Release Blitz/Review Tour: The Assignment: Penelope Ward
The Assignment
Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 28, 2022
ADD TO GOODREADS
AUDIBLE: Narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
Reasons why I should not be drawn to Troy Serrano.
Number one: He’s obnoxious.
Number two: He and I were enemies over a decade ago in high school.
Number three: He’s my friend’s ex-boyfriend.
I could go on and on, really.
When my boss gives me an unwanted assignment and tells me it involves spending time with the grandson of one of our residents—the grandson turns out to be Troy. He’s now as successful as he is undeniably handsome.
Lucky me. Four hours a week of having to deal with his insufferable personality and unsolicited advice.
The only consolation is getting to stare at his annoyingly gorgeous face in between our many arguments.
Eventually, though, we slowly warm to each other and our outings become something I actually look forward to.
What’s happening to me?
Apparently, I misunderstood the assignment, because it certainly didn’t include thinking about Troy when I close my eyes at night, imagining what it would be like with him—just once. All the while hating myself for fantasizing about a guy who’s all wrong for me. A guy whose car I keyed back in the day. (Long story, but he deserved it.)
That’s all this is—a fantasy.
Well, until that one night at the bar.
The night Troy and I run into each other, and all of our pent-up frustration comes barreling out.
Still, I refuse to accept that it means anything.
There’s no way the guy I’m supposed to hate is also the one I can’t live without.
When Aspyn Dumont is assigned to be a glorified babysitter for a resident at the nursing facility's grandson while he takes his grandfather on outings, she is shocked to find out she knows him...and has hated him since high school. And Aspyn is good at holding a grudge and not afraid to show it. She is strong, stubborn, caring, and fiercely loyal.
Troy Serrano did her high school bestie wrong and Aspyn struck back at him then. And she still does not want to have anything to do with him. But they have to tolerate each other for his grandfather. They easily get under each other's skin. They taunt and tease. And the more time they spend together, the more things start to settle down.
Troy is a financial advisor in town temporarily to assist his grandfather. He is cocky, confident, witty, and sexy. He is not planning on staying. He is not looking for a relationship. He has commitment and abandonment issues. He does not like to be vulnerable. She reminds him of all of his mistakes and finds himself seeking forgiveness and starting to let her in even if she does not want to trust him. His grandfather's antics made me smile and I loved his sweet relationship with him.
Aspyn has trust issues due to their history and other baggage. But she also has a lot of responsibilities. She is afraid of getting duped or hurt. But something about Troy keeps drawing her in despite her wariness.
This is a forced-together, enemies-to-lovers, best-friend's-ex, supposed-to-be-a-fling-but-catch-feelings story about forgiveness and second chances. I actually loved Aspyn and Troy together. Their banter is fiery and fun. Their chemistry is undeniable. And as they begin to let the walls come down they have the potential to be amazing together...if they can just let go of their fears and insecurities. And these two have some deeply rooted fears and issues. Choices from the past have impacted their lives in various ways. It will require them to be honest, vulnerable, trust, take a chance, and risk getting hurt if they want a chance of moving forward. But nothing for these two has ever run smoothly.
Aspyn loves her job at Meadowbrook, even if being Activities Director at a retirement home was never on her list of dream goals when she was younger. She is tasks with chaperoning outings for one of her favorite residences, which sounded fine until she learned that the resident’s grandson was none other than her high school nemesis.
Troy lives across the country and didn’t get home as often as he liked, but when his dad wanted to take a vacation and needed Troy to come home to keep an eye on things, he came without hesitation. He loved his grandfather and could work from anywhere, but didn’t expect to come face to face with the girl he loved to hate in high school.
These two take enemies to lovers to the extreme. Their high school antics had them at each other’s throats then with pure hatred. But now, even though 10 years has passed, neither has let go of that animosity even though they hadn’t thought of each other in years. But as adults (and forced into close proximity) they face the events that sparked their hatred in the past. It also helps that even though they still bicker, there is a heat hiding behind the bickering.
There were times I just wished these two could talk to each other rather than just to the people around them, and one aspect of their story took far longer to resolve that I would have liked. But there is a definite spark between them that neither can ignore for long.
I loved most of the side characters -- Kiki and Mr. Serrano (Tony’s grandfather) were definite bright spots in the story. I loved how Kiki and Troy connected over their shared loss and loved how it showed that softer side of Troy.
Overall, this was an entertaining story with enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fling with feelings aspects. There is a lot for these two to unpack during their fling as it becomes clear that they can’t maintain the no-strings relationship they first agreed to.
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.
AUTHOR LINKS
OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD
0 comments