Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: The Woman Next Door
AUTHOR: Helena Maeve
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 62 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2016
BLURB:
What’s a girl to do when her arch nemesis moves in next door?
After months of endless renovations, Ziva can’t take the racket anymore. Her commissions aren’t going to fulfill themselves and she’s nowhere near ready for her next exhibition. She is, however, more than able to give her new neighbors a piece of her mind—until she discovers that the people moving in next door aren’t new faces at all.
Yvonne Barros couldn’t be less of a stranger. Eight years ago, Ziva might even have said they were friends. That was before Yvonne destroyed her business and nearly drove her to bankruptcy. Almost a decade later and Ziva desperately wants to hate the woman who stole everything from her. Yet with every run-in, Yvonne proves to be a changed person, her sharper edges chiseled smooth, her losses now worn on her sleeve.
Unexpectedly thrust into close quarters by their living arrangements, it’s not long before Ziva and Yvonne rekindle their old connection—and with it the spark of mutual attraction. But Yvonne misled Ziva once before. What’s to say she won’t do it again—especially when she is spotted embracing another woman?
Publisher’s Note: This book has previously been released as part of the Ladies Only Anthology with Pride Publishing.
REVIEW:
This story is told in third person and completely from Ziva’s point-of-view, so it’s a good thing I found myself totally able to relate to her. Helena is a new to me author, and I found her writing extremely engaging.
Imagine discovering your arch-nemesis has moved in next door. One who destroyed your career and who you also held a torch for all those years ago. Not only did I enjoy reading about how these two overcame their differences, but also hearing about the paths their separate lives had taken them on.
The plot device used to cause conflict, because apparently all stories require such, is something that has been done time and time again, and I found it a little contrived. However, these two had so much chemistry I was routing for them nonetheless.
There’s one steamy sex scene that was perfect to sate the appetite. I’ve tagged this as bisexual as Ziva identifies as being bi, however this is definitely a lesbian romance, you won’t find any males bumping and grinding between the sheets, I mean pages.
The story telling, should I say showing, brought the setting to life. The author did a great job of providing just enough detail to draw a picture without bogging down the story. The ending had the desired effect of a great plot, it left me sated and smiling.
Summary – A well written and engaging story, I’d definitely recommend.
RATING: 
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