KCBR Blog

Crooked by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward needs to be your next book purchase.  Crooked is straight-up addictive. Pure #ViPen magic. I loved it so much that I actually listened to the audiobook — which was a first for me! Check out my spoiler-free review.

Synopsis

A new, sexy standalone from New York Times Bestsellers Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

The last thing I needed was a live-in bodyguard. And I definitely didn’t want him. Six foot two, with broad shoulders that were impossible to ignore and a talent for getting in my way, Wes Callahan was a walking bad decision.

But when you’re the daughter of a notorious mob boss, apparently your opinions stop mattering the moment your father ignites another war. I’d spent my entire life trying to escape that crooked world—new name, new city, newfound freedom. At least until I was suddenly shacked up with my new bodyguard.

Wes knew exactly how to push my buttons. He was also infuriatingly protective. And smart. And funny. And thoughtful when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. Little by little, the walls I’d built started to crack, and falling for the bodyguard became the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. Because if my father found out, Wes wouldn’t just lose his job. He’d lose his life.

Getting involved with him was reckless, yet I couldn’t find a way to stop it, no matter how hard I tried. But while I was busy losing my heart, the man who took it was hiding a secret.

And it turned out, the most dangerous man in my life wasn’t my father after all—it was the one who threatened to break my heart.

Crooked features TWO stunning paperback covers, will be available in Kindle Unlimited, and has a simultaneous audiobook release! 

 ✔️ Live-in bodyguard

 ✔️ Mob boss’s daughter

 ✔️ Forced proximity

 ✔️ Forbidden attraction

Amazon: https://amzn.to/45Q5CEO

Alt cover: https://amzn.to/4koxCph 

Audio: https://amzn.to/41gbtkh

Crooked by Vi Keeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward announced their first mafia romance, I knew I had to get my hands on it. These two have co-written some of my favorite romances, so seeing them step into the “darker” mafia bodyguard world with Crooked immediately had my attention.   I knew this book wasn’t going to be your typical mafia dark romance.  It’s Vi a Penelope, so you know this book is going to be a sexy and fun one-of-a-kind adventure.  

Juliette is the daughter of a notorious mafia boss with a target on her head.  Her father assigns Wes, one of his men, to become her live-in bodyguard to protect her full-time.  Wes has his own secrets and skeletons in his closet to deal with. Juliette wasn’t happy about her new house super hot guest —until she wasn’t.
Crooked delivers that perfect Vi-Pen blend of the feels, tension, humor, and heat, with a dangerous mafia edge that makes everything feel more intense. The chemistry and banter between Wes and Juliette were so addictive. I loved these characters so much that I finally busted my audiobook cherry and WOW. Hearing Wes and Juliette’s characters come to life took this story to a whole new level.  Great, I think I have a new audio book obsession thanks to these two.

Crooked is worthy of date night with a book. Reading Crooked wasn’t just another romance book—it was a full-on reader experience.  Crooked is easily on my top reads of 2026 romance book list. 

 

There Was Yours by S.L. Scott felt like a hug to the soul… and then completely wrecked me before putting me back together again. Then There Was You is set to release on March 27th, and you can download this one-of-a-kind romance via Kindle Unlimited. Check out my spoiler-free book review of Then There Was You by S.L. Scott.  Best of 2026.

Buy Links:

Download this book using Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bPr3bl

Audio: https://amzn.to/4syXpOw

Synopsis: 

The time is now.

New emotional and hopeful standalone novel by New York Times bestselling author S.L. Scott.

I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to smile, to laugh, and to really live. Until I met him.

Heart-stoppingly handsome.

Totally forbidden.

Keats Matthews looked at me like I was something special.

He was escaping his past. I wanted to escape my present. Together, we fell hard and fast and knew we had found forever. Or so we thought …

Six years later, his shoulders are broader than I remembered, his charming smile thaws my frozen heart, and it’s so tempting to run my fingers through his hair like I did years ago. But it’s the tenderness and warmth in his brown eyes that remind me of the forever we almost shared.

It’s magic when we’re together again. Our chemistry has only magnified. Seeing him, confident and more irresistible than ever, has me falling for him all over again and hoping for a second chance.

But he still believes our timing was off before. He’s wrong. It was the secret I kept hidden that was our undoing. Time hasn’t healed old wounds, and not everything hidden has come to light. When it does, we’ll stand together or fall apart. Either way, we must find out.

Author's Note: This contemporary standalone packs in the romance, heart-swoons, and love that never dies, but does not contain cheating or love triangles. It's one love in this book. Two souls that are meant for each other who will have to overcome obstacles to be together.

Spoiler-free Review: Then There Was You by S.L. Scott

I actually screamed when Monica James told me she was working on the third book in the Blood of the Stars (In Love and War Book 3). No exaggeration. I'm thrilled to say it exceeded my expectations!  Just, WOW.  Check out my spoiler-free review below. 

Blood of the Stars Buy Links

Amazon https://amzn.to/4l8vwKj

B&N https://bit.ly/4qf5C8C

Apple https://apple.co/3Zyh5Wd

Kobo https://fave.co/477Orz6

Synopsis:

Ruthless Viking warriors.

A fierce heroine.

Why choose romance with serious

touch-her-and-die energy.

Epic, dark, and oh, so bloody.

I actually screamed when Monica James said she was working on Blood for the Stars.  I might have begged her a few times to write another book in this series.  

I actually screamed when Monica James told me she’s working on Blood for the Stars.

Truth be told I may have begged her more than once to write another book in this series lol. 

Dreams DO come true, book friends.

Please read this series in order.

North of the Stars

Fall of the Stars 

Blood of the Stars

My beloved England is finally saved, for I am now queen.
 

The rules have changed, and peace now settles over the Kingdoms.
 

This is the life I was destined for.
 

However, this life isn't without regret because I'm missing an integral piece of my heart.
 

I believed we were forever.
 

But for England to prosper, I had to give up everything for the only man I ever loved.
 

And that man is Skarth the Godless.
 

I do not know where he is.
 

But this is the sacrifice I must make because a Saxon queen cannot love a Northman.
 

But I do.
 

I always have.

A love fated in the stars…stars which I wish to set alight—for what good is love if you cannot embrace it with both hands?
 

Skarth and I are connected in more ways than one. And when our children's lives are at risk and everything I fought so hard for is about to be destroyed, I forget I am Queen Emeline.
 

I am Hugrekki.
 

I must find Skarth, and only one person can help me.
 

Ulf the Bloody.
 

This is our final battle—a battle of the heart—and I fear it's a war we're all about to lose.
 

Godspeed…

North of the Stars (Book 1) 

Fall of the Stars  (Book 2) 

Blood of the Stars (Book 3)

Spoiler-free Review of Blood of the Stars

Whisper Sweet Nothings by Laura Pavlov is now live!  Check out my spoiler-free review below.  You can download it today or read it for free with Kindle Unlimited. This small-town romance series is unputdownable.   

Blurb: 

A Small Town, Single Dad, Nanny, Age Gap Standalone Romance from USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, Laura Pavlov.

Winnie Smith is the perfect nanny.

She’s reliable, warm, and my daughter adores her.

She cooks like a pro, styles pigtails like a fairy godmother, and knows her way around a car engine better than most mechanics.

She’s made life easier.

The house feels full again.

And maybe… so do I.

But living under the same roof has its challenges.

Like catching her in the kitchen after midnight… barefoot, in tiny sleep shorts, eating ice cream straight from the tub.

Don’t even get me started on the way that her lips wrapped around that spoon.

I digress.

It shouldn’t mean anything.

She’s a decade younger. I’m her boss.

She’s off-limits.

And yet, it’s all I can think about.

I was just looking for a nanny—not nightly cold showers and definitely not feelings.

But the more we blur the lines, the harder it is to keep pretending.

We say it’s temporary. No strings. Just one harmless arrangement.

But what if she’s not just what my daughter needs…

What if she’s exactly what I’ve been missing too?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Download today or read for FREE with #kindleunlimited

https://amzn.to/4aJz94I

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4l1TmYk

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4aGlBqx

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/4rDBYeW

Narrated by: Sebastian York & @savannahpeachwood

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/48WD6lz

Spoiler-free Review:

Taylor’s Father by Penelope Ward is LIVE! Check out my spoiler-free review and get ready to one-click this unputdownable, age-gap, forbidden romance on Kindle Unlimited. Absolute PW magic.

Title: Taylor’s Father

SYNOPSIS:

AUTHOR BIO

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 books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps

Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@penelopewardofficial

X: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor