New Release Review: 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

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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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PURCHASE LINKS

Special release price of $3.99

for a limited time only!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

DUET AUDIO

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

A model-cover paperback will be live on release day

My review: 5 stars!

The Challenge was a total binge read for me! I really enjoyed Chloe and Evan's second chance romance. They had such great chemistry and banter and Evan's daughter Effie was just the cutest. I especially loved the epilogue- what a great ending!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

SINGLE DAD

SMALL TOWN

FRIENDS TO LOVERS

SECOND CHANCE

FORCED PROXIMITY

FOUND FAMILY

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.

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OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

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New Release Review: Make Me by Adriana Locke

 

Make Me by Adriana Locke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yay for meddling grandmothers! Hartley (HARTLEY!!!!!) and Mira were meant to be together, and thank good Lolly saw it even if they didn't! I absolutely love seeing a fake marriage turn real and this one turned real oh-so-fast. I especially loved that there was no third-act breakup. And the piglet???? So cute and hilarious. AND THAT TATTOO????? Swoon.

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New Release Review: The Fall Affair by Vi Keeland

 

Title: The Fall Affair

Author: Vi Keeland

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Opposites Attract/Found Family

Release Date: August 18, 2026

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She’s counting down the days until she leaves Tuscany. He’s counting on making her stay.

Some people go to Tuscany to find themselves.

I went to escape—New York, my ex’s new relationship, and a career that derailed the moment I was passed over for partner.

My plan was simple: settle my eccentric Italian grandmother’s estate, sell whatever wasn’t nailed down, and return to the life I’d worked too hard to lose.

Instead, I walked into a mess—a crumbling antique shop, two hundred acres of leased vineyard land, and one infuriating clause in the will: Live and work in the shop for three months, or inherit nothing.

Then there’s the neighbor I clash with instantly. Matteo Lucchese is the infuriatingly handsome winemaker who leases my family’s land and refuses to be impressed by my credentials—or my attitude. He’s rugged and stubborn, stuck living in a time that has long passed us by, and the word rush isn’t part of his vocabulary. Basically, we’re exact opposites.

But as the days stretch into weeks, Tuscany chips away at the armor I didn’t realize I was wearing, and Matteo shows me the appeal of slowing down, of staying rooted, of wanting something other than climbing the corporate ladder.

I came to Tuscany to escape.

But now that the countdown to going home was on, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to leave. And the life I was falling for came with a looming expiration date.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Opposites Attract

Under the Tuscan Sun Vibes

Found Family

NYC Heroine x Italian Hero

Late-summer Magic

PURCHASE LINKS

EBOOK

AUDIOBOOK

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

eBook available in Kindle Unlimited

My review: 5 stars!

Can I please take a trip to Italy? The Fall Affair made me want to dust off my passport and finally book that trip. Author Vi Keeland created such an amazing story and setting- I really felt like I was there with them listening to the audiobook. Allegra and Mateo's story was all-consuming and I absolutely loved it. I especially loved Allegra's Nonna and her letters. The book flowed so well and the epilogue was just perfect. Narrators Connor Crais and Andi Arndt did such an excellent job with their narration- even the Italian!

AUTHOR BIO

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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GOODREADS

New Audiobook Release Review: Colt by Jessica Peterson

 Colt by Jessica Peterson is now live on audio!

Narrated by: Vanessa Edwin & Aiden Snow 

She isn’t supposed to care about a ranch.
She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the foreman.
And his six-year-old son is absolutely, definitely not supposed to capture her heart.

Lainey Brown is not ranch material. She's a city girl who landed on the legendary Wallace Ranch to give the place a fresh coat of branding—and get her career back on track. She's got no interest in cowboys, cattle, or the infuriatingly gorgeous foreman who clearly wants her gone.

Colton Wallace has spent every day since losing his wife building something worth leaving his son: a spotless reputation, a thriving operation, and a life with no room for complications. The last thing he needs is a firecracker from Austin with a sketchbook full of big ideas and a smile that makes him forget every reason he swore off wanting things he can't keep.

But somewhere between their very first fight and a Texas night sky that stretches on forever, something shifts. Lainey stops counting the days until she can leave. And Colt stops pretending he wants her to.

The ranch has always been the Wallace legacy. But Colt is starting to wonder if the best thing that's ever happened to it—and to him—just walked in wearing city shoes.

COLT is the first cowboy romance book in the all-new DOUBLE U RANCH series, releasing summer 2026! 

My review: 5 stars!

What a great start to a new series! Colt and Lainey's enemies-to-lovers story was full of all the things I love in my romance reads- spice, tension, the best banter, and believable relationship development. Being from Oklahoma, I know Texas well and author Peterson certainly did the state justice. Yay for hot cowboys! Grumpy/sunshine is always one of my favorite tropes, and Colt was the best kind of growly grumpy and Lainey's sunshiny personality was the cutest. I listened to the audiobook narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin and Aiden Snow, and their performances were absolutely perfect. Chef's kiss casting for sure. One book in, and I am here for the Double U Ranch Series and cannot wait for the next book.


Listen today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4xaD58D

Audible: https://bit.ly/4uWcAmc

Apple: https://bit.ly/43MelX5

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/4aT8lQr

Kobo: https://bit.ly/4voEHtZ

Audiobooks.com: https://bit.ly/4f8lvM4

Chirp: https://bit.ly/4vshHtH

Libro FM: https://bit.ly/43PR3j4

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Qmp9bl

Narrator Reveal: Mistletoe All the Way by Lauren Blakely

 

Turning a grumpy cowboy vet into Mr. Holiday? Challenge accepted.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a spicy, standalone holiday romance, MISTLETOE ALL THE WAY! This steamy, small town, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, opposites attract holiday romance features a grinchy cowboy veterinarian and the jolliest publicist as they tackle the town's latest Christmas competition together! Releasing October 6th in all formats, including the stunning paperback with beautiful mistletoe and holly sprayed edges, this audiobook is coming to you in the form of a full-cast audio production! Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton perform this holiday romance in duet with a full cast of your favorite narrators, including Rose Dioro, JF Harding, Simone Lewis, and Gregory Salinas. Pre-order your copy today!

✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/MATWAudible
✦ All Retailers ➜ https://laurenblakely.com/book/mistletoe-all-the-way/ 

Check out the Narrator Reveal video Here: https://youtube.com/shorts/w9zUFfElZc4 

About MISTLETOE ALL THE WAY (Coming 10/6/2026):

She wants to make him Mr. Holiday. He wants to stay a certified Grinch. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a small-town spicy holiday romance about a guarded cowboy veterinarian and a Christmas-loving optimist who team up for a town holiday competition.

Dr. Noah Lennox lives by three holiday rules—avoid his hometown, cheerful people, and Christmas itself.

But when his beloved grandfather announces he’s retiring and handing the cherished sleigh-ride farm to either Noah or his slick cousin Stephen, the first rule goes out the window. Back home in Evergreen Falls, the veterinarian vows to fight for the farm that means everything to him. The problem is, the town doesn’t exactly welcome its resident Scrooge with open arms.

Except for one very charming holiday enthusiast. Eloise Langston, a sunny tourism bureau hopeful, needs a win to land her dream job—and to pay the rent. Her holly jolly plan? Turn the broody, broad-shouldered grump into a festive front-runner to help the town’s Mr. Holiday Competition draw record crowds.

Transforming a camera-shy cowboy vet into a small-town sweetheart isn’t exactly in her job description—but neither is falling for him.

Soon, Noah and Eloise find themselves tangled in twinkle lights, fake kisses, and one very real attraction. But with the farm’s future at stake, Stephen’s scheming, and Eloise’s career on the line, there’s a blizzard of reasons to put their feelings on ice.

Or will they fight to turn their holiday fling into forever under the mistletoe?

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/MATWAudible
✦ All Retailers ➜ https://laurenblakely.com/book/mistletoe-all-the-way/ 

ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party. 

Connect w/ Lauren:

Website: laurenblakely.com 

NL Signup: http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks

Instagram: http://instagram.com/laurenblakelybooks

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenblakelybooks