No good deed goes unpunished . . . and no one knows that better than Tisha Nichols, who, out of the kindness of her heart, agrees to style the hair of her nine-year-old neighbor Cami, so the little girl can look good for picture day. Unfortunately, Cami’s adoptive uncle is far from grateful. In fact, he’s downright livid–far too attractive for Tisha’s peace of mind.
Love Thy Neighbor–that’s easier said than done, especially when the neighbor in question is a sexy little spitfire who gives even better than she gets. Although Jonah is not the type to say he’s sorry, even he can admit when he’s wrong. But the ongoing fight to win custody of Cami has made him cautious and mistrustful of people, even those as desirable as Tisha. What starts as a misunderstanding turns out to be one of the best things to ever happen to them. Unfortunately, not everyone is as thrilled, and Jonah and Tisha must decide if their newly formed family is something worth fighting for.
It has been said that ” . . . fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Jonah should have thought about that little bit of wisdom before going at Tisha Nichols, his neighbor and a woman who was willing to help his adoptive daughter look good for her school pictures. Boy, did he get an eaful, and Tisha is one of those confident, OK-with-who-she-is kind of gals who can look someone in the eye and tell them to drop dead without even breathing hard. When reading this story for the first time my gut reaction to this first scene in the novel was to think: “Well, they’re off!” This love story would have never gotten told and that relationship would have never gotten off the ground if it weren’t for Cami, a not-quite-ten-year-old who appears to have the wisdom of someone three times her age. She recognized something special in Tisha and even in her innocence recognized that Tisha and Jonah would be good together and good for her.
There’s so much going on in this story. Lots of social issues that often do not surface in a romance novel. Tisha and Jonah are an interracial couple; there is the issue of a black child being raised by a white single man; drug abuse; and kidnapping in order to subvert a court custody order by an unbalanced relative. At the center of all this is a growing relationship, sometimes off and sometimes on, between a beautiful, sexy, mouthy, confident woman, and a handsome, successful, caring, but-not-always-smart-about-his-responses guy. Putting together a different kind of family is not ever easy, and Jonah is very aware that bringing Tisha into his life is also asking her to be a surrogate parent to Cami. Fortunately both these individuals are really good people, honorable, with personal and professional integrity, and both really trying to get through life without doing harm to themselves and others.
This story is, at its very center, about family and about the possibilities even with out-of-the-ordinary relationships. Cami is really no blood relationship to Jonah, which is why her relative is trying to get her away from him. That pressure puts pressure on Jonah and Tisha’s relationship, proving once again that no matter how lovely the love, no relationship can exist outside reality. Couples can play “Let’s Pretend” sometimes for an indefinite space of time, but reality has a way of crashing the party. This story is really driven by Jonah’s intense love for Cami and his desire to share his life with Tisha. But there are times when the reader wonders if even his love for Tisha is second to his determination to keep Cami safe and protected.
I liked this story a lot! I like stories that are not only warm and wonderful love storys complete with all the human push/pull, but which also deal with the realities of the world we live in right now. This is one of those. It is well-written and I think you will enjoy these main characters. But there are also Cami and Tisha’s friend Nance who are funny and bright and in-you-face. Such strength keeps these people hopping. The plot is not all that unusual, but that is immaterial when the storyline is creative and the dialogue witty and so very readable.
So I recommend this novel as a great read for romance fans who like a story with some grit and which also refuses to back away from real life.
I give this novel a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.