When Tiernan's father and mother die suddenly right before she turns eighteen, she feels like she is left no choice but to go stay with her father's step-brother, Jake, in Colorado. Tiernan has never met Jake before because he and her father were not on speaking terms. When she arrives at their home in Colorado, she only intends to stay for the few months that she has left until she turns eighteen. Tiernan's life on "the peak" in the middle of nowhere is very different from her privileged life in Los Angeles but she doesn't back down from the challenges of learning to survive in the woods. Her relationships with Jake and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, become more complicated and entrenched as time passes and she begins to question whether or not she will want to leave once she turns eighteen.

As soon as I finished this book, the first thing that came to my mind was "Wow! What did I just read???" I went into Credence blind, without reading the synopsis. Since I already know that I like Penelope Douglas, it didn't matter to me what this book was about. I feel like the synopsis doesn't do the layers of this story justice. Reading this book was like riding a roller coaster in the dark, like Space Mountain. I knew that I was in for wild and fun ride but I didn't know what to expect or when to expect the turns. Some of the things that happen in this book had my jaw dropping from shock and excitement. Douglas does such an amazing job of thinking outside of the box with her storylines.

This book is intense and dark. I loved the fierce intensity of the relationships between Tiernan, Jake, Noah, and Kaleb. They each bring past traumas to their current relationships and they're all damaged in different ways. She has a different type of relationship with each man and they each give her something that she was missing in her life before she came to stay with them.

I have so many more things to say about this book, but I'll leave it at that since I don't want to spoil the plot. This is a super steamy dramatic romance that I really liked!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥½
⚠️: child neglect, suicide, trauma, graphic injuries, threat of rape

thank you netgalley for an e-arc of the Berkley edition w/ the exclusive content!!
2.75 stars
I love Penelope Douglas's writing style. It is always captivating, gritty, and easy to follow. Her characters always have their fair share of quirks and flaws, but I find myself rooting for many of them nonetheless.
This book is definitely taboo and I don't personally think some of the inc*stual spice scenes were needed, but hey, hooking up with all 3 men you are living with is just taboo enough for my personal reading tastes. I found Tiernan to be a compelling and complex main character, I loved the small town setting, and the character growth from every single character.
However, as far as romances go, I don't think I fully believed in the romance by the end. Tiernan only ends up with 1 of the 3 men, and if I am honest, I think she chose the wrong one. And I think the mute representation has been done better in other books by other writers. I couldn't connect with Kaleb at all the way I have been able to connect with other mute characters in the past.
I will definitely continue reading from this author, but I don't think this is Pen's best book by far.

DNF at 33%.

I’ve heard a lot about this book so when I saw it was being traditionally published I thought I would check it out and see what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately I don’t have the stomach to finish it. 😳
I’m not someone who typically shies away from taboo subjects in romance, but this premise was far too much for me. The power dynamic was immediately upsetting (forget step uncle, she was a traumatized minor in his care with nowhere else reasonable to go). I assumed at the very least that the sexual relationship would not develop while the protagonist was underage, but I was unfortunately very wrong about that.

If you’re looking to read a Penelope Douglas taboo romance with an age gap, I would go for “Birthday Girl” instead.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkeley for the E- ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Credence- 1⭐️ 5🌶️ (R/SA scenes not a part of the spice rating)

Contemporary Romance
Taboo Romance
Multi POV
Small town
Orphan FMC
Polyamorous FMC


Tw: suicide, parental death, SA, Rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse, pedophilia, predatory behavior, grooming a minor

The start of this book is interesting. A 17yo, raised by her parent’s assistant, looses her narcissist parents to suicide and goes to live with her step uncle in the middle of nowhere… but then the FMC turns 18 and things take a turn that I knew was coming, but by the end I felt like I was reading a train wreck I wanted to just finish and be done with. I think the setting was the only thing I enjoyed about the story. The rest just was a giant red flag. I think I kept reading because I was interested in how the situation could be sustainable enough to be considered a happily ever after.

This… was not the book for me. I don’t enjoy reading about the romantic couples abusing each other. I don’t consider that romance.

All of the characters were sad and depressing. There wasn’t a single person in this book that knew what joy or contentment looked like. Every single person in this book needed interventional therapy. The men were all misogynistic and gross. And once they had their “turn” they basically disappear from the plot . How? What?

The POV shifts were fine, but the 1 POV from the MMC (who is barely in the book other than SA/R scenes) was written to make his internal monologue sound like an absolute psychopath. Other than the

This was definitely a “taboo romance”. Although there was not really anything romantic about it. The girl sleeps with her step-uncle and step-cousins, who are supposed to be alpha males, but didn’t get possessive when it came to their own family. Nope. The spice was very disjointed and flipped on and off like a switch. It read more like Stockholm syndrome. The only character that showed her any type of romance was her pedophile step-uncle.

As if it could get any worse, it was over written. There is more than enough plot with the step-family…. Absolutely no other plot tools were needed to add to the drama.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m not sure how I felt about this one. There was a lot going on. The talk of rape and incest just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I am both entertained and terrified.
This was my first “taboo” read, and let me tell you it was a WILD ride! The trauma, the angst, the drama. This book has it all!

To start with, I definitely need therapy. This book is definitely taboo. If incest gives you the “ick”, don’t read this!! I’m ashamed to admit I liked that about the book.

But i didn’t like how long it took to really get started, ya know? The first 15 chapters or so seemed so repetitive. Everyday was basically a repeat with some flirtatiousness here and there. I wish the climax (hehe) would have happened sooner.

However, this book definitely made me cross my legs multiple times and made me feel like my heart was gonna beat out of my chest. If the spice was removed from the book, the book would be very boring, imo. I loved the premise, but it could have been better executed. Douglas missed the mark with this one. It was too long and took too long to get to the point. Plus, Tiernan picked the guy I didn’t want her to pick. Bummer.

Overall, this wasn’t a terrible read. It had some great spice and intriguing premise. It missed the mark on a couple things and is fairly forgettable.

Yah I binge read, once I started I couldn’t stop and I love everything Penelope Douglas writes thus far. I know this is a bit taboo, but it didn’t feel that way, and the spice was amazing. I loved her character development and I actually thought the ending was perfect. I will be recommending this book for years to come. 4.5 stars.

if they said there’s a taboo romance over that cliff right there, I’d be the first to jump head first 😅

and let me tell you, this book did 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 disappoint!

there wasn’t as much spice as I would have thought, but when there was a spicy scene, I was ALL IN. my goodness, I absolutely loved tiernan and her new family.

the tension and the slow burn for tiernan accepting her new reality in her new home while simultaneously dealing with trauma and ✨ feelings ✨ was so excellently written!

I wasn’t a total fan of the ending, but I can definitely overlook that for the rest of the book. I would have liked tiernan’s decision on her life and future to be a little less rushed, BUT WHATEVER.

I just am biased because of my favorite character I think … *cough* uncle jake *cough*

there are a ton of trigger warnings for abuse, death of a parent, and yes, taboo relationships - so please check them all out before picking this up!!

thank you to netgalley and berkley romance for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!’

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: san francisco valley rosé

I just reviewed Credence by Penelope Douglas. #Credence #NetGalley

I have moral issues with this book. I have read many *many* books that have blurred the lines, but something about this book has gotten under my skin. My issue is her age and the obvious grooming by her "uncle." I know this is a book and not real life, but something about it has ruined the book for me.
The 'why choice' trope is fine, let her jump between the sons' rooms... fine. But the "Uncle Jake" is grooming her! He says that he wants to help her, to help her grieve her parents' death. But she's 17! I do not care that they waited till after her 18th birthday, that makes no difference. It's the romanticizing of these behaviors that bothers me. I'm aware it's fiction. But this is a real issue. Older men pry and take advance of struggling girls.
I know I read the trigger warnings ahead of time, and it doesn't trigger me. It infuriated me.
About half way into this book, I remember that the most fucked up book I've ever read was also by the same author. I'm not saying the authors' writing isn't good - it's these subjects of SA, rape, and minors that bother me. Trust me, this book was addictive, even as I kept sighing and throwing my kindle down - I continued to read it.
Had she not fucked the uncle, I wouldn't have had any issues... that's it.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

While I enjoyed some parts of this, I don't really think this one was for me! I enjoyed bits of the writing and am interested in reading other titles by Penelope Douglas but I wasn't a fan of the way the characters were so hot and cold for each other. The mood swings were giving me whiplash. Also, I was rooting for Noah so I was a little disappointed with the outcome.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The story was ok, I just didn’t fully connect to the characters. It was well written and certainly taboo.

Eh, not a huge fan of the weird incestuous thing. This book was not written for me.
I can even do stepsibling romance but ACTUAL family- no no no.

While I can admit that I would've liked this if it was ANY OTHER dynamic and its well written, I just could not get pass the family part.

I had to dnf this at about 20%. I just couldn’t mesh with the writing style and the whole premise/romance made me more uncomfortable than I originally thought

no. just no. i don’t think i’ve ever read anything so manipulative. literally 3 men manipulate 1 teenage girl. that’s it, that’s the plot. it’s only getting 2 stars because it was an addictive read, but all for the wrong reasons. & because of the scenery/setting -reminded me of twilight.

it was a whole bunch of nothing. i knew what i was getting into but if you’re gonna read this don’t go into it thinking it’s a “dark smutty romance” when it’s just clear abuse after abuse. i don’t get shocked easily but my jaw was on the floor with this one, and not in a good way.

if you ever plan to read this, which i highly suggest you don’t, think critically about what you’re reading because 100% of the things that happened in this book is nothing that should be condoned or romanticized in real life

This book was definitely a lot to take in at first. Now being the second time I've read this, it was still a lot and I was reminded why I was unsure of it the first time I read this. Penelope does a fantastic job at writing this book in regards to smut and plot, but it was hard to follow from time to time, knowing they were in a way related (not directly by blood, but still, the implication made me feel a little icky about it).

The writing was so incredible that it definitely helped me get through this and enjoy it for what it was. And I do mean I really was only enjoying it for what it was, which for me was well done smut while I read the book brain off when it came to everything else.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Penelope Douglas has the unique talent of writing morally grey situations and characters, and yet still giving you enough love and nuance that crafts a full and vibrant world you don't really want to leave - thorns and all. This is one of my favorite Penelope Douglas books and the bonus material was a great addition!

Let's set the mood. Alexa, play Sweet Home Alabama.


Tiernan is 17 years old and lives with her rich and famous parents in California. They don't really care about her much and never speak to her. So when they find out the dad has cancer, they decide to commit joint suicide and leave Tiernan all alone.

But Tiernan has a step-uncle from her dad's side, who lives secluded deep in the Colorado mountains with her two step-cousins and are stepping up to take her into their home. How lucky!

If you've had any interest in this book, you know that its taboo plot line includes Tiernan and her relatives getting it on. She's 17, and her cousins are 20 some things and going into this book I thought okay...let's get taboo.

But when all of the "love" interest things were happening with her FORTY SOMETHING year old uncle I just could not. My imagination does not have the capacity to imagine any forty year old man who is attracted to and getting it on with a 17 year old girl as attractive. And you're probably thinking, "Trish, you were on board for her being with her step cousins but you draw the line at her being with a forty year old uncle?" Uh. Yes. That is absolutely fucking correct.

I also draw the line at Tiernan being "in love" with a man that tried to rape her TWICE, destroyed her furniture, stole her underwear, is mute by choice, and is just all around so inappropriately mean. She has sex with all three of these men and chooses to be in love with the rudest, meanest one of all of them with no explanation as to why.

If it makes you feel any better, there's no real sex until Tiernan actually turns 18. I however, am not comfy with the grooming for 50 percent of the book.

What bugs me is that the writing was good! good enough that I read the whole thing. I really liked the writing and a lot of the steamy scenes.The first few chapters really pulled me in and then...things got weird and it was too late.

I knew the book was taboo when I went into it, I guess I underestimated how okay with taboo I really was (I thought I was prepared, I mean I watched Life With Derek back in the day) because the step cousin thing didn't bother me. But the constant treating her like shit, and trying to rape her, and treating her like a young child in a weird way, the spanking, the yelling and swearing and hitting each other...nah.

It makes me worry that a younger reader would think this was normal, that "it's okay if a man treats me like this, it means he loves me. This is just how men are."

If you're dating someone who reminds you of any of these characters it's time to leave

Wow. My first Penelope Douglas. Spicy. Left me with a few questions about the morally gray area, but overall, an entertaining read!

I didn’t know much about this title, except it was a tiktok fave…. I was not expecting … this. I ended up skimming much of the book, and then giving up. There is blatant sexual assault, and the relation dynamics are horrible, and the “chemistry” is nonexistent. This isn’t even a “dark romance”, it’s a textbook case of an abused child being groomed and abused by several adult men. This was horrible.