Release and Review Tour: Gentleman Nine: Penelope Ward

by - Monday, February 19, 2018

Gentleman Nine
Penelope Ward
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Release date February 19, 2018

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

Growing up, the three of us were friends.
He was the nerd.
I was the playboy.
She was the beauty.

Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits.
He lied.

I went off to college, and he got the girl.
Amber never knew how I felt.
They were together for years—before he broke her heart.

Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch.
When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.

Still reeling from her breakup, she’d sworn off men.
One night, I opened her computer to find the shock of my life. She’d hesitantly contacted a male escort company. Afraid to date and get her heart broken again, she was looking for sex with no strings.

Every emotion imaginable ran through me: protectiveness, jealousy—curiosity.
Amber had chosen Gentleman Number Nine and sent him a message.
She opened up to him, confessing, among other things, her physical attraction to her friend—me. But she considered me off-limits—and she thought I was a manwhore. (Ironic, considering the circumstances.)

Eventually, she set up a date to meet Gentleman Nine at a hotel. 
When she showed up several nights later to meet him, she got the surprise of her life to see me standing there—with an offer I hoped she wouldn’t refuse.

Cover designer: Letitia Hasser, RBA designs
Cover Model: Lucas Garcez
Cover Photography: Sven Jacobsen
This is a story of friends, first loves, second chances, and choices.

Amber Walton grew up with two friends, Channing and Rory. They were both a couple of years older and Channing was always off limits in her mind. And Channing and Rory agreed to not compete for her. But sometimes choices are made, rules are broken, and things change. And Channing was left the odd man out.

Nine years later, Rory has broken her heart. And her old friend, Channing, is suddenly there making her smile, laugh, and get hot-and- bothered. And in trying to get rid of her dirty thoughts about Channing, she comes up with an unconventional idea. But Channing has surprising ideas of his own. 

This one started out more of a coming-back-to-life-after-a-break-up and a friends reconnecting story. I just adored everything about Channing and the care and companionship he gives Amber. He is funny, sweet, thoughtful, and has a long history of being protective of her. And he never got her out of his system. Amber really needs to feel wanted and to rebuild her self esteem. She is a bit desperate for some extra friendly relations. And he is a man with a plan. But their casual arrangement is destined to get more messy and complicated. 

And there are secrets, lies, omissions and misconceptions gradually being revealed from past to present. And the surprises just kept coming. The second part of this book took a turn and became more emotional and angsty. There was confusion, jealousy, hurt feelings and hard decisions to be made. 

This was a humorous, sexy, sweet, and emotional friends-to-lovers story. It was told in dual points of view with a bonus one as well. It was easy to get pulled into this one and feel for the characters...especially the charming and  swoony Channing. 

I was gifted a copy.
I love a good friends-to-lovers, especially when there is a lot of time spent as friends. When he moves in with her, it is only a matter of time before the sparks begin to fly!

Amber was always between Rory and Channing. As the only girl in their group of best friends, Rory and Channing made a pact that Amber was off limits. But when Channing went away to college, Rory chased Amber and the pact was broken. For 9 years, Amber was Rory’s, until he broke her heart without warning. Now months later, Channing needs a place to stay and Amber has a room available. They pick up their friendship and Channing helps Amber heal after her heartbreak.

I loved watching the changes Amber went through as she settled into life after a breakup. By the time Channing moves in to her spare room she is still hurt, ready to move on, but unsure how to start dating again. Channing has always cared for Amber, and I loved watching as he helped to build back her confidence (even before anything started happening between them).

I was a little disappointed in the ending. I loved the first part of the book, but as it moved closer to the ending I felt like there was so much going on that each new twist in the plot just added to an already full drama. I think part of it was that I was already in love with Channing and Amber and didn’t want them to face any more challenges.

But the epilogue pulled everything back together for me. It gave me the time I needed to be settled with the conclusion and the couple. I loved the passage of time. The closure found from a few short scenes was exactly what I needed to fall back in love with this story.

This was a dramatic and angst filled story of coming back after a breakup and rebuilding friendships. It was full of humor, caring, sexiness and drama. Though there was a lot of angst, it was easy to put myself in the shoes of each character and feel what they were feeling. Both characters pulled me into the story and the pace moved quickly throughout the book.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Penelope Ward
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Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She’s a seventeen-time New York Times bestseller. Her novels are published in over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world. Having grown up in Boston with five older brothers, she spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 13-year-old girl with autism and a 12-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island. 

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