Strange Neighbors (Strange Neighbors, #1)

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Strange Neighbors (Strange Neighbors #1)

3.36 of 5 stars 3.36 · rating details · 1,424 ratings · 208 reviews

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 wan...more

Paperback, 354 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published May 7th 2010)

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Nov 25, 2010 Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, requests

This is erotic author Ashlyn Chase first book in her new light paranormal romance series. I found this a good start for sexy humors series. Life is never dull in this apartment building full of paranormal creatures. You get one noisy Aunt, one nasty ghost or I should say one ghost that may get on your nerves and more. Then you throw in one snoopy reporter that could spell disaster for the whole building.

Merry never knew what she was getting into when she moved into her new apartment. She not onl...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Vivian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: freebie, read-2011

I was thinking earlier that I should finish this book, but I realized it wasn't on my Currently Reading shelf. It took me a minute to think about what happened in the second half, that's how much of an impact the book had on me.

This book had so much going on, with multiple different plots involving several different supes, none of it left an impression at the end of the day as the "main" storyline. I guess it is supposed to be the romantic angle between the two lead characters, but that was lik...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Megan Riverina Romantics/Meggerfly~TS rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, nookbook, free-read, kindle, paranormal-romance, vampires, shape-shifters

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Heat Rating: 4 out of 5

The Title: The title of this book just says it all for strange neighbors are what Merry gets when she moves into her new apartment.

The Cover: The cover artist for this book did a superb job! The swirls easily convey the whimsy that is contained in this story. I just love the eyes along the right border. If you look closely you can see a witches hat as well as some fangs. Very cool!

The Story: Merry MacKenzie has finally left the nest to live on her own. Too...more Rating: 4.5 Stars
Heat Rating: 4 out of 5

The Title: The title of this book just says it all for strange neighbors are what Merry gets when she moves into her new apartment.

The Cover: The cover artist for this book did a superb job! The swirls easily convey the whimsy that is contained in this story. I just love the eyes along the right border. If you look closely you can see a witches hat as well as some fangs. Very cool!

The Story: Merry MacKenzie has finally left the nest to live on her own. Too long had she lived with her extremely overprotective dad, taking care of him and her little brother after her mother passed away. It was time for her to be out on her own so she could spread her wings (are you getting the aviary imagery?). She was so pleased with her apartment and even more so with her hottie landlord, star baseball pitcher, Jason Falco. The only thing was, her neighbors were kinda... strange. The building had a residential ghost, two witches, a vampire and shapeshifters. How was it that all of a sudden she found herself surrounded by the supernatural?

Shapeshifters and witches and vampires, oh my! Ashlyn Chase's writing is delightfully witty and I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. I laughed so much that I had members of my family questioning my sanity because they could hear my laughter rooms away!

I have only one complaint about this book and it's this: the POV was constantly shifting. It made my head spin but I can only take a little away for this because I enjoyed the story so much.

This story was light and fun, the sex steamy, and I had a hard time putting it down. The secondary characters were a hoot (especially Gwyneth) and they rounded out the storyline nicely. This apartment building is full of all sorts of possibilities. I can't wait to read more!

Funny line...

“I do declare! I'd rather jump barefoot off a six-foot step ladder into a five-gallon bucket full of porcupines than see anything bad happen to you."
"I don't think that's necessary, but the situation scares me a little”
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May 27, 2010 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews, paranormal-romance

Merry has just moved out on her own for the first time. She loves her new townhouse apartment. Her new landlord Jason is very easy on the eyes. Jason himself hopes to snag some alone time with his new tenant. But throw in a vampire, a werewolf, a ghost, two witches and a nosy aunt and craziness is bound to ensue.

I loved the premises of this book. Paranormal creatures as neighbors- talk about never having a dull moment. Strange Neighbors was a light enticing read. Funny, romantic with healthy dos...more

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Jan 03, 2013 The Window Seat rated it 3 of 5 stars

The concept of this book is great. I loved the idea that the apartment building seemed to attract kindred souls, even if some of them didn’t realize the others were there. However, the execution of the story fell short in my estimation, but I’ll save that for later. Let me share a little about the eclectic assortment of inhabitants so that you can get to know them.

First, there’s Jason Falco, All-Star pitcher for the Boston Bullets. He just bought an old brownstone apartment building and remodele...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Strange Neighbors is a cute paranormal romance. Its many characters of varied supernatural flavors suggest potential for a long running, shifting perspective series. I look forward to future books in the series because while I didn't love this book, the premise itself is wonderful and I think some of Strange Neighbors’ secondary characters will make perfectly fascinating leads, which is good considering the author wrote two more books. Definitely a book focused more on the romance aspect with th...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Kari rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, paranormal, pn-weres-shifters, reviewed, read-in-2012

Merry MacKenzie has finally--finally!!--moved out of her overprotective father’s house and into an apartment in the big city. On her first day in Boston, she meets her landlord, ace pitcher Jason Falco, who helps her move in. Intrigued by a gorgeous woman who isn’t impressed by his fame, he asks her out, and they start a sweet romance. But Jason has a secret, and between a nasty, alcoholic paparazzo trying to save her flagging career, and someone from Merry’s own past, their relationship might b...more Merry MacKenzie has finally--finally!!--moved out of her overprotective father’s house and into an apartment in the big city. On her first day in Boston, she meets her landlord, ace pitcher Jason Falco, who helps her move in. Intrigued by a gorgeous woman who isn’t impressed by his fame, he asks her out, and they start a sweet romance. But Jason has a secret, and between a nasty, alcoholic paparazzo trying to save her flagging career, and someone from Merry’s own past, their relationship might be over before it starts. And that’s not to mention the rest of the building’s quirky tenants!

Where to start with this book? I can’t say I hated it. That would imply that it engendered strong feelings of any sort. This book is the type of fluffy, forgettable contemporary romance that pops up enough to make me wary of the whole genre. I wouldn’t even classify it as paranormal romance--the fact that many of the characters are magical creatures of one sort or another felt almost tacked on. The heroine is a nurse who’s put her life on hold for the past nine years, helping raise her younger brother after her mother died. Her father is extremely overprotective, which Ms. Chase clumsily overplays at almost every opportunity. Her brother has ADHD, yet acted more like a 5-year-old on a sugar high than an 18-year-old on Ritalin. Merry herself is rather flat; she only has one scene of strong emotion--a quick display of jealousy when Jason meets one of her flirty coworkers. Other than that, she seems to just float along. I think the ghost has more backbone than she does.

Jason seemed a little more real, but not by much. He’s extremely protective of his privacy, which is one reason he bought and renovated the apartment building in the first place. He’s instantly attracted to Merry, but at first it seems more for her lack of interest in him than anything she says or does. I really disliked his interactions with his bitch of an aunt--he gave his uncle a job as the building’s super, and Dottie seems to think it’s her place to stick her nose into all the tenants’ business. She likes to call the police at the drop of a hat, despite knowing her nephew’s desire for privacy, yet each time he skirts the issue and just forgives her. Both Dottie herself and the way Jason acted toward her really brought down my enjoyment of the book. If she were my aunt, I would have kicked her out after a month.

The rest of the tenants were entertaining. A pair of witches operate a phone psychic line--and a phone sex line. Chad, the resident ghost was a hippie reporter in the 60s who was murdered in his apartment and likes to watch soap operas with the raven shifter who works in the morgue. We can’t forget the sexy werewolf and the vampire who lives in the basement! The supporting cast brought this book up from a bad read to merely forgettable, especially the subplot where a detective comes in to solve Chad’s murder.

The plot seemed to skip around a lot, something that bothers me in most books. The conflict for the first third was the paparazzo and her libelous reporting coming between Jason and Merry. Then it was Jason’s own “deep, dark secret” (his words, not mine!)--he and his family are shape-shifters. And THEN it was Merry’s insecurities, and a touch of family drama. Each plot thread was wrapped up tritely (especially the paparazzo storyline--gag!), with barely any overlap. The shape-shifter mating aspect was poorly done; I’m all for fated mates and life-long mystical bonds, but this mythology was a little ridiculous. And for an author who got her start in the erotic romance genre, I was really unimpressed with the sex scenes.

If it seems I had strong feelings on this book, well, I don’t. It was a pleasant enough read, with issues that didn’t bother me terribly at the time, but came rushing back when I set it down. I doubt I’ll seek out the next two books in the series. I think most of my problems with “Strange Neighbors” come from approaching this as a paranormal romance set in contemporary times, rather than a contemporary romance with paranormal elements. If you’re into chick-lit romances, this might be right up your alley. Unfortunately for me, it’s not up mine.

2/5 stars.(less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Jenny Delandro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, e-books

EBOOK in ALDIKO

Merry moves to the big city

An apartment building

with interesting neighbours

Jason is a baseball player who is hiding from the press

his uncle and aunt who act as supers

then there is a werewolf, two psychics, a ghost, a vampire and a raven shifter
(view spoiler)...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Shannon rated it 1 of 5 stars

Laugh if you want (and roll your eyes, too) but I expect a little less lameness in my supernatural romances, thank you very much. Suspension of disbelief isn't hard when a book is well-written or, at least, entertaining. This was just...bad. For so many reasons. Lame, repetitive dialog that doesn't move the story forward. Flat characters, and far too many of them. Sex scenes that come out of nowhere and seem to be added simply because the author doesn't know what to do next. A bunch of story lin...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 30, 2011 Jadaloves rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was drawn by the cover of this book and thought that I was in for a great read, but as they say, you should never judge a book by the cover. It took me forever to finish this book because it didn’t really keep my interest. Now I won’t say this book was terrible, but it could have been a lot better than it was. Or maybe my expectations were just too high.

Merry, an adopted girl from Rhode Island decides she’s had enough of small town life and caring for her father and brother, and decides to mov...more I was drawn by the cover of this book and thought that I was in for a great read, but as they say, you should never judge a book by the cover. It took me forever to finish this book because it didn’t really keep my interest. Now I won’t say this book was terrible, but it could have been a lot better than it was. Or maybe my expectations were just too high.

Merry, an adopted girl from Rhode Island decides she’s had enough of small town life and caring for her father and brother, and decides to move to the big city. There she intends on leading a very “Sex in the City” lifestyle with her best friend Roz and stake out her independence from her family. But upon moving into her new building, Merry meets handsome, famous Baseball pitcher Jason Falco and immediately begins a whirlwind romance with him.

Soon Merry find herself surrounded by a whole host of cooky characters and neighbors that have just a little bit more than the usual going on behind closed doors. I think the only thing I really enjoyed about this book was all the Strange Neighbors. The story and plot was just unrealistic to me, even in knowing it was a paranormal, and even trying to suspend disbelief. It was pretty disjointed and incongruent.

There were entirely too many subplots and side stories being told in this book, but I suppose they were there to distract the reader from the fact that the main plot was so boring and unrealistic. The romance between Jason and Merry went entirely too fast. I’ve always been a fan of relationhips that build, a little hemming and hawing, back and forth, and verbal sparring. The dialogue was corny, and it was a bit vulgar at times. There was also way too much inner dialogue. Some thoughts of the characters we just didn’t need to be privy to. It was too much telling in this book and not enough showing. I think a lot of circumstances were too easy and much was taken for granted or assumed.

Despite my gripes about the book, I somehow liked the majority of the characters. Though they were pretty shallow, Chase does somehow make you care for them. Since I already bought the second in this series, I will be reading it and hoping the writing gets better. But the jury’s still out on whether or not I’ll get the third book.

Alright effort from Chase, but she needs to keep working. I could see how the story could be good, but it just didn’t deliver.

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Apr 26, 2011 Mistresslala rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: vaginalalaland, paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m not going to lie. I like a good, cheesy paranormal romance here and there and often find the light, easy reading to be the perfect mind numbing candy I need. I never expect a lot from this type of book – nothing earth shattering, no new revelations or deep thought provoking stuff but this book....ugh.

It started out OK with an interesting premise. An apartment building full of supernatural creatures, a new neighbor, a love interest, etc. but halfway through the book if it had been an actuall...more I’m not going to lie. I like a good, cheesy paranormal romance here and there and often find the light, easy reading to be the perfect mind numbing candy I need. I never expect a lot from this type of book – nothing earth shattering, no new revelations or deep thought provoking stuff but this book....ugh.

It started out OK with an interesting premise. An apartment building full of supernatural creatures, a new neighbor, a love interest, etc. but halfway through the book if it had been an actually book I would have thrown it across the living room. There were so many instances where the characters and plot could have been developed a little more and I know this is supposed to be the first installment of the series but if the author doesn't give enough interest and character development to make me care about what happens to the characters then who cares if there’s a number 2 or 3 in the series?

That being said my two main complaints were the often unnecessarily detailed and drawn out sex scenes where the language was repeated over and over again for almost every scene. I’m all for romance novels and some steamy scenes but they began to feel like page filler. The main female character, Merry, also seems not well thought out. At times I felt she came across as childish, immature, naive and not very “experienced” but these perceptions were often rocked when it came to her dialogue in the sex scenes.

My last complaint, and the reason for wanting to toss the book, was the number of times PMS and the “seasonal pill” was mentioned. Is the author getting some kick back from the makers of this birth control pill? Do we really need to read a few pages of Merry going on and on about PMS and being on the pill? And, do we really need a detailed explanation (twice) about how this seasonal pill works? It seems irrational and honestly, as a woman, insulting that a female character (a nurse at that) would blame all her irrational moods, behavior, crying, and indecisiveness on PMS. What age are we living in?

Towards the end of the book things began to fall apart and almost every little thing was annoying. We have the character of Aunt Dottie who is constantly interfering in things but then towards the end (even though she’s been tied up by a vampire and attacked by a bird man) she seems content to smile and leave for a vacation with her shifter-bird husband like nothing happened. Really? Because um, if I were tied up by a vampire I think I’d have a little more to say about the matter.

Verdict:
At the end of the day I could not stand the story, the characters or the plot. I didn’t even find it humorous. I kept reading in the hopes it would round itself out and because I rarely don’t finish a book. It’s a shame, I think the story had potential and could have been fun. Unfortunately, it fell very short.
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Nov 10, 2010 Suvi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was so excited! This was the very first book I won through Goodreads! When I asked for it, I didn't realize that it was paranormal romance (emphasis on the romance). I guess I have only read gentle read romances so I was pretty preturbed and bored by the time the third love making scene started. However, if you like Cosmo type romance and you want to read something different, this is great. It really caught my attention in the beginning and the cast of characters were absolutely great!! I real...more

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Nov 08, 2010 An Abundance of Books rated it 1 of 5 stars

I will preface my review with saying that I understand that every book is an author's baby. They invest so much time and energy, working hard to create the best story they can.

I saw this book awhile back on Book Chick City's wish list post and thought it had a neat premise. The whole book had so much potential. Unfortunately the heroine was wishy washy, jumped to ridiculous conclusions, the hero needed to grow a backbone, too many supporting characters, the side stories overwhelmed the main stor...more I will preface my review with saying that I understand that every book is an author's baby. They invest so much time and energy, working hard to create the best story they can.

I saw this book awhile back on Book Chick City's wish list post and thought it had a neat premise. The whole book had so much potential. Unfortunately the heroine was wishy washy, jumped to ridiculous conclusions, the hero needed to grow a backbone, too many supporting characters, the side stories overwhelmed the main story, there was too much telling instead of showing, and not enough pronouns or proper nouns used during conversations with multiple characters.

Merry has grown up with an overprotective father after her mother died, so I understood her driving need to live on her own. She moves into a building with a nosy apartment manager (Jason's Aunt Dottie) and a hot owner. She and Jason hit it off right away, and despite some reservations, she decides to go for it: a serious relationship with a famous baseball player. For Jason's part, he's very nervous, but really wants to make this work with Merry. He's half shapeshifter (making him lose control of his shifts when under a lot of stress) so he's very careful around the paparazzi. He doesn't want to freak Merry out about being constantly photographed or made up stories in the gossip columns. Ok, all of that made sense and that's where it ended.

Aunt Dottie calls the police about every little thing, Jason says she's going to alert the media to where he lives, but she doesn't listen and he doesn't stand his ground. Dude, grow a backbone and make yourself heard! He's so worried about his secret being found out but he doesn't take real steps to protect himself. Merry blames everything on PMS, I got so sick and tired of it. It's her standard excuse for being crazy. And she flips out over the dumbest things. She finds out that her birth father (Merry was adopted) is a vampire. She takes this information in stride. Jason gets really nervous on their way to her adopted father's house for Thanksgiving and he turns into a falcon. Merry totally flips out, leaves him, and goes the rest of the way to her dad's house. A little bit later Jason makes it to the house and her dramatic response is:

"Never having been exposed to anything so bizarre in her life - except a vampire father and a haunted apartment building - all she could think of to do was protect herself. Protect her family. How could she expose them to... what? A magician? A shaman? Some kind of weird animal spirit possession?"

What? Seriously? She's okay with her family visiting her in her haunted apartment building with her vampire dad living in the basement, but Bird Boy is too much?! Really? Another example: when her birth father was telling Merry about her birth mother, he described her as someone who spoke her mind, didn't let herself get pushed around and, "was passionate about everything she did. She stood for good causes. She believed in doing the right thing even if it wasn't the easiest thing." Sounds like a nice lady who tried to do what was right even it if was hard. Merry's response: "You mean she was some kind of an agitator? Or zealot?" I just wanted to bang my head agains the desk, that is such a ridiculous conclusion to jump to. I know it's a paranormal romance, but Merry's thought processes and reactions didn't always seem realistic. She also believed everything printed about Jason, she never listened to anything he said. She was so quick to go into punishment mode. Like the time he was going to be auctioned off for charity, he told Merry about this and she knew it was for charity. Later on she sees a tabloid article showing Jason in three pictures - one with her, one with the lady from the charity auction, and one where it looked like he was hugging/kissing someone (a fan jumped on him). She knew he was cheating on her and wouldn't listen. Eventually Jason got through to her and it was all okay, that darn PMS was just making her overreact. Argh!

By this point every little thing the characters did was irritating. Merry's adoptive father kept telling her she was too young and impressionable to live on her own. Excuse me? She sacrificed a lot to live at home and help out while not going to the college she wanted to. She's a grown woman with a good career in nursing, and you don't think she can handle herself? He was one more person on the list that needed to be smacked. Dottie whined constantly. I felt a bit sorry for her, she really believed that she was being helpful (in a horrifically rude way), but somebody needed to stand up to her and set her straight.

The writing also tended to get fairly repetative and explanations could get very long and tedious. For example, The Seasonal Pill of Doom. Merry decides to go on the seasonal pill. Fine, great. And for those who don't know what the seasonal pill is, the author explains it. At great leangth. Twice. I felt that The Seasonal Pill was taking over the book. The first time around I got tired of the explanations and just wanted it to end. The second time around, I became frustrated and irritated. Enough with The Seasonal Pill already, lets get on with the story!

There were also tons of support characters. These characters were interesting and I had assumed might have spinoff stories. Unfortunately It was like Chase was trying to make their stories fit in with Jason and Merry's story. The entire narrative started to feel really crowded and I was having a hard time keeping up with who was who. Then there was the side plot of Chad the ghost (a reporter who was possibly murdered by the government in the 60's) that could have been interesting, but it started to compete with the actually story. There was one scene where there were several people in his old apartment arguing. Unfortunately, I had no idea who was talking. It was just a list of dialogue with the occasional gender specific pronoun thrown in (that helped a little). I re-read the section three times, Thinking that maybe I'd skipped a name in there somewhere. I gave up and put the book down for several weeks after this particular exchange.

When I finally picked it up again, I found that I just didn't care. I didn't want to devote any more time to this book. I was done. This is only the second book, after Little Women, that I've refused to finished. Then I started looking for reviews to include links to, and it seems that everyone enjoyed this book. What? Where did I go wrong, why didn't I like it also? I feel bad because I really did not like this book, I'm writing a negative review about somebody's hard work, and now I'm a bad person because I'm the only one who didn't like it. (I'm not even listing all of my negative points because it would be overkill.) Ok, maybe not a bad person, but I must have missed something to dislike it when general opinion is fairly positive.

Verdict:
I'm sorry guys, but I just could not stand this story, it's characters, anything. I didn't find it funny, romantic, or fast paced. I didn't even finish the book, which makes me think it's probably not fair for me to review it, but I need the closure. Half a star guys, this story had so much potential but it fell so, so short.(less)

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Oct 15, 2010 Linda Bsss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Merry McKenzie Always Knew She Was Adopted With Her Dark Latin Looks A Dead Giveaway. When Her Adopted Mom Died She Took Over The Duties Of Cooking And Looking Out For Her Younger Brother, But After Finishing College To Become A Nurse, It Was Time For Her To Have A Place Of Her Own. She Saw An Ad In The Boston Paper And Immediately Rushed To Get Her Apartment And Leave Rhode Island And Her Over Protective Father.

Jason Falco Was Very Private About His Life And As A Pitcher That Signed A Ninety Mi...more

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Aug 11, 2010 Riccarla Roman rated it 3 of 5 stars

A friend recommended this book and I thought it looked cute. Merry Mackenzie,a nurse from Rhode Island, moves into an apartment in Boston, not realizing that it had just been purchased by Jason Falco, star pitcher of the Boston Bullets. She's out on her own for the first time and has no clue who Jason is. She also has no clue that the other residents include two witches, a shapeshifter, a ghost, a werewolf upstairs, and a vampire in the basement.

The story is a romance between Merry and Jason (wh...more

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Jun 28, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars - New neighbors - some 'strange', some annoying

Asserting her independence after helping her father to raise her younger brother, Merry's finally moving into her own apartment. Merry's 'new start' in the big city seems to be starting out pretty darn good since Merry has caught the eye of her hunky neighbor/landlord baseball star Jason Falco. But everything is not going to be that easy for Merry, a close call in a mugging, dealing with Jason's fangirls and stalker paparazzis, and an ov...more

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Jun 23, 2010 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This is another para-normal romance book. Although it is in a different category then Larissa Ione's, Gena Showalter's or JR Ward's. And I'll explain why. As I see it, there are a few different ways to approach this genre. You can have the big-bad evil "institution" of a bad guy, with the minions and overall story arch that never really gets you any closer to things being all ok in that universe - the story of each particular book only inching along the overall fight against the institutional ba...more This is another para-normal romance book. Although it is in a different category then Larissa Ione's, Gena Showalter's or JR Ward's. And I'll explain why. As I see it, there are a few different ways to approach this genre. You can have the big-bad evil "institution" of a bad guy, with the minions and overall story arch that never really gets you any closer to things being all ok in that universe - the story of each particular book only inching along the overall fight against the institutional bad guy and never really resolving anything much more then hooking up the lead guy and his gal. That's the Showalter/Ione/Ward category for me. (The biggest problem with them are evidenced by J. Frank's series with Noah/Gideon/Damien/etc... we got to the last character, but the overall story arch wasn't solved; what a let down!)

Then, there are the ones like the Vegas Vamps and to some extent the Queen Betsy ones where there is a crisis but the overall story is much more resolved when the book is done. The relationship between the primary and secondary characters is really what drives the next book, not the need to beat some big evil. And the latter is where I place Strange Neighbors. And then there are the ones where I can't really figure out what is driving the series - but I won't comment on those (and I have read a few of them!)

Don't get me wrong, I love both types of the PNR but to me there is a clear line between the two. And the latter, tend to be a little more comedic then the former. So.... that said, this fits wonderfully into that latter category.

The main characters, Merry and Jason are great. I love the little tidbits we get about each one of the wonderful strange neighbors who live in the building. The romance between Merry and Jason, I thought, was well done. There could have been a little more of the time they spent together, but what we did get was great.

I loved that Merry didn't really need to be "rescued" (well, except for the attack that first night, but even that was awesome in that it wasn't Jason who saved her). The reveals associated with each of the characters felt right and timely and wasn't over done. Dottie... well, she was written well enough that I found myself from time to time audibly growling at her I was so annoyed with her. The side plots of the reporter and Chad, for some might take away from the book. For me, I thought it gave it depth. This was just as much about setting up a series (I think it's the start of one anyway) as it was the romance between Jason and Merry.

The note from the author at the beginning set my expectations with respect to Chad - and here was where I felt let down. I expected to be laughing hysterically as Chad's antics. He's a ghost who believes he can get away with it after all (that's a summary of the author's note about Chad) - but he was only moderately amusing and from time to time quite annoying. But the story does get the PI involved and brings the residents together so we can get to know them.

The dialogue between Merry and Jason was well done. The imagery as well - for I could clearly picture the apartment building, the penthouse, etc., and yet I didn't feel like the narrative descriptions obtruded with the rest of the story. I enjoyed the refreshing part where the fact that these folks are supernatural isn't taken quite so seriously (the scene with Jason shifting in the elevator and still having his sweater on is a great and funny example of what I mean).

As for the steaminess, well, the few scenes are well done and tasteful while still very nice and steamy! And the epilogue... well, that was the steamiest part ;) and definitely worth the read!

This is a fun little book with some interesting and amusing characters. I am eager to read Strange Neighbors #2!

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May 29, 2010 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars

'Strange Neighbors' was totally fun, witty, and hot! I really enjoyed this one!
Ashlyn Chase created a cast of characters from every walk of "life" if you want to call it that LOL! It was a light hearted and fun paranormal romance that totally sucked me in and kept me wanting more. The main character, Merry, was great. I loved that she was a woman about my age, thrown into this freaky world, and managed to find love in strange places. (ha! get it? Strange places....yeah, I'm a dork!)
Anyway, I als...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars

STRANGE NEIGHBORS by Ashlyn Chase is 354 pages in paperback form. It is the first in the Strange Neighbors series.

DESCRIPTION:

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 wa...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

I really liked the premise of this novel. The thought that paranormal people (werewolves, witches, vampires etc) would group together was very interesting. Unfortunately, it didn't work nearly as well as I would have hoped.

The character of Jason was way too overwhelming for me. He just ups and kisses a woman he's just met? It was a little too pat for me. Ok, we get it. Merry and Jason are meant to be together, but really, the way it happened didn't work for me. I also thought the detailed sex sc...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Merry wants independence. She is 25 and have been living with her dad and brother all her life. She wants a bit of Sex and the city, and she has found the perfect flat to start her new life in. At once she catches the eye of the landlord, a certain hunky baseball player named Jason Falco. Perhaps she will get to have a bit of fun after all. Jason on the other hand is not the all American guy that he seems to be. He is a shape shifter, and he is looking for that special someone, and Merry seems...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Tracey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-paranormal, fiction-fantasy, fiction-magic, xx-2011-reads, fiction-chick-lit, fiction-romance, fiction-shifters

Rating 2.5 stars

There was definite potential with this storyline, but the author often misses the mark.

Merry MacKenzie moves into a new building to start her new life on her home and unexpectedly finds she is surrounded by 'weirdos' at the same time she becomes involved with baseball player Jason Falco who also has a secret. There was a nice balance of humor throughout but it was overshadowed by the two main characters who, for their age, just come across as immature. Perhaps that was to bring...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

I love reading paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels — that’s no secret. The stories are inventive and exciting. But more often than not, they deal with assassins, slayers, wars between species, ect… Sometimes after reading a few of those books, you need to find something light and quirky where the evil adversary is just some crazy aunt or some over-ambitious photographer. You need a funny read full of attractive characters that’ll keep you giggling. “Strange Neighbors” by Ashlyn Chase is...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Elizabeth Nesbit-comer rated it 1 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this series. Heck, I bought two of the books and got them signed when I met the author at RT 2012. I sadly just could not get past the bad dialog and somewhat robotic characters.

"In that case, I apologize for my fan-boy brother. It's weird, but even though he has Attention Deficit Disorder, he can remember all kinds of trivia about things that interest him, like sports."

"He behaved himself in front of you. If I don't call him tomorrow, he'll be all over my case and ch...more

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Nov 26, 2010 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it 2 of 5 stars

I decided to read this book because I was looking for something a little lighter than my previous reads. Higher on the chick-lit and lower on the gore. This novel definitely fits the bill. There are a few paranormal elements in the story but they come across as quirky personality traits as opposed to an alternate reality. Sort of like if a friend of yours has a larger than average nose. Yes it's noticeable but you won't not be their friend because of it. Vampires, shifters, witches and other par...more I decided to read this book because I was looking for something a little lighter than my previous reads. Higher on the chick-lit and lower on the gore. This novel definitely fits the bill. There are a few paranormal elements in the story but they come across as quirky personality traits as opposed to an alternate reality. Sort of like if a friend of yours has a larger than average nose. Yes it's noticeable but you won't not be their friend because of it. Vampires, shifters, witches and other paranormal beings are portrayed along the same lines. There's something off about them but nothing significant enough to be a deal breaker.

I found the first half of this book very confusing. The story is about a bunch of different supernaturals living in the same apartment building. Chase lost me when she introduced tons of new characters all at once without explaining what type of beings they were. There were hints here and there that I eventually pieced together but it did take me a good chunk of the book. This left me feeling frustrated and a little lost. Especially when it came to the ghost, Chad. The reader meets him within the first couple of chapters. I got that he was a ghost, but what I didn't get was whether everyone else could hear him or not. As the story progressed it became obvious that only a select few of the supernaturals were sensitive to ghosts. But at first, I couldn't help but wonder who this guy was and why he didn't stop talking! Kinda annoying!

As is standard in most chick-lit novels there is quite a bit of R-rated action happening. Which is fine by me! When done right I find that a few steamy chapters really add to the story. Strange Neighbors did not pull it off. After reading a few sex scenes I was left feeling like the author got all of her ideas from Cosmo magazine. Not to mention that she didn't even try to re-phrase them in her own words. It felt a little like plagiarism to me. Throw in some tired clichés and gross/awkward moments and I was left wondering where Chase got her inspiration for these encounters. I sure hope it wasn't from real life!

The book got better at about the 3/4 mark. The characters were coming together and the sex writing got better. The end chapters focus more on the love story between Jason and Merry. Which is kinda sweet if you're able to get passed Jason's crazy desires to be monogamous and to marry his girlfriend. Their courtship is very unconventional and not in a good way. Their relationship comes off as borderline stalker-esque.

It took me almost a full week to read this book, which is highly unusual for me. I just couldn't get into it. The story was weird and the writing style just wasn't for me. I wouldn't categorize this book as paranormal, it's more romance/chick-lit. Strange Neighbors is an easy read that doesn't require too much thought. I haven't decided if I'll try The Werewolf Upstairs when it's released in the new year. This book is an interesting mix but left me feeling like my time could have been better spent elsewhere.(less)

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Jun 08, 2010 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, for-review, read-june-2010

Strange Neighbors is a fun, romantic romp that passes an afternoon wonderfully. I was engrossed in this apartment complex and it's inhabitants from the beginning. Merry is just out on her own and she's been thrown into a building with a lot of interesting characters. The most interesting of which is Jason Falco, a great baseball pitcher. The sparks fly between Jason and Merry from the beginning, but with strange happenings and even stranger events going on, it feels like things may never click b...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, paranormal-romance

**Four and a Half Stars**

Merry is one of those characters who can either be very endearing and relatable, or such a complete hot mess that you just want to slap. See, she’s never been out on her own, having taken over the running of her family after the death of her mother. While not very worldly, she’s not exactly naïve either, which is refreshing. I loved Merry to no end, I was happy to see that she was not the kind of first-time-in-the-city girl that has no clue whatsoever. Her innocence and...more **Four and a Half Stars**

Merry is one of those characters who can either be very endearing and relatable, or such a complete hot mess that you just want to slap. See, she’s never been out on her own, having taken over the running of her family after the death of her mother. While not very worldly, she’s not exactly naïve either, which is refreshing. I loved Merry to no end, I was happy to see that she was not the kind of first-time-in-the-city girl that has no clue whatsoever. Her innocence and lack of experience is charming and a natural part of her allure, instead of making her seem helpless and weak. I think one of the things that helps with this is the fact that her romantic interest, Jason, finds her rural charm just that – charming. In the end, however, she proves herself as an independent and strong woman with a mind of her own. She’s a wonderful balance of fun and sexy, wrapped up in one woman.

Jason is my kind of guy all around. Pro baseball pitcher, hunky, and carrying a secret. Okay, so maybe I’m not all about the man in my life carrying deep, dark secrets, but in my fiction it’s just fine. I was happy to find he wasn’t arrogant in any manner, but a good ol’ boy from Minnesota with his feet firmly on the ground. Having been all around the world, his experience balances out Merry’s inexperience in a good way. They learn from each other and feed off the other’s emotions and actions in a way that real couples do. Together they make a cute and believable couple. And they’re not perfect, either. Another nice touch. She’s not immediately accepting of his dark secret, but they talk things out and make it work, like you would in the real world. That, in my opinion, makes a story that much better.

Strange Neighbors is a fantastic book that will provide something for your every need. The first thing you notice is the author’s wonderful sense of humor. You won’t go for more than a page or two without a giggle of some kind, and most likely a full out laugh. The second thing you notice is that the building they live in? Yeah, it’s peopled with nothing but the oddest of critters – a ghost, shifters of every kind, a couple of witches, and a vampire in the basement. Lastly, you are sucked in and held by the wonderful budding relationship between Jason and Merry. And I don’t mean just the sex – although that by itself is a reason to read this novel, hot, steamy and very satisfying – but the whole ritual of finding and getting to know someone well enough to fall. I love how all the elements of this story work together to build a better and more complete world. I also loved the fact that the shifters in the building aren’t the kind you’d expect, either. All in all, there’s not anything you’ll find to disagree with here.

And now, if you’ll excuse me… I’ve got The Werewolf Upstairs loaded on my Kindle, just waiting for me… (PSSST… it’s $2.36 at Amazon right now, go buy the sequel!)

(less)

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Oct 12, 2010 Brandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: print, signed-personalized, mass-market

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to laugh and be charmed by the characters. I wanted to read this like almost all of my other books that have come before, in one sitting.

Sadly this didn't happen for me, any of it. I persevered. I chugged along hoping things would get better. But it didn't. It wasn't a bad book. There is something in there that with some refining/editing would make it good and far more enjoyable. I wasn't totally turned off and wanting to toss the book.

For me, the main charac...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Donna (BLHmistress) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here is another book I have been wanting to read for a long time and just kept pushing it back on my to be read list. Partly due to the fact I didn't have all the books in the series. I am kind of funny that way. Anyway enough of my rambling.

I loved every part of this book. So much so that I would love to live in this apartment building. Can you imagine having a ghost and various other paranormal beings living right next to you. I would so love that to be honest. The characters were hilarious, e...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adults

I just love quirky characters and Strange neighbors is just chocked full of them. 25 year old Merry Mac Kenzie has moved out of her widowed father's home to try to seek an independent life in the big city. While moving into her Boston brownstone, Merry meets Jason Falco, the star pitcher for the Boston Bullets and the owner of her building. While getting to know each other they also get to know their "unusual" neighbors, 2 witches who make a living manning a psychic & sex hotline, a socially...more

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About Ashlyn Chase

Ashlyn Chase has been a registered nurse for 20 years. During those years, she wrote articles for professional journals and a thesis, but eventually, thank goodness, discovered the joy and freedom of writing fiction.

Ashlyn considers herself lucky. Her degree in behavioral sciences is a combination of psychology and sociology, so she has worked with and studied people most of her life. She never ha...more

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Books by Ashlyn Chase

The Werewolf Upstairs (Strange Neighbors, #2)

The Vampire Next Door (Strange Neighbors, #3)

Flirting Under a Full Moon (Flirting with Fangs Trilogy, #1)

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Quotes from Strange Neighbors

“Jason is explaining the ins and outs of being a bird shifter to Merry.

She says:

"Sheesh. Okay, I think I only have one more question."

"Shoot. No, don't shoot, but ask away."

"If someday I get pregnant, will I lay eggs or have babies?"

He burst out laughing and didn't stop until she hit him.” — 7 people liked it

“Merry has just found her bio dad Sly and is meeting him for the first time (as her dad) and her beau Jason is confused:

Jason scratched the back of his neck. "Does someone want to tell me what's going on here?"

Sly lowered his voice and breathed heavily a couple of times. "Luke, I am her father."

"Funny."

"No, really," Merry said, wide-eyed. "It might be true.” — 6 people liked it

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