Publishing Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance - Amazon Publishing
Pages: 300
Contemporary Romance
The Premise from the Publisher: "I’d never forgotten him—a man I’d yet to meet. Griffin Quinn was my childhood pen pal, the British boy who couldn’t have been more different from me. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, we became best friends, sharing our deepest, darkest secrets and forming a connection I never thought could break. Until one day it did. Then, out of the blue, a new letter arrived. A scathing one—one with eight years of pent-up anger. I had no choice but to finally come clean as to why I stopped writing. Griffin forgave me, and somehow we were able to rekindle our childhood connection. Only now we were adults, and that connection had grown to a spark. Our letters quickly went from fun to flirty to downright dirty, revealing our wildest fantasies. So it only made sense that we would take our relationship to the next level and see each other in person. Only Griff didn’t want to meet. He asked that I trust him and said it was for the best. But I wanted more—more Griff, in the flesh—so I took a big chance and went looking for him. People have done crazier things for love. But what I found could change everything" (Montlake Romance).
My overall thoughts and review: Vi and Penelope are some of my favorite writing duos and when I read the premise of this book, I was so excited because their last book with Montlake also had a writing component in it: Hate Notes - and I LOVED it, so I just knew I would love this one as well (you can read my full review here)! I was so intrigued with the idea of pen pals from childhood to adulthood, and the relationship growing and becoming more. As someone who had many pen-pals over the years, there is just something so special about sitting down and writing a letter to someone, and then receiving the letter after.. This part really struck a chord with me because even though my fiance and I live together, we still occasionally write notes and letters to each other ♡♡
I really liked both of them right off the bat. I loved Griffin's POV because he was someone in a position of power and fame but he also showed a really vulnerable side which I loved. He teases a bit, but he also just is kind of a dork and makes jokes a lot. I also found Luca's character to be extremely realistic with all the anxieties she was dealing with. I loved that despite the beautiful relationship, Vi and Penelope handled grief, trauma, and anxiety in a really tasteful way that felt authentic, but also worked to contribute to the story in a larger way. Griff and Luca communicated for many years, but when a tragedy happens, Luca steps away and stops writing him. Years later, he sends her an angry letter one night after a few too many drinks, and it starts up again when she writes back to tell him what really happened about why she stopped writing him. They pick back up again, and I just LOVED their letters so much. They still had the same rapport from years past, since they were writing to one another since they were 7/8 years old, but now as adults a lot has changed. You also get to see snippets of their older letters during their teen years and just seeing how much they relied on one another and how they were really good friends through the letters. They shared their hopes, desires, and fears, and just seeing how the letters were very important to both of them at particular moments in their life tug at my heartstrings.
When they do finally meet in real life, both open up about their careers and circumstances. It seems on paper that there's no way their relationship work. Everything Griffin has to go through as a singer is Luca's living nightmare, but despite that, Griffin works so hard to show that he wants to make it work. He goes above and beyond and I just loved seeing how hard he worked to show her how much he loved her and was patient and understanding with her agoraphobia and anxiety. I loved seeing them fall in love and just who they were when they were with one another. Their relationship was so swoony, and Vi and Penelope delivered on some very sexy moments ;) There are some mentions of a weird furry sex toy, but I mean, everyone has their own kinks, so each to their own!
I also loved Luca's therapist, Doc, who played a big role in the story, helping Luca, but also being a sort of middle person with Luca and Griffin, to make sure Luca was feeling supported and safe at all times. He was quite quirky, but he really was a father figure for Luca when she needed one.
If you remember my review of Hate Notes, you know that I absolutely loved that, but I think this is my favorite Vi and Penelope book yet. I loved the characters so much and I just loved how there was such a great balance of strength and vulnerability in them. The characters also really resonated a lot with me and I think that's why this book means so much to me. I saw a lot of myself in Luca, and I saw a lot of my fiance in Griffin, and in many ways, I felt like I was reading a bit of my life (without the careers of a rock star and a NYT bestselling author of course). But it just reminded me of what Doc says to Luca in the book: "We're a lot like the lovebirds. You don't need to pair up in order to live. But when the lovebirds pair up into a monogamous relationship, they become calmer and more stable" (193), and I think that just perfectly sums up a good relationship. You don't need to be together, but when you are, it just works out and feels right, and it works not out of need, but just because.
I LOOOOVED this book a lot. I'm already dying to reread it and swoon over Griffin and Luca more. If you are looking for a sweet, romantic, and sexy romance that handles themes of grief, mental health, and overcoming your fears, this is definitely the read for you! Please pick it up, you won't regret it!!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars)
Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Amazon, Kindle, and Book Depository
About Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward:
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared on more than one hundred bestseller lists and are currently translated into twenty-six languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children, where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than twenty novels. A former television news anchor, Penelope has sold more than two million books and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list twenty-one times. She resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
Together, Vi and Penelope are the authors of Dirty Letters, Hate Notes, and the Rush Series. For more information about them, visit www.vikeeland.com and www.penelopewardauthor.com.
Follow Vi:
Website 🡪 http://www.vikeeland.com/
Twitter 🡪 https://twitter.com/ViKeeland
Facebook 🡪 https://www.facebook.com/AuthorViKeeland/
Facebook Readers’ Group 🡪 https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup/
Instagram 🡪 https://www.instagram.com/vi_keeland/
Goodreads 🡪 https://bit.ly/1BqOVww
Follow Penelope:
Website 🡪 http://penelopewardauthor.com/
Twitter 🡪 https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor
Facebook 🡪 https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor
Facebook Readers’ Group 🡪 https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps/
Instagram 🡪 https://www.instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor/
Goodreads 🡪 https://bit.ly/1WOnzrz
Tour Wide Giveaway
The winner will receive 1 copy of Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward!
Giveaway Details:
Canada Only (excl. Quebec—full rules found in the T&C on Rafflecopter)
Giveaway begins on November 11th and ends on November 28th at 11:59 pm EST
Winner will be drawn randomly through Rafflecopter, contacted via email & will have 48 hours to claim their prize
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour:
Nov. 11 – Xandria @ Beautiful Bitch Book Reviews
Nov. 12 – Erin @ Sleep Less, Read More
Nov. 13 – Milana @ A Couple Reads
Nov. 14 – Joy @ Joyous Reads
Nov. 15 – Allyssa @ Between the Spine
Nov. 18 – Wendy @ Cupcake and a Latte
Nov. 19 – Lisa @ RemarkablyLisa
Nov. 20 – Jacyln @ Literary Treats
Nov. 21 – Amanda @ Stuck in YA Books
Nov. 22 – Christine @ Padfoot’s Library
Nov. 12 – Erin @ Sleep Less, Read More
Nov. 13 – Milana @ A Couple Reads
Nov. 14 – Joy @ Joyous Reads
Nov. 15 – Allyssa @ Between the Spine
Nov. 18 – Wendy @ Cupcake and a Latte
Nov. 19 – Lisa @ RemarkablyLisa
Nov. 20 – Jacyln @ Literary Treats
Nov. 21 – Amanda @ Stuck in YA Books
Nov. 22 – Christine @ Padfoot’s Library
Disclaimer: I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Thomas Allen & Son in exchange for an honest review and participation in this blog tour. All opinions are my own.
