Review: The Hustler Next Door

You all know I adore K.A. Tucker so it’s no surprise I love love loved The Hustler Next Door, which was just published today. I have been waiting for Justine’s book since I finished The Player Next Door. In the summer. Of 2020. That’s a long time to wait! (Review is here if you missed it.) The wait was totally worth it though and I could not put this book down.

Here’s the book’s description:

Justine MacDermott is in what she would call a transition period: squatting in her best friend’s house and working in an appliance store in Polson Falls while the man she was supposed to marry starts a new life with someone else.
She’s definitely not thinking about slashing his tires and wishing his vital extremities would fall off.
When newcomer Garrett Harrington strolls into Murphy’s Appliances looking to buy a refrigerator, Justine convinces herself she’s found her rebound. Or the next love of her life. Either works. But a chance encounter leads her to discover that Garrett isn’t who he made himself out to be, and he’s more interested in hustling her kindly old boss out of his family business—and using her to do it.
Furious at being fooled by yet another man and itching for retribution, Justine enlists the help of unlikely townsfolk to battle Harrington Group’s big-city development plans for Polson Falls.
It’s all going to plan … until Justine finds herself crossing enemy lines.

I admit I didn’t even read the book’s description before requesting to review this one. I just knew I needed more of Tucker’s contemporary romance (that borders on rom com) in my life. This series is smart and funny, has just the right amount of drama, and adds a (liberal) dash of spice - and sass and swears, in the case of Justine. Which I, of course, loved since I swear like a sailor myself. Anyway. So, because I didn’t read the description, I didn’t know who the love interest was going to be. I had also forgotten about Dean, the best friend of the hero in The Player Next Door. I thought, ooh Justine and Dean would be fun together (other than the rhyming of their names…) so I ended up having to totally change my mindset for this romance! The brain is a weird place. Also, speaking of my weird brain, I’ve been doing a rewatch of Veronica Mars so I was totally picturing Ryan Hansen, who plays Dick Casablancas on the show, as Dean. You’re welcome for that random visual. And now I really want Dean’s story so I’m really hoping that will be coming soon(ish)!

But none of that tells you about The Hustler Next Door, does it? OK, let’s see. First of all, Justine was a hoot to read about. She gives zero shits and doesn’t exactly have a filter. She's a really good human and amazing friend. She tells it like it is, for better or for worse. And most people will probably think the worst of her but I thoroughly enjoyed her as a main character. She knows what she wants, even if she fights against it. Like, duh, of course she was attracted to Garrett and should most definitely hook up with him but it took her awhile to get there. But when they did give in to the attraction they had to each other? Hoo boy, get out the fan, my friends. There’s one particular scene where Justine shows up unexpectedly at Garrett’s that’s seared into my brain. And I’m totally ok with that.

Given I’m a small town girl myself, I love the setting of this novel. And, as in most small town stories, there’s a cast of secondary characters that are lovely and sometimes wacky. The “granny gang” that helps Justine fight the development features Shirley who seems to have it out for everyone and everything. I’m actually really not sure why she was so angry at the world and it got to be a bit much, especially because Justine looked up to her as a grandmother figure. I didn’t want Justine to be that jaded or contrary. It was like she was just fighting for the sake of fighting and the WHY of it was never explained. I think if you’ve never lived in a small town and seen the concern when buildings are being torn down or overhauled, you won’t get why anyone would be trying to fight it.

I ended up rating this one at 4 stars, but would easily give it a solid 4.5 (and probably did on Storygraph). That extra half star to bring it to a full 5, which Player got, is missing because the plot outside the romance was lacking something and I wasn’t on board with Justine’s issues post break up with Bastard Bill. It was too convenient to blame that (not that I’m saying she wasn’t right to be hurt - she absolutely was) for the issues between herself and Garrett.

The Hustler Next Door is a must read for anyone who loves contemporary romance with main characters who practically leap off the page. K.A. Tucker continues to be one of my all-time favourite authors and I’m so, SO very glad she brought us back to Polson Falls with this novel. I’m ready for the next story from the small town!

Download the novel today. It will be available exclusively on Amazon & Kindle Unlimited January 5.

Add The Hustler Next Door to your Goodreads shelf.

About the Author
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto.

Connect with the Author
Website * Newsletter Sign Up * Goodreads * Amazon * Facebook
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*An egalley was provided by the author via Valentine PR in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

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.

Connect with K.A. Tucker

Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads * Pinterest * Bookbub * Website

*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.*