Monday Book Review: Next to You, by Daisy Prescott

Next to You, by Daisy Prescott
Published 2016

About the Book:

I added my friend Sage to my rugby club's annual list of women who are off limits thinking I could protect her from the gorillas I play with.

Never did I think I'd be the one to break the code and date her.

Even if it's all for show. A wager between friends. An excuse to hang out with her.

Nothing more than that.

***

The man-bun-sporting South African rugby god next door is my fake boyfriend

Who agrees to date their best friend over a green smoothie? Apparently this girl right here.

I need to rebuild my confidence after some poor dating decisions. Who could be better to fluff my ego than Aspen's hottest bachelor? 

This situation is a win-win.
Right?

Next to You is a friends-to-lovers standalone Romantic Comedy/Sports Romance set at high altitude.

My Take:
Fast paced and well written, this is a definite welcome addition to anyone's summer reading list. The Colorado vacationland setting is beautiful, the sex scenes are scorching and the he said/she said back and forth is totally fun to read.

Last summer, my reading list included Ready to Fall, also by Daisy Prescott, which I also loved. Her writing style is so natural and her dialogue witty and spot on. She's definitely an author to watch for.

The main character Lee is a rugby player, a bartender, the male model face of Aspen's tourist campaign... And oh yeah, he comes with a mouth watering accent.  His father is a wealthy Chicago businessman without much of a heart, and every time Lee mentions some bit of fatherly advice or guidance, it makes you cringe and want to give the poor kid he once was a huge hug.

I love how the author depicts the "other side" of Aspen's vacation world, showing us the transient 20somethings who work behind the scenes in a tourist destination like this. I grew up in Killington, Vermont and now live year round on Cape Cod --two more top vacation land spots --  and appreciate how she writes the interactions of the characters, and reminds us that you never know the full story of that bartender or shop girl you meet on vacation, and you shouldn't make assumptions.

The chemistry between Sage and Lee hit you from the start, making the reader wonder how this pair have been next door neighbors for two years without anything like this happening. And yet, the fact that they've been neighbors and friends, and know so much about each other already, really enhances the romance. They aren't random people pretending to suddenly date, like so many books with similar premises. They're already best friends, and the "green smoothie bet" is Lee's subconscious way of trying to see if any of his feelings are reciprocated before truly putting his heart on the line.

This is a standalone romance, told in he said/she said first person POVs, with totally likeable characters and a satisfying ending that will leave you smiling but doesn't tie everything up in a bow. Life doesn't put a bow on everything in that kind of time frame either, so deal with it, lol. No seriously, I loved this story and recommend for your summer reading pleasure!

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Monday Book Review: Ready to Fall, by Daisy Prescott

Ready to Fall, by Daisy Prescott
Published 2013

About the Book:

Tall, dark, and handsome is an understatement when it comes to John Day. With rugged good looks, his ever present plaid shirt, and a dog named Babe, John is a modern alpha male lumberjack.

After his favorite neighbor rents out her beach cabin for the winter, John finds himself playing fireman and tour guide to Diane Watson, a beautiful brunette with her own messy past and recent battle scars.

Will he be ready to fall in love? Or will he go back to his old, flirty ways?

Hold onto your heart as John Day tells his story in this male POV contemporary adult romance/romantic comedy.

Ready to Fall is the first novel in the Wingmen series, a spin-off from Modern Love Stories. Each book is a standalone with no cliffhanger.

My Take:

This book was different for me, in that it's a contemporary romance written in first person from totally the hero's perspective. Yup, all first person and all from the main guy's POV, not one chapter with anyone else narrating. I had to check a few times, flipping back to the cover to make sure the author was really named "Daisy" as she spot on seemed to nail the male POV without making him sound like, well, a dick. Yes, he has a dick, no he doesn't act like one. Well, sometimes. But then again, don't all men?

But I digress.

Our narrator, John Day, lives on an island off the coast of Washington state and is a burly, six foot something forestry manager. Okay, a bearded lumberjack, with a dog named Babe (a la Paul Bunyan). His neighbor rents her cottage for the winter to a woman from New York City going though a messy divorce and needing a place to recover. John first meets Diane Watson in the middle of the night when she sets off her smoke alarm by not opening her flue.

Sparks don't immediately fly, since Johns already in a relationship and Diane just got out of one, but they begin to form an easy friendship as he helps her to acclimate to island life and she helps him to work through deep seated issues of his own. Like I said, it's really interesting to be reading this progression from only the male POV, as he describes what's going on and what's said, and his interpretations of the events. The author does a good job of conveying both what's going on between the unlikely couple as well as showing the reader how misunderstandings occur since males and females interpret both events and sometimes words in different ways.

This wasn't a fast read or a thrill ride, but a quiet satisfying story that will leave you alternately frustrated and laughing, and ultimately smiling at the satisfying conclusion. Maybe not a beach read, but certainly a great book to curl up with for a rainy weekend.

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