Stepbrother Dearest
By
Penelope Ward
Release
Date: September 29, 2014
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+
Buy Links
Review By Heather
Penelope Ward is one of my go to authors
and I was so giddy waiting for Stepbrother Dearest to arrive on my kindle and
once it did, I could not put it down, which is not unusual with her books.
Greta is a seventeen year old girl next
door type- pretty and kind. Elec is an arrogant, cocky, sometimes mean
spirited, hot as sin bad boy. From the
moment they meet Greta feels attracted to Elec but there is just one problem-
he is her stepbrother and he seems to loathe her.
Elec does ever thing in his power to get
Greta to hate him but it doesn’t work.
Soon the two develop a friendship and come to mean something to each other. Greta and Elec have a push and pull with each
other that was great to read. You know how Greta feels about him but Elec’s
feelings are much more hidden especially in the way he torments her. You can see that Greta is the only person
that ever believed in Elec and the way he reacts to that is pretty awesome.
On the night that Elec finds out he has to
leave his father’s home and Greta because of family issues, they give into
their attraction to each other. In that
night they connect on a level neither one of them felt possible. Elec leaves the
next morning and that was the last time they see….until tragedy strikes 7 years
later.
This book is written in two parts- the
first part takes place when the characters are 17 years old, in high school and
the second part takes place seven years later. I really loved that it was
written like this. We don’t know much that happened in each of their lives
throughout those 7 years other than that he texted her once and asked her not
to respond.
When Elec and Greta are reunited because of
tragedy the sparks fly but there are several complications keeping them apart. The way things come together was truly a
journey that I did not want to stop. The anguish, the heartbreak, the hurt, the
joy and the love were so palpable. You
can really feel for Elec when he reveals all of his truths in the most amazing
and personal way possible.
I really enjoyed this book from beginning
to end. It was so well written and the characters had such depth to them I felt
myself laughing at some of Elec’s antics and crying along with Greta.
I have read most of Penelope Ward’s books
and in my opinion this is the best book she has ever written. I highly
recommend this standalone novel and make sure you have some tissues near you
when you read- Elec will make you swoon until you cry.
5 Stars . . . Heather
Review By Leeann
Elec is a kids who was dealt a crappy hand in life through no fault of his own. There are family secrets that explain it all but he doesn't find these out until he is much older.
All his life he was told by his supposed father that he was no good and worthless. He was told he won't ever amount to anything. Things go from bad to worse when his mother has to go away and he is sent to live with his father and his father's new family. He finds himself with a stepsister he is instantly attracted to, a father who really doesn't want him there and a stepmother determined to stay out of what she believes is not her business.
This is one hell of a predicament for a teenage boy to find himself in.
Greta has had a reasonably normal life up until now. Her father passed away and her mother has remarried. Now she has met her stepbrother and it isn't going well. He constantly torments her but she is so attracted to him she doesn't know what to do about it.
She makes him feel things he never thought he would. She has no idea how to deal with her own feelings towards him either.
When Elec gets a phone call just after they both turn 18 that means he has to return home, they are both devastated but give themselves one night together before the say goodbye.
7 years later Elec is back for his father's funeral and has his live in girlfriend with him. Things have changed, but they haven't. Elec and Greta still live each other as much as ever. They need to work out how to deal with it and the only guaranteed outcome is that someone will end up being hurt.
This book has some funny moments. The pranks Elec pulls on Greta when they are teenagers are quite funny and her reactions makes it funnier.
There are some very poignant moments where both Elec and Greta realize how in love they are but know their relationship will never work and they are so devastated.
The are beautiful moments that no one can ever take away from them, and there is also joy. The joy of knowing you love someone and they love you. That is a joy that not everyone gets to experience and they both treasure it and remember it in their years apart. It's what gets them both through the heartbreak they have endured.
This is a lovely story and was an absolute pleasure to read.
4 Stars . . . Leeann
Review By Cristina
I am at a lost for words on where to begin when reviewing this book but the one word that constantly comes to mind is that it is TWISTED! And even after I found out the background stories it left me dumbfounded needing me to re-read just to make sure I understood the characters and plot more.
Elec and Greta are step brother and sister and when they finally meet Elec had a bitter attitude while Greta was trying to make him feel at welcome at home. Elec has issues to overcome and was hesitant to let anyone get close to him. Over time Greta was able to gradually get closer with her “Stepbrother Dearest.”
This 4 star rating left me rooting for both parties. This is the perfect story that will get your mind reeling and thinking what you want for the characters in this abnormal relationship between the main characters and their families.
4 Stars . . . Cristina
Penelope Ward
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 10-year-old girl with autism
(the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 8-year-old boy, both
of whom are the lights of her life.
Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.
She is currently working on her fifth novel, Jake Understood. She is
the author of Gemini, Jake Undone, My Skylar and Stepbrother Dearest.
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