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 Fantastic Stars
by Natasha Gentile
Oh Penelope Ward, this woman
I swear she walks around with a butcher knife and she asks herself, “whose
heart am I going to butcher today?” That answer was easy, it was me. And every
single person who will read this book.
So when I was reading this
book I wasn’t sure what I was going to get.
I had read the blurb, but I wasn’t sure about the step sibling
relationship.
Greta is a 17 year old girl living
with her mom, Sarah, and stepfather Randy.
One day they mention that Randy’s son will be moving in with them for a
year. I know that you’re thinking, hmm
ok, how bad could it be. You think you
know you have no idea!
A lump formed in my throat when he appeared at the doorway. I swallowed hard and took him in for a few
seconds, my heart pounding harder and harder as the realization hit that he
looked nothing like the picture shown to me.
Elec was taller than Randy, and the short hair I remembered from
the photo was now a tousled inky black mess nearly covering his eyes. He smelled of cigarettes, or maybe it was
sweeter. A chain hung from his jeans. He
wouldn’t look at me, so I used the opportunity to continue examining him as he
dumped his bag on the floor.
I’m thinking maybe if my parents,
got divorced and my mom remarried I wouldn’t object to this type of
stepbrother. I mean it would be hard,
but I think I’d be good. And if I had
any doubt this would help,
Planning to brush my teeth, I opened the bathroom door and
jumped at the sight of Elec wiping his wet body down from the shower. Steam and the smell of men’s body wash filled
the air. For some God forsaken reason,
instead of runny out, I froze. More
disturbing instead of covering himself with the towel, he let it fall
nonchalantly to the floor.
My mouth dropped.
My eyes were now glued to his c*ck for a few seconds before my
gaze traveled up to the two shamrocks inked on his ripped torso and then to the
full sleeve tattoo on his left arm. His
chest was dripping water. His left nipple
was pierced. By the time my eyes landed
on his face, they were met with an evil smirk.
I tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Okay, so I can definitely work with
this, I mean she’s living with a living breathing wet dream. So what are they supposed to do? They get to know each other. I mean they are kids right, you can’t do that
much damage. I mean he so doesn't want
to be there and takes everything out on her and she knows that he’s leaving
soon. So she is just being friendly. Oh,
honey you never saw it coming.
You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.
And just like that he was
gone. And along with him her heart was
broken, and so was mine. This was
heartbreak number one. My heart beat so fast in my chest I thought that it
would come out. My breathing was coming
sporadically and I thought I would faint.
And I swear I knew that Penelope was sitting behind her keyboard,
grinning at me.
When tragedy struck she knew, she’d
have to face him again. How hard could this be?
I mean they are now adults right, no one really remembers the love they
shared, right? Wrong. You see, seeing him again, well it unravels
her.
Call it intuition or instinct, something made me turn around and
look up at the French doors on the second floor balcony that overlooked the
garden where I was standing.
From behind the glass, I saw him.
Elec
Yup you guessed it, he’s back in
her life oh but it’s complicated. Heart
broken the second time. Greta knows he
has a life outside this time they are spending together. As much as she warns
herself over and over, she can’t stop her feelings.
I hadn’t forgotten one thing, Not. One. Thing.
Break my freaking heart number
three. At this point I don't even think that
my heart still exists. I know it’s still
there, cause it’s now in the bottom of my stomach and it’s aching, and not in a
good way!
Now here is the part of the book, I
actually want to thank Penelope, in a very clever way, she gave us Elec’s
POV. We got to see the past events from
his eyes; we got to read his thoughts and emotions.
Now you’re probably wondering if my
heart could be shredded any more, and the answer is yes! In this next paragraph, not only did she gut
me, but she took her knife, cut open my chest, took my heart and stomped on it
like an Irish dancer!
I loved him so much that I couldn't even find the words. So many feelings had risen to the surface,
but fear had trumped them all.
These two seem to be cursed with
bad timing, missed opportunities and misunderstandings. And Elec always seems
to be walking away, from her, over and over. Greta tries to accept that while
her love seems to be unwavering for Elec, in spite of the years apart, he moved
on and she must learn to do the same.
In classic Penelope Ward style, she
keeps you guessing right up until the end, flipping through the pages like a
madwoman, devouring the words, while your heart is in your throat! Is there any better way for a book to end?
Alright, that’s it I’m done. I have nothing left inside me to give. I do have one more thing to say, GO BUY THIS
BOOK!!!
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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