Kinky Neighbors by Jasmine Haynes

Grade - D-/C-
Hotness Level - Inferno
Kink Level - No kink
Genre - Contemporary, MenageSeries - Kinky Neighbors #1
Jointly Reviewed by Kate & Anne

*** This review contains spoilers***

So, I (Anne) knew that Kate was on the lookout for a good HEA foursome book.  There was a Valentine's Day sale on ebooks at All Romance eBooks and I had Jasmine Haynes on my wishlist.  So when I read the back cover copy for this one, I suggested Kate and I both read it.  Below is our joint review.

Kate:
Drew has always enjoyed the kinky side of his wife Cat. So when she suggests they invite their neighbors (and friends) Logan and Alexis to go away for a week of exploring new sexual territory, he agrees. Drew worries that the new dynamics might destroy the friendship, but Cat promises to take it slow. Logan, like Cat, is looking forward to the week. Alexis has always been a bit more sexually reserved than Logan, but agrees to go on the vacation.

I'll be honest, I didn't like this book at all. Not because of the writing, but because it just crossed some boundaries I didn't even realize I had. In the initial stages of the foursome, I felt uncomfortable because of some of the feelings Drew and especially Alexis were experiencing. The further into the relationship(s), the more uncomfortable I became. By the end if the book, I was forcing myself to finish...I was simply too close to the end to not finish.

Anne:
I really liked the first third of this book.  The part that takes place at their weeklong getaway at a mountain cabin.  I knew they were talking Alexis into things, but I felt like she was happy with what was happening and not having any second thoughts or anything.  Once they got back to real life, Drew and Alexis (the story is told from their alternating POVs) both seemed to have some reservations about what they were doing, and I started to get uncomfortable.  I was holding out hope that these were issues they'd just have to work through, but things just got worse and worse.  In the end, I was really disappointed because the story didn't meet my expectations. 

I wanted to read a fantasy where everyone was happy.  I didn't expect two marriages to fall apart.  Honestly, I'd guess that is how it would work in real life.  So, I'm complaining because the story was too realistic.  And when it was revealed toward the end exactly how much manipulation had occured and how early it had happened... well that ruined even the beginning of the book for me.  Even the twu wuv discovered between Alexis and Drew didn't save the story for me.

Kate:
I tend to rate books by how likely I am to reread them.  In this case I wrote the review, deleted the book from my Kindle and happily moved on.

Anne:
Yeah, I don't think I'd reread this book.  I will look for more by this author, because I thought it was really well written and the sex scenes were particularly good.  I'll be pretty careful about reading cover copy and probably other reviews before I read, though.

Kate:
There is a sequel to this story (Kinky Neighbors: Cat and Logan's Just Desserts) but I won't be reading it. I just don't want to know any more about these characters.

Anne:
Really.  A sequel.  Huh.  But I really hate Cat and Logan.  I can't imagine enjoying a book about them.  It's a damned if you do damned if you don't situation.  If they are happy, I'll think it's unfair and unlikely.  I'll be pissed that they walked away from their manipulations (and spouses!) without any consequences.  If they are unhappy, that won't be much of a read for an HEA lover like me.   So, yeah, I think I'll be skipping the sequel.

And, Kay, don't even think of picking this book up.  It would make you so angry!