I have been enjoying Nora Roberts’ MacGregor series so far, so I was eagerly awaiting the latest installment, The Perfect Neighbor. It was alright, but somewhat disappointing. Roberts’ familiar writing style is there, but it’s somewhat wasted on the less than worthy hero.

When Cybil Campbell brings cookies to her new mysterious neighbor, Preston McQuinn, she doesn’t quite get the reception she was hoping for. Preston grabs the cookies, then slams the door in her face without a thank you. Preston is a moody playwright who wants to be left alone. But when he tastes Cybil’s delicious cookies he concedes that he may have been a little too rude, and he apologizes.

One thing leads to another, and soon Cybil and Preston are sleeping together. Cybil’s falling hard for him, but Preston won’t make any promises. He’s been hurt in the past, and he’s not ready to open his heart to another woman. When he finds out that Cybil’s honorary grandfather, Daniel MacGregor, engineered their meeting, Preston is pretty annoyed. He can feel himself falling in love with Cybil, but he’s determined to fight his feelings tooth and nail – even if it means pushing Cybil away. In the end, the only way for him to come to terms with his feelings is to face losing Cybil forever.

Ardent MacGregor fans have likely bought this book already. The whole series has an enjoyable charm, even in the less-than-great books. MacGregors from past books do pop up in this one, including the irrepressible Daniel and his wife Anna, and also Cybil’s parents Grant and Genvieve. Revisiting old friends is one of the best parts of this book.

Unfortunately, I still found it to be the weakest of the MacGregor books that I have read. The reason is the hero. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of heroes who have been wronged in the past and decide that they can never love again. Such an attitude may be slightly more believable in a historical novel, but it’s no less annoying. Preston uses his failed relationship as an excuse to be rude – repeatedly. When Cybil finally stands up to him near the end of the book, I was almost cheering.

Cybil is a great heroine, so she makes up, in part, for Preston’s deficiencies. She is a cartoonist, and there are lots of interesting details about her profession in the book. At first she seems to be a bit of a doormat, but she does finally stick up for herself – and she makes Preston work to earn her love in the end.

I would really only recommend this one to those who have read the earlier books in the series. As a stand-alone book, it’s not the greatest. If you haven’t read any MacGregor books, don’t start here. A far better choice would be last fall’s Desert Isle Keeper, The Winning Hand.