Review Tour: Hate Notes: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

by - Tuesday, November 06, 2018


A standalone romance novel published by Montlake Romance 

By: New York Times Bestselling Authors Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward 

Release Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
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*Please Note: Because Hate Notes is published by Montlake Romance, a division of Amazon, the book will only be available in ebook format on Amazon. 

It all started with a 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 . . .

To read an EXCERPT of Hate Notes, click here.

Photo/Cover Details: 
Photo Credit: Tijana Vukovic
Model: Dusan Susnjar
Teasers: Luna Sol
This book has a bit of everything: antagonism, humor, tension, passion, secrets, angst, swoon, emotion, and fight or flight.

Charlotte Darling's world has been torn apart and she is trying to find something to grasp onto to restore her faith in true love. A found note leads her to investigate the seemingly romantic source, but who she finds is someone who believes in true love even less than she does.

Reed Eastwood is condescending, broody, angry, and guarded. He sees himself as a realist and has no room in his life for attachments. Charlotte is more quirky, spirited, optimistic, and a dreamer. When they find that they will be spending more time together than they initially imagined, things are bound to get complicated and messy. They circle between agitation, appreciation, attraction, and fear. Their banter is fun and feisty. I loved how they practically stalked what the other was doing and challenged each other. 

I really came to care about both of these characters. Charlotte is sweet, fun, and inspiring. And under that guarded heart, Reed has strong feelings and even stronger fears and doubts. He is a man torn and has his reasons. Charlotte is determined to get them out of him and soothe his doubts. But Reed is just as strong and stubborn as she was. So it makes for a lot of push and pull.

Like most of Vi and Penelope's books, this story is layered with secrets and surprises making it more complex and intriguing. It is not all sunshine and rainbows, it is messy, painful, and raw at times. The characters are well developed and likable. I was happy to get both points of view.  I loved the side characters of his Grandma Iris and brother Max. 

It makes you wonder about fate, signs, and faith. The story revolves about two people that desperately need to be able to trust, overcome fear, and really live life to the fullest. But they will have to decide what they can truly live with and without, and be brave enough to go after it if they even want a chance.

My heart broke for these characters. There were times I wanted to throttle them. It was sometimes angsty and frustrating. But I also laughed, smiled, swooned, and fell totally in love with them. This whole story was unique and un-put-down-able. I was invested from the first page until to most gorgeous, amazing epilogue. This one is going to stick with me for a long time.

 I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Charlotte Darling hadn’t imagined her life would ever hit rock bottom as she currently finds herself. Selling her unworn wedding gown with a broken heart, she is drawn to a unique gown and the note sewn inside of it. She also never imagined she would contact the owner of the note ad finding someone so completely different than the words penned on the pretty blue paper.

Reed Eastwood isn’t a fan of playing games, and his first encounters with Ms. Darling have him believing she is capable of nothing but games. He is cold, hard in his outlook on relationship, frivolity, and anything not focused on his family business.

I loved watching these two build a degree of animosity as their initial encounters went humorously awry. It might have been fate that pointed Charlotte to the gown, but it certainly appears as if fate has a sense of humor when it comes to these two.

They are each dealing with hurts from their recent pasts, though in their own unique way. But as they work to take down the walls between them, new insecurities and barriers will try to send them back to square one. There were a few small moments that made me wish one or the other would let go of some of the things that were keeping them apart, but none of their actions or reactions were out of character for them, it was simply my own feelings getting in the way.

This book came up at the perfect time in my reading order. It has a little bit of everything: drama, humor, pain, healing, past and future. I found myself at times laughing through incidents and shorty later aching with the pain of the characters, loving every minute.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Vi Keeland

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author.   With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.


Penelope Ward
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Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.


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