This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed the spicy romance and the mystery/surprise elements. I think fans of J.T. Geissinger will love this gorgeous special edition.

“He’s drenched in golden sunlight, smiling at me as if I’m the first sunrise he’s ever seen."
•

I went into this one completely blind, and what a wild ride! it was sexy and spooky and the type of story I wouldn’t normally reach for but I’m glad I did!

after her husband dies, Kayla Reece is trying to move forward with her life. while attempting to fix the electrical issues and leaks in her home, she hires and fires a handyman in one day. she doesn’t expect to see him again, and she definitely doesn’t expect to start a fling with him!

simultaneously, she's receiving letters from a penitentiary inmate she’s never met and it’s obvious he’s obsessed with her. throw in her housekeeper who is convinced Kayla is being haunted, and you’ve got a jam-packed thriller on your hands.

each of these situations appears to be independent of one another, but eventually Kayla must reconcile that all signs point to one thing. will she be able to handle the truth and everything that comes with it?
•

this and that:
♡ “eyes on me”
♡ ghosts
♡ handyman / client
♡ open door romance
♡ Pacific Northwest
♡ paranormal activities
♡ psychics / mediums
♡ rain
♡ role-playing
♡ romantic thriller
♡ seances
♡ Sixth Sense vibes
♡ tarot readings
♡ widow finds a new love
•

triggers:
☞ domestic violence
☞ explicit sexual content
☞ kidnapping mentioned
☞ miscarriage
☞ murder
☞ spousal death
•

notable quotes:
・I sometimes wonder what will be left on my to-do list when I die.

・“Even small dragons can still breathe fire.”

・“We’re not introverts. We’re misanthropes. Big difference.”

・“I wish you knew how perfect you are. How different and perfect. I’ve never met anyone like you. Whenever we’re together, I feel like a new man. A better man. Like everything bad that’s ever happened to me doesn’t matter anymore because your sweet smile takes it all away.”

・“Everything about you pleases me.”

・Funny thing, isn’t it, hindsight? It’s memory, but with new understanding tacked on, so that the past means something different than it did before.

・“Pretend whatever you want. The reality is that if I find out a man put his hands on you in anger, he won’t ever be able to do it again.”

・“If you decide this isn’t what you want, promise me you’ll end it before I fall in love with you.”

・“I never want you to look back at this time and think we rushed things. I never want you to have regrets. Not about us. So we’re gonna slow it down to a crawl and take baby steps.”

・“Reality is simply what we believe it to be.”

・He’s drenched in golden sunlight, smiling at me as if I’m the first sunrise he’s ever seen.
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thank you Bramble Romance for sending me an early copy of this book to review!

I think I liked this book? This was my first foray into paranormal romance and it was fun. The relationship seemed a little shallow and the mystery seemed a little simple, but I guess it all made sense. I don't know how I feel about the twist. At first I was pretty upset by it, but I've since calmed down, haha! There's a reason why this book was so popular when it was indie published. This isn't a romance you read for the quality writing or the emotional depth of the characters. It's fast, spicy, and keeps you guessing.

Wow! I wasn't expecting that. I'd strongly suggest you go into this story blind. It will make the journey all the better. So seriously stop reading the reviews... just go get the book.

This is not a romance. This is an erotic thriller, and this made me cry more than it made me giggle and blush. This was horribly sad and depressing, but extremely well done. This book will stay in my head for a long time, I just know it. The spice was hot but in the end the book was so heart-wrenchingly depressing I just want to cry in my bed for the rest of the week. At least they’re happy, right? Wrong. I don’t want them to have ended up that way. The Romeo and Juliet trope is something I never want to experience ever again. Only read this if you’re prepared for erotica that will make you scared and then depressed. Anyway, five stars. I loved it. This book messed me up, but I enjoyed reading it.

This book made me cry way too many times. Kayla is a widow, who meets Aiden, who she hired to fix her roof. Their story unfolds with more twists and turns than I expected. This book is a thriller/romance, but the HEA isn't really a HEA to me. I liked the two main characters together, but their story seemed a little too tragic for me. I did enjoy reading it, but it didn't quite live up to the reviews I read for me personally.

Pen Pal is going to be different that what's expected for romances, and I quite enjoy that in a book. I found the romance in this book to be unique and unconventional, yet it evoked powerful emotions and feelings about the love shared between the characters Kayla and Aidan. While the happily-ever-after ending may not be traditional, it was still satisfying for me as a reader of erotic thrillers and paranormal psychological stories. Although it might not work for everyone, I was pleasantly surprised to find hope, peace, and beauty in the ending, which was far from the tragic ending I had expected. Overall, I was moved by the story and found its ending to be quite enjoyable. I rate it four strong stars out of five.

This was great and so fun! Thank you for letting me read an early copy of this book. Also the edges look so cool!

This is the third or fourth book I have read by JT and I have to say that this book takes the cake for me. have no words for just how good this book was. I never saw any of this coming. I think I might have to read this book again just to make sure I did not miss anything. What a book!!

This book was wild from start to finish and I was so excited to get back into the works of JT but nothing could have prepared me for this book. I loved JT's other works (she writes fantastic mafia with hilarious banter), but heading into this book I was skeptical.

I'll be honest in saying this book wasn't for me, I did go into it with an open mind but the plot and storyline were a lot to follow for me personally. I'm not normally a psychological thriller reader, which is what this turned into for me, and the romance felt left in the dust to the rest of what was happening in this book.

The writing itself was fantastic, and I will never not love JT's writing style, however this book was not for me but for all those thriller romance lovers, this is one to check out!

This was interesting and a bit unexpected. I liked that the main characters were the ghost instead of the ones being haunted by ghosts.

This book was a very interesting read and there were definitely a few twists and turns that I did not expect. It is not my go to genre but the description was very intriguing. The spice in the book was chef’s kiss. Upon finishing it, I immediately had to reread it.

I was so excited to receive a copy of "Pen Pal" byJ.T. Geissinger. Fans and new readers alike will love this book!

Wow! I understand now why people are going crazy over this book because this was phenomenal. It's not just a romance - and when you think you've finally figured out what's happening with the mystery aspect of it, you haven't. The only thing that frustrated me was the description - I understand after reading the whole book the importance of the pen pal. However, the title and placing so much emphasis on the "pen pal" in the summary despite that he was barely in the first 80% of the book wouldn't have been my first choice. Other than that, absolutely spectacular writing and one of the best twist endings I have ever read in my life.

This book was not what I expected. I expected a dark romance of some kind but not the story that this one unfolded. It was good but definitely something out of my wheelhouse with the turns this book gave.

Immediately on finishing this book, I added it to our romance book club schedule for the year. Wow.

I was prepared for a dark romance going in - we've got a haunted house, mysteriously delivered letters, fabulous! The steamy scenes were a good level of spice and the moments that felt confusing were done so by design. This read was entirely unexpected for me, with an ending I would have never predicted while still living up to the requirement of a HEA romance ending!

This is a fabulous romance for fans of suspense and thrillers with unreliable narrators like YOU or GONE GIRL!

I was really intrigued by this book, however, I felt it was a bit off for me. There's a dead husband, a haunted house, a lot of sex with her roof contractor, and random letters that showed up from a guy in prison. This book wasn't for me but I do know a few people who would love this book.

Holy cow. I did NOT see any of this coming. I'll give it * peppers on the spice level and 10 skulls on the WHAT?!?! level. A great read I could not put down. It was more than the blurb suggested in all the very best ways! Can't wait to read more by this author!

"Pen Pal" by J.T. Geissinger is a dark romance novel with a limited first print run, featuring spray-painted edges with a stenciled script design. The story revolves around the protagonist who receives a letter from a man named Dante on the day her husband is buried. The mysterious letter contains a single sentence: "I’ll wait forever if I have to." Despite claiming to have the wrong person, the protagonist engages in a letter exchange with Dante, and their correspondence becomes increasingly intimate. However, when the letters suddenly stop, she discovers the shocking reason—Dante is at her doorstep, and an unexpected and intense encounter awaits.

The novel promises a blend of high-octane sexiness and thrilling twists, making it a dark and engaging romance.