5 STAR REVIEW-- 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 star REVIEW! ♣ ♣ 

Oh my goodness. If there was a story that truly blew me away this year it was Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward. It was fantastic. One of my top five of the year thus far if not my favorite.

When I picked up Stepbrother Dearest, I was prepared for a sibling (step siblings) love story! I knew it was coming, I knew what the book was about. I wasn't prepared for the LOVE these two characters shared between each other. I thought maybe because of the idea of their relationship being forbidden, that's why they would be so hot for each other but it was so much more. So much.

This story is told from two different times, one when our two main characters are younger and one when they are a little bit older. It works though. And you fall more and more into the story with each page turned. I swear this book was like book crack!

Elec is sexy.. Damn that boy. And then damn that man! He was everything I would have looked for in a man, smart, sexy, mysterious, crude and naughty. He's not happy being thrust into his estranged father's life. And he's even more unhappy about being forced to live with his step mother and new step sister. He wants nothing to do with the new life and family his father has created. So naturally he rebels. And does he rebel hard.

Greta, the stepsister. I loved her too. She was funny. Sweet, and she didn't put up with Elec's crap. She pushed him just as hard as he pushed her. She wasn't afraid to stand up to him or for him when need be. They developed a relationship that was comfortable for them. Except all the sexual tension, and man does it feel like it's about to explode. But they both know, what they want and what's right is two very different things. 

Until one day, Elec is ripped from Greta and the one thing they have been fighting they don't want to fight anymore. Everything explodes with a BOOM. This was one of my favorite parts of the book because you got to see a glimpse into the real Elec, and not just the hard exterior he tries so hard to keep up. One night that's all they had, one night of love, one night of passion and one night of forbidden. And then it's done.

Elec and Greta don't see each other for a very long time. Tragedy brings them back together and it's like they were never apart, except everything is different. Everything they knew is different. Everything they believed is different, but still the one thing they want they can't have. 

This part of the story was my favorite. FAVORITE. It's completely different from what you would expect from a story line like this. Elec and Greta must fight through the feelings, the pain, the hurt and the anger and find out what's at the bottom. They have to fight to see if they can ever be more than stepbrother dearest and step sister, if there is room for Elec and Greta as an US! 

The emotions I went through in this part of the story were all over the place. I was laughing, I was crying. I wanted to chuck my kindle across the room at one point form being so angry but never did I want to stop reading more of Elec and Greta's beautiful and captivating story. Never once did I hate this book, no it was actually the opposite. I LOVED IT! I wanted to start all over from the beginning. I wanted to experience their beautiful twisted love all over again.

Penelope Ward took something that could have been very taboo and turned it into something scorchingly hot, magnetic and breathtakingly beautiful. It was a story I know I wont forget for a long time. It will stick with me and all stories like this I come across later, will have a lot to live up to because Stepbrother Dearest has set the bar. I can't say it enough. Beautiful. Now go pick up your copy!

5 SEXY ELEC CLOVERS!

About the Author:

Penelope Ward is a USA Today Bestselling author.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers. She spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family friendly career.

Penelope lives for reading books in the new adult genre, coffee and hanging out with her friends and family on weekends.

She is the proud mother of a beautiful 9-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 7-year-old boy, both of whom are the lights of her life.

Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.