From New York Times Bestselling author Penelope Douglas comes a new forbidden love story?JORDANHe 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 … 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.PIKEI 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.*BIRTHDAY GIRL is a stand-alone, contemporary romance suitable for ages 18+.
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Reviewed by PussnBooks.net
This book is such a freakin’ good read! It knocked my wee socks off, as well as my knickers!
It was hot!
I needed something angsty but not too dark (for a change) and this fit the bill.
The characters were awesome sauce and the story really sucked me in.
I don’t mind tellin’ ya that I was holding my breath and squirming a little while reading the sex scenes.
JORDAN
I really liked Jordan. She’s had a bit of a lousy start in life and has had to grow up too fast.
She’s a really good girl, to be honest. Just trying to make it in life but life is so freakin’ hard right? especially when you constantly feel like a burden to everyone who should be happy to have you in their lives.
She’s been walked over too many times.
She and her (bit of an ass) boyfriend Cole are having money issues (his fault) and they end up having to move into his dad’s house whom Jordan had never met him before because Cole doesn’t really like him.
However, she kinda bumps into him one night by accident (before knowing who he is) and immediately feels something for him. Cue awkwardness.
PIKE
Damn, y’all. This man is all kinds of hot.
He has his own construction company knows how to take care of himself and has a drool-worthy body.
He’s a good guy and tries so hard not to be attracted to Jordan but shit happens and they end up spending quite a bit of time together…alone.
Pike is a little set in his ways. Stubborn and moody. He needs someone like Jordan but he can’t go there because he’s trying to make things work between him and his son.
Guys, this relationship was just…ugh, taboo and passionate. My favourite kind!
SEX SCENES
Like I said earlier the sex is bangin’. It’s forbidden and therefore excellent 🙂
I’m telling you, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife with these two.
I can feel the slickness between my legs, and his breath is so hot. I lower myself to my feet but keep my eyes on his. “I love how you worry about me and want to protect me,” I say. “But a girl has needs, too, and eventually, I’ll have to find another man who can do your job better.” Rage burns behind his frozen stare, but he doesn’t blink. “Another man will kiss me,” I breathe out, “and take off my clothes and go at me in his bed, in his shower, and spread me wide over breakfast on his kitchen table…” Pike’s lips are almost twisted in a snarl, and he’s breathing hard—in and out, in and out as he glares down at me. It’s there. I can feel him. It’s like we’re wrapped up together, the heat between us almost suffocating, and all he has to do is reach out and pull me into his arms. Take me. I wait. I’m yours. Just reach out and take me. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, and tears burn at the backs of my eyes as he hovers, unmoving. Unwilling. My heart is breaking. I shake my head. “You don’t have a clue what to do with me, do you?” I scoff and push away from him, but then suddenly, he grabs my arms hauling me back to him. I gasp as he puts his hands under my arms and lifts me off my feet, bringing me face to face with him like I’m five years old. “Oh, I may be out of practice, little girl,” he bites out in a threatening tone, “but I think I’ll figure it out.” And he brings me in, kissing me and stealing my breath so hard all I can do is wrap my legs around him and hold on. Fuck yes.
FINAL THOUGHTS on BIRTHDAY GIRL by Penelope Douglas
I was so impressed with how this book made me feel. I had never read anything by Penelope Douglas before but I will certainly be reading more of her books!.
I could picture every one of these characters and my chest kinda hurt over some of these intense scenes.
4.5 Stars
Reader high achieved!
This book was EVERYTHING I NEEDED! I was in a reader slump- nothing sounded good. I was adrift in a sea of literary apathy. It had only been a couple of days like this, but for me that is a long time.
I decided the solution was an as-yet unread book by one of my “old faithfuls.” Enter Birthday Girl.
I couldn’t put it down. It was one of those where you carry it around the house with you, and very seriously consider backing out of social engagements until you finish. Where you shower as fast as you can so you can get back to it. Prop it against the wall so you can read while you brush your teeth.
I was so taken with Pike and Jordan. Their slow-burn build. The illicit component keeping them apart when they were so obviously right for each other. The missteps taken by pretty much all of the characters at one point or another, lending realistic drama.
I loved how Jordan was an old soul, forced by her upbringing to be wise and mature beyond her years. How she had so much pride, and wanted so badly to be independent. She just needed one person in her life to make her a priority, and not let her down.
I loved Pike’s sense of responsibility, and how it shaped his entire life. It gave him little patience for lack of responsibility in others, including women who would desire his generosity rather than desiring him.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the older man/younger woman dynamic, and this seems to be underrepresented in good romance reads. Those with five to ten year differences are somewhat common, but not so much with 15+ year differences. I LOVED it.
On top of this there was great suspense and agonizing pressure buildup. What would happen? Would Lindsay find out? Would Cole? Would their relationship get out? Would people accept it if it did? Could they ever have a future considering her past with Cole?
Aaah- it was delicious! No lag, no extra stuffing- just solid writing, awesome characters, glorious slow-burn, and hot “steamy times.”
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
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Let me start by saying that the narration was absolutely spot on. Both Andrew and Jennifer were perfection. I wanted to love this as the whole age-gap, forbidden thing is my trope catnip, but there were a few things lacking in the story for me. Still an enjoyable 3.5 stars.
I loved this book!!! Jordan and Pike’s story is one of an older man, younger woman and it was one hell of a read. I was hooked from beginning to end and the ending left me with a smile on my face. It was a sweet, steamy, angst-filled read with drama but it also had laugh out loud moments. I loved Jordan’s sister Cam, she definitely kept me smiling with her antics and I loved that she did what she had to do to support her and her son and not give a damn what people thought of her. I had already figured out what was going on with Cole in the very beginning so what he did was not a surprise when it was revealed, so I didn’t miss him one bit. I can say after reading and loving this book, I will definitely be reading more books from this author and also recommending this one to family and friends. It did not disappoint!!!!
A nineteen year age gap is a lot so I was a little nervous about how and if the author could pull this story off. I enjoy a good age gap story if it’s done right and let me tell you Penelope Douglas nailed this one.
At first I felt the pace was a little slow but of course there was a reason for it. The character development and overall story had to take its time for it all to make sense and feel right. Here the growing friendship between Jordan and Pike took time and along with it came amazing hot chemistry and sexy as hell bantering only fueling their attraction for one another.
Jordan only nineteen but so mature for her age and Pike a sweet and good man and father. Those two combinations made The Birthday Girl stand out and a winner to me.
I had so much fun in their company. The epilogues were just icing on the cake. The Birthday Girl goes on my favorite age gap list.
4 Blowing Out Candle Stars
A birthday girl was a forbidden romance you dont want to miss. The chemistry was great and the amount of guilt. Jordan and Pike, I wished that they have met under circumstances…
Didn’t think I’d like it, but it was written well…
The subject matter was very different from your average Romance Novel. I throughly enjoyed it.
I have never read a book like this before. I was hesitant but I ended up really enjoying this book.
Loved this book absolutely fantastic
Really enjoyed this book. The push and pull between the characters was very well written.
Loved this book. A definite page turner that kept me reading through until the end. I loved this older male/young female complete with a HEA. Perfect.
I loved this book so much that I couldn’t put it down. It was so heart gripping. I felt for both the h and the H. Especially the H, I could really understand his reasoning and he was such a good man who made so many sacrifices for his son. The h was a good responsible young woman who went through so much in her young life that made her older than her years. They made a such a great couple. I am so glad I got to read this wonderful book.
2nd read: 2021
1st read: 2019
OMG! What a great story this was!! I totally didn’t expected this when I started it.
So…. I was in the mood for something different to read and after reading the blurb of ‘Birthday girl’ and discovering the little ‘taboo’ in it, I decided to give this story a try and I’m so happy that I did because I enjoyed it very much.
This story is about Jordan and Pike. Jordan is a 19 year old girl and Pike is this 38 year old guy (who is also Jordan’s boyfriend father!!). But the first time that they meet, they don’t know that, they don’t know who the other is, they only feel this connection between them. So when they discover the identity of each other, they are a bit shocked. But then through certain circumstances Jordan and her boyfriend Cole are forced to leave their apartment and with little other choice they agree to live with Cole’s father Pike. The relationship between father and son isn’t good so Cole isn’t home a lot, leaving Pike and Jordan in each other company. And the more time they spend together the more they discover things that they like in each other. But they both know that they can’t give in to the temptation but then some things happen and the temptation to give in is getting harder to resist.
I don’t want to give too much away. This is really a story that you have to read for yourself. I can tell you that the two main characters don’t cheat and that the story is told from both POV’s. I really, really loved Pike’s character and I can totally understand why Jordan would have feelings for him. He’s this really hot, beta man who makes you feel protected and safe and desirable at the same time. Jordan may be very young but she felt more mature and down to earth to me than other girls of her age. I really liked the connection between Jordan and Pike.
Before I read this book, I read a few reviews about it. In one of them, there was a comment about the fact that it takes a long time before there something happens between the main characters and yes, it’s true. You can say that it’s a slow burn story but I, personally, LOVED that about this story. That made this story more realistic, more believable and more sweet to me. Because Jordan and Pike are both honest and gentle people. They don’t want to hurt people. I really loved both characters. They really struggled with their feelings for each other. And once they give in to their feelings, it gets very, very hot and steamy!!! (I keep thinking of the song ‘Steamy windows’ by Tina Turner haha).
This was the first book that I read from the writer Penelope Douglas but it won’t not be the last.
(Edit 2021: I discovered that there is a bonus scene that takes place after the last chapter and before the epilogue in the book. You can find it on Penelope Douglas’ website.)
Forbidden fruit in the form of a sexy older man? What’s not to love? Birthday Girl is sexual tension in book form. The author keeps the taboo aspects of the plot within palatable limits to keep the audience turned-on and engaged. It easily could have been racier, but I think it would have sacrificed some of its charm. In the end, age is just a number, and sometimes, you just want who you want.
** spoiler alert ** I was unsure about this one from the premise but Penelope Douglas always has a way with making me OK with things. There were aspects that bothered me about this book though, I actually liked Jordan a lot more thank Pike. Pike was a good guy, fighting his feelings, but he just fought things a little too much for me. At some point you have to suck it up and just let things be. The “daddy” comments made me feel a lot uncomfortable. I don’t mind an age gap romance, even if it isn’t my favorite trope, but acting like there were daddy issues made me feel weird about the whole thing. The fact that she was more mature at times than him was also an issue for me. There were also parts of the plot I could have done without, like the ex randomly showing up and calling at 5 am. It was weird and unnecessary, in my opinion. I enjoyed the book, and I’m glad that Cole got his crap together at the end.
So I just realized I don’t have a review on this book… It must have posted only to Amazon. That’s seriously unfortunate because this is one of my favorite books of ALL TIME!
Ask anyone. I talk about this book constantly. It was one of those books that just stuck with me. The connection between Pike and Jordan… how raw and real, and forbidden it was, left me breathless. I was flipping the pages on this book so fast I was almost making my own head spin.
Pike Lawson was by far my favorite thing about this book. The parts I’ll always remember (no spoilers, I promise) are when he’s playing cards with his friends in the basement and Jordan and Cole are having a party upstairs… With the birthday cake he got for Jordan. Ugghhhh my god I was swooning so hard. I was just like THEY NEED TO BE TOGETHER!!! Is it wrong?!? Yes, but who cares.
Those were my feelings pretty much throughout the whole damn book. It was great. Just amazing, as I’m coning to find everything that Pen writes is.
Love you, girl. I’m such a fan I can’t even…
I had a complete love/hate relationship with this book, which is a first for me with a Penelope Douglas book. Birthday Girl is, for the most part, wonderfully written with a storyline that has a depth to it that’s significant and engaging. It was hard to put down. But, it’s Douglas’s first actual hero (she’s the queen of the anti-hero) and I can’t help but wonder if the book suffered a bit because of Pike’s nature.
First, I loved, loved, loved Jordan. She’s a fantastic New Adult heroine. Jordan is the everywoman of the #metoo movement. Not in a preachy way, but in a very matter of fact look into what it’s like to be a young woman in her situation. I appreciated this so freaking much and would love to see our young women handling themselves just the way she did. While only 19, I felt she showed a maturity I wish I’d had at her age.
I liked Pike. I hated Pike. I wanted to smack Pike. His character started out so strong and then just devolved into an idiot before snapping out of it. It was difficult for me to get a handle on him at times: first he’s the dad who wants to reconnect with his son, then he’s the guy who hasn’t had time for relationships and is emotionally stunted, then he’s fighting off an ex that he’s had a dysfunctional relationship with, and sometimes he’s the mature guy who can’t decide if he should parent Jordan or kiss her senseless. He’s a pretty complex guy who on the surface is anything but complex.
The romance is balanced really well with Jordan and Pike’s individual journey. This is one of the things I love about reading a Penelope Douglas book: I know that she’s going to give me a story that I can really lose myself in. I never doubted that Jordan and Pike belonged together, but they have so much going against them that it was truly thought-provoking. And, for the record, the book is nowhere close to being as taboo as the synopsis makes it sound.
I did struggle at times. While I loved their back and forth banter and truly how perfect they are for each other there’s a bit too much will they or won’t they. Sometimes this changed between paragraphs which wasn’t only frustrating but also confusing. And, even though their chemistry is off the charts, the book is pretty much sex-free in the first 50% of the book, then the second half reads like erotica. This felt really unbalanced and was a turn-off for me. I actually found myself skipping pages.
The story, though, is amazing. The fact that I found myself cheering for a couple while also thinking “maybe they should move on, apart” really highlights how well Douglas told this story. It’s really a coming of age tale for both characters and I loved that so much.
3.5 stars for Birthday Girl. Heat level: 3.5
I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars! I absolutely loved Pike and Jordan’s story. Their love was an epic, all-consuming tale of forbidden passion that could not be denied. The storyline played out perfectly with so much angst and tenderness and heat that I couldn’t stop reading until I finished. This book has become one of my all time favorites and I will definitely recommend it to everyone.
This is one of my favorite books!!