Gentleman Nine

by Penelope Ward

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

Growing up, the three of us were friends.
He was the nerd.
I was the playboy.
She was the beauty.

Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits.

He lied.

I went off to college, and he got the girl.
Amber never knew how I felt.
They were together for years—before he broke her heart.

Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch.
When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.

Still reeling from her breakup, she’d sworn off men.
One night, I opened her computer to find the shock of my life. She’d hesitantly contacted a male escort company. Afraid to date and get her heart broken again, she was looking for sex with no strings.
Every emotion imaginable ran through me: protectiveness, jealousy—curiosity.
Amber had chosen Gentleman Number Nine and sent him a message.
She opened up to him, confessing, among other things, her physical attraction to her friend—me. But she considered me off-limits—and she thought I was a manwhore. (Ironic, considering the circumstances.)

Eventually, she set up a date to meet Gentleman Nine at a hotel.
When she showed up several nights later to meet him, she was stunned to see me standing there—with an offer I hoped she wouldn’t refuse.

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, New Adult, Second Chance

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2018

About the author

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty novels.

In 2014, Penelope’s fourth book, Stepbrother Dearest, became the #1 bestselling independently published Kindle ebook of the year on Amazon.com and was credited with igniting an entirely new subgenre of romance. Her 2016 smash hit RoomHate debuted at #2 on The New York Times Bestseller list. Penelope is an Audie Award Winner and three-time Goodreads Choice Romance of the Year Nominee. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly and Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review).

Penelope’s novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

She can often be found chatting live with her readers in her private Facebook group, Penelope’s Peeps.

Reviews

[Vi Keeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might've already read it.
I might already love it.
I might think it's one of Penelope's sexiest couples yet.
But I don't want to make you jealous, so I won't confirm any of this.

[Dilek VT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started kissing
Nope, sorry licking
No no no, not that!

This guy on the cover confuses me...

Huh, OK, I remember what I need to say...
I started reading this book because of its gorgeous cover and the interesting title of it.

Good choice of a cover model and good choice of a title. Both attract readers. Successful choices!

Did the book live up to the expectations the cover and the title created?

Well it was something between 3,5 - 4 stars for me. It had parts that I loved and it had parts that I wanted to change and rewrite :)))

***********************************************

Hotness level: Moderate
Emotion level: Satisfying
Fun level: Mild
Angst level: Moderate

***********************************************

The plot:

Three friends from childhood…
A girl and two guys.
Rory, Channing and Amber.



(There was one more girl, Channing’s sister, Lainey, but she died tragically unfortunately.)

These 2 guys are both attracted to the girl but Amber is attracted to one of them, Channing. She also talks about her crush on Channing with Rory.

But Rory plays dirty. He goes behind Channing’s back and and gets the girl in the end.



Rory is Amber’s first and they are together for 9 years.

Just before they were going to start planning their wedding, Rory breaks up with her, saying that they should explore what it is like with other people.

Amber is broken and hurt.

***********************************************

Channing is back!

A few months after this break-up, Channing re-enters into Amber's life.

He comes to the city where she lives on business and he rents the room in her house for a few months. He has some business there but he is also there to help her in her difficult times.

He is awesome as a friend and for a while, they are just friends who adore each other secretly.



Then, their attraction leads them to a "friends with benefits" kind of thing at first and especially Channing only wants to get her out of his system…

Channing was a guy who never did any serious relationship but one. In that one, the girl, Emily, whom he wanted a serious relationship with, eventually chose her ex-boyfriend.



As for Amber, she always wanted Channing and thought he was impossible to have as a lover.

Although everything begins based on attraction & lust between Channing and Amber, they can’t stay unattached.

***********************************************

Ex-girlfriend / ex-boyfriend drama

When Amber and Channing become lovers and develop feelings for each other, there is both OW and OM drama.

First, Emily comes back to his life, saying she made a mistake and she practically begs for another chance. There is a short period when Channing considers going back to Emily but he soon realizes he wants Amber more.

Then, Rory comes back to Amber’s life and explains the real reason of his decision for break-up. He doesn't come back when he learns that she is with Channing. Actually, he comes back just because he cannot live without her any longer and he realizes that he made a mistake. He is shocked to see Channing and Amber together.

When Amber learns the real reason behind their break-up with Rory, she is devastated. For a while, she hesitates what to do, to choose Channing or to go back to her nine-year old relationship? She feels she loves both of them but one must outweigh the other, right?

Channing gives her the time she needs to sort her feelings out but it is a painful process for all three of them.

***********************************************

Warnings:

1. OW/OM drama - Love triangles

As you can see from the plot line, this is not a book for the readers who need safety and who avoid OW & OM drama. This is full of it, I must warn you…

There is no cheating, though. However, there is one kiss that doesn’t lead to anything further. Whether that kiss is cheating or not depends on your interpretation of it. You just need to read that specific scene and then decide.

2. Dishonesty

This book is not for the strict safety-gang as there is also another circumstance, where the hero lies to the heroine and pretends to be someone else, although his intentions are only to protect her.

He hides it for a short while, though. He later confesses what he has done. She forgives him and later, thanks him for it.

***********************************************

Is this book for you?

If you like your romance with angst and heart break in it, then you might enjoy the ride.

If you can read love triangles and OW/OM drama, then, you may still enjoy this book.

However, if you are looking for a romance book where everything that happens is ideal, where all characters act decently and properly, then this is not your book. These characters are not ideal. They make mistakes. They learn from their mistakes sooner or later, though.

***********************************************

Resolution of OW / OM drama

I liked how the author handled the matter when OM and OW got involved. I liked the hesitation periods of characters because it felt real, despite being raw and painful.



If they'd decided who to choose more easily in the blink of an eye, I would never have believed in it. Now, all that happened felt real whether I enjoyed the process or not.

***********************************************

Characters:

I liked Amber, except for her dumb idea of hiring a male prostitute.

I didn’t know what to feel about Rory and Channing most of the time and my feelings for them constantly changed.

I was pissed at Rory for playing dirty behind Channing’s back when they were teenagers but then I was also pissed at Channing for not being more insistent on getting the girl.

I hated Rory for breaking Amber’s heart 9 years later but then, when he came back with explanations, I pitied him although I still thought he made a big mistake.

I liked Channing more most of the time. He wanted Amber and he was attracted to her. When Rory got her, he was full of anger for a while and he slept with almost all of Amber’s friends at college just to get back at her. Later, he only felt something close to love once – with Emily – but he lost her, too, to her ex-boyfriend.

The adult Channing was charming and sexy although he had done stupid things like taking his dick’s photos to send Emily and I don't know why but he still kept those pics on his phone. This might be abhorrent for some readers, so I am just saying. I just didn’t mind... I think. Or I chose to ignore that.

***********************************************

I believed in Channing’s gradual development of feelings. At the beginning, it was only finally "getting the girl of his dreams into his bed". But because they were very close as friends, their friends with benefits deal quickly turned into a deeper relationship.

***********************************************

My criticisms:

1. I was so very tolerant all along the book (more tolerant than ever just because I liked some parts of the book really very much) but I still cannot comprehend why the writer made Channing say this to Amber during sex. I would slap the f*ck out of him if I were Amber:

Gently biting her neck, I said, “Remind me to thank Rory for breaking you in for me.”




WTF? That sentence tainted the whole story more than anything else for me. This was the only moment I wanted to stop reading the book.

2. Another thing I would really prefer not to have in this book was the “Gentleman 9” event. I really didn’t like Amber to hire a male prostitute just to release the sexual tension between her and Channing so that she can act normal around him. That really would have been a pretty bad mistake on her part if she really had done it. So I thank Channing, too, for interfering, although it was sneaky how he did it.

I also didn't like how Amber eventually found herself in a vulnerable and embarrassing position. (I sometimes think Penelope Ward doesn't like her heroines much.)

3. Also I didn’t like the fact that the character of Milo, who is autistic and Channing’s mother Christine with dementia were too formulaic.

It was so very clear why these characters were in the story. Milo made Amber look good, Christine made Channing look good. Much too caricaturistic characters to fill a an obvious purpose.

And of course, the stray cat was for there to be able to make the “pussy jokes” 😊

What I loved:

When all things considered, it was a 4 star book out of 3,5 for me.

I loved how deeply emotional it got most of the time and I loved how it made me feel.

I loved how realistic it was even when things got complicated.

I like it when people eventually find the way back to each other if they are meant to be and in this case, Channing and Amber were meant to be and finally they got their chance and they didn't waste it. Their coming together wasn't smooth. It was rough, unplanned and painful at times but it felt real.

I believe Ms Ward can write really well but I wish she would write something less formulaic in the future.

And I would love her books more if she didn't embarrass her heroines like she did, as in the case of Amber.

And I would love her work more if she wrote more books like "Neighbor Dearest".


QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

Placing my hand over hers, I said, “Look, I can’t even say I blame Rory for what he did. All is fair in love and war, right? He got the girl in the end. He played the game better than me. And you fell in love with him. He won.”

Her stare seared through me before she said, “No. I beg to differ. Because now I’m in bed with you . So, I’d say I won the game in the end.”

***

“I don’t ever want you to forget what this feels like, Amber. I know I won’t ever forget this.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, that I’ll never be able to forget,” she whispered.



“I don’t care how many women I’ve been with. There’s only one you , and I can’t get enough.”

***

The truth was, I’d never fully fallen out of love with Rory, even when I thought he’d chosen to leave me. I still wasn’t able to shake him. A portion of my heart was still his. But he’d left a void. And Channing had filled it. I’d fallen so hard for him, and despite the truth I now realized about Rory, that couldn’t erase what had developed in my heart for Channing.

Now, it felt like my heart had fallen into a state of purgatory. And for the first time in my life, I understood that it was completely possible to be in love with two men at the same time.



I feel so much for both of them. I love both of them. And I’m hurting for both of them for different reasons. The truth is, I’ve been in denial because this is the most heartache I’ve ever felt in my life.

***

“You might think so, but you can’t really be in love with two people. You want to love them both because you care for them both. The stress of not wanting anyone to get hurt is suppressing your ability to decipher your true feelings.

Don’t force it. Let it come to you.”

***

I was ready to punch him. “Well, forgive me if I got upset because my girlfriend kissed her ex-boyfriend.”

He angrily laughed at me. “ Your girlfriend? She’s not your girlfriend.”

“The fuck, she isn’t. She became mine long before you came back from the dead and fucked everything up.”

“Sorry to ruin your plan of fucking me over the first chance you got. You mean to tell me that Boston job was a coincidence? You heard we broke up and wasted no time pouncing on her.”

I bent my head back in laughter. “Are you kidding me? You have some nerve to accuse me of that when you’re the one who fucking pounced on her the second I went away to college. You knew how I—”

***

“Again, I don’t owe you any explanations…but it wasn’t my intention to fall in love with her. Believe me, I tried as hard as I could not to.”

“Well, you should’ve fought harder.”

I leaned in and took pleasure in saying, “Best thing I ever did was to give up the fight.”

***

"You threw away what you had because of a bad decision you made. You chose not to be up front with her. You ended it and left her completely devastated.

I picked up the pieces, and you know what? I don’t want to give them back. I love every single broken piece of her."

[Bibi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half a star and mainly because of the cover model. He's just so pretty. Sigh.

[BleuBelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF Chapter 9

I'm the one to blame. I knew reading the blurb, that this book was way out of my comfort zone. I don't like friends to lovers romances, because there are always tons of OW the hero slept with, while the heroine remained a virgin or had few lovers. But I just thought that this could be very much a good read. And the model on the cover is really hot. So sue me.

The blurb is a little bit misleading. "and she thought I was a manwhore". Well she didn't think it, he was a manwhore. I don't think I've read a book about such a manwhore. He slept with all the friends of the Heroine. Gross. And he slept with everything while in college. Because secretly he wanted the heroine, but he couldn't have her, so he needed to bang every women available. While secretly thinking about Heroine all the time. Gross.

Hero admits that he didn't have sex with anyone before coming to live with the heroine. A few weeks of celibacy. Wow, that is so nothing to write home about. A few weeks? And then he's telling us how hard it is not to sleep with women anymore. And that this few weeks were the longest time he spent celibate since he was a teenager. So, he's 27 now. You can start counting the number of women he had in the 9-10 years.

The hero had dick picks on his phone!

All of the above could be ignored, even by me (and I hate manwhores) but the very cherry on top was, that hero has feelings for another woman. Emily. He met her, had a short fling with her and developed feelings. She then turned him down, got back together with the ex. Then Emily realized what a mistake she made, and contacts the Hero and they meet up. Heroine sees them sitting, cuddling in a cafe.

So this hero, who thinks he has feelings for the heroine, but isn't sure of said feelings (it definitely isn't love) meets up with an ex-fling, Emily. He has feelings for her, and he could definitely see them having a future together. He nearly went to her home after the date. But decided at the last second against it.

I don't get it. He isn't in love with the Heroine, he just finds her hot and wants to bed her. So why is this a romantic interest in this book? Will he fall in love later on?

And he's a total hypocrite. He warns her how dangerous a ONS is. Heroine wants to use a callboy, but Hero is so against it. Heroine could be hurt, or get a STD or whatever. But the Hero had no such problems sleeping with every woman that moved for 10 years. And he never thought of the safety of himself and of all the women. No he just needs to get off, because otherwise he feels uncomfortable.

So that's it. I'm so disappointed right now. Why would anyone want to read about this? And even if they come together, then what? Does he really love her? Will he be faithful to her? What about all the friends he slept with. Awkward as hell.

In the future I'm going to be much more careful in choosing my books.

[⊱✿⊰ Alicia ⊱✿⊰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Lacking Stars

Gentleman Nine was a well written book, it had good characters that could have led to a fantastic story. Unfortunately for me it was lacking in substance and had me fairly board and disappointed as I could see the potential.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!!

Sometimes love entails taking the biggest risk.

I’m going to be honest and say that the cover of Gentleman Nine is what made me pick up the book. It was the audible deal of the day a while back and once I saw the cover, I knew I had to read it. I hadn’t read the blurb and didn’t know what it was about, but I like reading blind so I’m okay with that. There were a few moments I wasn’t sure if I liked the direction the story was going in (earlier on in the book) but by the end, I loved it!

Amber’s best friend’s brother was always her biggest crush growing up, and once Amber lost her best friend, they only got closer. She also got close to Channing’s best friend, Rory. They were the three musketeers in a sense. When Channing went to college, Rory and Amber started dating. That relationship lasted nine years. Now, Amber is single for the first time and Channing just happens to be traveling to Boston (her city) for extended business.

Having Channing as a houseguest is unexpected but it’s great to catch up with him again. Those feelings, that spark, it’s still there. Only this time, there’s nothing stopping them from exploring. Except Amber being in her own head. This is where Gentleman Nine steps in.

I wasn’t crazy about the Gentleman Nine aspect of the book. Honestly, that’s probably the only reason it’s not a 5 star read for me. I loved everything else about this book! Channing, Amber, and even Rory. All great characters. I really felt for all of them and can personally understand the whys of things that happened.

Overall, Gentleman Nine was a fantastic read. It was narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Ardnt, two of the best, so it was a joy to listen to. Definitely recommend the audio book if you’re going to check this book out!

"Love isn’t always only about the person who makes you feel the safest or even how much you care about someone. Sometimes, it’s about the person who ignites your soul, and that may also be the person you fear the most.”

[London · Rating 1 out of 5]

“It was no exaggeration to say I’d probably hooked up with all of Amber’s friends. So, yeah, I was really good at throwing her off. I’m certain she never suspected that I liked her as more than a friend”

Are you kidding me? If the hero was so in love with her, why the fuck would he sleep with all her friends? What kind of garbage is that? Ugh disgusting. I’d never want to touch a pig that had sex with all my friends even though he claims he really loved me. What was this author thinking?

To make matters worse, when the heroine asks him if he’s ever been rejected by somebody he wanted he says yes...BUT IT’S NOT THE HEROINE. He tells her about a woman he met and hit it off with really well and how she’s the first woman he could have seen himself in a serious relationship with. WHAT ON EARTH? Why the hell would anyone want to read about a hero that saw himself with another woman AFTER ALREADY KNOWING THE HEROINE?! Wtf?

“We had this weird, instant connection. She was probably the first woman I can honestly say I could’ve seen myself in a relationship with or at least trying for it.” I paused as I thought back to that weekend. “Anyway, we had an amazing time together. We were inseparable. I hadn’t felt that way about someone in a long while. When the weekend came to an end, I went back to Chicago. And she went home to Massachusetts. We stayed in touch long-distance.”

“Wait…she lives here in Mass?”
“Yeah…somewhere outside Boston, ironically.”
“So, you’d gotten closer to her over the phone and then what?”
“Yeah. We were talking a lot—lots of Skype sex. And I found myself thinking about her a lot when we weren’t communicating. I was supposed to come out to visit her, but she ended up getting back together with her ex-boyfriend out of the blue”


The woman,Emily, comes back and realizes she actually wants to try things out with the hero and he agrees to go out with her. The heroine sees them out cuddling with each other and even after the “hero” sees the heroine he is still tempted to go home with Emily rather than go after Emma.

And here’s this revolting response from the hero when the heroin asks him how he feels about Emily now:

“I still have feelings for her and I’m very attracted to her, but at the same time, I’m going back to Chicago, too, you know?”

Oh and this little gem

“Sex with Emily had been the best of my life.”

OKAY THEN GO BE WITH EMILY, you stupid asshole. He ends up going back to Emily’s house and making out and touching her ass and shit when he finally stops it. He realizes that before he can get back with Emily that he needs to get Amber out of his system.
No, really. He only wants to fuck Amber to get her out of his system so he can go be in a relationship with Emily.

“Before I could focus on anything with Emily or anyone else, I had to get Amber out of my system.”

This guy does not give a flying fuck about the heroine at all. He was never in love with her and I refuse to accept that he’s in love with her now.

🙄🙄🙄

[Penelope Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentleman Nine is live early and on limited-time release sale for $3.99. (Changing soon to $4.99. This will be the ONLY sale.) A fun, sexy, STANDALONE friends-to-lovers romance!
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Amazon Paperback ➜ http://amzn.to/2FIxwoH

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I may not have been your first love, but you’re mine.” 

Another wonderful story by Penelope Ward which I truly enjoyed.
It is a friends-to-lovers stories, but it is also a very complicated story with many layers.
I have to say here that the storyline with 'gentleman nine' is the least important storyline of the book.

So, this is the story of Amber and Channing Lord and it has been full of ups and downs:

1. Channing was Amber's best friend's brother. When his sister died, Amber and Channing became best friends. Channing had feelings for Amber, but never dared to tell her. He did not want to lose her. Amber looked at him like a brother.
2. Rory was Amber and Channing's best friend. Rory had also feelings for Amber. Rory and Channing swore that they will never try anything with her, especially when one of them was away. Channing left Amber to go to college and Rory made his move. Rory and Amber ended up together. Rory and Channing were not friends anymore for obvious reasons.
3. Heartbroken Channing had slept with half of Amber's friends back home.
4. Nine years later Channing lives in Chicago and Amber lives in Boston with Rory.
5. And Rory decides to break up with Amber to "see" other people.
6. Channing appears, he stays with Amber with the excuse that he needs to work in Boston for a few months. Although Channing and Amber burn for each other, they do not try something more because they value their friendship.
7. Amber needs to have sex. She doesn't want complications, so she decides to pay for sex. Gentleman Nine is the guy that she chooses from the online agency. But Channing finds out and he pretends to be Gentleman Nine. Amber confesses in her emails to Gentleman Nine that she wants her best friend. And that's the best opportunity for them to be together. When Amber finds out who Gentleman Nine really is, they will be together. No strings attached. Only for sex until Channing leaves Boston.
8. But then the ex girlfriend will appear and Channing needs to decide how important is Amber for him.
9. And then Rory will appear who had lied in order protect her and now he wants her back. The two ex best friends need to face now the reasons that seperated them nine years ago. And Amber needs to choose.

I honestly loved the easy going Channing and I loved the fact that Channing and Amber do not keep secrets and they talk about everything- most of all about their insecurities.
On the other hand Rory got in my nerves. He has had his chance (he stole it from Channing actually) and he lost it.

If you like this author, you do not want to miss this book.

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!
(ARC provided by author)



Amber Walton is a 25 yr. old woman living in Boston. She has a great job, friends, but recently had her heart broken by the man she thought she’d spend forever with. She’s in the process of trying to put her life back together when she gets a call from an old friend wanting to rent her spare room while he’s in Boston for a temporary contract position. Channing Lord was her best friends older brother. She always had a massive crush on him. He was gorgeous but she also loved his personality. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and have a long history. Channing was someone she knew she could always count on.

Amber has always been special to Channing. They shared a strong connection, & he valued her friendship more than anything, and didn’t want to ruin it, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t fantasized about her since he was 16. She was different. He’d had feelings for her for years, but she was off limits. He’d made a pact with his best friend Rory who also cared about Amber. Then when Channing was away Rory broke the pact, & got the girl. Amber was always blind to how he felt thinking he thought of her like a little sister. She never suspected he wanted her.



While Channing is staying with Amber he wants to be there for her as a friend. Then he stumbles upon something on her computer that’s private. He learns she’s talking with a male escort, & takes measures to protect her.

Amber wanted pleasure, but couldn’t handle any complications. She didn’t want to date. She wanted sex with no strings. She plans to meet a man who goes by Gentleman Nine, and explore her sexuality. After her recent breakup, she really needs this. When she arrives at the hotel to find her roommate, everything changes with an offer she can’t refuse.



-Amber was my kryptonite.

-“I can’t ever look at you the same again.”

-“We’ll, I sure as fuck hope not.”

-“You make me happy, Amber.”



Can Channing & Amber compartmentalize, & put aside feelings to fulfill their physical desires. Their extremely attracted to each other, and now that they know it’s mutual, things change. Channing is ready to give Amber what she’s been craving before he returns home to Chicago. The problem is the longer their together, the more attached they become. Will they be able to quit each other when the time comes to part ways?

This was a hot, fun friends to lovers romance. I loved Channing, and how much he cared about Amber. This one is sexy, & full of emotion. Really enjoyed it!

[Alba and Her Secrets..♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 'Love & hiccups' Stars!


I believe I just finished one of my favorite books written by Penelope Ward, guys. I have enjoyed her stories in the past but I feel like Gentleman Nine was even more enjoyable than others. I love the emotion Penelope puts in her stories as well as the chemistry between the couple and the twists that are not expected. She did not disappoint me at all with this fantastic novel!

Gentleman Nine is Penelope’s newest standalone novel and it’s a wonderful friends to lovers romance. It tells the story of two boys loving the same girl but only one of them becomes her lover. Or that is what we know at the beginning! Actually Amber (our heroine) just got her heart broken and what a coincidence that her other best friend, Channing, is looking for a place to stay for a few months. But this guy has a secret: Channing made a pact with Rory (when they both discovered they loved Amber) that they would never confess that love. Of course, everything changed when Rory broke that promise and now Channing is ready to act on his feelings for Amber. Especially when he discovers that Amber pretends to have a one-night-stand with an escort called Gentleman Nine. Then, Channing decides to become that gentleman!

“What do you get out of this?”
“I get to be with the girl I’ve fantasized about since I was sixteen.”

I always get more than what I would expect when it comes to Penelope Ward. She always manages to surprise me with her heartfelt stories and those freaking twists! Gentleman Nine is no exception to that. It was beautifully written, it’s so original, it has a fabulous couple with lots of chemistry and all the feels! But leaving that aside for a moment, it was also pretty funny and adorable especially with all those moments between Amber and Channing. This couple stole my heart with their friendship and even more with their love story. I am a sucker for the “I’ve loved you forever” kind of romance.

Sometimes what was unsaid could be so much louder than actual words. I knew we were both coming to the realization that we were kidding ourselves with this arrangement. But I wasn’t willing to stop it. I couldn’t.

Also, did not I mention this book is emotional AF? My God, I think I never cried this much with one of Penelope’s books. Gentleman Nine has a love triangle feel to it and you all know I normally do not enjoy that! However, it was so well developed and so genuine I could not fall in love with these characters. My heart broke in pieces for these outstanding characters, especially towards the end, when things get extremely difficult for the three of them. Still, I was so glad to see everyone gets their happy ending because they surely deserve it!

Sometimes love entails taking the biggest risk.

Therefore, I am rating Gentleman Nine with 4.5 STARS because this love story and its characters have stolen my heart. I love the originality of the theme, I love how Penelope developed the story and the emotions she brought with it and, of course, I loved Amber and Channing as friends and as a couple. Their story completely sucked me in and I could not stop reading! I am so excited for what is coming next (a duet with Vi Keeland is coming!!!) and I definitely recommend reading this one if you are a fan of Ward’s writing!

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[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber Walton is a kindhearted person who works with special needs adults. After breaking up with her boyfriend of nine years, she is heartbroken and trying to pick up the pieces. When Channing, one of her oldest friends, becomes her temporary roommate, Amber starts to process her feelings and see her life in a new perspective.

“You have to focus on the solution, or rather, focus on what you truly want.”

Channing Lord is on a contract job assignment in Boston and reunites with a childhood friend, who has a special place in his heart. Always able to garner attention due to his model looks and easy personality, Channing begins to question his decisions and must tackle life’s challenges.


“You either have to make something happen for yourself, or it just falls into your lap when you stop searching.”

As Channing and Amber become reacquainted, it’s as though time hasn’t passed and their connection remains strong. Wanting to protect Amber, Channing offers advice and tries to heal her aching emotions. While Amber is thankful for Channing’s friendship, her long buried romantic feelings toward him resurface but she doesn’t want to compromise what they already have. After realizing the situation, Channing makes it hard for Amber to resist his charm.



“I don’t ever want you to forget what this feels like, Amber. I know I won’t ever forget this.”

Told in dual POV, the sexual tension is combustible with Channing being a constant temptation and Amber trying resist at every turn. It certainly isn’t one-sided as Channing discovers more than he could have imagined and ultimately must make the right decision. Once all is out in the open, Channing and Amber think their rules can insulate them while having some naughty fun.

In addition to the fun and sexy times shared by Amber and Channing, unexpected situations arise causing them to make difficult decisions. During this time, the tone shifts to one with some angst but also shows the dimension in these characters individually and as a couple. From the beginning, Channing charmed me and I enjoyed how he was always grounded in many ways despite his playboy past. Amber is a noble character and her emotions were completely relatable.

With Gentleman Nine being my first Penelope Ward read, I expected a fun, sexy read and it certainly delivered on those points, as well as, offering a bit of angst and realistic life circumstances. This book would appeal to those who enjoy a friends to lovers romance.

For those who enjoy a friends-to-lover romance, this book will appeal to


*An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.


*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey and Loyda!*

[Dana Ilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentleman Nine was another book by this author who has the ability to completely enthrall me and touch at my heartstrings. Her stories always follow the same pattern: I feel as if the first part of the book is entirely foreplay leading up to the big event, it then rips out my heart, puts it back together again, and wraps it up in a nice little bow so that I’m not wondering what happens to these people where I have become invested in their outcome.

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber and Channing were best friends as teenagers. They bonded after Amber's best friend - Channing's sister - died. And always with them was Rory. Both Rory and Channing were interested in Amber, but they made a pact to not go there. Ever. But when Channing came back from college his best friends were suddenly a couple.

Now, nine years later, Rory left Amber to sow some wild oats.
And poor Amber is heartbroken.

Enter Channing - he moves into her guestroom, because work takes him to Boston for a few months.

But nothing can ever happen between them, right?

But what happens when Channing finds out that Amber is about to hire an escort to do a little oats-sowing on her own?

What will happen to Amber & Channing?
Will there be a HEA?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!

══════════════════════





I was so looking forward to reading this!
Because I fell in love with a Penelope Ward cover ... again!
And just like with the last cover, I love that Penelope really wrote Channing after Lucas on the cover. Perfect! Many covers these days suck!

The story beyond the cover though .... it wasn't my kind of story.

I don't know what it was. I didn't love the book from the very beginning. The writing was weird. They used words in conversations that two lawyers would use when writing legal letters to each other. No 25 year old would talk like that. So weird.

I couldn't find any sparks or any kind of blooming romantic connection between Channing and Amber in the beginning. And don't get me started on the names!!! Were all the other stripper names already booked? I really had a hard time picturing Lucas from the cover as Channing, because this other Channing always wanted to get in my head. Ugh.

I just didn't fall for the hero and the heroine. And I have to love them to love the book. I kinda liked Channing, because I wanted to so badly, but he still was way too meh for my tastes.

It was all so emotionless and unfunny. I only laughed once in the whole first half of the book!

Yes, there were some sad and moving and sweet moments and I really liked the story here and there. But then Penelope goes and turns it back into a love triangle or even a love fourangle and I HATE those. I HATE THOSE!!!! I just can't stand to see the 3rd person being left behind. If he's a really bad guy, no problem, but not when he's all sweet and nice. NO! That's just way too sad. I DON'T WANT THAT IN MY BOOKS! THERE NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE WARNING IN THE BLURB!
And then the constant bla bla about how in love with their exes they still are?? WHY? Why come into our romance and be our hero and heroine when you want to be the star of another book with another partner?

No - soooo sorry Penelope - I love your books, but this one just didn't work for me.

This would be a 2-3 star thing for me, but the I loved the cover and a few parts of the story - so it'll be 3.9 or 4 stars. I don't want to chase away potential readers because of my reading weirdness. Other readers will LOVE Amber & Channing and their story!

I think, now that a couple of days have gone by since I've read the book and written this review .... maybe the book wasn't so bad? But maybe it was and I'm only trying to find something positive to say because I feel so bad for talking bad about the book. Ugh - no idea. PLEASE READ IT AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND - which is really what you should ALWAYS do - you should NEVER listen to what I say about anything! ☺☺☺ And I think/hope most people who read my review will still read the book BECAUSE or in spite of what I said - that's exactly what I would do if I would read such a review. ☺☺

GENTLEMAN NINE was a really sweet friends-to-lovers-second-chance-romance kind of thing! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Channing - this one is MINE!!!

...and I mean Channing in the book, but most of all ... Lucas on the cover!!! ☺


♡ ♡
♡ ♡

[KristenReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I liked the characters, the love story and even the plot. The slight love triangle, which didn’t really feel like a love triangle to me, was handled realistically and not drawn out. Overall, Gentleman Nine, ended up being a fun, sexy, and moderately angsty afternoon read. I enjoyed it.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Channing and Amber

This book was wonderful. Why did I wait so long in reading this. Channing and Amber had known each other since they were very young. Channing had a sister that had past away when they were teenagers. Channing has to work in Boston for his job. So he calls Amber and says hey you have a extra bedroom. Can I stay with you. What they don't know about each other is they are in love with each other and Rory their childhood friend that Amber dated for 9 years just broke up with her. You will laugh and cry with this book. And there are parts that you will be surprised.

[Debbie Oliphant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author and this is another solid read. As a fan, I've read the blurb and was hooked because it felt like a fun read, but like her previous books, the story has a twist and you are still guessing with a couple of chapters to go. Loved this and can't wait for more.

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

I am becoming addicted to this writer. I really enjoy her romances. She is very good at writing intimacy between the characters, which is much appreciated. Normally, emotional depth and intimacy is what I miss more in most romances, but so far, Penelope Ward has consistently provided both. I´ll definitely keep reading her.

I love to find angst in romances books, it seems like a really important element for me to get invested in the story. This books has some, not too much but just enough. It just feels to me that a romance without struggles and fight is not realistic and authentic.

This love story is not idilic, but it is realistic.

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an angst filled story that I inhaled. One moment I was swooning and the next I was sad and at the end it felt bittersweet.

Amber, Rory and Channing have been friends since they were in elementary school, they do everythng together. In their early teens one of the boys realises he is feeling something more for Amber, he tells his friend and they make a pact to never cross that line with Amber. She will remain firmly in the friend zone.

Therefore, when one of the guys returns home from his first year in college, he is shocked to find that his ‘friend’ is now in a relationship with Amber. He broke the pact they had and now the girl he loves is in love with someone else.

Nine years later, Amber is nursing a broken heart after the boy who she thought she would marry some day decides that they need space from each other, freedom to pursue something with other people. She is absolutely devastated. While she is trying to move forward with her life she is thrilled when she gets a call from the other best friend. He hits her up to stay in her spare room for a few months while he is working in the city.

This is where things get a bit complicated. Amber has always been attracted to her bestie, in fact she was crushing on him before she began to date the other guy. Her body is missing the physical aspect of a relationship and being around her gorgeous friend with his delicious smelling aftershave and rocking hot body has her in a heightened state of arousal all the time.

The more time she is with her new flatmate, she realises that he is not the person she thought he was but in a good way. He is sweet, thoughtful, kind and the connection they have had all their lives is stronger than ever. This is further cemented when things get sexual between them. Trying to maintain a FWB thing with each other sounds like a good idea but they are fooling themselves when the feelings just seem to intensify each day.

Then her first love comes back into the picture and drops a bombshell on Amber. From this point on I was torn. I had no idea what was going to happen and I would not have liked being in her shoes. I really liked both of these guys. She really backs herself into a corner and talk about an angst–fest! This story could have gone either way and even now that I have finished reading it I feel sad about the whole thing. A very bittersweet ending to a complex love story.

[Rejane · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
1star because of heroine and liar ex boyfriend/ also (asshole)friend of hero. They ruined the book.
B O R I N G. Not angst-y at all. Just plain boring. And “unfair” LOL. I have to agree with my friend who told me to read and take my own conclusion. And forget every review I read about it.
The first 10 chapters were a struggle to concentrate. The rest wasn’t better. Useless dialogues and info nobody cares.
Honestly, and with all due respect to reviews I read, I really believe the book was nothing like that. Except the hero was a manwhore. But that’s not even worth to take in consideration anymore because every book has the same guy with different name. And I definitely liked him. And I say that with no shame. Even with his manwhore days, but I disliked this pathetic excuse of heroine so much I HAD to take his side. If that makes sense.
The heroine ex boyfriend is a snake moron. A deceitful, deceiving being that should have had died with a smashed head (dick- the problem was with his fertility) like a snake in whatever accident he had. And the hero should have given this Emily (the so called ow- who wasn’t one at all imho)a chance and he had all the right to be in whatever relationship he wanted because his supposedly “love” was in a 9 years relationship with the snake of his friend who lied and manipulated the situation in the past to stay with heroine. And the heroine didn’t know if she would give the snake a chance if he came back and asked for forgiveness. I was like, REALLY? A guy breaks up a 9 year relationship, lies about the reason ( seems like he’s a serial 🤥 liar) and says they need to be with op because they were not ready to get married and she consideres giving the asshole a chance? What a weak person. I can’t deal with this line of thinking. “Oh yeah, you know.. he broke up with me in a coldest way possible, we were even talking marriage, you know, after 9 YEARS together.. but he thought we should see other people, play the field. If nothing better happens we get back together and move our plans forward. But if he comes back asking me back and for forgiveness, I think I might give him a chance. After all it was 9 YEARS.” (That wasn’t in the book. It’s my way to summarize the stupid logic of this amoeba). Exactly, it was 9 years. He broke up with you. Hurt you not telling you the truth making you believe you’re not enough anymore and he needed to make sure you were it for him, and you’re still thinking if he came back you could give him a chance. At this point I wish the hero had sex with EMILY ( the (not) ow) and fall in love with her.

And of course the sleazy ex boyfriend came back. Should I feel sorry for him after finding the truth? I didn’t. Not a tiny bit. Actually, I was hoping he couldn’t even get it up anymore and die of sadness. Yep.. I am that cold and uncaring. A liar, irresponsible, disrespectful jerk he is. He didn’t take in consideration her girlfriend of 9 years feelings. I don’t respect this kind of man.
And I think heroine and ex should get back together. She didn’t deserve the hero. She had the capacity to spend Christmas with the jerk to make sure she didn’t have that kind of “love” for him anymore. And she let him kiss her. Afterwards she was devastated because she came to the conclusion a person could love two people at same time. Shut your brain out, amoeba. Oops, amoeba doesn’t have brain. That explains your “thoughts and attitudes “. You were already in love with hero. Meaning:you don’t love scum bag ex. But you are too stupid,aren’t ya amoeba?! I think you never read what “philosopher “ Johnny Dep said, didi you?
Hero should stay with Emily, the 1st woman he thought he could have a serious relationship with. Yep, he told the heroine that at some point as well. She was someone he hit it up with. He had all the right in the world because the woman he loved was in a 9 years relationship with his friend. What was the hero supposed to do: vow of celibacy for his entire life? Give me a break. He deserved to find someone and not take his love for the heroine to his grave. He had all the right in this world to try find love with someone else and forget amoeba. After all she was in a very reciprocated love relationship with other man. He also should break the legs and arms of his so called friend (the sleazy ex) for being an asshole liar shitty friend in the past and let heroine and ex be. They deserve each other. After 9 years.. what else ??
I felt sorry for the hero. Heroine didn’t deserve him.
I am pretty sure is very noticeable by this messy review how much I despise this female mc. 🤬😡


P. s. I loved the way hero cared for his mother. Only people who has ever been around people with dementia, knows how hard and how heartbreaking it is. ❤️❤️


Former note. In February 26-I will completely disregard the note below because it’s not the case at all. What I wrote has absolutely nothing to do with the book. Yep.. I read the book. And everything I assumed in the note bellow is not true. IMO. 😯🤨😱


this hero is in love with the heroine I definitely don’t know what love is. And reading this review I think it could have 2 heroines? Amber and Emily? The readers pick. I really think the author should have 2 or 3 versions of this book. A third one where the hero just wants to be with himself when he realizes he really doesn’t love anyone but himself

2 great reviews:👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ★'s

“Are we playing strip poker and I didn’t realize it?”

Channing and Amber have known each other a long time and it started when she became best friends with his sister, Lainey. Something dramatic happened and it brought Channing and Amber even closer but then Channing's best friend, Rory got in the way.

Rory and Channing realized they both wanted Amber so they made a pact to keep hands off. Unfortunately, when Channing moved away for college, Rory made his move.

Fast forward nine years and Rory decides they should see other people. Amber is devastated after all their time together but just as she's getting her act together, Channing comes to town and rents out her spare bedroom.

She's a little unsure but they get right back into the swing of things, confiding in each other and have a great time...a great platonic time but Amber needs more.



Through a friend, she hears of this escort business and decides to give it a try. One night when Channing comes home early, he sees Amber's email to the club and decides to take matters into his own hands.

When the truth comes out, they decide to roll with it and "it" is pretty amazing. They both are falling for each other but there are a lot of variables in their way.

So far, this is a typical Penelope Ward story but I absolutely loved where she took the story from here. It had so much more depth and I loved the fallibility of the characters. Both Channing and Amber make some mistakes but it helps lead them in the direction they both need to go.

I have to admit there were some heart wrenching moments but there were some really sweet ones as well. I LOVED Milo...he was so funny and I'm glad he was left in good hands.

The ending worked out perfectly. Overall, another great romance you won't want to miss!

[Kay's Blushing Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentleman Nine by Penelope Ward
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
NARRATION: Multiple POV
BOOK DETAILS: Standalone – Second Chance Romance
AUDIO AVAILABLE? Yes

THE STORY:
The three Musketeers, Amber, Channing Lord and Rory were best friends growing up. But as they grew up Channing and Rory both fell for the same girl, Amber. Before Channing left for an out of state college, Rory and Channing made a pact that Amber would be off limits to the both of them. A year later when Channing returned his friendship with Rory and Amber fell apart because Rory had perused Amber in his absence and was now in a relationship with her.

Nine years later Rory calls off the relationship leaving Amber heartbroken and confused. Even though Amber had not seen Channing in years as he lived in Chicago, she had still somewhat kept in contact with him, so she was taken by surprise when he calls her one-day asking if he can stay with her while he has a work contract in Boston for three months.

Amber agreed and is quickly reminded of why she has always had a secret crush on Channing, he was just as good looking and charming as she remembered, but he has always been the playboy type and being Rory’s former best friend he had always been off limits to her.

Being with the same person for 9 years Amber has no clue how to get into the dating scene and with Channing around constantly teasing her with his sexiness, she has become increasingly sexually frustrated.

After a friend suggest she use a male escort to end her dry spell, Amber starts talking online with a male escort named Gentleman Nine. Channing accidentally finds her chat still open on her laptop one afternoon and cannot believe what he reads.

Channing intercepts her email and becomes her Gentleman nine offering Amber no strings attached sex until he leaves in a few months. quickly blurring lines of friendship and lovers.

Secrets from the past combine with lies from the present when Rory comes back wanting to reconcile their relationship. Who will Amber choose? The man who she has loved for the last nine years? Or the man whose heart has always belonged to her?

“Love isn’t always only about the person who makes you feel the safest or even how much you care about someone. Sometimes, it’s about the person who ignites your soul, and that may also be the person you fear the most.”



MY THOUGHTS:
Sweet and sexy friends to lovers story, Amber and Channing were great characters but I didn’t feel their passion and emotional connection enough from them. I felt there could have been more time spent on bonding and reconnecting prior to getting together, the slow burn and angst wasn’t powerful enough to engage me fully. I was hoping for more flirting and quite frankly a little more bedroom action. The book took some time to build but once it got there it all moved really quickly and there were a few surprises I didn’t see coming.

I liked the foundation of the story and enjoyed the book but it was missing something and I can’t quite out my finger on it.

MY RATINGS: (All ratings are out of 5)
HERO RATING: 4
HEROINE RATING: 4
BLUSH RATING: 2
ROMANCE RATING:3
PLOT RATING: 3
OVERALL: 3.5Blushing Stars

DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?
If you’re a fan of Penelope’s than I would recommend reading. I enjoyed the audio version more than the e-book version as I found it added more substance to the story.



Narrated by: Sebastian York and Andi Arndt
Length: 7h 37m

Sebastian and Andi are favourite narrators of mine and when they are paired together they have a great chemistry. Andi was a good match for Ambers character but I felt Sebastian’s voice was too deep and dominant for Channing’s character but he still did a great job.

This is definitely worth the credit.

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[Alina]

Ahh and I have begun to mistrust this author..
A complete NO from me
Hero prefered to be with someone else if h had not agreed to fling.
H fucked all her friends and he acts like a whiny child cuz she was with his best friend
Oh and why does the ex have to be a cheating asshole... why can't the poor girl have some good sex with a person who genuinely likes her??
😒😒😒

[Ramona Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope Ward is one of my favorite authors. Period!!!!! She writes so beautifully and it’s impossible not to fell in love with her. This is exactly what happened to me and from the first book, I became a huge fan. Each story is unique, with different plots and characters, and this diversity is what made me admire her so much, because nothing is the same when Penelope writes a book.

“Gentleman Nine” is her latest book and I consider it one of her best work, because it has something special that makes it stand out from the others that she has wrote in the last year and a half. I like complicated plots, but from time to time, I want something really down to Earth, without anything complicated, secrets and double lives. So, this book was very relatable and easy to follow, because it had something simple in it, which I truly enjoyed.

Amber is heartbroken after her boyfriend for 9 years, Rory, dumps her, telling her that they should explore other relationships. Truly devastated about it, she shuts down and doesn’t intent to date anyone. When her longtime friend, Channing, calls her asking for a room for 3 months, she agrees to help him, considering his stay won’t be long. Even as a teen, Amber was extremely attracted to Channing, even knowing that he was her best friend’s brother and technically speaking, he was off limits. Adding that Channing and Rory were friends too, makes this situation even more complicated than initially considered. When Amber ask the services of an escorts site and Channing intervenes in their planning, a very intense relationship begins between the 2 of them, changing their perspectives and life in the process.

Amber and Channing were extremely fun to watch and read about. Amber is a typical heroine, smart and dedicated to her job. She is extremely vulnerable after the split and confused about everything that comes next. Having Channing in her life was a surprise, but it totally changed her, because his honesty and humor inflicted warmth and a comfortable feeling. The attraction she always felt for him is back, bigger than ever and this will lead her to apply for a male escort, to blow off some steam. When Channing accidentally finds out about it and her motives, he will make Amber the proposal of a lifetime. As I mentioned before, they were extremely relatable and down to Earth, because they were just 2 people trying to figure out their feelings and sort their priorities. There were no big secrets, no life changing events, only the 2 of them and a choice. I loved the last 30% because of the triangle shaped plot and the “decisions, decisions” orientation, but I believed it was handled well and didn’t stall much towards the outcome.

I liked Channing for his personality and dedication, for his love towards his mom and for his honesty. He has to be one of the best heroes Penelope crafted, because he really managed to melt my heart. The way he changed Amber and made her realized so many things about herself, the way he gave her a second chance, will make you swoon and think “God, I love this guy”. His jokes were phenomenal, but also his struggles and worries, because at the end of the day, we all have issues which burn us. From my POV the choice was obvious, even if I could feel Amber’s confusion, I was Team Channing all along.

What I loved about the plot is the social message Penelope always delivers. I know something about her personal life and the struggles she faced, so every time I read about people or kids with disabilities in her book I always congratulate her for raising awareness on certain aspects that many people don’t know. Amber’s job or Channing’s mom are true example of such things and it made me love Penelope even more because of her courage to write about this. She is truly admirable.

So, don’t wait any longer in reading this book, you will surely have a great time doing so and in the mean time, discover very interesting heroes that will stick to you like honey:)

5 stars



For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½
Gentleman Nine is a standalone contemporary romance novel written by Penelope Ward. It's a familiar no-strings-attached storyline with a couple of unique twists. The origin of the title is one of Ward's original contributions (but I won't spoil that bit for you), and the addition of a fairly short-lived love triangle was another element I thankfully haven't seen added to other similar storylines. I applaud Ward on her incorporation of characters with various disabilities and the nod to the caretakers who give of themselves to support quality of life. Overall, I found Gentleman Nine to be incredibly sexy and enjoyable. Check it out.

My favorite quote:
"Everyone who comes into your life serves a purpose to teach you in some way."

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I liked this book but maybe not quite as much as I had hoped that I would. I am not going to lie - the cover of this book is what got my attention. I would bet that cover model has grabbed the attention of more than a few individuals over the years so I feel no shame. I had not tried Penelope Ward's writing before but I do love the narrating pair of Andi Arndt and Sebastian York so when I saw this book on sale, I grabbed it. I found myself in the mood for something light so I decided to give this one a try and I did end up enjoying the story.

This book has a little bit of everything worked into the story. It is a friends to lovers story with the let's be roommates twist. There is a love triangle thrown into the book before everything was over. Plus there is a cute kitten because kittens make romances even better. Throw in a little friends with benefits action and you have pretty much summed up this book. Don't get me wrong. I liked this book but I think it was just way too predictable. I just didn't feel like there was a much that was new or original.

Amber has been friends with Channing for years. Growing up it was always Amber, Channing, and Rory. Amber and Rory dated for 9 years but have recently broken up and when Channing needs a place to stay in town, he calls Amber. Channing has secretly wanted Amber for years but Rory got the girl and he didn't interfere. But now that they are no longer together, all bets are off.

I liked Amber and Channing. They were both great people and I felt like they deserved each other. They did have a lot of chemistry and it was pretty obvious early on that they had some pretty strong feelings for each other. There were a few bumps in the road but it was fun to watch them find their happily ever after.

I thought that Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did a fantastic job with the narration. I really think that their voices work really well together in this kind of book. They both do a great job with a variety of voices and are very pleasant to listen to. I probably liked this book just a bit more because I decided to listen to it.

I would recommend this book to others. I would have liked for a less predictable story but the one that I got was perfectly pleasant. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from Penelope Ward.

Initial Thoughts
I thought that this was okay but fairly predictable. Nothing in the story really surprised me but it was a pleasant enough story. Channing and Amber were nice enough characters and I did think that they had good chemistry. I could have lived without the love triangle that was worked in before the story came to an end. I thought that the narrators did a great job with the story.

Book source: Audible purchase

[Stacey]

No rating as I did not finish.

I have enjoyed other stories by Penelope Ward but this one didn't work for me. I'm sure this hero could/would come good by the end but I'm not in the mood to wait this one out.

This guy is a little too handsome, egotistical and self-serving for my liking. I would definitely struggle to love him by the end.

Even if he pulled out the big guns and used all the beautiful words, I think I would still have issues. I'm not a big fan of seeing (reading/listening) him contemplating, kissing and lusting after someone besides the heroine. Especially, considering he had plans of sabotaging her happiness and choices.

Don't judge by my very narrow-minded opinions, lots of people enjoyed this one. I guess I wasn't in the mood to wait for enlightenment to hit.

Oh well...onwards.

[GimmeAllTheWerdssss]

Ohh look....a manwhore.....anyone wanna guess at the “twist”?

🤦‍♀️

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

So not what I was hoping for after reading the blurb.

The romance genre is mostly a miss for me nowadays. I went in looking for some nostalgic and smexy loving and I got this emo and way more chaste story than I expected with a blurb flogging escort services and playboy ex-crushes. Actually, I call FLAG on the play!

This was bait and switch.

A virgin adjacent and a reformed rake comprise this story that has A LOT of emotional baggage. Add on that these two mid to late twenties individuals act at times like they're a decade younger and you get a weird faux teen angst story. The alternating first person point of view did it no favors since it was the crutch that made the story all internal monologuing and fretting. It took this story from two stars to one.

Finally, there were some plot points that made me roll my eyes so much that I nearly got eye strain. I know they're my peccadillos, but they just rubbed me the wrong way. Spoilers ahead so don't click unless you don't care: The pregnancy scare on top of the traumas and medical conditions littering this story was too much. And I can't stress this too much, a woman who has had a boyfriend for nine years has invariably had sex during her menses. Trust me, with teenagers I get the nervousness, but adults and ones that have been in long term relationship??? No. Ladies, men are not that stupid, they know when you have your period; it doesn't take a super genius or even a terribly observant person to figure it out. And, if this is a real thing for people, then I don't want to know how messed up people are about human bodies and their function. And they shouldn't be characters in a book advertising itself as a racy romance.

Maybe I can't read blurbs correctly anymore, but whatever this was I didn't like it.

[Pick a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I loved both hero and heroine. I don't think that was a bad character here. I even shed a few tears. I was afraid the end would be bittersweet, but thank God it wasn't. Although the end was too fast, I loved that it was cute. It was a great read.
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4 estrelas

Amei os dois personagens. Acho que não teve nenhum personagem ruim aqui. Até derramei algumas lágrimas. Eu tinha medo de que o final fosse agridoce, mas graças a Deus não foi. Embora o final tenha sido rápido demais, adorei que foi fofo. Foi uma ótima leitura.

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