[ARC Review] Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door by Mia Harlan
When I become the guardian of my friend’s rebellious kids, I feel like I’m drowning. That’s when he floats into my life and throws me a lifeline.
The moment our eyes meet over the fence, the connection’s undeniable. Sig isn’t just my hot dreamy neighbor. He owns a sprawling water park and he has an effortless way with kids.
But beneath his perfect exterior lies a quirky secret: the man of my dreams spends his days as a floating bath toy.
Can I really fall head over heels for a rubber duckie? Only time (and a lot of bath time fun) will tell.MY THOUGHTS: I never thought I'd say it, but I wish I had more romance and spice from a rubber duckie.
Listen, I'm not going to sugar coat this plot: 95% of the romance part of this story is fluff. It's cute, Sig is autocorrect personified, and there's not much substance to Rachel and Sig's courtship. They're fated mates, everything just clicks, the end.
There was actually some really good relationship development between Rachel and her godchildren. I loved seeing their dynamic change and grow throughout the story, especially with Sig's involvement. All of the characters in the novella formed a fantastic family group, and I loved seeing that even if it felt like it took emphasis away from Sig and Rachel's budding romance.
This may be the cutest shifter romance I have ever read, but if the bath time fun that the blurb mentions drew you in, you may want to rethink this one. Sig and Rachel are beyond adorable, and Sig is as squeaky clean as a bath time toy. The plot was cute, the fluff was in abundance, but compared to other shifter romances, the spice was mild.
Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door can easily be read in just one sitting, and while it's part of Harlan's Shifter Bay universe, you can read Sig and Rachel's story without any prior knowledge of the previous books.
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Release date: 5/17/24
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: NetGalley
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