Strange Neighbors [Mass Market Paperback]

Ashlyn Chase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

He's looking for peace, quiet, and a little romance...

There's never a dull moment when hunky all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco invests in an old Boston brownstone apartment building full of supernatural creatures. But when Merry MacKenzie moves into the ground floor apartment, the playboy pitcher decides he might just be done playing the field...

A girl just wants to have fun...

Sexy Jason seems like the perfect fling, but newly independent nurse Merry's not sure she's ready to trust him with her heart...especially when the tabloids start trumpeting his playboy lifestyle.

Then pandemonium breaks loose and Merry and Jason will never get it together without a little help from the vampire who lives in the basement and the werewolf from upstairs...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When nurse Merry MacKenzie rents an apartment in a historic Boston home, she's taken with her new landlord, sexy baseball pitcher Jason Falco, and intrigued by the possibility of a ghost on the premises. It doesn't take long to figure out that her neighbors are an odd bunch: a couple of witches who run a phone sex business, several shape-shifters, a werewolf, and a vampire in (of course) the basement. The scariest entity by far is determined reporter Lila Crum, whose pursuit of Jason knows no boundaries. Add in Jason's snoopy and decidedly nonsupernatural aunt and the good-natured fun never stops. Chase (Vampire Vintage) brings on plenty of laughs along with steamy sex scenes as Merry and Jason bewitch each other amid the supernatural mayhem. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A cute quirky romance full of eccentric characters." - Night Owl Romance

"A sweet and playful romance, Strange Neighbors tosses an ostensibly unsuspecting human into a supernatural scenario. " - Romance Reviews Today

"[A] humorous lighthearted romp. " - Romance Reviews Go Round

"Totally fun, witty, and hot!" - Cajun Book Lady

"A delightful shock to the senses. " - The Long and Short of It

"Such a delight to read! I was laughing throughout the book and loved each of the characters. " - My Overstuffed Bookshelf

"A laugh out loud tale of love, acceptance and just plain wacky characters that I couldn't put it down." - Book Junkie

"A light enticing read. Funny, romantic with healthy dose of the paranormal." - Anna's Book Blog

"The romance in this book kept me sweating... the plot built up perfectly." - Readaholic

"A riot a minute... Very unique with the perfect blend of serious and hilarious." - Coffee Time Romance

"The quintessential supernatural romance. " - Best Fantasy Stories

"Witty and funny with laugh out loud parts- this is a book you won't want to put down." - Fang-tastic Books

"I will be keeping my eye on further titles from Ashlyn Chase. " - Luxury Reading

"Mind-blowing passion... a sweet contemporary paranormal romance. " - Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

"Ashlyn Chase scores big... Strange Neighbors is a must read." - Cheryl's Book Nook

"Romance, humour and the quirky paranormal in abundance. " - Smexy Books

"A hilarious, yet sexy, paranormal romance, which readers will find hard to put down until they finish reading the very last page. " - Romance Junkies

"A fun and entertaining read." - Revenge of the Book Nerds

"A fun, romantic romp." - My Reading Room

"Light and quirky." - Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks

"Romance, suspense, intrigue, and a lot of laughter to keep you spellbound from beginning to end." - Thoughts in Progress

"A really cute escape read. " - One Literature Nut

"Chase did a spectacular job incorporating zing into the romance." - I Heart Book Gossip

"Cute, quirky and fun." - Books 4 Moms

"A light-hearted romp that romance and paranormal lovers are sure to enjoy." - Wendy's Minding Spot

"A quirky little story wrapped in a light-hearted package ." - The Book Lush

"[Ashlyn Chase] uses humor and the abnormal or strange to really showcase her talent as a writer. " - Debbie's Book Bag

"A lighhearted, fun read - absolutely perfect for summer! " - Psychotic State

"A very fun and fast paced read! " - Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews

"Dynamic, steamy, and hilarious!" - Fresh Fiction

"You'll definitely want to read more from Ashlyn Chase. " - Loving Heart Mommy

"Strange Neighbors has strong enough romance for grown-ups, full relationship with family and each other, and the humor had me laughing through out" - Sizzling Hot Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402236611
• ISBN-13: 978-1402236617
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Vampires

More About the Author

Ashlyn Chase describes herself as an Almond Joy bar. A little nutty, a little flaky, but basically sweet, wanting only to give her readers a scrumptious, satisfying, reading experience.

She holds a degree in behavioral sciences, worked as a psychiatric RN for several years and spent a few more years working for the Red Cross where she still volunteers as an instructor. She credits her sense of humor to her former careers since comedy helped preserve whatever was left of her sanity. She is a multi-published author with Ellora's Cave/Cerridwen Press.

Most writers, whether they're aware of it or not, have a 'theme,' some sort of thread that runs through all of their books, uniting the whole mishmash into an identifiable signature. Ashlyn's identified theme involves characters who reinvent themselves. It's no wonder since she has reinvented herself numerous times. Finally content with her life, she lives in beautiful New Hampshire with her true-life hero husband and a spoiled brat cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jack of all trades, master of none, August 13, 2010

By 

Born to Read (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strange Neighbors (Mass Market Paperback)

I am sure this book will get appeal to lots of people, as does reality TV, but "quintessential" and "delightful" are not words I would use to describe it. The author included just about every popular theme from books, television and movies. So if you like reality TV, follow celebrity news, are entertained by Yaz commercials, and want to read something light and superficial with weak paranormal overtones and yes, a couple of steamy sex scenes, you may like this.

Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan meet Alex Rodriguez and star in a bad CW TV about supernatural creatures with HBO-type sex. That sums it up.

Thank goodness, a shipment of books from authors I like arrived---Secondhand Spirits: A Witchcraft Mystery A Cast-Off Coven: A Witchcraft Mystery, and any Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye series, just to name a few.

I can stop reading this book and move along. Life is too short to read mediocre books. I salute this author for getting published and I am sure she will garner an audience, but it's not for me.

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Writing, September 23, 2010

By 

jmom (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strange Neighbors (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know what book the other reviewers read, but it cannot be this one. The writing is basic, simplistic, and could have been done by a pre-teen. The plotting of the "love story" between Merry and Jason contains no suspense, no build up, and the characters act like middle schoolers. Except for the sex scenes. Then all of a sudden, the dialogue is pornographic. If the supernatural characters are supposed to be funny, I missed the joke. The writing is too flat to bring out any feelings of humor, empathy, or sympathy for any of the characters. This book is flat out horrible. If I could have given it zero stars, I would have.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Think I Read A Different Book Than The Other Reviewers..., June 2, 2010

By 

Andrea Griffin "Avid Reader" (Sterling Heights, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange Neighbors (Mass Market Paperback)

I just wrapped up "Strange Neighbors" by Ashlyn Chase & I can say it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
Readers are introduced to Merry, our heroine, who has just moved into an apartment away from the loving arms of her adopted father & little brother. Right from the start, we're shown that this isn't any ordinary apartment building being that it's inhabited with a wide variety of "unique" residents...from the vampire in the basement to the duo of witches on the top floor. Merry meets the building owner, Jason Falco, a pro Baseball player & all-around ladies man. Instantly there's an undeniable attraction between the two & quickly this attraction turns into romance.
I won't bore you by recapping the plot (you can read that in the book description & the other reviews) so I'll quickly sum up the pros/cons of "Strange Neighbors".
The personalities of the romantic leads I'd have to say is a "con" - within the context of their romance, character flaws are shown in both of the leads. Merry, a nurse at a downtown Boston hospital, is VERY quick to judge Jason...for example, finding him guilty of infidelity without allowing him any sort of an explanation. Jason, on the other hand, is an extremely passive person (which I find an odd contrast with his outgoing sports star persona). He hardly ever stands up to people (like his obnoxious Aunt Dottie), preferring to sit on the sidelines instead of engaging someone (even if it's to stand up for himself).
The secondary characters in "Strange Neighbors" would most definitely be a "pro" for this story. Instantly I was enticed by the idea of living in an all paranormal apartment building & wanted to know more about this great supporting cast. I'm hoping Chase's upcoming books delve more into their lives (and leave Merry/Jason out of it).
These were my two biggest "pro/con" examples from "Strange Neighbors"...all in all, not a bad book. I do believe this series has potential & will improve with future sequels.