Review: Right Next Door

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The Courtship of Carol Sommars
Peter Sommars is fifteen, and what he needs is a little more independence. Which is why he'd like his mom, Carol, to start dating. He even knows the perfect man—Alex Preston, his best friend's dad. As it turns out, Alex is interested, but Carol's doing everything she can to sidestep his pursuit. Which only makes Alex—and the boys—more determined!

Father's Day
Robin Masterson's ten-year-old son, Jeff, figures he needs a dog more than anything in the world. And there just happens to be one right next door! But the friendly black Lab belongs to Cole Camden, the unfriendliest man in the neighborhood. Still, Jeff persists…and soon his mom and Cole are looking at each other in a whole new way.

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: May 2009

Mature content: nothing to report

Review: This book includes two short stories, Father's Day and The Courtship of Carol Sommars. They are some of Debbie Macomber's earlier books and it shows, in the sense that I think her writing and her capacity to create compelling plots have improved since then. The two stories follow more or less the same plot, single father meets single mom and fast forward to a happy ending.

I enjoyed both of them and even though there were very few twists and turns, the writing still captured my attention easily. The only thing I would maybe recommend is for you not to read the two stories in a row because they are way too similar in terms of their general plot. Better to read one, take a break and come back later for the other once the first one is not so fresh in your mind.  

There's noting really new in this book, nothing unpredictable and nothing really awesome. Still, if you're looking for a sweet, short, clean romance story to read this season, these are not so bad.

Happy readings and happy holidays!