Review Tour: The Challenge by Penelope Ward

Title: The Challenge

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity

Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family

Release Date: August 30, 2026

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…

Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl.

Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings.

Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay.

Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died.

The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge.

The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot.

Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him.

Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci.

It was not falling in love with him all over again.

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DUET AUDIO

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

A model-cover paperback will be live on release day

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

SINGLE DAD

SMALL TOWN

FRIENDS TO LOVERS

SECOND CHANCE

FORCED PROXIMITY

FOUND FAMILY

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Penelope Ward does it again!!  As always I went into this book completely blind and was thoroughly entertained.

The story starts with Chloe heading home to her small town to be there for her elderly, ailing mother.  When she arrives at the place she’s rented, she finds Evan Ricci, her long time crush from years ago and his daughter, Effie.  She also happened to get to down during peak deer hunting season and there is no other place available to rent. I absolutely love a good second chance, close proximity, small town romance. 

I fell in love with the characters and their banter, I especially love little mischievous and hilarious Effie. She added another layer of fun to this book. So many emotions, and the chemistry is off the chart between Chloe and Evan. 

I listened to the audio and Desiree Ketchum and Connor Crais did a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life. I love the duet dynamic!

I’m giving this book a 4.5 and can’t recommend it enough. I listened to it in one sitting. 

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 millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS

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Audiobook Review: Three Things About Elise by Joanna Cannon

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Three Things About Elise
Author: Joanna Cannon
Narrator: Paula Wilcox
Reading Level: Adult Fiction
Genres: Mystery | Suspense
Released: August 7th 2018
Review Source: Simon & Schuster Audio

The bestselling author of the “remarkable…masterfully constructed, pitch-perfect” (Booklist, starred review) debut The Trouble with Goats and Sheep delivers a suspenseful and emotionally satisfying novel about a lifelong friendship, a devastating secret, and the small acts of kindness that bring people together.

There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing…might take a bit more explaining.

Eighty-four-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, she thinks about her friend Elsie and wonders if a terrible secret from their past is about to come to light. If the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died sixty years ago?

From the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, Three Things About Elsie is a story about forever friends on the twisting path of life. As we uncover their buried secrets, we learn how the fine threads of humanity connect us all.

Three Things About Elsie is a beautiful story about friendships and kindness. It follows Florence (Flo) Claybourne and her friends Elsie and General Jack, who are residents of Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. Flo, Elsie, and Jack feel like a band of elderly misfits getting up to no good as they try to ‘open the drawers’ of Flo’s memories and figure out exactly what happened 60 years ago. The story is mostly told from Flo’s perspective, as she lies on the floor waiting for someone to find her after she’s fallen.

The story is full of wonderful little twists and turns as we piece together Flo’s past, and how it relates to the new resident at Cherry Hill. Some twists you might see coming, others come out of nowhere. But for me, the heart of the story is not in the mystery they’re trying to solve, but the kind hearts of each of the characters. The book is full of introspection and characters wondering what they’re leaving behind and how they’ll be remembered. The caretakers at Cherry Hill, like Miss Ambrose and Handy Simon, don’t think their lives have any meaning and they’re not leaving behind any kind of legacy. Flo often wonders who will look at her photo when she’s gone and miss her. We learn about the ‘long second’ and the choices that change other people’s lives. I loved finding out how so many of the lives in the story were connected, though they never knew it. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did a wonderful job of keeping me engaged. My only criticism is that there was no delineation between chapters. As with reading a paper book, I like to finish a chapter (when possible) before closing the book for the moment.

Audiobook Review: One Night of Sin by Elle Kennedy

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ONE NIGHT OF SIN
After Hours #1 
Author: Elle Kennedy
Narrator: Joe Arden
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: July 25, 2017
Review Source: Brilliance Audio

When it comes to sex, good girl Skyler Thompson always plays it safe, choosing stable and sedate over wild and thrilling. She doesn't do one-night-stands, but one look at sinfully sexy Gage Holt and she's willing to reconsider. He makes her want to be bad for once in her life, and she's prepared to take what she wants.

Danger follows former MMA fighter Gage Holt like a shadow. Despite his successes as part owner of Sin, an exclusive nightclub in Boston, Gage can't risk getting involved with a woman, especially one as sweet as Skyler. Still, he can't resist a taste—and it's so damn good he has to see her again.

As addicted as he is to her, Gage knows there's no future for him and Skyler—not with his past lurking in the dark corners of an MMA cage. But Skyler's tougher than she looks, and she's ready to fight for her man.

Elle Kennedy is the QUEEN of hot books.  I have yet to read a book of hers that didn't have that amazing, sizzling tension that I look for and One Night of Sin definitely lived up to it's name!

This book pretty much had everything I love, and incredibly sexy bad boy that is a former MMA fighter (holy crap my favorite alpha types), a play it safe, beautiful, smart heroine, and leave you breathless chemistry!!!  OMG did this couple have some HAWWWWWWWT chemistry.  Elle can write the hell out of a sex scene.  That awesome thing about Elle's writing is, she doesn't just write smut, (not that I would complain if she did lol) but she gives you a great story also.

Joe Arden is one of my favorite narrators.  The story always comes alive and takes it to the next level for me when I listen to him.  He has a great voice.  You feel all the feels!!

I am rating this audiobook with 4 stars because I really enjoyed it and was able to listen to it very quickly.  I am excited to see where the series goes and will definitely be coming back for more.

Audiobook Review: When it's Real by Erin Watt

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When it's Real
Author: Erin Watt
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: May 30th 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen

Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.

Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?

When It’s Real was a total blast! I read Erin Watt’s previous series, The Royals, and could not wait to get my hands on their new book. Then I read the premise, a bad boy singer needing an image change, so they get a girl next door, ordinary, not in the limelight girl to help him out. Oh yes, this will definitely be something I will enjoy. So as soon as the audiobook was in my hands, or on my phone, I was all in.

Oakley Ford, definitely needs an image update. He’s had some bad press and even if they say any press is good press, it’s not always the case. Especially since Oakley wants to change his music, do something more him and less pop. He can’t work with the producer he wants to because of the image that is portrayed of him in the media. He kind of reminded me of Justin Bieber (and I’m totally a belieber so it’s a good thing), he’s been in the limelight since he was a kid and growing up with everyone watching has to be tough. All your mistakes for the world to see, I know we’ve all made mistakes we aren’t proud of just luckily we didn’t have the world watching. Then we have girl nextdoor Vaughn Bennett. Her older sister, Paisley, works for the same PR company that represents Oakley. They notice a picture of Vaughn at her desk, ask a few questions, do a little digging, and then bam! contracts are made and they’re offering Vaughn a lot of money to be a fake girlfriend and becomes too hard to turn down. That kind of money provides a brighter and easier future for Vaughn and her family.

This book was an absolute blast reading, the animosity between the two in the beginning, watching Oakley start to fall for Vaughn, watching Vaughn fight her feelings for Oakley, and all the great dialog in between. Vaughn was a total snarky girl and it made me love her so much. Please pick this book up! Great read for the summer, great read for whenever. These are the YA books I eat up like no other.

Audiobook Review: The Dead Zone by Stephen King

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THE DEAD ZONE
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: James Franco
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Thriller
Released: April 25, 2017
Review Source: Simon Schuster Audio

Never before on audio! A #1 national bestseller about a man who wakes up from a five-year coma able to see people’s futures and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone—a “compulsive page-turner” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Johnny Smith awakens from a five-year coma after his car accident and discovers that he can see people’s futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fiancé married another man during his coma and people clamor for him to solve their problems.

When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future. The Dead Zone is a “faultlessly paced…continuously engrossing” (Los Angeles Times) novel of second sight.

The Dead Zone is such a unique story.  Well, all of Stephen King books are amazing and unique.  He is one of my all time favorite authors.  Definitely my favorite author in his genre.  I've been reading his books since I was a teenager, which I won't mention how long ago that was, I'll just say for a LONG TIME.  Every single book I have loved for different reasons.  He is an effin genius.  How one man can come up with so many different interesting bizarre concepts for books I'll never understand.

This story is about a hero, Johnny Smith, that really gets dealt a pretty crappy hand.  I actually really love his character.  Through everything he goes through he still perseveres.  It's really painful to listen to sometimes because I was routing for him the whole time and hoping things would work out for him.

James Franco was the narrator of this book.  I thought he did a pretty good job of narrating.  His voice was kind of nasally as some points but other than that I really was enthralled listening to him tell me the story.  He kept my attention the whole time.

I am rating this book 4 stars because I loved the story when I read it but listening to it brought the story to life on a whole different level.  I highly recommend all of Stephen King's books!

Audiobook Review: Bombshell by CD Reiss

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Bombshell
Hollywood A-List #1
Author: CD Reiss
Narrators:  Andi Arndt & Christian Fox
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: May 1, 2017
Review Source: Brilliance Audio

Hollywood bad boy Brad Sinclair always gets his way, whether it’s the role he wants or the bikini-clad model he has to have. But when a bombshell gets dropped in his lap in the form of a dimpled five-year-old from a forgotten relationship, he knows his life is about to change forever.

Cara DuMont isn’t exactly thrilled when she gets assigned to be the nanny for the latest box-office king. She has one rule: no celebrity fathers, especially single ones with devilish good looks and rock-hard abs.

But as soon as Cara meets Brad and his adorable little girl, she knows she’s in for a world of trouble. Because there’s something about the way Brad looks at her that makes her believe that some rules are meant to be broken…

CD Reiss is one of my favorite authors.  I love the way she writes.  Everything flows and comes together so awesomely.  Soooo I was extremely happy to receive the audio copy of this book.

The story begins with two best friends, Cara and Blakely, trying to clean up a big mess from a five year old little girl, Nicole, that happens to be the recently discovered daughter of super star Brad Sinclair.  Cara really bonds with Nicole in those few minutes it takes to clean up.  In that moment Brad decides he has to have Cara for his nanny and with that the journey begins.

I really enjoyed this story, I was hooked from the very beginning.  I love stories that incorporate movie stars or rock stars.  I love the characters!  Brad is so sexy and strong.  He has a lot on his plate and then throw in a daughter he never knew about, many people would fall apart.  I think he handled himself well for the most part.  He clearly adores Nicole from the beginning.  Cara was my favorite character.  She is so independent and sure of herself.  She is strong in her decisions.  I also love her best friend.  Blakely seriously makes me want to give her a giant hug because of some of the crap she has to deal with.

As far as the audio aspect, I rate it 5 stars.   Andi Arndt and Christian Fox are in my top 5 all time favorite narrator list.  THEY ARE FREAKING BRILLIANT!!  I love their voices and how they bring the stories they read to life.  It takes the book to a completely different level.  I wish they could read all of my favorite books, seriously.  Go one click any audible that they narrate.

I'm rating the story with 4.5 stars because I really enjoyed the plot and the narrators!  I barely got any work done because I wanted to stay listening to this book non stop.  Loved it!

Audiobook Review: Royally Matched by Emma Chase

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Royally Matched
Royally #2
Author: Emma Chase
Narrartor: Andi Arndt and Shane East
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Released: February 21st 2017
Review Source: Simon & Schuster Audio

Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry Charles Albert Edgar Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.

He’s not handling it well.

Hoping to force her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora goes on a much-needed safari holiday—and when the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:

Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.

A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.

While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.

The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit…and her naughty sense of humor.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.

As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.

Royally Matched, the second of the Royally series, and definitely just as entertaining as the first. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Henry for short, The Prince of Wessco’s world was just turned upside down. If you’ve read Royally Screwed, you know *spoiler* that Henry is now first in line to the throne. All his life he knew it wasn’t something that was going to happen, he was the second born he got to ride through life without the responsibility of a country's well being on his shoulders. Well that all changed when his brother fell in love with a non-royal and love won over ruling his country.

Henry hasn’t always had the best reputation, he was the party boy, lady killer, but all that needs to change now that he is to become King. His grandma suggests him to find a bride and Henry is presented with a bachelor type show to find his blushing bride to be. While his grandma probably won’t agree with this decision he decides to do it anyways and keep it secret. That’s when he meets Sarah, whose sister is a contestant, and she has a hard time wanting to fall for him. She’s read the classic romance novels and knows that Henry is the type of wild love that will eventually end in a heartbreak, so she guards her heart.

I was completely enamored by this series. I love the royals and I cannot get enough of these princes and their lady woes. And then we get into the narrators and they have accents and I just cannot help myself from literally swooning out loud. Also, a favorite part of mine while reading Royally Matched was the internal issues both characters had to overcome. I related SO much with Sarah and couldn’t get enough of her story and then Henry and his ending, I couldn’t help but love him even more, but you’ll have to read it to find out ;) ;).

The Royally Series is a series you’re not going to want to miss out on. The covers are gorgeous, the stories are to die for, and the narrators are just the absolute best. Emma Chase has easily become one of my favorite authors over the past year and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Audiobook Review: Royally Screwed by Emma Chase

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Royally Screwed
Royally #1
Author: Emma Chase
Narrator: Andi Arndt, Shane East
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: October 18th 2016 
Review Source: Library | Simon & Schuster Audio

Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you.

Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.

Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.

Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.

There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.

But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.

Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever. 

Firstly let’s start with what initially drew me in, the cover. Like, hello, what are you about? Does it even matter? I need you on my shelf. Then I see that it’s Emma Chase and she has been on my tbr list for forever now, so score, finally, and then lastly my library has it available on audiobook so I can dive right in during my overnights at work. And then right when I thought I couldn’t be anymore excited to start this book I start the audiobook and the narrator has an accent, kill.me.now. Then I got super bummed that the book wasn’t longer and I haven’t even made it through the first chapter yet. 

Royally Screwed follows sexy Prince Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, who apparently has an incredibly long name, but also an incredible face and accent with a side of arrogance and charm. He’s next in line to become king and with the downfall of his country he has been told he needs to make some major changes but after meeting a dark haired beauty while in New York, Nicholas isn’t sure what to do. 

Then we have sassy hardworking Olivia Hammond who has lost her mother and is trying to keep her family and family business afloat working her butt off and then one day without a clue who he is the Nicholas happens upon her bakery and her life is forever altered. Like, hello where is Prince Harry, and why is he not walking into my job?

So I’m going to be completely honest, since I have read/listened to Royally Screwed I have gone and read all but maybe two of Emma Chase’s books. I am obsessed. Her characters are witty, she can write a male POV (which I tend to cringe on a lot), and stories that just suck you in. I can’t wait to continue this series, and with anything Emma Chase comes out with in the future. 

Audiobook Review: Riveted by Jay Crownover

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Riveted
Saints of Denver #3
Author: Jay Crownover
Narrator: Stephanie Wyles and Sean Bassett
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Released: February 14th 2017
Review Source: HarperAudio

Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael's life has made falling in love look easy, and now she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with her at the bar that's become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to find her; she's going hunting for him...even if she knows her heart is stuck on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.

Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it's time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying.

When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he's all wrong for you.

Since I have started working overnights audiobooks have become my saving grace. Last year I binged all of Jay Crownover;s books and couldn’t wait to get my hands or ears on Riveted. We are finally getting Dixie and Church's story! Dixie, a glass is always half full type of gal, and then Church a brooding soldier, but something drew Dixie to him and she knows he’s the one, but will he ever realize it or just get better at running?

Denver isn’t home for Church, he’s been avoiding something back home but when his father calls with some news Church knows it’s time to come home. Church may or may not have used the excuse of a girl keeping him in Denver, so he must bring the “lucky girl” home. He knows how much Dixie loves to help, so he shows up at her doorstep at way too early o’clock, and begs for a favor. Dixie of course can’t say no to helping him and hops on the back of his bike for a road trip to Mississippi.

Now let me also comment on Church’s narrator because holy shi*t he was amazing. They found the perfect slow sexy southern drawl. It made the audiobook. Now I don’t know if I got real attached to Church and his drawl during this book or what, but his story definitely had me shedding tears every so often. This sexy drawl telling you his sad story just breaks you in a million pieces.

Obviously, I love Jay Crownover’s books, I also absolutely love them in audiobook form and nothing is different with Riveted. While Crownover can turn up the steam and swoon,  and she can also give you a character's back story that breaks you and builds you back up. Her characters and real and authentic and so goddamn swoonworthy.