Taylor's Father Book Review - No Spoilers
A few weeks ago I was organizing my reading journal — yes, the color-coded one — and I realized I had an entire section dedicated to "books I recommended to friends and immediately regretted." Not because the books were bad. Because my friends read them faster than me and then wanted to talk about them before I was done. That's exactly what happened with Taylor's Father. I told two friends to read it. They both finished in a day. I was halfway through and had to put my phone on silent for 24 hours.
Plot Summary
Taylor's Father by Penelope Ward is a standalone age-gap contemporary romance. Blair, a young woman fresh off a breakup, heads to a resort gifted to her by her best friend Taylor. There she meets Tate — older, captivating, and going through his own personal reckoning. They agree to an anonymous vacation fling: no last names, no strings, and goodbye at the end of the week. Four years pass. When Taylor gets married and his long-estranged father appears at the wedding — it's Tate. The man Blair never got over is now her best friend's dad, and the complications are only beginning.
Why I Love This Book
I love how Taylor's Father handles an inherently tricky premise with so much care and emotional honesty. The vacation fling section takes up a large chunk of the book, and it earns every page. Penelope Ward gives us real reasons for these two to fall for each other before the plot complication hits. Tate is protective without being controlling. Blair is witty and bold, and while she has moments of immaturity, they feel authentic to her age. The chemistry between them is electric. The longing after their separation is painfully good. And when the twist hits? It's both inevitable and devastating. I was completely hooked and read the second half in one sitting.
Who Will Like This Book
If you love age-gap romance, forbidden love, or vacation flings with real emotional weight, Taylor's Father will be a favorite. This is an angsty, spicy, unputdownable read that also has genuine heart. The age-gap here is significant, so if that's a hard no for you, skip it — but if you're open to it, the dynamic is handled with maturity and respect. Fans of Penelope Ward's emotional storytelling style will adore this one.
⚠️ Trigger warning: age gap (significant), infidelity adjacent (past), parental estrangement, emotional manipulation (past relationship), explicit sexual content, family conflict.
Tagged As
age-gap romance, forbidden romance, vacation fling, second chance, contemporary romance, Penelope Ward, standalone, steamy, angsty, emotional, friends' parent, HEA, explicit
Steam Level
🌶🌶🌶🌶 Explicit
Taylor's Father is open-door and genuinely steamy. The physical relationship between Blair and Tate builds slowly and meaningfully, making the intimate scenes feel earned rather than gratuitous. Definitely not fade-to-black.
