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Review / Release Blitz: I Could Never by Penelope Ward

Title: I Could Never
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Forbidden Romance/Enemies to Lovers
Release Date: August 21, 2023

BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new forbidden, enemies-to-lovers story…

It all started with an unexpected phone call.
Two years after my fiancé passed away in an accident, his father died suddenly, leaving Brad’s adult, special-needs brother with no one to care for him.
The next thing I knew, I was on a cross-country drive to New Hampshire where I’d be moving in to look after Scottie until I could get him into a group home.
The last thing I ever expected?
I wouldn’t be taking care of him alone.
Josh Mathers, my fiance’s best friend—who also happened to be my sworn enemy—insisted he was the better person for the job. He told me to go back to California, and I told him where he could stick that demand.
Our disdain for each other wasn’t anything new. It dated back to a text I’d accidentally read years ago.
We hated each other. But we both loved Scottie, so neither of us budged.
Now we were living together in a tiny house—with one available bedroom. Thank goodness it was only temporary.
Over time, I realized the broody jerk I thought I knew was different than I’d imagined.
I found myself slowly growing attached to someone I once considered the enemy…and growing attracted to him.
Sure, both of us were guilt-ridden over Brad. We were also two grown people with pent-up frustration toward one another—stuck in a cabin in the woods.
But this was Josh.
I could never.



PURCHASE LINKS


MY REVIEW


Carly just received a call she never thought she'd get - asking her to come be the caretaker for her deceased fiancé's nonverbal autistic brother, Scottie, as his father has passed. She's certainly not able to be his caretaker forever, but she'll do the best she can until she can find him a home that specifically works with special needs clients. And then her life takes a twist she couldn't have foreseen, or wanted, when her fiancé's best friend comes and says he's staying to take care of Scottie. Yes, Josh, the guy she's never gotten along with, the guy she can't stand and who can't stand her. Forced proximity is either going to have them at each other's throats or have them realize neither is who the other thought, and that they can have it all if they can get past the guilt of moving beyond their shared loss.


Josh has yet to get past the loss of his best friend. Now he's here to get things in order for Josh's brother, and no obstacles will stand in his way, even gorgeous but sassy ones in the form of Josh's former fiancée Carly, with whom he shares a mutual antagonism. And a lot more even though they are both intent on fighting it.


Carly and Josh navigate their new situation with lots of heart, angst and tension as thick as fog. Carly is amazing - still grieving her loss, but knows she has to move beyond it, and is doing her best. And then she forms a bond, not just with Scottie, but with Josh too, and her world takes a turn for the brighter. I felt for her when she realized Josh's guilt was going to be even more of an obstacles than hers. I love this couple, and how they healed from their loss, together, with the help of the beautiful soul of Scottie (and some help from beyond).

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.

AUTHOR LINKS
OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD




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