Credence

Title: Credence Author: Penelope Douglas Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance / Age Gap / Taboo Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars) ⸻ “Wild, taboo, and completely unputdownable—Credence dares to go where most books won’t, and it does it so well.” Penelope Douglas absolutely shattered my expectations with Credence. This book is bold, steamy, and emotionally complicated in a way that grabs you from page one and never lets up. It’s not your typical romance—and that’s what makes it so powerful. It’s about trauma, desire, freedom, and what happens when the rules of society are stripped away. Tiernan is such a complex, raw character. Raised with wealth but neglected emotionally, she’s completely unmoored after her parents’ deaths. Watching her find herself—sexually, emotionally, and mentally—in the wild isolation of the mountains with three very different men is as intense as it is unforgettable. Jake, Kaleb, and Noah each bring something unique to the story, and the chemistry between them is explosive. ⸻ What to Expect: Trigger Warnings: • Grief / death of parents • Age gaps • Taboo relationships (guardian/ward dynamics) • Explicit sexual content • Emotional manipulation • Themes of isolation, trauma, and healing ⸻ Spice Level: 5/5 — Extremely spicy with a heavy focus on sexual awakening and taboo exploration. Very mature and unapologetically graphic. ⸻ Tropes & Themes: • Age gap romance • Guardian / ward • Taboo / forbidden love • Sexual self-discovery • Love triangle (or square) • Grumpy/silent love interest • Coming-of-age with adult themes • Found family, healing after grief ⸻ My Thoughts: I could not stop reading. It’s wild, emotional, and yes—deeply taboo—but somehow Penelope Douglas makes you care about every character, even when you’re unsure where it’s going. The emotional weight behind Tiernan’s growth, the way each relationship challenged and revealed a different part of her, made the story feel real even in its most unreal moments. Kaleb absolutely stole my heart—the quiet, brooding strength he showed, his protectiveness, the slow unfolding of who he really is underneath the silence? Incredible. And the emotional payoff? Chef’s kiss. ⸻ Final Thoughts: Credence is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s bold, daring, and deeply layered beneath the spice and shock value. If you love taboo, high-stakes emotion, and a heroine finding her power in the unlikeliest of places, this book is a must-read. It’s not for everyone, but if it is for you—you’ll never forget it.

“Reality is fickle, isn’t it?” I ask. “We can get used to almost anything.” We all acclimate. We learn, we resolve, we come around—it’s not that anything really gets easier or harder. We just get better at rolling with it.” - Credence. SYNOPSIS: Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she? Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them. And as a part of them. She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching. - Credence. REVIEW: This is the first book that I have read by Penelope Douglas (although I have had some of her books on my TBR for a while) and I read it for a buddy-read. I am so glad I read this book, and especially glad I read it within a buddy-read because discussing it with others through the book was so fun. Overall, this is a steamy forbidden romance book that is not going to be for everyone. I will admit that during reading this book I had a lot of mixed thoughts regarding the romances and even (a lot) sometimes totally pushed their relationship out of my mind so I could enjoy the book a bit better. That being said, there is a lot (seriously) of sex in this book so be aware of that. I did think these scenes were done well and didn’t take away from the plot of the book. Also, be aware that there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book too. Overall though, I thought the plot of this book was great, and it kept me interested for the whole book. I didn’t even realize that this book was around 400 pages- I thought it was a lot less while reading it. I rated this book a 4.5 but actually chose to lower it to a 4 for review purposes. I thought the ending was good but I would have liked to see a little more, I thought it happened fairly quickly. Also, I wish there was more development of one of the characters, Kaleb. He was a major part of the book and I felt that his character changed kinda drastically towards the end and it seemed a little sudden. I would have liked to see more of a progressive change with him and maybe more emotional content relating to this change. Overall, I did enjoy all the characters and especially Tiernan. I seem to have been gravitating towards these type of characters who have a hard time leaning into love and are looking for a sense of home or belonging. Characters that don’t have the best pasts in one way or another and throughout that narrative show great change. So, yes I loved her. I also thought the side characters were great and their personalities complemented the plot. After reading “Credence”, I am now considering myself to be a Penelope Douglas fan and will go on to read her other books that are on my TBR.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Credence by Penelope Douglas is an unforgettable, addictive read that completely pulled me in from the first page. The character development was phenomenal, especially watching Tiernan grow into her own voice and finally discover who she truly is. Jake, Noah, and Kaleb created such a complicated, raw, and emotional dynamic that kept me hooked through every chapter. The forbidden and taboo elements made the story even more intense, pushing boundaries in a way that only Penelope Douglas can pull off. I loved how the love triangle wasn’t just about romance, but about self-discovery and healing. Tiernan’s journey toward peace and belonging was moving and powerful, making me root for her every step of the way. Each of the men brought something unique to the story, and their relationships with Tiernan were layered and meaningful. This book was emotional, tense, and deeply passionate in all the best ways. A bold, thought-provoking story that will stay with me for a long time.

El mejor libro caí en la estadística de quedar embarazada mientras leía el libro

Great book, but there are a few pages missing from the back and the words seem like they are copy pasted from the internet because in the last page it says “Click to read more”

I ordered this book and began reading it, thinking it was gonna be really dark and questionable. But it only had like a moment or two that were a bit sus. The rest was very mild at best. I don't get why people try to cancel a writer just because of stuff like this. The writing in itself was very compelling and it kept me hooked. I will buy more titles from Penelope. And I hope she doesn't pay any mind to prejudiced reviews. Essentially, if you don't like it, don't consume it. Read the trigger warnings, inform yourself on what the book is about instead of throwing fists at the writer.

Loved the story line, the age gap en a bit of who choose and finally the right choises a little suspense and this book is worth for the bookshelf

⚠️𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣- 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙞 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙢- 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠… 📌Tiernan De Haas è una ragazza ricca, che ha vissuto all’ombra di una coppia 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝑒 innamorata: i suoi genitori, una stella del cinema e un produttore cinematografico.. così pazzi l’una dell’altro, da porre fine alla loro vita insieme, senza lasciare un biglietto per la figlia… 📌proprio quando Tiernan vuole scappare dal caos mediatico riceve una chiamata…è stata lasciata in affido (mancano due mesi alla sua maggiore età) allo “zio”, o meglio fratellastro del padre, con il quale in realtà non intrattiene un reale legame di sangue… 📌c’è solo un problema: lo zio Jake vive dall’altra parte del paese, in cima ad una montagna nel Colorado…l’inverno sta per arrivare e l’isolamento sta per iniziare… 𝙍𝙞𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙧à 𝙏𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤, 𝙘𝙤𝙣 𝙅𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙚 𝙞 𝙨𝙪𝙤𝙞 𝙙𝙪𝙚 “𝙘𝙪𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙞”, 𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙚 𝙆𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙗?! 💔i personaggi della Douglas sono come sempre spezzati, rotti dentro, mai scontati, mai facili…fanno tutto il contrario di quello che ti aspetti e fanno sempre scelte discutibili… ❤️‍🩹 Eppure eccomi, a pensare ancora una volta come le sue parole mi fanno sentire meno sola nel mondo! 🖤non esiste giusto e sbagliato nei suoi libri, ma solo la necessità di trovare se stessi, ricomporre la propria anima, anche con mezzi poco ortodossi ed è giusto che sia così perché forse… “𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎…” ❤️‍🩹Jake, Kaleb e Noah… da soli non erano una famiglia, ma con lei lo diventano. Quello che succede prima e dopo la reclusione invernale è catartico affinché tutti possano guarire e fare pace con loro stessi! ❣️Tiernan e il suo problema di lasciarsi amare ❣️Jake e il redimere se stesso per gli errori del passato ❣️Noah e la sua voglia di fuggire ❣️Kaleb e la necessità di romperete il suo mutismo selettivo “𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗, 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚆𝚎’𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛”