Published by Thomas Nelson on November 10, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Christian
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All’s fair in love and prank wars.
Bree Leake doesn’t want to be tied down. She’s had more jobs than she can count, and she plans to move as soon as the curtains fall on her less-than-minor stage role at The Barter—the oldest live performance theater in the US. But just when it’s time to move on again, Bree’s parents make her an offer: hold steady for a full year, and they will give her the one thing she’s always wanted—her grandmother’s house. Her dreams are coming true . . . until life at the theater throws her some curve balls.
And then there’s Chip McBride—her handsome and infuriating next-door neighbor.
Chip just might be the only person whose stubborn streak can match Bree’s. She would move heaven and earth to have him off her cul-de-sac and out of her life, but according to the bargain she’s struck, she can’t move out of her house and away from the man who’s making her life miserable. So begins Bree’s obsessive new mission: to drive Chip out of the neighborhood—and fast.
Bree isn’t the only one who’s a tad competitive, and Chip is more than willing to fight fire with fire. But as their pranks escalate, the line between love and hate starts to blur—and their heated rivalry threatens to take a hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic new turn.
The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson is a humorous and lighthearted story about neighbors who are at war with each other.
This is one story where you really cannot go by first impressions…or can you?
Bree and Chip meet in a most unusual way, outside the backdoor of the stage. This just happens to be during a live production in which Bree has a small, if somewhat unimportant part. She dodges outdoors in the middle of the show because her dress is falling apart, and she needs help, STAT. Chip, who just happens to be in the right place at the right time, comes to her rescue. Bree thinks they might have a special connection going, until she sees him later with his gorgeous girlfriend.
It wassn’t till a short time later that they found themselves next-door neighbors. Due to a series of various unfortunate events, neither one of them was happy about it. What really got them on a bad note was that Chip’s very large dog, Russell, decided Bree was his most favorite person. He launched himself at her, knocked her over, slobbered all over her, and more. Bree, who felt stalked and attacked by Russell, tried to get Chip to control the dog, but all to no avail.
As the story progresses, other humorous and somewhat unbelievable things take place, until finally, they find themselves in a war of sorts. Both Bree and Chip stretch their imaginations to the max as they come up with things to drive the other one a little bit more insane. I found their pranks to be humorous, but rather unrealistic, and somewhat childish. Bree absolutely took it too far when she placed a craigslist ad that had people showing up with all kinds of animals, and practically turning their street into a zoo.
Melissa Ferguson does have a way of writing characters and scenarios. In spite of the fact that I found myself rolling my eyes at the characters, I still had to chuckle at their antics.
If you are looking for a fun, clean, light hearted romance, then I do recommend this one. I’d just like to leave this word of advice – do not try these pranks on your neighbor, because you never know what it might lead to!
Three Stars