Title: Toe the Line
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Trope: Friends-to-Lovers
Release Date: February 27, 2023
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Trope: Friends-to-Lovers
Release Date: February 27, 2023
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a friends-to-lovers story spanning more than a decade…
At first, I thought I’d hate spending the summer with Archie Remington—the conceited son of my parents’ friends.
What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didn’t exist when we were younger.
When our families bought a house together on an island in Maine, he and I were forced to share a bathroom.
The boy I remembered was now a full-grown man—but with the same attitude.
After a rough start, Archie and I unexpectedly started getting along one day and eventually became friends. We shared secrets and bonded during our morning jogs. I discovered that Archie had a wild spirit and that he struggled to conform to his father’s expectations.
Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasy—involving him.
I took it back, but it was too late. Archie had heard me loud and clear. After that, we never quite knew how to toe the line.
When that summer came to an abrupt and shocking end, I headed back to college, unsure if anything would ever be the same again.
Across the miles over the years, he and I stayed in touch as friends, but fate and timing always kept us from becoming more.
You know the saying: If two people are meant to be, they’ll find their way back to each other?
Let’s just say Archie came back into my life in a way I would’ve never expected.
And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.
At first, I thought I’d hate spending the summer with Archie Remington—the conceited son of my parents’ friends.
What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didn’t exist when we were younger.
When our families bought a house together on an island in Maine, he and I were forced to share a bathroom.
The boy I remembered was now a full-grown man—but with the same attitude.
After a rough start, Archie and I unexpectedly started getting along one day and eventually became friends. We shared secrets and bonded during our morning jogs. I discovered that Archie had a wild spirit and that he struggled to conform to his father’s expectations.
Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasy—involving him.
I took it back, but it was too late. Archie had heard me loud and clear. After that, we never quite knew how to toe the line.
When that summer came to an abrupt and shocking end, I headed back to college, unsure if anything would ever be the same again.
Across the miles over the years, he and I stayed in touch as friends, but fate and timing always kept us from becoming more.
You know the saying: If two people are meant to be, they’ll find their way back to each other?
Let’s just say Archie came back into my life in a way I would’ve never expected.
And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
APPLE BOOKS / PAPERBACK
B&N / KOBO / GOOGLE PLAY
AUDIBLE / AMAZON AUDIO
APPLE BOOKS / PAPERBACK
B&N / KOBO / GOOGLE PLAY
AUDIBLE / AMAZON AUDIO
MY REVIEW
Noelle and Archie have been friends for years, since a summer when their parents bought a home together. At first not being able to stand each other, but morphing into great friends whose friendship has stood the test of time. Noelle may have wanted more than friendship back then (and still), but timing and circumstances have never allowed the two to step past that line. Now in their 30s, Noelle's made a decision that will force Archie to finally break out of his head and perhaps get him to act on the more than friendly feelings he's always had for her. She may not have been his first, but she can be his last, if he gets his act together and doesn't toe that line!
"I love you for all the moments in between, when we weren't physically together but when I knew I could count on you, when I couldn't count on anyone else."
Ah the heart. Penelope never fails to give her characters and stories the heart that's often lacking in contemporary fiction, and here in Noelle and Archie's story, I think the heart is really what stands out. Theirs is a true slow burn, but the tension and the angst is ever present, even while both of them may be in separate time zones and with others. I was practically crying waiting for them to finally get on the same page. It took awhile, had them both in a lot pain, but when they finally came together it was beautiful. I love this epic friends to lovers story. It may have spanned years, but by the time it ended, all I wanted was more of Noelle, Archie, and Roz too.
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 thirty books. Her novels 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 thirty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
AUTHOR LINKS
OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY
AUDIOBOOK
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY
AUDIOBOOK
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
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