It was, as Jason recounts, either piss his pants or water the tree and he choose the latter. Jason knew he had gotten off to a bad start with Haley when he arrived on his move in day, locked out, and in desperate need of a bathroom. Apparently crab grass and weeds are okay to proliferate but the petals of a flower somehow enrage Jason into action. Haley’s limits are reached when Jason starts yanking out tulips from bulbs her grandmother had given her, ostensibly because the tulips are encroaching into Jason’s yard. Worse, she has to contend with Jason sneaking into her classroom and “borrowing” supplies and generally making her life miserable. She’s tried to sell her home but each prospective buyer has been frightened off by Jason.

Jason’s home is a grown up frat house complete with discarded beer cans, rowdy parties resulting in property damage, and unhappy women who screech (author’s word) from the yard.įor shy Haley, five years as Jason Bradford’s neighbor has become hell. Haley’s home is well cared for, with a garden of flowers and well manicured grass. They both teach school at a local private high school and they both own houses next door to each other. Playing for Keeps is the first in a series titled “A Neighbor from Hell” and it features two opposites: Jason Bradford and Haley. When the book hit the Times list, I pulled it out to read again and pushed through the first chapter to find an engaging and funny romance but not one without its problems. I believe I started it and set it aside because I couldn’t get into the first chapter. I purchased this book a few months ago when Has from the Bookpushers recommended it. Jane C+ Reviews Contemporary / friends-to-lovers / humorous 95 Comments She doesn't care what Eric says, she's not going anywhere and the sooner that he realized that, the sooner she could go back to pretending that everything was fine.AugREVIEW: Playing for Keeps by R. Joe, or Josephine to those who wanted to annoy her, loved her job, loved what she did, and had absolutely no plans on leaving.

There was only one problem with that plan. He's done playing games, done watching Joe risk her life, and he's going to do whatever it takes to get the stubborn woman off the truck even if that means losing her forever. When a routine call goes wrong, everything changes and in one moment, Eric realizes just how close he came to losing the one thing that matters to him. They've been through a lot together over the years, but nothing like what they're about to experience. Joe and Eric, the EMT crew of Echo 17, have been best friends since they were eight years old. Mathewson comes the first book in the EMS series.įor readers who enjoy romantic comedies, men in uniform, and love to laugh, cry, and read a story about two people who belong together.

Sudden Response by R.L. Mathewson