Tag Archives: Penny Reid

Bananapants by Penny Reid-review tour

Posted on by
15

🍌 Bananapants by Penny Reid-review tour 🍌

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Apple / Chapters Indigo /

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.

•••••

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Drama King (Three Kings 2) by Penny Reid-Review tour

Posted on by
10

Drama King (Three Kings 2) by Penny Reid-Review tour

 

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 15, 2022

Stuck with her off-limits, taciturn, hunky movie star client during a sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve, an extremely capable and highly professional bodyguard must keep him alive and warm without letting the tension building between them get too hot.

Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan can’t thank her best friend enough for helping her land the job of her dreams. After being relegated to second-string security for politicians in DC, being hired as an undercover personal security specialist by a giant Hollywood studio is exactly the kind of action she’s always wanted.

Until she meets her first assignment.

Cyrus Malcom can’t thank his agent enough for arranging a blind date with seemingly the woman of his dreams. After spending the past several years playing all the parts and climbing all the ladders, the lonely mega movie star finds himself actually enjoying a night on the town for the first time in ages when he meets the gorgeous, funny, and genuine Ryaine O’Rourke.

Until she shows up at his studio meeting the next day with a completely different name.

A world-wide press tour and too many late-night parties later, Beth simply needs to get through a short, one-day visit during the Christmas holiday, and then she’ll be free of Cyrus Malcom’s confusing hot looks and cold shoulders for good.

But just as they leave the airport, it starts to snow . . .

•••••

REVIEW: DRAMA KING is the second instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult THREE KINGS romance series. This is twenty-nine year old, actor Cyrus Malcom, and body guard/ security specialist Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan’s story line. DRAMA KING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Beth and Cyrus) DRAMA KING follows the building romance and relationship between twenty-nine year old, actor Cyrus Malcom, and body guard/ security specialist Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan. Beth Ryan is best friends with Hollywood actress Ryaine O’Rourke, and they look almost identical which is part of Beth Ryan’s ability to be her body double, and intervene with Ryaine’s assortment of serial dates but Beth was about to meet her match in movie star Cyrus Malcom, one of Ryaine’s potential suitors, the man with whom Beth would fall in love. Her first personal security assignment, as part of an all-female security force, found Beth face to face with Cyrus Malcom, and our heroine’s battle between head and heart eventually forced Beth to walk away citing potential conflict and sexual attraction. A call back , a freak snow storm, and an abandoned farm house would place Beth back in the orbit of our story line hero but one night together found Beth struggling with their relationship going forward. What ensues is the building relationship between Beth and Cyrus, and the potential fall-out as Beth’s fierce need for independence and autonomy pushed Cyrus out of her life.

Cyrus Malcom is a famous actor. The studio has received threats against our story line hero, and in the wake, has hired WWS Security to protect their star with twenty-four hour security, security in the guise of women who could pass as arm candy, friends or one-night stands. Cyrus was unaware as to the extent of the threats, and working with Beth meant working with the woman that had stolen his heart.

The relationship between Cyrus and Beth begins as a lie, a date in which Cyrus is unaware of Beth’s true identity. Cyrus fell immediately for our story line heroine but Beth struggled with remaining professional in the face of her attraction to our story line hero. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Beth’s boss Wren St. James, as well as several members of the security team, as well as the return of Rex TW McMurtry (Homecoming King 1).

DRAMA KING is a story of friendships, relationships and love. The premise is entertaining and engaging; the romance is seductive; the characters are impassioned. The conflict is limited to the back and forth between our leading couple-the threats against Cyrus are behind the scenes and virtually non-existent.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one HOMECOMING KING

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

“Do you want to listen to music?” I asked softly. “Or talk radio?”
“No, thank you,” he said shortly, shifting in his seat again while he kept on staring and frowning out the window. “You’ll need to take a right when you get to Old Whiskey Road.”
“You don’t want to go through downtown Alenbach?”
“No. I’ve seen it before.” His response was uncharacteristically irritable.
Fighting a bout of nerves, I considered my next question, or whether I should ask a question.
One popped in my head and I wondered if it was too personal. But you know what? I decided, to heck with it. I wouldn’t see Cyrus again after today, not in any meaningful way. If he clammed up, so be it. I had nothing to lose.
I waited another mile or so, then asked, “Do you miss it?”
—at the exact same time he demanded, “Why did you pick me up?”
Stiffening at the hostility in his tone, I redoubled my efforts to focus on the road and responded calmly, “I was already here and the studio asked.”
I got the sense he was waiting for me to continue. When I didn’t, he asked, “That’s it? There’s no other reason?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, my thoughts drifted to the watch in my pocket. “What other reason would there be?” I hedged, testing the wiper controls to see if it had a higher setting. It didn’t. I felt like we were creeping along at this point and we’d be lucky to make it before nightfall.
His eyes still on me, he grumbled something I missed, then asked, “Do I miss what?”
I considered saying, Nothing, forget it, but my reasoning for asking the question was still sound.
“Do you miss Texas? Do you miss being close to your momma and all these wide-open spaces? The culture out here?” I went back to chewing my bottom lip, feeling unaccountably nervous. Carefully, I slowed the car and turned onto Old Whiskey Road. This was the bypass road for Alenbach, which was still some thirty miles ahead.
The snow seemed to thicken while I waited for him to answer. We traveled another mile and I glanced at Cyrus, our eyes connecting for the first time since he’d arrived at the Austin airport.
I absorbed the shock of it, breathed through it. Meanwhile, he stared at me, some combination of puzzled and stunned.
Braving another quick look, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I believe that’s the first time you’ve asked me a personal question directly.”
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I struggled with how to respond, and eventually blurted, “That can’t be true.”
“It is. What do you know about me?” The question sounded like an accusation. “We worked together for four months and not once—not once—did you make any effort to know me. Why is that?”
A hot, spiky feeling pressed uncomfortably outward against my skin. The truth was, I knew more than I wanted to admit. “I—I know plenty.”
“Really? How? Are you a mind reader? What am I thinking right now?”
My breath wanted to hitch. I wouldn’t let it. I tried to focus on my irritation, not this strange sense that I’d let him down.
“Go ahead,” he demanded. “Tell me what I’m thinking.”
Glancing at him, I saw a deeply furrowed brow, glinting narrowed eyes, mouth tugged down at the corners, jaw set. Cyrus looked more like his character Asmodeus than himself—a beautiful, surly, smoldering fallen angel instead of a happy-go-lucky sweetheart with too much energy and charisma.
“Well?” Cyrus pushed.
“Well, obviously you’re angry with me.”
“That’s right, I’m angry.”
“Fine. Be angry then!” I yelled.
“I don’t want to be angry with you!” he shouted back. “I want to be the opposite of—oh shit”—he braced his arm against the dash—“Stop!”
I saw the deer right before Cyrus did. It was huge. Despite my frazzled state of mind and his insistence that I do so, I did not stop. I didn’t swerve either, though every instinct screamed at me to yank the wheel to the right.
Did you know deer kill more people than any other animal? Snakes and sharks have nothing on Bambi. Some people think they’re cute, I blame Disney for that. They’re not cute, they’re dumb. If you’re unfortunate enough to see them in the road, stop only if it’s convenient and you spot them from a distance and it’s not a winter hellscape outside.
But since this one appeared like a serial killer in a snowy slasher flick, I didn’t stop. I pressed gently on the brakes, slowed, and braced for impact. It came with a forceful, bone-shaking boom. Airbags deployed, filling my face and vision. The jolt of it caused my foot to press harder on the brake—rookie mistake, I should’ve removed my foot—and that’s when the shit hit the fan. 

 

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk 2) by Penny Reid-review tour

Posted on by
9

Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk 2) by Penny Reid-review tour

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play / Apple / Smashword /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date: OCTOBER 27, 2022

He needs to get her out of his system. Just once…

Hank Weller doesn’t help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants—and Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he can’t help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He’s always noticed. She’d probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte’s messy, public divorce made Hank’s club out to be the culprit—and made her the single mother of four kids—he doesn’t need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the town’s prettiest charity case doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.

Charlotte Mitchell doesn’t much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as “eccentric” and “nonconformist,” which were polite southern alternatives to “filthy rich” and “self-centered douchebag.” Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven’t so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hank’s club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.

But he’s about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.

•••••

REVIEW: FOLK AROUND AND FIND OUT is the second instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult GOOD FOLK: MODERN FOLKTALES erotic, romance series-a spin off from the author’s WINSTON BROTHERS and KNITTING IN THE CITY series. This is exotic dance club owner Hank Weller, and divorcee/single mother/ teacher’s assistant Charlotte Mitchell’s story line. FOLK AROUND AND FIND OUT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Some of the characters from the original series cross over for back story and familiarity.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Charlotte and Hank) FOLK AROUND AND FIND OUT follows the building but tempestuous relationship between exotic dance club owner Hank Weller, and divorcee/single mother/ teacher’s assistant Charlotte Mitchell. Charlotte Mitchell need information, and applying to work at The Pink Pony is the perfect outlet for Charlotte’s needs but Charlotte, whose husband left her for a stripper he met at The Pink Pony, has no idea as to what she may be forced to do. Club owner Hank Weller knows only too well that Charlotte’s reputation will be destroyed so he offers her a position as bookkeeper, a position that forces Charlotte into Hank’s orbit. Hank and Charlotte’s reputations is acrimonious at best. Hank believes Charlotte sits in judgement of who he is, and the business he runs but Charlotte’s reasons for disliking Hank stem back years, years in which Hank no longer remembers what happened or why. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Hank and Charlotte, and the potential fall-out when Charlotte’s past returns, demanding everything and more.

Charlotte Mitchell is a single mother of four children under the age of seven, and her life is quickly spiralling out of control. Desperate for information, Charlotte is willing to ‘dance’ at The Pink Pony but getting up close and personal with her high school nemesis isn’t high on the list of Charlotte’s things to do. Hank Weller has no idea why Charlotte Mitchell despises the ground upon which he walks but believes she sits in judgement of his particular line of work. Suspecting Charlotte is not revealing the truth about the who, how and why, Hank offers Charlotte a job, placing our heroine in the direct link of fire.

The relationship between Charlotte and Hank is an enemies to frenemies to lovers in which Hank realizes Charlotte is the woman that calls to his heart but Hank’s lack of a successful relationship has him questioning his life choices going forward including falling for a woman, and her ready made family. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive but I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word in my romance story lines.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including Jackson and Raquel (Totally Folked 1), Beau and Shelly Winston , Jethro and Sienna Winston (Grin and Beard It 2), Cletus and Jenn Winston (Beard Science 3) as well as Charlotte’s four children, her mother, and exotic dancer turned bookkeeper Hannah.

FOLK AROUND AND FIND OUT is a story of discrimination, judgement, preconceived notions, acceptance and love. The fast paced premise is entertaining, engaging and captivating; the romance is passionate and provocative; the characters are determined and energetic. The epilogue fast forwards the story line fifteen to eighteen years…

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Just Folking Around
Totally Folked

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

JUST FOLKING AROUND: FREE Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Apple / Google Play

TOTALLY FOLKED: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friend by Penny Reid-Review Tour

Posted on by
11

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friend by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play /Apple /

ABOUT THE BOOK: April 12, 2022.

Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends.

Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he’s being condescending (which is all the time).

The truth is, they have nothing in common. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous bestselling fiction author. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators?

When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between nonfriends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely—very rarely—you should believe what you see online.

•••••

REVIEW:TEN TRENDS TO SEDUCE YOUR BESTFRIEND by Penny Reid is a contemporary, adult romance story line focusing on twenty-seven year old author/genius Byron Visser, and twenty-six year old teacher/podcaster Winnifred Gobaldi.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Win and Byron) TEN TRENDS TO SEDUCE YOUR BESTFRIEND follows the building romance and relationship between twenty-seven year old author/genius Byron Visser, and twenty-six year old teacher/podcaster Winnifred Gobaldi. Byron Visser is a genius, an author and an ‘odd duck’ in the world of social norms. His best friend is Amelia, whose best friend is Winnifred Gobaldi, a young woman whose podcast promotes science, more specifically STEM-Science, technology, engineering and mathematics for girls but in this Win finds herself at a cross-roads when an grant to further her STEM promotion for women involves a larger social media platform, and a romantic TikTok challenge. Enter Byron Visser, genius, best selling author, and the man who stars in Win’s fantasies and dreams. What ensues is the building but atypical romance and relationship between Win and Byron, as our couple must navigate the world of social media, anxiety, miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Byron Visser could be considered an ‘odd duck’; a young man whose life experiences are limited; a man whose dislike of people and social norms is anything but acceptable to the outside world by Byron has fallen in love with his best friend’s roommate, a woman whose quirks and oddities grate at our hero’s sense of well being. Winnifred Bogaldi has always felt like a failure in the face of Byron Visser’s silent condemnations and perfect control of his life but Winnifred will soon discover that Byron’s eccentricities and peculiarities hide something much deeper, something our heroine realizes before anyone else. Working together to help further Winnifred’s chances at winning the TikTok challenge, our couple will discover their mutual disdain for one another hides a volatile attraction neither one is able to admit.

The relationship between Byron and Winnifred begins as enemies to frenemies to ‘lovers’. Neither one is experienced in the relationship department, and their social awkwardness is exacerbated by fear, anxiety and a lack of, or miscommunication. There are no $ex scenes, everything is implied or fades to black.

We are introduced to Byron’s best friend and Winnifred’s roommate Amelia; Byron’s roommate Jeff Choi, and Jeff’s girlfriend Lucy.

TEN TRENDS TO SEDUCE YOUR BESTFRIEND is a very slow building story line of friendships and relationships, misunderstanding and miscommunication, acceptance and love. The premise is thought provoking, engaging and captivating; the romance is sensitive; the characters are naĂŻve, unique and quirky.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“This is the video from yesterday.” My stomach did a weird thing at the sight of him, and the sight of me crawling on all fours toward him, and what came after. I blinked away from the replay, before the part where I’d forgotten we were being filmed. “Why would I be mad at you about this? I knew you were filming.”
“Look harder.”
My forehead wrinkled, giving my attention back to her phone. I didn’t know what she wanted me to see, but now the video was repeating and—
“OH MY GOD!” I grabbed the phone. “This—this is—”
“Shh! Yes.” Now Amelia looked around, presumably to make certain none of the Seattleites surrounding us felt a disturbance in the politeness force. “Yes. I recorded it live. I’m so, so, so sorry.”
I leaned forward. “So that means it’s been—”
“Posted since last night. That’s right.” She covered her face again, groaning. “I’m so sorry.”
My eyes caught on the number of views, and I stood from the table, my chair scraping noisily on the linoleum. “ONE MILLION VIEWS?”
“Sorry!” she whispered loudly to someone at a nearby table. “We’ll just—we’re leaving.” Amelia grabbed my laptop and notebook and tilted her head toward the exit. “Time to go, and it was one point three the last time I checked. Now get your bag.”
Numbly, I lowered her phone and grabbed for my backpack and coat, fumbling with the strap. My fingers didn’t seem to work. She walked around the table and placed a hand on my back, helping to usher me out of the quiet area and waiting until we were standing in the hall to say, “I’m so sorry. It was an accident.”
“I can’t . . .” I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak. One point three million views. What must Byron think? “Oh crap,” I whispered, my gaze swinging around the interior of the library, unable to settle. “What about Byron? Does he know? How is he going to feel about this?”
“I don’t know if he knows. I’ve been trying to call him all morning. He won’t pick up his phone, and I’m frankly a little scared to leave a voice mail. Since he’s not on social media, he might not know.” Stuffing my laptop and notebook into my backpack, Amelia put the strap on my shoulder and took her cell phone from where I still gripped it.
I immediately covered my face like I could hide from this. My cheeks were hot. As much time as I’d spent this morning coming to terms with Jeff’s decisions last night, I’d spent ZERO seconds thinking about my ridiculous reaction to Byron’s performance. I wouldn’t allow myself to think about it. What was the point? He’d been pretending, acting, playing a part, and—as per usual—I’d left the interaction feeling like a fool.
“We have to delete it,” I rasped, my mouth dry, my brain on fire. “Before he sees it and finds out, we have to delete it.”
“No! No. Don’t do that.” She pressed the phone to her chest.
“What? Why not?”
“Think for a second.” She pushed me toward the elevator. “If you delete it, it might become a whole thing. He’s a famous guy who millions of people are starving to know more about. He has no social media and suddenly he’s on TikTok with you? And this isn’t like your lab video from Friday, this is you two together, acting like you’re close friends crushing on each other. We need to call him—together—and tell him. But first we need him to answer his damn phone.” Amelia nodded at her own assertion while stabbing the elevator call button with her index finger.
“Call him? You want to call him together?” Oh God. I didn’t want to call him. I never wanted to talk to him again. “You don’t think he’ll want us to take it down ASAP? Like you said, millions of people want to know about him. Don’t you think he’ll view this as an invasion of privacy?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I flinched back. “I think you mean, most certainly yes.”
“No.” She pulled me by the arm into the elevator and pressed all the right buttons. “We should call him, leave a voice mail together where we tell him exactly what happened, and ask what he wants to do about it. If you take it down, it might create more difficulty for him than if you left it up and let it run its course.”
I covered my face again, leaning against the wall for support. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Hey, on the bright side, you have over ten thousand new followers. That’s . . . something.”
I groaned. I would’ve given up every single one of my new followers if it would’ve somehow undone the posting of that video. What a nightmare.

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

HOMECOMING KING (Three Kings 1) by Penny Reid-Review tour

Posted on by
11

HOMECOMING KING (Three Kings 1) by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play / Apple /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 14, 2021.

Rex “TW” McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn’t bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn’t keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he’s always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings.

Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She’s dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool.

The guy who just walked into her bar.

The guy who doesn’t recognize her.

The guy who is drunk and needs a ride home.

The guy who has a proposition she should definitely refuse.

•••••

REVIEW:HOMECOMING KING is the first instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult THREE KINGS erotic, romance series. This is professional football player Rex ‘TW” McMurtry, and twenty-eight year old, bartender Abigail “Abby” McNerny’s story line.

Told from first person perspective (Abigail) HOMECOMING KING follows the fake relationship/marriage between professional football player Rex ‘TW” McMurtry, and twenty-eight year old, bartender Abigail McNerny. Defensive end for the Chicago Squalls , Rex McMurtry, rolled into Abigail McNerny’s bar, and unknowingly found himself, the next morning, hungover and recovering from a night he could not remember but Abigail remembered our story line hero, having lusted after Rex for most of her life including preschool, grade school, high school and so on. Rex’s return to his hometown came with an offer, an offer of marriage for our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance but fake marriage between Rex and Abigail, and the potential fall-out as Abigail tries desperately to remember that her marriage isn’t real, but the heart wants something too good to be true.

Rex TW McMurtry is one of the few single men on his team, having dated then setting up everyone of his married friends with the woman he saw. Struggling with the lack of his own happily ever after, Rex had wandered home, in an effort to forget about what he thought he would never have. Abigail McNerny’s past is haunted by betrayal, and in this, she battles between head and heart believing a fake relationship with Rex could only end in disaster. Still struggling with her own demons, Abigail’s relationship with Rex has placed a target on our story line heroine.

The relationships between Rex and Abigail is a fake marriage between childhood schoolmates that quickly turns into something more. Abigail has had a crush on Rex McMurtry all of her life but she never thought Rex would take an interest in someone from back home. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to several of Rex’s teammates; his Aunt Sal and Uncle Terry; his best friend and actor Cyrus Malcolm; Abigail’s boss/father figure Walker; her best friend Kaylee, as well as her ex Declan.

HOMECOMING KING is a fast paced and fun yet emotional story. The premise is wonderfully engaging; the romance is seductive; the characters are charismatic and energetic-the back and forth between Abby and Rex is humorous and entertaining.My only issue would be for a dual first person point of view, as we have no idea as to what is happening with our story line hero.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Abby?”
A jolt of nerves—spikey, tingly electricity—rushed in a pulsing wave from the base of my neck outward, to every limb and appendage. I inhaled a deep, silent breath, steadying myself, willing my heart to cease its deafening drumbeat between my ears. I pasted a small smile on my face, shoving away the clutter of self-consciousness. Rotating the stool 180 degrees, I faced him.
“Oh. Hey, Rex. Long time no see. What are you doing here?” I could do this. I’d spent a full hour in my apartment with him yesterday, having conversations, not being a staring, stalkery, simpering weirdo. Heck, I’d even relaxed, forgotten who he was, settled into the conversation. I’d enjoyed his company and myself.
I’d even brushed his teeth for hootenanny’s sake! That was me. Another short conversation should be a cake-walk. I. Can. Do. This.
Rex McMurtry, hovering several stools away emanating serious BSE (Big Sweater Energy), looked at me like he knew me, like we were friends maybe, and he felt completely at ease in my presence. “Are you on the clock? Do you have a minute?”
I thought about lying, telling him I had no time for the foreseeable future. It’s not that I was unhappy to see Rex, far from it. A small but loud part of myself squealed with rebellious glee, because he was here to see meeeee!
And yet, the much larger, quieter, reserved part couldn’t help but feel wary of his presence and the additional disruption to my life it might cause, even it was just a mental disruption.
Glancing at my watch, I forced lightness. “I have a minute. What’s going on? Did you leave something at my place?” That’s probably why he’s here.
“No,” he responded easily, bursting my theory bubble and sauntering forward to the stool next to mine. “I wanted to see you.”
“Oh?” My heart fluttered pitifully, and my stomach swirled with heat. For the record, I did not believe he was here to make all my fantasies come true, but the stupid thought entered my brain anyway.
“Yeah.” His hand braced on the back of the stool, but he didn’t sit. “I’m in town for a few more days, until Sunday, and I wanted to see if you had any time off.”
I stared at him, saying nothing, trying to keep my thoughts ordered and my breathing under control, because WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?!
Was he . . .
Is he . . .?
Fantasies?!
Naaaaah.
No, Abigail, Rex McMurtry is not here to read quietly next to you on a couch, kiss your face off, and have sex on every surface of your apartment. This is not a high school musical porno and you can’t sing for shit.

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Totally Folked (Good Folk 1) by Penny Reid -Review Tour

Posted on by
12

Totally Folked (Good Folk: Modern Fairytales 1) by Penny Reid-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 20, 201

One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee…

Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?

Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.

When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.

••••••••••

REVIEW:TOTALLY FOLKED is the first instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult GOOD FOLK: MODERN FOLKTALES erotic, romance series – a spin off from the author’s WINSTON BROTHERS and KNITTING IN THE CITY series. This is thirty-one year old, deputy sheriff Jackson James, and twenty-eight year old, Hollywood actress Raquel Ezra’s story line. You do not have to have read the original series to understand or follow the current time line.

NOTE: There is a FREE prequel (prologue) novella JUST FOLKING AROUND (see below), that may or may not be included in the new release.

Told from dual first person perspectives ( Jackson and Raquel) TOTALLY FOLKED advances the timeline approximately five years wherein Hollywood superstar Raquel Ezra needs some time alone and lands in Green Valley, Tennessee, to visit her friend Sienna Diaz Winston, where she will come face to face with the man that she can never forget. Five years earlier, an almost one night stand between Raquel and Jackson at Sienna and Jethro’s wedding ended when Raquel ghosted our story line hero. Fast forward to present day, and Raquel, hoping to catch up with our story line hero discovers that he may not feel the same about their time together. What ensues is the back and forth, rebuilding romance and relationship between Raquel and Jackson, and the potential fall-out as their time together comes to a close.

TOTALLY FOLKED is a detailed story line ala ‘Gift of the Magi’ that follows the struggling relationship between our story line couple. Jackson James is a deputy sheriff who claims to only want friendship, and is determined to keep our heroine in the friendship zone but their sexual attraction is palpable and unmistakable to everyone including our story line couple but Jackson refuses to cross the line much to Raquel’s disappointment and heart break. Raquel doesn’t have ‘family’ and considers Sienna and the Winstons part of her crew. Meeting and falling for Jackson James gives our heroine hope for the future but Hollywood is fickle, and the fall-out and secrets are about to land in Green Valley, Tennessee.

The slow building relationship between Jackson and Raquel is one of immediate attraction but an almost one-night stand sees more than five years without contact or communication. Raquel’s return to Green Valley is to consider all of her options going forward, including the man with whom she will fall in love but secrets and lies are about to be exposed, and both Raquel and Jackson have some ‘splaining’ to do. As Jackson continues to keep his distance, with a hands off policy, a case of miscommunication finds our couple at odds going forward as both struggles with issues of low self esteem, and fear of objectification. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and steamy, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several of the Winston brothers and their significant others. We are introduced to Jackson’s parents Sheriff Jeffrey and Janet James, and his ex Charlotte Mitchell; Raquel’s Hollywood IT-boy Harrison Kent, and her security team Dave and Miguel. There may be something developing between Dave and Charlotte.

TOTALLY FOLKED is an emotional, intricate and sometimes frustrating story line-will he or won’t he? does he or doesn’t he? friendship or love? stay or go !! ? The premise is engaging and captivating; the romance is a slow burn seduction of want and need; the characters are energetic and animated although Jackson continued to struggle (withdraw) throughout most of the story. A fantastic introduction to Penny Reid’s new spin off series set in the Winston Brothers’ world.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

________

JUST FOLKING AROUND
Good Folk: Modern Fairytales .5
by Penny Reid
Release Date: June 23, 2021

FREE Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Apple / Google Play

One night? No strings? A sexy game of chess? No problem.

If you’ve never read a Penny Reid book before, this is the place to start! An all new series starter snack from the author of the WINSTON BROTHERS and KNITTING IN THE CITY series. . .

Raquel Ezra loves to fish. With so many fish in the sea, she’s never had a problem baiting the hook or reeling them in. Raquel is a good actress, she can be anyone’s fantasy for a single night as long as they agree to be hers. Which is why she doesn’t think twice about spending an evening in nowhere Tennessee with a smokin’ hot, well-mannered, and intriguing sheriff’s deputy by the name of Jackson James.

Except, when the time comes, Raquel discovers that reality might just be better than any fantasy, and maybe she’s not ready to release this catch.

JUST FOLKING AROUND is a 16k words, contemporary romance, a complete standalone, and is the prequel to TOTALLY FOLKED, book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

•••••••

REVIEW:JUST FOLKING AROUND is the introductory novella in Penny Reid’s contemporary adult GOOD FOLK: MODERN FOLKTALES erotic, romance series-a spin off from the author’s Winston Brothers series. This is twenty-six year old, deputy sheriff Jackson James, and twenty-three year old, Hollywood starlet Raquel Ezra’s story line.

NOTE: JUST FOLKING AROUND may be included as the prequel in book one TOTALLY FOLKED, and is set five and half years earlier.

Told from first person perspective (Raquel) JUST FOLKING AROUND follows Raquel Ezra, at a friend’s wedding, where she will meet Deputy Sheriff Jackson James, a Tennessee native who stirs something deep within our story line heroine. Only in town for one night, Raquel agrees to an evening with our story line hero, an almost one-night stand that ends with Raquel heading back to a life far from nowhere Tennessee.

JUST FOLKING AROUND is a quick read that covers but a few hours in the life; a hot and sassy introduction that leaves our heroine wanting more from Jackson James, a man who knows a thing or two about making a woman scream.

Own a copy

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt tour

Posted on by
11

MARRIAGE AND MURDER ( Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries 2) by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt tour

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 2, 2021

The Devil is in the details . . .

Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he, to a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.

On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?

And most importantly, who done it?

‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’

•••••••••

REVIEW:  MARRIAGE AND MURDER is the second instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult SOLVING FOR PIE: CLETUS AND JENN MYSTERIES romantic, suspense series focusing on engaged couple Cletus Winston, and Jenn Donner-Sylvester. MARRIAGE AND MURDER can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading book one ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE as the events in book two are as of a direct result from the events in book one. The Solving For Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries is a spin off from the author’s Winston Brothers series. Cletus Winston and Jenn Sylvester’s original story can be found in book three of the Winston Brothers series BEARD SCIENCE.

NOTE: Although the series is categorized as a ‘cozy mystery’-meaning no $ex, violence or swearing on the pages- there is $ex, violence and foul language, so in actuality I would not say, by definition, this is a true cozy mystery series.

SOME BACKSTORY: In book one ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE Jenn’s father Kip Sylvester scammed a number of people in the small town of Green Valley, and in the wake of these scams left several townsfolk looking for payback and revenge, targeting Jenn, and her mother in the process.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jenn and Cletus) MARRIAGE AND MURDER follows in the aftermath of Jenn and Cletus’ almost engagement party but gun shots, murder and a missing mother in law-to be finds Cletus and Jenn on the short list of suspects in the wake of secrets and the revelation that Jenn is about to inherit everything and more. As Cletus begins to unravel a series of clues leading to the who, what and how, Jenn’s role as suspect turns victim with potentially deadly consequences. What ensues is the ongoing relationship and romance between Jenn and Cletus, and the fall-out of sins from the past are about to destroy our story line couple.

The relationship between Jenn and Cletus continues to grow as Jenn’s attachment and need for Cletus begins to take on a life of its’ own. The $ex scenes are passionate, seductive and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and familiar characters including most of Cletus’ siblings and their significant others- Congressman Billy Winston, Drew and Ashley, Jethro and Sienna, Beau and Shelly, Roscoe; Deputy Jackson James; Jenn’s mother Diane Donner, her father Kip Sylvester, and Kip’s lady friend Elena Wilkerson; Jenn’s brother Isaac aka Twilight; Wraith’s MC treasurer Jason aka Repo; and farmer Kenneth Miller. The requisite evil has many faces.

MARRIAGE AND MURDER is a story of betrayal and vengeance; greed and jealousy; love and forever. The premise is intriguing, suspenseful and intense; the romance is captivating; the characters are animated, dynamic and edgy.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

“Here.” Cletus suddenly appeared, looking devilishly handsome in the dim light and seemingly all put back together—like we’d been in here holding hands instead of. . . ANYWAY.
He held out my underwear. His eyes were bright even in shadow, and I could see they were half-lidded as they lazily trailed over me. He looked at me like he was hungry, and I was dinner. Despite all the encore orgasms I’d just had, the effect hit me right between my legs.
I wondered what he was thinking, watching as he licked his bottom lip and drew it into his mouth. Was he just as insatiable for me? And if so, was he okay with that?
Tearing my eyes away, I pulled on the lace and fixed my skirt, telling my body to settle down. We were getting married for hootenanny’s sake!
Cletus cocked his head to the side while I smoothed my hands down the red fabric, working to get a hold of all this raging want always coursing through my veins whenever he was near. Maybe it was because he was my first, and I guess, my only. Was that why I felt so crazed for him all the time?
“Miraculous,” he said.
I surmised he meant the dress. “Right? The wrinkles are hidden, if there are any. It’s ’cause they ruched the outer fabric at the seams, see?” I turned to the side to show him the seam, and he stepped forward as though he were going to investigate.
Instead, his hands cupped my face and tilted my chin back. He stared at me with a vibrant intensity I felt all the way to my fingertips. “No, Jenn. Not the dress. You.” Cletus gave me a soft kiss, ending it by gently nipping my bottom lip. “You are my miracle.”
I sighed. And I smiled. And I felt like I was walking on a cloud instead of in four-inch heels, which was also probably something of a miracle. “You say the sweetest things.”
“I think you mean, I say the truest things.”
I laughed, and he kissed my forehead. He held me there, in the dark with his lips pressed to my forehead. “I love you so completely, with every cell in my body. I wonder sometimes if I’d cease to exist—just evaporate or disappear—if anything ever happened to you.”
“No.” I anchored my hands to his wrists and squeezed. “Don’t think like that. We’ve got our whole lives in front of us. There’s nothing anyone can—”
Three bangs in quick succession pierced the quiet moment, and not a second later Cletus had me on the ground beneath him, covering my back with his body.
“Gunshots,” he whispered in my ear. “From the parking lot. Don’t move.” 


 

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share

Engagement and Espionage by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

Posted on by
9

Engagement and Espionage (Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries Book 1) by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt  Tour

 

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 14, 2020

Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged!

But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most “fowl” need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancĂŠ. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?

‘Engagement and Espionage’ is the first book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries series, is a full-length cozy mystery, and is a spin-off of Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series. This novel is best read after ‘Beard Science,’ Winston Brothers #3.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is the first instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult SOLVING FOR PIE: CLETUS AND JENN MYSTERIES cozy, mystery series-a spin off from the author’s Winston Brothers series. Cletus Winston and Jenn Sylvester’s story can be found in book three BEARD SCIENCE.

Told from dual first person perspective (Jenn and Cletus) ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE follows Jenn and Cletus as they endeavor to reveal the truth and the people behind a series of accidents at the local farms from which Jenn gets her ingredients for her prize winning bakery. The attack against her mother and a fire at the local bee hive, the death of a flock of chickens, and the sale of the farm and cows where Jenn buys her milk finds our couple looking into the who, how and why, including the acrimonious break up and impending divorce of Jenn’s belligerent parents. As Jenn and Cletus go undercover, including a ruse to reveal the truth, Jenn quickly discovers that not all is well in Green Valley, as she has become the target of jealousy, vengeance and a disgruntled family member.

ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is an intriguing, quirky and spirited mystery. The premise is compelling ; the romance is tender and light hearted; the characters are animated

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

NOTE: The Excerpt is intended for mature readers due to strong language and content

 

“Don’t stop.” She reached for my belt again, this time completely undoing it, the button of my pants, and my zipper at world-record speed.
Her phone buzzed. Then it chimed. Then it buzzed and chimed two more times. Then it rang again. Reba.
Cursing, Jenn pulled the phone from her pocket, once again her face illuminated, murderous rage in her eyes. Her finger moved to the power off button. She blinked, hesitating. Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and she gasped.
“Cletus!”
Something about her tone, like she was horrified, and maybe a little afraid, cut through the heavy haze of lust inertia, and my hands stilled. Shaking myself, it took me a few moments to realize she was showing me the phone screen, and another few to bring the content of the text messages into focus.Momma: Jennifer Anne Sylvester, pick up your phone. If you’re with Cletus, I need his help. Please.
Momma: ALL THE CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS ARE DEAD! PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE!
Momma: I’m calling you in a second, pick up the phone. Mr. Badcock’s chickens are dead. All of them. I got here and he’s running around, deranged, yelling about his dead chickens! I called the police and they’re on their way. Please, please, please pick up the phone!At some point, I must’ve taken the phone from Jenn and stepped away, because I glanced up upon reading the messages for the third time, finding the phone in my hand and Jenn fixing her skirt.
“This is nuts.” Her big eyes searched mine imploringly. “Who could have done this?”
I shook my head, having not yet managed to fully shift head gears—you know, from that head to the one on my neck—and my gaze dropped to the wet patch on the front of her dress just visible in the swath of light. My erection throbbed.
So we’re . . . not having sex?
“Why? Why would they do it? And WHO?” She snatched her phone back, her tone bewildered, distracted, and distraught. She was distraught because of the dead chickens, like any normal person would be.
I was distraught also, but my distress had nothing to do with farm animals.
“We have to go.” Jenn grabbed my hand and began walking toward the direction of the hall. Meanwhile, it took me until her hand found the door handle to realize my zipper and belt were still undone.
“This is crazy.” She paused as I zipped up, her tone halting and distracted. “Poor Mr. Badcock. And those poor chickens.” A sound of distress escaped her throat. “This is terrible.”
It was terrible.
And I was going to hell.
Because all I could think was, Talk about a cock block.

 

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

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Share