The long and short of it: - the romance/ smexy time in this book were top notch 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ panting and drooling for sure. - loved the writing style, the humor, the fast pace and development of the main relationship made it matter and kept me reading. - the ending made me want to shoot something; however, the complete rest of the book I really enjoyed and I like the author’s creativity, so I stuck with 5 stars. 5 star everything except ending…it just wasn’t for me.

I was not expecting it to end like it did, but this was amazing! It’s a beautifully sad story that unfortunately is a lot of peoples reality. it was beautifully written and I’m so glad I read this book.

I had read J.T. Geissinger once a few years back and thought she was a little underdeveloped and newer in her writing and I hadn't tried her again. This book was recommended and I was very pleased to see how she had matured as a writer and how well she writes! The reason I give a 4-star rating, though, may not be her fault. The formatting was awful. It was so very distracting, making the story hard to enjoy. There were paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences throughout the book which completely broke the flow of the thought. Then, the dialogue was often jumbled, making it hard to follow the line of conversation. I just have to believe this is not the writers' fault, but somehow it was not caught in editing or formatting? Or could it have just been my download? I hope someone reads this and corrects it. As far as the story itself, I cannot judge the review of this book based on my personal reaction. Again, she writes very well and I felt the characters were well-developed, the angst was good and the twists and surprises were very good. My personal problem is I do not do creepy/this type of paranormal well at all. It triggers in unhappy ways. So, why didn't I just stop reading it? That's the four stars. She writes so well, you can't put it down! I am a very Pollyanna/mostly RomCom or HEA kind of gal. Too many yucky things in the world I just do not care to revisit. So, this book drew out things I do not like to think about, causing a deep dive and introspection for days!! So, on the writers' side of the coin, that's GOOD! That's how good she is! I read some reviews that complained they only like HEA's as well and this is not an HEA. That is not correct. There is indeed an HEA. A wonderful, sweet, I-hope-it-happens-for-real HEA. That was the redeeming part of this emotional journey she dragged us through! It was wonderful. And finally on another note(if anyone has gotten this far in my ramble) - make sure to read her Acknowledgment notes at the end of the book. I just about cried when she describes her very personal experience with her father. Because I experienced the same in triplicate with my MIL. We lived in a new normal for 35 days. 35 days that so rocked and completely changed my and my husband's world that I still cannot find words to describe this otherworldly experience we were so unexpectedly gifted. And the most amazing part was he and I and his mom were the only ones living in this new world. Visitors walked in completely oblivious. Just like the scenes in "Field of Dreams" when no one else could see the players on the field at first. So no, Ms. Geissinger, it was not some chemical imbalance or side effect. They are very real. And yes, cats can indeed see ghosts, too!

I loved this book! The way this book was written was so beautiful! It sucked me in from the beginning and had so many twist and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. There is so much mystery that it keeps you reading wanting more needing to know more. I honestly am still thinking about this book because it was so good🖤 I also loved the way Aidan loved Kayla 😩 He was so sweet he was so quiet and possessive he would 🔪 for her. I won’t say more to spoil 🥰 must read 10/10

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5 Trigger Warnings: Explicit Language/Sex Scenes Power Play Grief/Loss Death Talks of Miscarriage Domestic Violence Mental Illness "I'll wait forever if I have to." This book is the definition of "do not judge a book by its cover". Although it was recommended under the "dark romance" helm, it is not that, in my opinion. Pen Pal is a suspenseful rollercoaster of mystery and romance with a splash of ghostly paranormal activity. This book was NOT what I was expecting, but it was everything I NEEDED. I can't say but so much without giving the whole story away, and it's killing me! "He's pulled a string I didn't know I had hidden inside and unraveled me from the inside out." The writing style/editing was great, which made the book more enjoyable than I expected, and the characters of Aidan and Kayla were dynamic and complex. The final plot twists were heart-wrenching, beautiful, and funny. While reading this, I made so many annotations and notes that I did manage to figure out the mystery before the story came to its twisty ending. IF AND ONLY IF you are paying close attention while reading--with or without annotations--you will DEFINITELY be able to unravel the underlying mystery. The author leaves so many clues for you to follow, if you know what to look for! I immediately wanted to read it again! "But already my desire and my will were being turned like a wheel, all at one speed, by the Love that moves the sun and the other stars." Pen Pal captivates you with every twist and turn, and while it does not have the conventional HEA for Kayla and Aidan you'd hope for, it does make you rethink your definition of happily-ever-after. Forever isn't such a long time, after all.