New Release Review ~ The CEO Daddy Next Door ~ Karen Booth

The CEO Daddy Next Door by Karen Booth
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2016NewRelease
Goodreads

Synopsis
He wants a mother for his child. She won't settle down. And 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?

The CEO Daddy Next Door is the perfect summer read - a sort of frenemies-to-lovers romance with playful banter, sparks flying strong enough to make me worry about shorting out my ereader, and genuine characters I couldn't help but love. This story is a delight!

Ashley and Marcus live across the hall from one another. They had one date that ended badly and have been each other's nemesis ever since. If only neither of them felt the strong spark of attraction. Things would be far less complicated. Marcus is living in NYC to launch an American division of his family's gin company. He suffered an excruciating divorce and is determined to choose more wisely the second time around in order to protect his infant daughter. Ashley has been burned badly before as well. A hit that the Matchmaker of Manhattan took hard - she finds true love for others but can't seem to do the same for herself.

When an opportunity arises that is professionally mutually beneficial to both Ashley and Marcus, they take off their gloves and play nice. This leads to more than either bargained for - even their becoming roommates.

Booth did an excellent job in creating real characters. I felt for both Ashley and Marcus, understood the motivations behind their actions, and was cheering for them. Ashley had Southern charm which I enjoyed and Marcus, well, he's British so you know I adored his stodgy yet charming self. Watching their walls crumble as they got closer was a treat.

While this is only a novella in length, the story is well-crafted and felt finished when I reached the end. There was a tiny plot thread left unraveled but that didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. Booth seems to have a knack for delivering a great story with appealing characters no matter the number of pages!