Mr. Crotchety by Rich Amooi

Heat level: N/A
Rom com 
Publication date: 10/11/2015
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

It had it's charms. That's for sure. But...

Plot Overview: Grumpy shoe salesman Roger decides to sell his house and hires sunshine-y Sally as his agent. Light-hearted, low-angst, no heat (kisses only) romance ensues.

I was looking for something light and fluffy to pull me out of the book coma that Carian Cole's Asher put me in. This book did exactly what it was supposed to do: it didn't make me think or feel too much. It wasn't terribly deep, which is a huge plus for me right now. Here's what I loved about it: 

1. Roger is in his early 60s, and Sally is in her early 50s. I ADORE mature romance. I want more romances about people who aren't in their 20s, as I aged out of new adult romance a long time ago. 

2. I'm a sucker for the "the grumpy one is soft for the sun shine one" trope.  I pretty much buy anything that promises me even a hint of this trope. This book was ALL about the grumpy one being soft for the sun shine one, and it was pretty cute. 

3. A pug named Crouton. That is all. 

But, while the book did exactly what I needed it to do, I had a few gripes, as well: 

1. Roger's obsession with Sally's legs got old after a while. I get it: she has great legs. Enough already. 

2. Sally said twice that what broke up her marriage was that she was "too obsessed with her career." No. That is NOT what broke up the marriage. She should not have taken full blame like this. It felt VERY anti-feminist to blame a woman's career for the downfall of her relationship. Women CAN and DO have both.  

3. The "falling in love" happened kind of quickly. It wasn't instalove, but it wasn't too far removed. They didn't really know each other well enough to make the big love declarations, in my opinion.  

4. I thought that Roger's anger about Sally's TINY lie was REALLY over-the-top. And the fact that Sally kept it from him for so long for no good reason was equally dumb. The conflict in this book was nearly nonexistent and what was there felt like a lazy plot contrivance. 

5. For a rom com, it wasn't very funny. I'm getting a little tired of rom coms that don't make me laugh at all. It feels like false advertising. It makes me wish Amazon would come up with a "light and fluffy" category--someplace that low-angst books that aren't funny can live happily and not try to be something they aren't. 

But, long-story-short: I've read a lot worse.  If you're looking for a light, cute, low-angst, no heat, mature romance, this one should be considered.    

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It's not doing anything to contribute to the stigma, but it's not doing much to dispel it, either. It's stigma neutral.