THE CRUSH by Penelope Ward-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 22, 2021

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.

•••••••

REVIEW: THE CRUSH by Penelope Ward is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on Jace Muldoon, and Farrah Spade.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jace and Farrah), following two time-lines, THE CRUSH focuses on the best friend’s little sister relationship between Jace Muldoon and Farrah Spade. Farrah Spade has crushed on her brother Nathan’s best friend all of her life but their six year age difference meant Jace considered Farrah like the little sister he never had. Not wanting to destroy his friendship with Nathan, Jace refused to see Farrah as anything other than the girl she used to be but at twenty-seven years old Jace could no longer contain the feelings he had for his best friend’s twenty-one year old sister.Life had been cruel to the Spade siblings, and in this Nathan was over protective of our story line heroine but when Jace and Farrah’s friendship crossed the line into something more, Nathan saw red, and Jace ran, breaking our heroine’s heart in the process. Fast forward three years, and Jace has returned to home, never forgetting about the woman he would always love. As Farrah struggles with Jace’s reappearance after three years away, Jace hopes for forgiveness from Nathan, and the woman he loves. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jace and Farrah, and the fall-out when their relationship is discovered, and Jace must face years of guilt, and reality of what was and what will never be.

Jace Muldoon had never considered Farrah anything but his best friend’s little sister until our heroine blossomed into a beautiful young woman who life was about to spiral out of control.Trying desperately to keep his distance, Jace is about to fail when he realizes that Farrah wants something more than a temporary romance. Farrah Spade’s heart was destroyed the day Jace Muldoon walked out of her life but to add insult to injury Farrah was hurt by her brother’s reaction and behavior, leaving a hardened heart in the wake of betrayal and loss. Having moved on from the past, Farrah will quickly discover that three years apart did nothing to stop the desire and emotional upheaval of years before.

The relationship between Farrah and Jace is a best friend’s little sister, second chance romance wherein sins from the past resurface to create a heart breaking realization. Unable to forgive himself Jace runs from the only two friends he has ever loved, and in doing so, destroys a friendship, and his hopes for a future with the woman he loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and test.

We are introduced to Farrah’s brother Nathan Spade, and her best friend Kellianne; Jace’s parents, as well as several relationship potentials coming in and out of the trio’s lives.

THE CRUSH is a story of family and friendships, relationships and love; of betrayal and accusations; acceptance and forgiveness. The premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is fated, sensitive and moving; the characters are animated, broken, and edgy.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

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