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.

ADD TO GOODREADS

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

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.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM

TIKTOK
X

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

SEE ALL BOOKS HERE

 

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

Take a sneak peek of THE CHALLENGE...

First Edition

Copyright © 2026

By Penelope Ward

There was so much I wanted to know about his life. More than anything, I wanted to ask what he’d dreamed about when he called my name. I was also tempted to ask about Effie’s mother. He’d said they were divorced, but was she still in the picture? Why was Effie living with him full time?

But instead of unloading all my questions, I scratched my pounding head and asked, “Do you have coffee here, by any chance?”

Rather than answer, he stalked over to a cabinet above the fridge—the one place I hadn’t checked.

With my arms wrapped around my chest, I watched as he pulled out a filter and placed it in the machine before scooping some grounds. I admired how the muscles in his back moved with the motion of his arms, the way his jeans hugged his ass.

After he started the pot, the room filled with the bubbling sound of coffee brewing. Evan turned toward me, and we stared at each other in tense silence.

“How did you sleep?” he finally asked.

“Not bad, all things considered.”

“All things being me?” He arched a brow.

“I have nothing against you, Evan.”

“Oh really? Because that unhinged letter you wrote me says otherwise. It’s not like time could change all that. Especially when we haven’t been in touch since then. I never reached out. And you never called, either.”

“I was very emotional when I wrote that letter.” I gulped. “And drunk. I wasn’t supposed to send it. It was just meant to be a way to let out my feelings.”

“So, why did you send it?”

“I wish I understood…”

“You mean to tell me you don’t still feel that way, even a little?”

My gaze fell to the floor. “It’s been a decade. Like I told you, I’d been drinking, so I don’t entirely remember what I wrote.”

Evan scratched his chin. “I don’t know if I believe that.”

I looked up. “Regardless of what unkind words I expressed in a drunken, regrettable moment…I’ve moved on.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’ve moved on given the way you raced out of here yesterday to find another place, just so you didn’t have to look at me.”

“Well, you weren’t exactly welcoming.” He was right that I’d raced out of here. But his assumption that I didn’t want to look at him? No. After all these years, it was still hard not to look at him.

The coffee gurgled to signal the end of its cycle. Saved by the gurgle.

Evan opened the cabinet. To my surprise, he set down two mugs and began preparing my coffee just the way I liked it: two sugars and heavy cream. He stirred and then handed it to me.

“Thank you.”

I didn’t have to ask how he knew the way I took it. Back when he’d been living with us, Evan and I had often caught up over coffee in my family’s kitchen before the crack of dawn while everyone else was asleep. So this was far from the first time he’d prepared a cup for me. Little did he know, I’d actually had my very first cup of coffee with him. When I’d started getting up early to join him, I hadn’t tried coffee yet. But I’d pretended to need the caffeine just as much as he did, though the only morning jolt I’d wanted back then was Evan. The smell of coffee right now, the smell of him... I was drowning in nostalgia, tinged with a bittersweet knowing that so much had changed.

We stood across from each other, silently sipping our coffees as if this was some sort of duel—who could drink it the fastest without saying anything?

Eventually, Evan set his mug down. “There are fresh towels in the linen closet off the hallway. Effie has some girly bodywash in the shower, if you need it. Pomegranate scent or some crap.” He lifted his mug again and added, “You look like you could use a shower.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you. I guess I’ll take a shower before I head out to look for a place. I’ll let you know if I find one, so I can get out of your hair.”

He took a sip and saluted me with his mug. “Good luck with that.”

It was embarrassing to think I hadn’t taken a shower since I left Chicago. I grabbed a couple of towels from the closet and headed into the small bathroom.

After sliding the shower curtain open, I smiled at the sight of both masculine and “girly” bodywash side by side. As the warm water rained down on me, I squeezed pomegranate shower gel into my hand and thought about how cute and honest Effie had been last night when she’d come into my room. Closing my eyes and trying to relax, I took my sweet time lathering my body and massaging my neck. After I finished what turned out to be a twenty-minute shower, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. But a loud crash just outside the door caused me to jump. “Is everything okay?” I called.

PRE-ORDER LINKS

Special pre-order price of $3.99

(price will go up after release)

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Will be free in Kindle Unlimited

DUET AUDIO

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

ADD TO GOODREADS

The current paperback preorder is for the alternate cover only.

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

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.

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

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM

TIKTOK
X

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

SEE ALL BOOKS HERE

 

MAKE IT LAST

J.H. Croix

Release Date: August 7

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

A freshly divorced heroine. A rugged small-town Alaska firefighter, and the accidental glacier rescue that changes everything.

My marriage blew up. So I went to Alaska. Obviously, the logical next step. If my cheating ex hadn't gotten caught, I'd still be the fool who thought I had forever. Instead, I'm on a reckless divorce trip, trying to figure out what starting over even looks like. I came to the wilderness to find myself again, not to break my ankle on a freezing glacier.

Enter Tanner Houlton.

He's a local hotshot firefighter, a flannel-wearing knight, and the exact kind of steady, protective man who shows up when everything goes wrong. I'm an expert at hiding my pain behind loud laughter, but Tanner sees right through my defenses.

What I don't expect is how much that steadiness costs him. He has his own scars, yet he's determined to prove I'm worth fighting for. I swore off men the second I signed my divorce papers, but as the snow melts around us, this broody firefighter is slipping past all of my defenses.

Perfect for readers who want a healing, slow burn romance featuring a heroine learning to trust again after betrayal and a steady devoted hero. Ideal for fans of Elsie Silver, Devney Perry, and Lucy Score.

Grab your copy!

https://geni.us/MakeItLastAmz

Meet J.H. Croix:

USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. She writes swoony contemporary romance with sassy women and alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. When she’s not writing, you can find her cooking, counting the turtles in her backyard pond, and running with her dogs, which is when her best plotting happens.

Keep up with J.H. Croix and subscribe to her newsletter: https://jhcroixauthor.com/subscribe/

To learn more about J.H. Croix & her books, visit here!

Connect with J.H. Croix:

https://jhcroixauthor.com/connect/

Hosted By:

Sassy Southern Books Blog Book Review 

 

 

 

♦ ♦ ♦

Rook never had any goals apart from staying alive. 

But now she has a few…

Find a way to bring Lucien back. 

Figure out a way to survive the ascension.

And somehow become the first bonded pair to become immortal. 

Lucien only has one goal. 

Wage war on fate and win…

♦ ♦ ♦

♦ ♦ ♦

On a career level, Pepper currently has close to 40 books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) almost 40 times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

On a personal level, Pepper lives on a farm with two minis, four horses, countless birds and wildlife, and a precious little ball of fluff called Mo. Her little house-rabbit sits at her feet while writing all the words, and always seems to know when she’s writing a naughty scene. He’s her muse and the main reason why a rabbit is on her author logo.

Now back to the writing stuff…

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She’s also honored to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.

After releasing two books with Grand Central, Hachette (Ruin & Rule and Sin & Suffer) Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work.

   

  

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Title: Rags's Awakening

Series: Insurgents Motorcycle Club

Author: Chiah Wilder

Genre: MC Romance

Release Date: June 17, 2026

Cover Design: Carrie @Cheeky Covers

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review (Jessica Daniels): “Rags's Awakening is a gripping addition to the Insurgents MC world, delivering a compelling blend of romance, loyalty, personal growth, and the brotherhood that motorcycle club readers love. Chiah Wilder crafts a story that balances emotional depth with the intensity and grit that define the genre.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review (Wendy Livingston): “This is a well written slow burn story, with found family, friendships, emotions, tension, loyalty, trust, mystery, danger, suspense, intrigue, revelation, taking chances, undeniable chemistry, and love, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, unpredictable, and thrilling addictive page turner, I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.”

A member of one of the largest MCs in Colorado, Rags is an Insurgent all the way. The outlaw is a free-loving biker loyal to the brotherhood and its lifestyle: fast Harleys, easy women, and hard-hitting brawls. It’s a simple life and that’s the way he likes it.

He’d given his heart to a special woman in his life, and she shredded it, so he’s not interested in another round. Now a barbed wire protects his heart and that suits him just fine.

Then he sees her and his simple life suddenly becomes complicated. Wild dark hair tumbling down her back, curves just the way he likes them, and a defiant look in her dark brown eyes. Yeah … she’s just the type of woman to stir up his libido and cause a lot of trouble.

Casey Reece is juggling three jobs to pay off debts her ex stuck her with as a parting gift. She once gave her heart to a man in leather, and he rode right over it. Now, she has sworn off anyone who even thinks about a motorcycle or whose wardrobe includes more leather than hers. She’s had her fill of bikers, their clubs, and their endless chatter about their beloved Harleys. Her only focus is picking up her life from the wreckage of her marriage.

When the rugged biker comes into the store acting like he knows everything about her job, anger rushes through her. So what if he’s lean, tall, and wickedly handsome and his swagger and bad boy attitude are sexy? He’s obviously an outlaw biker, and she’s not interested, even though the intensity of his gaze makes her stomach twist. But … one heartache is enough for a lifetime.

Fate seems to be messing with her because she keeps bumping into the sexy outlaw, and when his hazel gaze locks onto her brown one, an undeniable desire sizzles between them.

And in the midst of all this, a serial killer is roaming around the area, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. All of a sudden, Casey is pulled into a terrifying nightmare and the only one who can help her is the sexy biker with the infuriating swagger.

Can Rags and Casey swallow their pride and rise from the ashes of their broken pasts to discover that the deepest scars are the ones that lead to the most profound and healing love?

𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙠'𝙨 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙮

𝙅𝙖𝙭'𝙨 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙢𝙖

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙯'𝙨 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙤𝙧

𝘼𝙭𝙚'𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡

𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚

𝙅𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮'𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣

𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚'𝙨 𝙎𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

𝙍𝙤𝙘𝙠'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

𝘼𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜

𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙬 𝙓𝙢𝙖𝙨

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚'𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚

𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝

𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬'𝙨 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙎𝙢𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙮'𝙨 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

𝘿𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙡'𝙨 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚

Chiah Wilder is the author of the successful Insurgents MC series. Chiah's love of bad boys has inspired her Insurgents series. She loves an alpha male whose softer side is brought out by a passionate, spirited woman. Steamy, biker romances with rough, sexy bad boys are her guilty pleasure along with brownies, cheddar cheese, and movie marathons. She is busy writing her next book in the series. Chiah would love to hear from you. You can contact her at: chiahwilder@gmail.com Visit her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChiahWilder/ Join the Chiah Wilder Newsletter to get the scoop on new releases, previews, free short stories, and a whole lot of other exciting goodies: http://eepurl.com/bACCL1 Happy Reading!

HOSTED BY: