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Review

“This is wrong. I know it’s wrong. But God, he feels good.”

5 chemistry-filled forbidden stars

I freaking love this book! It took me by surprise just how much because Penelope Douglas is an author I don’t always connect with, but I couldn’t resist the blurb of this one, and wow, what a read! An intense, slow-burning, fun, heartfelt and emotional forbidden romance, this story captured me from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down!

Jordan is a 19 year old girl who has struggled her whole life. Strong and independent beyond her years, she has fought hard to get where she is, and she’s still struggling to make ends meet while studying and working. Her situation isn’t helped by her lazy, party-boy boyfriend, Cole. His latest antics result in them being evicted, and with limited options, the two of them move in with Cole’s father until they can get on their feet.

Pike Lawson is a good guy. At only 38, he was a teenager when Cole was born and though his relationship with Cole’s mother didn’t work out, Pike has been a dedicated father. He doesn’t have the best relationship with his son due to the lies Cole’s mother fed him growing up, but he loves his son and would do anything for him.

The twist with the new arrangement is that Jordan and Pike have already met – though they didn’t realise the connection they shared at the time. But during their brief meeting they developed their own connection, chatting easily and sharing a genuinely good (platonic) time together. And that easiness between them continues now that they are living under the same roof. Though as they open up more, spend time together and get to know each other more, they begin to develop genuine feelings for each other that they know they can’t have.

“You look at each other like…”
“Like?”
He swallows, an unusually troubled pinch to his brow. “Like the two of you have your own language.”

OMG, the chemistry! The absolute, undeniable, goosebump-inducing sexual tension that rolls off Jordan and Pike is just fantastic! I could feel their attraction, their undeniable want for each other that is highly sexual but also so much more than lust. They get each other in a way that nobody ever has before, and you can feel every moment of their emotion for each other building towards something incredible.

“We want it, but we know we shouldn’t.”

I’m not going to go into detail, because you need to just dive into this one and experience it in all of its breathtaking intensity. And seriously… just wow. I felt it, I ached for them, I celebrated with them, and holy damn, I fanned myself at the hotness between them.

“My hands were on you, too,” she says.
And then she pulls the door open and walks out, closing it gently behind her.
I stare after her, the empty space making me suddenly want her back.
“Don’t say things like that,” I mumble to an empty house.
If I know you want it, too, how will I be able to resist you?

Jordan and Pike are just fantastic. Jordan’s maturity and strength make her a fabulous heroine. She isn’t a victim, she’s strong and she knows what she wants, but she’s also incredibly sensible. And Pike rocked my world. He’s everything you want in a romantic hero – strong and sexy with a big heart, and just a genuinely awesome guy. They are perfect for each other, but they have a rocky road ahead of them. The 19 year age gap is one thing, but Jordan’s relationship with Cole is the main hurdle between them, with neither of them wanting to hurt him.

“I knew you were out there somewhere,” I tell her, quirking a sad smile. “The girlfriends, women I dated, Cole’s mother…. I never wanted to marry anyone, because they weren’t what I was looking for. I had started to think I had my sights set too high, and you didn’t exist.” I clasp the back of her neck and run my thumbs down her throat. “Turns out my dream girl belongs to the one person it would kill me to hurt.”

To answer the question that a lot of potential readers will have before going into this one… is there cheating?

It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, and I loved the ride which is full of fun moments, sweetness, laughs, heartache and drama, and absolutely fantastic chemistry. The push and pull is delicious, creating a fantastic love story that I couldn’t get enough of. And that epilogue is just perfection.

I listened to this one as an audiobook and the narration is sensational. Andrew Eiden and, Jennifer Mack are Pike and Jordan, and they bring so much heart to the story. Definitely a great one to listen to!

Love, love, love it!

5 stars.