3.5 ⭐
MCs:
- Josiah, 38
- Audrey, 35
Book info:
- Small town romance
- Grumpy / Sunshine
- Landlord / Tenant
- Forced proximity
- Stalking
- Suspense
- No cheating, opd, third act breakup
- HEA
- Bonus epilogue
Note:
- OWD. Not really, but Josiah's aunt who was matchmaking him since forever sent a woman on his way. She asked him to drive home this ow, he didn't want to but he doesn't want to be rude, so he agreed. But the ow is interested in him, so she made a move to get close by swiping his aunt's lipstick on his cheek, making them really close like chest to chest. And Audrey saw this and got annoyed (tbf, nothing still happens between them at this point, they're friends at best) He drove the ow then he went back to Audrey's house to explain the situation. Ow didn't appear after this.
"Thankfully, a ray of sunshine had burst into my life. And nothing would ever be the same."
After getting laid off from her job in the city, Audrey moved back to her town and found a job in Tilikum (neighboring town) She also found a rental apartment owned by Josiah. They're not neighbors but he has a house renovation project close to Audrey's apartment, so they see each other almost every day. Nothing really happened within the 40% of the book. They interact but it was more like civil and they're polite with one another, I would consider them as friends though.
But then weird things starts to happen around Audrey. Like a dead squirrel left in her front porch, her car being dented, receiving silent phone calls, and finding the word "bitch" painted in blood at her door. So Josiah took it upon himself to get down to these incidents and to protect Audrey.
Story wise it was engaging and it had me wondering until the end who was her stalker. The curiosity never left my mind and I keep racking my brain of who could be the possible culprit. My guess was wrong and I didn't even expect the actual stalker. So for the suspense, this is a really good one.
As for the romance, idk, maybe it's a me problem but I didn't feel any tension or off the charts chemistry between these two at the beginning, even up to 41%. Them being together all of sudden doesn't make sense to me. I guess it comes with their age too and that they already know what they want, so that's why taking things slow was probably no longer in the equation. They kissed one night because of jealousy then the next day their status moved to dating immediately. Like I said fast, they said they don't want to like each other but they can't help themselves. So instead of denying it, they finally decide to embrace their attraction.
After they became a couple, the succeeding chapters were all about their daily lives. The mundane things they do together and how they interact with the other town locals. Of course the threats from the stalker didn't stop and they had to take more precaution every time and have to be alert in case something amiss happens. Although these scenes might seem uninteresting, I actually found myself enjoying them. I liked reading the simplicity of their life together and it was heartwarming and satisfying.
As for the suspense part, it was kind of nerve wracking. I pity the guy but also felt sad for him. He let his anger ruled him when he could've just move on with his life and do something that he loves. It was unfortunate, what happened to his character and I honestly hoped a different ending for him. But it is what it is, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Overall, I liked most of it but I struggled with the first half hence the 3.5 ⭐ But this isn't a bad book and the story was really intriguing. It's a me case obviously, and other readers might feel differently after reading Josiah and Audrey's story.