The Player Next Door

The story was really good and the conflict seemed genuine. I had only a few minor issues. SPOILERS As a plot we have the heroine who was dumped by the Hero for another girl-her nemesis’s. He needed to find her more attractive at some point but he was seventeen and dumb. The heroine who remained a virgin in high school was broken-hearted and started to sleep around in college. I was not impressed with her sexual exploits. The incident with a Wine man- Golden retriever was more distasteful than funny. After 13 years she’s back and a neighbor with the Hero. They start dating but the heroine is a teacher and Hero’s son is in her class. The son he has with heroine’s old nemesis who’s still possessive about him even if they not together. I like the twist and pain in the beginning. I didn’t understand why the h. needed to go with the H to Penelope’s and did not take a taxi home when Cody was distressed. She needed to know it would only steer more problems. It was too much sexual lusting in heroine’s head for my liking. Overall I enjoyed the book.

“It’s funny, how drastically perspectives can change when your heart gets involved.” This book was a fun and flirty, hate to love, second chance romance all about figuring out how to let go of the past and embrace the future – even if it is not what you expected. Written with hilarious banter and plenty of small town drama, this story had me laughing, swooning and falling in love. The prologue hooked me with Scarlet’s heartbreak over a young and dumb Shane, having me in her corner instantly for what was a fun and not so easy reconciliation 12 years later. Sizzling chemistry, sexy window shows, and not so subtle banana flirting had me easily falling for Shane and rooting for Scarlet to let go and give him a chance. “This is Shane Beckett I’m dealing with, I remind myself. My first love, my first heartbreak. Still the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. Rationally, I can’t stop myself from being attracted to him. What I can—must—stop myself from doing is acting on it.” Shane Beckett, still a heartthrob at 30 years old, made even sexier by his firefighter career choice and doting single father status, is not a man so easy to dismiss for Scarlet. She definitely had a strong stubborn streak about letting him back into her life and her heart, creating some drama and heartache for both of them but their reconciliation is definitely a hot one! These two together create some serious sizzle (hello drive-in movie scene!) to go along with their undeniable love for for each other. “You own me so completely, it’s kind of pathetic.” I would highly recommend this book if you love second chance, small town romance.

Compared to other books by KA Tucker, The Player Next Door was just trashy soft porn. There wasn\’t much to the plot, too many rabbit holes, not much depth to the characters. With about 75 references to Shane\’s abs, chest, and forearms repeatedly being mentioned I don\’t think Scarlett had a thought in her head unless it was pointed out how \”hot\” Shane was. This book was a strike out for me. Hopefully the author gets back on track with character development and plot like she has in The Simple Wild Series or Be The Girl.

If you are looking for a sweet second chance romance this is the one. It was a lighthearted and fun summer read. I enjoyed both, Scarlet and Shane, and although they had some \”complicated\” feelings from high school to figure out, their attraction was never not in the forefront. There was a bit of drama, a bit of back and forth. But there was also humor, some really wonderful characters, and a hero I wouldn\’t mind having living next door. For me the book was sweet, funny, and perfect for what I had in mind. Now, was it remarkable? No It wasn\’t anything special, or deep, or something that had me going WOW. I actually skipped a couple sentences and paragraphs here and there, I don\’t usually do that with a KA TUCKER book. But on the other hand, I\’m not regretting reading it either. It was fluffy, and I know there are enough readers who love a great fluffy read!

While this book was described as hate to love I would categorize it as more second chance at love. ( I wish there had been more hate to love and that probably influenced my rating.) Scarlet Reed and Shane Beckett had a brief relationship during high school. A relationship that was abruptly ended by Shane. (No big drama just teenage stupidity on his part.) And the way it occurred made for a bitter breakup in the heroine\’s view. Fast forward a few years and Scarlet makes the decision to return to their small town. From the beginning of the story Shane makes it apparent that he is still interested. And that was probably naive on his part. But overall I liked him as a hero. But Scarlet….. I didn\’t particularly care for her. It took me until around 50% of the book to really like her. Shane makes constant overtures which she rejects but she certainly doesn\’t have a problem with making inappropriate comments about women who visit him. (Not to mention her constant fantasizing about his abs.) For me it was just ok.

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