Love Thy Neighbor

by Debbie Macomber

Cole Daniels was far from the typical boy-next-door . . .

For weeks, Lesley had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her new neighbor. Since the house next door was the only other house in sight, she hoped the new tenant would also become a good friend.
From the moment she saw him, she knew Cole Daniels was a mistake. His dark mesmerizing eyes didn’t excuse his arrogance. His gentle concern for the wild deer in the woods out back didn’t clear him of suspicion. There was something mysterious about the attractive man who seemed to be hiding from the world. What was his precious secret?

Genres: Romance, Fiction

187 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 2, 1985

About the author

Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.

Reviews

[Ann C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I now know why this book was only $.99. It was terrible.

I know this book was written in the mid 80's, but the men were assholes. The bank manager giving over to Cole to open a checking account was a slap in the face to Lesley. She followed the rules, but the bank manager did not. Cole's degrading statements to Lesley, as the assistant manager were disgusting. He did not want to deal with her because she was an assistant and a woman. The so called boyfriend, Dale, thought he could tell Leslie what she could and could not do. At least there was no physical abuse. But the verbal abuse was awful.

Cole ran hot and cold. One minute he thought Lesley was great, the next he was verbally abusing her. Yet, Lesley fell in love with this jerk. Seems to me this would be warnings to not marry the prick.

This is the worst Debbie Macomber book I have ever read. I have been reading her books since the 80's and liked them. I obviously missed this one. I wish I had missed it this time.

[Peggy Haufle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely can tell it is an early book of hers. Good to see how much she has improved. Blossom Street will always be my favorites.

[Meredy Brownstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is dated & has not aged well. Also, for the very first time in any of DM’s books, I found several typos.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted an easy summer read with nothing that should be filtered. It was such a relief to read a book without the negatives I usually find in off-the-shelf picks. The plot involves a mysterious man who moves in to the other side of the duplex. Annoyance battles with attraction and the couple ends up together. My one complaint, common to romance novels: the development of the relationship is so incredibly shallow.

Where is the novel that includes a romance beyond "They were inexplicably drawn to each other."? Where is the story that acknowledges that love is a choice that we can direct and control. Love is built through acts of kindness, generosity and selflessness. I know I'm asking too much of a paperback, but it would be great to find a more realistic and meaningful story line.

[Andrea Jaeger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and unfortunate portrayal of female main character

Heavy religious tone with the phrase lets pray for....in every paragraph. If you can get past that redundancy, the female protagonist takes verbal abuse throughout the story and responds to apology with the phrase of, "that is okay, I am praying for you. "
For me the story was mildly interesting but the characters were not.
I cannot believe Debbie Jack her wrote this. If I was here, I would not allow it to be published again.

[Mayda · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an assistant manager at a bank, Lesley deals with all kinds of problems, but never has she met such an obnoxious customer as Cole Daniels. Hoping never to see him again, she is dismayed to discover that he is her new neighbor. But Cole hides a tremendous secret, and Leslie finds herself attracted to him even as she disdains him. A quick read, this entertaining and inspirational romance has a bit of mystery that will intrigue you.

[Amy Voelker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realize this was a re-release of a very old (1980s) book when I bought it. This is a short enemies to lovers closed door romance with a side of evangelization. I am happy that Debbie Macomber has moved away from this level of religious content because it is not for everyone. This one was a quick read.

[Janeal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book I would make my daughter read as an example of the kind of man she should stay away from. There were a million red flags! If you enjoyed this story (or more specifically, if you rooted for the MLC) you might require therapy. My favourite part was when Leslie broke up with Cole. The story ended there for me.

[Hanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. I despise books about heroines who adore morose, troubled men who run hot and cold, treating them badly one moment and gently, lovingly the next. If what those gals feel is real love, they need tberapy. It sure looks more like horniness mixed with misplaced compassion to me.

[Kathie Loch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religious

Quoted Bible versus, learning to love her neighbor. Interesting concept with exactly opposite personalities. Nice to read a clean book with no swear words or sex scenes other than hugging and kissing. Realistic in today's world; doubtful, but a good story nonetheless.

[Amanda Dicicco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how I got through this book. It was cute but I feel like all they talk about god and she prays for a man.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light read that I found on the Valentine's Day display at the library.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this. The helplessness of a “god fearing” Christian woman combined with an absolute ass of a male lead. Just ew.

[Racheli Zusiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסלי היא סגנית מנהל בסניף הבנק המקומי, וגרה בחצי אחד של בית דו משפחתי. בחצי השני גרה עד כה אחותה ביחד עם משפחתה, אבל אחותה עברה דירה לבית גדול יותר, ולחצי השני נכנס דייר חדש בשם קול - גבר בוטה ומאוד לא נחמד, שללסלי היו כמה היתקלויות מאוד לא נעימות איתו, והיא משתדלת להתעלם ממנו ואף לנקום בו לפעמים על ההתנהגות שלו אליה. עם הזמן השניים עוזרים אחד לשנייה בכל מיני בעיות שצצו, ומתיידדים ואפילו מתאהבים. קול מסתיר את הסיבה שבגלל עבר לגור בבית, והעבר שלו מונע מהשניים להיות ביחד.
זה ספר שנכתב בשנות ה80 וככזה הוא די מיושן. הוא מאוד מאוד נוצרי - לסלי היא נוצרייה אדוקה והיא כל הזמן מדברת על הנושא וגם מנסה לשכנע את קול לפעול בצורה מסוימת בהתבסס על עקרונות הנצרות. גם ההתאהבות שלהם הייתה די נמהרת ולא הכי ברורה לי, אבל זה מילא... אם הספר לא היה כ"כ נוצרי כנראה שהייתי מחבבת אותו יותר.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Thy Neighbor is a romance novel. Lesley has been waiting for the arrival of a new neighbor ever since her sister and family moved. They had been sharing a duplex. It was so nice having a sister next door; but now who was going to move in?

Finally, the day came when she realized she had a neighbor, a man. His name is Cole Daniels and doesn't like to be disturbed or bothered. Lesley was suspicious of him. Was he a gangster? Did he kill someone? What was he running from? Only thing that puzzled her was how nice he was to the deer in the woods feeding them hay. What is his secret?

Darn it all but she was falling for this man and Cole also seemed to be having constant thoughts of Lesley too. How will they ever be able to get along?

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this novel off the shelf. I was intrigued by the main character Lesley looking forward to having a new neighbor move in. Where she lives is rather secluded. Her sister and her family have just moved out of the duplex next door, and Lesley is missing the daily interaction with them. Little does she know that the new tenant will be aloof, arrogant, and rude with a list of other negative attributes. This handsome stranger appears to be hiding something. Their mutual attraction to each other is not surprising, but Cole Daniels's past is. I really enjoyed reading Love thy Neighbor. It was a fun, short, and quick read w/a lot of mysterious twists and turns.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though she's one of my favorite authors, this was a Debbie Macomber book that I had never heard of before. I saw it at my local library. It was originally published in 1995 and rereleased in in 2012 in large type, which is the copy I found. It was a quick read but a very good story. This one has more religion than most of her newer books. That was ok with me. There were several twists in the book that I didn't really see coming. Sometimes when books are rereleased the author will update them a bit. This wasn't done with this book because updating to make it current would have messed up a major part of the story. If you are a Debbie Macomber fan, be sure not to miss this gem.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story to read but seemed a little awkward at points. When Cole was first introduced, he and Lesley appeared to be at great odds with each other, but then suddenly he was calling her "honey" and proposing marriage. I guess maybe the book was just missing the proper build-up for readers to follow their relationship despite it being fairly predictable. While it was still an enjoyable read, I kind of wished it hadn't been as simplified as it was especially with the way in which the ending was so neatly wrapped up like a box with a bow on top.

[Virma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this nice little story 4 stars but some of the story dragged a bit too long to get to the point where you knew it was going. But it was a nice story and a quick read.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a quick read. Ok. Wish it had been longer and characters were more developed.

[Sue Klasing · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romance from Debbie Macomber's vintage series.