Love Thy Neighbor
Suzanne Marie CalvinContemporary romance
Available from Amber Quill Press
ISBN: 978-1-60272-071-8
July 2007
| Dane Garrity left his home, car, friends and job at a tabloid in California to get away from the frenzy of scandal and have a chance to be alone. He had been Bachelor No. 3 in a reality show and become the star of a scandal when he proposed to the bachelorette starlet and was rejected in front of millions of viewers. He retreats to Manitou Springs, Colorado. He has a feisty neighbor, Piper Davis, who turns his world upside down. Piper dresses like a gypsy and makes herbal soap, is a part-time bartender, and does volunteer work for the church and battered women's shelter. Piper's grandmother, Nana, who owns the local bridal shop placed a 3 month ad in the local paper to find a husband for her granddaughter. Nana offered a free tuxedo and classic Pierce-Arrow roadster to the lucky man who becomes Piper's husband. Piper is outraged. Dane is entertained by the parade of men who come by. After several weeks in Colorado, Dane realizes he feels like he's found home. Piper drives Dane crazy but he can't stay away from her. Dane gets a temporary job working for the local paper, The Springs Gazette. He writes a series of articles about Piper. Piper believes Dane has been spying on her. Where will time lead these two? Will Piper learn to trust again and take a chance on love? Will Dane realize he can make a home, believe in love and he doesn't need to run anymore?
I loved the characters of Dane and Piper. They were both very colorful people. Dane was strong, handsome and used to getting his own way. Piper had a loving heart which sometimes was never seen because of her big mouth. Everything about her was very dramatic. There are also four other supporting characters who were beautifully written and whose lives overlap Dane and Piper on a regular basis. Those characters are Florence Davis (Nana), Piper's grandmother who owns Marry Me Bridal Shop; Fiona Kelly-Turner, Piper's best friend, a person very knowledgeable about holistic and herbal medicine who owns a new-age store called Earth Tones and also gives on air advice at the local radio station; Cal Turner, Fiona's husband, owner of the local radio station, KKAL, and a very talented carpenter; and Pastor Casey St. George, the local Lutheran minister and friend of Piper's since childhood. This story has joy, humor, turmoil, passion, a lot of misunderstandings that reminded me of the old movies with Doris Day and Rock Hudson and a great sense of community in the small town where the story takes place. I loved this book. I recommend it to everyone.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Ellen |
