ANYONE BUT NICK (Anyone But… Book #3) by Penelope
Bloom is the third book in the King Brothers contemporary romance trilogy. This
one is an enemies-to-lovers romance that can be read as a standalone, but I
preferred to read them in order to see each of the brothers fall and keep all
of the connections and timelines straight between characters.
In high school. Miranda always felt a special connection to
Nick King. When she finally built up the courage to slip a poem into his locker
to let him know, she does not sign it and it is the cause of a seven-year misunderstanding
and her hatred of Nick King.
Miranda has her life all planned out in steps to get her to
the top of the corporate ladder with the perfect mate. But it has all fallen
apart. She broke up with her perfect boyfriend and was fired from her perfect
job. When she goes to apply for a new VP position, she can not believe Nick
King just bought the business.
Nick is impressed by Miranda’s resume, but he wants more. He
never understood what happened to their friendship in high school and he has
never been truly satisfied with any other woman. Nick gives Miranda the job.
Will he be able to work with Miranda on a strictly professional level or will
they be able to give their friendship a second chance and turn it into more?
I enjoyed Nick trying to find the right way to deal with
Miranda, while not treading all over her feelings, but I had a difficult time warming
up to Miranda. I did not understand why she was so set on her professional
persona when her best friends and family were all fine with the real Miranda.
It took her too long to figure that out. Once Cade got involved, I enjoyed the
story more and Miranda started to loosen up. The sex scenes are explicit, but
not gratuitous.
This is a good close to the trilogy, but not my favorite of the three books. I loved reading the epilogue that showed the families all happy in the near future. This is a fun and entertaining trilogy to read.
***
Author
Biography
Penelope
Bloom is a USA Today, Amazon, and Washington Post bestselling
author whose books have been translated into seven languages. Her popular
romances include His Banana, Her Cherry, Savage, and Punished.
Her writing
career started when she left her job as a high school teacher to pursue her
dream. She loves taking her imagination for a spin and writing romances she’d
want to live. She likes a man with a mind as dirty as sin and a heart of gold
he keeps hidden away. Her favorite things include getting to wear socks all
day—pants optional—and being a positive example for her girls. Showing her
daughters that no dream is too big, no matter what anyone tells them, is worth
all the late nights, doubts, and fears that come with being a writer.
ANYONE BUT CADE (Anyone But… Book #2) by Penelope Bloom is
the second contemporary romance in the King Brothers trilogy. These books are an
enjoyable mix of romance, laughter and smokin’ hot sex.
Cade King is the other twin, who is never serious unless it
comes to negotiations for work. Seven years ago, he cost his girlfriend her
soccer scholarship with a stupid prank that went wrong. Since then he has never
been in a serious relationship and hides behind his money and success. He can’t
be hurt, if no one really knows him, right?
Iris swore seven years ago with her two best friends to
never again date a King brother. But they are back in town and already one of
her friends has fallen. Iris values the success she worked hard for to become a
law enforcement officer, but something is missing. Cade is still a temptation
hard to resist.
Cade receives the news that he is the father of a five-year-old
son that he never knew was out there. He asks Iris for her help and even though
she knows she shouldn’t, she cannot resist Bear. Can Iris forgive Cade and can
the two work together for Bear?
I really enjoyed this book. The dialogue was laugh out loud
funny at times and ridiculously funny at others. As much as Cade and Iris were
great for each other, Bear made them even better. I loved when Bear would be a
mini-Cade and the action between the two throughout shows the difference, I
felt realistically between how a man or a woman play with a child. Even when it
seemed as though all the secondary characters were against them, Iris and Cade
stayed positive and worked things out. The sex scenes were explicit, but not
gratuitous. I love when I finish a romance and have a smile on my face.
I love all the brothers and I am looking forward to Nick and
Miranda’s story!
***
Author
Biography
Penelope
Bloom is a USA Today, Amazon, and Washington Post bestselling
author whose books have been translated into seven languages. Her popular
romances include His Banana, Her Cherry, Savage, and Punished.
Her writing
career started when she left her job as a high school teacher to pursue her
dream. She loves taking her imagination for a spin and writing romances she’d
want to live. She likes a man with a mind as dirty as sin and a heart of gold
he keeps hidden away. Her favorite things include getting to wear socks all
day—pants optional—and being a positive example for her girls. Showing her
daughters that no dream is too big, no matter what anyone tells them, is worth
all the late nights, doubts, and fears that come with being a writer.
Today I am sharing with you the Feature Post and Book Review for Penelope Bloom’s new release ANYONE BUT RICH (Anyone But…Book 1). This romantic comedy/contemporary romance that had me laughing out-loud. This is the first of a trilogy featuring three billionaire brothers who return to their small hometown to claim the women they could never forget, but the girls made a promise seven years ago to never date one of the King brothers again.
Below you will find a guest post from the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
This was an entertaining escape read that will make you laugh and leave you anxiously waiting for the other brothers’ stories. And as always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Guest
Post: Meet
the Kings of North Carolina with Author Penelope Bloom
Anyone But Rich is the first book of my new, three book “Anyone
But…” series. Every book is a true romantic comedy and is full of
moments that I hope will have you laughing out loud, if not at least breathing
out a little puff of air from your nose.
Anyone But Rich follows the oldest King brother, Richard King, and his love
interest, Kira Summerland. Seven years ago, the King brothers left behind a
trail of scorched earth as far as Kira and her best friends, Iris and Miranda
were concerned. The three women swore an oath that they’d never date the King
brothers again, even if they wound up becoming mega-famous billionaires and
came back on their knees, begging for forgiveness.
But that’s exactly what happened. Now, Kira isn’t so sure she’ll be able to
hold herself to a vow she made seven years ago, even if breaking it could drive
a rift between her and her best friends.
Rich
and the King brothers are global phenomenons. Each of them takes their own,
unique approach to melting hearts. Rich is the kind of guy who puts business
first and relentlessly pursues his goals, even if it means ruffling feathers
along the way. That’s what makes Kira so special for him. She’s the one person
who can bring out a softer side of Rich, and at times, even a funny side. But
Kira or not, he’s generally seen as the face of the company, and he’s easily
the biggest name to ever land in a place like West Valley.
Cade is Rich’s twin brother, but the two men couldn’t be more
different. Cade is a somewhat strange blend of intelligence, goofiness, and
unbearable cockiness. He can turn any situation into a joke, but behind the
laughs and crude comments, he still wonders if his high school crush, Iris,
would ever look beyond their past.
Nick is the youngest of the trio and generally
thought of as the quiet genius of the group. He’s not as in-your-face as Rich
can appear, but Nick commands respect in his own way. He also has the closest
relationship with Cade, partly because Nick is the only one who ever seemed up
to the task of keeping his wild, older brother alive.
All in all, the three brothers are like the riders of
the apocalypse, if apocalypses were caused by melted panties and broken hearts,
at least.
But the King brothers all share one thing in common. Whether they’ll ever admit
it or not, they all came back to West Valley for the girls they left
behind. Anyone But Rich is the story of Richard King and his
attempts to win the forgiveness of Kira Summerland, his old high school flame.
The question for Rich is how long he can pretend forgiveness is all he wants.
For Kira, it’s a question of whether she can look past the mountain’s worth of
warning signs telling her to stay as far away from Rich as possible.
There
are endless obstacles between the King brothers and their West Valley girls, but
the King brothers aren’t the type to shy away from a challenge. They’ve just
never faced one this great.
***
Excerpt
Principal
Lockett.
He was shorter
than most of the freshmen, but the shiny patch of bald skin on his crown and
the drooping bags under his eyes meant there was no mistaking him for a
student. “Just wanted to say good luck on your first day, Kira.”
“Thank you,” I
said. I hoped my smile looked genuine. I’d expected to need to try very hard to
make a good impression on my new boss, but from the first day of preplanning
two weeks ago, it seemed like he was the one sucking up. It
wasn’t the first time being the mayor’s daughter had given me some unwanted
advantage. No matter how much I protested, some people in West Valley were dead
set on the idea that getting in my good graces was the same as getting in my
father’s good graces. Unfortunately, my objections went unnoticed, and people
had never been quick to believe that favoritism wasn’t something I secretly
encouraged.
So I did what I
always did. I pretended I still needed to bust my ass to make a good
impression. I refused to sit back and let my father be an easy pass, and I
hoped for the best.
“Is everything
okay?” I asked when he was still standing there with a smile plastered on his
face. From the corner of my eye, I saw students start pouring into my room from
the back door.
“There is just
one thing. A slight hiccup, really. Nothing that you would need to worry your
father about,” he said. “There’s a very influential businessman in town. He got
on the phone with the right people a few minutes ago, made some very
interesting promises, and . . . well . . .”
“Well, what?”
My eyes were darting between Principal Lockett and my rapidly filling
classroom.
“He’s
apparently an old friend of yours. Said he’d like to be able to stop by today
and say hello. He promised it would be quick.”
“It’s my first
day,” I said slowly, hoping I wouldn’t need to explain any further.
“And you’ll do
great!” Principal Lockett seemed to sense my inevitable eruption, so he ducked
back into the hallway and flashed me a quick thumbs-up before the door snicked
closed.
I turned my
eyes toward my students and made a weak attempt to mentally rally. I
can do this. They’re just children in bodies that have grown faster than their
brains.They aren’t as mature as they look.
“Do you see how
red her face is?” whispered a girl in the front row. I wasn’t sure if it was
intentional, but I was pretty sure I would’ve been able to make out every word
of the “whisper” from the parking lot.
The boy beside
her smiled cruelly. “Maybe she’s PMSing.”
The girl
frowned at him and slapped his arm. “That’s not how it works, you idiot.”
“What do you
mean? There’s all the blood issues. Some of it must end up in their
heads.”
The girl rolled
her eyes, crossed her arms, and gave up on him.
I cleared my
throat. “I’m Miss Summerland.” I paused, swallowed, and willed my windpipe to
grow a little bigger. “This is—”
The bell
signaling the start of first period rang deafeningly, cutting me off and making
me realize I was already showing what a rookie I was.
I cleared my
throat again. “This is—”
The
announcements began, instructing the students to stand for the Pledge and the
anthem.
I turned my
back to face the flag and pretended I didn’t hear the snickering students
behind me. I also pretended I didn’t remember being a high schooler not so long
ago, and how quickly I would’ve decided a teacher like me was the kind students
were going to eat for breakfast.
A few minutes
later, the announcements ended, and I finally turned to face the students
again. “Okay. This is—”
The door to my
room opened. I spun, hands balled into fists. All the frustration of the last
few minutes boiled over into an embarrassingly squeaky outburst. “I would love
to finish my sentence!”
And that was
when I saw my visitor.
Richard
King.
Distantly, I
heard the excited whispers of every girl in my classroom.
“Is that
him?”
“Oh my God,
is my hair okay?”
“This is
going on my Snapchat!”
Their voices
faded into background noise as I looked at him in person for the first time in
so many years.
“Please,” he
said. His voice was so deep and rich I could feel it rumble through my chest.
“Finish your sentence. I’ll wait.”
He knew damn
well there was no way I could think about anything else with him standing
there. The corner of his mouth had twitched up into the suggestion of a smirk,
and his eyes were locked predatorily on me. He knew exactly what was happening
to me, and he was enjoying it.
I tried to
picture a normal human being in his place. I tried and failed to unsee the
broad, powerful shoulders and long legs, to unmake every cruel and perfect line
of his face, from the sharp jaw to the dark eyebrows and burning green eyes.
His nearly black hair was cut short and neat. He wore a suit that would’ve made
most men look overdressed, but he seemed perfectly at ease. Here I was with my
legs spread out like I was trying not to step in a puddle, pretending I was in
control. Meanwhile, Rich’s pinkie toe projected more confidence than my entire
body.
I wanted him
and his obnoxiously cocky pinkie toe out of my classroom and out of my life. I
was perfectly happy seeing him in a dirty dream every few weeks, where he
couldn’t screw up my reality any more, thank you very much.
“Out,” I
said.
“That was the
end of your sentence? ‘This is . . . out’?”
The students
acted like his sitcom laugh track, and I already wanted to give them all
detentions for being traitors.
I turned, annoyed, and gestured to my students. “This is English Four Honors.”
I looked back at Richard. “Out.”
***
My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
ANYONE BUT RICH (Anyone But…Book 1) by Penelope Bloom
is a new release romantic comedy/contemporary romance that had me laughing out-loud.
This is the first of a trilogy featuring three billionaire brothers who return
to their small hometown to claim the women they could never forget, but the
girls made a promise seven years ago to never date one of the King brothers
again.
Kira Summerland is starting her first year of teaching at
her hometown high school. Seven years ago, Kira, Iris and Miranda made a promise
when they were students at this very high school to never date a King brother
again. When Richard King shows up at Kira’s classroom door on the first day of
school, she is as angry at herself as she is at him.
Richard King has returned to town with his brothers. Cade
and Nathan to set up their company’s headquarters in their hometown. The
beautiful woman on his arm is just a ruse to keep both sets of their parents
from matchmaking. He has his heart set on Kira. He knows it will be hard work
to get Kira to forgive him and get her friends approval, but Rich has always
worked hard to obtain his goals.
Kira must deal with her promise to her friends as she begins
to let Rich back into her life. Can she have both? Will Rich be able to get
Kira to forgive him and get the girl he has always wanted?
I love Rich and Kira together. Kira is the perfect lovable heroine
to bring out serious Rich’s softer side. The dialogue between the friends and
the brothers is laugh-out-loud funny and at times raunchy which made it more
realistic. The sex scenes are explicit but not gratuitous. Each character’s
unique personality adds to the fun of reading this book. For me, this is not a
new plot or storyline, but the author’s voice makes it very entertaining. This
is an easy-to-read romance that has me anxiously waiting for the other brothers’
stories.
***
About the Book
Title: Anyone But
Rich
Author: Penelope Bloom
Release Date: September 3,
2019
Series: Anyone But…, #1
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
Seven
years ago, my best friends and I made a promise: No matter what, we would never
date one of the King brothers. Even if they grew up to become megafamous,
gorgeous, heart-stopping billionaires. Even if they crawled on their knees and
begged for forgiveness.
But guess who just flew back into our lives in a private jet? And guess who
just showed up to my job on my first day? Richard. King. Fortunately, it takes
two seconds for Richard to reveal he hasn’t changed. Conceited. Cocky.
Rude. Unfortunately, he’s also the kind of gorgeous that’s
borderline offensive—with a jawline to make statues self-conscious and a grin
that short-circuits my brain.
He’s spent years taking what he wants. I doubt he’s hungry for anything else—except me, apparently. There’s no way I’ll let him maneuver his way back into my life. My friends would never forgive me. I would never forgive me. But did I mention his jawline?
***
Author
Biography
Penelope
Bloom is a USA Today, Amazon, and Washington Post bestselling
author whose books have been translated into seven languages. Her popular
romances include His Banana, Her Cherry, Savage, and Punished.
Her writing
career started when she left her job as a high school teacher to pursue her
dream. She loves taking her imagination for a spin and writing romances she’d
want to live. She likes a man with a mind as dirty as sin and a heart of gold
he keeps hidden away. Her favorite things include getting to wear socks all
day—pants optional—and being a positive example for her girls. Showing her
daughters that no dream is too big, no matter what anyone tells them, is worth
all the late nights, doubts, and fears that come with being a writer.
