REVIEW: When August Ends by Penelope Ward

When August Ends by Penelope Ward: Heather is bright, funny, and loyal to her family. Her life has taken some unexpected turns up to this point, but she has a great attitude, is generous, and tries to help out others. She hopes to go to college and one day become a nurse, but it’s not possible right now. Taking care of her mother and the boathouse rental are good enough for now.

Noah is a talented photographer who is taking the summer off. He’s very welcome eye candy as he rents out Heather’s boathouse for the summer. He’s honest, blunt, and isn’t really looking to become friendly with Heather or her mom.

Heather and Noah don’t exactly get off on the right foot and she just so happens to make a fool of herself during each of their initial run-ins. For Heather, the attraction is immediate and highlights her lack of experience with men as she fumbles around him. While not normally shy, Heather makes no secret of her interest in Noah.

“How did we go from you trying to save me from jumping off the roof to talking about your personal life?”
“This seems to be the way with you. One second I’m getting involved in your asinine shit, the next you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.”
She laughed. “Then it ends with me running home with my tail between my legs.”

Since Noah is determined not to act on their attraction, they form an unlikely friendship over the summer. Their talks on the porch become the highlight of their days for both of them as they talk about life, her dreams, and his regrets. There is banter, teasing, and increased tension as their willpower to remain only friends is tested by a growing bond. Heather is mature beyond her years and she challenges his insistence that he’s too old for her. Noah is a genuinely great guy who is generous, giving, and almost too good to be true. Changes are on the horizon for both and leaves them wondering what if.

My breath hitched as I pulled on her hair. “Christ, Heather. You don’t think I feel the same things you do? You think I’m superhuman, that it’s easy to resist you? I’m just trying to do the right thing.”
“I wish you would stop trying.”

When August Ends is a well-crafted and engaging story. Penelope Ward developed and evolved a beautiful friendship while providing plenty of tension, anticipation, and surprises along the way. Ms. Ward crafted compelling characters and quite the journey. Fans of L.J. Shen and K.A. Tucker will enjoy When August Ends.

Book Info:

Publication: Published February 25th 2019 | Penelope Ward Books, Inc. |

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

What do you do when a sexy, older man moves into your family’s summer rental?

Well, apparently, you make a fool of yourself—over and over. Things didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with Noah Cavallari. Our first encounter was embarrassing, to say the least.

But despite that, I found myself waking up every day with a newfound energy. Nothing exciting ever happened on the lake—not until Noah moved into the small boathouse on our property. He’d booked it for the entire summer…and I was still trying to figure out why.

When my mother became ill, I inherited the responsibility of making sure our guests were well taken care of. I should have been in college. Instead, I was living my best life…as a maid.

Dark, handsome, and mysterious, everything about Noah screamed forbidden.

I knew he was just passing through town for the summer.

I knew he was probably too old for me.

Yet, I was drawn to him.

Not to mention, he tried to save my life when he mistakenly thought I was drowning.

I wanted him and made no secret of it.

His own attempts to warn me away soon gave way to late-night moonlight chats by the lake. We were slowly easing into a friendship that was gearing up to explode into something I might not recover from.

Because he’s leaving at the end of the summer.

And I have no idea what I’ll do when August ends.