Guest post by Accidentally in Love author Danielle Jackson
Danielle Jackson is a contemporary romance author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher. Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, an editorial manager of a review website, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle co-hosts a pop culture podcast, moderates and participates on industry panels, and hosts a romance book club. Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks. Accidentally In Love is out now.
There’s something absolutely perfect about two people who seem like total opposites finding each other and falling in love. It is, without a doubt, my favorite character pairing when it comes to romance—opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, whatever you want to call it. It’s why I chose this particular pairing for my new contemporary romance, ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE. When two people with fundamentally different personalities find a way to overcome obstacles (often deliciously angsty and pent-up in nature), argue a bit (or a lot), and end up completely besotted.
Here are a few recent-ish Grumpy/Sunshine pairings that I’ve enjoyed…
HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE by Talia Hibbert
Talia Hibbert is, in my opinion, one of the best authors writing grumpy-sunshine pairings. In her YA romance debut, Celine and Bradley are former childhood friends and current academic rivals for a competitive and prestigious internship. Celine—the grump—is totally flummoxed by Bradley—the sunshine—who has seemingly coasted through school on his charm, good looks, ease with academics, and athleticism. Bradley, on the other hand, finds Celine both annoyingly correct all the time as well as adorably nerdy, all with the incessant ability to prove him wrong. Their former friendship means they know what makes the other tick, which ramps up the rivalry. I adored watching these two overcome their past grievances and show true vulnerability!
THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna
If you want to lean into witchy cottagecore ahead of Halloween, this is the book for you! Mika is a secret witch and member of a society of witches living in England. After spending most of her life alone and hiding her powers, she’s tapped to train a few orphans with magical abilities. Mika is charmed by the wonderfully welcoming group of people she meets at Nowhere House, and wonders if she has found a new family to be a part of… that is, if she can figure out a way to get along with the incredibly broody librarian, Jamie. Mika is lovely in spite of her solitary upbringing. Jamie is a perfect foil and love interest—he’s a bit taciturn and quite introverted (what else do we want in a grumpy librarian? Nothing, as far as I can tell!), and can’t help but be enchanted by Mika’s warm demeanor.
FORGET ME NOT by Julie Soto
A second-chance romance about a wedding planner who has to work with her florist ex on the highest profile wedding of her career? When I heard this premise, I was intrigued. But when I found out it was also a grumpy-sunshine pairing, I was INVESTED. Ama takes on this influencer wedding to raise her profile in the wedding industry, but she’s taken aback when she has to work with her ex, Elliot, on the floral arrangements. When these two put aside their differences (sort of, LOL) and work together, they are so in sync and create something spectacular… which of course leads to absolutely *fire* steamy scenes.
TAKE A HIKE by Mimi Grace
The character of Raven is my favorite type of sunshine; she has a heart of gold but is totally chaotic in everything she does. When she inherits an outdoor tourism business, she decides to spend a few months working there, even though she’s not sure she wants to keep it and she’s never really done anything like it before. Silas is grumpy for *reasons* and had his sights set on taking over the business, but he’s thwarted—and intrigued—by Raven’s arrival. The banter between Raven and Silas is top notch and when they finally get together it’s SO much fun.
BACK IN A SPELL by Lana Harper
Nina Blackmoore is known around town as an ice queen. After her fiancée jilted her at the altar a year ago, Nina finally lets her guard down for one random date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary bartender at the local dive bar. But when things go awry and Morty suddenly has magical powers—perhaps because of a spell Nina accidentally cast that may or may not have caught the attention of a goddess—Nina finds herself drawn to Morty and their easygoing acceptance. Morty is the perfect person to get under Nina’s skin but they also made it clear that they support her no matter what comes next… even if it means they’ll both lose the favor of a goddess! Nina has to learn to let go of control, both for the safety of Thistle Grove and her own happiness.
