Review: The Player Next Door

I am a happy, happy reader when K.A. Tucker releases a new book. Her latest is The Player Next Door and this remarkably fun and sexy romance did not let me down. It was pretty much exactly what I needed to be reading and the only downside I found to it was that it had to end and I could never go back to reading it for the first time. 

Here's the synopsis:

Scarlet Reed has returned to Polson Falls, convinced that twelve years away is long enough to shed her humiliating childhood identity as the town harlot's daughter. With a teaching job secured and an adorable fixer-upper to call home, things in her life are finally looking up.

That is, until she finds out that Shane Beckett lives next door.

Shane Beckett, the handsome and charismatic high school star quarterback who smashed her heart. The lying, cheating player who was supposed to be long gone, living the pro football dream and fooling women into thinking he's Prince Charming. Shane Beckett, who is as attractive as ever and flashing his dimples at her as if he has done no wrong.

Scarlet makes it abundantly clear that old wounds have not been forgotten. Neighbors they may be, but friends they most certainly are not. She won't allow herself to fall for the single father and firefighter again, no matter how many apologies he offers, how many times he rushes to her aid, or how hard he makes her heart pound.

But as she spends more time with him, she begins to fear that maybe she's wrong. Maybe Shane has changed.

And maybe this time she's the one playing herself—out of a chance at true happiness.

I grew up in a small town. It wasn't quite as small as Polson Falls but it sure as hell felt like it. So reading as Scarlet moved back and had to confront some of the people she thought she'd left behind forever? It really, really resonated with me. Now, my experience in my hometown was just fine. I didn't have any mean girls after me nor any embarrassing family members (I did have family members I wished didn't exist but that's a whole other therapy session review). I was just bored as hell. I left for university and haven't lived there for more than summers since. Now that I'm older (just a few years older than Scarlet), I can sort of see the appeal to the smaller towns but I don't think you'll catch me moving back anytime soon. My point? If you also grew up (or currently live) in a small town, you'll love how Tucker captures the setting of this novel. And if you're a city dweller? Know that this is the real deal.

Tucker's stories are kind of all over the map in terms of genres. Some are more suspenseful with murder and dangerous individuals lurking around every corner. Others are dramatic with serious issues like single parenthood, a death of a parent, or learning a friend is on the spectrum. But they all have a romantic element woven throughout. Which is always welcome (you all know I'm a big fan of love stories) and always well done. I like to recommend her books to those who say they don't typically read romance (usually after I've gone on a lengthy monologue about how romance novels and readers are stigmatized and stereotyped) because hers are stories that feature realistic people doing their thing and living life. Life that happens to include a romance because that's the case in real life. There are careers and friends and lessons to be learned, but there's a romantic relationship happening too. It's wonderful.

And the romance in The Player Next Door? Well, it's pretty front and centre in this story and it is steamy. Scarlet and Shane had to overcome a lot before they could get back together. There was a loss of trust because Shane was such a bonehead in high school. You might think, "that was over a decade ago and Scarlet needs to let that shit go" and, well, you're not wrong. But when someone hurts you that deeply and you've never been able to figure out why? It's going to be hard to listen to reason. Scarlet makes Shane work for it and once he is finally able to get his side of the story out, she decides to forgive him. Then the sexy times can start. You may want a fan nearby. 

The characters Tucker writes are always so well developed and so interesting. You're able to feel like you can step right into the story and become friends with these people. Especially in this story. I would love to be able to go out for drinks at the local restaurant with Scarlet and her friends and just hang out. Tucker's characters are never perfect - which I like because perfect characters are boring. Plus, none of us are perfect so why should we expect the characters in the books we read to be so? I don't even care if I can't fully connect or understand a character. Scarlet is a teacher and Shane is a father. Both of those things involve children and make me want to run away screaming. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to read the book just because I can't fully understand their motivations. (Er, I may be using this review to rant on people who have issues with other books and other characters and "not being able to connect" which I find utter BS...unless it's a poorly written character.) What I'm trying to get at, in the world's most rambling way, is every character Tucker writes is as layered and interesting as the people you're going to meet in your real life and that is part of what makes all of her novels so very good. 

The Player Next Door is a novel you're going to want to add to your To Be Read list immediately. K.A. Tucker's latest is fun and dramatic and sweet and sexy. It is a light-hearted escape for you during these bonkers times but it isn't an empty story. There's a really great heart and soul to it that will leave you feeling incredibly satisfied by the time it's done.

About K.A. Tucker

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. 

She is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 books, including the Causal Enchantment, Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, and The Simple Wild. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, First for Women, and Publisher's Weekly. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. Her novels have been translated into 16 languages.

K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her family.

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*A copy of this novel was provided by the author via Valentine PR in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*