Marianne (Australia) (2011/08/02): Right Next Door is an omnibus of two full length Debbie Macomber romance novels: Father’s Day and The Courtship of Carol Sommars. Father’s Day is Debbie Macomber’s 42nd stand-alone romance novel. When widow, Robin Masterson, and her 10-year-old son Jeff move out of their apartment into a house with a garden, Jeff is looking forward owning a dog. Unfortunately, Robin feels they can’t afford a dog just yet. Luckily, there’s a lovely black labrador right next door. Trouble is, Blackie is owned by Cole Camden, and Cole seems to be the unfriendliest man in the neighbourhood. Jeff has a way with animals, and it seems, with unfriendly men, as well, as soon Cole is smiling more often, especially at Robin. But once Robin learns about the tragedy in Cole’s past, she’s not sure of his motives when he asks her to marry him. Another sweet romance from Debbie Macomber. The Courtship of Carol Sommars is Debbie Macomber’s 41st stand-alone romance novel. Carol Sommars has been a widow for 13 years, ever since her husband Bruce died in a car accident. Her fifteen year-old son, Peter, is best friends with James Preston, and James’s dad, Alex, has been a widower for three years. When they meet, Carol is not at her best, but Alex can see that she is much more the woman he wants to settle down with than the blonde bimbos his friend Barney keeps setting him up with. Carol is attracted to Alex, and the boys can see only positive things coming from their union, so they plot to make it happen. And even though Alex is not Italian and not Catholic, her mother Angelina is all for it too. But Carol has misgivings about remarrying. This is a sweet romance with some delightful characters and some snappy dialogue. Another enjoyable Macomber romance.
