This was alright. I struggled to keep an interest in it. I got bogged down with a lot of the minute details that I kept not caring about the bigger things happening.

This book pulled me in from the very beginning making it very hard to put it down. I loved the age gap romance and the way that struggle was portrayed. This author is quickly becoming a favorite!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

Rating and feelings still stand. This was even better than I remembered it to be and it’s now become one of my all-time favourite romances.

I think Penelope Douglas wrote and told the shit out of something that could’ve been really awkward and uncomfortable, but she made it fuckin’ work.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Jordan and Pike. Jordan is a college student and works as a bartender. Pike owns his own construction company and is the father of Jordan’s boyfriend. There is an instant attraction. Jordan and her boyfriend move into Pike’s house after they are kicked out of their rental. Jordan and her boyfriend break up. Pike tells her to continue to stay at his house. They give into their desires. They fall in love.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book many years ago not long after it was released (2018) but was excited to get the chance to read it again since it was being rereleased by the publisher. I loved it! The main characters have a meet cute unlike anything else I’ve ever read that hooks you in right from the start! The story has just the right amount of darkness, danger, and spice to make you want to stay up late turning pages! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes dark/forbidden romance!

This was a lot, I have never read Penelope Douglas before and I'm not sure if these are for me. I will be trying another one just to fully decide.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

Every once in awhile I finally read a book that’s been on my tbr for awhile and I kick myself for not reading it sooner bc it is so good! This is one of those books! Fun and flirty but depth in there story had me turning the pages fast! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Miss Douglas!!! I remember this book being really popular on tik tok so I was so excited to see it on here and coming to B&N stores. I’m not one to like older men romances, but this one makes me want an older man! Can’t wait to buy it at my job

I... cannot adequately describe how feral I go for this book. One of my first age gap romances, and it remains one of my favorite romances of all time (but I know P. Doug's not done yet...) -- it only gets better in this updated version.

I really enjoyed this one. It is definitely a slow burn, but in my opinion, it was so worth it! This is one of my top age gap, ex boyfriend's dad's reads and I highly recommend to anyone looking for those taboo/off limits vibes.

Penelope Douglas has done it again, this book was a sexy read that had me wanting more! The story and plot kept me interested throughout.

HOLY MOLY. 🔥🥵🌶️

This is my first Penelope Douglas book and WOW. It was SO GOOD. i like smut, but this one added alittle something extra.

I still feel hot 😂 this is amazing! I will be purchasing to keep forever

the ultimate and greatest stepping stool for forbidden/taboo books

PD wrote the hell out of this book and i will be forever grateful for them

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a great taboo/forbidden romance. Age gap and boyfriend’s dad!!?? Teenager and a grown man!? I honestly wasn’t sure if I would be into it but I just couldn’t look away! It was sexy and that forbidden element really made it a fun read that I had a hard time putting down.

Jordan and Pike don’t always have the healthiest relationship, but they really did convince me that it could work by the end! I feel like it was actually a really good reminder to not pass judgment when you don’t know someone else’s story.

In Birthday Girl, Jordan is a young woman with lots of responsibilities. She takes care of herself and her boyfriend Cole, goes to school, works late and still somehow manages to maintain a happy disposition. In spite of her sister's encouragement to work at the local strip club to make more money, she prefers to handle things on her own.

Her life isn't the greatest, but she manages. But when she meets a mysterious man at the movies one night, she realizes she might not be as happy as she thinks she is with Cole. There's only one problem-- that mysterious, sexy man is Cole's father, Pike. Things get even more interesting when circumstances force Cole and Jordan to move in with Pike.

There's plenty of forced proximity and ample yearning going on here. Jordan and Pike work very hard to push their feelings for each other away, thinking that it's wrong for them to be together. There's a 20 year age difference, Pike's estranged son is involved, and they both know it's probably not a good idea --- but....

I really, really liked this story. I could not put it down. There was a chance this could get icky with the age difference, but that did not happen. Jordan's maturity shines through and the age difference really doesn't matter here. It was so easy to want Pike and Jordan to be together, because their chemistry shines through right from the start. It's terrific, really, how well this romance worked for me, as I haven't been all that thrilled with my romance reading and Birthday Girl really turned that around for me. I just loved this story and these characters. The sexual tension is top-notch and I adored the dual POVs from Pike and Jordan. It really made the story sing.

If you are in the mood for a forbidden love type of romance, Birthday Girl just might do it for you. It did for me. It made me believe in romance reading again, and I truly loved that about this story.

Birthday Girl by @penelope.douglas was excellent - well written and so very hot 🥵. 5 stars!! I had been on the fence about taboo romance but now just gimme, starting with the author's entire backlist please.

✔️ Age Gap
✔️ Forbidden
✔️ Roommates
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine

It started with a meet-cute at a movie theater where Jordan went to celebrate her birthday by herself and ran into an older man. There's instant chemistry, except Jordan has a boyfriend. Oh, and the older man? He's her boyfriend's dad.

The slow-burn of these two was expertly crafted, successfully building the tension so that when they both finally profess feelings, it's heart-eyes and fireworks.

Jordan is easy to root for; she's a true underdog and you don't feel like she's a bad person for wanting what she wants. It took me a little bit to warm up to Pike emotionally (he was not always super cool to our girl), but he won us both over by the end. It was his caretaker nature and the sex, to be honest 🤣

Steam 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Forbidden romance, complicated relationships, and true love. Jordan needs a place to stay, so when her boyfriend Cole offers to let her move in with him and his dad while she saves up money she can't say no. She's been working dead-end jobs just to try to make ends meet, but with a boyfriend who is barely there and a relationship declining she begins to feel herself yearning for more... or rather someone else. Pike is Cole's father, he's done everything he can to give his son a good life, he's hard working and built a company, but the one thing he's missing is someone to share a life with... yet the moment his dream girl appears before him it just had to be his son's girlfriend. Pike and Jordan find themselves bonding and falling for each other, yet their age gap, the fact that she's his son's girlfriend, the fact that this is messy and that they're both unavailable... but they can't keep away from each other, especially since they live in a house together. How long can they hold out? Will they be able to withstand the storm that comes if they do give in? This was such a fun read, I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this one. Both Pike and Jordan were forced to grow up, they're both mature and they fit together so well. They care so much yet don't want to hurt the ones they love, but the chemistry between them is undeniable and they can't help wanting the other. I loved how their romance went, how it built over time, and how through care and bonding, you get to see them fall for each other. I really had fun with this one and if you enjoy forbidden age gap romances give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Read if you like:
👴🏼Age Gap Romances
🏘️ Small Town Vibes
🎶 80’s References
⛰️ Outdoor Activities
🥵 Great Spice

I know a lot of Penelope’s books get a bad rap, but with seeing this one rise to popularity on booktok when it became a NetGalley option with Berkley I couldn’t help but request it! The summary was appealing to me, and I definitely made the right decision as this one really sucked me in! I was unsure of this level of smut before, but I think I may need to fit more books like this in my life. 😜

I knew going into this that this was smut, but I didn’t expect so much depth. I mean there wasn’t even any smut until like halfway in. I love that she developed the characters and got us attached to them and made sure that we could empathize before taking it any further.

No Insta-love or insta-sex here. A good, reasonable sounding plot with realistic conflict and unbelievable tension and pining. Age gap relationships are normally seen as taboo, but honestly fuck “normal” and let people love whoever they want. We have 19 year old Jordan and 38 year old Pike and I LOVED them together. I respected the hell out of both of these characters and the choices they made in their lives. They were both tough, responsible, independent, selfless, and so passionate.

This book was sexy, intense, emotional, and quirky and I was here for it. Thank you Berkley Romance for my ARC of this one!