REVIEW: My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

In My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland, Hazel had good intentions when she decided to keep her travel plans to Vail even though she and her fiance had broken things off. Meant to be time away to heal and figure out how to carry on, she didn’t realize it would also include meeting another weary traveler with a broken heart. It was almost serendipitous. A bad snowstorm, no accommodations available, and Hazel overhearing a mystery guy with a sneaky plan to snag a room. When she jumps into the conversation posing as his sister Maddie, she and the fake Milo Hooker get the rooms and spend time slowly getting to know each other. But it’s not enough. So that’s when the faux siblings decide to take a road trip together.

“Does that mean you’re planning on kissing me?”
I’d said it kidding around, but the moment suddenly got serious. Milo looked into my eyes. “There’s absolutely nothing I’d like to do more. But I know that once I taste you, I’d never be able to stop at a kiss, Maddie.”

Matteo, aka Milo, is pretty knocked out by Maddie. And taking their new friendship on the road seems like the start of something wonderful. Although neither of them are ready for anything serious at the moment, both coming out of their own personal heartbreaks recently. So Matteo is determined to enjoy every single second of their journey. As their time wears down, he asks Maddie to meet him again in three months, in New Orleans, if she wants to continue their relationship and see where it takes them. They both have things to sort through. But Matteo knows he wants a future with the lovely lady and can only hope she feels the same way.

‘Right now, I had to trust my gut. And my gut told me Hazel had been mine from the moment we met.’

What a sexy, fun adventure Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland took us on in My Favorite Souvenir. Jam packed with all of the naughty moments and genuine, raw emotions I expect from this duo, it was a story that went in a rather surprising direction–but one that I definitely enjoyed.

‘Matteo was a man who deserved to have a woman running toward him because she wanted to–not because she needed to get away from something else.’

Trigger Warning: View Spoiler »Love triangle, infidelity. « Hide Spoiler

Who doesn’t have a great time with a book by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland, right? Lots of laughs and sighs, swoony heroes and smart, capable heroines. You simply can’t go wrong. My Favorite Souvenir was all of that, plus it had a plot twist that, okay…it might tick off some readers. But I thought it was quite brilliant. And it made me want to go back to the beginning to do a re-read immediately and see everything from a whole new perspective.

Hazel and Matteo were awesome. Or I should say, Maddie and Milo Hooker, as they were known for the first good chunk of the book. I loved how they met–almost a meet-cute in some respects–and that they felt comfortable enough with each other from the start to go on a road trip together. Some of the things that happened on Matteo and Hazel’s grand adventure might be a bit over the top or not really plausible in real life, but it sure was entertaining. And their chemistry was more than enough to smooth over those edges. Because, seriously, Ward and Keeland are just so wonderful at describing the attraction between their characters in a way that is palpable and almost tangible.

In this case, we had an instant connection between Hazel and Matteo, but their romance was all about the slow burn. And it worked incredibly well for their unique situation. As you would hope for from this writing duo, Matteo was a heartthrob who was intelligent, caring, sexy and had a deliciously dirty mouth. Hazel was a former free spirit who had started to feel locked in by her daily life. She was sweet and had a huge heart, almost to the point of being a people-pleaser. Matteo and Hazel were one of those couples who just *fit*. They were absolutely right for each other, which made what happened in the last half of the book so complicated. (Can you tell I don’t want to give any spoilers? lol)

Just the right amount of heat, angst, and soul-searching made My Favorite Souvenir a touching romance fans of Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland will certainly talk about for a long time into the future.

Book Info:

Publication: April 27th 2020 | C. Scott Publishing Corp. |

From New York Times New Bestselling authors Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed.
But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people.
It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor.
Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn’t in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn’t shown up yet.
When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That’s how the story of “Milo and Maddie Hooker” began.
We were the Hookers.
My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure.
My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet.
So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip.
At every stop, we’d pick up souvenirs.
But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line.
Milo knew I’d just come out of a tough relationship and didn’t want to mess with a vulnerable woman.
So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months.
It was always my intention to meet him.
But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way.
And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever.
Was there a place for him in my future?
Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?