KISSING THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Author: Devon Vaughn Archer ISBN: 9780373861156 5/2009 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: KIMANI

Hairstylist Mackenzie Reese is feeling fabulous and free! Her teenage son has gone cross-country to live with her ex, so Mackenzie's got a new lease on life—no men, no kids, no problem! Then sexy disc jockey Ian Kelly moves in next door…and it's more than just the barbecue that heats up. Ian moved to Vermont for a job and his own type of freedom. But he hadn't counted on a beautiful, sassy neighbor to stir his deep, delicious longings. And when Ian finally crosses Mackenzie's threshold…it's more than just sugar he wants. But unexpected drama threatens to rain on this block party. (Doesn't it always?) No matter. All Ian can say is there goes the neighborhood…and his heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Mackenzie Reese is a successful hairstylist who has just gotten a new lease on life. Her son, Ryan, has left her home in Vermont to move to California with Mackenzie's ex-husband. Suddenly, Mackenzie finds herself all alone with nothing to occupy her free time... until her new neighbor moves in next door. Unfortunately, he has also brought his dog Otis, and Mackenzie isn’t a big fan of dogs... but maybe winning this dog’s heart is the answer to winning her neighbor.

Ian is a gorgeous, athletic, radio personality who just moved in next door to Mackenzie. He is 40 years old and knows what he is looking for, and that just might be the beautiful hairstylist next door. The one big problem is that Mackenzie has a son and Ian isn't much into kids. When Ryan comes home with a chip on his shoulder the size of Vermont, Ian isn't at all sure that this is what he is looking for.

My main problem with KISSING THE MAN NEXT DOOR is that the characters are not very well developed and they don’t mesh well together. Everything seems to be just obvious and out in the open—there are no deep thoughts, nothing below the surface. For that reason I had a very hard time finding the chemistry between the couple. There were also a couple of times that I thought Mackenzie acted foolishly without any real substance behind her actions. She seemed impulsive and snappy in her judgments without much backing her impulsive behavior. Also, the dialogue between the characters didn't flow well for me. It seemed almost forced, and there were times that Mackenzie is seeming to explain a whole lot to people who should know what the story is, such as her best friend.

I am sure fans of Devon Vaughn Archer are going to enjoy this latest book. Unfortunately, I was unable to really get into the story and find the chemistry that I needed between the lead characters or any of the other relationships in the book.

Kristal Gorman