Louisa's upstairs neighbor is giving her fits. The worst thing is the day he steals her newspaper. She is up for a confrontation then only to see him and realize he's gorgeous. He likes her, too, but both try to deny their feelings because the other is the opposite of him/her. Pete, the upstairs neighbor, is a screenwriter and working on the mystery of a pig who went missing. He pulls Louisa into his investigation, only to become overprotective and realize he has come to love her. Can he keep her safe? Can he get her to marry him?

I enjoyed this story. It is madcap and crazy and fun. I like Louisa and Pete. I laughed as they got into some predicaments. Louisa's dream of her wedding is a hoot. Her Grandma Brannigan is also. The story is crazy so suspend belief but it is perfect for a summer day on the patio or beach.

This is book #3, in the VIP series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  To avoid spoilers, and to fully understand the series, I recommend reading this series in order.

Jax is stunned from the moment he meets Stella.  He does not know why he is so attracted, but he thinks about her all the time.  Can he be what she needs to make a future?

Stella is surprised to meet Jax.  The attraction is mutual. She becomes his neighbor.  They meet up constantly and accidentally and the heat is sparking all over.

This story was more involved and a little dark.  I like how realistic it was about addiciton and depression.  These are hard subjects to tackle and I felt it was done well.  I liked reading about the characters falling.  It felt organic, real, and like I was in the room.  I enjoyed this read.  I give this a 5/5 Kitty's Book Spot!

Libby is seriously sick.  The hottest man ever has mangled her front yard.  Just gross.  He has gotten sick, made her feel bad, and thoroughly disgusted her.  How is this possible?

Killian is so glad to be anonymous, knowing it will not last.  For the time being his neighbor slash enemy is avoiding him.  He cannot stop looking her way.  He may have to get to know her better.

This book starts out with such fun angst.  There is so much humor, and the laughs keep coming.  Until the heat kicks in.  Then it is all heat and spark.  Between these two, you can feel it lifting off the page and seriously almost burning me as the reader.  I was fully impressed.  I cannot wait to read the next book in this sexified series.  I give this read a 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

But hey, I'm actually reading, so that's something. About halfway through The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, and now I'm reading two visual novels Neighbor (horror) and Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (steampunk fantasy romance).

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store: I really don't know how I feel about it - it's somehow both emotionally manipulative and somewhat emotionally distant. It's made me cry a few times, but it's not on the level of, say, A Man Called Ove.

Neighbor: I'm at chapter 10+ (not sure, exactly). The main characters have been introduced to the horror next door, a woman who is literally seeping through the walls, and now they're trying to figure out who she is and how to stop her, because Kae's lease won't let her move out early unless she forks over six months worth of rent. The apartment's previous resident lasted about three months before she had to be committed. Kae has only been there for about two days.

Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth: I got this for my Switch Lite, which I'm still avoiding using much due to horrible hand and arm problems (my guess is arthritis combined with a more recent injury to my elbow, but I have a doctor's appointment next week, so I'll know more soon). Luckily, Auto Mode means I hardly have to touch the Switch at all. I only just made it past the prologue, but so far I'm liking it. The heroine, Cardia, reminds me of Beatrice in The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter due to the poisonous nature of her body, and for all I know they may be based on the same literary character. It would make sense, since all or most of the visual novel's other main characters are also based on literary characters. For example, the first person Cardia meets is a very flirtatious Arsene Lupin.

I was in the mood for something interactive, but not too interactive, so I got myself this horror visual novel, which is still 30% off for the next 39 hours.

Premise: A young woman moves into an apartment and tries to introduce herself to her neighbors. The ones above and below are fine, if a bit tense or hesitant. However, the apartment right next door to hers is downright creepy, despite supposedly being empty, and it soon becomes clear that the place is horribly haunted.

So far this is so-so, but the voice acting (in Japanese only) is good, the sound effects are okay (there have been a couple that didn't seem quite appropriate), and I'm in the right mood for a "haunted apartment" story. "Auto play" means I can just sit back and read the text as it comes, and this particular visual novel has no choices, so I don't have to worry about hunting down different story paths and endings. I do wish it were possible to tell how much story was left, though. I'm about four or five chapters in, but that tells me nothing since I don't know how many chapters there are or how long each one is. Judging by the playing times in the reviews, I have anywhere from four to seven hours left.