Title: The Crush
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 22, 2021
BLURB
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.
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.
PURCHASE LINKS
APPLE BOOKS / B&N / KOBO
MY REVIEW
Farrah has long held a crush on her brother's friend, Jace. He of course, sees her as a little sister. He's six years older than she, so of course he thinks of her as a little kid, a little sister. Then he comes home from college and little Farrah is all grown up, and gorgeous to boot. Will he be able to keep his hands to himself or will their forbidden relationship burn them up the way first loves are wont to do?
The first time around, Jace and Farrah were hot - forbidden love and all that. But when he ran away after her brother Nathan blew up at them, he took Farrah's heart, and spirit, with him. Now he's back to take care of his father after his mother's passing, and he's guilt stricken that Farrah can barely look at him without the blank look of someone for whom life has not been kind. She's older, she's hardened, AND she has a boyfriend. Can Jace bring back the spark to Farrah's eyes? Or are they doomed to be a mistake, relegated to the past they're both running from?
The Crush is an emotional and heartfelt story of love gone wrong ending in redemption. When they were together in secret the first time, they were so hot together, but when he came back, damn...it was so painful to read as Farrah and Jace faced up to the mistakes made and the pain that still lay in both their hearts, and in Nathan's. Talk about gutting me! Penelope never hesitates to take the difficult route with her characters, and she didn't pull any punches here because these two (three) go through it. I was hurting for them all, rooting Farrah and Jace on, and cheering when they finally came around to happiness. Bravo to Penelope for this slow burn love story, this out of the box, atypical brother's best friend story.
AUTHOR BIO
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.
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
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
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