ARC Review: Neighbors and Favors by Kate Davis

Title:  Neighbors and Favors

Author: Kate Davis

Release Date: June 9, 2020

Published By: Self

Category: Contemporary – Romance – Comedy – Clean – Christian

Type: Digital – Paperback

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Kate Davis Website

Rating: 

Heat: 

Blurb: 

I've just signed a two-year lease on an apartment I can barely afford.
My job hit a brick wall so I need the place to be perfect to help me get my life back on track. But the first night in, and I already know my neighbor isn't going to make it easy on me.

Tall, sexy, irresistible (and did I mention the British accent?), Shane Logan likes his loud activities…a lot. I can hear everything through the paper-thin walls. I'm about to tell him that in not-so-friendly terms when I realize he isn't just sexy, he's also friendly and eager to be of help.
Maybe having a neighbor like him isn't such a bad idea.
I'm a writer in desperate need of inspiration. Shane so happens to turn into mine. With a deadline approaching fast, his offer to do me a favor turns into two and three. Before I know it, he’s forced his way into my life with the tenacity of a whirlwind.

I can deal with the fact that he's far too loud and far too sexy. But when my dog likes him more than me, I start to get a little suspicious. Soon it becomes clear Shane Logan has secrets.
Plunged into the suspicions surrounding my neighbor, suddenly the only thing I can be sure of is that Shane is fiercely determined to hide the truth about himself.

Remember when I said the lease should have come with a warning?
Well, mine should also have come with a big, red, flashing signal. 

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

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Favorite Lines:

His lips stretch into a stunning smile with perfect, white teeth and two little dimples. I suck in my breath as another wave of annoyance hits me. Dimples. Does he have to have a perfect pair of those?  ~  Samantha

Vocabulary Word:

Provocation

noun

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prov·​o·​ca·​tion | \ ˌprä-və-ˈkā-shən  \

Definition of provocation

1: the act of provoking : INCITEMENT

2: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates

Excerpt:

          We’ve barely made it out of the building when a voice calls after me, “Hey, neighbor.”
          I turn and instantly frown at my male neighbor’s huge smile. Yes, the sun is shining and the weather’s balmy for this time of the year. But no person can be this genuinely happy. 
          “I just wanted to say the rug’s taken care of, and I haven’t left any witnesses behind.”His gorgeous smile widens, if that’s even possible. 
          “Thanks. Well, I need to get going,”I grumble and hasten my step in the hope he won’t be able to keep up. As I begin to huff and puff, he barely breaks a sweat. 
         “So.”He clears his throat. “How’s everything?”
          I shoot him a sideways glance. Is he trying to make small talk? Seek my friendship? Steal my dog? What does he want? 
          “Good.”I’m lying. I shouldn’t be lying. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord or so my mother always said. It’s even written in the Proverbs. But I can’t tell him how inept I feel. He’ll ask questions and before I know it he’ll take advantage of my frail emotional state. 
          “You don’t look too good.”His brows shoot up in genuine concern, as though he truly cares. 
          “Huh.”My throat chokes up. Luckily, we’ve reached my local Starbucks and I see my chance to get rid of him. I stop and point at the green logo. “Well, I’ve reached my destination. Thanks for accompanying me. I’ll see you around.”
          “You drink this stuff?”
          I sigh. He’s not easily deterred, is he? 
          What can I say to that? I drink and eat and breathe this stuff. 
          “Sometimes.”Another lie. I’m going to be spending the evening repenting. 
          It’s a bad habit I acquired after moving out. My parents wouldn’t stop worrying about every single detail of my life that could possibly go wrong. When they started bombarding me with questions, throwing well-meant advice this and that way, I just couldn’t take it any more, and so the lying started. 
          Obviously, I’m not proud of it. 
          “Hm.”He doesn’t approve. I can tell from the frown lodged between his eyebrows. 
          “I have friends working here and so I stop by every now and then,”I hurry to add. Not that I care to win his approval or anything. I just don’t want him to think I don’t take care of my health. 
          His frown lifts a little, but his eyes remain focused on me. For a good minute, we stare at each other in awkward silence, unable to speak or leave. 
          Eventually, my neighbor says something and I realize it was a question and he expects an answer. 
          “Sorry, I didn’t—”
          He points to Sammy who is yanking at the leash, eager to move on to the next green patch. 
          “Oh. Right.”I release the lock button to extend the leash and give her more room to find the perfect pee spot, but fat chance. All she does is sniff the ground. I sigh. This is going to take ages. By the time Sammy’s done, I’ll have wasted half a day. “Come on, Sammy,”I hiss. 
          “Want me to take her around the block while you visit with your friends?”The neighbor’s smile is back on. 
          I look at him, a little thrown off. “Why do you say that?”
          “You seem kind of distracted, as though you have a lot on your mind.”
          I smirk because he’s spot on. 
          Madeleine’s words are still echoing in my mind. I think of her warning, of the possibility of losing my deal, and shiver a little. I would have to pay back the advance. I would be losing the possibility of getting published and also the publishing house’s trust. My agent would probably stop returning my calls. 
          Two weeks. 
          How am I supposed to write a book in two weeks? 
          “I have some things to sort out,”I mumble. 
          “Important stuff, huh?”
          “Very.”I wipe my hand over my head, ignoring the odd sense of dizziness that seems to keep rushing through me every few minutes. 
          It’s the stress. Too much of it. I don’t know how to handle it. 
          “I could take her off your hands for an hour or two, if that would help you,”my neighbor says. 
          “What?”I peer at him. Is he suggesting—
          He shrugs. “I could take her for a walk or just keep her occupied. It wouldn’t be a big deal.”
          Is he offering to babysit Sammy while I get some serious writing done? 
          I shake my head. “No, I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.”
          “You seem in dire need of—”he points to the Starbucks sign, “—your friends’company. I have nothing but time on my hands…”He trails off and lets me fill in the blanks. 
          I hesitate for a moment. The offer is tempting. I could grab a coffee and then I could go back to my place and get my thoughts together without any distractions. 
          Sammy is a good dog. However, she craves and pleads for attention. She can be quite a handful if she doesn’t feel that she gets my entire focus. 
          “I don’t even know your name,”I say feebly, my resolve slowly crumbling. 
          “Shane. Shane Logan.”He smiles. “I’ll take her along my morning route. It will be good for her, you’ll see. A little exercise and discipline will do wonders.”
          I gawk at him. 
          What is he saying? 
          A little exercise? My dog isn’t fat. And what discipline? 
          I want to put him in his place, protect her like the mother hen I am, but thinking of it, he kind of has a point. Looking at my pup, I realize she has gained a little weight. Not that much, mind you, but it is noticeable. 
          It’s probably all my fault. My preoccupation with my book, or lack thereof, has kept our daily walks on the short side. And then there’s all the cheese she can’t get enough of. 
          I nod. “Fine. But only for half an hour. An hour tops.”
          Shane takes the leash out of my hands. “I’ll have her back within the hour.”
          His eagerness awakens my suspicion. 
          “Wait. I’ll need to see some ID.”
          “What?”
          “ID?”I prompt. “I can’t trust you with my dog without knowing who you are.”
          He seems taken aback and for a moment I’m pretty sure he’ll refuse my request. I can almost see my chance at having some quiet time flying out the proverbial window when he reaches into his jeans and pulls out his driver’s license. 
          A British one. 
          “I’ll keep hold of this, if you don’t mind. You’ll get it back when I have Sammy back.”
          “Good grief,”he mumbles but there’s a smile playing on his lips. “Is she famous? A celebrity in the dog world?”
          “Maybe she is.”
          His gaze shoots from me to her and then back to me. His head is cocked, lips twitching. 
          I know that I come across as protective. Even overbearing at times. But when it’s about Sammy, I can’t help myself. She’s like a child to me. 
          He holds out his hand, silently urging me to pass him the leash. I stand frozen, unable to react. 
          I fear for her safety. 
          As if sensing my sudden reluctance, he says, “What’s your name?”
          “Samantha.”I point to my dog. “And this is Sammy.”I catch the disbelief in his face and scowl. “What?”
          “Let me get this straight. Your dog’s name is Sammy and yours is Samantha?”

Highlight:

          “Why are you smiling?”a male voice asks from behind me. 
          I freeze on the spot. Shane’s here. How can he be here unless he flew down the stairs and beat the elevator? He’s basically raced the elevator. Is that even humanly possible outside of an action movie? 
          I can feel his presence leaning over my shoulder, probably to peer at my cell phone, a moment before his breath hits my cheek. 
          “None of your business.”I toss my phone into my bag and take a step aside to put some much-needed distance between us. My heart begins to race, and blood shoots up my neck, landing right in my face. Thank goodness it’s already dark because I probably look as red as my mother’s beetroot smoothie which she swears is the recipe to longevity. In fact, beetroot is what my loving parents used to call me whenever I was red in the face. 
          He lifts up his hands. “I wasn’t prying or anything. I just haven’t heard you laughing before and—”He shrugs. “Never mind.”
          “And what?”I ask warily. 
          My laugh is a little weird, actually. More high pitched than I would like it to be, and quite loud. I’ve been known to annoy people with it. 
          “It was cute,”Shane says, then looks away. 
          “Oh.”I stare at him, taken aback. 
          I can’t believe he said my laugh was cute. No one’s ever said that to me. 
          Who is this guy and why is he being nice to me after I accused him of kidnapping my dog? Obviously, I had panicked a little and emotions had been running high. A few hours later, after calming down, I realized the ludicrousness of my insinuation. I admit my fears were unfounded given that he lives next door and had to return to his abode at some point or another. And then, why would he have kidnapped my dog in the first place? Yes, Sammy is cute as pie and all, but what would he have done with her? It’s not like I’m swimming in money and he could have held her for ransom. 
          I can’t believe I was so unreasonable. 
          Anyway, I would have liked to apologize, but the opportunity never presented itself, probably because I’ve been trying to avoid him since that unfortunate incident, and I believe he’s been doing the same. 
          Even if I mustered up the courage to apologize, I wouldn’t know what to say without admitting that I have very strong maternal feelings when it comes to my dog, which might appear a little irrational to the outside observer. 
          “I didn’t mean it in a condescending way. Just—I like it.”He clears his throat and peers at his cell phone. “Well, I need to get going. Don’t want to be late. See you around.”
          He walks past me, toward the taxi that’s just pulled up. This is NYC. Cabs don’t just pull up, unless you called for one, which is how I know he’s trying to steal my ride. 
          “Oh, heck, no. You’re not.”I dash past him, almost elbowing him in the ribs as I squeeze myself through the open door and plop down in the back seat. 
          “What are you doing?”Shane tries to follow me inside, but I put up my legs, taking all the space. “Did you just manhandle me?”
          I blink. “No.”
          Actually, yes, but we’re in NYC. When fighting for a taxi, manhandling isn’t just almost acceptable to some. It’s to be expected. 
          “You did,”Shane says. 
          “This is my taxi.”I scowl at him. “You’re not stealing my ride.”
          “Stealing your ride? You can’t be serious, woman. I called for it.”
          “You did not!”I narrow my eyes. He is lying. I can tell when people are. I have this amazing radar, this innate ability to read facial expressions. The glint in his eyes and the smirk on his lips tell me that he’s trying to charm his way into getting what he wants. 
          Which is this cab. 
          I might be a sucker for dimples, but not even dimples can make me want to turn up late for one of my mother’s soirees and risk incurring one of her speeches about how there’s a time for everything, including not being late. 
          According to her, that’s in the bible too. 
          “Drive,”I yell at the driver. 
          “But—”The poor guy, a man in his late fifties with full cheeks and a receding hairline, peers from me to Shane and then back to me, confused. “It’s game night, and you’re going—”
          “Just drive.”I lean forward and try to slam the door, but Shane’s tight grip on it is blocking me. “Go away.”
          “No.”He yanks hard. I lose my balance for a split second and almost drop my dog. “Let’s share. We can drop you off wherever you’re going, after which I can head my way.”
          I hesitate for a moment. 
          “I’m paying,”Shane throws in with a grin, like that’s going to sweeten the deal. 
          I peer at him, considering his offer. “Might be expensive.”
          “I can afford it.”
          Well, in that case…
          I’m inclined to accept. I mean, Dad’s left me money to pay for the fare, which I could save for other stuff, like that deluxe food Sammy likes so much but I can’t afford. 
          Shane leans into the car and his palm touches my ankle with a little pressure, as though to signal me to move my legs aside. My breath catches in my throat at the unexpected touch, and my mouth goes dry. That’s when I realize there’s no way I could possibly share a ride with this guy. 
          Not in such a confined space. 
          It would feel too close. Too personal. And don’t even get me started on being forced to have a conversation when I’m having these strange physical reactions around him. 
          “Not in a million years,”I mutter and swat at his hand. 
          “Wait.”
          I hesitate. What now? 
          “About the other day,”Shane starts. 
          Flashbacks of computer screens and script run through my mind. He obviously likes chat rooms. Big deal. Given that we all have our vices, I don’t care, but it does seem to bother him. 
          Maybe he’s addicted to online chatting. Maybe he’s ashamed of it. 
          I turn to regard him with a smile. “No need to explain. I understand, and I don’t judge.”
          His brows furrow. “You don’t judge what?”
          “Your need for interaction.”
          “What?”
          My smile broadens. I am a very understanding person, and I think I’m doing a great job conveying that. “Don’t ever be ashamed. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, I’m sure everyone’s allowed to have that little dark secret. I for one like a glass of red wine every now and then. I like it chilled while I’m soaking in the bathtub. It helps me unwind and switch off the world around me.”
          “Samantha, what are you—”
          “My taxi’s waiting.”I shoot him another encouraging look. NYC can be such a lonely place. He’s British; he’s probably not used to huge cities and millions of people. I bet he feels lost like in that Sting song, a legal alien in New York. “If you ever need to talk, don’t hide behind a computer screen. Just knock on my door and we’ll get a cup of coffee. Real-life interactions can be so much more fulfilling.”
          Taking him by surprise I reach for the door handle and pull hard. He has no choice but to move aside as I slam the door in his face. 
          As I sit back and peer out the window I find Shane glued to the spot, staring at me. The driver pulls into the traffic and I smile, pleased with myself. 
          Ha! I feel like yelling some victorious war cry. I wish I could express the sudden outburst of joy at finally having gotten rid of him. Only, it doesn’t quite feel like a victory. More like a loss.

Review: 

Samantha is a writer – or at least she is trying to be. She’s picked up a book deal and has been living off the advance, but her writing prowess has dried up with all of the pressure and expectation that came along with the contract. She also has loving Christian parents who are way up in her business. She loves them to death, but she needs space, so she leases an apartment for 2 years. But the next-door neighbor makes quite a lot of noise and she is forced to confront him on his … erm … sexual escapades that aren’t in any way conducive to her sleep schedule. Her confrontation ends up sparking a friendship of sorts and consequently provides her with a dogwalker. Samantha needs time to get her book written and with her attention-hog of a pup, she is less than successful with her writing endeavors. Her sexy, dimpled neighbor is also proving to be her new muse. He’s surrounded in mystery and constantly dodging questions she has for him. As her feelings for him zigzag from one extreme to the next, each interaction seems to find its way into her book – a fact she has no intention of sharing with him. But just when she seems to make a breakthrough with Shane, everything gets stranger than before, even to the point of placing Samantha in danger. Once the shroud of mystery is dropped, the pieces begin to click into place. Through it all, Samantha struggles to find herself and her misplaced faith. If she’s ever going to make it through this aggravating phase of her life, she’s going to have to obtain help from all sources – her irritatingly evasive and sensual neighbor, her overbearing and meddlesome parents, her best friend, and above all, God. But until she learns to lean on others when needed, she continues to drown in worry.

Shane … he’s difficult to explain because he isn’t exactly what he seems. He’s definitely guarding secrets and up until the end, they could be the worst sort imaginable. There is no way to tell if he’s mixed up in some evil plot or simply the nice guy he seems, unwillingly drawn into something he wanted no part of. It could literally be anything! His tendency to elude certain questions don’t help to stack up his redeeming character traits. The only thing you can really count of with Shane is what you can take at face value – and maybe not even that. What he appears to be is a super nice guy who just happens to be gorgeous and have a fantastic British accent. And he might have a rather rambunctious sex life. At least that’s how it sounds. But for some reason he seems to show up everywhere Samantha is. Literally. Everywhere. And only Shane knows why. It’s almost a bit creepy when you think about it. Rather than straight out asking him – which she wouldn’t anyway – Samantha conjures up all sorts of scenarios and writes them into her book. Her feelings are all over the place and his seem to be as well. One minute he’s the attentive neighbor offering assistance and the next he’s closed off and guarded. Does he even like Sam or is it an act of some sort to cover up whatever is really going on in that apartment? And what’s with the blonde who keeps showing up even though he’s adamant that he doesn’t have a girlfriend? One thing is for sure. Don’t count on discovering the truth until Shane is ready to reveal all.

The first thing I would like to draw attention to is the fact that this is a Christian romance. It’s sweet, it’s clean, it’s a little nutty, it’s only slightly preachy, it’s even got a miniscule amount of suspense tossed in. But it is a Christian romance no matter what way you slice it. If I am being honest, I am a bit miffed that this fact wasn’t disclosed up front. I like to know what I am reading prior to getting into it because there is nothing worse than reading a book and wondering what happened to the book you thought you were going to be reading. And you guys! I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a reviewer give books a 1-star review simply because it was inspirational and not classified as such. They didn’t even rate the book on its own merits, just that one piece of information. So, it is a mistake in my opinion for this book not to come out full disclosure. It’s going to tick some readers off for sure. Not that I don’t understand. With that label, it could also keep others from enjoying it that steered clear due only to the Christian tag. But a book is what it is. The pages don’t lie. If you choose to incorporate certain elements, then you’ve got to label it as such. My opinion. As far as the rating, I am all over the place. As a lover of smut, this book didn’t even come close to fulfilling my inner slut – maybe a 2 if I’m feeling generous. As a clean romance, and little to no heat, I would give it a solid 3 because it met the criteria for such. But as a Christian romance, I’d have to give it a 4. It wasn’t over the top, it was quirky, the characters were likeable, but it absolutely lacked the passionate element I crave. Why can’t you have passion and clean romance in a book? You can. This one just didn’t. Then I had to ask myself how I go about rating it. Do I rate it based on my own preferences? No. I would never do that to a book. I may have my preferences, but I read across several genres, so I tend to rate based on where I am reading at. Do I rate based on what this book claims to be even though it is not entirely accurate? Again, I would have to say no because I do not feel that is what this book truly is. Therefore, I am left with rating this book based on what it is in actuality. A Christian Romcom. So that is where my 4-wing rating comes from.

Despite my difficulty mentioned in the above paragraph, I ended up enjoying this book quite a lot. I did not know what the heck was going on and with the endless quirks of Samantha and her parents, I was unsure what would happen next. Samantha is a bit high strung, is an obsessive pet owner, and has an unhealthy addiction with Starbucks. To the point her dog recognizes the name when it is called out. Her parents are always seeking out that perfect guy for her and trying to play matchmaker – so imagine their glee when Shane enters the picture. And her mother cannot text to save her ever-loving life. Not even joking! One autocorrect mishap after another, with the woman none the wiser of her continual mistakes. It is rather hilarious. Yet at some point one must wonder why she never looks at her phone before hitting send. Honestly. As far as Shane’s secretive life, at one point I had conjured all sorts of possible Shane scenarios much like Samantha did throughout the book. Even their Pastor makes a few appearances, which seemed a bit off even after the explanations are given. There is just a lot going on and not much going on. If that even makes any sense. Probably the oddest detail is that Shane isn’t the slightest bit thrown by Samantha’s parents. He thinks they’re great. Although that probably should have been a red flag from the very beginning. She does finally get her book written but it doesn’t turn out as I had expected it would. The ending and epilogue are just a bit far-fetched as far as likelihood and everyone already on board for the direction headed while Samantha remains clueless … until she isn’t. But either way it works out like I knew it would with the HEA delivered with a cute bow. There are a few moments of heavy in the “come to Jesus” department, but it is done in a way that isn’t over the top. Rather, it’s more from a place of love and concern because her parents and Pastor recognize that she is lost so they try to nudge her in the right direction without being forceful. Her relationship with God, after all, is one she must make for herself. A bit contradictory given the meddling habits of her mother, but appropriate for these characters.

Overall, this book was not what I was expecting, but it ended up entertaining me. My biggest complaint, appropriate labels aside, was the fact that Shane is British and Samantha uses British terms on and off. Sure, her mother is British and she is likely used to some of them, but she is very much American without even a hint of her mother’s accent. I would have preferred that Shane stick to the terminology and Samantha’s character refrained from it. It threw me off at times because it would confuse me as to who was speaking when a word such as “bin” was tossed in. Yes, I know what was meant, but I seemed off when Samantha reverted to the vernacular and I only expected it from Shane. I was most engrossed with Samantha’s raging ability to come up with some of the most off the wall scenarios regarding Shane and his intentions toward her dog. The intensity is ramped up when it appears that her dog likes Shane even more than her. But some of the things she comes up with are borderline looney while still quite funny. With writing comes imagination and I find myself wondering if Ms. Davis had a particular inspiration for Samantha’s character. She reminds me of my friend with hypochondriac tendencies except Samantha is all about her own personal disasters. If it could happen, it would happen and if she can think it up then it is a very real possibility. And her parents? Let’s just say I have a bit of experience with some traits they possessed. *wink* If you are the kind of reader who enjoys clean romance and isn’t a huge fan of passionate moments, then this book will be your cup of tea. And as stated several times, this book contains a strong underlying current of religion. If that is not your style, then do this book a favor and steer clear because it is definitely a fair portion of the content. I wish there could have been a bit more passion because it wouldn’t have hurt the book at all. Initially it looked as though there could be, but it disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. For me, I did not mind the break from the smoking hot attraction I am more commonly accustomed to. But for those of you who seek it out and prefer it, you won’t find that here. Not even a little. Not that I am putting this story down in any way … I just want to be perfectly clear so that readers can make a fair assessment as to if this book would be a good fit for their reading pleasure. Having never experienced Ms. Davis’ work before, I am unable to say if this book is typical of her writing style. But the next time I need a break from the hot and heavy, you can bet she’s one I will go to. I also feel that I have a new author I can recommend in Ms. Davis to my friends and family who tend to be of the more delicate reading constitutions. Let’s just say that “smut” is nowhere in their vocabulary. I am glad to have discovered Ms. Davis. While she may not be for everyone, she will be for me on occasion, and several people I am acquainted with.

Kindle version provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.