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.
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
Lisa Kane's 4 Star Review
Noelle Benedict and Archie Remington have been best friends for years. When they first really got to know each other, they were both staying at the home their parents had just purchased together in Maine. Archie didn't have much time for Noelle and as much as she secretly crushed on him, she wasn't crazy about his personality. But circumstances allowed them to get to know each other and to become close. And for a time one summer, they crossed that line and became more than friends.
But things came to an abrupt end and they went back to the friend zone. Years passed, relationships came and went, some serious some not and then came the widening of the gap between them that forever changed their lives. I don't want to post any spoilers but suffice it to say that Noelle was forced to move on and to find someone she might be able to call her forever love.
Archie and Noelle have the worst timing, they just never seem to be able to get on the same page at the same time. But at a strange point in their relationship, Noelle has a proposal for Archie. One he surprisingly takes her up on and things are going to change again. For the first time in a long time, they are both in the same place ready to take a chance on each other. Archie may have wanted Noelle for most of his adult life, but his fears that he isn't what she needs always seems to get in the way. Is he going to sabotage things again?
Toe the Line has lots of heat and great dialogue. The thing that held me back from loving it is the angst. So much angst, so many missed opportunities. Sometimes all that drama can exhaust you and you just want a sweet romance with a few bumps. As much as I enjoyed this story, I wish there had been less pain and more fun.
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