Playing For Keeps - A Neighbor From Hell Novel by R.L. Mathewson

Description…

Done with being the world's biggest pushover, Haley decides that things are going to change starting with the aggravating neighbor who has too much charm and not enough restraint. What she didn't expect was to be sucked into his world, but Haley has a game plan and she won't let herself forget just what the bad boy next door is capable of.

The last thing Jason expected was for his little shy neighbor to go Rambo on him over some ruined flowers. After he decides to take her under his wing he can't help but notice that she fits very nicely in his life. Now the only thing left is to convince her that this is anything but a game.

*****

I giggled, I snickered, and fanned myself throughout the entire story!

Playing for Keeps is the first book in R.L. Mathewson’s Neighbor from Hell series and one hell of a funny story. 

My review...

I picked this up back in the days of Fictionwise and their 60% off sales but never got around to reading it because I wasn’t in the mood for a paranormal romance about demons living next door. 

**snort**

Man, oh man! I wish I had paid closer attention to what the book was about because I’ve been missing out on some seriously good times!! 

Like I said, for some reason I thought this was, literally, a story about demon neighbors. Don't bother asking why, because I haven't a clue, but yeah, I assumed this was a PNR. And although Jason is definitely a neighbor from hell, it’s not the literal kind of hell. He’s just a pain in the ass. The kind of neighbor who has you thinking of selling your home, or burning his down. Prison time starts looking good if it means ridding the world of him and his annoying, loud, friends.

After realizing that this is not a PNR, I was anticipating a light fun read and yeah, I got that, but there’s something more about Playing for Keeps; a connection between myself and the characters I can't explain and wasn't expecting. At first I thought I’d feel nothing more than ‘meh’ for Jason, but by the end of the book I adored him! He and his family are just hysterical and I laughed out loud more than a few times at their banter. And the sex scenes? Holy hell hot!

The bottom line…

This isn’t a deep or compelling novel, but it’s sexy, romantic, funny and thoroughly entertaining. Even as I sit here writing this review I’m grinning from ear to ear as I recall some of Haley and Jason’s antics, and those of Jason’s goofy friends. 

I’ve already downloaded book 2, Perfection and can’t wait to dive in!     

Rule by Jay Crownover

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want--and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

*****

My bookish friends know that I’m not a fan of the New Adult stories. In fact, I’ve sworn you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming into this genre… There’s just way too much drama, too many misunderstandings, more angst than my head and heart can stand… The thing is, at 53 years old, I’ve lived through that pain myself, and having a 33 year old daughter, I lived through her living through it, too. Thankfully my 22-year-old girl has managed to avoid it, and my 19-year-old son has managed to steer clear of hormonal, high maintenance girls. Never thought I’d be so thankful for his addiction to Xbox Live and video games! The drama, the angst, the bickering, the unaccepting parents… yep, I lived through that crap and don’t want to read about it in my romance escapism!

But that said, there was something different about Rule. And I don’t just mean Rule, the man; I mean the whole story. There was something about it that drew me in and kept me reading, even though there were times I wanted to throttle both Rule and Shaw. Their immaturity, their lack of communication, the way they reacted to one another... I found it frustrating on a “been there done that” level. But the more I read, the more I invested in them and wanted to see them grow as individuals so that they could make it work as a couple.

And Rule and Shaw aren’t the only people I invested in! As bitchy as Rule’s mother was, my heart broke for this woman who lost her son, Remy, Rule’s twin brother, in a car accident. I can’t even imagine the grief she’s endured. Hell, my son just left for Uganda on a two year mission for our church and I break down sobbing for missing him… how any mother can stand the anguish of losing a child to death… well, I just can’t fathom that kind of pain. Sure, I wanted to slap her upside her head a few times, too, but in the end, she was another character I couldn’t help but care about and wanted nothing more than to see her heal.

What does this mean for me? Well, I’m not sure I’m ready to just dive right in to the genre, but maybe I’ll snorkel in… you know, slow and easy like… I definitely want to read more in this series. I want to see how things work out for Rome, Rule’s older brother, and I’m truly looking forward to revisiting Rule’s mom and dad to see how they’re changing as parents, now that their family is mending.

The bottom line: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Rule. It’s not without flaws – some minor editing issues and times when the story dragged a bit – but overall, poignant, cute, romantic and sexy… definitely an entertaining story.

My thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.