Monday, November 3, 2014

Review of Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

Synopsis: You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you. 

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be. 

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here. 
I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room. 
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him. 

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night. 

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California. 

It had been years since I’d seen Elec. 

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again. 

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel. 

**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+

5 Stars!

Review: I so love when a book lives up to exactly what I hoped it would be when I chose to read it. Greta first meets Elec, her stepbrother, when she is 17, and he comes to live with her, her mom and her stepdad for a few months. She is so excited to meet him, as she is choosing to look on the bright side of having a new sibling close to her age. Elec disabuses her of that, however, when he meets her and immediately pushes her away, mentally and verbally. Greta is instantly attracted to him, on all levels, and, even though she tries to fight it, she continues to push Elec to get to know her and give her a chance. 

Greta knows very quickly, however, that she has more than just platonic and sisterly feelings for Elec. She begins to witness how horrible his dad, Randy, is to him, and begins to understand why Elec pushes people away. She chooses to stay by him, however, and slowly, they get to know one another and get close. All of this comes to an end, however, when Elec has to leave sooner than planned to go back home and be with his mother. Before he leaves, however, they both admit their attraction to one another. Elec had shared something very special with Greta, and when he finally reads a letter from her that describes her reaction to his gift, he is overcome and decides to give in to what both of them want - one night together. He then gets on a plane to California, and Greta hears pretty much nothing of him for seven years. 

Now, however, they are brought back together due to a family tragedy, and they must both face what the distance did and did not do to their relationship in the past seven years. It did put distance and misunderstandings between them, but it did not lessen their feelings for one another. There are many complicating factors, however, that prevent them from easily being together, and Elec easily falls back into the safe choice for him - which is to antagonize Greta and try to push her away. No matter how hard he tries to do this, however, he is constantly drawn back to her. 

I love a good, angsty love story that is not all about the two people pushing each other away and frustrating the heck out of the reader - but legitimately feeling like they can't be together for outside reasons. Greta and Elec first met when they were too young to know how to navigate through problems very well - at least their problems, and they had so many barriers between them even when they came back together years later. Their story is truly amazing, however, and you really feel the pull that the two of them have towards one another. I'll have to read more from this author!

Jessica

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