When August Ends

3.5 Stars. This is a new standalone novel from a great author, Penelope Ward. We have a young woman who is looking after her ailing mother through depression and maintaining their family home. They have a lake house with a smaller boathouse that has a water backyard. I so wanted to go and visit this place as it sounds amazing. While Arden is looking after both residences, she happens to stammer her way through meeting the new renter of the boathouse, Noah, who is a few years older than she is. Age isn't a problem for me, it is all relative with personalities and experiences. Noah has had plenty and he is a little bit gruff on their first and second encounters but he then warms up and I totally adored him. Arden is young in some areas but she know what she wants and set about trying to seduce Noah. He is adamant that they should just be friends and hang out for the summer. Best laid plans always can change. Some things didn't gel for me, and I can't really say why without giving away a little twist in the storyline. And a few other elements didn't seem to flow on very well either and making it feel somewhat unauthentic. On the whole though, it is a good book and you will love this hero and how he protects Arden in all ways.

“Life is made up of little moments that don’t seem that important at the time, but in retrospect they’re what get you to where you are.” Heather was a complete surprise. I’ll be completely honest here....the age difference between the H/h was on my mind constantly while reading. I kept thinking....How is Penelope going to do this? How is she going to make this work for me? I kid you not....I am absolutely 100% satisfied with the outcome most this book. Penelope wrote a young heroine that knew herself and her value. Heather is hard working, loving, smart, always willing to sacrifice for her family and she has awesome (to me) taste in music. She knew her feelings for Noah were on the epic scale and didn’t hold back. She went there. Multiple times. And Noah shot her down. Multiple times. Until he didn’t. Yes, Noah was absolutely freaked out over their age difference but eventually after a long long long summer of getting to know and becoming great friends with Heather he realized that he might have just met the love of his life in the least likely place. When August Ends was a beautiful slow burn romance that packed a serious dose of self discovery for all its characters. This book teaches you that life is made up of choices. Some are good and some....not so much. But in the end they are what teaches us our lessons and help shape who we are. Reviewed by: Heather S. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Solid 4🌟 I’m going to be honest, I had a bit a rough go of trying to connect with Heather. So, I’m going to focus on Noah right now. I enjoyed Noah’s character; he seemed to want to do make things right from the past but didn’t realize what doing that would do for him. He knew what he wanted to do and was focused on that and tried really hard to not let others (or someone) stop him on his quest. Overall, the story was good, as for Heather, I had to picture her as different in order to make the story believable for me. Reviewed by: Dana D.

When August Ends is a sweet and sexy, slow burn clash of fate. Heather is 20. She's a caretaker for her ill mother and helps with renting out the boathouse. She's vivacious and full of life. A spunky, mature, and independent young woman who puts other's needs before her own. Noah is mysterious, broody, sexy, confident with a sense humor and killer smile. He's also older. Noah rents the boathouse for the summer to escape. He never expects to be knocked over by Heather. 📷 Though the attraction between them is imminent, Noah is intrigued by Heather but he keeps his distance. Even when he continues to reject her, he can't seem to stay away. Yet, they form a friendship that soon turns into more. You'll fall in love with these two strangers as their connection is undeniable. Add in some cute guinea pigs and a big dog and you are bound to be entertained! Once again, Penelope Ward has written another hit. I'm in love with this woman's writing and am looking forward to more of her books!