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.
PURCHASE LINKS
Special release price of $3.99
for a limited time only!
Free in Kindle Unlimited
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
Audiobook Review: Wow, what an experience! The narrators, Desiree Ketchum as Chloe and Connor Crais as Evan, are a match made in heaven—absolutely spot-on with their performances!
This captivating single dad spicy romance is packed with all the feels you could ever want! It’s a stunning second chance love story that had so much drama since they last crossed paths. But let me tell you, their chemistry this time around? Off the charts!
Effie, Evan’s adorable daughter, is such a thoughtful and sweet character, written with so much love that you can’t help but fall for her!
And can we talk about Evan’s growl? Pure perfection! This audiobook is simply marvelous—absolutely perfect in every way!
This captivating single dad spicy romance is packed with all the feels you could ever want! It’s a stunning second chance love story that had so much drama since they last crossed paths. But let me tell you, their chemistry this time around? Off the charts!
Effie, Evan’s adorable daughter, is such a thoughtful and sweet character, written with so much love that you can’t help but fall for her!
And can we talk about Evan’s growl? Pure perfection! This audiobook is simply marvelous—absolutely perfect in every way!
Wow! My heart is overwhelmed. The Challenge is a very heartwarming but also emotional story. Of friendships, family, second chances and a little girl who stole the show!
This book is beautifully written. Its packed with emotions and characters that have some very important life choices to make.
When Chloe has to return to her hometown for her mothers ailing health, seeing Evan again brings back so many memories!
Realizing that the house she booked for her visit isnt just hers, makes for interesting conversations for sure!
Needless to say with them both having alot on their proverbial plates and their chemistry still shining through, can they co exist happily, or do past emotions become too difficult!
This book was the highlight of my week and I highly recommend it!
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
