S.M. Koz's Reviews > The Voyeur Next Door

A friend recommended this author to me and while I don't typically read erotica, the cover and synopsis for this book caught my eye. I loved the mystery and intrigue she was able to impart with both of those.

Once I started the book, I was immediately drawn in by Phoenix's writing style. She has a beautiful way with words, describing sights, sounds, and emotions in colorful and unusual ways. As much as Ali was a silent observer in the book, I have to think Phoenix may have her beat by the subtle, honest, and unexpected ways she described some of the most ordinary things. She painted a vivid picture in my mind, scene after scene.

As far as the plot, I really enjoyed it. This is a character-driven book, which can sometimes be hard for me to get into, but wasn't the case here at all. I think the reason for that is these characters felt real. They had flaws (some major), but also redeeming traits. Sometimes I hated Gabriel for the way he acted, but I never stopped rooting for them to be together. They both had a lot of baggage to work through and each needed the other to do that.

The other aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was how Phoenix was able to show the conflicting emotions these characters had. Sometimes, that can be hard to convey in books and the characters just come across as fickle or, even worse, inconsistent. Phoenix did it in such a skillful way that I, as a reader, totally understood where they were coming from. In fact, many times, I felt my emotions swaying by what happened, right before we learned that the character's did as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who like steamy (i.e., graphic), character-driven stories. I'll definitely check out more by this author in the future.