From New York Times bestselling author, Penelope Douglas, comes a new standalone!Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue…Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early … early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere.And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore.As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.And as a part of them.She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.One of them has her.The other one wants her.But he…He’s going to keep her.*Credence is a full length, stand-alone romance suitable for readers 18+.
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“Loving them has made something inside me wake up, and I don’t want to go back to being who I was.”
I’ve never wished for a case of book related amnesia as much as I do right now. I loved every single moment I spent within the pages of this book!
Disclaimer: this book won’t be for everyone. There will be readers who will not like some events, situations, or choices characters make within this story.
That being said, Credence is a courageous, provocative, enthralling journey from start to finish — not to mention HOT AF. Tiernan, Jake, Kaleb, and Noah are complex characters living and dealing with their own struggles. And being stranded on that mountain for months, they find solace and strength within each other. They take a good look at themselves, open up about what they want in life, and work toward growing into those beings. Some of their actions are questionable, jaw dropping at times. However, this is a boundary pushing story with real thoughts and deep-seated emotions driving it. I couldn’t find fault in the ways these characters handled themselves.
It’s a book like this. A story that keeps me guessing, and pushes me out of my comfort zone that I’ve come to appreciate most. They’re the ones that evoke the emotion and feelings I crave from reading. Credence is a solid 5 stars from me!
Credence is unique, different and oh so intriguing. Penelope Douglas can spin a story that will make you laugh cry and want to slap someone in the matter of two pages. The story of Tiernan captivated me from the very beginning. My heart broke for her and the unfortunate events that plagued her since her childhood. Not wanting to be in the public eye after everything happened she moves to a secluded place with family she didn’t know existed. This story takes Tiernan on a journey to Jake, Kaleb and Noah. Jake, the step-brother to Tiernan’s dad who couldn’t let go of his past. Kaleb, Jake’s older son who didn’t speak and dealing with his own issues. Noah, is the youngest and the sweetest who’s looking for more to his life. With all of the craziness that they all endured in this book I love how Tiernan left her home to escape but found herself in the process. I also loved how Jake was able to say goodbye to the ghosts of his past, Kaleb could express his feelings and Noah soared.
Fiction books are my escape from reality where I can lost myself with amazing characters and go on the journey along with them. Penelope’s books have always taken me on amazing journeys and Credence was one hell of a ride!! I’m excited for more of her books to come!
Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, something shifted. I was guessing right up until the last few pages how everything was going to be resolved. It was an emotional rollercoaster of the best kind. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy witty dialogue, dynamic characters, and exciting twists. This will definitely be a re-read for me.
“IT WAS TIME”
YES!!!!! It was time to read a new Penelope book. I know we’ve waited for her new book for some time now, but it was all worth it. CREDENCE was beyond my expectations. The connection I felt with this book was immediate.
If you’re a fan of Pen, you know what to expect from her, she takes her time on building a story, building the characters so we can CONNECT with this whole world, and finally get a MASTERPIECE.
What I love the most of Pen’s books is that they are not the average romance read we’re used to reading. When you read one of her books your brain is blissfully making theories, making possible scenarios, thinking out of the box until you get to the end and stay in a coma of joy and satisfaction.
One of them has her.
The other one wants her.
But he…
He’s going to keep her.
We get into the story with that statement, so we need to figure out who’s going to keep her. Three candidates and one to chose. Tiernan will have to figure out what she wants or who is the owner of her heart, but first she has to find herself, find her place in the world.
Jake, Noah and Kaleb are damaged and having Tiernan in their lives is a refreshing change, she will bring them joy and make them think of her as family, but 3 amazingly handsome guys with a girl secluded in a mountain can’t be normal, things will happen and we will witness the development of each character and how they survive all winter.
I won’t say more about the story because you need to go blind and I suggest to open your mind and let this amazing story consume you as it consumed me. As I always say with Pen’s book, expect the unexpected and be ready for this journey full of romance, sadness and hotness (if you believe you’ve seen all the hotness on her previous books, please be ready for MORE!!!!).
Warning: Try to read this book in the comfort of your home with a glass of wine, do not do it while your at work, trust me on that!!!
“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.”
I feel like I hadn’t came up for air until I finished reading. And in this moment right now I feel whole. Penelope is my favourite author and with a reason. This was devastatingly beautiful and soul consuming. This was everything!
“Sometimes the clouds aren’t enough, I guess. We need the whole damn storm.”
Holy shit within the first few paragraphs I was angry and ready to cry. Right from the beginning I was hooked. PD blew mind mind with this book. Tiernan is a young, strong and brave. She is forced to be independent. When she is sent to her step uncle in the mountains she is in the surprise of her life time.
“He’s always starving when he comes back from being in the woods this long.”
Jake is mature and understanding. Noah is fun and looking for a good time. Kaleb is mysterious and dangerous. All are intimidating, troubled, a little lonely and bring something different to the table. I wanted to savor every last word of this story. It’s best if you go into this one blind and with an open mind. Highly recommend this book!!!
“We were lost and broken, each in our own way, and she needed us as much as we needed her. We’d die for her.”
I have been highly anticipating this book since I first saw the teasers and blurb. It was haunting me to know who she ended up with. It’s hard to go into any detail really without spoiling it for others. Tiernan had a very difficult life with her parents. They we absorbed in themselves and always ignored her. She didn’t have a voice. After their death, she moves in with her step uncle and cousins that she’s never met before. Each one of these guys have a piece of my heart. Jake was hard at first, strict, but he made her face her demons and come out of her shell. Noah was the sweeter one of them, how he was affectionate and tickled her and goofed around. Kaleb was the high strung, silent one who you loved even more after hearing his story. Tiernan herself was an amazing girl that took life with everything it threw at her. It’s not often that I find heroines that stick with me. This book didn’t go how I thought it would go. She didn’t pick the person I assumed it would be. I think Pen did amazing with this book. It was better than had it gone the way I assumed. It took you out of your comfort zone and made you really think. Each of these four characters were really missing something and they didn’t really get it until they were all forced to live together. Tiernan was the glue that held them together even though at times it may not have seemed like it. So many emotions are in this one as well. I laughed and cried and may have had some anxiety along the way. It’s very intense. I loved everything about it! I’m glad that I read this book, it’ll be one of my all time favorites. I’ll never forget these characters. Even if you have doubts, pick this one up. You may need to sit it down a couple of time and pick it back up again, but you won’t regret it. It’s going to be hard to top this book as one of the best of 2020 and we’re just beginning.
Okay, so originally I had a DNF situation with Credence. It was… devastating, really. I was so upset because I was no longer able to enjoy my reading experience because I was told the ending. It killed any desire I had to finish this book, but thankfully a friend encouraged me to give it a few days and go back. If she hadn’t, I would have missed out on one of my top reads of 2020 and we’re not even through the first month.
Credence is so much more than a book, it’s an experience.
Tiernan has lived a comfortable level of existence in her almost eighteen years, but that’s exactly what it is–an existence. It isn’t a life, she isn’t living. As her parents pass away, she heads to the peaks of Colorado to live with her father’s estranged stepbrother, Jake, and his sons, Noah and Kaleb.
And live she does.
She learns who she is, what she wants to live for. She is liberated from the ghosts of her past, but it isn’t a smooth journey for Tiernan. There are moments when she breaks, when she falls, and when she’s forced out of her box. But this girl is a storm, quiet and contemplative, raging and destructive. She’s vulnerable, she has steel in her spine. She makes mistakes, but she learns. She falls down seven times and stands up eight.
Now, there is plenty of romance in this book. Some of it is dark and dangerous, some of it playful and fun. It toes the line of taboo, so I urge you to keep an open mind while reading these pages. There’s plenty of drama and angst, plenty of tension so thick you could slice through it with a knife. You’ll want to dive in and be surrounded by Penelope Douglas’ words. This is an incredibly immersive experience, especially for a stand alone.
I don’t, and won’t, want to say any more so as to help preserve the experience of going in as blind as possible, but just know this book is worth it. Tiernan’s journey is worth it. Jake, Noah, and Kaleb’s journey is worth it. The Van der Berg’s are worth it.
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
So here I am, sitting in front of my computer, half wondering what’s wrong with me, the other half absolutely thirsty for more. Every time Penelope Douglas writes a book, my one-click fingers twitches in anticipation. Her writing is flawless. She keeps you wanting more, to the point where even though you’re turning the pages, reading as fast as you can’t, it’s just not enough. Jake, Noah, Kaleb *insert sigh* protective, greedy, loving. I loved them. All. For what they bring to the story, for how they grow as characters…
I cannot say this enough: absolute perfection.
This emotional story with its searing hot scenes has become one of my favorite reads this year! One lonely, closed off orphan is”sent” to live with her Uncle until she turns 18, in a few short weeks. The only problem is she may just get snowed in on their mountain and be stuck there for months on end. He had two sons. One who is talkative and makes no secret of his desire for her. Even her Uncle makes her toes curl and she does not know what to do with all these new feelings. The other son is a beats of man that only grunts and takes what he wants when he wants it. He terrifies her. But leaving them scared her more. This book was awesome! Intense and beyond emotional and I could not put it down! Five stars seems inadequate! This one will definitely be read again and again!
I finished Credence this morning and I was like okay let’s find another book to read… Stooopid! My brain will NOT let these characters go. So complex and honestly I couldn’t even decide who my favorite character would be if I tried. They all are so special in their own ways. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it far exceeded my expectations! There were so many moments I was either literally laughing out loud from the dialogue or crying because the emotions that were coming off these pages were so intense and you could FEEL everything that these characters were going through. I was already wanting to reread when I wasn’t even halfway finished with the book so idk why I’m even trying to do anything different lol. Book hangover to the max! Thank you for such an unbelievably delicious, beautiful story! I only wish it wouldn’t have ended so I could have more of these characters and their journeys. Seriously any bonus content that you want to put out for any of these book characters *cough* Jake and Mirai *cough* by all means PLEASE GO AHEAD.
Wow! Speechless! This book is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved it from start to end! Penelope did not disappoint! I can’t wait for whats next.
I could not put this book down! The writing is phenomenal which isn’t a surprise. Everything this author writes tends to run on the perfection line.
Credence is intense,a whirlwind of emotion and has characters that make you want to keep coming back.
If you can’t connect with this book and the journey inside it, then I’m really sad for you.
I can’t say this enough… Read. This. Book.
This book took me on a ride I was not ready for!! The four MC’s were all wounded, broken, yet beautiful souls. This is not your average romance book, and honestly I cannot tell you what trope it would be, but I will say if you like Pen then you will love this. Please go into this book blind with an open mind. I had certain expectations going in, only to realize that those were all wrong, and yet everything about the book was so right. Also please remember that this is fiction and enjoy!!
4 stars
I always get excited when Penelope announces a book because I know it will be good. In CREDENCE, the author makes us almost forget the boundaries to the point of hoping that the lines gets crossed.
Jake, Noah, Kaleb, and Tiernan weren’t looking for anything, but they certainly needed some jolt in their lives. And what a jolt that was! Everyone was stagnant in life and needed to know themselves as a person and as a group. Jake, Noah and Kaleb worked together, but it was all mechanical, you clearly saw that they needed to feel like a family again. And even though the story has a theme bordering on the taboo, that’s what spurred the change in them. Penelope doesn’t spare the readers, doesn’t tip toe and shows another book that for sure will be talked about.
The character I liked and surprised me most was Tiernan. I already imagined she was going to be broken, but I thought that because she has famous parents she would wear a mask. She would be screaming inside, but pretending in front of the others. However, the character, despite growing up in a different environment from others, was just like them. She was quiet and had no ambition in life. As if her feet was stuck to the ground, not knowing how to move and wanting to do so. After the death of her parents, the move to a remote place was her way of having something different in life, including attention she didn’t receive from her parents. It was the most visible change and growth in this story.
I have been immersed in this reading since the first chapter. The book is big, the story is told in detail, a very slow pace and only makes us more curious about what will happen. I hoped to get a story that would push the boundaries and surely this one was like that. And I enjoyed the whole thing, because we got to know and understand them. And also, as I said before, the author is very creative in giving us sexy scenes. Despite being isolated and with temperatures below zero, this winter caught fire!!!!
I loved the book, I loved the characters and the story, but I missed something that would made me even more shocked in the end. I didn’t expect a cute ending to this book. But still I enjoyed it soooo much.
CREDENCE brings a different story that makes us wonder what will happen, how far the characters will go and what the consequences will be. In the midst of this we fell in love with the three Van Der Berg, so different but who need to get out of place to solve their problems. One of them made me want to spend time in a secluded mountains in the middle of winter, even though I hate the cold. The other made me fall in love with him the moment he opened his mouth, and the other pissed me off, but it was also the one that made me cry.
This book is a romance about all kinds of love: family, couple, friendship, that takes you out of your comfort zone with drama and a slight dark vibe. The author as always delivering an amazing book. I highly recommend it!
I am struggling so much writing this review. No matter what I say will not give this book justice. I follow Pen on facebook, and she did a couple teasers on her reading group page, and after reading the first one I knew I just had to read this book. This book is truly amazing! The author really knows how to write so well that I feel like I am in the book feeling what the characters are feeling. The main female character in this book is Ternian. All she has ever wanted was someone to love her, someone to choose her, someone to talk to, and support her . Her parents were to wrapped up in each other to really notice her most of her life. When her parents suddenly die the will from her parents sends her all the way up to the mountains to live with her dad’s step brother and his two sons. Ternian has never met them before, and never really heard much. This book takes Ternan on a journey of finding herself, finding where she fits in the world with the help of her step uncle jake, and his two sons Tyler and Kaleb. Just like it says in the books summery, one of them gets her, one of them wants her, and one of them will keep her. The love scenes were so steamy and everything you could want out of a book. I wish I could give this book 100 stars, Pen did not disappoint, just amazing.
This is a really difficult review for me to write, as although I liked Credence, I didn’t love it and, based on the opening chapters of the book, which totally drew me in, I really wanted to love it, all of it.
Tiernan has been undervalued, ignored and unhappy all her life. Following the death of her parents she moves out of the family home and into a remote cabin in the Colorado mountains with step-family who up to that point had been strangers to her. She wants to feel, something, anything after being numb for so long and embarks on a journey of self discovery and somewhat of a cathartic healing process, in a very unconventional way.
I loved the writing and the majority of the plot (although I wouldn’t have minded if it was darker) but for me it dragged a little in parts and overall it fell rather flat. There was a fair amount of misogyny and double standards from the men in this book but my view is that Tiernan recognised this and had a choice whether to ignore and disregard their behaviour, or acknowledge it. I feel for the most part she made her choice to accept it and carry on regardless. I believe that some readers on the other hand will have a real problem with accepting the behaviour of these men, and I can totally see why, but personally those aspects of the story were not a stumbling block for me. However, although there are things in fiction I’m ok with that I wouldn’t condone in real life, there was one particular incident between Tiernan and one of the men which is a big no no for me both in the real and fictional world. All I will say on the subject is it’s disgusting and disrespectful and really influenced my view of him for the rest of the book.
My real problem with the story, and where I did feel that I was missing something was in the emotional connection between the characters, especially when it started to become apparent towards the end of the book that Tiernan was leaning towards one man in particular. I simply didn’t get it. To me there was an imbalance, what feelings there were between her and this man felt more one sided and just not enough to persuade me that they both held deep feelings for one another equally. I don’t know how else to describe it, other than apart from their lust, I just didn’t feel immersed in their passion, or gripped by their love for each other. A case of too much tell and not enough show, or too little too late perhaps.
Maybe I was literally missing something. I believe that the author tried to give us non-verbal clues as to their growing feelings but it’s possible that other signs were just too subtle for me. Overall, despite having a happy ending, it was just not enough to make up for the lack of a believable loving relationship leading up to that point. Sadly, overall this one left me feeling disappointed.
For the first time ever, I already want to read this several times again… I’m glad this can’t be much in WhyChoose category I guess, even if they’re very protective of her. Actually, I need to find more Bully romances that are like this: in reality kind of ‘innocent bullying’ because it isn’t premeditated at all, planned in advance – it happens as an ‘out-of-their hands/control’ experience because a sudden situation pushes it…, at the same time due to characters unattended traits – mostly flaws that need fixing? (or not). I only feel bad for the other reviewers that probably don’t read the quite taboo (normal) ‘with-Daddy-on-the book title’ romances that have a lot of age-play and spankings… which there has been an increase of new releases for the past few months including in Dark erotica, and also in MM!
Taboo, forbidden situations but the way you build up to that and their relationships is exceptional. When you gave us Corrupt, I hoped your next book would “break you out of you comfort zone” and take your storyline further and you have done it with this book. For me, as a reader, this is an unforgettable story, it’s not predictable and the slow build of the relationship between the four characters and the plot twist to the end was perfect.
Credence was (for me) exceptional and you took forbidden romance to another level. I loved YOUR vision
My mind is blown! I will be reeling for days maybe months after reading this superb story. I’ve never read something so hot, but also so heartfelt in my life.
Penelope Douglas’ writing improves with every novel and this is no different. Credence is EVERYTHING I could ever want in a book. I couldn’t put it down!
This story is emotional on all levels, but in the best ways, not to mention hotter than hellfire.
Leave your inhibitions at the door and come in with an open mind and I guarantee you will be a Penelope Douglas fan for life!