Craves The Angst: BLOG TOUR with BOOK REVIEW! WHEN AUGUST ENDS by Penelope Ward is Now Available!

"... a fun-filled romance, weaving in intelligent, playful characters, and a unique story ..." - Craves the Angst

TITLE: When August Ends
SERIES: (standalone)
AUTHOR: Penelope Ward
AGE GROUP: Adult
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2019
PUBLISHER: Penelope Ward Books, Inc.
PAGES: Approx. 253
COPY PROVIDED BY: Author
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINKRATING: 4 Stars!
CLIFFHANGER: No

BOOK BLURB:
What do you do when a sexy, older man moves into your family’s summer rental?

Well, apparently, you make a fool of yourself—over and over. Things didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with Noah Cavallari. Our first encounter was embarrassing, to say the least.

But despite that, I found myself waking up every day with a newfound energy. Nothing exciting ever happened on the lake—not until Noah moved into the small boathouse on our property. He’d booked it for the entire summer…and I was still trying to figure out why.

When my mother became ill, I inherited the responsibility of making sure our guests were well taken care of. I should have been in college. Instead, I was living my best life…as a maid.

Dark, handsome, and mysterious, everything about Noah screamed forbidden.

I knew he was just passing through town for the summer.

I knew he was probably too old for me.

Yet, I was drawn to him.

Not to mention, he tried to save my life when he mistakenly thought I was drowning.

I wanted him and made no secret of it.

His own attempts to warn me away soon gave way to late-night moonlight chats by the lake. We were slowly easing into a friendship that was gearing up to explode into something I might not recover from.

Because he’s leaving at the end of the summer.

And I have no idea what I’ll do when August ends.

REVIEWER'S NOTE: I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars!

The Review:

This was another great read told from one of my favorite authors. Penelope Ward knows how to take a muted plot and turn it into a fun-filled romance, weaving in intelligent, playful characters, and a unique story with just enough twists and turns and steamy chemistry to WOW this reader.

When August Ends is a wonderful story about timing, fate and breaking the rules. I loved Noah and Heather!

Story/Characters...

Heather Chadwick needs a little excitement in her life. Some help and a solid shoulder to lean on wouldn’t hurt either. At only twenty years old, she’s encumbered by duty and resigned to her fate, but the minute she meets her hot new boathouse tenant, her life starts to shift and suddenly she’s looking forward instead of feeling stuck.

Noah Cavallari is older and wiser ... and he absolutely will not touch the young, blond haired, blue eyed goddess that he rents the boathouse from. It’s only three months and he’s not there to start anything that could deter him from the reason he’s spending the summer at the lake. But that vow and all his good intentions just can’t compete with the temptation Heather poses when she sets her sights on him and entices him in ways he never knew he could be tempted.

Thoughts...

I was skeptical. I won’t lie. As much as I love a Penelope Ward book, I was a little scared to dig into this one after reading the blurb and knowing the hero would be quite a bit older than the heroine. However, though Noah is nearly thirteen years her senior, I never felt the distance between him and Heather. Noah’s experience and life lessons made him wise, rational, sensible and VERY sexy - all things Heather needed in her life.

Heather was an old soul. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was levelheaded, responsible and duty bound. She also had a lightness that shined bright in the midst of all that burden. Noah couldn’t help but be pulled towards it. They made a perfect couple, and their attraction to one another created a slow build that was enjoyable and fun. As the summer passed, their bond grew through midnight talks and daily chores, their steadfast friendship quickly passing into something profound and life-changing for both of them. I fell in love with them, their story and their chemistry.

I will say that I felt like the ending just came together way too easily. I also wish the pace had been a little more exciting and though I honestly didn’t see the “big reveal” coming and was surprised by it and loved the maturity with which both the mains handled it, I also felt the emotional impact wasn’t on par with the angsts I usually get from this author. I loved the story. I loved the characters. But I also felt it was missing a small amount of something that’s usually there to pull me off the grey line and into the “feels” I love so much.

The Wrap Up:

Overall, I really enjoyed this easy-to-read, well-written book. I admired the friends-to-lovers feel while the mains shared a fair amount of sexual tension that slowly built into a handful of sexy moments as Noah and Heather fought their serious attraction to one another. I’m a huge fan of this author and always will be. She’s my go-to place for quick, easy-to-read sexy romances that hook me from the beginning and thrill me to the very end. When August Ends was a good read and one I know I’ll reread again soon.