The Grumpiest Billionaire by Pippa Grant:

4 stars

Daphne Merriweather-Brown is a woman on a mission. Unfortunately, as things are wont to do around Daphne, it all goes wrong. Beautifully, wonderfully wrong.

I read this while doing battle with a sinus infection that, I suspect, influenced my reaction to The Grumpiest Billionaire. I got a few pages in and put it down, not planning on picking it up again. Daphne annoyed me. But, after a nap, I didn’t have enough energy to look for another book, so I continued. And Daphne’s behavior, along with Oliver’s, started to make sense to me. I have never had the burden of independent wealth, but I do relate to having to upset some folks to make yourself heard.

Feeling more myself, I came back to the book ready to give it a fair read. The verdict: I enjoyed The Grumpiest Billionaire. I consider it pretty bold, making your MC that annoying, but it works. I’ve come to admire Daphne. She’s passionate and well-meaning, even if she’s impulsive and falls back into bad habits when around perceived threats.

There were a few elements in the plot that were conveniently resolved, Oliver veers into almost too-helpless territory at times, and the pacing did rush some bits, but understandably so. I would have liked some hint that they were being followed – a familiar car where it shouldn’t be, or someone pointing out a tail. However, I consider the character development a real strength. The banter had a nice arc, I’m so glad Daphne’s dad got some comeuppance, I love a literary road trip, and it’s just good fun tossing money out the window.

Oh, and any time a character says, “I don’t know how to love,” in a story — bum-bum-BUM — guess who’s MCing the next book. My dad said something similar once, and was married (to my mom) a year later. Their 50th is coming up.

The Grumpiest Billionaire is for someone looking for a fun, feisty romance with some character depth cozied up alongside humor and the ridiculous antics that we not-so-secretly love. Daphne might drive you up the wall, but she also might be the chaos you’re looking for.