ARC Review & Giveaway- Neighbor Dearest by Penelope Ward

Posted August 16, 2016 by DiDi in #Giveaway, Blog Tour, Erotic, Leigh, Purest Delight, Reviews / 1 Comment

Neighbor Dearest was tender and dirty and so heart-breakingly sweet that I never wanted it to end.~ Leigh, Guilty Pleasures

neighbor dearest book tour

Neighbor Dearest is LIVE and on limited-time release sale for $3.99 (Changing to $4.99 after release. This will be the ONLY sale.) A sexy STANDALONE friends-to-lovers story that does NOT have to be read in conjunction with any other book.

AVAILABLE ON ALL RETAILERS:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bozwD4

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aUDxny

iBooks: http://apple.co/29iqvtJ

Kobo:

Nook:

neighborhood dearest teaser 2

neighbor dearest

Description:
A STANDALONE NOVEL that does *not* need to be read in conjunction with any other book.

From New York Times bestselling author, Penelope Ward, comes a friends to lovers story with sexy new characters.

After getting dumped, the last thing I needed was to move next door to someone who reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, Elec.

Damien was a hotter version of my ex.

The neighbor I’d dubbed “Angry Artist” also had two massive dogs that kept me up with their barking.

He wanted nothing to do with me. Or so I thought until one night I heard laughter coming through an apparent hole in my bedroom wall.

Damien had been listening to all of my phone sessions with my therapist.

The sexy artist next door now knew all of my deepest secrets and insecurities.

We got to talking.

He set me straight with tips to get over my breakup.

He became a good friend, but Damien made it clear that he couldn’t be anything more.

Problem was, I was falling hard for him anyway. And as much as he pushed me away, I knew he felt the same…because his heartbeat didn’t lie.

I thought my heart had been broken by Elec, but it was alive and beating harder than ever for Damien.

I just hoped he wouldn’t shatter it for good.

Author’s note – Neighbor Dearest is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Review copy provided for an honest review

Stepbrother Dearest was one of my favorite books. So to find that Penelope Ward had written a story that veers off from that book, I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Ok. Let’s be honest. Just the fact that it was a book by Penelope Ward made it so that I couldn’t contain my excitement. But knowing I may see Elec again made it ever better.

Neighbor Dearest focuses on Chelsea. Readers of Stepbrother Dearest will remember her as the girlfriend of Elec’s with whom he broke up in order to find his happily ever after with Greta. Chelsea was a sympathetic character, and while I rooted for Greta and Elec to wind up together, I couldn’t help but feel badly for her. She was sweet and kind and didn’t deserve to have her heart broken. Neighbor Dearest picks up where Stepbrother left off and finds Chelsea trying to recover from her heartbreak, to find love again, and change her story.

Enter sexy, beanie-wearing, artsy, nextdoor neighbor Damien, with his adorable dogs (the Double D’s), stalker tendencies and his super-sonic hearing.

I have to say that I loved Chelsea and Damien together. I adored the friendship that arose between them, I loved the caring way that Damien looked out for Chelsea despite his resistance to a relationship, I salivated over the tension that grew, and I felt for both of them and the idea that fate and fear would hold them apart. Neighbor Dearest was tender and dirty and so heart-breakingly sweet that I never wanted it to end.

What I love about Penelope Ward’s books are her heroes. They are not over the top. They are not cruel or petty or caricatures of men, but good decent guys. They don’t play fast and loose with feelings, they don’t take love for granted, and they love with all their hearts. My heart literally aches when I read her books, both for her characters and the situations in which they find themselves. This story was no different, and it was so worth the night of sleep I lost to finish it.

Neighbor Dearest was one of those books that once you start, you can’t get out of your head. The characters became friends and I felt emotionally invested in their relationship. I felt their fears and their highs and lows and loved the story being wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. I enjoyed getting a small glimpse of Elec again and being teased with the hope of Chelsea’s sister getting her own book, but most of all, I enjoyed my escape into the world of Penelope Ward and her ability to tell one downright amazing story.

Purchase from
Amazon

NEIGHBOR DEAREST TEASER NEW RD

Excerpt

Penelope Ward

Looking tense, he placed his hands slowly into his pockets as he looked at me. “What exactly happened last night?”

“What are you talking about?”

Nice try dodging the question.

He moved in closer to me. “What am I talking about? You leaving me with a giant fucking basket of muffins and running off before I could even say anything? Ring a bell?”

“I thought you’d be alone. It caught me off guard.”

His eyes softened. “You were upset…”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Chelsea. Fucking horrible at it. You don’t hide your feelings very well.”

“You think you know just about everything there is to know about me, don’t you?”

“Not everything. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read you. It’s one of the things I like about you, though. You’re one of the least fake people I’ve ever met.”

“Then, tell me. Why do you think I was upset?”

“Honestly? I think you’re confused about me.”

“Confused…”

“Yes. I think you’re wondering why I opted not to have dinner with you and instead ended up with a woman I’d literally just met, someone who isn’t as sweet as you and sure as fuck isn’t as pretty as you. So, you’re wondering what the hell I was thinking. Am I right?”

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

He continued, “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I do feel a connection with you, okay? If you’ve sensed something, you’re not imagining it.”

“Well, if I wasn’t confused before…now I definitely am.”

“I feel like I need to say this now, because I can’t stand the thought of you thinking that I somehow find you undesirable when it’s exactly the opposite.”

I crossed my arms. “Again. Not following you.”

He closed his eyes as if to try to find the right words. “It’s just that I know for sure that I can’t ever be what someone like you needs in a boyfriend, in a partner. It’s not that we wouldn’t have fun or be great together at first. I’m just not good for you in the long-term—not marriage material. And the reasons are too complex to get into, except to say that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I can’t, in good conscience, start something with a girl like you.”

“A girl like me…”

“Yes. You’re not the kind of girl a guy takes home for a quick fuck. You’re the girl he keeps.”

Right. Just like Elec did.

neighborhood dearest teaser 1

About the Author:

Penelope Ward

PENELOPE WARD

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.