Thursday, July 2, 2015

Right Next Door by A.J. Pryor [Review]

My fiancé is officially a married man. The only problem is that he isn’t married to me. . .

Addison Peacock has been stuck in the same seaside town her entire life. When her college boyfriend proposes the night before graduation, she can finally see the future she’d always dreamt about. But the sudden illness of her father causes her to put that future on hold, and her soon-to-be husband leaves, with nothing but a promise that one day he’ll return.

Now, five years later, he’s kept that promise. There’s only one problem . . . he’s already married. Crushed twice by the same man, Addison needs a distraction, someone to get her back on her feet and mend her broken heart. As luck would have it, Damian Walker has just moved in next door. 



Having rebuilt his own life after a drunk driver stole his career, his heart . . . everything, Damian knows what it’s going to take to get Addison’s life back on track. But he’s not going to be anyone’s rebound. His life is complicated . . . there’s no room for one-night stands. Until Addison knows what she’s looking for, neighbors are all they’ll ever be. 

One shared wall, two sun-kissed balconies, and a chance at love...a twist of fate. Could the possibility of a future be right next door?


4 Hello Neighbor stars

Right Next Door is a standalone and isn’t part of a series (so far). This is my first A.J. Pryor book.   I will admit, it was insta-cover-crush to me. Hello abs right?

The blurb sucked me in. I’m a huge fan of Heroines jilted by ex-lovers and Addison has past baggage.  Addison loved her ex, but it didn’t work out and her ex-fiancé **Gasp** is married now. It’s been five years and Addison is still trying to move forward.

Damian is the new guy that moves into her apartment complex. He’s tall, ripped, and sexy. I love the name Damian, so I’m already biased. When Addison and Damian first meet, it’s really cute. She runs into him as he is jogging, so he’s all sweaty and lickable.  It’s all sweet and innocent. They form a conversation and the relationship starts there.

The relationship between Addison and Damian is very realistic. Damain isn’t a jerk at first. He’s charming and he wants to pursue Addison. Addison thinks Damian is good looking and she wants to move past her ex, Matt.  So she’s open to Damian. The pace worked for me, because I didn’t want insta-lust and I liked that they were building a foundation.

The thing is… Matt comes back. Now, you know me. I have a thing against love triangles. I’m slowly working myself toward them. It’s a love/hate battle. I wouldn’t call this book a FULL love triangle, but it’s enough to give you tension and angst. You also know my issues with angst. Like I said, I’m working towards it.  Matt makes it clear that he wants Addison back. Addison is very confused and she doesn’t want Matt, but he doesn’t make it easy for her to walk away.

Addison did frustrate me a bit. I didn’t like her interaction with Matt. Damian starts to become mysterious and he also doesn’t like Matt. Damian visits a little girl and the little girl is sick. It will melt your heart, but the little girl plays a role into the story and Damian is very protective of her. I kind of got frustrated with Damian when he started to push Addison away.

Right Next Door reminds me a lot of the Dublin Series by Samantha Young. There’s always a couple trying to be a couple, but there’s something that gets in the way and it’s always personal issues. When Addison and Damian first meet up, it’s all very nice.  It’s when they start to get to know each other, stuff happens, like Addison’s ex and Damian’s past issues that creates this stir of tension.

Right Next Door is a sweet, slightly angst driven book about past love, new love and working it out. If you ever wanted to try a new author, I suggest you start with this one.

An ARC was provided

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A.J. Pryor lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters. If not home writing, you can find her at the beach, the yoga studio or the soccer field with her girls. An avid reader of contemporary romance, new adult and young adult novels, her Kindle is always within reach. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

1 comment:

  1. OMG! This reminded you of On Dublin Street? That has me excited!! Great review!

    ReplyDelete