REVIEW: The CEO Daddy Next Door by Karen Booth

The CEO Daddy Next Door by Karen Booth: Marcus has already had one disastrous relationship that left him with the one bright spot in his life – his 11 month old daughter Lila. He’s determined that the next woman he commits to will be worthy of being a mother to his child and thus stays clear of meaningless relationships. His one date with floor neighbour Ashley was a disaster, and she clearly isn’t cut out for motherhood. But his body seems to have other ideas, cultivating an attraction to her that is both irritating and irresistible. When circumstances result in her moving in with him, it’s not long before his first impressions of her turn out to be wrong and he finds himself falling for the real Ashley. But they are pretty opposite people – she’s a reality TV star of a matchmaking show and he’s a very wealthy man who shies away from the spotlight. Can they find some common ground to build a relationship on?

I really enjoyed this story! Marcus is a fairly stereotypical British male character – a bit staid and reserved and definitely used to playing the role of gentleman. But his frustration with neighbour Ashley, ostensibly because her apartment renovations are wreaking havoc on the sleep schedule for his baby daughter (but in reality because he’s annoyed with his attraction to her since she’s wholly unsuitable for him) makes him challenge her at a building board meeting. An ultimatum to get along or else results in Ashley having to make nice with Marcus to avoid having her construction halted- something she just can’t afford for strong personal reasons. As a child her family home was devastated by a fire, and she’s finally got a place that she wants to call home. Plus, it’s a sign of her financial success, important for her as a means of supporting her family who fell on hard times after the fire. When she went on her one date with Marcus the timing was all wrong – she had just come out of a previous relationship with a man who was on a different page in his life than she was and a few two many drinks made her regret much of what she told him. It caused him to form an opinion of her that really wasn’t indicative of what she was really like. But that was a few months ago, and she’s determined to show him that his first impression of her is far from the truth – if he’d only get off his high horse and let her! There are lots of amusing scenes with the two of them as they at first play the role of conflicted neighbours but soon find that it is really masking an attraction to each other. As they share some intimate scenes together they discover that they’ve both been wrong – Marcus isn’t as uptight as he seems and Ashley isn’t as flighty as she initially appears.

I was a little surprised that Lila didn’t play a bigger role in the story. She and Ashley don’t really interact until later in the second half of the story, partly because Marcus is hesitant to let them meet. But Ashley falls for the sweet girl and Marcus soon realizes that his fears are groundless. Though most of the conflict takes place in the first half of the story, Marcus and Ashley still have some bumps along the road to true love. But in the end they get to their happy ending, and overall it was an entertaining and delightful romance.

Book Info:

Publication: Aug 9 2016 | Harlequin Desire  |

He wants a mother for his child. She won’t settle down. And now they’re living together…

After one disastrous date, reality TV personality Ashley George and devastatingly handsome British billionaire Marcus Chambers are roommates! When a fire destroys her apartment, Ashley leans on her Manhattan neighbor for help—and soon finds herself falling for the father and his baby. But despite their off-the-charts attraction, Marcus only dates women who would be suitable mothers for his daughter. His free-spirited neighbor is completely unsuitable. So why can’t he seem to keep her out of his bed…and out of his heart?