REVIEW: Fighting Words by R.S. Grey

Fighting Words by R.S. Grey: Summer’s assignment was supposed to be a simple one, head across the pond to remote England to try and convince bestselling recluse author Nathaniel Foster to start writing the third instalment of his hit Cosmos book series. However the assignment could not be further from easy, not only was Summer majorly underprepared for the cold weather, the place that Inkwell rented for her to stay could seriously moonlight as a horror house, oh and most difficult of all is Nathaniel himself and his complete reluctance to do anything book related. Never fear Summer is not one to back down from a challenge and she does not plan on leaving England without accomplishing her goal of getting Nate to write again. Only problem is she did not factor in falling in love with the cute small town and Nate along the way. Somewhere between all the banter and stolen chocolate the line between professional and flirty began to blur. Could Summer be the muse that Nate needs or is this just another disappointment for Summer?

LOVED!!! OMG!!! This book was EVERYTHING!!! Fighting Words was hands done the best book that I have read by Grey and I have read all of her books! This book had something about it that reminded me of her earlier work and what initially drew me into her books, all I can say is this book was amazing. I could not find a single thing that I did not love about this book, and truly I was a bit sad that I read it so fast. I just loved the way that Grey combined the enemies to lovers trope with the forced proximity trope, and the banter was just top notch.

Summer was an incredible leading lady, I loved that she was determined to live her dream even if that meant she was on the outs with her family. I just loved her never give up spirit, it was hard not to love her character with her shy but sweet personality. She fitted into small town living so perfectly that it was almost as if she couldn’t find her place in New York because she was always meant to be with Nate in the middle of nowhere England. I loved that as the book progressed she grew as an individual and gained the strength to step away from the safety blanket that was her on again off again boyfriend Andrew. I also really liked the way that she resolved the issue with her sister. Now for our hero, Nate, well let me just say this guy worked the grumpy hot broody writer vibe down to a tee. I loved Nate and getting to unwrap the complexities of his character. While he might have come across as a bit mean and grumpy at first, he was actually a total sweetheart. I just loved getting to see him learn how to people again and slowly allow Summer into his heart and life.

“Every part of him is a siren song. Beautiful and fierce and, above all, intriguing. He tugs at me, and all at once, right now, it comes into focus.”

The chemistry between these two was off the chart hot! They had banter for days and their flirting and tip toeing around each other only make this all the more hot to read. There was such a great build up to their relationship and I could not get enough of them together. I will say I do wish we got to see a bit more of them as a couple but this was nothing major. One of the things that I really loved was how the dynamic between Summer, Nate and Andrew mirrored the one going on in the book, this was a nice touch from Grey, it also added to the build up and I was so there for it. I loved that in all actuality Nate fell first and he was just trying to fight his feelings all the way along until he just couldn’t anymore.

I just loved Sedbergh and the fact that it a real town in England, that is a book village! This was a super cute feature that I loved about this book. Aside from a cute small book town, I also really liked the supporting characters that quickly became Summers new friends. Though as far as supporting characters go I have to say Cat and Dog truly stole my heart. I just loved that these two animals were not technically Nate’s pets but he just took them in and gave them love.

Fighting Words was hands down the best grump mets sunshine book that I have read in a very long time! This book is a total MUST READ!!

Book Info:

Publication: February 15, 2024 | R.S. Grey |

Hate turns to heat when a literary grump meets his deadline savior.

My assignment is simple: trek to a remote English cottage and convince Nathaniel Foster to let me work with him.

Too bad he’s a complete and utter jerk.

Who slams the door in a poor stranger’s face, leaving them shivering out in the snow?! So much for a warm welcome…

Nathaniel is God’s gift to readers everywhere. My publisher is desperate for his next book, which in turn makes me desperate to help him complete it. So what if he doesn’t want to play nice? I have no choice but to live and work with him in this snow-covered cottage, suffering under his piercing blue stare until it feels like I might combust.

Our heated exchanges by day give way to torturous tension at night. I can’t clock out from his all-consuming presence. I can’t escape my unwanted feelings. When one of our arguments nearly ends in an angry kiss, I worry the writing is on the wall.

But I can do this. I can clench my teeth, ball my fists, and focus on this damn book. If I can just keep the fiction and fantasy between the pages and not between the sheets, I’ll be the hero of the publishing world.

So pick up your pen, Nathaniel—and please, please, stop looking at me like that.