Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
Synopsis...
JORDAN
He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.
He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.
He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.
I have to stop this. It can’t happen.
My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.
Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.
PIKE
I took her in, because I thought I was helping.
She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.
As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.
The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.
But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.
And her boyfriend’s father.
Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
My thoughts
This book is begins with newly - turned, 19 yr old Jordan waiting for her boyfriend Cole Dawson on her birthday to celebrate. In order to kill time before his arrival, she decides to go to the Grand theater to watch Evil Dead. There, she meets Pike in the same screening. For the sake of purely keeping each other company on her birthday, they end up seating together, eating, laughing and having a good time but with the boundaries of their age differences keep them a safe distance apart. Until she calls her boyfriend does Pike realise there is more than one reason other than age for him to stay away. He is Pike Lawson, father of Jordan's Boyfriend - Cole Dawson. From that point, it is a battle to, quite frankly, overcoming the palpable, and very forbidden sexual tension between Pike and Jordan whilst they live under one roof, of course with the only person who connects them together - Cole.
What I love about books in the New Adult genre, and books like this one written by Penelope Douglas, is that it does not matter if the tropes are overused, the story-line does not need to be majorly complex in order to be a five star book. Just like you would see in your TV dramas, it is up to the actors or in this case, the characters to sell the book. This is by their emotions, the care in the descriptive language showing us readers the important details of their reactions to situations, there facial expressions are what makes them different to other romance characters. A good author can leave us hanging on every line delivered by the hero and heroine and Penelope Douglas does just that.
I personally love Pike's character. In Age Gap books, what is common is the older hero's insecurity of providing happiness to the younger heroine and how they deserve much more. This vulnerability is what draws me to these age gap books because their hero's possess a gentleness that is unique to this genre and is so attractive. His character contrasts starkly with Cole's immaturity that it makes him ten times more desirable. He is gentle, caring and attentive to Jordan's emotions and his attempts to try to stay away or to divert her, make us root for him even more - to the extent that I, as a reader find myself just waiting for Cole to trip up in order to allow the forbidden relationship to flourish.
Jordan is your feisty heroine. She is young, desirable but also mature for her age leaving us wondering how she ever stayed with Cole for three years. She is not like any other heroine character who chases Pike but she realises that it is forbidden and attempts to stay within societal boundaries, however the attraction is so strong that it was only a matter of time till one of them crumbles. She knows that she is attracted to Pike but as soon as things ended with Cole she does what pike wanted - to stay away. But her moving away is exactly what Pike couldn't resist. She is such a down to earth character as you will see towards the end of the book and looks for simple moments of happiness.The epilogue was so sweet and swoon worthy. loved this book whole heartedly!
I absolutely LOVED this Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. She is an expert in spicing relationships between characters and manipulating her writing to keep us readers wanting more. Bring on the next one!
JORDAN
He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.
He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.
He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.
I have to stop this. It can’t happen.
My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.
Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.
PIKE
I took her in, because I thought I was helping.
She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.
As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.
The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.
But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.
And her boyfriend’s father.
Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
My thoughts
This book is begins with newly - turned, 19 yr old Jordan waiting for her boyfriend Cole Dawson on her birthday to celebrate. In order to kill time before his arrival, she decides to go to the Grand theater to watch Evil Dead. There, she meets Pike in the same screening. For the sake of purely keeping each other company on her birthday, they end up seating together, eating, laughing and having a good time but with the boundaries of their age differences keep them a safe distance apart. Until she calls her boyfriend does Pike realise there is more than one reason other than age for him to stay away. He is Pike Lawson, father of Jordan's Boyfriend - Cole Dawson. From that point, it is a battle to, quite frankly, overcoming the palpable, and very forbidden sexual tension between Pike and Jordan whilst they live under one roof, of course with the only person who connects them together - Cole.
What I love about books in the New Adult genre, and books like this one written by Penelope Douglas, is that it does not matter if the tropes are overused, the story-line does not need to be majorly complex in order to be a five star book. Just like you would see in your TV dramas, it is up to the actors or in this case, the characters to sell the book. This is by their emotions, the care in the descriptive language showing us readers the important details of their reactions to situations, there facial expressions are what makes them different to other romance characters. A good author can leave us hanging on every line delivered by the hero and heroine and Penelope Douglas does just that.
I personally love Pike's character. In Age Gap books, what is common is the older hero's insecurity of providing happiness to the younger heroine and how they deserve much more. This vulnerability is what draws me to these age gap books because their hero's possess a gentleness that is unique to this genre and is so attractive. His character contrasts starkly with Cole's immaturity that it makes him ten times more desirable. He is gentle, caring and attentive to Jordan's emotions and his attempts to try to stay away or to divert her, make us root for him even more - to the extent that I, as a reader find myself just waiting for Cole to trip up in order to allow the forbidden relationship to flourish.
Jordan is your feisty heroine. She is young, desirable but also mature for her age leaving us wondering how she ever stayed with Cole for three years. She is not like any other heroine character who chases Pike but she realises that it is forbidden and attempts to stay within societal boundaries, however the attraction is so strong that it was only a matter of time till one of them crumbles. She knows that she is attracted to Pike but as soon as things ended with Cole she does what pike wanted - to stay away. But her moving away is exactly what Pike couldn't resist. She is such a down to earth character as you will see towards the end of the book and looks for simple moments of happiness.The epilogue was so sweet and swoon worthy. loved this book whole heartedly!
I absolutely LOVED this Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. She is an expert in spicing relationships between characters and manipulating her writing to keep us readers wanting more. Bring on the next one!
My Rating: 5 Stars!!
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