Review - Next Door Secrets

Next Door Secrets by Karen Lenfestey (Secrets #2)

Genres: Contemporary, Romance
My rating: 2 stars
Pages: 233

Bethany doesn't exactly have it easy. Sure, she has a boyfriend, Parker, who she loves--but he seems determined to keep her at arms length. After all, he can't promise her that they'll have a full life together.

But as Parker pushes her farther away, she becomes closer to her neighbor's daughter, Kaylee. Kaylee is a sweet little girl who fills a void in Beth's life. But she also complicates it.

Parker's not the only one who's pushing her away. Kaylee's father wants nothing to do with Beth, and she knows he's hiding something. And she's determined to find out what it is. Because she'll do anything if it will help Kaylee.

For the record, I really did want to give this book a better rating. It was written well, it had likeable characters, it kept me wanting to know what happened next. All of these things were good, but in the end it didn't quite meet my expectations. It just wasn't the right book for me.

I'll start with the things I liked. First of all, the main character, Bethany. She felt real to me, and I enjoyed reading her point of view, feeling all of her desires and insecurities. I also liked the affinity she felt with children and her relationship with her neighbor's daughter.

Oh, and did I mention that the book started with two of the characters watching Star Trek: Voyager? Pretty Awesome.

But--the dislike side weighed a bit heavier.

Okay. So, the "love interests." Technically, one of the guys wasn't even a love interest. But both of them bothered me. I felt that Bethany deserved better than either of them. But, hey, it's a romance. She had to end up with someone so I thought I might as well choose a guy. Well... I was left disappointed there.

The ending left me feeling dissatisfied. There were questions left unanswered; it felt very rushed. Overall, it was just an okay book. I liked the writing--Ms. Lenfestey certainly has a talent for it. But like I said, it just wasn't the right book for me.

Content: Some profanity; a couple has sex, but it's not described; pregnancy out of wedlock. By my standards, not very clean.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Author site: http://www.karensnovels.com/

Buy this book at: http://goo.gl/4qpaK1