Amazon’s #1 Most Unputdownable Book of the Year. An Amazon Charts bestseller.A Wall Street Journal bestseller.A Washington Post bestseller. From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story of secondhand hearts and second chances… mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.
Something blue.
I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”
Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.
The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.
He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after.
But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.
Something new.
But I have no idea how this one is going to end…
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A first chance for secondhand hearts! I love the premise of this. The note in the wedding dress. The twist of him being her boss. So unexpected. It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance from the co-Queens Vi and Penelope fraught with sexual tension and slow burn steamy goodness. Definite one-click no-brainer!
HATE NOTES by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, romance story line focusing on wealthy realtor Reed Eastwood, and sculptor and PA Charlotte Darling.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Reed and Charlotte) HATE NOTES follows the acrimonious relationship between wealthy realtor Reed Eastwood, and PA Charlotte Darling. It all started with a little blue note pinned to a forgotten wedding dress; a drunken phone call to Locklear Properties; an appointment to view a million-dollar listing; and the humiliation by said realtor, wherein our heroine Charlotte Darling will come face to face with Iris Locklear, the owner of Locklear Properties, and the woman who offers Charlotte the chance of a lifetime. But all chances come with a price including a working association with Iris’s grandson Reed Eastwood, the man whose hate for Charlotte Darling grows with every encounter. What ensues is the building romance but tempestuous relationship between Reed and Charlotte, and the potential fall-out as heartbreak and painful reminders force Reed to push Charlotte out of his life.
Reed Eastwood has loved and lost; the destruction of his heart and soul left our hero with no hopes for the future and he wasn’t willing to tempt fate a second time around. Struggling to keep his distance from Charlotte Darling, Reed found himself drawn into the hurricane that would become his life. Charlotte Darling knows all too well the humiliation of having loved and lost but meeting Reed Eastwood gave Charlotte the hope for a future but a future with a possible end date before it began. Charlotte is a sexy, sassy and sweet heroine who struggles to find her own happily ever after.
The relationship between Charlotte and Reed began as a lie when Charlotte booked an appointment to see a property so far out of her price-range she hadn’t even realized that background checks would be part of the arrangement. Several outrageous lies result in a humiliating smack-down all to reinforce that perhaps Charlotte was completely out of her league but our heroine refused to give up without a fight. Working with Reed meant getting under one-another’s skin but getting into bed would be a whole other level. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.
The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Reed’s brother Max, their grandmother Iris Locklear; and of course Reed’s ex-fiance Allison.
The world building focuses on the back and forth, yin and yang, up and down emotional roller coaster between Reed Eastwood and Charlotte Darling. Reed’s constant mixed signals, hot and cold attitude revealed a personal battle between head and heart.
HATE NOTES has a little bit of everything: romance and love, humor and laughter, conflict, anxiety, heartbreak and pain. The character driven premise is playful and spirited ; the characters are fun and flirty; the romance is animated and sensual. HATE NOTES is a thought provoking love story with a playful heroine and a hero who fights an uphill battle between himself and the world.
An enchanting, unexpected love story from two of my favorite authors, Hate Notes is a must read!
‘Hate Notes’ by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward was our monthly selection for our book club, and this fun, sweet, and emotional romance resulted in a total win for us all!
Charlotte Darling was just that! I loved her personality and outlook towards life and that she wouldn’t give up on her dreams. Her spontaneity with her ‘List’ (I’m now wanting to start one too!) was fantastic, and nothing was going to hold her back!
I also love it when a moody and brooding hero like Reed gets surprisingly smitten with his leading lady! He tried so hard to keep Charlotte at arm’s length, but it was just too hard with her (literally) falling across his path.
Reed and Charlotte were perfect together, and she saw behind his mask and really helped him with her gentle (and not so gentle) encouragement. Their slow-burning romance felt natural, and when it took its emotional turn, it just made my heart even meltier!
The secondary characters were fantastic, and Reed’s grandmother, Iris, was an absolute hoot! I loved her candor, feistiness, and matchmaking skills, as well as her sweet and caring nature and belief in both Reed and Charlotte. I’m also curious to know more about Reed’s brother Max. He was so adorable and perhaps he has a future story as well?
Keeland and Ward make a fantastic writing pair, and I look forward to reading more of their works!
The story of Charlotte and Reed seriously caught me by surprise. I never read blurbs, so I couldn’t tell you what the story was about when I started reading. It was so much more than I thought it would be. It touched me on a deeper level, and it brought me to tears.
Their meeting wasn’t a normal one. But by fate, they came into each other’s lives for the better. There was a twist that I didn’t expect, probably more than one. All those moments just really grasped at my heart. I’ve noticed with Vi and Penelope’s books; the covers don’t always tell the story. It’s just what’s barely simmering on the surface.
Vi & Penelope are like the dream team of Contemporary Romance. I’m glad I jumped into this story. I love stories that take hold of you. And you feel that more profound connection with the characters and the story they have to tell.
Overall, I give this Five Boundless Stars.
Great book!
Stop everything and read now.. so much fun.
Every time I read a Penelope Ward book I feel like I’ve been kicked in the face. Her books always hit you right in the gut with an emotional brick. Charlotte & Reed have an entertainingly antagonistic relationship but somehow fall in love anyway. But the twist caught me off guard. No spoilers but get ready to cry. And then smile. And then cry again at the epilogue.
Give me ANY enemies-to-lovers that’s also a slow burn. Excited for this new release from epic duo Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward!
I absolutely loved Hate Notes – both Vi and Penelope are two of my favorite authors, and when you put them together, magic happens!!
Okay. So where do I even begin to express the endless amount of feels this book gave me! It’s been awhile that a book truly made me feel everything at once and this quickly became a top 2018 favorite!! Once again, this duo has blown me away with their writing. At this point, it no longer feels like two authors writing, it’s like their souls immersed together and created this beautiful story that began with a blue stationary note pinned to a wedding dress.
The beginning sets the tone of the story perfectly. We have Charlotte Darling, this vibrant, slightly nutty, sweet and outgoing woman who discovers this wonderful wedding dress after trying to sell her own dress (she caught her fiance cheating). But what she never expected to find was the blue note hidden in the dress from a man named Reed Eastwood. She’s had a lousy day to put it simply and now her life is in shambles after losing everything, yet this note gave her hope. But Reed Eastwood is by far nothing like the romantic man who wrote that note. He’s basically a douche canoe and very arrogant. Scorned from love himself.
From the moment Reed and Charlotte met it was instant attraction and hate. Watching these two banter and argue was that sweet cherry on top for the perfect enemies to lovers romance! Ugh, the sparks freaking soared!
Not only were the main characters great, but the secondary characters were just as wonderful and amazing! Also, be ready for a bit of a twist to the story that will leave you shook !
Hate Notes was romantic, fun, sexy, filled with angsty and a whirlwind affair! Sigh. I truly enjoyed this book. It was just beautiful I laughed, I cried, I swooned… I fell in love!! Thank you, Penelope and Vi for this unforgettable book!
Oh God I FLOVED Hate Notes! It was so not what I expected, and that is such a good thing, no, a GREAT thing. I was expecting typical alpha male, me boss, you innocent assistant, I want you, I get you. But, it wasn’t that at all. Instead, it’s a slow burn, beautiful story of two extraordinarily ordinary people who fall in love. One fights it, one grabs it with both hands and tries with all her heart to get him to feel the same way. And he does feel the same way, he just doesn’t admit it until a sweetheart of a grandma and a bit of jealousy intervene.
I love that Vi and Penelope tackle a subject that isn’t in a lot of romances these days. And I absolutely died over the epilogue. Not only is it incredibly sweet and emotional, but it didn’t take the easy way and make everything all peachy keen, fairy tale-ish as if what happened earlier suddenly disappeared. Reed and Charlotte’s story will get you in the heart, perhaps make you shed a few tears, and leave you smiling in the end. It’s a beautiful slow burn romance that’s much more than a romance. Vi and Penelope have really outdone themselves with Hate Notes and I’m so glad I got the chance to fall in love with Charlotte and Reed and their journey.
Oh man! So this was a book that I listened to. I loved it so much! It was my first experience with Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward. I have not read either of them before. This book was so unexpected! There were things that happened what I totally did not see coming at all! I loved Iris with a passion! She was so wonderful! Her meddling was just hilarious. She totally knew how to play her grandson! There were many times that this story made me laugh… made me cry…. made my jaw drop like crazy! I just thought it was a phenomenal story! I very much enjoyed listening to it. These ladies wrote a great story and I am looking forward to getting into more from them!
What a great story! A little different than the usual the duo writes, but definitely a hit! A little blue love note sewn into a wedding dress at a consignment shop, leads to a very interesting set of new circumstances for a woman who saw it very recently all crumble when her fiancé cheated on her. These new circumstances lead to a very handsome, commanding man that always seem to be angry at her for something but she can’t seem to help herself. There is something about him and she will not stop at until she knows everything. Why did they never get married? Why is he so different? Not the same man who wrote the note? Definitely a must read from this star duo! Another five star stunner!
I love books like this — full of tension and lots of drama. The chemistry between these two characters is off the charts!
Great Book!
I love these two authors and this – Enemies to Lovers was amazing. I love a slow burn and Vi and Penelope delivered in spades!
Within the pages of this novel lies a story that is destined to squeeze your heart, bring you smiles, and move you to tears! I loved these uniquely crafted characters, they lured me into their world, and took me on a unforgettable literary journey, one that touched my heart! I highly recommend you get your hands on this one, it’s captivating, sexy, and good on the heart!
I am in complete awe with this book. It was so good and it kept my attention from the very first page all the way until the end. Sebastian York and Lynn Barrington really made this book come to life for me.
Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward captivated me in the very first scene as Charlotte Darling walks through a vintage wedding dress store. There to sell her own wedding dress from a wedding that never happened, Charlotte discovers a dress on the custom or “costume” rack. It is nothing short of stunning. Upon closer inspection, a note of love is sewn into the beautiful dress.
As a result, this note leads the recently jilted heroine into the world of the man who penned the note. Consequently, the book’s twists make the characters evaluate what it means to love unconditionally – for better or worse.
I, myself, am married to the love of my life. He has the same situation as the hero. At the time I met and fell in love with him, I had all the same thoughts and concerns Charlotte Darling has when she falls for Reed Eastwood. But after 20+ years, I still consider it one of the best decisions I ever made.
Hate Notes looks at the how difficult it is to open your heart again after being brutally hurt. Likewise, it touches on how moments of adversity help you realize who is in your corner. The people with you in those moments are the people you hang onto. Hate notes makes me believe love can conquer all.
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