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Sourcebooks Casablanca (2014), 350 pages
Description
Fiction. Romance. HTML: A Publishers Weekly TOP 10 ROMANCE for Spring 2014 "Harte includes an amazing storyline filled with strong-willed characters and a reluctant love affair. The love scenes will make readers sweat, and Harte does an awesome job of visually painting the picture of the two lead characters."-RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ Stars, TOP PICK! He's not into relationships. She's done with idiots. But where there are friends...sometimes there are benefits. And sometimes the boy next door might be just what you need at the end of every day. It's been the day from hell for Maddie Gardner. Instead of offering a promotion, her boss made a pass. She quit, and then got dumped by her lukewarm boyfriend. She's in the middle of a foul-mouthed meltdown when she notices her gorgeous green-eyed neighbor standing her in her kitchen. Flynn McCauley never thought he'd be so cliché as to fall for the girl next door. But when he shows up to fix the sink in Maddie's apartment, he finds himself completely captivated. When a ride home turns into more, Maddie and Flynn decide to keep things strictly casual-until Flynn wants more. But to get it he'll have to convince Maddie to give him a real shot. An exquisite blend of humor and heat, The Troublemaker Next Door is a refreshing sexy contemporary romance. Fans of Marie Force, Samantha Young, Robin Kaye, and Julie James are sure to be enchanted by this no-strings-attached relationship that becomes far more precious than expected. The McCauley Brothers Contemporary Romance Series:The Troublemaker Next Door (Book 1) How to Handle a Heartbreaker (Book 2) Ruining Mr. Perfect (Book 3) What to Do with a Bad Boy (Book 4)… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Deserie.Comfort
5 Stars!
Erotic Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 3, 2014
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Flynn McCauley never thought he’d be so cliché as to fall for the girl next door. But when Maddie calls him over to help fix her faulty sink, he’s a goner. Too bad the fiercely independent interior designer wants
MY REVIEW:
This was a cute, hot read. I read another review where the reviewer had mentioned Ms. Harte has a writing style that rivals Nora Roberts, yet includes the steam that many readers like to read. And she hit it on the mark. The Troublemaker Next Door is small town sweet romance without anything left out—hot parts included.
Flynn is the wild child, boy next door and he’s not looking to commit, he just wants to have fun. Enter in Maddie, who doesn’t want to fall into her mother’s teenage pregnancy footsteps (not that Maddy is a teen) and you’ve got two people who just want a casual relationship, without the relationship piece. Can things go wrong and their carefully constructed plans go to waste?
You betcha.
It was fun to read and wickedly hot. I laughed out loud at several parts and have added Ms. Harte to my stalking list. Well done.
Erotic Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 3, 2014
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Flynn McCauley never thought he’d be so cliché as to fall for the girl next door. But when Maddie calls him over to help fix her faulty sink, he’s a goner. Too bad the fiercely independent interior designer wants
Show More
nothing to do with him. Even worse, he’s forced to rely on the advice of his nosy brothers—and his five-year-old nephew!—to figure out how to make her give him a shot.MY REVIEW:
This was a cute, hot read. I read another review where the reviewer had mentioned Ms. Harte has a writing style that rivals Nora Roberts, yet includes the steam that many readers like to read. And she hit it on the mark. The Troublemaker Next Door is small town sweet romance without anything left out—hot parts included.
Flynn is the wild child, boy next door and he’s not looking to commit, he just wants to have fun. Enter in Maddie, who doesn’t want to fall into her mother’s teenage pregnancy footsteps (not that Maddy is a teen) and you’ve got two people who just want a casual relationship, without the relationship piece. Can things go wrong and their carefully constructed plans go to waste?
You betcha.
It was fun to read and wickedly hot. I laughed out loud at several parts and have added Ms. Harte to my stalking list. Well done.
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LibraryThing member Janet126
A spicy read with down-to-earth characters, fun and humor. The first in a series about three brothers, The Troublemaker Next Door focuses on Flynn McCauley and his attraction to a neighbor, Abby Dunn. The McCauley brothers have a loving. concerned mother who would like them to settle down, and
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while he resists it initially, Flynn finds himself ready to do just that by the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member amdrane2
Oh, how I loved this book! I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with the four brothers and one little five year old. They had me from the first Friday night poker game and didn't let go throughout the entire book. Maddie was just the right amount of sass and vulnerability that really put Flynn in
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
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his place. Looking forward to reading Abby's story next. I'm even looking forward to Vanessa and her bitchy ways. This is my favorite series written by Ms. Harte so far and can't wait to read more. Anyone wanting a lot of humor with their romance will love this book. I mean really, it's full of hunky men and smart women. Where can you go wrong there?Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
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LibraryThing member jbarr5
The Troublemaker Next Door by Marie Hart
Maddie's boss leaves her job due to her bosses sexual advances. Her next door neighbor, Flynn McCauley was just fixing the sink.
She's done with guys....she lives with 2 female roommates and the landlords are the McCauley family, male boys, available and who
Easy to keep the characters in order and there are many of them, like a series where each of the boys gets their own book.
Fire steamy sex scenes, very descriptive. Love the careers and learning of how they are done. Good fun read to hear her side of things and then his as they are going on.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Maddie's boss leaves her job due to her bosses sexual advances. Her next door neighbor, Flynn McCauley was just fixing the sink.
She's done with guys....she lives with 2 female roommates and the landlords are the McCauley family, male boys, available and who
Show More
love to kid one another.Easy to keep the characters in order and there are many of them, like a series where each of the boys gets their own book.
Fire steamy sex scenes, very descriptive. Love the careers and learning of how they are done. Good fun read to hear her side of things and then his as they are going on.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
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LibraryThing member blodeuedd
It's what the title tells you. 3 women move in together and next door are some hunks ;) But which one is the trouble maker, Flynn or Maddie? Honestly both are in ways, and that makes it fun.
Maddie is busy with her job, she got some relationship issues, but this is a romance so she will get over
Flynn is just hot blue collar, hot, I said hot already, yes hot.
They meet, he wants her, she wants it casual, we know they will fall for each other bit there is a road there to take. And that road is paved with hot smokin' passion. These two get it on and talk dirty.
Passion, lots of smexy times and two people that should be together.
Oh and I think I will like the next couple too.
Maddie is busy with her job, she got some relationship issues, but this is a romance so she will get over
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it.Flynn is just hot blue collar, hot, I said hot already, yes hot.
They meet, he wants her, she wants it casual, we know they will fall for each other bit there is a road there to take. And that road is paved with hot smokin' passion. These two get it on and talk dirty.
Passion, lots of smexy times and two people that should be together.
Oh and I think I will like the next couple too.
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LibraryThing member trigstarom
Received from Goodreads' Giveaway program and Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Maddie is an interior designer with a problem: her ex-boss is a pervert and she is now unemployed. Its during this overwhelming day that could not get any worse that she meets Flynn to
I wanted to like this book, I wanted to slip into it and float away from reality. I did. Unfortunately, The Troublemaker Next Door was just not for me. The storyline is predictible, and there isnt much thoughtprovoking going on. The main characters are pretty much what you'd expect from a story that isnt complicated - they're cardboard. This isnt to say that this was a bad story, or that the predictability was an negative aspect, it really depends on the reader's mood.
I hated how Flynn treated Maddie. She was never respected, and he treated her like a hooker (not that she really deserved much better with her actions), and Maddie stormed around throwing tempertantrums whenever she didn't get her way. In short, the characters carried fatal flaws like any person, but the kind that just didnt sit well with me. I found it impossible to respect the characters, ergo I didnt give a damn what happened to them.
To top off this rather bleak review: I dont find plumbers sexy. I know that probably sounds arrogant and stuck up..but i think plumber Im picturing the man under the sink who has more hair than a dog brush and a cleft peeking out from the seat of his pants. No, this isnt my idea of sex appeal. I was hoping that Miss Harte would rectify this for me, but she just didnt. Im sorry, but I kept picturing a portly man with low riding pants.
I also have to warn the reader that anal becomes a part of the story. This just gave me a no feeling..no. Not my thing.
In all this is a worth while read if you want something fun, light hearted and predictable. Its one of those books you read on the beach (or in the privacy of a closet if you're one of those. If you want something like Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell, Id suggest going elsewhere..otherwise if you want something quick and cute have at it. I just found too many elements that jarred with my personal morals, beliefs and comfort zones - otherwise I may have slightly, maybe enjoyed this foray into the land of contemporary romance from the safety of my closet.
Maddie is an interior designer with a problem: her ex-boss is a pervert and she is now unemployed. Its during this overwhelming day that could not get any worse that she meets Flynn to
Show More
whom she is immediately attracted. Over the course of months Flynn and Maddie decide to become friends with benefits, that morphs into something more. Can they overcome their own issues to find one another?I wanted to like this book, I wanted to slip into it and float away from reality. I did. Unfortunately, The Troublemaker Next Door was just not for me. The storyline is predictible, and there isnt much thoughtprovoking going on. The main characters are pretty much what you'd expect from a story that isnt complicated - they're cardboard. This isnt to say that this was a bad story, or that the predictability was an negative aspect, it really depends on the reader's mood.
I hated how Flynn treated Maddie. She was never respected, and he treated her like a hooker (not that she really deserved much better with her actions), and Maddie stormed around throwing tempertantrums whenever she didn't get her way. In short, the characters carried fatal flaws like any person, but the kind that just didnt sit well with me. I found it impossible to respect the characters, ergo I didnt give a damn what happened to them.
To top off this rather bleak review: I dont find plumbers sexy. I know that probably sounds arrogant and stuck up..but i think plumber Im picturing the man under the sink who has more hair than a dog brush and a cleft peeking out from the seat of his pants. No, this isnt my idea of sex appeal. I was hoping that Miss Harte would rectify this for me, but she just didnt. Im sorry, but I kept picturing a portly man with low riding pants.
I also have to warn the reader that anal becomes a part of the story. This just gave me a no feeling..no. Not my thing.
In all this is a worth while read if you want something fun, light hearted and predictable. Its one of those books you read on the beach (or in the privacy of a closet if you're one of those. If you want something like Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell, Id suggest going elsewhere..otherwise if you want something quick and cute have at it. I just found too many elements that jarred with my personal morals, beliefs and comfort zones - otherwise I may have slightly, maybe enjoyed this foray into the land of contemporary romance from the safety of my closet.
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LibraryThing member Mrslabraden
I was surprised at how much I liked this book. My taste usually runs to romantic suspense, but this story grabbed me right from the start. The main characters were very enjoyable and had a believable relationship. The supporting characters that I assume will become part of the series were
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especially unique and interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lydia_Perversius
"I've never loved anyone before, not a man, I mean. My dad didn't exist, and my mom made sure to warn me about the dangers of falling in love with the wrong person. But you're not the wrong person." - Madison Gardner
From the starter in Marie Harte's new series, here come Seattle's finest: the
Hunky, Alphas, down-to-earth, and so totally male they'd wake the woman in my dear ol' granny, these brothers are a middle-class, friendly family, and may or may not be ready to finally settle down for life - and the first one to go is the middle brother, Flynn. Flynn never finds trouble in getting laid and avoiding clingy females - he has casual sex down to a science. But when the new neighbors of the hunky plumber's brother get their sink clogged, Flynn will find out there just may be a woman out there that will have him wanting forever instead. And while Maddie Gardner has made him promise they'll stay friends with benefits, he knows that, should he play his cards right, he'll change her mind no problem. But IS Maddie as easy to handle as he thought? Or has Flynn finally chewed more than he can swallow?
The Troublemaker Next Door was a book with great potential - that unfortunately fell victim to poor planning in the case of the main heroine. While Flynn and his brothers were a certain delight to read - their group scenes, their dialogues, how they tried to give a good example to little Colin but never really made it, the fact they are normal, next-door men with ordinary jobs and not CEO positions - , Maddie, as a main heroine, failed to deliver. Sure, she doesn't have to be likeable to the reader to do her job, but that doesn't mean she has to act and think as pretty much the villain girl of a high school drama!
At first, I adored her. I liked her spunk, and how, instead of licking Flynn from head to toe, she snapped at him in the most hilarious way. And then she acted all shy about it! It was cute, and refreshing. But she didn't progress from that. In fact, I think the writer saw how well it worked for Maddie at first, and decided to just roll with it for the rest of the book. No character growth - At. All. Maddie stayed the same bitter shrew she was upon Flynn's meeting with her for the first time. Ok, no, that's not true - she DID change, but that was more to the "Drama Queen" section. See, she was almost always freaking out, acting like the world was about to end, snapping to those around her, moping around, things like that. Like a brat that just now understood they're actually NOT living with their parents so they don't get any more coddling. If she was just a needy character, I would get it. But everyone in the book kept saying how independent and strong she was. Where, I ask you, was that independence and strength? Where was that woman you kept describing yet hiding from us, Ms. Harte? Every time someone would help her GET A FREAKING MOVE ON with her new career - because she never seemed capable of pushing herself to do it - the panic mode was on. And everyone would rush to hug her and compliment her and tell her she could do it. Except Vanessa (God, I loved that woman!). Maddie's cousin was the only one gutsy enough to speak the truth and tell Maddie just how much of a Drama Queen she was, and that people around her had daily troubles of their own but never overreacted the way she did. And what did she get for that? People thinking she was a bitch, and Maddie not talking to her for a while!
But the problem didn't just lay with Maddie's attitude towards her professional life. Her personal interractions seemed to lack realism as well - or, well, humanity. I'm not talking about the fact she had a hard childhood, and obviously avoided serious relationships because she never thought she'd find the right guy. I'm talking about the fact she wanted a casual - strictly sexual - relationship with Flynn, which is totally understandable and earned major points from yours truly, only to go back on her own words and get jealous because the poor guy had to work a bit more and didn't have time for her.
Really? Are you serious? Why keep telling the guy you just want him for sex, and then every time there is a random female in the same SHOP as him, try to make his life hell? You want him? Take him! Don't play around and then demand he has no right of doing the same!
Her flaws unfortunately stretched to her friendly relationships, as well. She lived with Vanessa and Abby, yet she was never aware of her cousin's hardships at work, or her best friend's emotional status. They sniffed her out the very moment something changed in her life, but she was so absorbed in her own - almost nonexistent - drama to notice? Talk about selfishness at its finest... (by the way, her own friends knew her so well, they had predicted she would be the one to screw things up with Flynn. first time the heroine's friends know how much of an idiot the heroine is, they predict the main hero will not be at fault)
Flynn, thank God, was the better half of the main couple. He was funny, sweet, and when it came to bed, he could talk a nun into wearing a g-string! Flynn took the term "dirty talker in sex" to a whole new level. While at times it became a bit too much and a bit too vulgar, he knew how to make even the reader pant with excitement with the way he kept describing what he wanted to do to Maddie. And he was real. From head to toe. The guy was not some prince charming with a heart of gold and pure intentions. He was a hot-blooded plumber who was man enough to admit that yes, sex was on his mind pretty much all the time - which is pretty realistic, because, let's face it, half, if not more, of the male population his age are like that, and it's not something to be ashamed of. He never pushed Maddie for more than she could give, and he was gentle in the way he would lead their relationship to the next level, knowing what a handful she could be. And he still loved her, despite all her flaws. The only problem in Flynn as a character was that sometimes, he didn't exactly convince me for his feelings. That is, it felt like he was confusing sexual attraction with love and affection. He did start thinking more romantically towards Maddie, but his libido kept getting the better of him and in the end, it was like he would be thinking how much he loved her one moment, and how good her tits would feel if he groped her from behind the next.
All in all, Marie Harte seems to know her male - at the very least - characters and her work - theme-wise - is like the one we all know and love from Nora Roberts. In fact, Harte actually took the family saga we're all used to, and added a whole shelf of spice - while turning up the heat considerably. Her style shows amazing talent in contemporary and erotica scripts, and the way she combines them leaves a reader begging for more (that's why it's a shame for her main heroine to bring down the book's rating like this). Now, if the rest of her female characters don't turn out to be "recycled Maddies", I can say with certainty that the McCauley Brothers will be the new IT in contemporary erotic romance.
"We're lucky people, Maddie. I love you. I want to marry you, and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to prove to you I'm not going anywhere. You're it for me. Mike tells me it's a McCauley thing." - Flynn McCauley
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
From the starter in Marie Harte's new series, here come Seattle's finest: the
Show More
McCauleys!Hunky, Alphas, down-to-earth, and so totally male they'd wake the woman in my dear ol' granny, these brothers are a middle-class, friendly family, and may or may not be ready to finally settle down for life - and the first one to go is the middle brother, Flynn. Flynn never finds trouble in getting laid and avoiding clingy females - he has casual sex down to a science. But when the new neighbors of the hunky plumber's brother get their sink clogged, Flynn will find out there just may be a woman out there that will have him wanting forever instead. And while Maddie Gardner has made him promise they'll stay friends with benefits, he knows that, should he play his cards right, he'll change her mind no problem. But IS Maddie as easy to handle as he thought? Or has Flynn finally chewed more than he can swallow?
The Troublemaker Next Door was a book with great potential - that unfortunately fell victim to poor planning in the case of the main heroine. While Flynn and his brothers were a certain delight to read - their group scenes, their dialogues, how they tried to give a good example to little Colin but never really made it, the fact they are normal, next-door men with ordinary jobs and not CEO positions - , Maddie, as a main heroine, failed to deliver. Sure, she doesn't have to be likeable to the reader to do her job, but that doesn't mean she has to act and think as pretty much the villain girl of a high school drama!
At first, I adored her. I liked her spunk, and how, instead of licking Flynn from head to toe, she snapped at him in the most hilarious way. And then she acted all shy about it! It was cute, and refreshing. But she didn't progress from that. In fact, I think the writer saw how well it worked for Maddie at first, and decided to just roll with it for the rest of the book. No character growth - At. All. Maddie stayed the same bitter shrew she was upon Flynn's meeting with her for the first time. Ok, no, that's not true - she DID change, but that was more to the "Drama Queen" section. See, she was almost always freaking out, acting like the world was about to end, snapping to those around her, moping around, things like that. Like a brat that just now understood they're actually NOT living with their parents so they don't get any more coddling. If she was just a needy character, I would get it. But everyone in the book kept saying how independent and strong she was. Where, I ask you, was that independence and strength? Where was that woman you kept describing yet hiding from us, Ms. Harte? Every time someone would help her GET A FREAKING MOVE ON with her new career - because she never seemed capable of pushing herself to do it - the panic mode was on. And everyone would rush to hug her and compliment her and tell her she could do it. Except Vanessa (God, I loved that woman!). Maddie's cousin was the only one gutsy enough to speak the truth and tell Maddie just how much of a Drama Queen she was, and that people around her had daily troubles of their own but never overreacted the way she did. And what did she get for that? People thinking she was a bitch, and Maddie not talking to her for a while!
But the problem didn't just lay with Maddie's attitude towards her professional life. Her personal interractions seemed to lack realism as well - or, well, humanity. I'm not talking about the fact she had a hard childhood, and obviously avoided serious relationships because she never thought she'd find the right guy. I'm talking about the fact she wanted a casual - strictly sexual - relationship with Flynn, which is totally understandable and earned major points from yours truly, only to go back on her own words and get jealous because the poor guy had to work a bit more and didn't have time for her.
Really? Are you serious? Why keep telling the guy you just want him for sex, and then every time there is a random female in the same SHOP as him, try to make his life hell? You want him? Take him! Don't play around and then demand he has no right of doing the same!
Her flaws unfortunately stretched to her friendly relationships, as well. She lived with Vanessa and Abby, yet she was never aware of her cousin's hardships at work, or her best friend's emotional status. They sniffed her out the very moment something changed in her life, but she was so absorbed in her own - almost nonexistent - drama to notice? Talk about selfishness at its finest... (by the way, her own friends knew her so well, they had predicted she would be the one to screw things up with Flynn. first time the heroine's friends know how much of an idiot the heroine is, they predict the main hero will not be at fault)
Flynn, thank God, was the better half of the main couple. He was funny, sweet, and when it came to bed, he could talk a nun into wearing a g-string! Flynn took the term "dirty talker in sex" to a whole new level. While at times it became a bit too much and a bit too vulgar, he knew how to make even the reader pant with excitement with the way he kept describing what he wanted to do to Maddie. And he was real. From head to toe. The guy was not some prince charming with a heart of gold and pure intentions. He was a hot-blooded plumber who was man enough to admit that yes, sex was on his mind pretty much all the time - which is pretty realistic, because, let's face it, half, if not more, of the male population his age are like that, and it's not something to be ashamed of. He never pushed Maddie for more than she could give, and he was gentle in the way he would lead their relationship to the next level, knowing what a handful she could be. And he still loved her, despite all her flaws. The only problem in Flynn as a character was that sometimes, he didn't exactly convince me for his feelings. That is, it felt like he was confusing sexual attraction with love and affection. He did start thinking more romantically towards Maddie, but his libido kept getting the better of him and in the end, it was like he would be thinking how much he loved her one moment, and how good her tits would feel if he groped her from behind the next.
All in all, Marie Harte seems to know her male - at the very least - characters and her work - theme-wise - is like the one we all know and love from Nora Roberts. In fact, Harte actually took the family saga we're all used to, and added a whole shelf of spice - while turning up the heat considerably. Her style shows amazing talent in contemporary and erotica scripts, and the way she combines them leaves a reader begging for more (that's why it's a shame for her main heroine to bring down the book's rating like this). Now, if the rest of her female characters don't turn out to be "recycled Maddies", I can say with certainty that the McCauley Brothers will be the new IT in contemporary erotic romance.
"We're lucky people, Maddie. I love you. I want to marry you, and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to prove to you I'm not going anywhere. You're it for me. Mike tells me it's a McCauley thing." - Flynn McCauley
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
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LibraryThing member ig3514
My Review
Another "friends with benefits" romance? More like "let's see how many descriptive sex scenes I can fit into this book."
Another "friends with benefits" romance? More like "let's see how many descriptive sex scenes I can fit into this book."
LibraryThing member ftbooklover
I was surprised at how much I liked this book. My taste usually runs to romantic suspense, but this story grabbed me right from the start. The main characters were very enjoyable and had a believable relationship. The supporting characters that I assume will become part of the series were
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especially unique and interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Okies
This was a lot of fun, hard to put down and was an irresistible love story. Maddie and Flynn were ideal romantic heroes.
Language
Original publication date
2014-06-03
ISBN
9781402287350