The Aussie Next Door

This is an emotional heart cruncher! I fell in love with Jace and Angie from the start, each with their own set of problems that squeezed me with emotions. American Angie thought she had finally found her home in Patterson’s Bluff, Australia but things are never easy for her. She’s faced with a choice; leave or find a husband. This could have turned into a “green card” romance but it didn’t. It was a roller coaster of a slow build romance between two individuals with lots of issues to overcome. Trust being front and center. I don’t know anyone with Jace’s condition but the author did a wonderful job of presenting his challenges in a way that was endearing and not overwhelming. There was more good than bad! I was crushing over the hunky surfer/artist right along with the lovable Angie. Angie’s background was heartbreaking but her attitude toward life was uplifting. She won my heart with her resilience, helping others attitude and her crush on Jace. I was rooting for these two as they struggled to get on the same page with their budding relationship before it was too late. They were so sweet with each other along with the steamy chemistry that has me swooning. The resolution to their relationship woes was unexpected but just fabulous. Kudos to this fantastic author for giving us something different with her terrific writing and spectacular characters. I loved the small town of Patterson’s Bluff, the friends, the cute dogs and Jace’s wonderful family. I hope we get more stories from this locale with these fantastic characters. Loved it! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.

What an amazing story of love, learning and acceptance. Things we should all strive to do everyday.

The love story between Jace and Angie is so heartfelt and incredible. Ms. London does such an amazing job of telling this story of 2 people who just want to be loved and accepted for who they are.

And really, isn’t that all anyone should want in life. Everyone has their quirks and differences; that’s what makes us all unique individuals and no one should ever be judged for being their real self.

Angie Donovan has always dreamed of a day where she’d have a family to call her own. After bouncing from one foster home to the next, Angie finds herself in the spotlight. Needing to escape her life in America, Angie flees to a quaint little town in Australia. Angie becomes involved in small town life, finally finding peace. Until her quiet life is suddenly falling apart with the news that her visa is expiring. With only two months remaining on her visa, Angie vows to find her HEA as that is the only way she can remain in Australia.

Growing up in a family of seven, Jace Walters wanted nothing except peace and quiet. As a high-functioning autistic adult, Jace thrives on structure and routine. Wanting to shake up his life a bit, Jace’s mom tricks him into dog sitting two dogs for a few months. The dogs, combined with his chatty, beautiful next door neighbor, has his life is suddenly out of control. When he discovers Angie’s plan of love and marriage in the next two months, he takes on the role of her wingman. After having his former fiancé leave him due to his quirks, Jace knows he could never be the man Angie needs. But, he’d rather have her in his life as a friend than not have her in his life at all.

I absolutely LOVED Jace and Angie! I was sooo “team Jace”. Everything came easily for his siblings. I wanted it ALL for Jace, not Trent. I know there are good, decent foster families out there. The abuse children endure so their “parents” can claim a check is horrific! This story is realistic, thought provoking, and inspiring. It’s heart wrenching to think a child has never felt love. I’m extremely happy Angie found her HEA, her home. I also enjoyed the reference to Calvin and Hobbes, my all-time favorite comic growing up. I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

I really liked this story, it was refreshing and a fast read at least for me, this author was a new author to me, but now it will be the first book of many!.

Overall Rating: 1/2

“She’d always known she would marry for love — because her life would have been very different if she’d had love…from anyone.”

The Aussie Next Door, Stefanie London’s newest book, is a story of two unlikely people falling in love in an unlikely situation. Angie, a U.S. citizen, is trying to stay in Australia, the place where she has finally found peace. The problem is the courts don’t agree, and she must leave Australia and return to the country of her birth, much to her dismay. One angle: find a man who will fall in love with her and marry her to keep her in Australia. Enter Jace, Angie’s landlord and next-door neighbor. Jace and Angie are attracted to each other, but very different. Jace, a comic creator, likes his solitude and routine. Everything has a very specific place in his life. Coming from a large family where there was constant chaos lead Jace to his very exacting life. Add in his being on the autistic spectrum, and routine and solitude are necessary. Unfortunately, his neighbor who is attractive is the opposite. She loves to talk and is generally messy. However, whenever she is around, Jace fixates on her. As the story progresses, these two fight their feelings for each other as Angie tries to find a husband. Eventually, the two cannot deny it, but can Jace fall in love with Angie? Will he marry her and keep her in Australia? Even more, can two seemingly opposites find love?

I was intrigued by this story from its blurb. Opposites attract? Check. Australia? Check. $exy hero and heroine? Check. All of the boxes were checked just in the blurb. Then, I received the book for an honest review, and Stefanie London blew me away for a number of reasons.

London gives us Jace. Yes, he’s handsome. Yes, he’s attentive. But he’s also on the autism spectrum. Obviously, he’s very high-functioning. However, his autism informs his daily living, and this adds a complication to any relationship. For most of the book, Jace doesn’t believe he can actually maintain a relationship. His heart is broken early on by a former girlfriend, and he lives with self-doubt. Jace is not an alpha-hero. He carries a bit of brokenness and self-doubt around, and it causes some of the angst of the story. And I loved this about him. When he finally falls, he’s sweet, cute, and cherishes Angie. His sensitivity becomes his super-power, and the reason I love him in this story.

London then gives us Angie. I am a sucker for broken characters, and Angie is one. Except that she covers it with a smile and a profound love for helping people. Of anyone in the story, Angie should live under a dark cloud. She’s a former foster child. She’s been taken advantage of by the system that was meant to protect her. She’s lived a life with very little love. Yet, she’s the most profound person in the story. She volunteers, brings light into the lives of the seniors and other townspeople, and quite frankly, she challenges Jace out of his comfort zone. “He didn’t want Angie to leave, that much he knew. She made the place brighter. Happier.“ Angie embodies love, even when she has never felt it. Her brokenness comes in her want of it, in her defense in hiding her true self in order to be loved. But it’s Jace who finally fills her love quota to overflowing.

I love the setting of this book. I’m quickly becoming a fan of romance novels found in other countries and continents. I think it exposes us to different cultures, and above anything else, books should challenge us. London gives us the Aussie culture, expanding our understanding of the world. She helps us see the difficulty of staying in a place that feels like home when you’re a foreigner.

The Aussie Next Door was such a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t read Stefanie London previously, but I am intrigued with reading more from her, especially if we get more books in this series. What London has crafted is a story of broken souls: one who thinks he can never be good enough to be loved because he is different and one whose true self has never been seen because she needed to fit in to find love. Together, these two souls are mended by love. And it’s the most beautiful part of this book.

Angie and Jace’s love story in The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London, book one in her Patterson’s Bluff series, was a wonderful story. Angie and Jace are two misfits who believe they will never be loved nor appreciated for the talents each one shares with the world. Angie was a foster kid who escaped to Australia to hide but when her visa clock is ticking she needs to find a way to stay. Maybe getting married to an Australian isn’t the smartest idea but it would allow her stay. All thoughts goes to falling in love with her landlord and next-door neighbor, Jace, who’s hot and funny. Jace loves the solitude of being alone. After getting a diagnosis of being on spectrum edge, he’s found his niche working on a syndicated comic strip; one that reflects his life. Angie is his opposite, loud and outgoing, while also being beautiful and sexy. When Angie helps Jace take care of two dogs they discover an attraction that is mesmerizing and chemistry that could fuel fireworks. Not wanting to have a deadline hanging over them be the make or break decision for these two and their relationship, they figure out an alternate path to follow to give themselves time to understand each other and grow the love between them.

Ms. London wrote a wonderful, steamy, suspenseful and emotional story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sexual chemistry, amusing banter, and endearing characters giving Angie and Jace a chance at having a true and forever love. I highly recommend The Aussie Next Door to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Cute and sweet with a dash of humor The Aussie Next Door is an adorable read to lose yourself in. I always adore a hero who is not your stereotypical “perfect” and that’s exactly what Jace was. While he may not have been that stereotype of perfect alpha male he was so perfectly Jace that I think I loved him twice as much for it.
And then there was Angie. Sweet, warm-hearted and adorable she’s fighting so hard to be more than what her past chained her to. Where Jace is calm, quiet and strictly organized Angie is like a tornado of sunshine. Loud, bubbly and full of life. These total opposites have so much chemistry it’s not even funny though. Add in some mischievous pups bringing them even closer and you’ve got a recipe for an adorable read!

So much more. Yes it’s a fun, sexy, small-town read. You also have Jade a man who is on the spectrum. Angie has a lot of insecurities due to her life in the foster system. Together with great supporting characters some furry friends you get a book that again is funny sexy and pulls at your heart. Hope to see more books set in this small town. I received a free copy of the book from netgallery and I am voluntarily leaving a review
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MS London has done it again, written a story that is filled with so many emotions, fun and laughter, heartfelt warmth, wonderful family life and a sensual pull that will warm anyone up, this is a true romance that is sure to leave any reader feeling so good, lots of happy sighs in this one, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved my visit to Patterson’s Bluff.

Angie Donovan has escaped to Australia to get away from a childhood and past that left her wanting love and happiness and by moving to Australia she is hoping that she will find that. Always the happy, helpful and kind person, Angie finally settles in Patterson’s Bluff a beautiful coastal town in Victoria, she rents a little granny flat from one of the towns favourite’s Jace Walters, she is very happy that is until her visa is just about to run out, can she find an Aussie to fall in love with in two months, is there any chance that if could be Jace?

Jace Walters comes from a big happy Aussie family, but Jace craves his own time and his own routine, so moving out of his family home suits him, really well he is a cartoonist who has a fabulous cartoon Hermit Vs The World and he loves his surfing, but life as Jace knows it is going to change when beautiful American Angie moves in and he decides to help her find someone to fall in love with.

I loved this one from start to finish and am thrilled that it is the first of a series I can’t wait to go back to Patterson’s Bluff I want to move there. Angie is a beautiful heroine, beautiful on the inside and out, caring and loving and Jace he is a very special hero who has needs that keep him going, add a couple of cheeky dogs and these four have the time of their life together, yes there are some hurdles to jump, but there are laughs and smiles to keep everyone turning the pages. I highly recommend this one, don’t miss this one.

Amazing! This book was an absolutely amazing romance. The story is fun and lighter, the entire cast of characters lovable and the emotions are deep and sweet. This book simply melted my heart! I felt that Jace was a unique, timely and relevent character. I appreciate when authors strive for inclusion and diversity in their work. Angi’s painful past was just heartbreaking. I enjoyed every single minute that it took for these two to find the love and happiness they deserved.