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REVIEW: WHEN AUGUST ENDS by Penelope Ward

March 1, 2019 11:39 am

A Standalone Contemporary Romance Novel

NY Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Penelope Ward

Synopsis

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 new-found 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 sum-mer.

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 sum-mer.

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

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XnZUW3

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Google Play: http://bit.ly/2BCw3Qc

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2SL1z9e

My Review

What I love most about Penelope Ward’s stories is their unique story lines and the fact that she usually takes her time with the progression of her heroes and heroines’ relationships, building up things between them in a way that clearly indicates that they know what they’re getting into by crossing a line that they never anticipated wanting to cross.

This is exactly the situation that Heather Chadwick and Noah Cavallari find themselves in, in Ward’s newest release, When August Ends, and, like the title suggests, there seems to be an end date for anything these two begin since Noah only plans to stay on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire in Heather’s family’s boathouse for the summer. Not only that but due to Heather and Noah’s age difference as well as the their differing personalities and lifestyles, it doesn’t seem possible that anything could develop between them, especially since Noah thwarts Heather’s advances from the very beginning, hopefully preventing another fallout from a situation turning disastrous.

Heather and Noah are an interesting pair who strike up a friendship and enjoy each other’s company, and despite Heather’s desire for more, the connection they form means a great deal to both of them. Heather sees Noah as someone she wants to unravel, not just because she’s desperately attracted to him, but because she clearly sees what’s beneath his exterior and wants to understand this complex man in every way possible.

Despite the fact that Noah knows he should keep Heather at an arm’s length, he struggles to completely do so, until it comes to a point where he no longer chooses to fight his attraction or turn her down one more time but that decision makes things significantly more difficult for both of them, especially when summer is almost over and it’s unclear how everything will play out in the end.

When August Ends is a slow burn romance that illustrates the push and pull as well as the amped up sexual tension of two people who feel a connection but one feels the risks are greater than the rewards if they give into what they feel. I really enjoyed how Penelope Ward crafted Heather’s character; she’s sassy, funny, and good-natured and the fact that she’s innocent draws Noah to her in a way that, for the most part, he refuses to act on. Noah’s denial of his feelings towards Heather was necessary, even if it frustrated her and me at times, but the fact that these two built a foundation of friendship and camaraderie before crossing the line makes everything play out the way it should for everyone involved.

4 Poison Apples

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About the Author

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 one-point-five million books sold, she is a twenty-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels.

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Website: http://www.penelopewardauthor.com

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7105545.Penelope_Ward?from_search=true

Other books from Penelope Ward

Standalone Novels