*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

This was the third book in the series, and I think quite a nice way of ending things off. Well written, and I will read more by this author in future.

The Neighbors by Nancy Bush is the third in a series. I am going to have to read the first two books. If I had read them before reading The Neighbors, I would have had a better handle on this story. That said, it was a good read and I enjoyed the story and the characters and look foward to reading this again after reading the first two.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley.

A terrific crime novel set in a cute suburban neighborhood, when not all is as seems and some neighbors definitely hide some very unpleasant truths!

This was a decent entry in the River Glen series. The story did take a little while to get into, as there are a LOT of characters. It was nice seeing some of the ones from past stories, but there was still a lot to keep up with. The main plot revolves around The Village, an older, established community, and a murder from 15 years back although there are actually several stories all intertwining throughout. Now, once I got a handle on who was who, and who was doing who, I was able to settle in for a very entertaining read. Mac and Taft's romance was not at the forefront, some may not like this, but I did as I prefer more suspense than romance in my Romantic Suspense stories. Several have said this would read well as a standalone and I guess it could, but I would recommend reading the other 2 first, as you do need knowledge of some points in order to understand something in this one. Overall, a fun read from a pretty reliable author!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #NancyBush and #KensingtonBooks for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Neighbors by Nancy Bush
River Glen #3

Neighbors can be wonderful or…just the opposite. In The Village, an established housing development, the “old guard” have a creepy association, keep dark secrets, and as so often happens…a secret is not a secret forever once more than one person knows the secret.

What I liked:
* Returning to River Glen to se how characters from past books are doing
* Mac: ex-police, working with Taft in his PI business, trying to ignore her attraction to Taft, hired to keep Daley safe in The Village
* Taft: ex-police, owns his own PI business, has worked with/for some dicey characters, trying to keep Mac safe, has a lot of irons in the fire
* Cooper: detective on the River Glen police force, continuing to follow up on a case that has been “solved”, in a relationship with Jamie, there for Jamie, Jamie’s sister Emma, his daughter and also Jamie’s daughter
* Elena: Cooper’s work partner, strong, dependable, intriguing
* The way the story started
* Following the trail of the cases that Taft and Mac were involved in
* That Emma was well liked and cared for by those in her family and social sphere
* That some of the baddies were found and dealt with
* The writing and plotting was well done
* Knowing that there will be another book in the series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like

Comments:
* I had trouble connecting with the characters – especially the many in The Village and those that Taft was dealing with. I also had trouble understanding their motives.
* I wished that Taft and Mac had made some headway in their relationship…seems it was on the very back burner and perhaps on ice for this book
* There is great potential for this series

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, for the most part
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Since Mackenzie is no longer a police officer she has to find work somewhere so being a bodyguard it is for the moment. A young woman named Daley says someone has been pranking her husband and herself and she wants her to look into it. Mac figures its probably just kids but soon learns that there are all kinds of goings on in this neighborhood. There are affairs left and right, people going missing, and wild parties. Her business partner Jesse is looking into a missing persons case and it looks like hers intertwines with it. The two start looking into all the neighbors and what grievances they might have. What all will they turn up as they continue to investigate? This was a great read and I loved the previous books just wish the author would continue on with the series and characters!

The Neighbors by Nancy Bush took some time to get going. There are a few characters that I really didn’t like, but overall the story was good enough that I am confident in recommending it to my customers. I didn’t realize that this was book 3 in a series but I found that I was able to keep up and the book can easily be read as a standalone. Not one of my favorites by this author but I still overall enjoyed the book in the end.

Thank you to #netgalley and #kensingtonbooks for allowing me read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

The Neighbors by Nancy Bush was a decent thriller but it took a long time to get started. There were a ton of characters that all had to be woven in and set up to make it into the decent book it turned out to be. There were several stories that all came together in the end, but not without plenty of difficulty and deaths galore. Jesse Taft and Mackenzie Laughlin were a couple of private investigators, both ex-cops, one licensed and Mac working on hers. Taft had made a bad decision and done some work for a crook and that was now haunting him. He wanted to keep Mac away from that so when they had the opportunity to act as a “bodyguard” for a woman with husband problems, he jumped at it and assigned it to Mac. She was less than happy. Plus the couple turned out to be odd, and they lived in a very odd community.

Mac had left the force because of the chief, who was not exactly crooked, but not exactly straight, either. She would go back if asked. Taft had been with several different police forces and simply could not follow the rules. They were both basically honest and decent people and both smart and intuitive and good investigators. The plot was convoluted but revolved around a murder that had taken place 15 years earlier. A lot of people were involved, at least peripherally, and at least two construction companies who appeared to trade employees back and forth. Mac’s clients really had nothing to do with it but lived in a planned community with many of the folks that had. Then, there was the teenager, a comedian like so many are, and some perfectly innocent folks that got caught in the middle. It was well plotted but moved very slowly for the first half of the book. It was worth the read if one has the time to spare.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Neighbors, by Zebra Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #zebrabooks, #nancybush #theneighbors

The Neighbors is the 3rd book in the River Glen series, and although it is part of a series, I felt like this book could easily be read as a stand-alone book. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read, even if for me it wasn't a great read. There were some characters in this book that I really did not like at all. I would recommend this book to others, even if it's not one of my favorites I am sure others will enjoy not everyone enjoys the same the same books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington Books, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't work for me. Allegedly it can be read as a standalone, but I found that I was very confused as it continued several plot lines from earlier books in the series. There are a ton of characters, and it is not easy to keep them all straight. It took me forever to read this book, and I almost didn't finish it because I could not get into the story - it was all too complicated with zero action and very lackluster romance (for a "romantic suspense").

The Villages evokes a happy harmonious neighborhood. However Mac and Taft, two former cops, are hired as protection.
Things start happening that show the neighborhood is rancid and rotten.
The action was decent. There were many players early in which led to some minor confusion, just trying to figure out who goes where.

I am questioning whether I was given the same ARC as everyone else. I could not get into this book or the characters. The book's synopsis sounded so promising, and some reviewers claimed that you didn't need to read the first two books in this series to jump into this book easily. Well, IMO, yes, you do need to read the first two books, and if you have KU, you're lucky since they are freebies to borrow.

Some of the things I did not like about this book:

1) You needed to read the first two books to understand one of the storylines in this one.

2) Perhaps the author dislikes 'the older' generation, or maybe it is because she seems to be kissing up to the younger generation? I don't know which. However, I know that it seemed false and offensive.

3) What romance there was seemed forced and false. (at least up to the point that I gave up.)

4) More characters than you can shake a stick at. Very difficult to keep straight who was who and who was sleeping with who.

5) The characters and storyline that did make me curious enough to read this book ended up being a bit on the stupid side. I mean, come on, who hires a bodyguard to protect you from dog poop in your mailbox? Yes, I understand there is more to it, but I gave up after 40%.

I am in the minority, so try this book because you may like it; everyone else did!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Kensington Books, Zebra, the author, and NetGalley.

River Glen was not for me, if this was the third book in the series then I might have enjoyed it more?

Characters had no depth, and again previous books might have given me an insight. All in all I found it boring, little action and no humour and I was unable to finish it..

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the chance to read and review.

The Neighbors is the 3rd book in a series by Nancy Bush. Usually I'm aware of new books by the author but somehow missed both of the earlier novels. Thus I found myself lost in the names of the characters trying to not only place them but stay on top of their activities with no background to their roles in the book. Underlying the topic of a luxury development batch of neighbors who are full of gossip and controlling techniques is the search for a murderer by Jesse Taft and the body guard job of his partner MacKenzie Laughlin. You could say the characters were well developed in that you come away really disliking all of them. The book is full of secrets, lies, death, and death threats. There will be those who will be ready for this 3rd book and others like me who will have been disappointed in the story.

The Villages, an upscale part of River Glen is a hotbed of lots of things but mostly there's a big Mean Girl thing running through it. Mac and Taft are back in this story that starts out with Mac working for Daley, who thinks one of her neighbors is doing bad things to her and her home. and them turns into more of a murder mystery involving Taft's clients. Mac and Taft are ex- law enforcement officers who are partners in work and in life. This has a fairly familiar set of plot and subplot lines - there's a lot going on. There are also a lot of characters. This might be most enjoyed by readers who enjoyed the earlier installments in the series (and can remember who's who.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Completely Smickered! 😳😯🤯😳😳

⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐡 ⊱

I absolutely adore Nancy Bush and have for years, as a suspenseful thriller author - she reminds me so much of Lisa Jackson. When i saw this ARC I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad I did. This book is part of a series, but you CAN read it as a standalone. I've delved into this series and absolutely loved it. This didn't disappoint with Mac & Taft at it again!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Mac & Taft are both former police officers but due to their playing to their own drum, they are forced out and decide to do investigative work together as a team. A case they've taken on, involves Mac being an essential bodyguard to Daley, who lives in the Villages - a highly exclusive and luxury area. Recently since her and her husband have moved there, they've been threatened, taunted & picked on. What Mac believes is just some pesky neighbours acting out on the new kids on the block, turns to be something far more sinister and dark that will lead back to a disappearance Taft has been working on. And Daley isn't the only target anymore.

I will admit that at times it did get a bit confusing and a bit frustrating with all the different names & characters involved. And the length felt a bit cumbersome, however that aside, I absolutely delved in with no guilt on a sunny day doing nothing but gasping, eye-boggling, jaw-dropping & whispering "what?!" my afternoon away! Spine-tingling, dark, deceitful, and decadent in lies & suspense, you'll be dying to know how it ends!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for this ARC!
Release Date: June 28, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4 / 5 Beach Waves! 🌊

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Neighbors by Nancy Bush in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

This is my first book by Nancy Bush and I had no idea that it would be the third in a series as I may have liked it a bit more knowing that I missed the first two books. That being said, I found it to be an enjoyable, suspenseful read. Before you start this book know that there are several different names mentioned in this book and it is a lot to keep straight - I had to write them down to try to keep it all figured out. I thought it was still a good book. I'd read the first two before reading anymore of her books in this series.

OK, This is the third book in the River Glen series, featuring the "Glen Gang,": Mackenzie Laughlin, Jesse James Taft, Emma/Jamie/Cooper/Harley, and Steph/Nolan, etc. You can read this one as a standalone, the central mystery doesn't have anything to do with any continuing storyline. But there are some subplots that continue from previous books, so it may be helpful to read the first two books in the series (The Babysitter and The Gossip) first. It's up to you.

On to the book itself.

Mackenzie Laughlin finds herself recruited to be a bodyguard/companion to Daley Carrera, a resident of "The Villages," a housing development that is divided between the "Old Guard" and the "Young Guard," with Daley feeling like her husband, Leon has been seduced by the Young Guard and she's hated by everyone. What she does know is that someone has been pranking them, and she fears escalation. Meanwhile, the Old Guard begins getting restless and seems to be focused on Mackenzie, but why? What could she possibly be onto that is making them so nervous?

I really liked revisiting River Glen and the people in the town, and the premise seemed really promising - creepy neighbors stalking/harassing a new neighbor. And this one indeed had some really creepy neighbors with the Old Guard folks. They had all the creep factor you could want and then some. But I think the main storyline with the Villages and the stalking got so bogged down with all the side plots and the drama between Daley and Leon that it got lost. And then when it did come to a resolution it kind of fell flat. It just didn't live up to its potential. Which is a shame because I really liked the other two books in the series.

But I still give this book three stars because like I said, there are things that develop that really make this book worthwhile. I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a reason the neighbors don't want people sniffing around the neighborhood. That subplot made for some pretty good twists.

The other subplots, which continue from the other books, were also pretty good. They wrapped up some things that remained unanswered, but I have to say, I wasn't exactly waiting on pins and needles for answers, you know?

Overall, I'm still a fan of the series. But I hope if there's another, it's a little better than this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Neighbors by Nancy Bush that I read and reviewed.
I did not feel this book at all. I found it very boring and extremely hard to get into. This series as a whole as been a struggle for me. With more or less two main characters I feel it should be two books focused on both people and it would be more exciting and you would get more out of the characters and get more action. I just don’t love this series at all. Bush tries to have to much going on and dor me it water downs the book.
I could only give The Neighbors three out of five stars because I kept loosing interest in the story.