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A review by tita_noir
Her Marine Next Door by Aliyah Burke
3.0
This was a quick read filled with well worn tropes that was at turns comfortable and yet still somewhat unsatisfactory.
At its heart this is an enemies-to-lovers/ fake-dating storyline.
Parker is a marine who lives next door to Skylar a wood-artist/craftsperson. Whenever he comes back from a mission his house becomes party central for the first few nights for his team. Skylar suffers through the cars blocking her drive but she makes her displeasure felt.
Even while She and Parker exchange barbs and insults over their shared fence, they are massively lusting for each other.
During his latest leave, things come to a head. Parker is injured so he is is grounded until he gets the all clear. The animosity between him and Skylar is at an all time high. Until an ex-hook up shows up with a surprise in tow. And Parker enlists Skylar's help.
So the foundation gets laid for a fake engagement so that ex-hook up doesn't get ideas while a DNA test is in the offing.
On the one hand, I found the enemies-to-lovers deal with Skylar and Parker fun. Their snarky back and forth was good as was their little bit of hot and cold that went with it.
What didn't land as well was the fake dating. It felt contrived (more than usual) because Parker rather high handedly claimed Skylar as his fiancee without her input. And of course she does not demur because ... lust... and they latch onto it as an excuse to be in each other's orbit. This wouldn't be so bad, but it felt... immature of these two.
Also there is a bit of tonal dissonance for me. The way the fake dating is written, Parker acts and speaks as if it is a real thing. Skylar at least reminds him it isn't, but then she kinda lets him railroad her a bit so she gets pulled under by scheme. He introduces her to his family as his fiancee. I can't put my finger on it, but this whole thing never really coalesced for me.
Added to that there is the ex-hook up who insinuates herself into their lives. Again here, this did not work for me, another area of tonal dissonance. Parker is supposedly this tough alpha dude but his treatment of the ex felt like bluster and theater. I get that we are supposed to feel good about Parker that he is willing to work with the mother of his child, but she was a walking cliche (and a super terrible person and mother) that was used as an external conflict device when there was already enough conflict to be had.
And finally, I was kinda pissed at Parker. Skylar basically upended her life was doing him a huge solid and it was his people who were shitting on her life but if just felt like he just didn't have her back in situations where he should have with enough conviction for me.
One smallish note, this is an ARC so it may be corrected in final publication, but at one point Parker is referred to as 'Brodie'. It was just once but it felt like maybe Brodie had been the character's name at one point but this one instance of it got missed.
So while this was an easy read and at no point did I feel like I wanted to set it down, it was rather frustrating in places.
This is an honest review is based on an ARC received via Netgalley from the publisher.
At its heart this is an enemies-to-lovers/ fake-dating storyline.
Parker is a marine who lives next door to Skylar a wood-artist/craftsperson. Whenever he comes back from a mission his house becomes party central for the first few nights for his team. Skylar suffers through the cars blocking her drive but she makes her displeasure felt.
Even while She and Parker exchange barbs and insults over their shared fence, they are massively lusting for each other.
During his latest leave, things come to a head. Parker is injured so he is is grounded until he gets the all clear. The animosity between him and Skylar is at an all time high. Until an ex-hook up shows up with a surprise in tow. And Parker enlists Skylar's help.
So the foundation gets laid for a fake engagement so that ex-hook up doesn't get ideas while a DNA test is in the offing.
On the one hand, I found the enemies-to-lovers deal with Skylar and Parker fun. Their snarky back and forth was good as was their little bit of hot and cold that went with it.
What didn't land as well was the fake dating. It felt contrived (more than usual) because Parker rather high handedly claimed Skylar as his fiancee without her input. And of course she does not demur because ... lust... and they latch onto it as an excuse to be in each other's orbit. This wouldn't be so bad, but it felt... immature of these two.
Also there is a bit of tonal dissonance for me. The way the fake dating is written, Parker acts and speaks as if it is a real thing. Skylar at least reminds him it isn't, but then she kinda lets him railroad her a bit so she gets pulled under by scheme. He introduces her to his family as his fiancee. I can't put my finger on it, but this whole thing never really coalesced for me.
Added to that there is the ex-hook up who insinuates herself into their lives. Again here, this did not work for me, another area of tonal dissonance. Parker is supposedly this tough alpha dude but his treatment of the ex felt like bluster and theater. I get that we are supposed to feel good about Parker that he is willing to work with the mother of his child, but she was a walking cliche (and a super terrible person and mother) that was used as an external conflict device when there was already enough conflict to be had.
And finally, I was kinda pissed at Parker. Skylar basically upended her life was doing him a huge solid and it was his people who were shitting on her life but if just felt like he just didn't have her back in situations where he should have with enough conviction for me.
One smallish note, this is an ARC so it may be corrected in final publication, but at one point Parker is referred to as 'Brodie'. It was just once but it felt like maybe Brodie had been the character's name at one point but this one instance of it got missed.
So while this was an easy read and at no point did I feel like I wanted to set it down, it was rather frustrating in places.
This is an honest review is based on an ARC received via Netgalley from the publisher.