Covet Thy Neighbor (A Tucker Springs Novel) by L. A. Witt

I recently received a copy of Covet Thy Neighbor from Riptide Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  This is an adult book with adult themes.  Here is the cover and the blurb:

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 loved this book because it brought up topics that are rarely discussed in a positive way in GLBT literature.  Religion is often vilified as being judgmental and many people are of the opinion that you can't be both gay and religious.  As someone who is both, it's important to me that people see that it is possible.  Some people use religion as a way to control others but it is not right and Darren understands that.  He's a great character who really spoke to me.  I loved Seth as well.  He'd been burned and was just trying to move forward with his life.  He had found a family of his own making and moved beyond his hateful family- even though the pain of their betrayal still stung.  Seeing him reach out to help the youth that Darren works works with was beautiful.  I also appreciated seeing the two of them come together and realize how much they have in common even with their differences.  This book was a home run for me and I plan to read more from this series.

You can find out more about L.A. Witt on her website.  You can add this book to your Goodreads by clicking here.  This book can be found on Amazon for the Kindle here.  I give this book 4 Fairies for being a truly special read.