THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THAT STARTED A PHENOMENON…
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 …
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. But things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.
Then, 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+
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So good! I really enjoyed this story. I surprisingly wasn’t minding that it was mostly from Greta’s perspective. I was glad to later hear Elec’s perspective when Greta read his autobiography, but it was a little boring to have to rehear the entire funeral weekend again, even with slightly less detail. But it was also good to be reminded of some scenes that I had forgotten about. But overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I would be interested in reading Chelsea’s story, Neighbor Dearest, since I enjoyed this one so much.
I do not have the words to express how profoundly this book touched my heart. I do love the stepbrother trope so was excited to get this book but I can honestly say that it is so totally not what I was expecting but in a really, really good way.
Elec arrived to stay with his dad, Randy, who is now married to Greta’s mom. Randy and Elec’s relationship is, to put it mildly, strained. Randy is ridiculously horrible to and about Elec. Greta does her best to be kind to Elec and even protects him from his father but she is completely confused by his behaviour towards her. He, in turns, goes out of his way to push her buttons or is soft and gentle and genuine. Who is the real Elec or is he someone in-between. I think the thing that touched me the most is that even at such a young age Greta recognised something in Elec that needed a gentle touch and affirmation. Their friendship was amazing and seeing Elec start to let down that hard exterior of his warmed my heart no end but then it came to an end when he had to go home. Several years later they meet up again when they both have to attend a funeral. Greta soon realises that the love she felt for him has never gone away and is as strong as ever but there is a problem, he has moved on. Once I learned Elec’s backstory my heart ached for him and I just couldn’t understand how Randy could have treated him that way through no fault of his own or how Pilar could let her love for Randy allow it to happen. Can these two ever get their timing right or are they destined to be forever parted? Once I started this book I could simply not put it down and I never wanted the story to end. The epilogue told from Elec’s point of view was perfect because that is the one thing I had missed throughout the book. Elec and his anagrams made me chuckle as it was just so him, so different and clever.
I am an admitted Stepbrother romance junkie. They are my not so hidden guilty pleasure. From the quick hit serials to full length novels, I devour them all. From the moment the first teaser came out for this book, I had to have it. Yet the busy world conspired against me and Elec. I had thought we weren’t meant to be. But I won an autographed copy of the book in a horseshoe up my butt moment! ( once you read it, you’ll get the joke!)
So lucky me I won a copy…but life got in the way again. Fast forward through time and I grabbed the ebook too because who wants to read a signed copy…I know I’m an idiot! But…(you guessed it) time slipped away and Elec remained on my TBR.
In an odd twist of fate, I became an audiobook junkie in the last few months. Snatching up books I’ve read and loved, books I own but don’t have time to read, and new ones that just scream listen to me…In the frenzy, I found my way back to Elec.
My love and longing for this book before I “read” it was strong, but my reaction to it was even stronger. I’m not sure how hard I would have been impacted reading it in my favorite spot. I don’t know how much it would have hurt. But I can tell you listening to the tangible pain through the audiobook had me breaking down in the parking lot of the local warehouse club.
I have always loved Ms. Ward’s books. Each one finds a way to gut me. This was no exception.
My favorite lines in the book aren’t the snarky gutter jokes, though I loved them. They weren’t the declarations or promises. They were both in the epilogue (often labelled as an after thought). This epilogue rocked the whole book!
I would share them but I don’t want to ruin the beauty of the book. So just know that they made it all worth it and that the book once was something and became something entirely different.
Please enjoy Elec responsibly!
I loved this book so much!
Stepbrother Dearest was a captivating and addictive read I found myself unable to put down. Full of angst, emotions and twists I didn’t see coming I was riveted from the beginning until the end. Their story is one that gripped my heart and refused to let go.
Elec stole my heart right from the start when he came in as a confused and angry teenager whose world had been turned upside. I loved Greta and her willingness to see past the bad boy persona Elec put up for the rest of the world. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and the glimpses of a hidden side of Elec that only Greta could reveal. I found my emotions all over the place as I laughed, cried, swooned, ranted and held out hope for these two.
This slowburn was an amazing read full of angst, sadness, heartbreak, laughter, passion and a love like no other. If my description sounds like your kind of read then Stepbrother Dearest is a definite must read!
This book really surprised me! Not because it was amazing, not because the writing was unbelievable (so far the best writing of Penelope Ward’s Books that I’ve read), and not because it’s was steamy as hell! No, the reason it surprised me is that I’m used to reading a lot of friends to lovers story with Penelope Ward. Of course, I’m playing catch up with her books. I came to discover the awesomeness of Penelope Ward, and Penelope Ward/Vi Keeland, books!!! So maybe the friends to lovers books are more her recent books. But I sat down with this book thinking it would be a light, easy read. Boy was I wrong!! But, I was also unaware that I was about to read an absolutely amazing book!!!
The story starts out as young people in high school, but in no way is it young adult reading. Elec comes to live in Greta’s home for the summer. He is the son of her mother’s husband…her stepbrother. She looks forward to the idea of having a brother, as an only child. When he walks in the door looking completely gorgeous with all his tattoos and piercings, she starts to have physical feelings that she would NOT have for a brother. She smiles warmly and says “I’m Greta. Nice to meet you.” He said nothing. Then she told him he looked different than she pictured. He squinted at her and said, “And you look pretty….plain.” Poor Greta wanted to disappear. Physically he was her dream and in every other way he was her nightmare. But there, of course, is so much more to the story. The characters in the book have SO MUCH DEPTH…ITS BEAUTIFUL!!!!
So the book does eventually jump forward to when they are adults. So much happens to Elec and Greta in their lives. There is so much unsaid. I’m always screaming at these romance books…COMMUNICATE PEOPLE!!!! But this is what makes for such angst, emotion and drama, and I love every bit of it!!!! But the beautiful characters that Penelope creates are so endearing that they become rooted in your heart and you have a hard time letting them go when you move on to another book. And, personally, I’d say that in this book it has affected me more than others.
Just beautiful…
My first Penelope Ward and definitely not my last. This book had the perfect amount of angst, love, witty/filthy humor and sex. I love the use of anagrams, word play and numerical coincidences. I was hooked from the start. Everything comes full circle with a great happily ever after.
Penelope has done it again with this one. I could not put it down. Since stepbrother romances are my favorite trope, this is one of my favorites. I absolutely loved this book. Elec and Greta, I could not get enough of. They are now two of my favorite characters. I’ll admit, I did get emotional during it whenever Greta was in pain. I felt it. But I’m so glad they got their HEA after all that time apart. They deserved it. Thank you Penelope for writing this incredible book.
Stepbrother Dearest was absolutely amazing, and I could hardly put it down for one second! The storyline, though sometimes messed up, was very unique and intriguing. There was never a dull moment and it kept me entertained throughout. Greta and Elec (such unique names, right?) were indescribably amazing. I loved their personalities and sometimes hot and cold relationship together. Stepbrother Dearest was unlike any book I have ever read before, and I absolutely fell in love with it! I was completely captivated from start to finish, and while I am so incredibly sad their story is over, I was not disappointed with the conclusion in the least. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me captivated, and I will never forget reading Greta and Elec’s story. I want to give a huge shout out to the extraordinarily talented author, Penelope Ward, for creating such a phenomenal romance novel. Everything was so well thought out and put together; there was not one flaw that I could see. I’m excited to read more of her books because Stepbrother Dearest definitely sparked my interest immensely!
This was my first Penelope Ward novel and I LOVED IT!!! It was a delightful twist on first love, the one that got away, second chance and taboo. A storyline strong on the mystery behind Elec (and his past and his reasons WHY he can’t be with Greta), loaded with emotion, with a peppering of angst and enough dormant lust and attraction to keep the reader glued to the page. STEPBROTHER DEAREST was utterly addictive from the prologue to the epilogue. It was such an emotional, but yet fun, easy and fast enough paced book, that I totally could’ve read it in one sitting, if I didn’t have to do a little something called “adulting” *rolls eyes* If the ‘step brother’ aspect is detouring you, DON’T LET IT! This book is worth every penny and every minute spent reading it!
STEPBROTHER DEAREST is labeled as a standalone, but there is a book (NEIGHBOR DEAREST) that follows characters within this book world. I can not give details about WHO the book is about (don’t cheat and look at the book blurb! Read this book first!) because that could be deemed a spoiler, so just know that once you read this book, you WILL want to read that one. Trust me 😉
#neckkisses #luckycharms
5 lucky stars
Audiobook:
5 stars
I literally read this book in one sitting. Penelope never disappoints! The characters, the feelings, the laughter, the tears..so many times I needed to pause and just stop…but got right back to it. I just couldn’t get enough!!
The bad boy, good girl and a dash of forbidden fruit makes this story a page turner. I could easily turn a blind eye to the “taboo” since they did not grow up together and there is no blood relation. Meeting as teenagers when their parents marry, Greta is faced with meeting her new stepbrother; Elec.
Elec is the definition of bad boy. He is tattooed, cocky and off the charts hot. He tries to keep his distance, but the no-nonsense, innocent Greta has Elec in a state of confusion…and sexual frustration.
“You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.”
Oh, but she does. She cannot date, she cannot handle him being with other girls, she needs him, and she wants him like she has never wanted anyone before…or ever will.
I love sexual tension in books! Sometimes it is hotter than them actually doing the deed, but not in this case. Keep something to wipe the steam off your screen because Elec & Greta will fog up your e-reader. Beyond their connection physically, it is a very beautiful love story. Their emotions jump out and smack you right in the face. You can feel how they each discovered not just the want, but the need they have for each other despite feeling they need to bury their desires because of what others might think.
Family issues get in the way and Elec & Greta are separated to only be brought back together again by tragedy. Who knew these two would get hotter? THIS GIRL! I loved getting a taste of Elec’s thoughts and I ADORED the epilogue! I am a huge fan of epilogues. There were a few points where I squeezed my e-reader and sighed. You know that “this guy pretends to be a bad ass, but is a big softie” kind of sigh.
“I want to be the only one to show you everything and to be the one you’ll always remember for the rest of your life.”
Oh I will remember you Elec O’Rourke, no worries there. You can knock on my door ANYTIME!
Favorite book. Loved the characters
Okay, I have to start off by saying that this book has left me speechless. It consumed me since the first page all the way to the last page. I found myself unable to put my kindle down since the moment I started reading this book. I went ahead and read it until I finished it. It is now 2:11 am in the morning and I find myself unable to sleep just thinking about this beautiful book.
Penelope, you have done it once again. You have a way in writing your books where you have the reader just get into the stories and see themselves unable to stop reading. I seem to get sucked in from the first page, which I love because I know that it’s a book that will be hard for me to put down. I have to say that I’m torn between My Skylar and Stepbrother Dearest because these are the two books I’ve read from you so far. I’m sure the rest are just as good as these and I will get to them eventually because I LOVE YOUR BOOKS! They both are so different, yet they both made me sad at times, happy at others and sometimes I just wanted to throw my kindle across the room.
I felt the angst, the emotion, the love, the passion, and the sadness from the characters in the book.
Stepbrother Dearest really shocked me. There were events in here that I never, in a million years, expect to happen, but they did. The whole book just shattered me completely.
I love, love your books and once again, I have to say that this was a 5 star read for me. If I could give it more stars, I would definitely give it all the stars that are possible.