The Foundation
A Grumpy Protector Small Town Romance
by Isla Wilde
Pairing: MF
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Scorching
Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Small Town, Protector, Found Family
I bought a crumbling Victorian mansion to escape my past. I didn’t expect the grumpiest contractor in existence to move in—or to claim me as his own.
Layla Chen is running. After escaping a dangerous, obsessive ex, she pools her life savings with three friends to buy a historic mansion and turn it into a bed and breakfast. A fresh start. A new life. A chance to feel safe again.
The house is a disaster. The contractor is worse. Jack Sullivan is brooding, commanding, and looks at her like she’s a problem to solve. He’s also the only one willing to take on a job this impossible—and the only one who seems to see past her carefully constructed walls.
But when her past catches up with her, Jack becomes something unexpected: her protector. And the walls between them start to crumble faster than the house.
You’ll love this if you enjoy:
✓ Grumpy protector heroes who are soft for one person
✓ Found family with fierce female friendships
✓ Heroines escaping abusive pasts (handled sensitively)
✓ Renovation projects with emotional metaphors
✓ “Touch her and die” energy
The Foundation is a high-heat contemporary romance featuring a grumpy protector hero, a woman reclaiming her life, found family, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Foundation spicy?
Yes! Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Scorching). The tension builds through the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and protective behavior before exploding in explicit scenes. Jack’s “touch her and die” energy translates into very possessive heat.
Does this book deal with abuse?
Layla is escaping an obsessive, controlling ex-boyfriend. While the abuse isn’t depicted on-page, its effects on Layla are central to her character arc. The book handles this sensitively, focusing on her healing and reclaiming her life. Her friends and Jack provide a found family that supports her recovery.
What’s the found family element?
Layla buys the house with three friends—Maya, Sophie, and Dani—who are escaping their own situations. Their fierce female friendship is central to the story. If you love romances where the heroine has a strong support system of girlfriends, this delivers.
Is there a happily ever after?
Always. Every Fractal Enigma book ends with a guaranteed HEA. Layla finds her safe place—both in the house and with Jack—and her ex is dealt with definitively.
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