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fourpawsandabook 's review for:
Birthday Girl
by Penelope Douglas
“Birthday wishes don’t always come true, so I don’t waste a chance when I blow out a candle.”
Wow. This was very good! This was my first experience with Penelope Douglas and my oh my, it was steamy. The smut was so good. Penelope Douglas knows how to write a sex scene. But this book was so much more than that. It had a plot that was a lot deeper than most romance books dive into.
“A ship at harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.”
Jordan is a 19 year old college student who has found herself dating yet another guy who isn't good for her. She's from a small town and these small town boys can't give her what she wants and needs. Enter Pike Larson... Her boyfriend's father. Talk about taboo central! There is an age gap romance that I was living for. (note, there is no cheating between the main character and the love interest). Beyond the love story, this is a story of Jordan finding herself and realizing what she wants in life as well as finding her value as a person. I loved Jordan as a character. She reminded me a lot of myself at that age.
A lot of the the criticism of this book that I see is the unbalanced power dynamic between Jordan and Pike. Jordan is a broke college student with no car and a bartender in a small town. Pike is a 38 year old man, is well off and owns his own construction company. She definitely depends on Pike for the majority of the book. But she definitely held a lot of the cards in the relationship, and she knows it.
The age gap does not bother me as both of them are of age. I love a good age gap romance if it is done well, and I think that Penelope Douglas did that with Birthday Girl. I'll be interested in picking up more from this author.
content warnings Underage drinking, abandonment, attempted assault, being cheated on, death of a friend, parental neglect
“The birthday girl and her wishes. She’ll always be a part of me.”
Wow. This was very good! This was my first experience with Penelope Douglas and my oh my, it was steamy. The smut was so good. Penelope Douglas knows how to write a sex scene. But this book was so much more than that. It had a plot that was a lot deeper than most romance books dive into.
“A ship at harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.”
Jordan is a 19 year old college student who has found herself dating yet another guy who isn't good for her. She's from a small town and these small town boys can't give her what she wants and needs. Enter Pike Larson... Her boyfriend's father. Talk about taboo central! There is an age gap romance that I was living for. (note, there is no cheating between the main character and the love interest). Beyond the love story, this is a story of Jordan finding herself and realizing what she wants in life as well as finding her value as a person. I loved Jordan as a character. She reminded me a lot of myself at that age.
A lot of the the criticism of this book that I see is the unbalanced power dynamic between Jordan and Pike. Jordan is a broke college student with no car and a bartender in a small town. Pike is a 38 year old man, is well off and owns his own construction company. She definitely depends on Pike for the majority of the book. But she definitely held a lot of the cards in the relationship, and she knows it.
The age gap does not bother me as both of them are of age. I love a good age gap romance if it is done well, and I think that Penelope Douglas did that with Birthday Girl. I'll be interested in picking up more from this author.
content warnings Underage drinking, abandonment, attempted assault, being cheated on, death of a friend, parental neglect
“The birthday girl and her wishes. She’ll always be a part of me.”