[ARC Review] The Gargoyle Grinch by Lilith Stone
Gargoyle security guard Grayson Lightfoot never celebrates Christmas. It brings back too many bad memories. Besides he’s got a job to do—watching over Motham City 24/7 from his rooftop.
Maisie doesn’t celebrate Christmas either. Orphaned at an early age, she’s a sensible human with a mission—to earn enough money to open up a drop-in centre for street kids in Motham. So naturally she jumps at a lucrative holiday contract to work as a housekeeper for Grayson.
Except Maisie hasn’t factored in what a total grinch Grayson is. And sure, he may be handsome, but when her cheery presence meets with stony silence and a granite stare, Maisie’s good nature is tested. But when Maisie suddenly gets sick and Grayson flies down from the roof to nurse her, she gets to see a very different side to the grumpy gargoyle.
As for Grayson… could Maisie be the Christmas gift he’s always secretly longed for?
MY THOUGHTS: I am absolutely adoring the Motham City Monsters series, and The Gargoyle Grinch was such a cute a steamy addition. I love a good holiday grinch romance, and Grayson was perfect in this role. Maisie and Grayson's romance was textbook sunshine and grump, and I thought Stone did a wonderful job at incorporating the trope into the world of monsters that she's created.
I thought Grayson and Maisie had great on-page chemistry. Both characters had reasons to avoid the holiday festivities, but that only made them more compatible and understanding towards each other. As the sunshine character, Maisie didn't come across as too over the top or annoying; she had just enough positivity to counter-balance Grayson without it being too much.
Stone did an excellent job at building her version of gargoyles for her Motham City world. Grayson was described well, and it was easy to envision just how his gargoyle nature worked in terms of eating, sleeping, and just overall living. Even readers who haven't read any gargoyle shifter romances should easily be able to envision how Grayson functions.
The Gargoyle Grinch was a fun, quick read that packed in plenty of holiday festivities while also expanding on the world Stone created in the first Motham City book. I loved Maisie and Grayson's character development and how they interacted together, and it was great to revisit this world.
[A huge thank you to the author for providing a review copy of this title! All opinions are my own.]
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Release date: 11/6/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: BookSirens
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