The Girl Next Door

The Lewis Brothers Series #2

by Meg Gray

To win her heart he’s going to need a little help…
The Girl Next Door is a follow up read to Meg Gray’s debut novel, The Teacher. Jam packed with many of the same down-to-earth characters from The Teacher, plus a few new witty sidekicks, The Girl Next Door is sure to delight fans of Meg’s City Streets, Country Roads Novels.

Jocelyn Banks, a small town investigative reporter, is averse to change. Yet, when she moves to the city of Portland, Oregon and takes a temporary job at The Portland Daily Report, a fast-paced newspaper, changes start happening faster than she’s ready for. Doing her best to push herself out of the underdog status at her new job, Jocelyn learns that the big city isn’t what she thought it was going to be. The one thing that hasn’t changed though is her firm resolve to guard her heart from getting broken again, especially by her new neighbor who looks like the kind of guy that entertains a different lady every other night.

Luke Lewis decides to join his brother Marcus in Portland, Oregon when his playboy antics get out of hand in Seattle, Washington. Emerging from beneath a pile of pro-bono cases he’s finally handed a high profile case, which if played just right could land him a brand new corner office. But he’s not sure that’s what he wants. As the biggest deal of his life is about to literally go up in smoke he realizes the only thing he knows for sure is that he wants to win the favor of the one woman determined to shut him out.

Humor-filled, cheeky, and teased with mystery, The Girl Next Door is a story about facing changes, trusting your heart, and believing in love.

Genres: Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2016

About the author

Meg Gray uses a small world approach when crafting her contemporary romance novels, tying minor characters from one story into another—demonstrating how intertwined our human lives really are. The city streets and country roads she takes you down aren’t necessarily a structured series, but the stories are connected. Within the pages, her readers will catch glimpses of some of their favorite characters again and again. This is a concept that mirrors itself in our everyday lives. Our worlds are much smaller than we realize, often times we are unaware of the way our lives intersect with those around us.

The best part is Meg’s books keep readers inside the small world she has created so they can enjoy a completely different story with each read. Start with any one of them and be treated to repeat appearances from some of her colorful characters. To get a behind the scenes look at more of the links between her books join Meg’s Insider Club to read exclusive bonus chapters.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story in a series of three. This one focuses on Marcus’s brother Luke. He has a reputation as a player but when he meets Jocelyn, he quickly learns what true love is. Jocelyn has sworn off men so Luke’s interest in her is not what she is looking for. She has moved to Portland to be an investigative reporter and that is her focus. This story was not my favorite in the series so far.

[Diann Kroos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series!! Joselyn is a reporter who is starting to work in Portland. She runs into an editor who doesn’t seem to like her or her writing style.
She is subletting an apartment in the same building that Luke, Marcus’s brother lives in.
This story has a mystery and it’s fun to continue to hear how Emma,Brayden and Marcus are doing from the first book!

[Debbie Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but . . .

The story was good, but seemed the same as The Teacher only with different characters. I could get tired and this theme.

[Eleanor Spalding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 14 "the ideal job is somthing that brings meaning and purpose to life.")

[Joan Korowotny]

I enjoyed this book, kept my interest. Love how they handled the relationship and Luke's nephew. Very nice read.

[Neda Johns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn’t keep my attention as much as the first. Took much longer for the storyline to build. Much better second half.

[Mary Jo]

I loved this second book in this series. I look forward to what comes next. The characters are so well developed u feel as if I know them personally.

[Kathryn A. Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read

The story moved well and it had a happy ending. If only life as like this. The story makes you smile

[Donna DiTaranto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Luke and Joslyn. Brayden is so adorable.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have ever read by Meg Gray so I didn’t know what to expect except that it was a romance. What I found was an enjoyable romance between two people who are refreshingly normal.
The author does a wonderful job of exploring both the good and the problem areas of each individual. I loved both Jocelyn Banks and Luke Lewis. Jocelyn is a strong, independent girl who had just gotten out of a bad relationship. She has the ability to stand up to her bullying boss at work and say no to any man who appears to be like her cheater ex. Luke has a couple of problems which he is trying to get over by staying away from girls and by reconsidering how he would like to change his
Luke and Jocelyn make a wonderfully cute couple who are instantly attracted to each other even though they both fight it at first. Luke eventually tries to win Jocelyn over with old-school romance and lots of fun time together. I enjoy watching them slowly and unexpectedly fall in love with each other.
This book has no graphic sex even though the couple does get together before the book ends. However, even though the story is clean, the characters are modern people in modern situations.
The book does start out slowly because the author spends some time giving the readers background on Jocelyn and Luke. Even though I was a little “antsy” to have the couple meet, I found the information important to understanding both of the characters. And, the author makes up for it when Jocelyn and Luke finally meet!!
I must add that this is the second book in a series, and it claims to include some of the characters from the first book, The Teacher. I have not read the first book, and I, thoroughly, enjoyed this book. On the other hand, I already own The Teacher and cannot wait to read it.
This is a fast read and a nice, clean romance between two imperfect people. And for those of you who like a little.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is a new author to me but the book interested me from the beginning. I'm glad I followed up on a recommendation to read her books. This was a very clean modern HEA. There was not any graphic sex but that doesn't mean there was any lack of chemistry or sexiness. Jocelyn is a strong independent woman who developed a career in her home town rather than strike out to a big city. She did this so she could help her family & they depended on her until now. She's finally ready to move to the city & make her mark. Luke is working at his brothers law firm & trying to figure out what he wants his life to look like. He's trying to stay away from women until he gets it figured out. When Luke & Jocelyn meet, the attraction is instantaneous but they both try to fight it.

Will Luke & Jocelyn commit to each other or walk away? Can Jocelyn find a way to make a place for herself at the city paper or will she give up & go home? Can Luke figure out what he wants to do? This is a great story of two peoples journeys to make their lives mirror their visions & their paths to get there. They struggle with conflicts they weren't expecting & have to decide to persevere or give up. A book worth reading! You'll enjoy it.

[Anne Rightler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg Gray, contemporary romance author, has given readers an entertaining novel with her new book, The Girl Next Door another in the City Streets Country Roads series. Jocelyn, investigative reporter hoping to make a name for herself in the big city and Luke, handsome lawyer working with his brother in his family firm, hoping to make a mark on the world…neighbors who meet as they collide on the street. The encounter is just the beginning of a somewhat rocky relationship. Will they be able to make things work out as they work together to save a soup kitchen’s building in the inner city? And what about Stacy who keeps popping up and causing Jocelyn heartache? Family and friendships, office politics and socioeconomic issues of a big city, love and romance, this novel has it all. A charming, humorous and delightful story that makes for an enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Margaret Fraleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Story. This was the second in the series.

Can't wait o read the next one.