Sneak Peek – Toe the Line, Penelope Ward

February 23, 2023 | Posted in Excerpt | By

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Title: Toe the Line
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.

 

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PRE-ORDER LINKS
**No Amazon e-book preorder. 
Will go live on/around release day

 

EXCERPT

 

Copyright © 2022 Penelope Ward

 

Mixing alcohol with nostalgia, it turns out, is not always the wisest choice.
When Archie and I returned to the house that night, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Neither of us was tired enough to sleep. But the alcohol from the beers at the beach and the wine he’d opened once we got back home was going to my head fast. I could no longer be trusted with my words.
Archie took out the chocolate cake he’d made earlier and placed it on the counter. We both began eating it—with our bare hands. It was a mess, and I likely had chocolate all over my face. So this is how it ends, huh? I suppose it could be worse.
“I had so much fun tonight,” he said with his mouth full. “You?”
“It was awesome. Reminded me of the old days.” I licked chocolate off the corner of my mouth.
Archie’s eyes fell to my lips. “Seven years ago sometimes feels like yesterday, and other times like forever ago, doesn’t it?”
When I felt my eyes starting to well up, I knew that was my cue. I never wanted to leave Archie’s side, but I needed this weekend to be over before I lost it in front of him. “Anyway, we’d better go to bed,” I told him. “We both have early flights in the morning.”
I hopped down from my stool and rushed over to the sink to wash my hands. I hadn’t intended to make eye contact with him again because I didn’t want him to notice my eyes. Then again, he was a little drunk, too, so not sure how perceptive he would be.
Then I felt his presence nearby.
“I have so many regrets,” he said from behind me.
I turned to face him and swallowed. “Regrets about what?”
He had chocolate cake on his face, but somehow he’d never looked hotter.
“Everything,” he whispered. “With you.” He paused. “What we did and what we didn’t do. The way that summer ended. Everything.”
“Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Because I’m fucking drunk, I guess. I don’t know.” He pulled on his hair. “You look so goddamn beautiful right now.” His eyes were hazy as he murmured, “It hurts to look at you.”
My tears felt ready to fall. I couldn’t let that happen. “Keep that shit to yourself,” I muttered.
“We never talk about it, Noelle. We talk about everything else except the massive elephant in the room—the things we did that summer, what almost happened before—”
“Stop.” I sniffled. “You’re only bringing it up because you’re drunk. This is not a healthy way to discuss anything.”
“Maybe.” Archie leaned against the center island and placed his head in his hands. He went silent for a long time. “You were with Shane for like…forever. I thought you were gonna marry that guy. And I thought you were happy. I never thought you’d break up with him.” He looked down at the floor. “I kept waiting and…”

 

Waiting? He was waiting for things to end between Shane and me?

 

“I’m sorry…” He shook his head. “You’re right. I need to stop.”
Nothing good could come of two people with a ton of unspoken baggage trying to work things out while drunk. I could’ve poured out all of my feelings. I could have chosen to complicate his already-complicated life—turned it into a goddamn soap opera. But I loved him too much. I loved him. So I wouldn’t do that.
“Goodnight, Archie. Get some sleep.”
I left him standing in the kitchen next to a chocolate cake that looked like it had been ravaged by wild animals.
Then I went to my room and cried myself to sleep.

 

 

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 twenty novels. Her books 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

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

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Release Blitz & Reviews – Until You, K. Bromberg

February 23, 2023 | Posted in Release Day Blitz, Review | By

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Sometimes you have to fall . . . to forget.

 

Until You by K. Bromberg is now live! 

 

A single dad, forced proximity, standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg.

Crew Madden needs to find a place to recover.
For his twin girls. 
For himself. 
From the woman who left them without a backward glance.

Recovering from a traumatic event, a summer in the small town of Redemption Falls was the perfect solution for him. For his family. The only drawback? The rental cottage at the end of the drive. 

But then he met its tenant. 

The quiet, guarded, sexy-as-sin woman who took Crew’s breath away.


—


Tennyson West moved to Redemption Falls to hide. 
From her previous world of abundance. 
From the woman she used to be. 
For a chance to start over . . . and be free.

She’s settled into her new life on the outskirts of a small town, content with her solitude. Her peaceful life. 

And then she met her new landlord. 

Crew Madden—and his sweet daughters—entered her life with a bang. She learned how to laugh again, to love again, something she never thought would be possible.

It was only meant to be a summer fling, but as demons from their past knocked on the door, their relationship was tested. Was their love strong enough to keep them together or would danger drive them apart for good?

 

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

 

Amazon: https://geni.us/UntilU

  Paperback: https://bit.ly/3xy0zYd

Special Edition Paperback: Coming Soon!

 

Audiobook: http://bit.ly/3kek6cU

Narrated by: Blake Lockheart & Samantha Brentmoor

 

Goodreads: https://geni.us/UntilGdRds

 

Sandra's Review

5 out of 5 stars

Until You is K. Bromberg’s newest standalone. I know when I start one of her books I will not want to put it down. This one is no different… hot single dad? Sign me up! 

 

Crew Madden and his tween twin girls need to get away for the summer and there is no better place than Redemption Falls. Crew hasn’t been there since he was ten years old so when his uncle asked him to work on his house for the summer, it was the perfect opportunity to bond with his girls in the small town. So much has happened to this little family in the last eighteen months and it was their time to relax, have fun, and just breathe with no complications. Oh, about those complications… someone lives in the cottage down the driveway. A someone who can be a complication and the best thing ever to Crew and his girls. 

 

Tennyson West has been in Redemption Falls for the last two years. She stays to herself with her cat and the books she edits. She isn’t close to anyone, she doesn’t want to get attached in case she has to pack up and leave. She was perfectly content in her little cottage and not having attachments until they showed up. The girls are easy to want to hang out with and their dad is the type of man she could easily fall for. She knows for those reasons she should stay away but it’s so hard when they are so amazing. She gets them. They get her. But she doesn’t want to put them in danger with her secrets…

 

I love small-town romance, I love single dads, and I love suspense and this has all three. This story has a different feel than Kristy’s other books and I am here for it! The characters. The writing. The love. It made me laugh, cry and swoon! 

 

Kara's Review

5 out of 5 stars

 

Until You is K. Bromberg’s newest standalone romance and I am here for it! This is a single dad, small town romance and I loved everything about it. It’s fun, sexy, sweet with a little suspense. Crew and his girls stole my heart and Tennyson was the perfect addition to their little family. Crew is one of my favorite heroes of Kristy’s and I hope we get back to Redemption Falls soon so I can see him again!

 

 

 

 

Meet Kristy

 

 

New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary romance novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate but can’t help to love.

 

A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow and her mind scattered in too many different directions.

 

Since publishing her first book on a whim in 2013, Kristy has sold over one and a half million copies of her books across eighteen different countries and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over thirty times. Her Driven trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed) is currently being adapted for film by the streaming platform, Passionflix, with the first movie (Driven) out now.

 

With her imagination always in overdrive, she is currently scheming, plotting, and swooning over her latest hero. You can find out more about him or chat with Kristy on any of her social media accounts. The easiest way to stay up to date on new releases and upcoming novels is to sign up for her newsletter (http://bit.ly/254MWtI) or follow her on Bookbub (http://smarturl.it/KBrombergBB)

 

Connect with Kristy

 

Website: www.kbromberg.com

Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/Kbromberg_GR

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergAmz

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergFB

Facebook Group: http://smarturl.it/DrivenFB

Instagram: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergIG

Twitter: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergTwitter

Bookbub: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergBB

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kbrombergwrites/

Other: http://smarturl.it/DrivenMoviesFB

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/bromberg

Text Kbromberg to 77948 to stay up to date on all things Driven movies and new releases

 

 

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