Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score

 

 A Review by Wendy

4.5 A Helluva Ride Stars
* * * * 1/2

 Spoiler Free

Bravery comes in all sorts of forms. It can be standing up to a bully, it can be taking a look in the mirror and changing a pattern, and it can be writing a book, unlike anything you may have written before.

Lucy Score is Hella Brave. She had an idea for years, she let it sit dormant and then when the time was right, she let loose, gave us it, in all its glory. Her timing was perfect because as a Lucy Score reader, she has been laying the groundwork for just this type of ride.

In Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door we have a woman whose deepest desire is to just be "normal". You see her family is anything but. Her mother and mother's mother have been gifted (not that Riley would call that) with psychic powers, and it seems Riley has been graced with the most powerful ability of all. Since she was a child, she had visions of the future, hears from the dead, and the thoughts of others around her...Yup, she hears them too.

Now from an outsider's point of this, they may think this would be really cool but in actuality, it's not...unless you know how to control it.

So Riley is dealing with her life; she was hosed during her divorce proceedings by her ex, leaving her having to pay him even though he was the one who cheated on her. She works as a proofreader at a company that is practically hostile 24/7.

And the cherry on top is her living arrangement in a rundown mansion owned by an elderly woman who has numerous other elderly people living there. All under the umbrella that they are related so as to not be considered tenants. Meaning Riley isn't renting, she is staying with her aunt and uncles.

Now picture this...

Riley's area up in the attic area of the house is shared with another tenant. They both have these little places with baby kitchens, a place to sit, and bed area. Unfortunately, they share a bathroom out in the connecting hallway of the house. This other guy is not the most user friendly. In other words, he is an ass. He owns a crappy bar, has worse health habits, and is just all-around icky.

So it wasn't out of the the norm when Riley would hear creaking outside her door when someone was in the hallway. Since she was sure it wasn't one of the other neighbors, she looked out through her peephole and saw a man, a very hot stranger who was everything you would see under the label "Bad Boy".

Riley opened her door, got a little dizzy looking into those blue-green eyes, and saw something that she couldn't quite believe. She heard this man saying to her he was looking for someone and it brought her back to the here and now.

Nick Santiago, current private investigator/past cop, was looking at this vision of a woman. She wasn't dressed up, hadn't stitch of make-up on, and yet, she was beautiful beyond belief. He was looking for a guy to serve him and ended up having the cutest banter ever with this person. He liked her sass, her quick mind, and from what he saw...a smokin' body.

But Nick could tell, this woman wasn't for him because Nick liked his life free and easy. Riley had good girl written all over her. She was a rule follower and Nick, since birth, made breaking rules his religion. So she was a no go but that did not stop him thinking about her non-stop long after his first encounter with her.

This story takes off from the very first couple of pages. You get the feel of just what you have bought into and understand to strap in for the ride provided. It will be something that will capture your mind, your heart, and all of your time until you finish it. It is a compulsive read. You want to know where the hell it is going and you want to go with it.

There are so many additional characters, you would think they are too much...BUT not exactly. Because with this type of story, it is the talent of keeping all those plates spinning and not dropping any of them that is the deal. All of those characters fit together like those 1000 piece puzzles. You have to be up for the challenge to attempt them but when you complete them you feel like you mastered the world.

Lucy Score mastered her world. She created a group of people who will stay with you. You will want to know more and follow their shenanigans...because I promise, with this group, oh, there will be more to come. 

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

 

About Lucy Score

Lucy is a Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestseller of romantic comedies and contemporary romance. She grew up in rural Pennsylvania with a lot of time on her hands and a big imagination. She was the oldest of three in a book-obsessed household. Dinners were often spent in silence while family members had their noses buried in books. A passion for writing took hold at five when she taught her brother to write his name on the bathroom door.
She started writing (on paper) in the second grade, first about pilgrims on the Mayflower and over the years graduated to essays, articles, blogs, and finally books. "Pretend You're Mine" was her runaway hit and she's been writing full-time ever since.
Non-romance-writing jobs have included event planner, bartender, newspaper lackey, and yoga instructor.
Lucy and Mr. Lucy, enjoy spending time with their 1.7 million nieces and nephews and laying on beaches with umbrella drinks.