When two complete opposites are suddenly becoming neighbours and sparks fly around

Synopsis

Roxie Nowak is a former basketball player, with a great job in tech and her own swanky place. She doesn’t date, because what’s the point? Men always want someone petite, pillowy, and pastel—everything that Roxie isn’t—so she sticks to casual hookups, and life is good.

As a hot lawyer and a romantic to boot, Chris Dunn should have no trouble finding love. But a gaping hole at his center, left by childhood hurts, prevents him from having the type of relationship he seeks. He knew Roxie years ago, when her basketball career ended, and she inspired him to take the reins to his career.

When Chris moves back to town and into Roxie’s building, their friendship and mutual attraction deepen. They finally give in with blinding intensity, unaware just how combustible the mix of her avoidance and his insecurity can be—until one vindictive ex-lover lights a match.

My review

Roxie Nowak had to give up her dream of becoming a professional basketball player after an injury. Now she has a great job in tech and a fancy place to live. The only thing she doesn’t need, is to date, as Roxie is nothing like the women men are looking for. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t having any casual hookup.
But when she learns that her new neighbour is lawyer Chris Dunn, someone she knows from college, she cannot deny the attraction.
Even if Chris is Roxie’s total opposite, as he is a real romantic and believes in real love…
Despite their differences, they quickly become close friends, and also the attraction keeps on growing. But are their feelings strong enough to overcome their differences and personal insecurities?

It’s always a bit exciting, when you pick up a book from an author you didn’t know before. Will you like the writing style? Will you enjoy the story? Are the characters likeable? So many questions, and having just one way to have an answer: start reading! 😊

I liked how Roxie was a woman who knows what she wants, and isn’t ashamed of doing so. She is a strong character, and in a way it angered me seeing how people were judging her, just because she is a woman, because when it’s a man acting like her, everyone is “proud” of him… why the double standards???

But while I like her strength, her persona also made me a little bit sad. She doesn’t allow many people getting closer, out of fear of getting hurt afterwards. And it also saddened me to read how she truly believes that she isn’t what men are looking for… can’t she see how amazing she is???

It was sweet in a way to see how Roxie realizes that she already knows her new neighbour Chris, from their college time, as he was dating Roxie’s roommate. It was even sweeter to read how back then they already had some kind of connection, and spent time together.

And Chris now as an adult, I could easily see myself falling for him too. He is kind, funny, gentle, understanding and non – judgemental.
He understands the distance Roxie at moments needs, and even if sometimes he want to follow his instincts, he knows that he has to follow Roxie’s lead…

Sparks for sure fly in this book, and at moments it can get very steamy! But while it was detailed, it wasn’t disturbing at all, and it fitted in the story. It wasn’t that the heated moments were dragged there just to make it hotter. But it came up at the perfect moment, in the perfect way.
Roxie and Chris have a chemistry, physical but also emotional to be envious of.

But this pair also have to face several challenges. Not only is there Roxie’s fear of commitment, but also the way the both are treated by their respectively parents, how they both have some serious emotional baggage that still need to be processed.
Can I say that I was truly disappointed in the behaviour of some parents? I just cannot comprehend how you can be like that to you own child, as in one case it’s coldness, careless, nonchalance towards your own flesh and blood, and on another case it’s just not understanding your child, and keep on giving digs that are totally unjustified!
At moments it was also a bit frustrating, to see how their fears and insecurities would hold them back, or even act out of character. I wanted to scream at them to just get a grip! 😊

I have to say though, I was expecting a bit more sportive mentions in it, as on the cover and in the blurb there are several references to it. But in the book itself, I found it more as a sidenote. Not that it mattered that much to me, as basketball is something far from my own world 😊

This was a great first encounter with a new author. It was fast – paced, there wasn’t any unnecessary lingering or detailing in it. The main characters while having to face their issues, were lovely, likeable and even relatable.
We see how the right person in your life can be the right incentive to throw your fears out of the window and take that leap of faith. And of course there will be hurdles that need to be taken. But once again, with the right person it’s worth the jump.