Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Love Next Door: Love’s Bloom
AUTHOR: Megan Slayer
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 97 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 6th 2021
BLURB:
Can three tiny kittens really bring these two men together and prove love can bloom despite the chilly spring days?
Tommy Davis considered himself a loner. He spent his days writing and running, all while keeping everyone else at bay. That is, until he discovers three kittens abandoned in his shrubbery. His fatherly instincts kick in, and he goes to the one person he knows can help—his sexy-as-sin next-door neighbor who happens to be a veterinarian.
Matthew James wasn’t looking for love, but the moment Tommy shows up on his doorstep, he can’t send him away. He’s had a thing for Tommy since the first time he saw him, but his shyness has kept him from making a move.
The melting snow, blossoming flowers and a trio of kittens could be more than the guys can handle, but they just might be the push Matthew needs to find his forever with Tommy.
Reader advisory: This book contains references of past sexual assault and mentions of an abusive ex.
REVIEW:
Going out for an early run Tommy finds three kittens behind a bush and asks next door neighbor/vet Matthew to check them. Though the two have been neighbors for a few months now, and both had been interested, they’d never really pursued anything until the kittens came along.
In some ways this is a bit of an insta-love story but what’s not to love? Both men are fit and attractive and leading active lives. Tommy can be a bit dorky and did have an ex who was a user. And Matthew has something unhappy in his past that he’s never shared with anyone, feeling more at home with animals.
This is the first thing that I’ve read by this author and it seemed a bit too sweet in spots with some unnecessarily repetitive themes, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I did enjoy spending time with these characters but what conflict there was arose too unexpectedly and could have been better foreshadowed. What foreshadowing there was was actually a bit of misdirection and the expected troubles never came to pass. While it’s certainly the author’s purview as to how the story unfolds, it did seem a bit odd. Perhaps this would have been a more satisfying tale if we’d been witness to more of what brought the two main characters to this spot instead of just hearing about it second hand as they tell each other.
Overall, the book was entertaining enough, and I’d be curious to read something else by this author, but this particular tale is probably not one I’ll re-read.
RATING: 
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