Review // Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

Now get inside and take off your clothes. I’ve had a whole day to dream up the theme park I’m going to make of your body tonight, girl.

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Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

Standalone
Release - April 15, 2018
Genre - Contemporary Romance / age gap / forbidden
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 3 out of 5 / a couple of scenes, not very graphic
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon / own the paperback
Length - 407 pages
Publisher - Indie

Goodreads * Amazon (FREE with KU)

JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.

My Two Cents

4 "Touching the Untouchable" stars

This story was as messy as I expected it to be.
I enjoyed the meet-cute between Jordan and Pike. They realized right away how compatible and easy things were between them. Too bad she's his son's girlfriend. And when they're practically forced to move in with him, the tension... the angst...Next level, my friends.

Pike was definitely swoon-worthy. He did everything in his power to resist the pull of all that was Jordan. He had the patience of a saint when she threw tantrums or generally acted her age. He loved the heck out of his loser son. He was a great friend, boss, dad, etc. He was awesome!

And this story...

I'll admit, it left me feeling a bit dirty, which is good because it is a taboo read. But I kept thinking to myself, "Am I supposed to forget she was banging his son?" and "Does the comparison between son and father, at least sexually, ever come up?" and then, overall, I've got "Ewww."

All together, it worked. It was full of angst, the push and pull to be expected of a forbidden relationship, the bits of romance sprinkled in inappropriate ways, and the ick. It worked and I'd gladly recommend it to those who love love, in all of its forms.

About the Author

Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Their books have been translated into nineteen languages and include The Fall Away Series, The Devil’s Night Series, and the stand-alones, Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, Credence, and Tryst Six Venom.

From Penelope Douglas's website:

Hi! My name is Penelope Douglas, and I write romance. New adult, erotica, a little contemporary… Really whatever is calling me at the moment. I believe a good writer can spin any story in a way with which you’ll connect, and I endeavor to do just that with every book I write. Not many topics are too taboo for me. I love breaking rules, and I love taking myself out of my comfort zone.

Visit https://pendouglas.com for more information