I was provided and ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.
I've been waiting for Isaac Sylvester's book for years! He's been in Penny's books over the years glaring at everyone, but if you have kept up with the going's on in Green Valley you know he was an undercover agent as a member of the Iron Wraith motorcycle gang and went by the name Twilight. Now he's on a new mission to bust an evil man trafficking women and children, who happens to frequent the local gentlemen's club. No one really knows Isaac, why he disappeared when he was 17 or who he is now. He doesn't talk much, and he's kind of intimidating unless he is around Hannah. Hannah is the new manager of the Pink Pony, she has just retired as a dancer but the night she meets Isaac things go sideways. He needs her help to catch his man and she agrees. Due to a misunderstanding their relationship doesn't get off to a great start, but once lines get uncrossed they start to get to know each other and realize they might actually like each other. Things get kind of steamy from there.
I was so happy to be back in Green Valley with so many of the Winston's and other beloved characters. Isaac has been a man of mystery for so long, but we finally get to understand his back story and how he got to be so scary. Not only is there great banter in this book between Hannah and Isaac, but there is alot of emotional content too. Hannah and Isaac have some great conversations, Tina is a great surprise and a wonderful side characters, Jenn and Isaac finally have their reckoning, and we get some great Cletus moments. I loved the action and the humor in this as well as the more serious moments.
This can be read as a complete standalone. I realized when I was reading this that I haven't read Folk Around and Find Out yet (Hank's book), and I was able to follow along just fine. I just finished all of the Smartypants universe fall releases and it was fitting that I wrapped up with an actual Penny Reid book, she is and always will be one of my favorite authors!
She’s about to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.
Folk Around and Find out, an opposites attract, single parent contemporary romance set in a small town from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is out now!
He needs to get her out of his system. Just once...
Hank Weller doesn’t help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants—and Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he can’t help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He's always noticed. She’d probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte's messy, public divorce made Hank’s club out to be the culprit—and made her the single mother of four kids—he doesn’t need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the town’s prettiest charity case doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.
Charlotte Mitchell doesn’t much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as “eccentric” and “nonconformist,” which were polite southern alternatives to "filthy rich" and "self-centered douchebag." Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven't so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hank’s club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.
But he’s about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.
Keep reading for a look inside Folk Around and Find Out!
My day hadn’t been great even before she walked in.
I’d just returned from the funeral of my longtime bookkeeper. He’d died from old age in his sleep surrounded by his five kids, loving wife, and eighteen grandchildren while leaving me with a reconciliation mess and this month’s payroll to finish.
My newly trained bartender had sent a manifesto via text message, blaming his decision to quit on my unwillingness to build a dedicated meditation room and give him four paid half-hour breaks per shift to use it.
Three Diamond Whiskey bottles out of the six that had shipped from the distributor were broken in the crate. If you’re keeping score, that’s seven hundred dollars in Tennessee Whiskey and a crime against humanity.
On the plus side, the suit I’d worn to my parents’ funerals fit and I still looked damn good in it.
Of course, I didn’t know the newcomer was her at first. The door opened and closed, same sound as normal no matter who was coming or going. It was a Sunday mid-morning, still early yet for any of the dancers or bouncers and way too early for any customers.
But the moment she turned the corner and came into view, I gritted my teeth. Here we go. What could she want? She better not be selling Bibles.
“Charlotte.” Standing behind the bar, I crossed my arms and sounded unfriendly. She’d caught me restocking paper products and the three surviving bottles of Diamond Whiskey. I was only half finished with my current task, but nowhere near half finished with my task list for the day. I did not have time for pious Charlotte Mitchell.
As a rule, I had time for two types of folks: people I paid, and people who paid me. A small number of exceptions to this rule existed: a few friends from college and in town, like Beau Winston or Patty Lee, and any woman I’d set my mind on seducing, but even then, I made sure the scales remained balanced—give and take, tit for tat, even-steven. Point is, Charlotte was obviously not the former exception, and there was no way she’d ever be interested in becoming the latter.
“Hank.” She didn’t look at me, but she did paste on an obligatory-looking smile that pulled her full lips tight and came nowhere close to her green eyes. Tracking Charlotte Mitchell’s slow approach, I didn’t miss how she took her time and peered around.
I wanted to snark, “Lost? I believe the wallpaper and sanctimony store is closer to downtown.”
Instead, I ground out, “What do you want?”
Meet Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
He needs to get her out of his system. Just once...
Folk Around and Find out, a small town, second chance contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is now available!
Hank Weller doesn’t help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants—and Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he can’t help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He's always noticed. She’d probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte's messy, public divorce made Hank’s club out to be the culprit—and made her the single mother of four kids—he doesn’t need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the town’s prettiest charity case doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.
Charlotte Mitchell doesn’t much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as “eccentric” and “nonconformist,” which were polite southern alternatives to "filthy rich" and "self-centered douchebag." Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven't so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hank’s club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.
But he’s about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
Folk Around and Find out, a small town, contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is coming July 21st, and we have the amazing cover!
Pre-order your copy today! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3P7H5RL Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/folkaround Apple Books: https://apple.co/39feVnq Nook: https://bit.ly/3w6Dpby Kobo: https://bit.ly/39egHoz Google Play: https://bit.ly/39UKTWk Smashwords: https://bit.ly/39btc4m
Meet Penny Reid Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
Totally Folked, the all-new folking delightful and bestselling small town contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is available now!
One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . .
Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when they begin to feel more like being waylaid rather than getting laid. Could it be that Green Valley's most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?
Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Strict adherence to this single rule has served her well. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.
When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.
TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.
To see what I thought you can check out my review here
“Rae,” he ground out, using my hold on his hand to bring us back to a stop. I faced him, my stomach erupting in uncertainty butterflies as I encountered the stern line of his jaw and the glittering, frustrated spark behind his eyes. “We need everyone to believe we’re just friends, right? And if we go inside the house, I don’t think I’m a good enough actor to pull that off.”
My mouth formed an O, and I released him, folding my arms over my chest while I wrestled with a strange combination of disappointment and pleasure at his words. I wanted to spend time with him, talk to him, get to know this mystery of a man so I could understand my feelings better.
But . . . I conceded his point.
We couldn’t seem to be around each other without kissing. Bringing him inside a dark, empty house in the middle of the night was something better left to my fantasies.
For now.
Oh really, inner voice? Now you’re impudent? Now?
He exhaled a short breath, it also sounded frustrated, but his tone was soft as he said, “Hey.”
I placed a tight smile on my face, it was the best I could manage. “Hey.”
Jackson seemed to be considering me, debating what to do next. He didn’t take too long. “Do you want to go for a drive?”
“Yes,” I said immediately. “Yes, I do. Let me grab a jacket.”
“Okay. I’ll wait here.” He shifted his weight to his back foot and hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets.
I wanted to take a picture of him like this, all handsome reluctance and sexy self-control. This man, he just did something to me. I couldn’t explain it.
But maybe if we took this drive and spent some time together talking—just talking—I’d start to figure it out.
Meet Penny Reid Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
This was the Jackson James story long time fans of The Winston Brothers series have been waiting for! We’ve gotten to know Jackson through out Penny’s previous books and he has always been an enigma. We’ve hated him, not hated him, and now we finally understand him and get a chance to love him along with all of the other heroes of Green Valley. If you’ve read the Winston books you will understand what I mean and have probably gone on the same emotional roller coaster. If this is your first foray into the Green Valley world have no fear, this book reads as a complete standalone. The author gives the reader all of the relevant background information needed from any previous books for this to make sense. It is one of the things I love most about her writing, her books may all be connected but they stand on their own. You don’t need to read the previous books, but you will want to because they are awesome!
Rae and Jackson were great together. She is a Hollywood starlet who loves making movies but is tired of acting all day long and Jackson is trying to clean up his image and make everyone happy. What they find in each other is the comfort of each other’s company and the ease of being themselves. They are completely comfortable just being themselves and don’t have to put on a show to please one another, but they do have to learn to trust each other and themselves. Their romance was unexpectedly slow burn, but it was 100% worth every second. There was so much development between the characters and when they finally got together it was explosive!
I loved that we finally got a Jackson story and that we got to revisit with some favorite characters from previous books. This was a fantastic book with fantastic characters!
I was provided an arc via the author, all opinion are my own.
One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . .
Totally Folked an all-new small town romantic comedy filled with humor and heart from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!
Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when they begin to feel more like being waylaid rather than getting laid. Could it be that Green Valley's most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?
Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Strict adherence to this single rule has served her well. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.
When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.
TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.
Fall in love today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mlffDE Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TotallyFolked Nook: https://bit.ly/3sOrkTX Apple Books: https://apple.co/3sShLDy Kobo: https://bit.ly/2OkmO0L Google Play: https://bit.ly/39G9JpY Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/36KBgo6 Barnes and Noble Paperback: Coming Soon
Add Totally Folked to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tFSo8w
Meet Penny Reid Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
All Folked Up by Penny Reid
