Penelope Bloom

Penelope Bloom – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:15:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Penelope Bloom – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Unbound (Confluence Academy #1) Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/unbound-confluence-academy-1-read-online-penelope-bloom Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:15:25 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/unbound-confluence-academy-1-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Penelope Bloom Series: Confluence Academy Series by Penelope Bloom
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Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)

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Nineteen-year-old Nessa Thorne expects death when she volunteers for Empire's selection. Instead, she's thrust into Confluence Academy, where students harness elemental magic and bond powerful beasts—from wolves to ancient dragons—forging themselves into the Empire's most lethal weapons.

Students are branded by water, air, earth, or fire. But Nessa’s mark is different. A silver spiral—the mark of an unbound. It’s a power so dangerous her kind were hunted to extinction centuries ago—or so the Empire claims.

To survive, she must hide what she is in a castle that reeks of blood, where students kill each other for advantage and failing to tether an elemental means death.

Nessa’s greatest threat may be the only other volunteer—Raith Hollow, a powerful fire affinity whose scorching gaze follows her every move and whose secrets could topple kingdoms.

Alliances are forged in blood, enemies circle like vultures, and forbidden desires close in. Death once seemed like release from her tragic past. Now it's not an option. She'll embrace her terrible potential or watch everything she's fought for burn.

At Confluence Academy, students leave as weapons... or they don't leave at all.

What to A delicious slow burn romance as dangerous as the magic? Check. A final line readers are saying will haunt you for weeks? Double check. An ending that will leave you desperate for book 2? Absolutely.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

I volunteered to die four days ago. Now that the carriage finally stops rolling, I know the end is almost here.

Outside the padded carriage walls, voices shout orders, wagon wheels creak, and boots stomp through mud.

The selector snaps his fingers for my attention. "We've arrived."

"Where are we?"

"You'll see soon enough.” He produces a small badge with the letter "V" from a pocket in his fancy robe. "Pin this to your tunic."

I take it, examining the metal. "What's this for?"

"It marks you as a volunteer."

I hesitantly pin the "V" badge to my tunic, feeling like I've been branded. My fingers tremble slightly as I secure it, the metal cold against my skin. Volunteer. Technically, I suppose it's the truth, even if I felt like I had no choice in the matter. "Why does it matter if I volunteered?"

"Confluence Academy keeps extensive records. It will be noted as you’re processed and then you’ll be free to discard the badge. The 'why' beyond that is none of your concern."

Confluence Academy? The words hit like a punch.

Confluence is the school where primals are trained. It is an even more well-kept secret than facts about the primals themselves. It's usually talked about with the same level of belief as vampires, siphons, and werewolves. Yet the selector just casually implied we're parked outside its doorstep.

"I thought Confluence Academy was just a story."

"It’s quite real, offering." He sighs the words, as if this is a tiresome conversation he's had dozens of times—as if dragging people from their homes to a place they hardly believed existed was ordinary. "Take her," he says, nodding to the guards.

I'm hauled to my feet, my legs stiff and aching from days of travel. My heartbeat quickens, a desperate flutter against my ribs as reality crashes down. A stupid, hopeful part of me wants to believe that if this really is Confluence Academy, I might actually have a chance to live.

An academy. As in, a place where people are trained. It's not a sacrificial pit. There's not a fire dragon waiting to eat me outside the carriage like kids used to whisper about when I was little.

But it still feels wrong. Empire takes one person aged between eighteen and twenty-one from every town and city each year. Nobody ever sees them again. If the offerings collected by selectors were becoming primals, surely some would come back to tell their loved ones. The truth would get out.

The guard shoves open the carriage door, and I'm thrust into a world of pure chaos.

The damp, earthy smell of mud churned by hundreds of horses and boots hits me first. Then the pungent stench of fear and stale sweat. And something else—like the air after lightning strikes, but sharper. More alive.

My stomach knots so violently I nearly double over. I know that smell. It's the same smell that came with the storm three years ago. The smell that follows me into my nightmares. It's the smell of magic.

The phantom salt spray stings my eyes as the memory claws its way up my throat, threatening to drown me all over again. I push away the memories that threaten to surface—the screams, the water, the sickening sound of wood splitting beneath our feet. My fingers tremble, and I curl them into fists, using the bite of my nails against my palms to ground myself in the present.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus on my surroundings instead of the past.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of carriages just like mine fill the massive courtyard spreading before me. Imperial guards herd dazed offerings from their vehicles toward a central location. The other offerings show just how far Empire’s reach extends through their clothing—flowing silks from the eastern provinces, thick wools from the north, lightweight linens like mine from the coastal regions. I even spot a cluster of people who might be from the many islands that neighbor the main continent.

And all of them were selected, chosen out of a random lottery. Sentenced to die.

I idly trace the “V” badge on my tunic. I thought I was ready to die, but I can’t lie to myself. Ever since the Selector told us where we were… ever since that moment, I’ve felt the spark of hope threatening to ignite my insides.

Dragging my eyes from the crowd, I look up at the structure looming behind the sea of offerings and guards.

The sight steals my breath.

A castle rises before us, so vast it makes the defensive keep back home in Saltcrest look like a child's toy. Four colossal towers stand at each corner, each one distinctly different from the others.

The first looks more like a pillar of earth, as if carved from a single massive piece of granite, roots and vines climbing its surface like grasping fingers. I almost imagine I can see the stone itself breathing, expanding and contracting as if alive.

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Advertisement The Wedding Wrecker Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/the-wedding-wrecker-read-online-penelope-bloom Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:24:40 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/the-wedding-wrecker-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Chick Lit, Contemporary Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)

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Who doesn't love a perfect wedding?

James “The Wedding Wrecker” Carter. That's who.

His mission is to expose cheaters, liars, and frauds before they can say "I do." And he's frustratingly good at his job.

And me? I'm Emma Marshall, wedding planner extraordinaire who happens to believe in things like happily ever afters, love, and the power of a perfect wedding. Or at least I did until a certain wedding wrecker gave me the best night of my life, then wrecked my biggest wedding, along with my career, the following day.

Three years later, I’m finally ready to give another big wedding a shot and rebuild my reputation. My little sister is marrying the son of one of the richest men on the planet, and they’ve asked me to plan everything.

Am I terrified of screwing it up? Absolutely. So imagine my horror when the wedding wrecker shows up at the mountain ski resort with the rest of the wedding party. Worse? He decides to play hero by pretending to be my boyfriend to ward off the unwanted advances of the world’s creepiest groomsman.

Now I'm sharing a room with the most infuriating (and irresistible) man I've ever met. He's cynical, sexy, and has a terrible habit of making me want to break all my carefully crafted rules—rules that are supposed to keep him on his side of the bed and me on mine, among other things.

The problem? While I'm busy planning the perfect wedding, he might be plotting to wreck it. And if he does, he'll destroy my career. Again. He’ll also destroy my little sister’s perfect day, which is something I’m never going to let happen.

But convincing the wedding party we’re legit means more “fake” kisses than I can handle. It means being carried away from the ski slopes when I barely twist my ankle so he can “pretend” to pamper me all day by the fireplace. Except nothing about his soft touch or the way he looks devastatingly gorgeous in those sweaters he keeps wearing feels pretend.

Worst of all, it means getting glimpses of the man beneath the emotional scars—the one whose past breaks my heart and almost makes me understand why he does what he does.

Almost

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE - JAMES

My wife looked stunning in her white wedding dress as she moved across the reception hall. Occasionally, she stopped to mingle, give a soft smile, or say something that made people laugh.

My wife.

"Strange, isn't it?" my best friend, Derek, said.

"What's that?" I asked, eyes still locked on Katie as I tried to memorize the way she moved tonight. She noticed me looking, tucked a hair behind her ear, and winked before turning back to our guests.

Logan shifted in his chair, his dark eyes clouded as he considered his next words. "Forever. That's the idea, right? But can you really love one person forever? People change all the time. What happens if you two change in different directions?"

I gave him a soft punch on the arm. "Save it. It's my wedding night. I'm planning to enjoy forever, not sit around wondering how it'll go."

"Right. You're right," he said, but there was something in his eyes I didn't particularly like.

I licked my lips, considered asking him, and then let the topic drop as I got up to circulate around the room with my drink in hand.

"Another scotch?" The bartender held up the bottle as I passed.

I shook my head, raising my still-full glass. "Thanks. Trying to remember this night."

He smiled knowingly. "First day of the rest of your life, right?"

"Something like that."

What was it with people saying that like it was a prison sentence instead of something to celebrate?

My brother Chase clapped a hand on my shoulder, nearly making me spill my drink. "There's the man of the hour." His words were slightly slurred. "Did I mention how honored I am to be your best man?"

"Only about fifty times." I smiled, used to Chase's drunken affection. He'd always been the emotional one between us.

He stumbled slightly and caught himself on my shoulder. “Dude. Did I show you the fish I caught last weekend?”

“You told me about it,” I said, grinning. Chase was an obsessive fisherman, and always had some new trophy to brag about.

“Forty pounds,” he said, opening his phone and fumbling for his camera roll. I was watching the screen as a text popped up.

A text from my wife.

On my brother’s phone.

Only an hour after we said our vows.

I leaned forward as the world shrank in around me.

Chase’s eyebrows rose, and he drunkenly tried to swipe it away. Instead, he tapped the message and opened it for both of us to see.

I saw Katie in what looked like a bathroom stall. She had her tongue out, almost casually. She was winking at the camera and she had her wedding dress pulled down so one of her breasts was in plain view. My blurring eyes drifted to the message below.

Katie: Your turn. You look hot in that tux, so send me something for later.

Everything suddenly felt too tight. My tie. My suit. The air pressing in around me and the laughing, dancing people.

I blinked through a suffocating tangle of emotions just as I saw Katie come walking out of the bathroom hallway. She gave her dress a little tug, as if readjusting it, spotted me, and blew me a kiss.

I felt numb as I looked at my brother, eyebrows drawn together. I realized I was waiting for him to explain, as if there was any possible way to explain what I’d just seen on his phone.

His face was pale. “James⁠—”

"How long?" My voice sounded strange, distant.

He swallowed hard, running a hand through his hair—a nervous habit we both shared. “I’m sorry, James, I⁠—”

“How long?” I asked again. Numbness was starting to be tinged with rage.

"Eight months, maybe?"

Eight months. They'd been sleeping together while she helped me pick out wedding bands. While she wrote her vows. While she promised forever.

"Is she..." I had to force the words out. "Is she with anyone else?"

His silence was answer enough.

I laughed then, a sound that held no humor. "Who else?"

"Come on, man... Do you really want to know?"

"Who else, Chase?"

He told me three names. All friends. All people who'd been at my wedding, smiling and congratulating me while knowing exactly what kind of woman I'd just pledged my life to.

"You deserve this," I said simply before punching him across the jaw hard enough to knock him on his ass. "If I see your face again tonight, I'll punch it again. In fact, consider that a running promise. Show me your face, and you're going to get knocked on your ass. Forever."

People gasped and backed away, giving us space. The general air of light conversation hushed in a moment.

"James, please," Chase said, touching his reddening jaw as he lay sprawled on the floor. "She said you wouldn't even care. She said you probably cheated on her, so it was⁠—"

I stopped in my tracks, turning to face him. "I never fucking cheated. I never would."

I walked toward Katie, moving through the crowd like a ghost. Everything looked different now. Faces that had seemed friendly hours ago now held secrets. Smiles that had seemed genuine now looked painted on.

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Advertisement Hate Notes – A Grumpy Boss Romantic Comedy Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/hate-notes-a-grumpy-boss-romantic-comedy-read-online-penelope-bloom Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:14:45 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/hate-notes-a-grumpy-boss-romantic-comedy-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)

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When my cheating ex destroyed my life, I did what any reasonable woman would do—I dove head-first into a petty revenge scheme. After all, I've always been more of a 'go down swinging' kind of girl.

My brilliant plan? Deliver hate notes to my ex's biggest business rival until he’s so fed up he hires me just to make it stop.

Too bad nobody warned me that my newest boss would be six-foot-three of grumpy, dimpled perfection—or that beneath his icy exterior beats the heart of a man who sends me scandalously demanding emails by night and gives glimpses of surprising tenderness behind his scorching glares.

Now I'm falling for the man I'm supposed to be sabotaging, stealing kisses between meetings and pretending I don't live for those moments when his perfect control slips. My ancient, possibly immortal cat judges me daily for this mess, but then again, he also judges me for showering.

I never meant to find purpose in this job or trust again after having my heart shattered. But somehow the grumpiest boss in the city has me believing in second chances—even if mine might expire the moment he discovers why I really took a job working under him.

Let’s just how this doesn’t blow up in my face as badly as the time I tried to potty train my cat.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

ORION

"You're doing the stomping thing again," Remmy said.

I cut my eyes to my little sister. She smiled up at me, completely immune to my glares—a superpower any number of my employees would have killed for. To them, my glares were weapons of mass motivation, known to clear boardrooms, close deals, and inspire all-nighters.

I tried glaring a little harder at Remmy, just to see if I could penetrate her defenses.

Her nose wrinkled in amusement. "What? I'm trying to enjoy my walk, and all I hear is the angry thump thump thump of your big feet." She gestured dramatically at my Italian leather oxfords. "And I see you narrowing your eyes. Ooh. Scary." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You're free to walk yourself to work," I suggested, even though we both knew I'd never let that happen. These morning walks with my little sister were non-negotiable, like quarterly earnings reports or my morning protein shake. I might be terrible at showing affection, but when people were important to me, I ensured they were safe and cared for.

Remmy rolled her eyes and kept strolling beside me, her artistic soul apparent in everything from her paint-splattered ballet flats to the way she moved like she was dancing to music only she could hear.

Last year, she'd landed her dream job as an event coordinator at one of Manhattan's most prestigious art galleries. She'd been sketching and painting since she could hold a crayon, and this position put her one step closer to her ultimate goal of representing artists as an agent. I was proud of her success, even if I showed it mainly by triple-checking the gallery's financial stability and running background checks on her coworkers.

"You'd miss me if I walked to work alone. Admit it."

"I won't admit any such thing," I said, adjusting my tie, even though it was already perfectly in place.

I knew what people said about me. They called me a grump, a bastard, heartless, cruel, a workaholic, and an asshole.

One of those wasn't even true.

But they could say whatever they wanted. I knew what mattered to me: family and Foster Real Estate. End of story. Everything else was just noise, and I'd built my empire on filtering out noise.

The problem with my otherwise enjoyable walks to work was the... spectacle that awaited us at my office. It was becoming more ridiculous every week, like a circus where I was the unwilling main attraction.

"What do you think they'll say about you today?" Remmy asked, as if reading my thoughts.

We shared the same jet-black hair and slightly upturned green eyes—a legacy from our mother. But that's where the similarities ended. Remmy was the artistic type, through and through. Eccentric outfits, a carefree vibe, and always the first to laugh.

My outfits were coordinated to the day of the week. I preferred not to waste valuable mental resources on trivial decisions like what to wear. Instead, I had my suits dry-cleaned, pressed, and delivered straight to my closet every Sunday night. They were arranged in the order I would wear them, along with matching shoes, belts, cufflinks, and ties. If I ever had the irrational urge to mix things up, I could throw in a vest, but I usually resisted the temptation.

As far as I was concerned, resistance was a virtue.

I also took my health as seriously as I took my company. To be the best CEO possible, I needed a nearly limitless supply of energy. I needed to avoid getting sick, tired, or having "off" days. I needed to stave off aging and its effects as long as possible. It wasn’t about vanity or pride. It was a simple matter of efficiency and effectiveness, which were two qualities I valued above almost any other.

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Advertisement One Steamy Pucking Meet Cute (Frosty Harbor #3) Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/one-steamy-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-3-read-online-penelope-bloom Sat, 22 Jun 2024 18:38:13 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/one-steamy-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-3-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Sports Authors: Penelope Bloom Series: Frosty Harbor Series by Penelope Bloom
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Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)

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I’ll tell you about the two very large pickles I’ve found myself in, but only if you promise not to laugh…

Pickle number one: I'm unexpectedly pregnant by an NHL star, who just so happens to be my big brother's best friend—and no, we weren't exactly dating. For reasons that totally make sense (trust me for now), I never told him about the baby.

Pickle number two: I'm about to lose my family's charming bed and breakfast unless I can get hitched within six months, thanks to an ancient deed and a ridiculous family feud.

So I made a deal with the baby's dad, Jake Summers—the dashing captain of the Vermont Vandals hockey team.

Our plan? Fake an engagement, have a showy wedding, solve our little problems, then amicably split. It’s simple: I keep my B&B, and he shows his team he’s serious about cleaning up his act. Perfect, right?

But Jake doesn’t know how to do things by halves. Before I know it, I'm in Manhattan picking out lavish engagement rings and getting swept off my feet. I’m being paraded around charity galas like a princess and becoming the envy of every woman in the country. All this while he’s diving headfirst into being a dad—without knowing he actually is one.

It’s practically foolproof, with hardly any room for this to spectacularly blow up in our faces. So, save the date for our big, fake wedding! What could possibly go wrong?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

CAROLINE

“No offense,” Cade says. “But you look like someone just served you a shit sandwich and asked for a tip, Miss Prince.”

“Thank you for that, Cade,” I say with forced sweetness. “That’s really helpful to hear.”

He’s on a ladder in the middle of the bed and breakfast’s kitchen. He ducks his head out from the hole in the ceiling, which is currently dripping water from a toilet upstairs. Cade gives me a crooked, youthful smile. He’s fourteen, a troublemaker, and cocky. But he’s also handy and much cheaper than his dad, the town’s local mechanic. He rests his forearms on the top of the ladder, looking down at me. I’m pretty sure the water dripping from his chin is toilet water.

Ick.

“So?” he says. “What’s got you so blue?”

I fold my arms and stare up at him. “Other than the toilet water dripping all over my kitchen right now, you mean?”

“Right,” Cade says.

“I’ve got a pair of elderly troublemakers masquerading as employees out in the lobby trying to rip off my guests in a rigged game of bingo,” I say, holding up my thumb. I raise a forefinger. “I’m blessed with a regular guest who can’t seem to stay with us for more than two days before he violently clogs a toilet,” I add, nodding to the leak. “Oh, and I just let a young couple sneak a dog into their room this morning because they put it in a stroller and hoped I wouldn’t notice. I’ll probably be cleaning up pee from the carpets in a few days.”

“That’s it?” Cade asks.

“Oh, no,” I say calmly. “I was just catching my breath. I also have a two-month-old baby sleeping in my room right now who could wake up at any moment screaming for my boobs. And let me tell you something, Cade. My boobs hurt. You know those guys at the end of marathons with bloody stains from chafed nipples? That’s how it feels. Except they don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night and have those bloody, chafed nipples sucked on.”

Cade is grinning wide. “Boobs,” he says. “Nice.”

I glare. This is what happens when you vent to teenagers. “Really?”

“Hey, I’m practically a child, Miss P.” He says with a shrug. Then he looks around, leaning in a little and lowering his voice. “Speaking of which, I’m pretty sure you paying me for all this stuff is some kind of herpes violation or whatever. But it’s cool. I know how to keep things on the down-low. Like your bloody nipples? Won’t tell a soul.”

I shake my head. “It’s HIPAA. And that’s not… just, no.”

He shrugs, then gestures to the ceiling. “You need new pipes, by the way. Badly.”

Now, I’m the one who feels like a child because his reference to my rusty, desperately in need of attention “pipes” feels like an all-too-accurate innuendo.

He gestures to the ceiling. “Yep,” he says, nodding to himself. “Rusted and old. Really it’s kinda sad. You see it a lot in these old buildings. The pipes just get forgotten about for years. ‘Course, the old stuff they made them from isn’t like that new stuff. Everybody wants the new stuff, so you get people just wanting to knock down the whole damn building and put up something fresh and less old.”

I’m staring at him now. Is he talking about the bed and breakfast or me?

“I’d suggest the new PEX stuff.”

“Right,” I say, feeling half-dazed. Things aren’t that bad with me, right? “That’s sounds expensive.”

Cade nods, eyebrows raised. “Oh, yes, ma’am. Definitely. Job like that is beyond my pay grade, too. I can get the leak stopped up. But you’re gonna want to get the pipes changed out soon. Could pretty much go to shit any day now.”

“Great. Thanks, Cade.”

“Yup. Hey, can you give me like sixty bucks for this? I’ve got a date tonight, and I’m strapped.”

“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “Give me a few minutes.”

I glance down at the baby monitor in my hand. Walker is asleep in his crib with his dinosaur lovie draped over his arm. He sleeps like he just landed from an explosion–limbs sprawled and legs splayed. It never fails to make me grin.

Even with everything on my mind this morning, I still get that earth-shattering flutter of emotions when I realize for the thousandth time that it’s real. I’m actually a mother. That little guy on the baby monitor is my little guy. Even if things with Walker’s dad didn’t go how I would’ve hoped, I still wouldn’t change a thing–not if it meant losing Walker. He’s everything to me. I wouldn’t have believed you could love someone or something so much until I had him. Honestly, I’m practically convinced he’s all I need. Why even bother with big, frustrating, full-sized men? Why can’t I just love my baby and call it a day?

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Advertisement One Tasty Pucking Meet Cute (Frosty Harbor #2) Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/one-tasty-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-2-read-online-penelope-bloom Mon, 25 Mar 2024 04:51:01 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/one-tasty-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-2-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Sports Authors: Penelope Bloom Series: Frosty Harbor Series by Penelope Bloom
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Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)

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Wall Street Journal bestselling author Penelope Bloom returns with a laugh-out-loud hockey romance about a double-booking that leads to a second chance nobody asked for.

After two years of culinary grind, I was about to land my dream job.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, could dampen my spirits.
Or so I thought... until fate decided to hit me with a dirty little plot twist.

My cozy, one-bedroom cabin rental is double-booked.
With whom, you ask?
None other than my ex, the NHL star with a knack for making headlines from his off-field conquests since we called it quits.

No big deal, though. Right?
We’re adults. We moved on.
I’ll just ace my interview and he’ll stick to his annoyingly sexy little corner. Simple.

But then he shows up looking like sin dipped in honey.
Sandy blonde hair, a scar cut across his full lips, and that all-too-familiar aura of attraction.
And the spark? It’s more like kindling doused in lighter fluid.
One wrong look and I know we’d be setting that bed ablaze.

But he saves us both when he opens his mouth.

He’s not the man I dated anymore.
Now he’s a challenge-seeking Casanova.
All I am to him is a trophy he missed his shot at.

So I exile him to the couch and firmly decide I’m still focused on my future, not our past.

Except the universe has one last curveball to throw.
The restaurant I’ve been dreaming of working in? Nobody told me it’s his latest business venture.
He’s not just my ex. He’s about to become my boss, too.

Full-length second-chance romance filled with laugh-out-loud moments and electric chemistry. The last thing she expected was for her ex, now a hotshot NHL star turned restaurateur, to be her boss. Old flames reignite, and they'll have to navigate the thin ice between love and ambition.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

MIA

There’s a certain kind of exhaustion that only comes from a full day of travel. I’m feeling every bit of it as I pull up the snow-crusted road leading to my little rental cabin.

If anyone back at culinary school found out what I did this morning, I’d probably have my degree immediately revoked. In my defense, I’ve always been tempted by the subtle siren call of gas station sushi. Call me crazy, but I just wanted to know. What if it was actually good? What if I was the brave soul who stepped into previously uncharted territory for the rest of America?

The only place I ended up stepping was every single rest area on my road trip. Every smelly, questionably maintained rest area. Every little truck stop hole in the wall.

Never again.

But it’s over now. I survived.

I’m driving slowly along the frozen roads just off Frosty Harbor’s main strip until I pull up to the rental cabin. My stomach gives a little grumble—whether it’s a grumble of exhaustion, relief, or warning, I don’t even know. I’m not currently on speaking terms with my stomach after the full-blown tantrum it has thrown all day.

I ignore the gurgles and step out of the car, nearly fall on my ass, and then smile wide.

My best friends are waiting for me and they’re both doing happy taps like two dogs excited to see their owner after a long work day. I’m doing the happy taps too.

Caroline, in all of her five foot-nothing glory, rushes up to me and hugs me tight. “You made it! Welcome back home!”

Andi is right behind her, beaming. Her jet black hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she’s bundled up like it’s the Arctic. She hugs me tight and I can feel she’s shivering. Two years of living here apparently isn’t enough to get her accustomed to the cold.

“Let’s see this place,” Andi says, sounding cheerful. “I had no idea your Grams had rental properties. This is cute, too. It’s like a cabin, but almost smack dab in the middle of downtown. How cool!”

Even though I’ve been on the phone with both of them almost every day and visited, it feels so nice to know I’m back for good this time. At least I hope to be, assuming I land this job interview.

“Yeah,” I say. “Right?” I fish for the key in my jacket pocket. “Grams used to joke that it would be a great way to collect voyeur footage of people having sex. Spy cameras in the bedrooms and…” I trail off at the horrified looks on my friends’ faces, then laugh. “I’m sure she was just kidding,” I say quickly.

“Well,” Caroline says with a shrug. “At least you don’t have any sex life to worry about being spied on. That’s a plus.”

“Oh, come on,” Andi says. “I bet she still has that really cool vibrator. Didn’t she give it a name, or something? Mateo, right? If you name your vibrator, that’s basically a romantic relationship.”

“And this is exactly why I stopped telling you two my secrets.” I give them both a sour look, but can’t help grinning a bit. I spent the last two years away from home, and I didn’t realize how much I missed being with my friends in person like this.

My improving mood falters when I unlock the door and push it open. The coffee table in front of the couch has two greeting cards on it.

“Why are there two?” I ask slowly.

As soon as I see them, I realize all the little warning signs I hadn’t registered from Grams leading up to this moment. The amused tone of her voice when she talked about the rental. Her unusual willingness to cut me discount after discount until I agreed to stay here instead of Caroline’s bed and breakfast, which had been the original plan. Even her highly uncharacteristic call earlier today to make sure I was still on my way.

Grams was up to something, and the second greeting card makes it all click into place with a sickening weight in my stomach.

Andi walks slowly toward the table, folding her arms as she stares down at the cards. Caroline, for some reason, is lingering in the doorway with her hands shoved in her pockets. Guilty, too. I don’t know what they planned, but Caroline looks like she was absolutely in on it.

“Why are there two?” I repeat. I’m still too afraid to pick them up and read them. Somehow, I know I’m not going to like what I find on those cards.

“Maybe her marbles are rounding out a bit?” Andi suggests.

“What?” Caroline asks. “That’s not even a phrase, Andi. Marbles are already round.” Caroline is running her hands through a section of her wild and thick brown hair as if she’s trying to will it to be straight. It’s a nervous habit she’s had for as long as I’ve known her. She notices me watching, then pushes up her glasses and jerks her hands away from her hair, folding them.

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Advertisement One Tasty Pucking Meet Cute (Frosty Harbor #1) Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/one-tasty-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-1-read-online-penelope-bloom Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:40:45 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/one-tasty-pucking-meet-cute-frosty-harbor-1-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Drama, Erotic Authors: Penelope Bloom Series: Frosty Harbor Series by Penelope Bloom
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >104

From USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author Penelope Bloom comes a hilarious new romantic comedy about a hockey player with a cooking obsession and his former fling, who may have accidentally sabotaged his plans to start a restaurant in her small town. Tensions are sky-high when the pair learns they'll be stuck sharing a cabin in Frosty Harbor for the next several weeks, thanks to a meddling friend playing matchmaker.(Official blurb coming soon!)

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

ANDI

My wedding veil is on the passenger seat, my poofy ass dress is trying to suffocate me in the tiny little car, and I’m officially on the lam.

That’s me. Bride on the lam. Nuptial Nomad. Hitched Houdini. Or for thriller fans, I could go with Gown Gone Girl.

I smile, aware I must look like a complete lunatic. I’ve cried through my makeup, my bare feet are filthy from my unplanned escape, and I’m pretty sure I got some forest debris in my hair.

It’s fine, though. Totally fine. Between the twigs in my hair and the ruined wedding dress, I probably look like a forest nymph. A beautiful, crazy, confused forest nymph.

Right now, I imagine my family is calling everyone I know to track me down. The police might even be involved. Am I in a high speed police chase?

I check my rearview mirror and sigh with relief. It’s just me and the open mountain road winding up toward the sleepy little town of Frosty Harbor. I’ve got the chilly winter air, the towering Vermont mountains, and the only slightly smelly interior of my old car to myself.

It’s moments like this when a girl realizes she could have made a few practical decisions during her bridal bailout. Putting on underwear, for example. Swinging by the apartment for toiletries and a few changes of clothes? Yep. Those would’ve been good ideas, but today is apparently not a day for forward thinking and good ideas.

I’m driving to Frosty Harbor because it’s where my brother was planning to spend the holidays. One of their star players is injured and lives in a cabin there, so all the starters were going to set up a home base in the small town to keep him company and cheer him up.

Is my overprotective big brother going to be happy that I’m about to show up and finally meet all his hockey friends for the first time? Nope. But where else am I supposed to go? Running away from your life sounds all fine and dandy until you realize you have to run to somewhere.

I know I should call my brother and let him know I’m not dead. He’s probably combing the forests of New York at this very moment, searching for my cold, lifeless corpse.

But I can’t bring myself to confront anyone. Not yet. Not even my brother.

I just need some more time and some more space because I’m afraid I’ll do the easy thing and agree to go back–back to a life I can now see was never meant for me.

Mortification and shame hit me as I replay my grand escape in my head. I ran away from my own wedding. I can’t even begin to run the math on how many people I upset, screwed over, and at the very least, inconvenienced. It’s a nuclear level mistake–the kind that leaves radioactive fallout no amount of cleanup efforts can actually erase.

Usually, singing loud to silly songs and dancing always cheers me up.

I’m currently mouthing the words to “WAP” as it blares over my radio while mascara-laden tears roll down my face.

“Macaroni in a pot,” I whimper, stirring at the air with my free hand as I let out a confused sob.

I do a quick internal double check and make sure I’m not crying because I think I made a mistake. Nope. I’m not crying because I’m sorry I won’t be marrying Landon Collins, heir to his father’s pharmaceutical fortune, rider of horses, and owner of a fleet of expensive collector cars. Landon wasn’t a bad guy, and there were good times between us. But reality snuck up on me right before the ceremony and smacked me across the face.

I saw all the little signs I’d been trying to drown with optimism and positivity for months. The missed dates, the cold touches, the way there wasn’t a spark anymore. I’ve always been a romantic, and I knew I would never forgive myself if I settled on anything less than true, toe-curling love. I just can’t believe I was trying to fool myself into thinking I was feeling it all this time.

So, yeah, I’m crying, blubbering, and then rapping a little when the song gets to the good parts.

The road narrows and the shoulder starts to look a little icy, but my trusty little beat-up car chugs along as to-go cups roll around the foot space of my passenger seat.

I sniffle and use my wedding veil to give my nose a very lady-like dab. I glance in the rearview and sigh. Look at me. Thirty-two years old–a practical dinosaur–a known veil vanisher, dirt poor, and thinking about starting over from scratch.

But I can already feel my trademark optimism doing its thing. Dinosaurs deserve love, too, right? And what’s crazier, dashing through the forest in a wedding dress to escape your own wedding, or marrying somebody you know you shouldn’t marry?

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >104

Advertisement First Comes Revenge Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/first-comes-revenge-read-online-penelope-bloom Mon, 16 Oct 2023 19:45:07 +0000 https://www.booksnovels.com/first-comes-revenge-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >84

Usually, nothing good comes after the phrase, 'Wait, I can explain.' But just wait one second, because I can explain. I can explain why I’m hiring male strippers. I can explain the want ads for saucy male companionship I’m posting. I can even explain pretending to date the city’s most notorious playboy. It’s all for revenge. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but mine is going to be spicy, sizzling, and hilarious. My ex, Vaughn, cheated, stole from me, and worse. I refused to be the lovable, heartbroken heroine who hides under a pile of tissues and ice cream pints. Oh no, not me. So when the universe offers me the perfect crescendo to my plan, I know I can’t refuse. Jameson Wolfe, Vaughn’s arch-nemesis and business rival, wants to help me get back at my ex. We’re going to fake falling head over heels for each other and then rub it all in Vaughn’s face. Jameson has his own agenda that I should probably, maybe definitely, be worried about. But how wrong could this go? Jameson may be the city’s most notorious playboy, dangerously handsome, and filthy rich, but he’s practically allergic to commitments. We’ll emotionlessly fake date for a few weeks and cap it all off with an appearance at the company Halloween mixer. I’ll be on his arm in a sensibly scandalous costume with my arm wrapped around Jameson’s. My ex will go nuclear. We’ll all have a great night, and then we’ll go our separate ways. Sure, Jameson isn’t quite the terrible jerk his reputation makes him out to be. And yes, I may find myself enjoying our fake dates more than I ever expected. But it’s going to be fine, even if I find myself asking 'what if' when I’m supposed to be thinking 'no way.' The plan is still going to go off without a hitch. Right?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

CHARLI

I’m in a microscopic hotel room, pacing in a circle, trying not to barf out of pure nervous panic. Three weeks ago, this idea seemed amazing. It was genius. So genius, in fact, that I didn’t tell anybody, including the boyfriend I’m surprising by flying out here.

And now I’m learning a valuable lesson. If you move fast enough, you can temporarily outrun stupidity. About an hour ago, stupid caught up with me. Hard.

Yeah, maybe I should just barf. I’d feel better if I emptied my already empty stomach.

I gnaw on a fingernail, fold my arms, unfold my arms, pinch my temples, and then blow a raspberry. Surprisingly, none of that helps. I still feel like I’m in a blind panic.

I stare out the window at the unfamiliar desert landscape outside. Arizona. Ari-freaking-zona. I spent money I don’t have on plane tickets here and spent even more money I don’t have to buy tickets to the author’s convention a few blocks from my hotel. And my boyfriend has no idea I’m coming. Why would he? He specifically asked me not to come.

Maybe I should faint instead of throwing up. At least then I’d get to enjoy a few moments of blissful unconsciousness.

I need to call someone. Two sisters, an overprotective brother, two best friends… It’s quite the list to choose from. My youngest sister isn’t old enough to handle something like this, so I cross her off my options. My brother would try to fix it for me and tell me not to move a muscle. That has a ring to it, but I don’t want to be rescued. This was my colossal screw up. I should at least be the one to unscrew myself, if that’s what I decide to do.

My other sister, Dani, is a wild card. She’s smart and practical, and she shoots straight. I know she’ll tell me exactly what she thinks.

Then there’s my friends. Gemmaline would just encourage me in whatever direction she thinks I want to go. Pure, unconditional support. Also tempting, but probably not helpful except for calming me down temporarily.

Roxie is my last option. She has wanted me to break up with my boyfriend pretty much since we started dating. Unless I want to be told I should march up to him tomorrow and spit in his face or stab him with a prison shank, I probably don’t need to call her.

I chew my nail a little more, then call Dani. Honesty it is.

Dani picks up on the second ring. “It’s pretty late for you. Did you get hooked on another one of those serial killer documentaries?” I can hear her smiling as she slows down her speech like she’s talking to a baby. “Is somebody scared again and needs their big sister?”

“It’s not that,” I snap. “Remember that time when I thought I found a stray cat and it was actually a baby bobcat?”

Dani audibly shudders. That was a long day for both of us. “Yes. I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >84

Advertisement The Big Fake Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/the-big-fake-read-online-penelope-bloom Fri, 16 Dec 2022 07:34:41 +0000 http://www.teennovels.net/the-big-fake-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Funny, Romance Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >106

From bestselling author of His Banana comes a brand new romantic comedy about a recklessly charming billionaire in need of a fake girlfriend.

What do you do when you find out your boyfriend cheated?
Throw up on a gorgeous stranger. Obviously.
Rock bottom, nice to meet you.

Dean Slater–the guy wearing my breakfast–got cheated on, too.
And we have a perfectly stupid plan to make sure it never happens again.
If everyone thinks we’re together, we can both stay off the market.
No matchmaking friends and family. No more messy breakups.
We’ll keep things long distance, never be in the same room, and it’ll be smooth sailing.
Except there’s a catch.
We’re both invited to my sister’s wedding.
Oh, don’t worry, it gets worse.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

2

PEARL

Some days, there was just a feeling in my chest that everything was about to go very, very wrong. You could call it a form of “ESPN,” as my cousin would say–like a telepathic connection to the future. Maybe it was just my supreme intellect collecting subtle clues and assembling them in my subconscious. Then again, it could’ve been the text from my friend at work begging me not to come in.

Yeah, it was probably the text.

I rode the elevator up to my floor, fingers twitching against the hem of my coat and feet tapping. My heart was hammering. Thump. Thump. Thump. Big, punching beats that practically rattled my bones.

I slid my eyes up to the row of numbers at the top of the old-fashioned elevator. A red arrow slowly slid from left to right, working its way past four, then six, and inching ever closer to ten.

I had no idea what was waiting for me on the tenth floor. Whatever it was, Marley was definitely trying to convince me not to come in today, so it had to be bad.

Now, me freaking out wasn’t exactly national news worthy material. I had a little bit of a known habit when it came to being overly anxious. If I saw a friend walking the same direction toward me down a city street, I’d go into defcon four over the decision to wave, smile, or pretend I didn’t notice them. A confrontation at work? That was grounds for calling in sick. All week. Even rain freaked me out sometimes, because I imagined all the gunk floating in the air getting a public transit ride via a drop of water straight into my eyeball. I wasn’t sure if that’s how you got gonorrhea, but I didn’t see the reason to take chances.

With a little professional help, I managed to transform myself from a constant mess to only a mess when I had an excuse. The problem? There was always an excuse to freak out if you looked for it. Once, I’d read about a little fish that swims up the tip of men’s penises. I think it was local to Africa, but if you really thought about it, what was to stop one of them from hitching a urethra-taxi over to the States? How did I know it wasn’t in there with a lover, ready to colonize our waters? And why would it only be the penis?

But my therapist would tell me to control what I could control. Take deep breaths. Convince my body we were calm and it would take my lead. Except I was about to step into some real shit. I should be on high alert, shouldn’t I? I should be ready to use every ounce of martial arts skills I didn’t have to attack the problem.

I put a hand over my chest just to make sure I wasn’t imagining the racing heart. Nope.

One of my co-workers was at the front of the elevator. He must’ve heard my heavy breathing. He turned around, half-leaning and giving me that pursed lip, eyebrows raised look that said–Mondays, huh?

I tried to smile back at him, but in my current state, I think I mostly just showed my teeth as if the dentist had asked me to open up for his tools.

He gave me a confused double take, then rushed out as soon as the doors opened on the tenth floor.

I felt clammy all over and I was definitely sweating. It wasn’t a polite, dignified level of sweat, either. I was pretty sure my white button down blouse with the puffy, super cute sleeves was now pit stained and my nose was definitely beading with perspiration.

All of my nerves had been sparked roughly thirty minutes ago. I was minding my own business, as I tend to do. I had my morning coffee in hand–actually, I don’t drink coffee, but that’s between you and me. I get a coffee cup and fill it with soda. People judge when they see you sipping on a Diet Coke, so I found it easier to just sneak my sodas in coffee cups. Sue me. Actually, please don’t do that–I was never more than one thread away from broke at the best of times.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >106

Advertisement Sincerely Up Yours – Grumpy Boss Comedy Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/sincerely-up-yours-grumpy-boss-comedy-read-online-penelope-bloom Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:25:09 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/sincerely-up-yours-grumpy-boss-comedy-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Contemporary, Funny, Romance Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >92

For some reason, my new boss has it out to get me.
Innocent little me?
I’m just a petite, talented, darling little thorn in his side. Okay, my words, not his.
But he can’t fire me unless I quit—long story.
The joke’s on him, because I couldn’t even quit chewing gum, let alone my dream job.
So I thought I had it handled.
I could survive the new boss, along with his icy dreamboat eyes and buns of steel (how he got a stick so far up a rear that tight remains a mystery).
I could even endure sharing an office with heartless Mr. Heartthrob.
Easy. Ish.
But then I drunkenly made the challenge that changed everything.
I told him I could make an interview with an arrogant jerk like him sell.
His answer? Prove it.
If I fail, he gets what he wants and I quit. If I succeed, he backs off for good.
Even if I’m seeing there’s more to him with each interview, the plan is still simple.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

DARCY

There was a bounce in my step, a smile on my face, and I’d even worn my favorite pair of neon pink panties. Today, the city of Manhattan was my oyster. Actually, oysters were disgusting, so Manhattan was my slice of pineapple and ham pizza with crumbly bacon sprinkled on top. I felt like shooting finger guns and winking at random people I passed on the street. Hell, I would’ve even moonwalked into my favorite coffee shop on the way to work if I knew how.

I settled for smiling and pulling open the door to the sound of happy, jingling bells.

My phone buzzed and I read the text that came through.

Charleston: Today is your big day, girl! Keep me posted!

For some reason he followed that with eggplant emojis, birthday hats, and firecrackers. Today wasn’t my birthday, there was definitely no eggplant in my recent past or near future, and I didn’t think there’d be fireworks. But I smiled and texted back a long row of thumbs up emojis and stuffed my phone back in my purse.

If my life was a movie, this would be the part where all those sad, depressing scenes from earlier finally paid off. It was the part where the downtrodden heroine got her shit together and something good finally happened to her. It had to be that part, actually. Because if all the crap I’d trudged through to get to this point was for nothing, I was going to kick someone in the balls. Then I was going to scream. And then I was going to find a giant jar of peanut butter to drown my sorrows in–extra crunchy, of course.

But I didn’t need to worry about any of that, because today was my day.

I took a nice, long breath and smiled to myself as I waited in line. I barely even noticed or cared when a huge man in a suit cut in front of me. I titled my head back a little to look up at him. The bastard was big–like curse your luck when you realize he’s in front of you at the movie theater big.

Normally, I might have cracked a sarcastic comment. Oh sure, cut ahead. Nope, I’m definitely not in as big a rush as you are. Not today, though. I wasn’t going to let anything sabotage my good vibes.

I studied the back of his head and decided you could definitely tell if a guy was hot from behind. The hair was clean cut and well maintained. Brown. No, it was coffee with a touch of creamer. That was also a sign of hotness. If something was pretty enough, you couldn’t just call it what it was. Red sunsets were shortcake stained by strawberry, and the ocean was a spread of blueberry jam, and I was apparently very hungry. Maybe I just wanted to take a bite out of the man in front of me. Nothing but a little nibble.

I continued roaming his large body with my eyes. His neck was thick and smooth and I could even see just a smidge of his jaw from the back. I could picture him storming into fancy boardrooms, slamming down a stack of papers, and doing some sort of bossy type stuff. Maybe he’d demand everybody produce their quarterly reports, now.

I grinned at myself, then shook my head and tried to stop being a weirdo.

Except all I managed to do was lower my gaze to his long legs as he stepped forward, bringing us a little closer to the counter. He was wearing a French blue suit that was probably tailored, or maybe everything just fit the rude bastard perfectly off the shelf. He was like a mannequin that you could throw the cheapest t-shirt on and make it look like a thing of envy.

My phone buzzed a few more times and I saw more texts from co-workers congratulating me and wishing me luck. I smiled, fired off some replies, and put the phone away again. When I finished, the guy who cut in front of me was ordering, and wow.

The idea that you could sniff out hotness from the back of someone’s head may be up for debate, but no warm blooded woman could hear that voice and not be certain the man was pure fire in a skillet–and not the kind you could easily snuff out. This was the kind of skillet fire that burned down kitchens, apartment buildings, and a girl’s favorite pair of neon pink panties. If his hair was coffee with cream then his voice was like hot caramel drizzling all over my naked body–and yeah, that voice brought me straight to naked bodies and erect nipples. But then I tuned into what he was actually saying.

“...Quickly, and don’t fuck it up.”

Wow, I thought. Why did all the pretty ones have to be so miserable and rude? Normally, I was the poster-child for non confrontationalism. But today was my freaking day, right? I felt offended on behalf of every man on the planet who hadn’t been blessed with such perfect genetics, because this douche nozzle had everything and still found a reason to be a prick. I bet nobody ever called him on it either because they were scared, or they wanted to get in his pants.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >92

Advertisement Once Upon a Grump Read Online Penelope Bloom http://www.books2020.com/once-upon-a-grump-read-online-penelope-bloom Wed, 10 Aug 2022 01:09:59 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/once-upon-a-grump-read-online-penelope-bloom Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Funny, Romance Authors: Penelope Bloom Advertisement

Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >98

Read Online Books/Novels:	Once Upon a Grump
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Penelope Bloom
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B0B7KDDNZ4
Book Information:
He keeps himself hidden away from the world in his fancy office. He’s a grumpy caveman in a suit. If you do see him, you don’t make eye contact. You don’t get in his way. You definitely don’t cross him. And whatever you do, absolutely do not start to fall for him. Whoopsie. Mr. Untouchable just made the mistake of hiring Ms. Not So Good At Following Rules (that’s me). Maybe I should rewind a bit here. just got finished fleeing the ruins of my former life. I picked up everything I owned, drove across the country, and immediately applied for the only job I could find. So, yeah, I need this. I need it badly enough that I’m not going to let some grouchy caveman in a suit scare me off. If I was going to run, it definitely would've been the moment he whipped out an N.D.A. and said the job he’s really hiring me for has nothing to do with being his secretary. But curiosity only kills cats, right? If I want to keep this job, it’s going to mean getting tangled up with his secrets and all the danger that comes along with them. It’s going to mean working too close for comfort with the giant question mark that is my new boss. He’s convinced I won’t last, but I’m going to enjoy proving him wrong. He thinks I’ll run from the challenge, but he has no idea. And he better not think I’ll fall for him in the process, because there’s no chance. Christian: I don’t want her to fall for me, I just want to bring her to her knees.
Books by Author:	Penelope Bloom

1

LOLA

You could say I’d made a mistake–sure, you’d be guilty of the world’s largest understatement, but you could say it.

The way I saw things, I had two options. I could wallow in self-pity and drown my sorrows in soda and sweet candies. Or I could look at this wonderful disaster as an opportunity to hit the old reset switch. I could be like a peppy little phoenix, reborn from the ashes of my former life.

I’d never been much for feeling sorry for myself. That’s why I’d loaded Termite up in my car and headed off for a job interview in a place I’d never heard of.

By the time we arrived, I was more than a little sleep deprived after days of long driving. My stomach was rumbling from all the road snacks and fast food I’d eaten. It was three in the morning, and I still needed to find a place to stay the night. Rain had been pouring for hours and the rumble of thunder seemed ever-present.

I gave Termite a nervous scratch behind her ears. “This definitely isn’t a bad omen.”

Termite hated storms. She gave a pitiful little grunt, almost like she was disagreeing with me.

“Come on,” I said. “Rain means new beginnings. It’s a good sign.”

Termite kept shaking in the passenger seat. I gave her a reassuring pat and sighed. “This is our new beginning. Unless a bolt of lightning takes me out, at least.”

I pulled off to the side of the road and checked the email one more time. According to the website I’d applied through, Stone Financial Corporation was a juggernaut in the business world. Their brand new sixty-story skyscraper was in a place called Fairhope, Colorado. I hadn’t even done a quick search on the city, but I double checked the address to make sure there weren’t two places called Fairhope.

It may have been dark and my vision was clouded by sheets of rain, but Fairhope looked more like a sleepy little town than some bustling city that would be home to a big corporation.

“Think this is it?” I asked Termite. I’d been talking to my dog a lot since I left home yesterday. Hopefully that didn’t mean I was losing my mind.

She started humping her stuffed bunny while making little grunting noises.

I sighed. Termite was some sort of pug mixed with God knew what. She was also the only female dog I’d ever met who had a bit of a humping problem.

I ducked my head, trying to look through my windows from where I’d pulled off on the side of the road. My headlights cut through the pouring rain to light a sign that read Fairhope Colorado in cheery red lettering, but the “e” looked like it could fall at any minute. Past the sign, brief flickers of lightning lit rows of single and two-story buildings as well as some more scattered homes along the rolling hills in the distance.

A huge lightning strike lit everything with pure white light for a split second, giving me a glimpse of the towering skyscraper behind Fairhope. It speared into the rainy night like some phallic middle finger to the small town below it. It came and went so quickly I almost wouldn’t have believed it if the afterimage hadn’t burned into my eyes. I blinked rapidly, watching the reddish ghost of the tower flick across my vision.

“So weird,” I muttered to myself. I thought zoning laws prevented skyscrapers from being built near towns like this, but apparently that wasn’t the case here.

I was yawning non-stop and craving a warm bed, but I also couldn’t resist getting a closer look. It was just too weird. I put the car back into drive and headed slowly toward the building. The drive took me through Fairhope and back out the other side of Main Street. I eventually hit a patch of freshly built suburban houses and all sorts of construction. It looked like the entire place had popped up overnight.

A sign outside the skyscraper read “Stone Tower”. I pursed my lips thoughtfully. Sounds kinda evil, I thought. But no matter how weird or evil this whole thing was, it was also perfect. They’d recently finished construction and were still recruiting heavily. I may have only been twenty-five, but I’d been working in financial services for three years already and had an impressive resume.

I parked out front and narrowed my eyes. The ground floor was lit and I saw a man in what looked like pajamas pouring himself coffee through the many windows. It was an oddly cozy sight with the rain pouring down outside. I bet it was warmer in there than my crummy car was managing.

I tapped the steering wheel anxiously. I should really go find a hotel, or even a motel at this point–if it had a bed and a door, I would be more than happy. But I also happened to be a bit over-curious. More than a few former boyfriends had broken up with me over it. My insatiable curiosity had also sort of kicked off the chain of events that led to the rubble of my former life back in New York.

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Once Upon a Grump

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Penelope Bloom