Credence
Ratings141
Average rating3.3
Went against my gut based on the reviews. It's just porn. And gross at that. I don't consider myself a prude but this gave me the ick. Nope stars!
A 17 year old girl's parents die and her step-uncle, that she's never met, calls her out of the blue to ask her if she wants to come and stay with him and his 2 twenty something year old sons in an isolated cabin in the mountains. And I get creepy pedo vibes from the uncle who is in his late 40s. This girl is 17 and goes to live in a cabin in the woods with 3 grown men. I am not ok with this. It DOESNT matter that they aren't biologically related. It's just wrong. She is a child! No just no. DNF at chapter 4.
my first dnf. the only pen doug book so far i could not get through. pls refer to aymans review, it sums up how i feel perfectly.
To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. People on Booktok overhyped this book and I was even scared of reading it because I thought it wouldn’t live up to the expectations I had. I should’ve listened to my gut and kept it as a shelf trophy. I had been trying since June 2024 to finish this book because I am stubborn and really wanted to read AND ENJOY my first Penelope Douglas book… Now I don’t want to pick Birthday Girl up because of the same fear, that it’s overhyped, and it won’t live up to expectations.
Let’s talk about my problem with this book and it certainly wasn’t that she was sleeping with her STEP uncle and STEP cousins. Tiernan being fucking 17 years old when her parents commit suicide and decide that it would be best for her STEP (this is important) uncle to care for her did not sit well with me. She’s shipped off (away from the one person who cared for her when her parents didn’t) to the middle of nowhere with three men she’s never even met before. The smut didn’t happen until she was 18 but I would’ve preferred the FMC a little older from the very beginning. I immediately hated the “you’re the woman you cook for us attitude” and hated Kaleb even more. Kaleb is mute and, in my opinion, has way too many issues that he needs to deal with and heal from. His first encounter with Tiernan was him assaulting her, needing his brother to pull him off of the poor girl. No amount of childhood trauma excuses sexually assaulting someone else or assaulting in general which he did to Tiernan more than once. I will never understand why she chose the psychopath instead of the other brother, EVER.
Do yourselves a favor, read the negative reviews, and listen to them. For once, I agree with them.
Contains spoilers
Okay so... For me it's a 5 star because of the vibe, because of Kaleb and Noah's. Anyways, I first shipped Noah and Tiernan, Jake and Tiernan then Kaleb to Tiernan and then it got to Jake and Mirai. A really cute couple and I love them. Anyways I loved loved loved it
Very different from what I'm used to and in a good way. They are broken and they need each other to grow and heal. It's beautiful... And hot! :P
This book was wild and I loved it so much!! I loved the characters and the storyline was so sad. I felt so bad. The spice was amazing though.
Okay, so Credence by Penelope Douglas... where do I even start? If you're into stories that make zero sense, a weak protagonist and characters that seem to be competing for the “Most Annoying Award,” then this might just be your next read.
The plot is all over the place. It's like Douglas threw together every taboo she could think of and stirred it into a messy, cringe-worthy soup. We've got a girl sent to live with her step-uncle in the mountains (because, of course, that's a great idea), and what follows is a bizarre love “square” that had me rolling my eyes more than turning pages. Truly appalling!
The characters? Well, let's just say they don't do the book any favors. The protagonist, Tiernan, is about as interesting as a wet blanket, and her love interests aren't much better. They're either creepy, over-the-top, or just plain unlikable. The relationships are awkward, the dialogue is cheesy, and by the time I reached the end, I was more relieved than anything else.
As for the writing, it's a bit like riding a roller coaster blindfolded—except without any of the fun. One minute, it's trying too hard to be edgy, and the next, it's painfully predictable. It's like Douglas couldn't decide if she wanted to write a thriller, a romance, or some weird mix of the two. The result? A disjointed, confusing mess that left me wondering why I even started it in the first place. Not to mention several trigger warnings!
If you're looking for a book that'll make you question your life choices, Credence might just be it. But if you're after a good story with well-developed characters and a plot that actually makes sense, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
6 Stars ⭐ and 1 ☄️Comet!!!!
“Lust, learn, and love,...My mother said the first boy–or man– is a crush. You think you love them, but what you really love is how they make you fell. It's not love. It's lust. Lust for attention. Lust for danger. Lust to feel special...You're needy with number one. Needy to someone to love you.
The second is to learn about yourself...Number two is where you finally learn what you're capable of. You start getting demanding. You grow bold, not afraid to start calling some shots. You're also not afraid to be greedier in the bedroom, because it's about what you want and not what he wants. Number two is to be used. In a way.
–And number three? I ask.
Love...When you know who you are and you're ready to welcome everything he is, and you're not afraid anymore.”
i ended up finishing this book faster than i thought i would, and i'm glad i read it :) this was definitely a heart wrencher, and very unexpected from how i expected it to go . but i liked where it went ! a good read <3
What in the name of the Lord ...
This girl needs Jesus...and a psychiatrist ASAP
If they'd cut out the bit with the uncle, this book would be like 10x less problematic lol
contains spoilers
This book had a lot more potential but was a disappointment.
The most cringey issues were that she was underage and vulnerable in the beginning and the blatant rape.
The relationships were bipolar. One minute, they “love her”, the next second, they are degrading her and being physically and/or emotionally abusive. It was not done in a sexy, consensual way either.
The individual relationships were also underdeveloped. They eluded to a connection, and then she was forced into the next bed as if the first connection hadn't existed.
I won't deny that some scenes were very hot. The ending was very cute and actually softened the book for me.
It dragged on for me. It felt a little repetitive but the end was worth it
3.5⭐️
This is a very leave your morals at the door kind of book. I found there to be some interesting themes that didn't have enough depth or presence to give it 4 stars. Light on the plot heavy on the spice (after 200 pages).
3,5⭐️
I don't think this book was sold correctly to me. I did not know it was going to try to be more than smut.
I was on the fence until the real « romance » started.
It did not redeem everything however so 3,5 stars.
I felt horrible reading this. Well written and good parts and I love me some found family but rather creepy tbh. Kaleb especially