Berkley (Paperback), ISBN 0-425-18449-8
What a fabulous book! Granted, the story marches to a different rhythm, a British one. The Brit co-authors, Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees, tell a quirky story that hooks the attention and works its way into the heart. Using alternate points of view and childhood flashbacks, these authors offer a romance story with an original and welcome twist.

Say hello to Fred and Mickey's world in the hustle and bustle of London. Fred faces marriage to a girl with all the attributes needed to impress a discriminating mother-in-law. The wedding plans roll right along, although Fred gradually questions the impending direction of his life. Meanwhile, his fiancée plans to rebuild his life with great enthusiasm. He may blindly go along with what she wants, but a chance meeting with a childhood friend sends his world askew.

Mickey worries about her adolescent son and his gradual retreat from her, his school and friends. As a single parent, she also must balance motherhood with her other role as a new flower shop owner. She judges her life complete as long as she can provide for her son and play the role of the model parent. A summons to her son's school for his strange behavior feeds Mickey's constant doubt of her abilities. At her most vulnerable, Fred, her partner in many childhood adventures and pranks, strolls into her flower shop.

The story then takes two parallel paths between the present and the past. As elementary-aged children, Mickey and Fred had been neighbors, which led to a friendship that transcended their parents' difficult lives. Their active imagination frequently landed them in funny predicaments from which they narrowly escaped. As they journeyed through adolescence, their innocent relationship developed into a sweet, budding romance. Life's harsh realities dashed their plans to consummate their relationship, resulting in Fred's extraction from Mickey's life. Mickey always wondered why Fred never tried to contact her again. On the other hand, Fred lives with the empty spot in his heart because of Mickey's ultimate rejection.

Fast forward to the present where Mickey's feelings for Fred spring to new life. She struggles with the unpleasant fact that Fred will be lost to her for a second time. His continued visits to her shop and home soothe her soul, but they make her want more. For their sakes, she must find the strength for the ultimate sacrifice.

The dynamic duo, Lloyd and Rees, met a few weeks before collaborating on their first novel, then they married and wrote the second novel. After the birth of their first child came The Boy Next Door. Whether life imitates art or art imitates life, these co-authors arrive on the romance field like a breath of fresh air.

Michelle Monkou

Michelle Monkou, author of Open Your Heart, released in November 2002, lives in the metropolitan D.C. area.

Readers Respond

I'm a 19-year-old English and creative writing student at Derby University, and have read Come Together, Come Again and The Boy next Door. So far, my favourite book is The Boy Next Door. It is such a brilliant book and I just loved reading it. I used to think that people who claimed they "just couldn't put the book down", were slightly exaggerating, since I've never really had that problem, but The Boy Next Door kept me gripped from start to end. It was so refreshing to read something unique from all the other books, and it wasn't specifically bound to the romantic genre. I loved the way it involved the past, and put everything into reality. Just today I have been into town and brought there latest book, Love Lives. I can't wait to start reading it! Josie and Emlyn rock!

Michelle W, UK
michelle18_2002uk@yahoo.co.uk

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