Review Tour: Crooked: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
March 29, 2026
A new, sexy standalone novel from New York Times Bestsellers, Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward…
The last thing I needed was a live-in bodyguard. And I definitely didn’t want him. Six foot two, with broad shoulders that were impossible to ignore and a talent for getting in my way, Wes Callahan was a walking bad decision.
But when you’re the daughter of a notorious mob boss, apparently your opinions stop mattering the moment your father ignites another war. I’d spent my entire life trying to escape that crooked world—new name, new city, newfound freedom. At least until I was suddenly shacked up with my new bodyguard.
Wes knew exactly how to push my buttons. He was also infuriatingly protective. And smart. And funny. And thoughtful when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. Little by little, the walls I’d built started to crack, and falling for the bodyguard became the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. Because if my father found out, Wes wouldn’t just lose his job. He’d lose his life.
Getting involved with him was reckless, yet I couldn’t find a way to stop it, no matter how hard I tried. But while I was busy losing my heart, the man who took it was hiding a secret.
And it turned out, the most dangerous man in my life wasn’t my father after all—it was the one who threatened to break my heart.
Juliette is a screenwriter in LA, and she’s having a really bad day. But her little work crises are nothing compared to the big, brawny, intrusive bodyguard that her Mafiosa father has now demanded be glued to her hip. Wes is just doing his job, and that is to keep her safe and keep her dangerous father happy. He doesn’t care if she doesn’t want him there, and he is going to invade her life in order to keep her under his protection.
She’s opinionated, regimented, snarky, and not happy about any of this. He’s protective, bossy, no-nonsense, and sarcastic. What starts out fiery due to her being unhappy begins to turn hotter because of the simmering attraction they have for each other, and perhaps his penchant for walking around without his shirt on in her house.
She’s opinionated, regimented, snarky, and not happy about any of this. He’s protective, bossy, no-nonsense, and sarcastic. What starts out fiery due to her being unhappy begins to turn hotter because of the simmering attraction they have for each other, and perhaps his penchant for walking around without his shirt on in her house.
These two fuss and fight well, especially Juliette fights Wes's presence, but the more time they spend together, the more she begins to try to flirt and push him to act on their attraction. Wes tries to be good. He’s been warned off by both of her parents, and his own sense of honor also has him aware that touching her would be a very bad idea. But as the tension builds and their connection also develops through a series of events, eventually something’s gotta give.
If they’re already under the same roof, is it really wrong to enjoy some side benefits of their relationship? Well, other than the fact that Daddy has warned him not to touch his daughter...and that she could be in danger...and it could get really messy. He's dancing with the devil's daughter while trying to avoid danger and deal with potential fallout.
This is a story of a bodyguard and his mafia princess client, who is constantly keeping him on his toes in order to avoid potential threats while also navigating real-life scenarios. And there is a lot going on under the surface. It’s a snarky and fiery, forced- proximity, forbidden attraction, fake relationship, opposites-attract romance with a black cat and golden retriever with a bit of a bit when needed.
If they’re already under the same roof, is it really wrong to enjoy some side benefits of their relationship? Well, other than the fact that Daddy has warned him not to touch his daughter...and that she could be in danger...and it could get really messy. He's dancing with the devil's daughter while trying to avoid danger and deal with potential fallout.
This is a story of a bodyguard and his mafia princess client, who is constantly keeping him on his toes in order to avoid potential threats while also navigating real-life scenarios. And there is a lot going on under the surface. It’s a snarky and fiery, forced- proximity, forbidden attraction, fake relationship, opposites-attract romance with a black cat and golden retriever with a bit of a bit when needed.
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 are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. 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.
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PENELOPE WARD
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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