{"id":6620,"date":"2013-11-03T04:28:24","date_gmt":"2013-11-03T12:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=6620"},"modified":"2017-03-08T15:37:09","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T20:37:09","slug":"review-truce-neighbor-from-hell-4-by-r-l-mathewson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=6620","title":{"rendered":"Review: Truce (Neighbor from Hell, #4) by R.L. Mathewson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

OMG, I love this book! I\u2019m a huge fan of R.L. Mathewson\u2019s Neighbor from Hell<\/i> series, and will admit to being a little worried about this one because it strays a bit from what we are used to, but R.L. did a fantastic job of staying true to what her fans love about these books, giving it enough of a twist to make it something really special.<\/p>\n

The book starts in the present, with Jason\u2019s Dad sitting him and Trevor down to tell the story of the beginning of one of the traditions of the Bradford men. And the boys are in fine form as usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce upon a time\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cAre you fucking kidding me?\u201d Jason asked, shaking his head in disgust.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Jarred demanded, taking a bite from his sandwich roll.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re really going to start it like that?\u201d Jason demanded, sharing a look of disgust with Trevor, who was inching his hand toward the platter of sandwich rolls.
\n\u2026\u201cOw!\u201d
\n\u201cThose are my sandwich rolls!\u201d
\n\u201cDad,\u201d Jason said, not bothering to look up as he prompted his father to get on with it.
\n\u201cOh, right,\u201d his father said, pointedly clearing his throat. \u201cOnce upon a time\u2026\u2026.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Flashing back to London 1809, we meet Elizabeth Stanton and Robert Bradford as children – family \u2018friends\u2019 and neighbours who live to torture and torment each other.<\/p>\n

Years later, Elizabeth is being forced into society to find a husband. Being dragged along to balls and introduced to \u2018appropriate\u2019 men, she is miserable, and waiting until she is of age to receive an inheritance left to her by her aunt so that she can escape London and the fake life that she is being pushed into. Robert finds himself in a similar situation, being forced to play nice and support his family as his older brother (and heir to his father\u2019s title) searches for a wife.<\/p>\n

Both desperate to escape their situations, Elizabeth and Robert find themselves hiding out in the gardens during one particular ball and, not realising who the other is, they engage in some polite conversation which turns into one very hot and steamy anonymous tryst. Holy historical hotness! If you were expecting all politeness and modesty because of the era \u2013 think again!<\/p>\n

What should have been just one night, an unforgettable memory for both of them, quickly turns sour when they realise who the other is, and as the two families are unexpectedly thrust together under the one roof, Robert and Elizabeth\u2019s childhood battles resume and the two of them are at each other\u2019s throats once again.<\/p>\n

When he didn\u2019t respond she got nervous. She looked up slowly to see him practically shaking with rage. She gulped. Giving him a tentative smile she asked, \u201cToo far?\u201d
\nSlowly he nodded. His fists clenched tightly.
\n\u201cOh dear.\u201d She jumped to her feet and ducked just as he reached for her. For some reason she always went too far where he was concerned. It really couldn\u2019t be helped though, it was too much fun to pass up.
\nShe hiked up her skirts and ran as if her life depended upon it. With one look behind her she realized that it just might. He was chasing after her. She shrieked, but didn\u2019t stop. Her father stepped out into the hall in front of her, flanked by James and Lord Bradford.
\n\u201cElizabeth?\u201d he asked, stunned.
\n\u201cToo far!\u201d she said as if those two words would explain why a grown man was chasing his daughter. Evidently it did because all three men laughed and nodded knowingly. She didn\u2019t stick around to see if her father was going to help her. There was a madman chasing her after all.
\n\u201cBeth!\u201d Robert roared.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Absolutely freaking hilarious! Elizabeth and Robert are in sensational form as they constantly prank and tease each other. But the feelings that started that night in the garden just won\u2019t go away, and they are both battling with the memories of their childhood versus the memories of their one incredible night together, and it was fantastic to watch! I loved seeing them together! They have a true love\/hate relationship. They both want each other badly, but they honestly can\u2019t stand each other, and it\u2019s hilarious watching them trying to reconcile their feelings.<\/p>\n

This was bad. This was very bad. He needed her too much. His body yearned for her in every possible way. He enjoyed her quick wit and sharp tongue. She could be funny and he knew that she was kind. This was beyond horrible. He hated the woman. She was his enemy.
\nHis enemy.
\nHe was such an ass.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Robert and Elizabeth\u2019s relationship certainly takes a few unexpected turns as they fight each other, their own desires, and the rules inflicted upon them by their families, and society at the time. They are both incredibly stubborn, and they have a few communication issues, but God, I love them both! You can see the Bradford traits already there in Robert, and Elizabeth is an amazing character, so strong, intelligent and fiercely independent. They both have a wicked sense of humour, and their passion for each other is sensational. But it\u2019s not an easy ride for them, and I was surprised a number of times at the direction the story took, but I loved every minute of it. The fighting, the steaminess, the heartache, the tender moments, and a whole heap of happy, I loved watching them find their way to each other and get their HEA (in great detail!).<\/p>\n

The historical aspect is not at all heavy. It\u2019s more their upbringing, the society that they live in and the rules that they are meant to follow that make it historical. So even if you’ve only ever read contemporary, you should have no problems picking up this book. The banter, teasing, humour, romance (and the sexy time) is all still there, and it fits in beautifully with the rest of the series.<\/p>\n

I highly recommend this to all fans of the series, and if you haven\u2019t read a Neighbor from Hell book yet, get started with this one \u2013 Playing for Keeps<\/a> – you won’t be disappointed!<\/p>\n

Loved it \u2013 4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Neighbor from Hell series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Playing\u00a0\u00a0\"Perfection\"\u00a0\u00a0\"Checkmate\"\u00a0\u00a0\"Truce\"\u00a0\u00a0\"The \u00a0\"Double<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Playing for Keeps (#1)\u00a0<\/strong>(Jason & Haley)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Perfection (#2)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(Trevor & Zoe)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Checkmate (#3)\u00a0<\/strong>(Connor & Rory)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Truce (#4)\u00a0<\/strong>(Robert & Elizabeth)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Game Plan (#5)\u00a0<\/strong>(Danny & Jodi)
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Double Dare (#6)\u00a0<\/strong>(Darrin & Marybeth)
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Christmas from Hell (#7)\u00a0<\/strong>(Duncan & Necie)
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Fire and Brimstone (#8)\u00a0<\/strong>(Lucifer)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Delectable (#9) <\/strong>(Reese)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

The Promise (#10) <\/strong>(Reed)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Irresistible (#11)<\/strong> (Aidan)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally (#12)<\/strong> (Devin)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are also some great bonuses for fans of this series!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HoneymoonHoneymoon from Hell Box Set 1
\n<\/strong>(A\u00a0collection of the first six Honeymoon from Hell Novelettes)
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

R.L. Mathewson also has bonus shorts on her website –\u00a0R.L. Mathewson Chronicles<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback Review OMG, I love this book! I\u2019m a huge fan of R.L. Mathewson\u2019s Neighbor from Hell series, and will admit to being a little worried about this one because it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,65,9,29],"tags":[313,314,48],"class_list":["post-6620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-neighbor-from-hell","tag-r-l-mathewson","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Truce.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-1IM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}