Dirty Letters was a nice read. I liked the premise of the whole writing letters and how they kept at it especially in the age of electronics and social media. It brought a different type of feel to the book. Luca and Griffin were good characters and I enjoyed their story. You really felt for Luca as she deals with her struggles. And Griffin was so sweet being there for her and loving her. It was nice watching their friendship and eventual romance grow. Because of the bond that was always there it made the romance a little sweeter. I liked their interactions-it was sexy, sweet, and fun. Overall this was a likeable pleasant story.

DL by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward tells Luca and Griffin's story. Both were pen - pals, but life happened and thye lost contact. Now they're writing each other again and they form a bond. Both carry scars, visible and invisible and both are through a lot, a lot.
They between a rock and a hard place, jump or stay, what to do?
I never ever was that emotional about a Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward book before.
DL is the rawest and grittiest book these two authors wrote, believe me when I say, my heart was bleeding for the characters and I had more than one ugly cry. They're honest, down to earth characters and I simply " got " them. DL is definitely the best book I read by this two outstanding authors. It goes to my re-read list and is hands down, my favorite read in 2019.
The story btook my breath away and I in't wanted it zo end, no mam. And that's the best kind of stories, when you're looking how many pages are left, not because you want it to end - because you don't want to say good bye.
I highly recommend DL and give 6 Stars.

4.5 stars

Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward is a beautifully written, emotional and heartfelt read.

The storyline held my interest from start to end, the relationship between Luca and Griffin touched my heart and I as thrilled they were able to get their much deserved happily ever after.

Dirty Letters is one of those books once you start you can't put it down, just one more chapter turned into staying up all night reading.

I highly recommend Dirty Letters.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

As always, Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward give us a unique story with amazing character you'll instantly love. I'll admit, this one started off a bit slow for me, but once it got going I could not put it down!! This is not your typical rockstar romance. Griffin and Luca have a connection like no other and they have to fight like hell to be together. This story is sometimes heartbreaking but incredibly romantic...and the dirty letters are the cherry on top!! So good!

Absolutely loved how Dirty Letters started, I couldn't put the book down at all. But the middle part, you can sense a bit of a change in the writing, and it was starting to lull a little bit. And then it picks up again as you get closer to end, and then you're blasted with emotions! There was some crying involved, which was something I was waiting for since I've had the same reaction during their previous books 😉

Soooo, I loved some parts and others, not so much. It has been a while since my last read from this duo and I was beyond excited that Montlake teamed up them! I think they're a great addition.

I wanted to love this read so much since I have quite a few favorites from these two. And when I read the synopsis, I was sold, but it didn't reach my expectations.

I liked the topic of her agoraphobia and that we get an insight of what she deals with on the daily. I can't even imagine what she goes through, but I think it was represented very well. And my goodness, Griffin wins all the swoony hearts for his devotion and patience. I loved that he never really gave up when it came to their relationship, he knew there would be a lot of barriers. But he never gave up.

I was hoping for a bit more exciting reunion, it was one of things I was really looking forward to. I'll be honest, it did bum me out that I didn't like this more, but I still found myself enjoying the story, overall.

Will be posted soon at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/
There is already promo on the blog for it: http://romrevtoday.blogspot.com/2019/11/promo-dirty-letters-by-vi-keeland-and.html

DIRTY LETTERS – Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Montlake Romance

ISBN: 978-1542016797

November 2019

Contemporary Romance



Vermont & other locations in the United States



It’s been years since Luca last communicated with Griffin, her overseas childhood pen pal. Eight years ago, during the summer of her senior year in high school, Luca lost her best friend during a fire at a concert they were both attending. Luca feels guilt because she survived the fire and her friend did not, and it has left her with severe panic attacks. She stays holed up in her home in Vermont, attended to occasionally by her psychologist/friend. But she is now a self-published author of horror fiction books that have landed on the bestseller lists, making her popular. Out of the blue one day, a letter arrives from Griffin. In it, he lambasts her for not returning his correspondence for the past eight years. Griffin had once been Luca’s lifeline. Is it time for her to rekindle their friendship and explain why she hasn’t responded? She decides to write him back, telling him what happened, and thus reopens a friendship…and even more…between the now older Luca and Griffin.



DIRTY LETTERS is an emotion packed tale that starts out from Luca’s point of view as she tries to cope with life while dealing with the guilt and resultant panic attacks. She hates crowds and shops at night to avoid people. Living life as a writer is perfect for her as she can spend time alone writing while making good money. Her choice of writing horror fiction might seem macabre given that she experienced a near death experience years ago, but it’s her therapy. Before the fire, Luca had been writing regularly back and forth with Griffin, a boy her age who lived in Great Britain. Soon, DIRTY LETTERS turns to Griffin’s point of view, and we learn what he’s been up to…



Griffin is now a worldwide legendary rock star going by the name of Cole Archer, and he currently lives in California. At first, after they meet, he doesn’t tell Luca of his fame, because he isn’t sure how she will handle it since he performs at concerts. Once he does, she accepts it, though she admits she hasn’t heard of Cole Archer. But can he get her to attend one of his concerts, or even go on tour with him? Griffin begins to see a future with Luca, but she resists. She feels she can’t be the worldly wife that a rock performer deserves. However, he sees her as the sweet girl who he fell in love with through their letters.



Readers will grow to care for Luca’s dilemma and root for her to make it work out with Griffin/Cole. They are much different from when they first started corresponding. Lives change, but their friendship runs deep. Can they find love…and a future together? Find out the answer in the emotionally satisfying DIRTY LETTERS.



Patti Fischer

Luca and Griffin were pen pals as children but lost touch as they got older. Well, Luca just up and stopped writing him or answering his letters. Now years later, he has gotten back in touch with her. But it wasn’t a letter of happiness, it was a letter with pent up frustration and anger for the lack of communication. And who could blame him. But the thing is, he doesn’t know why she stopped writing him. She has closed herself off from everything including him. They do however start writing each other again over time and slowly fall back into the routine of telling each other everything, event their deepest, darkest secrets including the sexual ones as well. Sounds steamy right?! But would they ever meet in person now that they both adults? I just had to know.

We have two main characters, Luca and Griffin, our couple of course. Then there is Doc, Luca’s therapist who is there for her through everything. He was so supportive and patient with her and even made house calls for her. He was a weird one but was such a sweetheart. Now, Luca has been through some things that I couldn’t imagine. A fire that killed her best friend and her diagnosis of agorphobia. It is a form of mental illness I knew little about and following Luca through hers was heartbreaking. She doesn’t leave the house until the middle of the night to avoid contact with other people, she doesn’t go to the park and anything like that. She’s basically a recluse. She does how ever write books under a pen name, which I thought was pretty neat! I adored her and found myself feelings just awful for her what she was going through and rooting for her all at the same time.

Griffin, the long lost pen pal who is now back in Luca’s life was a mystery at the beginning. I knew that he and Luca were close years ago with their letters, but now as an adult, it was like he was keeping a secret by not wanting to meet. I mean they were adult now… So, I was curious as to why. But when I did learn the why, I could see why and understood. With everything that Luca was going through, he thought it was best for her well being at lease for the time being. I thought Griffin was an all around good guy, especially when it came to Luca. So how could I not like him?!

The title Dirty Letters might the idea that there is lots of letters filled with fantasies of sexual escapades and yes there are some steamy letter for sure. But there is so much more to the story between Luca and Griffin. Luca’s journey was so vividly described. Her disease. Her fears. Her sadness. And loss. At times it was a bit much and made me just want to cry with her and for her. And Griffin lives in a world that he thinks he has to be what everyone expects him to be a certain way even if it is not really who he is or how he wants to live and be. There was a lot more to him than just fame and fortune. It was two peoples stories coming together for me and their slow-burn romance just added to it all for me and had me hooked till the end. The ending was more than I could have asked for too. I adored these two so much!

Dirty Letter was an emotional journey and had all the feels for me. The ups and downs, the tears and happy times too. It was a beautiful story of self discovery, taking chances and one of love and I couldn’t possibly recommend this one enough.

Readers looking for a unique romance full of decadently delightful banter, and a main couple whose interactions are fun and flirty, will find this a thoroughly entertaining read that will leave them with a smile on their face. Pen pals since they were children, Luca and Griffin forged an intense connection that had them sharing deep dark secrets while supporting each other through their letter writing. When they needed each other most though the silence from Luca was deafening and led to disappointment from Griffin. Even though they shared a lot they kept their identities a secret through the years. For Luca she was ready for more, while for Griffin he was content with the way things were as he feared how things would change if his real identity was known. The moment Luca quit writing though is the moment when their relationship took a frustrating turn, a turn that might have kept them apart forever if fate hadn’t intervened....

Much of this book is written in letter format and with each letter being opened I felt like I was a recipient too. I adored the early letters full of child-like thoughts and sweet words. As the book progressed the letters took a more sensual turn until they became scorching. Luca and Griffin started out as friends but it’s clear how close they got as later letters made me blush while keeping me on edge waiting for them to finally come face to face. It was a wait full of sexual tension, along with a bit of frustration thrown in, which ultimately led to a memorable meeting.

Luca’s an appealing heroine full of quirks. One of those quirks is being agoraphobic, an illness that came about after the death of a friend. Her illness sometimes overcame her, but she still fought the demons that kept her a prisoner which made me admire her all the more. As to Griffin, he’s a near-perfect hero. He’s strong and supportive, a master with words, who would do anything for Luca. He wanted to be wanted for himself instead of who the world saw him as which broke my heart a bit. On a whole I found this a very satisfying romance of second chances with a unique narrative that made me smile as well as swoon. By the turn of the final page this literary duo has crafted yet another winner that I definitely recommend!

I adore this writing duo, they create some great emotional, steamy hot romance and I was super excited with the concept of a pen pal. I had one when I was little from a different country and I wish I would of kept in touch, it was exciting to learn about someone and just write all the fun things you did that month out.

Dirty Letters follow Luca, who lived through a terrible incident when she was younger, her fears have kept her from really living, but she's trying hard to get past them. When her father passes she finds a letter from her old pen pal that she cut ties with after her trauma. The letter brings back all the good memories she had writing Griffin and she soon starts writing to him again. Together they reform their bond, but what happens when they finally meet face to face. Luca must face her biggest fears, as Griffin will have to help her through them.

Overall this was a sweet story of two people finding each other again after all these years. When they were young they had such a great bond and told each other everything. Now older they are a little more bold and wild, but they help each other through some tough things, especially Luca. My favorite was Luca's doctor who, even though he was an odd ball, pushed her to face her fears and tagged a long with her to make sure she was not only okay but went through with it.

In the end the chemistry was a little too awkward for me, which I understand, for Luca who has been so sheltered. But sadly it was a little cringy at times. The playful banter and sexy talk was not so sexy, it felt like I was reading more about the awkward teenage romances than adults. Nonetheless I did like how they both grew, how Griffin was patient with Luca, how he tried to make her feel comfortable in his crazy world. The last half of the book really turn up, it got me hooked and I was happy to see how these two would end up.

I have listened to audiobooks from Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward but I have not actually read one of their collaborations. I was excited to read their words and not just listen to them while I was doing other things. I found myself focusing more on what was being read, anticipating what would happen next, and hoping that it would all work out for Griffin and Luca.

Pen pals are something that every child should have. I love that they started writing while they were young and were able to connect even though they were on different continents with different cultures. They were able to tell each other things they may not be able to tell other friends just because it was all written and not face to face. I looked forward to reading their next letter and seeing how far they were willing to go.

Their relationship as adults was trying. It was not easy and I liked how Griffin didn’t let Luca give up but knew that if he pushed her too hard he would lose her forever. In a unique way these two, with their entirely different backgrounds, different lifestyles made sense together. They completed each other, kept each other in the here and now, and pushed each other to be better people.

I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to more from Vi and Penelope.

4 - "Where there’s a will, there's a way…" Stars!

Pen-pals to lovers in with an 8 year gap in-between. The light and shade between Griffin and Luca worked really well, especially in the fact he lived his life in the public eye, while she could barely cope with going out in public. It was endearing to read of his attempts to make everything as easy as he could for her, so they could take their relationship to the next level whilst spending as much time as he possibly could with her.

Sweet, fluffy, and easy to read. The Anglicization was a bit off a couple of times, because knickers are a woman’s undergarment, not a man as intimated in here, but it wasn’t so bad it got annoying. I loved the letters, texts and dual POV. A nice low drama, stress free read.

Be ready to want to go find your own penpal and find true love from it!
Author Penelope Ward & Author Vi Keeland have written this book that is filled with such love and soo many moments that were memorable.
I loved the build up of Griffin and Luca's relationship from childhood to adult hood.
I enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster of their stories and how their special connection of being penpals is what keeps them together even when they have a 8 year gap due to both of their secrets.
Once I started reading, I was vested in finding out if Griffin and Luca would ever find what they both were looking for in one another.
Memorable moments, steamy times and yes I cried and certain parts because the love that came off the pages had my heart racing.

Go One Click it!
5 🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒popped!

I got halfway through this book before I just had to give up on it. I didn't like this one at all if i'm honest. The H acted like a teenage boy constantly turning every situation into something sexual and it grated on me and there was nothing else going on that kept me interested enough to keep reading despite that. I'm not sure this author duo is for me.

After the death of her father Luca heads to NY to finalize her father’s estate even though it is causing her tremendous stress. While organizing his apartment she comes across an angry letter from her childhood pen pal that she cut off all contact with after an emotional time in her life. Reading the letter brings back all the feelings she refused to acknowledge so she decides to write him one more time never expecting that he would respond.

Garrett is surprised to hear from the woman that ignored him with no explanation but once she explains the situation he is willing to forgive and forget and their letter writing begins only know it is as adults and not innocent children.

As the letters between them become hotter so do their feelings for each other however when Luca wants to meet Garrett he doesn’t want that to happen as he worries if they meet their relationship will never be the same. Will the letters be all that they ever have of each other?

This is a sweet and sexy about two people who gave their hearts to each other before they even met and they couldn’t be more perfect for each other.

Wow! This story was nothing I was expecting from the title. Dirty Letters is so much MORE! The story is complex and deeply layered. Full of love, anxiety, joy and heartbreak, a bit of a roller coaster of emotions to experience. Griffin and Luca are an incredible match and a gift of fate.

Griffin and Luca start out as kids, pen pals in grade school. Neither knows each others real names, just the connection that they share. Fast forward 20 years, they've lost touch, life has thrown them both into a whirlwind. Now they're reconnecting and the chemistry is fiery. There's so much to discover, so much to unravel. The discoveries, on both side, will change everything but both are never willing to walk away again.

Luca is one of the strongest characters I've ever read. Although delicate like a flower, she's overcome so much already. Griffin, he's got some seriously swoony moments. The times when Griffin and Luca are together gave me all the tingles. I wish there was more to the book, I couldn't get enough of these two. This was one read that I couldn't put down until the final tear was wiped, and the last page turned.

I’m a fan.

I think the first Penelope Ward book I read was Stepbrother Dearest—-No, it was Jake Undone. I loved both of these novels and most of the other Ward books I have read since. I won't lie, though; I always feel emotionally exhausted on the last page because this woman writes trauma earnestly. She's excellent at delicately, but honestly, depicting the mental health and mental illness challenges her characters must face. But I don't find it emotionally comfortable to get though. I love the stories—-but I'm wrung out and exhausted by loving characters like Sevin, Jake, and Channing, which is why I love when she and Vi Keeland write together. I can take Penelope's punches while Vi holds my hand. Yeah.

“I blinked a few times. No one had ever asked me such a direct question about my mental health. “Um. I have a fear of crowds and confined places.” She set the kettle down on the stove and lit the burner. “That’s okay. I don’t like clowns.”

Luca is struggling to survive, crushing social anxiety as a result of PTSD. Shutting herself off from the world, she is in a war against herself. It's a tricksome conundrum when you think you want to get better, but you hold tight to your sickness, so you don't have to change. With social anxiety, you live with misery as your closest companion, and you are perversely content because you know how safe being alone feels, and how tiring it is to budget the energy needed for being in unknown places with unknown (and sometimes known) people. And yeah, I'm speaking from experience with crushing social anxiety. Luca's attached to her victimology. There is the pre-loss Luca, and present-day nothing-but-loss Luca; two different people entirely.

“I write about serial killers, have a pig for a child, and drove cross-country to stalk you … safe to say, nothing should creep me out.”

While going through the belongings of her recently deceased father, Luca unexpectedly comes across a letter. It's from someone who intimately knew pre-loss Luca, a childhood friend who once was the keeper of her every secret. This letter isn't from her youth, it's something written only months ago, and the message is clear. Luca sucks.

Life has been kind to Griff. He's not a kid from England penning anonymous letters to an American girl he's crushing on. It's been years since Luca stopped writing him back. He's wealthy, successful, and girls stand in line to have a chance to meet him. It's hard to complain, but fame is lonely. And in a moment of weakness and with the help of some damn fine scotch, he writes his old pen pal a letter to let her know how much he doesn't care about her abandonment. And how her rejection never even crossed his mind. Much.

“How exactly was I supposed to explain to Luca that I’d written my most successful song—-more like a rant—-in honor of her while I was drunk and pissed one night.”

The quest Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland give these two characters is overcoming who they are despite themselves. Life is a series of heartbreaks, joys, successes, failures, loves, and deaths. Luca and Griff once had a friendship that allowed them to share those things, making their accomplishments and setbacks easy to balance. Now two alienated adults need to find their way back to the safety of the friendship they once treasured.

I can tell the parts Penelope Ward wrote because my heart was ripped out of my chest and danced over. You should anticipate tears. But you will also chuckle about Doc's search for tits and his whole campaign to see Luca's life and heart set to rights. I loved the old goat as much as I loved Luca. And yes, I gladly take her as my bookcrush because she is fantastic. 💕Ali + Luca 4ever 💕 .

"Ummm … Doc. There's no more paved road. The left is only dirt.""Well, then I guess we drive on dirt for a while."

Dirty Letters is a beautiful ode to grief. It's also a rallying cry for healing. And it might be a love song written from Griff to us.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.

Ok let me just say that as usual, you can't go wrong with a book by these two authors-so I knew going in that it would be good. But I certainly didn't expect to love it just as much as I did!! Luca and Griffin were pen pals since grade school when something horrific happens and Luca just stops writing. Fast forward to them as adults and they reconnect after she reads the last letter from him and realizes how angry he was when she cut him off. For months they write back and forth and getting just as close as they ever were, even without having met in person. Luca wants to finally meet in person but Griffin has his own secrets and issues and asks to wait.

I absolutely loved this one!! Luca has so many issues that have followed her from one horrific thing into her adulthood. But she still tries everyday in order to get better and move on. She has not only a backbone of steel but she has a heart of gold!! Griffin has followed his dreams and become a star but he also learned the hard way that most people will use you for those same things that he has now. And it has left it's own scars. But he is still this stand up guy who while he is cautious, he still has the capacity to love and be a great guy. I loved these two! As usual, the writing was great and the characters make you fall in love with them right from the start!!

4.5 stars

Griffin and Luca became pen pals as kids. Over hundreds of letters, they formed a bond. Out of the blue Luca stops writing to Griffin and life went on. Luca lost her best friend in a horrific accident. This causes her to shut down and she eventually became agoraphobic. Griffin suffered his own loss but about the time he needs Luca she had already bailed.

Luca is shocked to receive a new letter from Griffin. It is an angry letter. He doesn’t expect her to write back but he needs to get his hurt out. This exchange turns into more letters and their bond turns out to be stronger than ever. Friendship turns to lust and then the dirty letters. Luca has to decide if she is willing to risk it all to meet Griffin. It turns out that the life he leads is the worst possible scenario for a girl with her issues.

I really enjoyed this. I thought the storyline was unique, especially considering Griffin is a Rockstar. The authors didn’t go with the usual Rockstar storyline and I liked that. I loved how hard Griffin worked to try and give Luca what she needed. Luca still had a lot of work to do on herself. In the end she finally found something scarier than leaving her home; losing Griffin forever.

DNF @ 28%, so no rating.

This book felt so awkward to me. I thought the woman's relationship with her therapist was odd, and the letters exchanged with the hero felt creepy to me instead of sexy. I'm also over the heroine who makes decisions against the hero's wishes but does her darnedest to justify them, which is exactly what happened just before I called it quits.

I will say, I feel like I'm missing something when it comes to these two authors in general. There is so much hype any time they have a release, and I feel sad that nothing they've written (that I've tried,) jives with me. But it probably won't stop me from trying them again.

This book brings an entertaining combination of humor and angst.

When Luca empties out her father’s apartment after his death, she finds a letter from her childhood pen pal, Griffin. It is a scathing letter, calling her out on her lack of communication over the last eight years. This triggers a lot of emotions within Luca, and, together with her therapist, she decides to write him back to explain why she suddenly stopped writing to him back then.

They pick up their correspondence and friendship after that, and admit they had developed a crush on each other when they were younger. That crush now gets a chance to blossom, and we witness them falling in love through their letters. While this is all nice and dandy, the situation is slightly more complicated than that. Due to past trauma, Luca deals with crippling anxiety and agoraphobia, among others. Oh, and Griffin is a rock star. This combination proves challenging in exploring their relationship, but they try to make it work.

Luca and Griffin have amazing chemistry. I suspect this is in part due to their deep connection forged as pen pals. Knowing they were unlikely to ever meet, they opened up in writing and confided in each other. It made me wish for a Griffin of my own.

The chapter alternate between Luca and Griffin, and include some of the letters they send each other. This lends a wonderful insight into their personalities, the challenges they face, and their blossoming relationship. While Luca’s “issues” are a source of angst, there is also plenty of comedic relief, and I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the book.

As a bonus, there’s the option to listen to a song Griffin writes for Luca. Please do so, as it’s a wonderful song, and it really adds to the experience.