Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt

Tattoo artist Seth Wheeler thinks he’s struck gold when Darren Romero rents the apartment across the hall. The new guy is gorgeous, witty, and single, plus he’s just the right blend of bold and flirtatious. Perfect.

Except then Darren reveals that he moved to Tucker Springs to take a job as the youth pastor at the New Light Church. Seth is not only an atheist, but was thrown out by his ultra-religious family when he came out. He tends to avoid believers, not out of judgment but out of self-preservation.

But Darren doesn’t give up easily, and he steadily chips away at Seth’s defenses. Darren is everything Seth wants in a man . . . except for that one massive detail he just can’t overlook. Is Darren’s religion the real problem, or is it just a convenient smokescreen to keep him from facing deeper fears? It’s either see the light, or risk pushing Darren away forever.

I started to read this book because I have read other books by this author in the past and have loved them. I was a bit weary at first though because I don’t really like religious books. That is just a personal preference of my own, so I usually try to stay away from them. But I was so excited as I got further into the story because it wasn’t at all what I expected!

Don’t get me wrong, there is still a religious undertone to the story, but it wasn’t a smack in your face. I was still able to connect with Darren and Seth during the story because it was just that well written of a story. I really enjoyed how Ms. Witt added so much about Darren during the book; we were able to get to know him as Darren, not just as the Youth Pastor. I liked that he was “real” in a way, the things that he had been through in his life where not easy, but he was still able to come out a stronger man.

The same was the same with Seth as well. His character is so far my favorite character that I have read this year so far. I loved how he had been through a lot in his life, yet he was able to learn from it all. Even though he was a jerk in certain parts of the story, he still took the time to learn more about himself and others. He was willing to put himself in an uncomfortable situation, and helped out someone who needed help.

I completely enjoyed this book and I would completely recommend it to everyone who enjoys this genre. Don’t let the fact that it comes off as a religious story sway you, it’s still a great book.