THE PLAYER NEXT DOOR

THE PLAYER NEXT DOOR                               KATHY LYONS

An unexpected catch...

NBA star Mike Giamaria doesn't mix basketball with love. Ever. Then Mike meets Tori Williams, his cute, quirky new neighbor who seems hell bent on refurbishing her death trap of a house on her own. When she falls from her roof and into his arms, Mike knows he's just caught a whole heap of trouble.

Trouble sums up Tori's life. Despite her academic success, no one believes she can take care of herself-not her family, not her ex-boyfriend. She's determined to live her life on her own terms, and if that includes a hot summer fling with the super-sexy athlete next door, so much the better.

But when Tori's around, Mike can't keep his mind on basketball. He wants...more. And to his horror, not just more time on the court. When training starts, it's game over-it has to be-unless Tori can convince Mike that love doesn't belong on the sidelines.

MY REVIEW:

     It’s funny how we will allow small things to rule our lives even crazy ones.  It seems like it widely accepted in the sports world but Mike Giamaria might have taken his mother’s good advice just a little too far.

     After twice burned once in high school and once in college both related to girls he was involved with he took her literally.  His mom told him he needed to pick between his hopes of a career and screwing around with girls.  He chose his career which meant a lot of one night stands that first year until it became old.

     He got drafted by the NBA after college.  His “system” as he calls it worked until now.  This is the system:  Love and Basketball don’t mix: Basically no woman during basketball season, because you can’t have both.  When he is recuperating in Evanston, IL. In order to stay out of the presses limelight who would think to find a N.Y. Knicks player in Bulls country. 

     After his third jog of the day, he is really liking the suburbia.  When he gets home he sees the neighbor lady dangling by a rope upside down from the roof.  The odd thing is she looks calm.  But he realizes that the rope is too thin to hold her for long.  As he enters the side yard he looks around for a ladder of which there is none that he can see.  When he looks back at the lady the t-shirt she is wearing is gathered around her neck showing her ample breast.  Instead of pulling it up in this case she takes it off.  Now it is all he can do to keep strict eye contact.  It is also when Tori Williams notices Mike.  When he speaks to her she says, what? When she remembers she has her earbuds in.  Mike ask if she needs help she says no she’s got it.

     He tells her to hold on he’s going to look out front to see if there’s a ladder there.  No, just her Prius.  He asks her how did she get up there and why was she up there?  She says she was roofing and she used the tree to get up there.  With her face of Duh!  He says his name and she gives hers.  He waits for her to know him (has a pro player) but she doesn’t.  He says here let me climb up and hoist you up.  She says no that she has been working out the plan before he arrived.  She starts swinging her body out at weird angle.  He knew what she was trying to do but she was not doing it right.

     When he looks up to see where she is tied off it’s not bad it is the fireplace.  When he starts following the rope down he sees where it was fraying.  He tells her to stop swinging but he’s too late when she is flying in the air right into his arms.  Albeit awkwardly and at the expense of the shoulder he just had surgery on.  Then he goes to help her up as he is gripped in his pain.  When she uses that shoulder to get up.  Causing a shooting pain to course through his body.

     Once she helps him home things really start to become interesting.  Because you have a guy who used to being well known and playing to the press.  Yet, he’s there to avoid it, so when Tori doesn’t know him it takes some adjustment to his ego.  Then there is Tori a professor of religion and philosophy at Northwestern who as a child was a bit of an airhead.  Yet, as an adult figured out it helps her avoid people and confirmations if she relied on the airhead routine.  Funny thing is they each figured out each other’s game but allowed it to get a better understanding of the other’s life.  Making for an interesting storyline.  The characters are funny and real.  They bring a realness to each other’s lives as well to the story itself.  I give this 5 stars.  Provided by Netgalley.

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