First Comes Revenge

by Penelope Bloom

I can explain why I’m hiring male strippers.
I can explain the want ads for saucy male companionship I’m posting.
I can even explain pretending to date the city’s most notorious playboy. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but mine is going to be spicy, sizzling, and hilariously humiliating. My ex, Vaughn, cheated, stole from me, and worse. I refused to be the lovable, heartbroken heroine who hides under a pile of tissues and ice cream pints. Oh no, not me. So when the universe offers me the perfect crescendo to my plan, I know I can’t refuse. Jameson Wolfe, Vaughn’s arch-nemesis and business rival, wants to help me get back at my ex. We’re going to fake falling head over heels for each other and then rub it all in Vaughn’s face. Jameson has his own agenda that I should probably, maybe definitely, be worried about. But how wrong could this go? Jameson might be the city’s most notorious playboy, dangerously handsome, and filthy rich, but he’s practically allergic to commitments. We’ll emotionlessly fake date for a few weeks and cap it all off with an appearance at the company Halloween mixer. I’ll be in a sensibly scandalous costume with my arm wrapped around Jameson’s. Vaughn will go nuclear, and then we can all ride off into the sunset. Separately. Sure, Jameson isn’t the terrible jerk his reputation makes him out to be. And yes, I may find myself enjoying our fake dates more than I ever expected. But it’s going to be fine, even if I find myself asking 'what if' when I’m supposed to be thinking 'no way.' The plan is still going to go off without a hitch. Right?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fake Dating, Rom Com, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Comedy

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2023

About the author

USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts Bestselling author Penelope Bloom is taking her first flight into romantasy—and yes, there are dragons. After years of contemporary romance, she's temporarily trading meet-cutes for magical academies and coffee shops for castles that reek of blood. She promises the banter is just as sharp, but now it comes with deadly consequences.

Fun fact: “Penelope Bloom” started as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the family dog, Penelope—never meant to be anything serious. But then the books took off, and the name stuck. Behind the scenes, Penelope Bloom is actually a husband-and-wife team. He handles the writing; she edits, helps with brainstorming, and runs the reader-facing side of things (like social media and messages). So if you’ve chatted with “Penelope” online, you’ve likely been talking to her—with the author chiming in whenever needed. Together, they’ve built the voice readers know and love.

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please tell me 2024 will be a better year for books

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but this was so bland and boring 🥴

I couldn't connect with the characters at all and the story was so so. . .

The cover is beautiful though. . . what a shame.

▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: insta lust/love, revenge
▬ 𝐭𝐰: cheating

[beck · Rating 1 out of 5]

plot was boring, chemistry was not there, and it was written poorly. boo!

[Sloth Incarnate 🍉 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a reminder that sometimes, even crossing the 70% line unscathed doesn’t make a book safe.

[Gabby (bookishandballgowns) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penelope Bloom is finally back with another fun read. You’ll either love it or hate it. Like many of her others, this books is a fun time. It’s simple at its core and the premise is silly, but it’s a fun read nonetheless.

Charli is an aspiring author, doing everything in her power to keep her nitpicking boyfriend happy. He’s a prominent figure in the publishing industry, but she’s always wanted to achieve her dreams by her own merit. She shows up at a book conference to surprise him, only to find out he’s cheating on her and this other girlfriend is all the things that he would pick on Charli for lacking. In her desperate attempt to flee before he sees her, she ends up embarrassing herself in front of a conference room of publishers.

Thankfully, someone comes to her rescue. She’s resigned herself to just moving on but Vaughn’s enemy, Jameson, suggests cold hard revenge instead. The man is fully scheming and pulls Charli along for the ride. Jameson seems too good to be true with his ideas of retribution and the book deal he’s dangling in front of her. Though the idea is alluring, she runs back home with her tail between her legs and brings her best friends up to date. To no one’s surprise—they’re fully on board with the revenge idea. Not one to simply let things go, her friends start a one sided pranking war against her evil ex. While gathering more ammo in Vaughn’s email, Charli realizes that he’s stolen her book and that’s the last straw. She decides that it truly is war and calls up Jameson.

Jameson is delighted when Charli finally agrees to his plan. Especially when he convinces her that showing up at the legendary Halloween party on his arm will seal the deal. Revenge will be fun, but that’s not his only motivator. He’s far more interested in the beautiful girl Vaughn has carelessly tossed aside.

In this hilarious package of male strippers, dirty underwear, and other dastardly pranks there’s a lot to love. There’s a cast of great side characters that were the stars of so many of funny moments. Specifically the grandmother. She’s truly a riot and I got secondhand embarrassment from the crap that came out of her mouth. I loved their meddling friends and family members. They made this an entertaining read.

I highly recommend this is you enjoy a lighthearted and quick book. The events leading up to the ending were a bit meh. I felt like it hit a plateau after the third act breakup & Jamison’s version of groveling was so annoying. BUT…. The cuteness that happened afterwards made it all worth it. The acknowledgements made me a little melancholy learning why Penelope has been gone but I’m glad to see her back in action again.

Here’s to many more fun books!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Comes Revenge is a stand alone with multiple tropes, the main being an age gap of 13 years, revenge and fake dating. This is a new to me author, I loved the cover and blurb. But don't let that fool you! This book is sweet and fast paced with bland, boring and no chemical combustion thrown in!

Charlie McBride is a writing a book and her cheating boyfriend steals the book and wants his current girlfriend to pose as the author.

Jameson Wolfe is rivals with her cheating ex and he wants Charlie with one look. He comes up with a fake dating revenge plan to bring down the sum down.

He falls fast and hard but when he lies to Charlie she walks away and he must come up with an ingenious way to get her to forgive him.

[Laura Reads Too Much · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penelope s back, and she's brought Charli and Jameson with her...

Charli is a good person, very sweet, always sees the best in someone and an aspiring author with a boyfriend who doesn't deserve her and when she decides to surprise him, she soon realises how much he doesn't deserve her! #AtLast

And when she decides on getting revenge, in steps Jameson, her ex's lifelong rival - cue the fake relationship.... And the chemistry, the want, the denial, the laughs and the hope! And I really enjoyed it, such a giggle and definitely recommend!






*I voluntarily received an arc and this is my honest review

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed Feelings

This book started out great, loved the premise, first meeting between Charli and Jameson. As it went on though particularly
Two thirds in, it became an eye rolling mess. Recreating the juvenile antics bestowed on Charli's ex by Jameson on himself was just not romantic. I have nothing against Jameson being charitable and that was the only saving grace of the whole mess. The story is redeemed for me in the epilogues. Nice Easter egg moment plugging a book by a certain well known and loved Author.

[Christina Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for Penelope Bloom to publish a new story because I love the way she writes. Jameson Wolfe was a great hero because he encouraged Charli and put her needs first, even when it wasn't best for him. Charli's introduction to Jameson was fraught with comedy and the silly humor I've come to expect from Ms. Bloom. What I love most is the amount of heart and how her characters are good people. This type of humor isn't for everyone, but I get lost in these stories and am able to unwind after a rough day with books like this one. Now, I want Jameson's partner to get his own story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Comes Revenge by Penelope Bloom is the story of Jameson and Charli. Charli is goes to surprise her boyfriend but she is the one that gets the surprise by finding him with someone else. This leads her to want to get revenge which in turn leads her to Jameson who is a rival company for her former boyfriend. This was a funny and hot romance. Enjoyed it!

[Tamara G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m at 32% right now and I’ve had to stop to get this out because it has been bugging me.

We establish in chapter 5 that Jameson meets his best friend/business partner in middle school ”We met in middle school because he had a thing for my sister, Cleo.”

Fine, moving on. We establish Cleo’s age in chapter 10 “”What about you?" she asks. "Only child? Or are there other Wolfes running around out there." She makes a show of shuddering, as if the thought is terrifying.
"Two. Cleo and Kate are my sisters. Cleo is an es-thetician. It's like a makeup artist, sort of."
"I know what it is," Charli says with a half smile.
"Oh. Yeah, well that's Cleo. She's twenty-six. Or maybe she's twenty-seven, now, actually.””

Now this is all fine and dandy and you may be thinking ‘what is your issue?’. Valid. It’s just we already establish in chapter 3 our H Jameson’s age. “She has to be in her early or mid twenties, and I must be getting old if that makes me wonder if she's too young for me at thirty seven. ”
So Jameson is around 10/11 years older than his sister Cleo. Middle school age children are what, 11-13… so… so I just…

????

Bad plot ties or criminal friend? Who even knows. Guess I’ll continue on reading the book now

—
Alright I finished it, I enjoyed Jameson’s obsession with Charli, it was cute, I’m into that. Could have done with a bit more of idk, guilt? Something? From his best friend. It was kinda just like ‘we had a row and now we’re fine’ then a chapter or so later they’re all jokes about his actions? Well alright then.
Overall Jameson made this book but his friend wasn’t much of a friend, this did sort of outline the difficulties and potential pitfalls of running a business with a close friend however, I would have liked more remorse from him. Charli was alright, her family was cute but her friends were annoying. I enjoyed the overall plot and generally I do love PB’s books I look forward to her new releases. So whilst this was a mixed bag for me it hasn’t put me off future titles.

[Sarah Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute romcom with a Halloween party setting for my spooktober month of reading!

[Maye · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charli & Jameson

I absolutely loved this book. It was funny yet had its serious moments as well. And who couldn’t love meemaw!!!

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charli McBride is an aspiring author hoping to be published soon. Charli's boyfriend works for Landmark as an agent but won't help her out. All that changes when Charli sets out to surprise her boyfriend at an authors convention. Charli sees the truth and Jameson Wolfe sees an unique opportunity for revenge. Jameson admits only to himself that his revenge is more important than Charli's. How can Jameson help Charli? Will Charli trust Jameson? Find out in First Comes Revenge.

[Aia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charli was so annoying. The worst FMC so far. Because I really didn’t think Jameson deserved that in the end. He did grovel and asked for forgiveness but charli dragged it out for no reason.

Not accepting any of the gifts and stomping on the flowers?? It’s not like he cheated or anything. He just didn’t tell her/omit. It wasn’t even that bad. Ugh she was so overreacting the situation it annoyed me so much. Knock down a few stars. On top of that the book had too much unnecessary stuff. Just get to the point.

There were giddy moments but it didn’t make me happy
For some reason. I thought they were confusing as well. Were they fake at all? Jameson admitted he liked her and wasn’t faking it in what 2 days or so??? It was so weird

[Kristen Claiborn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not even sure where to start with this one. My Indiana Romance Book Club decided on this one for January 2024, and since it was readily available from Kindle Unlimited, I was able to get started on it right away (versus having to place a hold at my library or order it and wait patiently…ish). I wanted to like this, I really did, but there was a clue it wasn’t going to be “great” before I even started: it was self-published. It’s entirely possible that Penelope Bloom never shopped her book out, but that’s pretty unlikely, which means that publishers weren’t interested. While I’ve never tried to published a book, I have read thousands of them, and in my experience, the self-published books weren’t picked up by publishers for a reason.
Reason #1: The writing itself is pretty elementary. While that allows for a very easy to read novel, it also makes for sentence structures that are as basic as they get. My times while reading this book I found two small (sometimes even more) sentences that could have been combined to form more complex sentences that would have made the flow of the words more fluid. Instead, this reads like a drumline cadence played by elementary school beginners, it’s pretty choppy.
Reason #2: Again, more problematic writing, but less structure-based. I have had multiple people ask me to read chapters they’ve written, and the fundamental problem I find is that what might sound good in your head won’t necessarily translate well into printed form. And as the author, you might reread what you’ve written and think it reads exactly like you’d want it to, but that’s because you know the vocal tone you’re attempting to project, your reader does not. This entire book comes across with that problem. Bloom knows how she wants us to interpret her words because she wrote them. As the reader, I frequently had to wonder why she chose to put a punctuation mark here, or a certain phrase there. I also found her use of colorful metaphors unnecessary. It felt like she noticed that she hadn’t thrown in a bad word in a paragraph so she randomly threw one in. It felt forced and not at all organic. Again, it’s choppy didn’t allow the story to truly flow well.
Reason #3: The obnoxious use of literary (and societal) tropes. Charli’s brother is the prime example of a stereotypical protective brother and it made for a great big eye-roll. I have four brothers, none of them are overprotective. Charli has a gaggle of jilted friends, all suffering from equally miserable breakup stories. That storyline is also overdone. Jameson’s best friend has a “bros before hoes” attitude. In my experience, when a man becomes smitten, he puts his friends on a backburner, so that particular stereotype is also unrealistic. Jameson has his own gaggle of women with his sisters, but in their case, they’re doing everything to help him win back the woman he thinks he loves. This trope is the only one I can get behind. If you need help to woo a woman, please ask a woman for help.
Reason #3: I admit that my current husband and I got pretty serious pretty quickly, but the speed with which Jameson decided that Charlie was “the one,” was just ridiculous and that storyline is vastly abused in the romance genre. The story would have benefitted had Bloom allowed for a more realistic relationship development.
Reason #4: The age gap. I just couldn’t get behind a 13-year age difference. Jameson is reaching the border of middle-age while Chali is barely emerging from puberty. Jameson was a seventh grader when Charli was born…James on was starting puberty when Charli was wearing diapers. Jameson was old enough to legally babysit Charli (in most states) when Charli made her entrance into the world. That’s just a whole lot of ew.
Every book I read gets a single star simply for existing because writing is hard and deserves at least one gold star. This one did earn two, so it’s not the dumpster fire I might have made it seem. I wanted to finish it because I wanted to know how the story played out. There have been many books that I never finished because I just didn’t care about the story, that was not the case here. I did care about this story and I did want to find out how it ended. Bloom was able to make me a bit of a cheerleader for this relationship, despite the icky age-gap. I wanted Charli to get her book published! In the end I was still pretty disappointed, but at least I finished it.

[Britney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring DNF 72%

I thought this book was boring. The synopsis of the book is a bit misleading because it makes you think you're getting this strong, vengeful heroine, when in actuality Charli was nothing like that. She was a people pleaser doormat and had to be convinced that she needed to get revenge by her friends and even Jameson, a stranger at the time. She just wanted to let things go. Then when the so-called revenge started, it was simply amateur pranks. It didn't feel the actions of a "scorned woman" but rather a high schooler.

Also, I didn't feel the heat between Charli and Jameson. There was no s3xual tension or build up because despite Charli's reluctance to get into another relationship, they were practically in love 3wks after meeting. In that time they texted but went on like 2 dates and had s3x on the 2nd date. I'm not against getting over an ex by getting beneath another man, but Charli trusted Jameson entirely too quickly. She seemed like a glutton for punishment bc when she started seeing red flags with Jameson, she tucked her head into the sand like she did with her ex, Vaughn. It was hard to like her when she never seemed to learn from her mistakes.

Regarding Jameson, I have no clue why he fell for Charli so quickly and I didn't really like how immature he was. He met Charli, they spent max an hour together, but suddenly he couldn't get her out of his mind and he was ready to give up his bachelor ways. Instant attraction I understand but even when she said she was healing&needed time away from men he repeatedly told her he wanted to have s3x with her. This might seem flattering, but him repeatedly telling her this was sort of offputting bc he was supposed to be helping her publish her book. He seemed more focused on getting in her pants than doing the one thing she needed him for and even after she DID sleep with him, the status of her book was still up in the air because of him and his business partner, Nolan, stalling things. Also, as a businessman Jameson was lacking in my opinion. He was like a child bc he literally had outbursts in the middle of business meetings or suddenly walked out in the middle because something shiny caught his attention. Nolan was the only one who seemed to seriously care about their business. When Nolan prioritized the business over Jameson, and betrayed him, I couldn't even be upset. However, the way they patched things up was beyond unrealistic. According to Jameson, they called each other A-h0les and hugged it out. Okay, they may do that in high school, but when you're almost 40yrs old and in business together, conversing about your issues is actually a necessity. Jameson called it "bro code" to forgive&forget which was so cringeworthy for a number of reasons.

I felt like the characters in this book were more fitting for a YA novel because of how immature the characters were and because of the language used. Even the first s3x scene felt amateurish with how Jameson stumbled on his use of handcuffs. I just stopped reading after 72% of the book (pg218). I didn't care when or how Charli and Jameson mended fences at that point.

[Loverulesall_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such an amazing time reading this book, I literally couldn't put it down!

The book starts with Charli who wants to surprise her bf at a meet and greet for authors in Arizona that his family company is running (Landmark Press) with Gray Wolfe Publishing. Ultimately it's her that gets the biggest surprise when she spots her bf with another woman and runs into the next room she finds hyperventilating. She ends up gatecrashing a meeting of the Gray Wolfe Publishing, hence catching the eyes of Jameson.

Jameson is automatically intrigued by her and rushes out the meeting to see how she is. After learning she is the 'ex' of Vaughn (arch nemesis), he decides to publish her book instead... with the side note of revenge (plenty of pranks involved😂) and for Charli to become his fake girlfriend.

The more time they spend together, the more they can't deny their feelings for each other. Charli still has trust issues with her ex, but decides to trust in Jameson. He ends up betraying that trust of hers and calls quits when she finds out.

Jameson wants her back, and with some help from his sister's, he starts hanging out outside her building, waiting for a chance to speak to her again (I won't spoil with the gestures he came up with but be prepared to be swooned 😍).

I also loved all the secondary characters - the siblings and friends from both Charli and Jameson and especially Meemaw!!! Gosh, she was such a laugh 😂😂 loved her!!

I had such a blast reading this book and I hope Penelope turns this into a series! ❤️.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the name Charli for a lady. And this Charli did not disappoint in the end. In the beginning, Charli was meek. She wasn't listening to her instincts and she thought she had a good boyfriend. Although, reading about him before we meet him let me know he was worthless. Then we meet him. Vaughn, the boyfriend is pretentious and egotistical. He has no heart and he deserves more than what happens. But I digress, because there is more to talk about.
Charli, in trying to leave before Vaughn sees she showed up when he told her not, runs into a room full of people meeting and has anxiety, like most of us. The anxiety ramps up when she tries to escape and can't. If pull doesn't work, tey pulling. We all forget that in our desperate time of need.
Luckily for her Jameson, co-owner of one of the best publishing houses was in that meeting and he comes to check on Charli.
It's the beginning of it all.
Jameson can't stand Vaughn either and he wants to help Charli with revenge. It turns up a notch when Charli discovers Vaughn took something very precious to her. The revenge pranks are awesome but the best revenge is the fact Vaughn did this all to himself.
While fighting their attraction to one another (you need a good romance with revenge) Charli and Jameson hit a wall. They need to figure out if they can navigate things and if so, how.
I can't give all the details of the book away but I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Linda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age-gap, sweet and passionate Rom-Com done the “Bloom-way”
First off, I always love any book written by Ms. Bloom; the only question is how much. This one was more than 5-stars in my opinion. The pace was ideal, the humor sublimely funny and all the characters are written to perfection. Charli’s internal dialogue goes off on tangents and mixed metaphors, which are more difficult to do than one would think. Liked the hint of self-promotion by Ms. Bloom! You go girl!!
Planning on surprising her boyfriend Vaughn of two years at a book publisher’s convention in Arizona, 24yo Charli McBride gets the shock of her life. Surprise is on her when she sees him at the event that he told her emphatically she could not attend. Now that she knows the score, what to do? Jameson Wolfe of Gray Wolfe Publishing is intrigued by the young woman who walked into his meeting unexpectedly and then can’t get out of the room fast enough. What is up with her? Something is wrong. At 37yo Jameson has had many girlfriends but none made him forget what was most important: his publishing company. That is until Charli. Jameson reminds me of a more subdued William from a previous book and who can forget Grammy from previous books who is much like Meemaw in this one; except maybe Meemaw has a more wicked sense of humor.
If you like to smile a lot and laugh while reading a romance, you will want to read this book. So good! I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Booksprout.

[Dawnmarie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining story like only Ms. Bloom can do the way that she writes this funny,quirky, age-gap full of emotion between Jameson and Charli who are hell-bent on revenge while staying sweet is why you're really going to enjoy this book. Charli has been dating Vaughn the son of a Publisher for 2yrs and she also works as his assistant. When she decides to surprise Vaughn at a writer's conference that he didn't want her to attend with him she's the one who's in for a surprise. Charli was so excited before she came because her book was almost done and she was looking forward to seeing what could happen. After being surprised Charli is upset and she crashes into a rival publishing company's meeting room Jameson one of the CEO 's is inexplicably touched by her clear dismay and he goes after her. Since he's the idea man between him and his partner he figures out a way to resolve their publishing company's troubles. The only problem is it involves fake dating and dishonesty for a while to get revenge on Vaughn. I don't want to say anymore and ruin it for anyone else with spoilers. You really need to read this funny, quirky, age-gap romance to see what happens. I would definitely recommend reading this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes fate takes over putting people in the right or the wrong place 😊Charli is so entertaining especially when she is talking with herself or yelling at herself for not seeing all the signs that were right there in front of her all along and if she should or shouldn’t take revenge. She is a writer or wants to be and has begged her boyfriend of two years to take a chance on publishing her book so when the book publisher’s convention comes, she wants to attend with her boyfriend, but he forbids her to attend. She decides to surprise him, but it is she who gets the surprise finding him cheating on her. So, deciding how to get back by hooking up fake of course with his biggest competitor Jameson sexy as all get out owner of Gray Wolfe Publishing intrigued by the women who just walked into his meeting, she won’t leave his thoughts and so agreeing to help her get revenge on her ex. his rival but she soon learns he isn’t the honest man she thought him to be although, he did agree to publish her book but did he mean it, where does that leave her when she learns the truth, will her boyfriend see the error of his ways, will she get the revenge she is after, will her book get published, does she have a winning book if published, and is there some type of happiness for her on the crazy ride?

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charli was a good girl, but very gullible and had put up with too much. The ex-had crossed the line, and in which way! the worst of villains and everything seemed lost for Charli. How to recover from such a situation? Thank goodness she had a lot of people who cared about her and supported her. Jameson felt like he was missing something in his life and the motivation and interest in what he did was not like before. A challenge was what he needed, and a big revenge covered the script. Charli was an opportunity he couldn't pass up and she was putting a spark back into his life and something else he hadn't considered before, but suddenly he was doing things wrong, wrong, wrong. Jameson had me laughing with his witticisms and way of seeing things. Every time I imagined the scenes I smiled. The flirtation between him and Charli was witty, funny, and kind of crazy. With a peculiar family, where the grandmother bounced the ball with her comments and the others were not far behind, and well-intentioned friends ready to take up arms, I don't know how Charli hesitated. Vaughn didn't deserve anything. Welcome back, Penelope. I had missed these entertaining, interesting, and hilarious stories from the author where the protagonists use their ingenuity and their peculiarities to get their way. Voluntarily reviewed this copy that I received free from Booksprout.

[Coffeenbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Book convention meet cute
- Age gap
- Fake dating
- Banter

Charlie is an aspiring author who decides to surprise her publishing boyfirend at a convention. However, she is the one surprised to find out he's not there alone...and that his new girlfriend is his company's newest signed author. Devastated and humiliated, Charli stumbles into the nearest room - where a rival publishing company is holding a meeting. As Charli struggle to exit the room, she catches the attention of one of the partners, Jameson. He follows her outside to check on her and gets part of the story about her ex. Charli divulges she was also trying to network for her newly finished manuscript. Intrigued, Jameson reads part of it and is impressed enough to offer her a deal...and the offer for revenge. Charli isn't interested in revenge...until she finds that her rotten ex stole her manuscript for his new girlfriend, who is trying to claim it as her own!

The plot that Jameson dreams up is hilarious and I was giggling throughout this book. This author is the absolute queen of romcoms!

Oh, and Meemaw? Total life goals!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review of First Comes Revenge by Penelope Bloom
* * * * *
A fabulous romance that only started out as fake with no stings, evolving into something more wonderful and complicated.

Charli has been cheated...in more ways that one.
Turns out the bastard has been cheating on her, and that soon becomes the tip of the iceberg.
She's already struggling to be an author as it is for the horrid trick he has pulled on her. She thinks it is all over...until she stumbles into the arms of Jameson Wolfe.
Jameson hates Charli's ex, his rival, with a passion. Now he had found his leverage to get back at him as well as save his company.
A plan is hatched.
However, the fake love between them was meant to be fake and all for show.
Things are about to take a wild turn, and Jameson is about to maybe lose the woman he never realised he needed if she finds out the truth!
Funny posters, surprise strippers, awesome parties and hilarious family dinners!

A fantastic book with so many giggles. Charli's Mee Maw is a hoot, and the rest of her family is great too. Jameson is charismatic and very honest. Vaugh is a creep and about to get what he deserves! Those pranks were amazing!
Steamy moments and cute scenes!
A must read!

[Claudia, Cmarie927 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are new to this author, this is a fantastic place to begin! If you aren't, then you know this will be another easy to read book, and easy to connect with the characters and their emotions. It's funny and hard to put down. It follows Charli, a sweet woman who puts her trust and heart in the wrong place, with the wrong guy.

As we all know, this is a difficult place to be. Fortunately, Jameson is there at the perfect time to assist. These two have great chemistry and a steamy connection, that starts to look like a forever.

Until he (yup, you know it) makes a decision that tosses all of it into the wind.
Ugh!! Soo frustrating!! But - then the working to get her back begins, and it's funny, (kinda 😝 gross) and all together adorable!!

This author consistently provides engaging, addictive, and entertaining characters and stories that I love reading. I have enjoyed many of her well-crafted books that have given me hours of enjoyment. I strongly recommend reading this book, and any (meaning all) of the other books in her catalog. Completely worth your time to do so.

I was fortunate to receive a free ARC of this book and voluntarily leave my review.

[Noreen Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Penelope's rom coms and this was no exception.
Charli is so sweet and loved Jameson.
Charli flies to an author convention to surprise her boyfriend Vaughn,but finds out he is cheating on her.
Jameson is the owner of a rival company and is there representing it.
Jameson sees Charli upset and when he finds out why.
They come up with a plan to get revenge on Vaughn.They both have their own reasons.It gets worse when Charli finds out what else Vaughn has done.
They get into a fake relationship to make Vaughn jealous.
Charli and Jameson are attracted to each other.Charli does not want to get into another relationship straightaway,and knows she can get her heart broken as she trusts too easily,but the fake dates they go on feel so real.
Jameson wants Charli,but he doesn't do relationships.As in all fake relationships the feelings get real.
They get to their happily ever after with lots of laugh out loud moments,emotions,steam,family support,friendships,romance,
and a heartwarming happily ever after.
Cannot wait for Penelope's next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[bookishWife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how Jameson fall first and HARD, despite his playboy charm. He's a firecracker, but smart businessman. His wild action usually drive his business partner and their company towards success.

Charli is a naive upcoming writer. She's in relationship with a son of big publishing, but determined to be her own name. Little did she know, her boyfriend is a lying and cheating scum. When Charli first meet Jameson in a disasterous day, she ignored him. But due to circumstances, she just relent to his offer to bring down her ex and published her book.

Yada yada yada, Jameson fall for her hard, but Charli still burned. Jameson messed up, and Charli dump his ass. Jameson make a several big gestures for almost a month, and she forgive him eventually.

So, a bit boring plot, yes. The salvation of this book is I kinda like when Jameson fall for her first, and hard. He's obsessed with her from beginning, and despite denying it, it shows. Charli, I love how she's easily trusting, but show her claw when her ex showed his true color. Her not-so-subtle revenge is an inspiration (but childish) and funny.

[Shanna D · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Comes Revenge by Penelope Bloom. First off, OMG! I loved that he brought her a copy of His Banana (hilarious good story). I am so glad Charli has people in her corner like Dani and Jameson. She is way too trusting and it ended up costing her dearly. But there is an epic plan in place as fate brings her crashing into Jameson. He is intrigued and interested straight away and is willing to do anything to save the company and seek revenge on Vaugh and his father. Sad twist of events leaves Charli questioning everything and vowing to be man free. Jameson has other ideas and sets a plan in place to win his girl and take down his nemesis. I loved the quirky cast of characters and the way they interacted with one another. This is a good romantic comedy filled with a lot of drama, LOL moments along with plenty of spice and sizzle to keeps your engaged and routing for the much-deserved HEA. I recommend this book and author to others. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.