REVIEW: Penn by Jennifer Millikin

Penn by Jennifer Millikin: It has been over ten years since Penn has returned home to Olive Township, only this time he has no intentions of staying or sparking up old connections, his mission is to clear out and sell his late mothers estate and get back to his normal life. The last thing he expected was to run into his childhood best friend, Daisy, on his very first day back. Though after the way he left ten years ago there is no way that he can admit to anyone let alone Daisy that he is actually Penn, her old friend, which is why he decides to use a fake identity, after all whats the harm in claiming to be Peter, right? The only problem with lies, they tend to have a way of catching up with you… with fate constantly throwing the two together, Penn has no choice but to face the fact that the connection they shared as kids has only gotten stronger and just maybe Daisy is his person… only this time Penn doesn’t plan on leaving without his girl…

As far as small town romances go this was a pretty cute book, there was a good build up between our characters, a bit of suspense and drama thrown into the mix and a whole lot of pinning. There were definite Princess Bride parallels in Penn and for the most part I really enjoyed this modern retelling, though there were a few moments that felt a bit to drawn out and unnecessary. I will say that I love the way Millikin builds her stories, hooking you right when you least expect it.

Both Penn and Daisy were such loveable main characters and gosh did I just love them together! Daisy was so sweet and relatable. Truly she was one of the easiest to love characters you will find, she has a heart of gold and will do just about anything to help the people she loves find happiness. Though I have to say my heart went out to her and all the pressure that she was put under to be the perfect daughter and the towns golden girl, I’m so glad that she finally realised to truly be the best version of herself she has to be a bit selfish. As for our hero, well Penn was all in for his girl. There was no questioning his feelings for Daisy and once he came clean about his past, gosh was he ready to put in the effort to woo his girl. I loved our hero to bits, for all this rough and broken edges he was actually a real sweetheart looking for his other half. Penn opening up about why he left and his time as a Seal only made me love his guy all the more, truly he was a gem of a hero.

The connection between Penn and Daisy was just perfection! There was the most delicious slow burn tension between them that I just could not get enough of. These two had some of the best banter and it only got better when Penn came clean about his true identity. Truly Penn could not have been more cute and thoughtful with each of his gestures to show his affection to Daisy, if the daisy tattoo wasn’t enough to melt a girls heart, then surely the 16 missed birthdays surprise would have melted even the coldest of hearts.

The supporting characters in this book were great, we get to meet a whole lot of new people and get snippets of what I’m hoping will be the build up of each of their books, I definitely can not wait to see what happens with Duke.

All in all Penn was a great read, this book is filled with heart and will definitely make you appreciate the power of love, forgiveness and how healing truly love can be. If you like a cute small town, second chance, friends to lovers romance then this is definitely the book for you!

Book Info:

Publication: February 6, 2025 | JNM LLC | Olive Township #1

The entirety of Olive Township is looking forward to the fast-approaching day when Daisy St. James will say ‘I do’ to the town golden boy.

There’s just one little catch.

Daisy isn’t in love. Her impending nuptials are transactional in nature, and that suits Daisy just fine. She learned the hard way a long time ago that true love does not exist, so what does it matter if her marriage is a farce?

But then a stranger named Peter sails into town, his forearm bearing a tattooed symbol of the Navy SEAL he used to be. And wound around that symbol, are daisies.

Daisy is ready to write it off as coincidence, but there’s no denying the way the enigmatic man feels familiar to her. His slow smile, his stormy eyes, the shape of his jaw. He makes her laugh, draws out her smiles, and even more dangerous, he challenges her previous thoughts about true love.

And then one day, he says three little words only someone from her past would know…someone named Penn.

Penn Bellamy returned to Olive Township with plans to sell his late mother’s estate, snag a locally famous Sammich, and be on his way. Under no circumstances was he to speak to his childhood best friend, Daisy. Or be her ear when she fled her engagement party. Or become her physical therapy client. Offering to help her with her home remodel? He wasn’t supposed to do that, either.

When Daisy learns Peter and Penn are the same person, and he discovers Daisy’s engagement is a pretense, all bets are off.

Penn will do whatever it takes to make Daisy his, even if it means telling her the truth about why he left once before.

After all, all is fair in the quest for true love.