In for a Penny
by Melissa Foster
Release Date: December 9, 2020
Publisher: World Literary Press
Book #7.5 in the Whiskeys series
Part of the larger Love in Bloom series
Number of Pages: 74
Kindle Edition
Source: Amazon Pre-Order
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating: NC-17
Read 1/22/21
Friendships and family abound during a week of love, laughter, and happily ever afters. Catch up with your favorite characters and enjoy Bones and Sarah’s wedding while falling in love with the newest Whiskey-world couple, Penny Wilson and Scott Beckley in this Whiskey series novella.
When everything you want is right in front of you, but it’s still out of reach…
Penny Wilson has a successful business, more friends than a girl could ask for, and a boyfriend she’s madly and passionately in love with. Scott Beckley is honest, loyal, hands down the best lover on the planet, and absolutely gaga over his nieces and nephews. Scott’s a keeper…as long as Penny doesn’t ever want to hear those three magical words that would take their relationship to the next level. Scott escaped abusive parents at seventeen and was forced to find his way alone in the world. Even though it’s been more than a decade and he’s reunited with his estranged sisters and built a good life in Peaceful Harbor, Maryland, he’s still tortured by his past. Penny knows he loves her with everything he has, but for a girl who wants a family and a guy who is afraid of having one, love might not be enough.
This read is short and sexy and oh so sweet. It’s a wonderful way to give readers of the Love in Bloom series some satisfaction with the Penny/Scott dynamic, which has been hinted at here and there.
There was a brief time in this reading where I was afraid there’d be that thing where a character doesn’t want kids but the other character convinces them they do. Because of Scott’s situation, things were able to play out a bit differently. So, I didn’t get disgusted that the author couldn’t just let a character not want kids. The thing is, Scott really did want kids. Was great with kids. Would be a wonderful family man. He just couldn’t get out of his own way.
At the same time, Scott also knew that Penny wanted a deserved a family. Sure, there are a lot of ways to make a family. But Penny desired a traditional family and Scott wanted her to have that. He just wasn’t convinced he could give that to her. And it made him feel guilty that he still kept holding onto her when he knew (thought) he couldn’t ultimately give her what she wanted.
For her part, Penny never bothered Scott about these things. Both characters internatlized so much. They knew what the other wanted and didn’t want, but neither addressed these issues head on. When they were in each other’s arms, none of that mattered.
This short story packs an emotional punch. A very large emotional punch. Have your tissues ready!
4.5 stars
All In Good Time 