*I received a free copy of The Schemer from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Warning: This book includes mature content such as: sexual content, and/or drug and/or alcohol use, and/or violence.
The Schemer by Avery Flynn Series: Harbor City #3
Published by Entangled Publishing on 5 February 2018
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 300
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Tyler Jacobson has a plan for everything—except how to handle his completely annoying, utterly frustrating, and totally sexy upstairs neighbor. He couldn't care less if Everly Ribinski thinks he's equally irritating—until he discovers she's the only one who can help him land a business deal that will finally make him feel like he's more than just a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
Color him shocked when Everly refuses to help, insisting she should have run him over in the parking garage when she had the chance. Harsh. But possibly deserved. Tyler may have spent the last few months reveling in annoying the fiery gallery owner with a dark past, but he's got secret leverage she can't refuse.
If only one meeting didn't turn into a fake date that turned into more. Way more. Like naked and hot as hell more.
The last thing either of them wants is to catch feelings for someone who is so obviously not their type. Good thing that will never happen. Right?
The Schemer was a fun, hot read, where the main characters did everything they could not to fall in love with each other.
Story:
Both Tyler and Everly made me swoon! The Schemer – Tyler, thought he had everything he had ever dreamed of. Until Everly moved into the apartment above his. Stomping her high heals at all hours of the day and night, and generally pissing him off. Everly knew from the first time they met that Tyler was not the guy for her. Embarrassed of his humble upbringing, he didn’t even speak in his Waterbury accent anymore. And she was a proud Riverside woman. Never one to let her past bring her down!
The Schemer happens just after The Charmer, and I really recommend reading these two stories in order, so that nothing will get spoiled. All the characters from The Negotiator show up here as well, and it was nice to see how they are doing. The overt hostility between Tyler and Everly made their chemistry off the charts. And it also showed that while they were both strong characters, they really wished for love in their life. With the right person, at least.
There is also a secondary romance in The Schemer, with Sawyer and Hudson’s mom, and I loved seeing the woman of steel getting swept off her feet. I would have gladly read a full length novel about her, though, so I was a tiny bit disappointed she only got this.
If you’re a fan of contemporary romance that involves some strong characters, a good plot and a real story, The Schemer should make its way to your shelf.
Characters:
Everly is the kind of heroine I wish there were more of in contemporary romance. Even if she had a tough childhood, she wasn’t afraid of anything. Apart from falling for the wrong man, like her mom had done. She’s a successful woman, and she knows her self worth. I loved how she put herself first, and the relationship she had with her best friend, Kiki. The way she interacted with the other characters also made her both likable and realistic.
Tyler was more of a mystery to me. While I could understand his reasoning, I wanted him to get a clue and just understand that nobody really cared that his childhood was far from ideal. His present success should have been enough for him, but he wanted to reach for more – sometimes not even thinking about what he needed in his personal life.
Writing style :
The Schemer is written in third person point of view, past tense. Tyler and Everly each have their chapters, and there are some from Helene’s perspective as well. The dialogues and the hot action were well done, and I got to know the characters well while going on a short part of their journey with them.
Feels :
I was frustrated at times, but that was to be expected, as the characters were frustrated, too. I also felt the chemistry, as well as the hope for something more they all reached for.
The Lakeland Community Center didn’t have a lake nearby, but it sat up on a hill and had an amazing view of the harbor. When the wind hadn’t whipped off all the leaves from the trees lining the walk up to the front doors, it had to be a great place to sit at the outdoor tables dotting the lawn and play chess, have a coffee, or talk about the good old days when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and milk was fifty cents a gallon.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
She’s an author I still have to try, but I already like the sound of her books! I mean, with strong characters, a good plot and a real story, it seems to me an enjoyable read is assured 😉
Glad it worked so well for you, Lexxie, I’ll have to add it to my list!
I think you’ll enjoy Scarlett Cole’s books, Silvia… Plus, she lives in the same country as you 😉
Speaking of Cole, what about the Second Circle Tattoos series? Because the complete series in that
hotnice box set is tempting me . . .I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Second Circle Tattoos series. And yeah, you should get your hands on the complete box set 😉
Aaaand *click* it’s on my Kindle now! 😉
Bwahahaha
And Avery has a lot of cool series! This one will be completed now, I think… There’s a lot of fun, and also some really steamy scenes for you to enjoy. And of course, characters that are very relatable 🙂
I added her titles to my list, rest assured I’ll give her books a go at some point (hopefully soon) 🙂
This series is even better than her backlist books, which I also loved!
OK this will be the year I pick up these books! They sound like a lot of fun, and those covers are very pretty! The chemistry especially is why I want to read these books!
Great review!
I think you’ll enjoy this series, Nick. The female characters are awesome, and the guys aren’t half bad either 😉 Plus, there is a lot of chemistry, and the humor… the humor gets me every time!
This series has been on my TBR for a bit. I’m glad you enjoyed the third book. How did you like the first one? I’m thinking I should move it up my list.
I really enjoyed all three books in this series, Quinn. It’s a perfect blend of humor and romance, and the characters are noteworthy! I fell in love with both the male and the female characters 🙂 You should so move it up your list.
I just looooove romantic comedies and I can tell how one MC moving above the other MC’s apartment could be funny as hell. :’D
It made for so many funny moments, Stephanie!
It sounds like you are really enjoying this series and I am glad to hear that! It sounds like the female lead was a really independent and secure character, and that sounds so good. It’s a shame Tyler didn’t quite show enough of himself for you to really understand him, but it sounds like the chemistry made up for it somewhat ^.^
Twitter: Mlsimmons
I love Avery Flynn. I really need to read a lot more of her books. They look like so much fun. The only thing I’ve read from her were some cute fairy tale stories.
Everly is the kind of character any genre could use more of. She sounds so compelling!
I think I would like this becasue of the heroine. Her best friend Kikis name brought back a memory back from my school days. One of my good friends is name Kathleen. But to her friends she was and still is known as Kiki. Her dad hated that nickname and would tell us her name is Kathleen she is not a dog. He always thought he sounded like a dogs name. Great times.