Credence

Penelope Douglas: Expect the Unexpected.
She pens astounding, jaw dropping stories with tongue-in-cheek bravado and exhilarating narration which keeps the mercury rising
Devilishly Divine, Passionately explosive and deeply explorative of all the complexities of human relationship scenarios, she introduces the Van Der Berg men in all their manly glory. Residing up in the mountains of Chapel Peak, Colorado, they’re rugged and handsome, living in seclusion. They haven’t had a woman live with them for years, almost animalistic, they eat, mate and fight.

but peace in their tostesterone haven is soon sent in upheavel as their orphan cousin, Tiernan De Haas comes to live with them. I have to mention something here, Pen’s heroines have a commonality, they’re young but have chutzpah, their physicality contributes to their beauty as much as their character which is very attractive. Tiernan displays an amazing range of sensibilities. She’s forlorn, colorless and vapid to begin with, but soon develops wings like a butterfly and finds her place in their home. Her multi faceted personality gets too big to be contained in the House so she sets off to find herself.
“At some point, you started denying yourself anything that made you happy. Out of spite, maybe? Or pride? Candy? Toys? Pets? Affection? Love? Friends?
“You’re going to look in the mirror at the seventeen-year-old girl in a fifty-year-old body and realize you wasted so much time being devastated at how those fuckers didn’t love you that you forgot there’s an entire world of people who will.” **heavy**
Pen is also partial to Bad boy Assholes, a weakness of taboo forbidden trope readers. Jake, Noah & Kaleb are bursting with unharnessed sexuality, at logger heads most of the time, scattered and nursing broken hearts at all times. A triumvirate of pulse pounding magnetism and in walks in Tiernan. They become her would-be nemesis – “The Storm, The Whirlwind & The Earthquake”
“When the world feels small, nothing can hurt you. “But then you realize you’re the only one who fits there in that small world, and being alone feels worse than not feeling safe.”
One HAS her, One WANTS her but HE….. He will KEEP her!

There’s a FOURTH entity that plays an important part in it all- The House At The Peak
It’s represents different things to all 4 people. it’s refuge for Jake, it’s a prison for Noah, it’s a hideout for Kaleb but it’s a retreat of sorts for Tiernan. Pen puts all of them in a house, cuts them off from the world and covers them under a huge, thick tarp of snow, till the warring passions illuminate it up from within. It gets warmer, hotter, bursts with fireworks, fills with banter and laughter, sounds of work tools mix with panting breaths, hammers on nails and slaps on skin intermingle, running showers and orgasmic moans resonate and it becomes a Home: A feeling, not a place

I have to mention A particular scene here almost in the middle of the book. It’s a very physical scenario, senses start to tingle which triggers a mindbending kiss. But What is a scorching, Panty incinerating scene suddednly stops, Turns, Flips and nose dives straight into the abysmal depths of git wrenching emotions. Lust dissolves into tears, moans turn to sobs and I’m all agog at Pen’s talent & magnitude of sentiments of the scene before me… !!!

It’s a Perfect storm of connection . Tiernan is a smart girl, she gives all 3 what they’re missing from their lives. She’s a kindred spirit for all 3 . Acknowledging their existence, their struggles and their silence and in turn she gets to Belong
And of course you cant have all that heat and not have an outlet, some of the HOTTEST SEX I’ve read…ever!! Legit panty scorcher, set your kindle on fire, B.O.B to the rescue scenes
“The notches go all the way to the buckle,” I point out. “I’m flattered, but my waist isn’t that small.”
Noah leans in, whispering, “But your wrists are.”
Hormones swell up like a rushing creek, gathering momentum and soon they burst forth in a definite roar and unstoppable force like a waterfall.
And the FEELS are what will drown you, devour you, subsume you from head to toe till it’s white out of acute pain and miserable grief. I’ve cried bucketfulls of #HornyTears and curled up in a ball

“We were forced together and shit happened.My only wrong-step was falling in love with one of them. ”
Open all the windows and doors of your mind before you start cause you’ll be Breathless soon, gasping, groaning, moaning and you’ll need to stop and take deep breaths often..but pray continue. You’re in for the ride of your life!!
Enjoy the magnificience, the power of the fall but go take a peek behind it, there’s a hidden cave decorated with beautiful sentiments drawn on the walls, it’s a tunnel of warmth and love.
Get soaked and soak up the love
4.5 stars for Lust, Learn, Love…… & Listen

Rating:
I’m moving to the mountains because of this book!

I liked the premise of this book from the start and it did not disappoint. The story is about a girl named Tiernan who is from Beverly Hills and is the daughter of two famous people who just died. Her parents loved each other so much that they didn’t have room in their world for anyone else, including their daughter.

Tiernan grew up alone with nannies until she was old enough for boarding schools and and during school breaks she was sent to summer camps. Her parents died a week before she was to return to boarding school and just ten weeks before her eighteenth birthday.

Tiernan wants to get away from the spotlight of her parents deaths and she finds out that her fathers estranged stepbrother, Jake has become her guardian. Tiernan wants quiet alone time so she decides to go live with him and his two sons in the Rocky Mountains. I liked Tiernan a lot from the very start. She was obviously very neglected and lonely, but had more or less come to terms with the fact that her parents didn’t care.

Though Tiernan reflected on the fact that she did the Hollywood glamour stuff like shopping, fashion, makeup, to try to get her mothers approved. Tiernan is very quiet at first, rarely talking and when she does it is with as few words as possible. She goes to the mountains for a place where she can breathe and have some space.

Tiernan finds that Jake and his two adult sons, Noel and Kaleb, live on a up on a mountain and the road closes every year once the snow comes. So they are cut off from the nearest town for six months out of the year, which is fine with her since she just wants to be alone. However Jake and Noel don’t let Tiernan cut herself off from them.

There are a few small things I didn’t like about the book, but I won’t go into them because that would be giving things away. Despite those small things I really enjoyed this book. I loved the relationship between Tiernan and each of the guys. She had a different type of relationship with each of them which she really needed and they become a family.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a nice little family drama story. It gets off the charts hot and steamy. I give it five flames out of five for the sexy times and the relationships. The characters are completely awesome, each in their own way. I would pay cash money to be snowed in for six months with those three guys. So would most of the girls in the nearest town.

10/10 Recommend • 5/5 • 4/5

After seeing so much hype, I finally jumped this bad boy up to the top of my list. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on it, so I went in blind. This is a taboo book that is not for everyone. It’s uncomfortable at times, raunchy, and yet still steamy!

Tiernan’s famous & wealthy parents commit suicide after years of neglecting her a few months before she turns 18. Her fathers step-brother who she knows nothing about offers to let her stay with him and his two sons in the middle of no where. Did I mention that during the winter months they are snowed in with no service, no internet, and no leaving the house? Mhmm.

I actually really enjoyed the storyline and the development of the plot and characters. The character development was amazing! The ending was perfection & satisfied the story!

This has been on my TBR for a while and after reading the reviews I knew I would either love it or hate it. Well I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. I mean was it a taboo? Yes. Was it dark? Definitely. It was real, raw and layered in ways I did not expect.

I only discovered Penelope before Christmas and since then, I have devoured most of her backlist, but Credence has to be one of my favourites! I loved the dynamic between the family and Tiernan. It felt like they had all been abandoned in relaly significant ways so it was beautiful to watch them come together as stunning if unique way!

*WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD WHERE THE STARS START*
Credence started out explaining how the main character looses her parents. She was never a loved child so she was very closed off and untrusting of people. She takes a chance that is given to her when her father’s step brother calls and asks for her to come live with him and his two sons.

*************Spoilers ahead
This book first and foremost is a bit taboo and spicy. If you do not like relationships between family, this book is not for you. I tend to look at it differently, it’s a book these aren’t real people it’s just a story. All though it seems the first few books I have read have some sort of inappropriate relationship, I have to disclose that I wasn’t really aware of that when I started reading it. After moving to the mountain with her Step Uncle and two cousins, Tiernan makes an attempt to learn how to work for her food, take care of the farm, and the ins and outs of preparing for a long winter. Tiernan finds over time that the entire area of men is very interested in her, but the men in her life are not so opened to sharing. This causes some issues with the towns people and cause’s some major rifts within the book.

After being closed in, she finds that being so close to the men in her life things collide and feelings start. FULL SPICE AHEAD. After the winter Tiernan realizes she is in love, and that the relationship between her and him is worth fighting for. She finally finds that long lasting love and attention she always wanted and so does he. I won’t ruin the book for you, because then to me it isn’t worth reading. But you have to be openminded when stepping into this book.
***********************************END OF SPOILERS

Currently I have Punk 57 on my Kindle Unlimited when I am wanting another spicy read, Birthday Girl and Corrupt is on my TBR. Penelope Douglas knows how to write out a sexy book without being overly dirty or rash. I gave Credence 5 Stars because I really did enjoy reading this book, it only took me two days and I do suggest it for a good bit of spice!!

I picked this book up because I adore Penelope Douglas. Her book, Birthday Girl is one of my favourite taboo romances and wanted to see if this one lived up to hype. Unfortunately for me it didn’t. I am all about the steamy sexy scenes but in this one there are some really uncomfortable, cringy scenes. But I pushed through it. Hoping it would get better. There were A LOT of blurred lines of consent and that is a hard no for me. Tiernan is our main character. After the death of her parents she moves from California into a secluded cabin in the woods in Colorado with her fathers step brother and his sons. They were estranged and she had never met them previous to moving in with them. Tiernan is a young girl. She hasn’t been shown much affection in her life and it almost felt like desperation the way she clung to each one of the guys in a different way. I wanted her to speak up and demand better treatment because there were times (with exception of Noah) that the guys were down right bullies and she just kept taking and accepting that behaviour. I wanted to like Kaleb and his mysteriousness but as time went on the more he creeped me out. Jake was just far too old for her. I felt like he was punishing her for actions of her father and I couldn’t get past the way he treated Tiernan. He was a straight up jerk for the majority of the book. I generally like taboo romance but this one had way had too many issues for me.

So I have been hesitant to read this book, mostly due to the taboo issue of it all. Despite loving Penelope’s books, I wasn’t sure what all the circumstances were and if they were actually blood related. I took a chance on it and actually liked it. The hype around this book is real and the book is really, really good!!! Did it blow me away and make me want to read it over and over again? Not really. I liked Jake, Kaleb and Tiernan but I was drawn to Noah the most. He was just so sweet, protective and had the motivation to make his life better. Yes he was cocky but it only made me love him more!! He didn’t take advantage of the situation and was always looking out for Tiernan. He knew what was going on and who had true feelings for each other. He’s the type of guy you just want to hang out with and ride bikes together. This story isn’t normal and there wasn’t any of the weirdness I was so afraid of. It is a lost girl, who’s been ignored her whole life and just had her world rocked to the core. She doesn’t know if she’s ever been loved in her life but when she gets to Colorado, she starts to feel like she’s found her home. Jake, Kaleb and Noah make her feel appreciated in more ways then one..but at the same time, they had respect for her and protect her to the very end. This was a good book with a super sweet ending!

For one winter they had each other. As the winter rages on outside an inferno of heat was brewing inside. They follow a different set of rules in the secluded woods of Chapel Peak, Colorado. This is her home. She belongs to them. They protect what is theirs.
When Tiernan was invited to live with her step uncle she jumped at the chance to hide away from the world her famous parents built. After their death she reflects on the relationship she had with them and how isolated she felt. Being with the Van der Berg’s has changed her.
Kaleb, Noah, Jake, and Tiernan are broken characters who need each other in different ways.
Tiernan de Haas thought she was alone after her parents died just two months before her eighteenth birthday. A phone call revealed she had a living relative. Uncle Jake Van der Berg is her fathers step brother. He has two sons Noah and Kaleb.

I like the informative learning aspect of Tiernan’s character. Although she is is seventeen it still had that coming-of-age quality to it given that her parents sent her off to boarding school instead of educating her themselves. They passed on the responsibility to nannies and teachers.

Jake’s a single father to two young men. While the guys work together to keep the farm running he has a strained relationship with both sons. These three guys come with baggage and some deep routed female issues. His parental skills come into question several times when Tiernan stands her ground with him. Tiernan’s presence offers the much needed break from the awkward moments when Noah and Jake argue. She reduces the tension between them with her stubbornness and willingness to learn.
These guys are accustomed to a different life than Tiernan. They have no problems getting laid. Girls are always buzzing around these guys. They have a revolving door of girls rotating in n out of the cabin.
Credence is a full length standalone romance. What I enjoyed most about this book was how it didn’t fall within the typical genre of any romance category. This was by far the most original book I’ve read in awhile. What sets Penelope Douglas apart from other writers is her ability to write illustrative words where the reader takes these words to create a picture. Every scene I took her words and transformed them into a picturesque scene. I was transported into that farm with those four characters.

Credence is a thought provoking dark taboo romance. You’ll see mixed reviews on this topic. My mind is still reeling from what I read. It’s hard to process all the individual layers starting with the step relatives to the muted character and the sharing of what’s considered “mine”. My mind was blown away by everything Penelope tackled in one book.
Tiernan was deprived of love and attention growing up, but since living with the Van der Berg’s she’s learned to create intimate relationships with each one. Penelope created some dirty steamy sex scenes that are sure to knock your socks off and burn up your kindle.
I loved the Colorado setting on the farm with the men teaching Tiernan how to survive. What she didn’t learn from her parents or from living in the city she learned from them.
Penelope delivered an intense, raw, and therapeutic read where these four characters cross lines into forbidden territory. I may not have understood every aspect Penelope was trying to communicate, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. These characters were developed beyond my expectations offering more than what is typically required. It’s a long read but a worthy read. As you move from chapter to chapter Penelope further develops each one advancing into sexual urges until each one no longer thinks about the consequences.
Here’s the thing you must go into this book knowing it’s fiction. Sure it’s wrong on all the legal levels, but that’s what makes it’s so wickedly fun. Penelope allows herself to explore sexual fantasies in a safe zone using fictitious characters. It’s provocative. It’s explosive. It’s hot. She allows herself to let her imagination run wild by crossing lines that most are unwilling to cross.

Penelope wrote a thought provoking story about a shy reserved young girl who blossoms under the exploration of three grown men who encourage her growth and building her confidence.

The reader is at the mercy of Penelope Douglas for she is the one driving this story. I have no idea which way she plans to the direct these characters I’m just along for the ride. What a ride it is. This book had it all from intense sexy sex scenes to emotional scenes with characters crying and acting out violently.

This book was good, really good. I wouldn’t call it a reverse harem cause it might start off as one but it sure ain’t ending up like one.. just saying with out spoiling anything.

I have to be honest, booktok made me read it but even if it started off slow I couldn’t put it down. Lost a lot of sleep but it was worth it in the end. I like how Penelope Douglas writes about one lost girl that finds a family when she ends up in the care of her step uncle and step cousins.

This book isn’t for everyone but it was good.