An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller.From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story that started with a boy and girl and heats up when the man and woman reconnect.I’d never forgotten him—a man I’d yet to meet.Griffin Quinn was my childhood pen pal, the British boy who couldn’t have been more different from me. Over the years, through … been more different from me. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, we became best friends, sharing our deepest, darkest secrets and forming a connection I never thought could break.
Until one day it did.
Then, out of the blue, a new letter arrived. A scathing one—one with eight years of pent-up anger. I had no choice but to finally come clean as to why I stopped writing.
Griffin forgave me, and somehow we were able to rekindle our childhood connection. Only now we were adults, and that connection had grown to a spark. Our letters quickly went from fun to flirty to downright dirty, revealing our wildest fantasies. So it only made sense that we would take our relationship to the next level and see each other in person.
Only Griff didn’t want to meet. He asked that I trust him and said it was for the best. But I wanted more—more Griff, in the flesh—so I took a big chance and went looking for him. People have done crazier things for love.
But what I found could change everything.
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A great chick-lit/romance novel. I read this whole book in a day – great for a beach or rainy day read. It’s a new take on a romance story, but very well done. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and couldn’t put it down.
I have always had a great time reading Vi Keeland’s and Penelope Ward’s work. But with Dirty Letters, I have mixed feelings. Something wasn’t right.
I expected to read a book about a hot steamy romance that is developing gradually during all the years of the acquaintance of the main characters as pen-pal friends. But that wasn’t exactly what I received. What I got is a beautiful story about overcoming fears and dealing with serious problems, but as a romance junkie, I missed this dose of romance that would fill me up. Reading a description of this book I have gained a very high expectation. I mean, dirty letters? you would think about something sexy and kinky but there was nothing dirty about them. Hundreds of them? Maybe there was, but they have not been presented in detail only a brief comment about their content. And what strange is that, that in the description, the authors did not mention anything about the main subject of this book.
But I have to admit that as individual characters of this story, Luca, Griffin and even Doc were quite interesting. At first, I was heartbroken when I learn what Luca was struggling with. It was very eye-opening to learn how hard her life was. I was glad that she was strong enough to reach out for help. And to see how she was overcoming her fears with the support that she received from Doc, it was also inspiring. But in the relationship with Griffin, she was very frustrating.
And I like Griffin, his life experience makes him a very likable character. And his passion and devotion to the cause made a very good impression on me.
But as a couple, they just didn’t convince me. Maybe it was the way the story was presented, or maybe it was just me. I don’t know. I just know that I just read this part when Griffin confesses his love for Luca. And my reaction was: Really, when did it happen? Their emotional relationship was so barely touched, that I was unable to notice when their romance developed to such an extent.
I was so frustrated with all those mixed feelings that I didn’t even care how it would all end. I just didn’t want to waste time on it. But even if I didn’t finish reading this book I still gave it 2,5 stars because this book had the potential to become something more for me. It just didn’t quite reach my expectations
Warning: It’s not written for adult consumption. The genre should be: young adult fiction. It is a romantic fantasy for a teen.
This book had a unique plot line. I loved the idea of childhood pen pals falling in love. That was definitely the premise of the book but really it was a look at one woman’s anxiety disorder which might not appeal to some. I think the authors explored it well and carved out a lovely relationship with Luca and Doc. I really just loved Griffin though. It was a well written book that some will love and others may not given the topic but I’m glad I read it.
Wow. This book is even better than I hoped for. The thought of pen pals becoming soul mates is perfect and this is the first time I have found a book with that plot. I love both of these characters and their strength that they have. This book is a must read for romance lovers.
A great story that had me reading nonstop!
So pen pals sound intriguing, but coming back to the book and Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward. I really loved Griffin and Luca. I loved how they met through Pen Pals and lost touch due to tragedies in their lives and reconnected years later. But all this time they were in love with each other. I really hope that some sort of similar love story does exist in real life. I can’t wait to read more from Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward. Most definitely worth 5*****
Absolutely loved this story.
I’ve never smiled and cried so much while reading a book and no epilogue has ever had me bawling my eyes out like Griffin and Luca. These two were pen pals since second grade, he lived in England and she in NY. They were pen pals for years but then Luca stopped answering because of a tragic event. Griffin wasn’t aware of this and got highly upset when she stopped writing. Fast forward 8 years and they are now 25 years old and successful in their own career. Griffin is a superstar rock star and Luca is a bestselling author BUT they don’t know. One drunken night Griffin writes her and she decides to respond. They cleared the air and start back writing each other. Then they were curious about how they looked. When they finally met in person they couldn’t believe it. Griffin was speechless at how stunning Luca was and vice versa. But she still didn’t know he was a rockstar. Then the most beautiful love story gets even deeper. Luca suffers from lots of things due to that tragic event and Griffin makes it his mission to make her comfortable in every way possible. They have their moments when she has setbacks which breaks your heart but he refused to give up on her as much as she pushed him away. Their reconciliation was so beautiful and their letters were so funny and beautiful all wrapped in one. Their epilogue?! Omg talk about a sob fest with how they turned out and also with Luca’s growth about her fear. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!
What a great escape! I love losing myself in Vi and Penelope’s stories, and this one was no exception. Wonderful characters, each strong yet vulnerable in their own way. Powerful attraction between them, plus I love the idea of connecting with someone through a lifetime of letters written from the heart. Highly recommend!
Don’t let the title fool you. There’s depth to this story. Great read.
***3 Stars***
The cover and the description were the lure and while I really enjoyed the first part of the book. I loved meeting and getting to know Luca and Griffin and though the letters got a little weird at times, I enjoyed experiencing them reconnecting with each other with their words, but once they finally met? I didn’t really feel the chemistry. I liked them together, but I think it was more the friendship side of the coin than anything else, but it is what it is. Also, I felt the second part dragged a bit more than the first, so that could have had something to do with it.
But while this was simply an enjoyable read for me, I did like how Luca’s mental illness was handled. It was unapologetic while being compassionate. I did love Doc, even though his bird watching had me raising an eyebrow a few times and Hortencia was simply sweet.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
The book had many five star reviews so I decided to pick it up. The first half was interesting to see how the protagonists exchange letters. One in the US and the other in the UK. We know that they have been writing to each other for a long time. Something happened and one of them has stopped writing the letters but the other continued writing. That first half was nice and fun to read.
The next 50% was when the two characters met after many years of writing to each other. This part was slow and somehow boring. I mean it felt that nothing else was going to happen. Usually, most of the romantic stories are predictable but to reach a stage where everything goes so slow 50% in the book is a little annoying for readers.
What I don’t understand is the choice of bizarre name for the female protagonist by the author! The girl is named Luca! for a couple of pages, I thought this was the hero of the story and then it turned out this is the female of the story!
The two protagonists have been exchanging letters for a long time but when they met I did not feel their bond or friendship was strong enough. There was something missing. There is a lack of chemistry between them that I felt in the whole story. I didn’t feel they were close enough. Though the book is titled Dirty Letters, I did not see any dirty thing about the letters they exchanged. Yes, there are very few steamy scenes in the second half but nothing more. So the title itself does not reflect the story clearly.
Dirty Letters is an OK book. There is nothing bad about it, nothing great either. I am going with 3 stars out of 5.
Available on Kindle Unlimited
So freaking good! This one took me by surprise. They started out as pen pals and lost their connection through the years and then one day a letter arrives and Griffin writes again and they connect. Somehow they come together and through their letters they start to heal and eventually meet and you have to read this one! I highly recommend it!!
Loved the chemistry between them and how they were friends first.
I really liked this story and the characters. I did feel that the emotions and decisions were a bit rushed, but it worked well with the story. The characters were full and relateable even as it was their personal stories that took the lead. The one thing that took it to 4 starts for me was the extra step the authors took in having one of the songs recorded and made available to the readers. I love it when books come to life, but then it is reinforced by the song you can physically hear. Smart move.
2019published, both-pov, contemporary, easy-to-read, friends-in-love, plot, read, romance, sex, steamy, unforgettable
Keeland and Ward do it again. It was impossible to stop reading, I was curious, the emotion is real, the fears are real. I could feel everything while I was reading. Great characters Griffin and Luca, Luca and Griffin… I want more much more I want to know what is going to happen next.
It is sweet and hot.
I am in love with them both. I want more.
I thought this was a unique take on your typical contemporary romance and I liked the “twist” with Griffin (which wasn’t exactly a twist, or hard to see coming, admittedly). Luca was a bit hard to connect to for me and while I enjoyed her relationship with Doc, I found I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at their unorthodox doctor/patient relationship. The “relationship drama” was very much focused on Luca’s issues and it felt a bit repetitive and heavy-handed but overall, I did like the book.
Luca Vinetti and Griffin Quinn were pen pals starting when they were in the 2nd grade. Luca is from the US and Griffin is from Great Britain. The older they got, the more flirtier the letters got until one day when they were in high school the letters all of a sudden stopped. Griffin had no idea why Luca stopped writing but it devastated him.
Flash forward 8 years…..Luca is trying to work through her past trauma with the help of Dr. Chester Maxwell, aka “Doc”. When Luca is at her father’s apartment having to clean it out after he passed away she finds a stack of her mail and notices a letter from G. Quinn addressed to her. Surprised, Luca reads it and is shocked. She eventually writes him back and this starts their friendship back up. Luca explains to Griff what happened 8 years ago and why she stopped writing. As Luca and Griff keep writing letters to each other, things start to get steamier. When Luca wants to meet Griff in person, he is hesitant because he doesn’t think she is ready to know who he really is. When Luca decides that she needs to take matters into her own hands she ventures to California with Doc to finally meet Griff.
Once together, these two realize that they belong together but they are not sure how to handle their much different lives. But the great thing about love is that it can conquer all and together these two find a way to be together so they finally have their happy ending.
Wow…this story was such a roller coaster ride! Happy, sad, sexy, you will go through it all with this story! The characters are so so wonderful that you can’t help but root for them. I cannot even begin to image what Luca goes through in her life and finding someone like Griff is a perfect fit for her. Overall this book is perfect and I can’t recommend it enough!
Oh my this book was so good on its own but I have to say the audio elevated it just so much. I mean I knew it was going to be good because Jacob Morgan is my favorite narrator but it kind of blew me away. Anyway back to the book. The story was just so good. Luca and Griffin’s story had everything you could possibly want and most of if was developed before they even met in person. They fell in love with their letters.