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. 

 

The Homemaker by Jewel E. Ann is now live! Grab your copy of The Homemaker from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jewel E. Ann and lose yourself in this forbidden, high-stakes romance.  Check out my spoiler-free review and one-click this unforgettable romance book on Kindle Unlimited. 

Synopsis: 

A romance inspired by TS “Fortnight”

I was hers, but she was never mine.

Alice Yates is the hired “homemaker” for the Morrisons, an affluent couple in Minneapolis. For Alice, it’s a dream job to dress up like a 1950s housewife and read romance novels to Mr. Morrison before his afternoon nap.

But when the Morrisons’ only daughter returns home for the summer with her fiancé, Alice comes face-to-face with her shattered past—the only threat to her perfect life.

Eight years earlier, vacation rental owner Murphy Paddon had an impeccable vinyl record collection and did the most irresistible thing before kissing Alice, earning him a five-star rating. Their fortnight love affair was life-altering and ended tragically.

Murphy doesn’t know if Alice remembers him or whether he should tell his fiancée that the hired-help living in the guesthouse is the woman who irreparably broke his heart. He needs closure, but will the lingering glances and silent yearning lead to the end or just the beginning?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3UPLWuG

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/S26fj 

Audible: http://bit.ly/4nu17pZ

Narrated by Charlotte North & Robert Hatchet

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/457iBCa

Crazy in Love by Laura Pavlov is now live!  Check out my spoiler-free review of this small town, billionaire, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance from USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author, Laura Pavlov.  Download and read for free in Kindle Unlimited. 

Emilia Taylor hates me, which is absolutely fine by me, because I don’t particularly care much for her either.

Maybe I took things too far, but I decided she was the enemy a long time ago, and she gave me no reason to think differently.
At least not until recently.
And when she sets her mind to prove me wrong, she goes all in.
I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong—because it sure as hell doesn’t happen very often.
But being vulnerable with a woman who I was convinced was out for my family was a big pill to swallow.
So, I’d rather send her a fancy gift and call this vendetta done.
However, she is anything but predictable.
She doesn’t want a fancy gift from a man who she’s declared a broody, heartless billionaire.
Her words not mine.
And it’s not like you can send flowers to a woman who owns a floral shop.
She wants a sincere apology instead but that may be more than I can give.
She’s sunshine and rainbows, and I’m… well not.
But when the first tear rolls down her cheek, I swear something inside me cracks.
Turns out, my cold jaded heart still works.
Apparently, it beats for the one woman I never saw coming.

**This is book 4 in the Rosewood River Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Rosewood River Series:
Steal My Heart
My Silver Lining
Over The Moon
Crazy In Love
In A Heartbeat
Whisper Sweet Nothings

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://amzn.to/4pOSEiO

Paperback: https://amzn.to/46GLJj6

Also available at Barnes and Noble, Target and Walmart

B&N https://fave.co/3IxTYWN

Target https://fave.co/3Kr3T0V

Walmart https://fave.co/4gNZ2D3

Hardcover: Coming soon!

Audible: http://bit.ly/4ppqw5Z

Narrated by Jason Clarke & Vanessa Vasquez

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4litbfI

Review of Crazy in Love

Denim & Diamonds by Penelope Ward AND Vi Keeland is LIVE and available on Kindle Unlimited.  I absolutely loved this standalone opposites-attract small-town romance.  Check out my spoiler-free review.

Buy Links: 

Amazon US: https://bit.ly/44g41GF

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4luY2VH

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3ZPdfs7

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3T9zipO

Audio: https://adbl.co/45HhQ3w

Paperback (Alternative cover): https://amzn.to/3I0a22T

Bookshop.org https://fave.co/3J3YvzT

Affiliate

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling authors Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland comes a new standalone romance. When the board of directors of my company mandated that I go to a wellness facility in small-town Maine to recharge, that shouldn’t have included:

1.) Using a ladder to sneak out of the bedroom window at night and going to the local bar.

2.) Getting so drunk that the bar owner brought me upstairs to sleep it off in his bed.

3.) Waking up staring at the taxidermy moose head on said bar owner’s wall.

4.) Falling for said bar owner who was the most drop-dead gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.

But Brock Hawkins was so much more than just the hot bar owner. He owned half the town, built log cabins with his bare hands, and was apparently the most eligible man in all of Meadowbrook.

He was also a cinnamon roll despite his seemingly rock-hard exterior.

And the last man I should’ve been falling for—because my time in this small town was limited.

I had to head back to my life in New York City, one that was the complete opposite from the kind Brock lived.

He was denim. I was diamonds.

The problem was, the sexy lumberjack wasn’t the type of man who was easy to walk away from. Hell, I couldn’t even part with his plaid shirt that had become a constant fixture wrapped around my shoulders most days, let alone think about erasing him from my life.

A life with Brock, though, would have to be all or nothing.

Go big or go home.

 Spoiler-free review

PENELOPE WARD

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

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

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

Website: http://www.penelopewardauthor.com 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor 

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

X: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7105545.Penelope_Ward 

VI KEELAND

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. 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.

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958 

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

Website: http://www.vikeeland.com 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland 

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

X: https://twitter.com/ViKeeland 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland 

The Wildest One, a scorching hot, hockey, forbidden, billionaire romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann  by Marni Mann is now live!  Check out my spoiler-free review below.  I can't wait for you to meet Beck and Joile. Get it now on Kindle Unlimited. 

Synopsis:

I’m not the calm before the storm. I am the storm. And only she can tame my wild ways.

Hockey is my religion.
My body is my temple.
My only goal in life is to win another Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Whales, so women are just a sexy distraction.

Until her.
The fiery redhead I see across the bar while I’m at an away game.

With one look, I know I have to meet her.
With one touch, I need her beneath me.
With one bat of her long lashes, I want those eyes gazing up at me as she kneels before me.
And with booze flowing through my veins, I do something I’ve never done. I offer her a proposition—to spend a long weekend with me.

What is only supposed to be three nights of sizzling passion turns into much more, and when I leave for my next away game, I find myself wanting her in ways I’ve never felt.

She’s a young heart with an old soul.
My dream woman in every way.
The only thing I’ve ever encountered that my family name, talent and money can’t attain.

But there’s too much distance between us, and I realize that maybe we just aren’t meant to be.

Until a chance meeting skates us right back together and our time is suddenly now.

Except all of that changes when I learn the truth …

She’s forbidden, untouchable, and off-limits.

With my heart on the line, can I score the most crucial goal of my life, or will she realize that being with the wildest one isn’t worth the sacrifices she’ll have to make?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited - Affiliate links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4eNvTXO

Audio: https://bit.ly/46BunFU

Narrated by: Sean Masters & Savannah Peachwood

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4ib3r2d

Spoiler-free Review:

Exposed Ink by Nikki Ash is LIVE and available to read on Kindle Unlimited.  Check out my spoiler-free review of this heartfelt and hot new romance book. 

Buy Links Amazon (Affiliate) 

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4jzQLTD

Paperback https://bit.ly/4lXX4Cf

Hardcover  https://amzn.to/4m4ofvo

Audio  https://a.co/d/6rHVPto

Review of Exposed Ink by Nikki Ash

My Silver Lining by Laura Pavlov is now live! I loved this book so much.  Please check out my spoiler-free review and one-click, unputdownable romance book.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4iZjj8L

Audible: https://a.co/d/aYs2bHk

Paperback releasing March 25th! https://amzn.to/4hsCyWV 

Audible: https://a.co/d/aYs2bHk Narrated by: Sean Masters & Vanessa Edwin

Apple audio https://apple.co/4iqa95i

B&N paperback https://fave.co/4iolMJY 

Target paperback https://bit.ly/4bZv4d3 

Bookshop.org paperback https://fave.co/4iJ9dZw 

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Cg1RwP

My Silver Lining is a small town, fake dating, enemies to lovers, standalone romance from USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, Laura Pavlov 

Lulu Sonnet is the bane of my existence.

She’s caused me more physical pain than any man should ever endure.

From an accidental throat punch to a near death by shovel—

Don’t even get me started on that vicious pool ball accident where she almost robbed me of my family jewels.

She’s a hot little heathen, and what’s worse?

She’s staying in my brother’s rental house while I’m temporarily living in the guest house.

And now she needs a favor.

A fake boyfriend.

I’ll dote on her for a few weeks, she’ll return the favor so my boss’s daughter will stop nagging me, and then we’ll part ways.

It seems simple enough.

Until we end up in the same shower.

And then the same bed.

The lines are blurring.

She’s beautiful and fierce and sexy all at the same time.

But Lulu isn’t staying in Rosewood River forever.

The place I call home is just a pitstop for her.

But suddenly everything I thought I wanted is no longer important to me.

My fake girlfriend has turned my world upside down.

And now nothing feels right without her.

Spoiler-free review