New Audiobook Release Review: Colt by Jessica Peterson

 Colt by Jessica Peterson is now live on audio!

Narrated by: Vanessa Edwin & Aiden Snow 

She isn’t supposed to care about a ranch.
She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the foreman.
And his six-year-old son is absolutely, definitely not supposed to capture her heart.

Lainey Brown is not ranch material. She's a city girl who landed on the legendary Wallace Ranch to give the place a fresh coat of branding—and get her career back on track. She's got no interest in cowboys, cattle, or the infuriatingly gorgeous foreman who clearly wants her gone.

Colton Wallace has spent every day since losing his wife building something worth leaving his son: a spotless reputation, a thriving operation, and a life with no room for complications. The last thing he needs is a firecracker from Austin with a sketchbook full of big ideas and a smile that makes him forget every reason he swore off wanting things he can't keep.

But somewhere between their very first fight and a Texas night sky that stretches on forever, something shifts. Lainey stops counting the days until she can leave. And Colt stops pretending he wants her to.

The ranch has always been the Wallace legacy. But Colt is starting to wonder if the best thing that's ever happened to it—and to him—just walked in wearing city shoes.

COLT is the first cowboy romance book in the all-new DOUBLE U RANCH series, releasing summer 2026! 

My review: 5 stars!

What a great start to a new series! Colt and Lainey's enemies-to-lovers story was full of all the things I love in my romance reads- spice, tension, the best banter, and believable relationship development. Being from Oklahoma, I know Texas well and author Peterson certainly did the state justice. Yay for hot cowboys! Grumpy/sunshine is always one of my favorite tropes, and Colt was the best kind of growly grumpy and Lainey's sunshiny personality was the cutest. I listened to the audiobook narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin and Aiden Snow, and their performances were absolutely perfect. Chef's kiss casting for sure. One book in, and I am here for the Double U Ranch Series and cannot wait for the next book.


Listen today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xaD58D

Audible: https://bit.ly/4uWcAmc

Apple: https://bit.ly/43MelX5

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/4aT8lQr

Kobo: https://bit.ly/4voEHtZ

Audiobooks.com: https://bit.ly/4f8lvM4

Chirp: https://bit.ly/4vshHtH

Libro FM: https://bit.ly/43PR3j4

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Qmp9bl

New Audiobook Release Review: Crooked by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

 

Title: Crooked

Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Bodyguard, Close Proximity

Mafia Daughter, Forbidden

Release Date: March 29, 2026

BLURB

A new, sexy standalone novel from New York Times Bestsellers, Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward…

 

The last thing I needed was a live-in bodyguard. And I definitely didn’t want him. Six foot two, with broad shoulders that were impossible to ignore and a talent for getting in my way, Wes Callahan was a walking bad decision.

 

But when you’re the daughter of a notorious mob boss, apparently your opinions stop mattering the moment your father ignites another war. I’d spent my entire life trying to escape that crooked world—new name, new city, newfound freedom. At least until I was suddenly shacked up with my new bodyguard. 

 

Wes knew exactly how to push my buttons. He was also infuriatingly protective. And smart. And funny. And thoughtful when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.  Little by little, the walls I’d built started to crack, and falling for the bodyguard became the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. Because if my father found out, Wes wouldn’t just lose his job. He’d lose his life. 

 

Getting involved with him was reckless, yet I couldn’t find a way to stop it, no matter how hard I tried.  But while I was busy losing my heart, the man who took it was hiding a secret. 

And it turned out, the most dangerous man in my life wasn’t my father after all—it was the one who threatened to break my heart.

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My review: 5 stars!

There's really no one other than the writing duo of Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward that I'd add a "mafia" shelf for. Since they are at the top of my favorite writers list, I figured why not give it a try? I was sure it wasn't going to be a typical dark mafia romance, and I was glad to see their trademark blend of humor and heat was the star of the show. I listened to duet-style audiobook and enjoyed every minute! Screenwriter Juliette and bodyguard Wes clashed from the very beginning, but their chemistry was hard to deny and their story was so good. Maybe I'll add some more books to my mafia shelf!

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

ALSO AVAILABLE

ALTERNATIVE COVER PAPERBACK

AUDIOBOOK

VI KEELAND

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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PENELOPE WARD

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over thirty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

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