🍌 Bananapants by Penny Reid-review tour 🍌

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 6, 2024

Estranged childhood friends unexpectedly reunite under bizarre circumstances and bicker their way to love in this bonkers romantic comedy.

Ava Archer misses her best childhood friend most especially during the month of April. Ask any tax attorney, it’s a lonely, grueling time of year. Luckily, Ava has just received a surprising and delectably absurd offer from her posh doppelgänger at work. She must pretend to be the aforementioned posh co-worker for one night at an extremely fancy party; a party so fancy, there exists absolutely no chance anyone will recognize her or suspect her ruse…

Desmond (Des) Sullivan is a thief. And not the heart-of-gold kind. He’s the steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-also-rich-so-he-can-get-paid kind. He does, however, have one firm rule never steal what the target can’t afford to lose. After a brutal falling out with his father, Desmond hasn’t returned to Chicago in over ten years. But when a good friend is swindled and something priceless is stolen, Desmond must return home, both as himself and his thieving alter ego. Infiltrate a dangerous secret society of the world’s most elite billionaires while leveraging his estranged father’s resources and not blowing his cover? Sure. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Ava Archer hadn’t just walked into the room, wearing a ridiculous wig, speaking with a preposterous accent, and pretending (badly) to be someone she’s not.

Bananapants is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy filled with hijinks and shenanigans. It can be read as a standalone, but the parents of the main characters will be familiar to anyone who has read the Knitting in the City series.

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REVIEW:BANANAPANTS by Penny Reid is a contemporary, adult, erotic, next generation, romance story line set in the author’s KNITTING IN THE CITY series. This is twenty-five year old tax attorney Ava Archer, daughter of Fiona and Greg Archer (Ninja at First Sight/ Happily Ever Ninja) , and contractor Desmond ‘Des’ Sullivan, son of Quinn and Janie (Neanderthal Seeks Human 1) story line. BANANAPANTS can be read as a stand alone-you do not have to have read the original series.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including mental illness, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ava and Des) BANANAPANTS focuses on the second chance relationship and friendship between our story line couple. Des Sullivan and Ava Archer were childhood best friends but at the age of fifteen Des disappeared from Ava’s life leaving a heart broken and angry young woman in the wake. Fast forward to present day, Ava comes face to face with the past, the man that she loves, a man whose demons ride very close to the surface. Desmond Sullivan has returned to Chicago, and an assignment that will bring him up close and personal with the woman whose heart he broke but Desmond struggles to keep control, and in this, he must protect Ava Archer from herself, his latest assignment, and his own demons that threaten to destroy them all.

The world building follows several paths including the fall-out of mental illness, and the affects of everyone who has ever been touched by a man unable to accept himself. From family and friendships, lives have been affected and upset but none more so than those caught in the spiral of depression, mania and madness.

The relationship between Des and Ava is a best friends to frenemies to friends to lovers relationship. Ten years of not knowing what happened to the boy she once loved found Ava struggling with his reappearance in her life but all is not as is appear to be, and Ava will be caught in the cross-fire of Des’ latest job. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including several cameos from characters found in the author’s KNITTING IN THE CITY series as well as Des’ parents Quinn and Janie, Ava’s parents Fiona and Greg, and Ava’s sister Grace.

BANANAPANTS is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, love and loss, mental illness and acceptance, forgiveness and understanding. The author pulls the reader into a thought-provoking, emotional, heart breaking and often times raw; look at mental impairment, struggle and recognition. The characters are charismatic but haunted; the romance is sensitive and spirited. I will add the author/book sites list Bananapants as a romantic comedy but I would suggest going in with a open mind and aware of some dark topics involving mental illness.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

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