Review: The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl

Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pub Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
FTC: Digital review copy from Netgalley

I was a little skeptical about a Spring Break themed anthology. Turns out, I was right. Although this collection of novellas did tweak a few preconceptions of mine about how a Spring Break novella could work.

Ready, Set, Jett
Lori Foster's story is the least Spring-Breaky of the three. There's snow. Lots of it. Which is something I'm unfortunately quite accustomed to. As the leading story in the anthology, I found it odd that there is no hint of what most people would expect from a Spring Break story here.  But she does make up for it by setting the tone for the title of the antho. It was also the most evenly paced of the three stories.
My Grade: B



Gail's Gone Wild
Susan Donovan's story would have been fine if not for the Key West info dump from hell. It was so crammed full of dumpage that I eye-rolled my way through the story. The characters were cute, the premise one of my favorites (and featured an older heroine!). But honestly, the unnecessary setting trivia ruined this for me.
My Grade: D+

Just One Taste
Victoria Dahl's story was decent, but not up to her usual standards. It was missing her quirky sense of humor and flashes of outrageousness. If I hadn't peeked at the intro, I would never have been able to tell this was the story she wrote. And (yes, darn it all) I'm shallow enough to want to be laughing out loud if I'm reading something that has her name on it. That didn't happen for me. Also, be warned, this is more prequel material than a traditional novella with a tidy HEA.
My Grade: B-

Overall Grade: C/C-

The Blurb(s)

Ready, Set, Jett by Lori Foster
A vacation from her no-strings romance with her sexy next-door neighbor. That’s what Natalie Alexander needs to get her head— and heart—together. But her solo trip south turns into a disaster when gorgeous Jett Sutter turns up with another challenge. 
Gail’s Gone Wild by Susan Donovan
Single mom Gail Chapman insists on chaperoning her teenage daughter’s spring-break trip to Key West. But she never expects to face temptation—in the hunky form of Jesse Batista, the mysterious man in the cottage next door.

Just One Taste by Victoria Dahl
All-work-and-no-play businessman Eric Donovan won’t be distracted by a “businesswoman” who’s all wrong for him. Beth Cantrell owns a woman’s erotica shop! And she has a juicy little secret. Can she tempt him to put pleasure before business for once?

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