Showing posts with label Contemporary Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemporary Romance. Show all posts

Review Tour: The House Guest by Penelope Ward



Title: The House Guest

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Billionaire Hero/Roommates/Twist

Slow Burn/Angsty/Opposites Attract

Release Date: August 31, 2025

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…


The last thing Dorian Vanderbilt expected was to find me painting in my crop top when he returned to the mansion he hadn’t inhabited in years.

He was understandably surprised I’d turned his living room into an art space.

Life is certainly full of surprises, though, but not always in a good way.

I learned that lesson when my aunt and the billionaire she married died unexpectedly while traveling.

I’d been living with them, and just like that, my life was turned on its axis.

Unsure of what was next, I stayed alone at the barren estate figuring out my next move.

That was when Dorian—the late billionaire’s only son—showed up.

I’d never met Dorian Vanderbilt. He’d been living on the other side of the country.

But now, he was home, left to pick up the pieces of his father’s legacy.

Not only was Dorian devastatingly handsome and mysterious, but he was the sole heir to the Vanderbilt fortune.

He didn’t seem to like me—at first. We were total opposites. But I was grateful that at least he didn’t kick me out.

We stayed out of each other’s way for the most part, save for some late-night kitchen run-ins or unexpected bonding sessions in the home theater.

Over time, though, we grew closer. Turned out, our chemistry was pretty combustible.

I was falling in love with him.

Until everything I thought I knew turned upside down yet again.

And fate left me pining for the one man I’d ever loved.



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BOOKBUB




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$3.99 for a limited time!


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Free to read in Kindle Unlimited


ALSO AVAILABLE


DUET AUDIOBOOK

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK






WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT


BILLIONAIRE HERO

ROOMMATES

TWIST

SLOW BURN

ANGSTY

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow!  What a love story. Penelope Ward never fails to pull out all the stops with her beautiful stories. As always, I went into the story completely blind and was blow  away by the time I finished. 

The amount of emotions I felt reading this book!  Oh my goodness, she had me laughing, crying, and swooning. Dorian and Primrose will stay with me for a long time. Both characters very complex, have been through a lot and the chemistry is off the charts. 

Savannah Peachwood and Teddy Hamilton did an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. I love listening to them and could literally listen to them reading the phone book. They are two of my favorite narrators.  

I’m rating this book 4.5 stars because it’s one of my favorite books this year and I was unable to put it down. Captivated from page one. I highly recommend it. 



AUTHOR BIO


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.


She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.


With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.




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OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD


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Excerpt Reveal: The House Guest by Penelope Ward



Title: The House Guest
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Billionaire Hero/Roommates/Twist
Slow Burn/Angsty/Opposites Attract
Release Date: August 31, 2025


BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…

The last thing Dorian Vanderbilt expected was to find me painting in my crop top when he returned to the mansion he hadn’t inhabited in years.
He was understandably surprised I’d turned his living room into an art space.
Life is certainly full of surprises, though, but not always in a good way.
I learned that lesson when my aunt and the billionaire she married died unexpectedly while traveling.
I’d been living with them, and just like that, my life was turned on its axis.
Unsure of what was next, I stayed alone at the barren estate figuring out my next move.
That was when Dorian—the late billionaire’s only son—showed up.
I’d never met Dorian Vanderbilt. He’d been living on the other side of the country.
But now, he was home, left to pick up the pieces of his father’s legacy.
Not only was Dorian devastatingly handsome and mysterious, but he was the sole heir to the Vanderbilt fortune.
He didn’t seem to like me—at first. We were total opposites. But I was grateful that at least he didn’t kick me out.
We stayed out of each other’s way for the most part, save for some late-night kitchen run-ins or unexpected bonding sessions in the home theater.
Over time, though, we grew closer. Turned out, our chemistry was pretty combustible.
I was falling in love with him.
Until everything I thought I knew turned upside down yet again.
And fate left me pining for the one man I’d ever loved.








PRE-ORDER LINKS

$3.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Will be FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited

The current paperback pre-order is for the special-edition “ocean” cover only. A model-cover paperback will be live on release day.



WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

BILLIONAIRE HERO
ROOMMATES
TWIST
SLOW BURN
ANGSTY
OPPOSITES ATTRACT






EXCERPT

Copyright © 2025
By Penelope Ward

Eventually, I was able to put Dorian out of my mind and continue my movie night for one. Pulp Fiction was almost finished when the theater door opened again.
I turned to find Dorian entering—alone.
“Is it over?” he asked.
My pulse raced as I paused the movie. “About ten minutes left.”
Without further comment, he took the seat next to me, sinking into the chair and stretching his long legs. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. His delicious cologne wafted my way, sending unwanted arousal through me. I pressed play on the movie, hoping to move out of this hyper-aware state.
“Where’s your date?” I asked after the movie finished and she still hadn’t reappeared.
“She left.”
“Is she a…girlfriend or…?”
“Definitely not,” he said, staring at the screen.
“Someone you hook up with?” I pried.
He turned to me. “You always this nosy?”
“Well, we are stepcousins,” I teased. “You can tell me anything.”
“We go way back, don’t we? So much I nearly kicked you out when I got here.”
“Details…” I shrugged.
He chuckled. “She’s someone I used to hook up with when I lived here years ago. Thought it might be interesting to reconnect with her, but I was grossly mistaken.”
“Why? What was wrong with her?”
“Nothing wrong with her. I was just bored out of my wits. It’s probably me that’s changed more than anything. That happens when you leave home, I guess.” He reached for some popcorn. “Anyway…found myself more in the mood to watch Pulp Fiction than I was to make pointless conversation with her.”
“I can start it over, if you want to watch from the beginning.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “But I’ll watch another movie with you, if you’re down.”
Ohhhkay.
Hesitant excitement washed over me. I’d been pretty lonely lately if the idea of having someone to watch a movie with felt exhilarating. But at the same time, this was Dorian Vanderbilt—not exactly someone I could relax around yet. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to say no.
I finally nodded. “That’d be cool.”
“You choose.”
“Well…” I took a moment to think on it. “If you were in the mood to watch Pulp Fiction, maybe another Tarantino?”
He scratched his chin. “Actually, have you ever seen Snatch?”
“Guy Ritchie, right?” I nodded. “I’ve heard of it but never watched it.”
“His style reminds me of Tarantino. I think you’ll enjoy it. Would you want to watch that?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, impressed with his effort to think of a movie I would like.
Dorian went over to the laptop and pulled up the film, then returned to the seat next to me. He reclined his chair as I pressed play on the remote. He once again stretched out his long legs.
For the next couple of hours, we watched the movie intently, neither of us saying a word until it finished. That was exactly how I liked it. But he did look over to see my reaction at certain parts, which I also liked. Any nervousness I’d had dissipated as the movie went on. And I certainly couldn’t complain about sitting close to him, since he smelled like heaven. I hadn’t been out with a member of the opposite sex in what seemed like ages. Sitting this close to an attractive man made me miss dating, even if the man sitting next to me currently was out of my league.
When the credits came on the screen, he reached for the remote and lowered the volume. “What did you think?”
“It was awesome. I love movies where you don’t know what to expect, and the power dynamic can change at the drop of a hat.”
“Ah…sort of like how you suddenly had the power when I discovered you could control those dogs?”
“Maybe, yeah.” My mouth curved into a smile.
“They actually like me now. But they did not like Savannah.”
“Savannah was your date tonight?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Tess saved me, actually. She helped me get out of the rest of the date.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to end the night early and had been thinking up an excuse. Then Tess rubbed her asshole on Savannah’s shoe as we were standing in the foyer. She decided right then and there she wanted to call it a night.”
I cracked up. “Saved by the asshole.”
“Exactly. It was perfect.”
“Did you drive her home?”
“I called her a car.”
“Well, I’m sorry again if I disrupted your evening.”
“Trust me, I had more fun watching the movie with you than I would’ve sitting through whatever sappy film she picked.” He sighed. “And…I’m sorry if she was rude to you. She was probably just intimidated.”
“Intimidated? Why?”
He glared. “Really? You’re gonna make me say it?”
“Sure.” I smirked.
“Because you’re attractive…” His eyes fell to my abs. “And you seem to have no other wardrobe besides crop tops.”



AUTHOR BIO


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.


AUTHOR LINKS



OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD


Release Blitz: Jilted by Vi Keeland



Title: Jilted
Author: Vi Keeland
Publisher: Bramble/Macmillan
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Wedding Meet Cute/Pro Athlete Hero
He Falls First/Cocky Hero
Release Date: May 6, 2025


BLURB

Weddings. I spend every working minute talking and writing about them, when just the thought of one makes me want to scream. After my fiancé abandoned me at the altar last year, my dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a reoccurring nightmare.

To add insult to injury, the bridezilla at my latest assignment, somehow roped me into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. Of course, I had to get paired with the most gorgeous groomsman. Wilder Hayes is perfect—except when he opens his mouth and we end up bickering all evening. That is, until the coat closet incident.

At least I’ll never have to see him again. Or so I think… Until I walk into work on Monday and find out Wilder isn’t just a jerk, he’s also my boss’s son. And I’ll be spending the rest of the season working with him at every single wedding I cover this year.

Can the jilted bride and the man who is afraid of love find a way to heal each other?







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EBOOK


PAPERBACK 
WITH SPRAYED EDGES


Note: Paperbacks have gorgeous
sprayed edges while supplies last!






AUTHOR BIO


Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.


AUTHOR LINKS




Release Blitz: The Drummer’s Heart by Penelope Ward



Title: The Drummer's Heart
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Rockstar Hero/"My Wife"/Small Town
Close Proximity/Slow Burn/One Bed
Release Date: February 23, 2025


BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…

Don’t say her name.
That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour.
My ex, Nicole.
The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart.
After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak.
Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything.
She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well.
Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me.
With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks.
Of course, I couldn’t refuse.
But there was a catch.
Nicole apparently never told her that we’d gotten a divorce.
She hadn’t believed Mimi could handle it, because her grandmother loved me so much.
So, not only would I have to see Nicole again, but I’d be pretending to still be her husband.
Two weeks in a tiny house in a small town with the woman who broke my heart. Or was it me who broke hers?
It was complicated.
And it was about to be a heck of a lot more complicated sharing one bed in the guest room with a woman who wasn’t mine anymore.








PURCHASE LINKS

Only $3.99 for a limited time and 
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Model Paperback and Hardcovers also available!

Read the first standalone in this series, The Rocker’s Muse FREE in KU and binge this complete duology!






WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

ROCKSTAR HERO
"MY WIFE"
SMALL TOWN
CLOSE PROXIMITY
SLOW BURN
ONE BED






AUTHOR BIO


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.


AUTHOR LINKS



OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

NOW ALL AVAILABLE TO READ IN KINDLE UNLIMITED


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Excerpt Reveal: The Drummer’s Heart by Penelope Ward



Title: The Drummer's Heart
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Rockstar Hero/"My Wife"/Small Town
Close Proximity/Slow Burn/One Bed
Release Date: February 23, 2025


BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…

Don’t say her name.
That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour.
My ex, Nicole.
The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart.
After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak.
Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything.
She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well.
Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me.
With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks.
Of course, I couldn’t refuse.
But there was a catch.
Nicole apparently never told her that we’d gotten a divorce.
She hadn’t believed Mimi could handle it, because her grandmother loved me so much.
So, not only would I have to see Nicole again, but I’d be pretending to still be her husband.
Two weeks in a tiny house in a small town with the woman who broke my heart. Or was it me who broke hers?
It was complicated.
And it was about to be a heck of a lot more complicated sharing one bed in the guest room with a woman who wasn’t mine anymore.








PRE-ORDER LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Read the first standalone in this series, The Rocker’s Muse FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

The current paperback pre-order is for the special-edition, floral cover only. A model-cover paperback will be live on release day as well.



WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

ROCKSTAR HERO
"MY WIFE"
SMALL TOWN
CLOSE PROXIMITY
SLOW BURN
ONE BED





EXCERPT

Copyright © 2024
By Penelope Ward

While she was out of the room, I prepared her coffee just the way she liked it. I’d nearly forgotten just how much I loved taking care of her. I felt nostalgic for a moment as I poured in just the right amount of sugar. But taking care of her wasn’t my job anymore. I couldn’t help enjoying these little moments of delusion, though, while I still had them. In less than two weeks, we’d be apart again, and I’d go back to my life without her. This time here would seem like a dream.
Nicole emerged again wearing a cute, floral dress that was almost worse than her shirt with no bra. It had a low neckline and her beautiful breasts were practically busting out of it. I had to wonder if she’d selected that outfit to torture me. She’d also sprayed on a fresh burst of Egyptian musk. I licked my lips.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my not wearing underwear was that noticeable.” She looked down at her chest. “I’ll cover up from now on,” she said. But the glimmer in her eye told me she had no real intention of accommodating my request.
Okay. She’s definitely f*cking with me. “You drive me crazy,” I growled under my breath.
Suddenly, my attention was diverted to Mimi’s room. I heard voices. I narrowed my eyes. “Who the hell is here?”
“I don’t know.” Nicole walked down to her grandmother’s room as I followed.
There was a woman standing there talking to Mimi.
“Hi there.” She smiled. “I’m Lori McFadden. I live next door.”
“Oh…” Nicole tilted her head. “Hello.”
“I hope you don’t mind. Adele gave me a key a while back, and I check in on her from time to time. It’s good to see you both. She’s always talking about her granddaughter and grandson-in-law.”
“Aren’t they the most beautiful couple you’ve ever seen?” Mimi beamed.
Nicole looked over at me. I was still fired up by her little dress and wanted an excuse to touch her. I decided to play the part for a moment. “Thank you so much,” I said. “It’s our pleasure to be here with Mimi.” I wrapped my arm around Nicole, bringing her close. She flinched at first but then relaxed her body into mine.
I rubbed my thumb along her waist.
Nicole squirmed and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry if I seemed surprised to see you here, Lori. I didn’t realize she’d given anyone a key.”
“Only recently. Just in case her worker can’t be here or is running late. She has my number if she ever needs me.”
Nicole nodded. “Well, I appreciate that so much.”
I tightened my grip around her waist and pulled her closer. “We appreciate that.”
Nicole looked up at me; her face was beet red, and I f*cking loved it. I leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead. Her eyes were still slightly closed when I pulled back to look at her. As much as I wanted to hang on, I let go and put her out of her misery.
Nicole couldn’t get away fast enough as she rushed past me through the kitchen and into the bedroom. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “Don’t do that again.”
My stomach sank. It hurt to hear her say that, even if I had crossed the line. “Don’t…what specifically?”
“Touch me.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t touch me again like that.”
That felt like a knife to the heart. “I thought we were pretending to be married,” I whispered. “Married people touch each other.”
Her chest heaved. “Yeah, well, I can’t handle that.”
“Your nipples can’t handle it, at least. They’re hard as f*cking rocks right now. It’s obvious why you don’t want me to touch you, Nicole. It isn’t that you can’t handle it. It’s that you like it. And you don’t want to like it.”
She looked down as her cheeks turned pinker by the second.
My voice was strained. “You tell me not to touch you. And yet you’re intentionally trying to torture me. That f*cking dress. You wore it on purpose because you knew it made your tits look so damn good. And you wanted me to suffer.”
Her gaze lifted to meet mine. “Maybe…”
“You don’t think I’m tortured enough? You put that damn dress on and tell me not to touch you?” I leaned in so she could feel what she was doing to me. “You get off on edging me?” As her breathing became heavier, I inched closer. “You don’t want me to touch you because it makes you feel things you’re trying not to feel? Is that what it is?”
She looked away. “I don’t know…”
I placed my hand on her chin, moving her face to look at me again. “You used to beg me to touch you.”
She licked her lips, and it made me yearn to do the same, to taste her again.
“For the record, Nicole, I will never not be yours to touch. Nor would I be able to pretend for a second that I don’t want you to touch me. You never have to ask permission.” My chest pressed into hers. “You were looking at me our first night here like you wanted to touch me. When I came out of the shower, I could see it in your eyes. Desire. You weren’t happy about it, but it was there. Tell me I’m wrong.”



AUTHOR BIO


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.


AUTHOR LINKS



OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

NOW ALL AVAILABLE TO READ IN KINDLE UNLIMITED


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Review Tour: Indiscretion by Vi Keeland



Title: Indiscretion
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 13, 2025


BLURB

He's her boss. She's his greatest temptation.

The first time I met Dawson Reed, we wound up in bed.
The problem was, neither of us knew the other were there.
When I woke up in the middle of the night and found a stranger next to me, instinct kicked in and I attacked the intruder.
Only it turned out, the man wasn’t an intruder at all.
Dawson had rented this cabin, too. Apparently, a system glitch allowed a duplicate booking.
We’d soon find out we were in town for the same wedding, and Dawson was the groomsman I’d been warned about. He was as tall, dark and jaw-droppingly gorgeous as my best friend had described. Though she was also right when she’d said you two will hate each other.
When daylight rolled around, Dawson and I attempted to straighten out the mess we found ourselves in. But it proved to be more difficult than we initially thought. Since it was a holiday weekend, there wasn’t a single room available for more than fifty miles.
I suppose things could be worse than sharing a cabin for a weekend with a handsome man you despise.
Like maybe him winding up being your new boss?







PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited


ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT





⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As always, Vi Keeland created a masterpiece with this book, Indiscretion. I went into this book completely blind and was not expecting it to start the way it did; with our leading man getting punched by our leading woman.  Dawson was checking into his cabin rental after an exhausting day, showered and then was about to go to bed, when he encountered Naomi already there. Of course Naomi reacted as any woman would react to a strange man being in HER rented cabin, with a right hook.  After the initial reactions, they concluded they mistakenly both rented the cabin due to a glitch and were there for the same wedding. 


Due to Dawson and Naomi being friends with the same couple they end up periodically being in the same place at the same time and the attraction increases with each interaction. Dawson is a criminal defense attorney that had mixed business with pleasure previously, leaving him with no employees and hardly any office furniture. Due to this, he’s very skeptical about working with any woman again. Naomi is a disbarred lawyer looking for work as a paralegal almost at the end of her savings. What could possibly go wrong working with someone you’re extremely attracted to!? 


This book was such an enjoyable read from start to finish. I read half and listened to the audio version for the other half, all in one sitting. I highly recommend the book and the audio version. The audio is done by two audio legends: Sebastian York and Andi Arndt. They are without a doubt two of my favorite narrators. This story was a great start to my 2025. I rate the story 4.25 stars and the narration 5 stars. 




AUTHOR BIO


Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.


AUTHOR LINKS




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