Blog Tour: The Crush: Penelope Ward
The Crush
Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 22, 2021
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From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone, second-chance story of forbidden love…
It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.
He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.
Fast forward a decade.
We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.
It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic.
Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.
But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.
I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven.
And he was torn.
The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.
Still, I assumed he would never…go there.
Nathan would kill us.
The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.
Eventually our slow burn exploded.
But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection.
We just couldn’t get caught, right?
That sounded simple.
Until it wasn’t.
This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.
The prologue pulled me right into their story and had me anxious to find out how they got to that point and where their story would go.
Farrah has crushed on her older brother's best friend, Jace, since she was a kid, and a teen, and now as a twenty-one year old. It has become much more serious now as she has matured. And it is further complicated since Jace is now their roommate. Their pasts are all intertwined with good and bad history.
Jace is not a boyfriend type. His life is in limbo. He is in a stressful situation trying to help his family and still dealing with issues from his past so he does not become emotionally invested. He has always thought of Farrah as a surrogate sister before. But now she is definitely a woman and his body is noticing. He knows Farrah is forbidden fruit. He knows he does not have enough to give her and is not good enough for her. And he knows her brother would not be happy. He logically knows all the reasons not to spend time with her or touch her. He knows he has to stop this new crush. He tries to resist. He really does.
But Farrah is spirited and has a mind of her own. She is not afraid to challenge him or put him in tempting situations. The more time they spend together, the more things spiral out of control both physically and emotionally. But they are always just a moment away from getting caught and everything possibly falling apart. This ramps up the tension and drama.
This is an angsty, slow burn, passionate, emotional story of loss, friendship, and love that spans years. Ultimately this is about guilt, regret, trust, forgiveness, friendship, second chances, home, and living life to its fullest. Jace and Farrah both have issues to deal with both internally and externally. Timing is everything and for them it seems to be hit or miss.
I really liked Farrah, Jace, and her brother/his best friend, Nathan, and their lives were anything but easy. They all have opportunities to make mistakes, mature, and evolve. It is the growth of the characters and changing dynamics of the relationships that make this book more compelling.
I really liked Farrah, Jace, and her brother/his best friend, Nathan, and their lives were anything but easy. They all have opportunities to make mistakes, mature, and evolve. It is the growth of the characters and changing dynamics of the relationships that make this book more compelling.
Farrah has had a crush on Jace since they were kids. As her brother’s best friend, Jace was around a lot. Now they are all grown up and he is her new roommate, helping with the mortgage while her brother looks for a new job.
Jace had always seen Farrah like a little sister, because with a six year age gap, that’s what she was as a kid. But now they are all adults and he can’t help notice the woman she has become. But knowing she is still Nathan’s little sister keeps him from going after her.
There was a lot of angst in this story. The guilt Jace felt about their past, coupled with the best friend’s little sister stigma had him constantly questioning whether he was right for Farrah, and repeatedly doing things to avoid anything. But their attraction was mutual and hard to avoid, living under the same roof. I found the back and forth a little frustrating at times, because they were so sweet when they were together. But I also loved the second chance they were given and the way things all wrapped up.
This was one of those stories where the ending felt inevitable, but the journey the characters took to get there made all the challenges worth it. The guilt, the attraction, the pressures, and the hidden truths made for an unputdownable book.
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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