A full review is included later in this post, but in short, I highly recommend "Hate Thy Neighbor" for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for S.M. Soto's next book.
About "Hate Thy Neighbor"
Hate Thy Neighbor, a sexy and LOL enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy from S.M. Soto, is available now!
Fresh out of a failed engagement, Olivia Hales is in dire need of a fresh start. Tired of being the charming and accommodating girl that always gets stomped on, she’s determined to change her outlook on life.
When she finds her dream job in a small town in California, she thinks she’s finally found her place in life. That is, until she meets her new neighbor.
Roman Banks.
Moody. Foul-mouthed. Jerk.
And the hottest man on the planet.
At a sprawling six foot five, he was coldly distant and physically intimidating. Not only was her new neighbor a God that was good with his hands, he was also a grade-A jerk. Trapped on the same street, sharing the same space together, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous, never-ending game of insults and pranks that result in the destruction of two perfectly good homes.
The tension between them is as thick as the walls of their houses are thin. Roman’s touch burned like fire even when his words were ice, and both of them will stop at nothing to make the others life hell.
In the midst of the pranks and the hate they harbor for each other, Olivia slowly pulls back the layers of the man next door and finds herself consumed with wanting to fix him and his past. When both enemies start to catch feelings for each other, Olivia finds herself hiding her own secrets, not wanting to lose another man in her life.
Lines are drawn. Strict rules put into place. But that doesn’t stop Olivia from wanting to save the quiet, broody man next door.
They say you’re supposed to love thy neighbor, but that was the furthest emotion she felt when thinking about Roman. Hate was all there was to their relationship. At the very least, that’s what she tried to tell herself.
Hate Thy Neighbor is a full length enemies to lovers standalone.
Read an Excerpt from "Hate Thy Neighbor"
I hear a soft pop behind me, and when I turn, I find Olivia sitting cross-legged on her couch, watching me closely, with a lollipop hanging out of her mouth. A smirk tips the corners of her lips.
“A girl can get used to this.”
“To what exactly?”
“A hot guy in the middle of her living room, putting back the pieces of her miserable life together.”
Closing the distance between us, I stare down at her fixated on the way the stick of the lollipop juts out between those pink bee-stung lips. Gripping the end that’s hanging out of her mouth, I tug, and she lets go with a pop that goes straight to my groin. Taking the lollipop, I put it into my mouth, and her mouth drops open, her eyes heating with desire.
“About that bed.”
She licks her lips, pushing to her feet. “Oh, that’s right. What was it you mentioned earlier? You’ve been waiting to fuck me there?”
Christ in heaven.
My cock goes from half-mast to hard as a fucking rock at her words.
That mouth will be the death of me.
Knowing the effect she’s having on me, Olivia smiles. It’s downright sexy and full of seduction. Tugging my hand in hers, she pulls me along after her, leading the way to her bedroom.
With slow, methodical movements, she strips her shirt off over her head, leaving her in a sports bra. I drop down onto my haunches beside her on the bed, resting my hands on her hips. I hear her sharp intake of breath, as I begin tugging her bottoms down her legs. She bares her center for me, and I groan when I get a closer look at her pussy. Back at the garage, everything was fast and hot, but here, I want to take my time with her.
“You stole my lollipop,” she whispers, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling on it.
“I wanted to taste you.”
Her brows dip. “And you thought that was best done with a lollipop?” I hear the amusement in her voice. That’s what makes what I’m about to do next so damn perfect.
“I can show you much better than I can tell you, Sunshine.” Taking the lollipop, I drag the sticky ball of sugar down her stomach and pause just over her pubic bone. She gasps, and when I glance up at her, I see the knowing gleam in her eyes.
Taking the candy, I swirl it around her clit, enjoying the way she squirms on the bed. The way her hips ride off the sheets and she moans, begging for more. I apply more pressure, swirling through her folds, and then I pause at her entrance.
“You like that, Olivia?”
“Y-yes,” she pants.
As I slide the sucker inside her, she groans, drawing a deep chuckle from my chest. “I thought so.”
I fuck her slowly, sliding the lollipop in and out, watching the way her walls grip the candy, the way she glistens and drips. With one last stroke, I pull it out and slide the lollipop over my tongue, tasting her.
Her eyes slam shut, and she tosses her head back onto the sheets.
My Review
"Hate Thy Neighbor" by S.M. Soto was an incredibly funny, sweet, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story that I absolutely loved. I'm generally a fan of grumpy heroes, but the male lead character of this book, Roman, took grumpy to a whole new level. It was a lot of fun for me to try and figure out why he was so awful to the female lead, Olivia, at first when he was
supposedly such a gentleman with everyone else. Learning the truth of Roman's past broke my heart, but at the same time it made me admire him for trying so
hard to do better for his little brother, Ryder. Roman's hard work and
dedication to bringing Ryder home was amazing.
Olivia was also pretty amazing and ended up being the perfect match for Roman despite their rocky start. I especially appreciated her determination to be independent and how much pride she took in her home even though there was still so much work to be done. The one thing I didn't love about her was her tendency to bury her head in the sand when it came to her health. I completely related to Olivia's point of view and desire not to be defined by a medical condition, but at the same time thought she could have done a better job of acknowledging the issue and taking the proper steps to address it.
The chemistry between Roman and Olivia was intense from the very beginning, and they were drawn together time and time again no matter how much they tried to resist (not to mention how many juvenile, though funny, pranks they pulled on each other). I adored the slow burn of their relationship development and couldn't wait for them to finally stop fighting and act on their feelings. When they did, it was totally worth the wait.
Overall, "Hate Thy Neighbor" was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for S.M. Soto's next book.
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
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