The Romance Cover: Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ Neighbor Dearest by Penelope Ward

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.

Book 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.

Buy Links:

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

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2aSh1WU

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

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aT108M

Nook: http://bit.ly/2b6hVkQ

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“…this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.”

Holy Swoon Fest, Penelope Ward brings out the big guns in Neighbor Dearest. Chelsea and Damien were two of the best characters I have read about in a long time. From chemistry, to banter, to friendship, to more, these two just ticked all the boxes. These two felt real, like a voyeur looking in to their lives we became privy to one of the most beautiful friends to lovers’ story I have read. There was something about them that cemented them into my heart. From start to finish I was championing these two, if any two people deserved each other and a happy ever after it was them.

You may remember Chelsea from Step-Brother Dearest, she was Elec’s girlfriend before he cruelly dumped her for Greta, but alas, that loss becomes our gain. Chelsea was head over heels in love with Elec, or at least she thought she was. She thought she had found the one, the one that she was destined to marry, until it was all ripped away. Struggling to come to terms with the sudden demise of her relationship she needs a fresh start, first and foremost leaving the apartment that was once her home with Elec.

“I believed love was indestructible. I was wrong.”

Moving into a new apartment block Chelsea soon crosses path with her neighbour, Damien. A brooding artist with two loud, huge Rottweilers that bark and bark and bark and basically drive Chelsea nuts. For Chelsea, Damien is an enigma. He is obviously hot, extremely ovary combusting hot, he has that infectious personality that could cheer up even the most depressed of people, yet the light he exudes doesn’t hit his eyes. That spark is just not there.

“My heart is broken.”

After going to complain about the dogs the most unlikely of friendships is born and it is this part of the story that had me in hysterics the most. It was obvious that these two seriously had the hots for each other, no matter how hard Chelsea tried to disguise it, she couldn’t and no matter how hard Damien pushed her away, you knew that resistance was futile, yet Penelope Ward makes us wait, which only ramped up the sexual chemistry all the more.

“And I’m not anti-social or a savant. I’m just a good old fashioned prick…with supersonic hearing.”

These two were fantastic together, they were the yin to the yang, the peanut butter to the jelly, these two just clicked. Their banter was fantastic, entertaining and totally believable. Their personalities shone through even though they were trying their hardest to hide them. The constant to and fro of pheromones only has the reader frantically waiting for these two to wake up and smell the coffee and once we really find out what Damien’s issues are; all suddenly becomes clear.

“So, fuck the spilled wine and the dog piss. It’s all good, because this is the best Christmas ever.”

I loved everything about this story, from toaster ovens, to online dating, to the Double D’s, to unicorns, to movie nights, to stalker type tendencies and to one of the best epilogues I have read that really got the emotional tears running. This was such a fun yet emotional story, one full of hope and true appreciation for that one true love. Yes, it had its cheesy moments but the kind of cheese I love. Penelope Ward really delivers with character connection and has brought to life two of the most genuine and relatable characters that everyone will fall in love with.

“You’re my unicorn…Mythically beautiful. Unattainable…”

Penelope Ward, I am seriously hoping that Tyler is going to be next. Damien’s brother definitely seems to have a penchant for Chelsea’s sister and both being actors/actresses I am sure that their paths are begging to cross again as well as a lot of other things.

“P.S. You were great in The Omen.”

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.

About the Author:

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.

Connect with Penelope Ward: