trust me, it’s never a good sign when you like side characters that barely even appear more than the actual main characters. Booktok trapped me again and so did my almost inability to DNF a book. Will I try the other books in this series, though? Maybe. Send help my way.

[Brenda Melo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The prompt was good but the character’s built lacked likability.
The FMC was - to put it bluntly - insufferable: demanding, weak, a pushover (an inconsistent one may I add) and overall trying too hard which is a shame since the book had potencial.
However the hand was too strong on the “becoming an independent woman” line that resulted in the cliché of women being represented as this annoying creatures incapable of recognizing their own mistakes.
Also, the story didn’t feel finished, lots of points could use more details and a stronger construction of plot; she skipped their whole relationship which for a romance book is just baffling: we got the inicial tension and then in what feels like a day they are pulling the “I love you”s, because it hinges you from the feeling of immersion on the characters’ story, it ends coming across as an unpleasant and rather abrupt development.
Again, a good idea that could just be further honed.

[Sarah Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super Cute

This was such a cute, simple read. I enjoyed the characters, and the plot kept me entertained. It was honestly a refreshing read. It wasn't super complex. It made me laugh, aww, and giggle excitedly. Holland was so sexy and I loved Kenya's character. Belle was so sweet. I hated Kenya's family and sister so much; what utter twat waffles.

I do feel a little disappointed about not knowing what happened with the Belle Beauty company, but I am definitely going to continue the series. I enjoyed this authors writing so much.

🌶

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous Grump

Loved this book! I know that the Kenya and Holland don’t even kiss until after the 60% mark but that what makes the book so great. There’s a build up. A push and pull and not insta relationship. The characters have depth to them. Hoping the rest of the Grumpy series is more of this type of slow burn. Waiting anxiously for Sunny’s turn to tame her grumpy guy.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Dahyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kenya x Holland

This book was recommended to me by a friend, so I decided to give it a try since she always enjoys my recommendations.
On paper, it had all the elements I typically enjoy: enemies-to-lovers, a grumpy-and-sunshine dynamic, a boss-employee relationship, and a single-parent storyline. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Holland is a billionaire who’s arrogant, controlling, and, frankly, an åsṣhọle. Although being a father added a humanizing touch to his character, his abrasive personality overshadowed the softer side of him. Kenya works at his company. He essentially bullied her into a promotion where he continued to torment her. While Kenya isn’t a pushover, I felt she tolerated too much of his behavior. Even as he began to soften and develop feelings for her, he was still doing too much.
The book was overly detailed with business and work-related content, which I found distracting. I would have preferred more focus on the romance between Holland and Kenya, rather than their constant bickering and the extensive work discussions.
Overall, this book wasn’t my cup of tea and honestly, although not completely opposed to it, I’m not a huge fan of interracial books.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 i think
Pasé mucha rabia con este libro mostly por la familia de la prota NDKSD pq que gente mas mierda, de verdad.
Me pasó que sentí un cambio super fuerte de la nada casi en el libro, que los traumas mágicamente pero a la vez igual con sentido se superaron muy rápido, al menos lo de Holland, a Kenya le tomó más tiempo pq obvio lo de ella fue mas reciente but still.
Me gustó mucho más el libro desde la mitad hacia adelante, si bien el principio igual me gustó no fue nada comparado con lo que me gustó el final fkddk
Siento que es un libro rápido de leer, adictivo y divertido pero nada más. Perfect para pasar el rato 🫶🏻

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars |

First grievance is with the word romance being in the title. Everyone has their own definition of romance according to their standards. However, in literature there should be one universal meaning of it, or something to that degree, in which readers will get a sense of the chemistry and love between two characters. How that's achieved is up to the writer, but the point is - we should feel it. However, if 98% of the book is spent with the two characters bickering back and forth, if its spent with them still denying their feelings for one another at 65% in, and if they haven't even gone out on a single date, that shouldn't fall into the romance genre but maybe another type of genre, one that doesn't seem to be a thing. More or less we're reading about situationships, and one-night stands that extend to marriage, but there's hardly any true romance happening. Which needless to say is disappointing.

When I say a majority of the book focused on the drama happening at work, I mean that. This book took office "romance" to the extreme and it was about as exciting as you can imagine it to be. There were some aspects that made it slightly tolerable to get through i.e. hating coworkers who took every opportunity to make Kenya seem like she was rising to the top by being on her back. Outside of those instances, I got tired of being stuck at Fine Industries, the company of Holland Alistair, the arrogant, brooding, rude, line stepping billionaire aka leading man, main love interest, so-called "hero".

My second grievance is with the fact that I got no satisfactory lesson being learned by any member of Kenya's family. After she's betrayed by her stepsister and boyfriend, Kenya was expected to still mule for her sister because long ago she had cancer. Sorry, but Sasha, her sister, being sick doesn't give her license to steal Kenya's boyfriend and not suffer any consequences. Yet from the way Sasha's mom Felice tried to brush off the whole incident like Sasha merely stole Kenya's favorite shirt, made me grind my teeth. Kenya's father was a spineless, non-speaking simpleton, who pretty much let his wife toss his biological child out of the family because she refused to kiss the ring. It was disgusting. At the end, Kenya was still "there" in a sense, willing to be there for her nephew, leaving the door open for Sasha to cry and manipulate her way back into Kenya's life in the distant future. How Kenya arrived at such a magnanimous place was the oldest excuse in the book - she's in love so therefore she can forget about the hurt and the pain of the past despite the fact not one person: her dad, her stepmom, stepsister, or ex-boyfriend lifted a finger to sincerely apologize to her. I mean, Kenya stopped living her life, dropped out of college just to be there to take care of Sasha when she was going through cancer. And because of that, her family felt she should happily step aside, even give her blessing and continue to emotionally mule for Sasha. So that story line could have been wrapped up better.

Third and finale grievance is the fact that I didn't feel an ounce of chemistry between Alistair and Kenya. With stories told in first person, some authors go overboard with letting us know how hot and horny the leads are for each other. In this instance, I felt that Alistair fetishized Kenya, at times. Just some phrases he used that made me cringe and say to myself: If Kenya was white would he constantly comment on the color of her skin, or her hair?? Who can say, but yeah it just came off...weird or maybe disingenuous. I wanted more heat between them, more sexual tension. They could tell me until they were blue in the face they wanted each other, but the tone didn't convey that well. There was also a fade to black love scene, which again, didn't help with intensity or believability that these two opposites were attracted to each other. I would be find with that, as I don't really need extremely detailed love scenes to get the picture of what the characters feel, but if there had been proper buildup, that would have been enough to quell my curiosity.

In the end, I think if the plot involving the business was trimmed by 50%, and more scenes of them getting under each others skin in a less combative way had been employed, I would have enjoyed reading this more. It wasn't a bad novel by any means, it just could have been more...spicy.

[Dorothy Henderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

A complete waste of time!!

Kenya turned me off from jump with her funky attitude towards her boss but had no backbone where her family was concerned. I barely made it through the entire book. The only positive thing I got from it is to never read anything from this author again.

[Cee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf @ 9%/2 chapters

I’m just so annoyed by the miscommunication trope. How tf is she supposed to know she’s getting promoted when it sounds like she’s being fired? If this is happening so ridiculously from this early on, I don’t even wanna know what’ll be coming next.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give this negative stars.