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Book Description
I love my job. So when a grumpy grouch wants to shut us down, I’m ready for the fight of my life.
I was heading for serious career burnout until my dream job came true. Making pralines for a living has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So it comes as quite a shock when I find out that the owner wants to shut down the LeBlanc-Broussard confectionery because it’s not profitable. My hope is that I can win him over. Once he realizes how integral the confectionery is to the city, to the very makeup of New Orleans he’s bound to agree, right? Wrong.Xander LeBlanc is a grump, and it’s questionable whether he has a heart at all! Though I’m ashamed to admit I was blindsided by how hot he is — definitely a 10+. Unfortunately, his personality is a zero. All he’s concerned about are profits and not the charitable work the business is known for.
But suddenly, Xander begins to show up at various events we sponsor. When he arrives at the children’s hospital where I hand out treats during the holiday season, I see an entirely new side to him when he starts playing The Grinch for the kids! When he takes me home later that evening things between us escalate. He confesses that he's been attracted to me from day one and let’s just say, the man has hot skills in bed. But the inevitable closing of the confectionary still weighs heavy on my mind and I don’t know if I can separate the two. Can I love a man who wants to take away the only joy I have in life? But the bigger question is… Can I melt the ice around his heart and find my way inside it for longer than a few nights?
About Layla Hagen
Welcome! My name is Layla Hagen and I am a Contemporary Romance author.
I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can't wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it :-D
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I am represented by Louise Fury (The Bent Agency)
My Thoughts
I absolutely loved The Grump, the third installment in Layla Hagen’s LeBlanc Brothers series. If you are looking for the perfect holiday romance to curl up with, this is it. It feels like a cozy Hallmark Christmas movie but infused with the delicious spice and heat that those movies are missing.
Narrated flawlessly by the powerhouse duo of Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor, Xander and Bailey’s story is a heartwarming, sizzling, and ultimately joyful journey through the festive streets of New Orleans.
The story follows Bailey, a passionate chocolatier who has found her dream job making pralines for the LeBlanc-Broussard confectionery. Her world is turned upside down when Xander LeBlanc, the numbers-obsessed CFO of the family conglomerate, decides to shut down the shop because it isn't profitable.
To Bailey, the confectionery is the heart of the city and a hub for charitable work; to Xander, it’s just a line item that doesn't add up. Their initial meeting is a classic "enemies-to-lovers" clash where Bailey finds herself blindsided by the fact that the man threatening her career is a total ten—even if his personality is a zero.
Xander is the ultimate "Grinch," but watching his icy exterior melt is one of the most satisfying parts of the book. As he begins showing up at the events Bailey sponsors, including a children’s hospital where he unexpectedly plays the Grinch for the kids, a new side of him emerges.
He is compassionate, protective, and possesses some seriously hot skills in the bedroom. The banter between them flows effortlessly, filled with playful innuendos and a magnetic attraction that makes the professional conflict even more intense.
Layla Hagen does an incredible job of balancing a solid, poignant plot with the family dynamics we’ve come to love in this series. It was wonderful to catch up with the LeBlanc siblings and the meddling grandmothers, Isabeau and Celine, who even create a signature fragrance for Bailey.
The imagery of New Orleans at Christmas is so vivid that you can almost smell the lilac and sugar in the air. Bailey is a fantastic heroine—strong, independent, and the perfect foil to Xander’s rigid, business-first mindset.
By the time the story reaches its bittersweet and poignant moments, I was completely invested in their future. The plot twists and the vulnerability Xander shows as he learns there is more to life than profit made his growth feel deeply earned.
The proposal and the significance of the engagement ring were especially touching, leading into a fantastic epilogue that hints at what’s next for the rest of the LeBlanc brothers. This is a five-star holiday read that proves even the grumpiest heart can be melted with a little love and a lot of pralines.
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