Credence Review

 This is the second book by Penelope Douglas that I have read. Both Credence and Birthday Girl come highly recommended on BookTube but I had pretty much the same problem with Credence that I had with Birthday Girl. The story starts off intriguing but loses me by the end.

Credence is a taboo romance about one young woman dealing with her feelings for her uncle and two cousins. Don’t worry, they’re not related by blood. I also classify this as a dark romance for some of the topics the story covers.

One of the darker themes in this book is Tiernan’s feelings of abandonment. Her parents never paid attention to her and then they suddenly commit suicide together leaving her completely alone until her uncle steps in. 

When Tiernan de Haas' parents commit suicide, she finds herself under the care of her uncle - her father's step brother. She moves to the middle of nowhere, Colorado where her uncle Jack Van der Berg and her two cousins, Noah and Kaleb, live. They live so secluded in the woods that they get snowed in every winter. 

Tiernan ends up living with the three men as she is just a few months shy of her 18th birthday and still needs a guardian. Of course, Tiernan cannot help but be attracted to her uncle and cousins. And yes, she bangs all three of them. She even bangs the cousins at the same time.

I felt dirty typing that.

Let’s start with the positives. 

Penelope Douglas is great at writing smut and building up tension. I mean, uncle fucking isn’t really my thing but I cannot deny that she knows how to write smut scenes. She also knows how to build up to them.

I love mountain men in my smut and romances. The whole idea of Tiernan being snowed in with these wild men - men who hunt and chop wood! - is intriguing to me. The taboo aspect is not something I gravitate towards but I love the wilderness setting. I also love a man who knows how to use an axe.

I also really enjoyed giving my boyfriend the play-by-play as I read this book. He is also not a fan of this book. He told me I needed to read some good Christian literature once I finished this book. 

Unfortunately, I had some issues with this story that made me give it two stars in the end. I also have come to realize that dark romance might not be for me.

Just like with Birthday Girl, I wanted the main character of Credence, Tiernan, to take off and be independent. She doesn’t need a man! In both stories we have this young eighteen year old girl going from one bad situation into a new romance then choosing that romance over independence. I know that romances have a happy ending but can’t we break that rule with dark romances? 

I wanted Tiernan to run away and go live her life for herself. She spent years trying to get her parents’ attention then immediately jumped into a relationship with her uncle and cousins before settling on one of them. Why can’t she take some time for herself?

Don’t even get me started on the fact that none of these men were good for her. She just turned eighteen and suddenly it’s ok to have sex with her. Uncle Jake makes a comment in the beginning of the book about Tiernan being broken or troubled and he refuses to get involved with her because she’s a troubled teen looking for attention because she never got any from her parents. Of course, that is quickly forgotten when she becomes legal.

Noah is nice but selfish in that he wants Tiernan to love him because he’s good for her according to him. But he also wants to leave Colorado so is he really looking for a relationship with her? Then there’s Kaleb.

Kaleb is a mess. He is mute because of his tragic backstory. He also acts so childish towards Tiernan. At one point he throws a plate of food at her. He also holds her down on her bed and writes the word “slut” on her forehead at some point. And yet I’m expected to believe he has feelings for her and she has feelings for him?

Tiernan has feelings for all three men throughout the book but ultimately ends up choosing one of the three men to be with. I’m trying not to spoil it but, well, honestly, none of the choices were good. All of the men took advantage of her in some way.

There are also issues with consent throughout the book. Near the end of the story one of the men throws Tiernan’s birth control pills in the trash. There are times when Tiernan says “stop” to one of the guys and he doesn’t stop right away so there’s a bit of a dub-con element there.

I don’t think dark romances are for me. I start off loving them but then the romance starts and I know there’s going to be a happily ever after with the abused woman and a piece of shit guy. It’s not just Credence that does this. I’ve read stories where the woman is kidnapped or sold into (sexual) slavery only to fall in love with her kidnapper or the also evil man who saves her. I start off liking the dark elements but I just long for the woman to kill everyone and take over the crime empire.

With Credence, I just wanted Tiernan to leave and be alone for a bit. Same thing with Birthday Girl.

My main issue with Credence was the fact that none of the three men are good. Uncle Jake takes advantage of a troubled young girl. Noah is probably the closest to decent but I still felt like he was being a bit selfish. And Kaleb is just a piece of shit all around.

If you want to read some good taboo smut, you will enjoy the smut scenes and the build up to those scenes. I was enjoying the story until I took a look at the actual romances. I did not believe the romance between Tiernan and the one she ends up with. We needed to see him change and their dynamic change.