Inn Close Proximity

Sunny Beach Bed and Breakfast #1

by Ida Duque

Julie is completely focused on the success of her brand-new business in Miami. Her partners have complete faith in their abilities to rock it. There's only one tiny problem, Alex, the architect her brother's hired to help them.

From the moment he sees her, Alex wonders about the insane attraction to her, which is frankly, insane. Too bad Alex promised his best friend he'd stay away from his little sister.

Throw in four business partners and two very excited Latina moms, will Julie and Alex let family get in the way of true love or will they go after what they want?

This brother's best-friend, with enemies to lovers' vibes, romcom is "sweet with heat" —the sex is implied, the swearing is real, and the shenanigans are laugh-out-loud funny. This story originally appeared in the anthology "Fiesta Nights."

Genres: Contemporary

ebook

Published July 13, 2023

About the author

Ida Duque writes sweary, sweet with heat, romantic comedies with a Miami flair. Actually, if she’s being honest, it’s more like loud, crazy Miami-infused romcom with bad words. Her books feature smart sassy women who love life, family and each other and are hoping to find true love. Also, there’s kissing…lots of kissing!

Ida is a Higher Education professional writing romantic comedy under a pen name, mostly because college students are not impressed by "kissing books," and she still needs them to respect her and listen to her. She loves her students and working on campus and there’s nothing else in the world she’d rather do. but she also loves writing stories and entertaining, not to mention, her muse is very vocal. A pen name seemed like a good compromise.

A native of a beautiful island in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, these days Ida lives in South Florida with her husband and two pre-teens, one of whose future plans include becoming “the boss of Miami.” Seriously. Ida’s loving every minute of raising her but will welcome parenting tips on dealing with aspiring dictators. There were no playgroups or social activities in their area for fiercely independent pre-teens who are also interested in political machinations and autocracy.

To connect with Ida, visit her on the web at https://www.idaduque.com. She's on Facebook (almost daily) at https://www.facebook.com/authoridaduque, on Twitter (but not as much these days) at https://twitter.com/DuqueWriter... She's mostly replaced her Twitter addiction with Threads! and finally, find her on Instagram (for the pretty pictures) as she's an amateur photographer. She's at @idaduquewrites

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Julie and Alex are the focus of this cute rom-com novella. Julie and her friends buy an old house to start a B&B and Julie's brother sends his best friend Alex, an architect, to help. The two discover there might be more than their rivalry. These two are so cute. This was a fun fast read

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

this started pretty strong! I did get a little annoyed when they started calling each other mr. and miss like they were in Pride and Predjudice, but the authors writing was really easy to read and she did a great job. short and sweet!

[vanicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!! Romance short story!! Loved it!

[Abby G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie and Alex are so funny. Loved reading about them. I already started book 2

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty quick read and wasn’t necessarily my favorite.

[Lantana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super cute ! It’s an easy read and comes with a wholesome “whirlwind” romance. That’s in quotations only because the couple knows each other all ready but when they meet up again it sparks up fast hence whirlwind. I love how the author creatively used an innocent question later on in the book to give the readers a good idea of what the main characters look like by using famous people as reference. It’s probably my favorite way I’ve ever seen to give readers a better idea of what the characters look like. I love the ending it made my heart happy and I definitely recommend this book to anyone in search of an easy lighthearted romance!

[Piper James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grab your chancletas and don't wear them in a construction zone!
Oh my goodness I absolutely adored these characters! Julie and Alex are the focus of this book and they have a bit of history- ok a lot. When Julie and her friends set out to open a bed and breakfast in Florida, the girls realize they are in over their heads and need help. Enter Alex- Julie's brothers best friend, architect, and royal pain in the butt. Through working together the two discover the spark between them may be more than rivalry, but can they tell their families without breaking down long standing relationships?

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet short novella! I loved this book it had some great tropes written in.
-enemies to lovers
-childhood friends
-brothers best friend.

Lots of witty snarky banter between the. Fmc and the MMzC. This is a sweet funny romcom about Julie who is opening a bed and breakfast with her 4 friends and they need and architect. Enter Alex😍😍 her brothers beat friend. Its A short book but well written. Give it a read.

[Samara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute, quick read. I started it then had to set it aside for a while, but once I dug in it only took a day to finish.
Some of the narration was a little underdeveloped which bothered me some, and I found her discussion of “Teen Me” odd, as well as their random shift to calling each other by their last names half way through the book.
But if you’re looking for a romantic, quick pallet cleanser between books, the story itself is fantastic.
Low to no spice, just sweet romance.
Age gap, brothers best friend and frienemies to lovers.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute romance novella. Good starter for the series. I’d like to have more background on the characters and some depth to their relationship. They went from “hate” to love pretty quickly without a lot of build up. Entertaining quick read though. Made me want to start a Bed and Breakfast. Fade to black scenes.

[Emily Ducky Ducky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid 4 star read. What a great story. Includes so many of my favorite tropes, forbidden love, brothers best friend, enemies to lovers. The banter between these too is funny and well timed throughout the story. To be a shorter read, under an hour, I don’t feel like the author missed a beat! The story didn’t feel rushed like a lot of novellas. This was my first read of the author but what a great introduction to her work. Well done!!

[Gloria Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, sweet, with some mild spice.

[Bex's Bookshelves | Bookstagram | Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instagram | TikTok

Inn Close Proximity is a cute little brother’s best friend and enemies to lovers story.

The plot seems rushed throughout because it's so short, which is the only disappointment for me. A lengthier book would have been nice in my opinion.

All in all, if you're searching for a short story, this is an excellent read.

[tessa richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely adorable. It's a quick read, but it's a good story with spice. I absolutely loved reading this. Had a big smile the whole time. The banter was top-notch.

[Amanda Lightfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little love story. I enjoyed it 🙂

[McAllison Grimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun book! sometimes cringey but a fun read

[Ariana Aponte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read. I loved it!

[Kathleen | katiereadsandrambles · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love a good brothers best friend but this writing held nothing of substance

[Imbooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate this book up in a matter of a couple hours! It was a cute book that kept me entertained. No spice, so if you need spice, this one may not be forever you but I still suggest that you give it a go!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Laura Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute novela! I absolutely loved it! Quick read. I finished it in about an hr. Thank you Ida!

This story is about Julie and Alex. It’s so cute!

Ben is Julie’s brother and Alex is best friends with Ben so Julie grew up with Alex hanging around her family. Growing up Alex and Julie were always fighting.

Then as adults Julie is getting ready to open a B&B with her friends and Alex does Ben a favor by helping with the construction/renovation of the B&B. There are a lot of really cute and funny parts and I absolutely related to this story. Growing up with an older brother myself and him and his friends have “bro code”. Lol I highly recommend this to anyone that loves cute romcoms and enjoy quick easy reads.

[Kass Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute little Latine novella I loved it!

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just lacking any deeper feelings and background, felt really rushed. 2.5 stars

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine, short, romcom beach read. I really enjoyed the scene at the bar and at times do enjoy the chemistry between Julie and Alex, however much of the time, I couldn't help but agree with Ben--these two reeaalllyy shouldn't be together, nevermind getting married after just semi-recently going on a break. These two work when they do, and really don't when they don't, but their physical attraction to one another keeps bringing them back.

[Heather Goins · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Inn Close Proximity" by Ida Duque is a decent read that has its moments. While it’s a delightful rom-com with some spice, it didn’t fully captivate me. Julie, a determined new business owner, and Alex, the architect hired by her brother, have an electric and entertaining dynamic with witty banter that adds charm to the story. However, certain aspects didn't quite hit the mark for me. Despite this, it's still an enjoyable read, especially if you love rom-coms with heart.

[Kyla Nauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute for a quick and easy read. It is a very nice palate cleanser and only took a little over an hour to read. Brother's best friend is always a solid trope. However, at times i did find it a little bit choppy and jumpy from thoughts and scenes. Sometimes it also seemed a bit repetitive. Overall, I am glad I read it and I give it a solid three stars. It's great for quick, easy reading and for in between some longer or darker books. I will likely read more from Ida Duque.

[Crystal Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.. A fun hidden gem of a romantic comedy. Set in the heart of Miami, it’s a story that blends humor with a touch of spice, making it impossible to put down. Julie and Alex’s dynamic is electric, their banter is witty, and the Miami vibe adds an extra layer of charm. Duque masterfully keeps the romance sweet and the laughs plentiful, ensuring that every page is a delight. A must-read for anyone who loves a good rom-com with heart.

[E'Who'Reads'a'Thousand'Mysteries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fast little rom com had me falling off my chair laughing at the beginning. But then there's no colour or scene descriptions and there's gaps so the story doesn't flow. It's okay for a beach read though.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a forbidden romance. His best friend's sister was off limits. But when that sister needs help remodelling a building he's sent by her brother to help her. And the story falls apart. The rest is repetitive. Very disappointing.