Review: "Eloise and the Grump Next Door" by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor

Congratulations to authors Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor on the surprise release of their first co-written novel, "Eloise and the Grump Next Door," book #1 of the Oakley Island Romcom series. I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this book over the weekend and have been bursting to talk about how much I loved it ever since. I'm so happy that I can finally share my excitement!

 

With her future up in the air after being rejected from the only graduate program to which she applied, recent college graduate Eloise "Lo" Markham doesn't feel much like celebrating on her 21st birthday. Besides, she's all alone in a pirate-themed bar on Georgia's Oakley Island, waiting for her father and sisters to arrive the next day for her grandmother Genevieve's funeral. She decides to have a couple glasses of wine anyway, but since she hasn't eaten all day, it goes to her head before she's even finished the second glass. She's rescued from an impromptu bar nap by a handsome man in a suit, who carries her back to her B&B. The next morning, Lo arrives for the reading of her grandmother's will and is stunned to discover that the attorney, Jake Fieldstone, is the man from the bar. Not only that, Jake's about to become her neighbor thanks to the provision in her grandmother's will that requires one of her granddaughters to stay on the island while Genevieve's house is renovated into a B&B.

 

I completely adored this funny, sweet, and heartwarming story along with its endearing, sympathetic characters. Before I had even finished reading the second page, I was laughing thanks to the Shakespeare-quoting parrot. From there, I was hooked and didn't want to put it down. There was so much chemistry between Lo and Jake from the moment they met, and I loved their witty banter. As much as they tried to stay away from each other, they couldn't help being drawn back together, and I was rooting for them the whole way.

The book's secondary characters were also a tremendous amount of fun and added a lot of depth and humor to the narrative. I particularly enjoyed Jake's sister Naomi and nephew Liam. I hope Naomi will be back in a future story of her own! Jake's best friend Benedict was intriguing too, and I couldn't help but wonder if he would be a good match for Lo's sister Sadie.
 

I highly recommend "Eloise and the Grump Next Door" for all sweet contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

 

*Review copy provided by the authors. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

About "Eloise and the Grump Next Door"

I’m not sure which is worse--the lawyer handling my grandmother’s estate or the attack pelican living on the screened-in porch. Just kidding--I’ll take the pelican any day.

After graduation, I thought I’d be off to grad school, doing research on my favorite poet. Instead, I’m renovating my late grandmother’s home and posting about the process on Instagram. Talk about a detour …

But here I am. Turning Gran’s beach house into a bed and breakfast--a process that would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to deal with the grumpy lawyer living next door. It doesn’t help that the night Jake and I met, I got a little tipsy, and he had to carry me back to my hotel.

But the longer I stay on Oakley Island, the more I feel a connection to my childhood and to my grandmother. This isn’t the life I dreamed of, but dreams can change. Especially when new dreams include a future with Jake. On the outside, he might be pricklier than a puffer fish, but I catch glimpses of a delicious, cinnamon roll center.

Did I mention the tattoos he hides underneath those crisp button-down shirts? Yowza.

When I’m suddenly presented with the academic opportunity of my dreams (former dreams?), my picturesque life on Oakley starts to unravel.

A part of me wants to stay. If only a certain tattooed grump didn’t seem so determined to send me away …

Eloise and The Grump Next Door is a grumpy sunshine, closed door romantic comedy. The Oakley Island Romcom series follows three very different sisters as they renovate the house they inherited and find love on the island along the way. Each book will have sizzling chemistry but no spice.