KCBR Blog

COVER REVEAL — The Challenge by Penelope Ward.  Penelope revealed these gorgeous covers today! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek earlier this week, and honestly, I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite. August 30th release on Kindle Unlimited.  Check out both covers and don’t forget to read the synopsis. I have a feeling this book is going to be another favorite from one of my all-time favorite authors.

Title: The Challenge: A Single Dad Romance

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity,

Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photographer: Robert Dahey Photography

Model: Beau Carrillo

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.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255464908-the-challenge

PRE-ORDER LINKS – Special pre-order price of $3.99 (price will go up after release)

Amazon US: https://a.co/d/0fHCrUkV

Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0ifzve22

Amazon CA: https://a.co/d/0ebTpmgl

Amazon AU: https://amzn.asia/d/0dTpVF1N

Will be FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited

Special Edition Paperback: https://a.co/d/0gyOQgHR

Audio Preorder will go live in mid-August. 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

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: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@penelopewardofficial 

X: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor 

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

See all books here: http://www.penelopewardauthor.com/books 

Rising Waters by Aleatha Romig is live and ready to binge read using Kindle Unlimited.  This dark psychological thriller is not to be missed.  Read my spoiler-free review below.  

Buy Now on Kindle Unlimited https://a.co/d/08MGDxDa

#affiliatelink 

A dark atmospheric psychological thriller packed with small-town secrets, buried trauma, and shocking twists.

She escaped her past—and the man she never forgot.

Now with two girls gone missing, she's pulled back into a deadly game she may not survive.

Jillian Thorne built her career making the unreal feel real.

On Hollywood soundstages, she stages murder, kidnapping, and violent crime with chilling authenticity—turning fiction into gripping entertainment.

But nothing she’s created compares to the truth waiting in Blue Gil.

Nearly six years after escaping her small hometown, Jillian is drawn back by the suspicious death of the town’s beloved high school football coach. What first appears to be a tragic loss quickly unravels into something far more sinister—a dark mystery no one is willing to confront.

Because in Blue Gil, secrets aren’t just buried… they’re protected.

As disturbing clues surface and a brutal tragedy strikes dangerously close to home, Jillian finds herself trapped inside a real-life psychological thriller. The instincts that made her successful in Hollywood may be the key to solving the crime—or the very thing clouding her judgment.

Everyone in this small town is hiding something.

Including Jillian.

To uncover the truth, she must break through an unspoken code of silence, deception, and loyalty—and face the past she thought she left behind. Because some secrets refuse to stay buried.

And in this twisted game of suspense, trusting the wrong person could be deadly.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

*Perfect for fans of Sharp Objects, All Good People Here, and The Last House Guest, Rising Waters is a dark and addictive psychological thriller filled with buried secrets, small-town corruption, twisted family loyalties, and devastating betrayals.

This is a complete 80K stand-alone psychological thriller with a STEM FMC who needs to learn secrets before it’s too late. The only connection to Aleatha’s FEAR OF FLAMES is that our favorite podcasters from Crime Daily Podcast are back, showing the readers another perspective.

*You do not need to read Crime Daily Podcast book one, FEAR OF FLAMES before RISING WATERS.

Review of Rising Waters:

Pieces of the Night by Jennifer Hartmann is LIVE and ready to binge-read. Check out my spoiler-free review below of this rockstar romance and one-click Pieces of Night on Kindle Unlimited. 

Available now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/41yO1Pa

Audio: https://amzn.to/4tJL7TA

Blurb:

From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Hartmann comes a new angsty, standalone contemporary romance.

I already had a life. A future. A man I'd promised forever to.

But the night I found Chase Rhodes—bleeding, broken, and more lost than I was—everything changed.

I wasn't supposed to let him in. Wasn't supposed to write music with him in secret beneath the moon.

What started as a quiet escape became something unstoppable. Our songs caught fire, and now the whole world knows our names.

Music has a way of pulling the broken together, even when the timing is impossible and the fallout inevitable.

But some hearts don't settle. Some songs were never meant to stay quiet.

Because the night I saved him was only the beginning.

And loving me might be the last risk he'll ever take.

Spoiler-free Review of Pieces of Night

Crooked by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward needs to be your next book purchase.  Crooked is straight-up addictive. Pure #ViPen magic. I loved it so much that I actually listened to the audiobook — which was a first for me! Check out my spoiler-free review.

Synopsis

A new, sexy standalone from New York Times Bestsellers Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

The last thing I needed was a live-in bodyguard. And I definitely didn’t want him. Six foot two, with broad shoulders that were impossible to ignore and a talent for getting in my way, Wes Callahan was a walking bad decision.

But when you’re the daughter of a notorious mob boss, apparently your opinions stop mattering the moment your father ignites another war. I’d spent my entire life trying to escape that crooked world—new name, new city, newfound freedom. At least until I was suddenly shacked up with my new bodyguard.

Wes knew exactly how to push my buttons. He was also infuriatingly protective. And smart. And funny. And thoughtful when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. Little by little, the walls I’d built started to crack, and falling for the bodyguard became the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. Because if my father found out, Wes wouldn’t just lose his job. He’d lose his life.

Getting involved with him was reckless, yet I couldn’t find a way to stop it, no matter how hard I tried. But while I was busy losing my heart, the man who took it was hiding a secret.

And it turned out, the most dangerous man in my life wasn’t my father after all—it was the one who threatened to break my heart.

Crooked features TWO stunning paperback covers, will be available in Kindle Unlimited, and has a simultaneous audiobook release! 

 ✔️ Live-in bodyguard

 ✔️ Mob boss’s daughter

 ✔️ Forced proximity

 ✔️ Forbidden attraction

Amazon: https://amzn.to/45Q5CEO

Alt cover: https://amzn.to/4koxCph 

Audio: https://amzn.to/41gbtkh

Crooked by Vi Keeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward announced their first mafia romance, I knew I had to get my hands on it. These two have co-written some of my favorite romances, so seeing them step into the “darker” mafia bodyguard world with Crooked immediately had my attention.   I knew this book wasn’t going to be your typical mafia dark romance.  It’s Vi a Penelope, so you know this book is going to be a sexy and fun one-of-a-kind adventure.  

Juliette is the daughter of a notorious mafia boss with a target on her head.  Her father assigns Wes, one of his men, to become her live-in bodyguard to protect her full-time.  Wes has his own secrets and skeletons in his closet to deal with. Juliette wasn’t happy about her new house super hot guest —until she wasn’t.
Crooked delivers that perfect Vi-Pen blend of the feels, tension, humor, and heat, with a dangerous mafia edge that makes everything feel more intense. The chemistry and banter between Wes and Juliette were so addictive. I loved these characters so much that I finally busted my audiobook cherry and WOW. Hearing Wes and Juliette’s characters come to life took this story to a whole new level.  Great, I think I have a new audio book obsession thanks to these two.

Crooked is worthy of date night with a book. Reading Crooked wasn’t just another romance book—it was a full-on reader experience.  Crooked is easily on my top reads of 2026 romance book list. 

 

The Homemaker by Jewel E. Ann is now live! Grab your copy of The Homemaker from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jewel E. Ann and lose yourself in this forbidden, high-stakes romance.  Check out my spoiler-free review and one-click this unforgettable romance book on Kindle Unlimited. 

Synopsis: 

A romance inspired by TS “Fortnight”

I was hers, but she was never mine.

Alice Yates is the hired “homemaker” for the Morrisons, an affluent couple in Minneapolis. For Alice, it’s a dream job to dress up like a 1950s housewife and read romance novels to Mr. Morrison before his afternoon nap.

But when the Morrisons’ only daughter returns home for the summer with her fiancé, Alice comes face-to-face with her shattered past—the only threat to her perfect life.

Eight years earlier, vacation rental owner Murphy Paddon had an impeccable vinyl record collection and did the most irresistible thing before kissing Alice, earning him a five-star rating. Their fortnight love affair was life-altering and ended tragically.

Murphy doesn’t know if Alice remembers him or whether he should tell his fiancée that the hired-help living in the guesthouse is the woman who irreparably broke his heart. He needs closure, but will the lingering glances and silent yearning lead to the end or just the beginning?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3UPLWuG

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/S26fj 

Audible: http://bit.ly/4nu17pZ

Narrated by Charlotte North & Robert Hatchet

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/457iBCa

Crazy in Love by Laura Pavlov is now live!  Check out my spoiler-free review of this small town, billionaire, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance from USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author, Laura Pavlov.  Download and read for free in Kindle Unlimited. 

Emilia Taylor hates me, which is absolutely fine by me, because I don’t particularly care much for her either.

Maybe I took things too far, but I decided she was the enemy a long time ago, and she gave me no reason to think differently.
At least not until recently.
And when she sets her mind to prove me wrong, she goes all in.
I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong—because it sure as hell doesn’t happen very often.
But being vulnerable with a woman who I was convinced was out for my family was a big pill to swallow.
So, I’d rather send her a fancy gift and call this vendetta done.
However, she is anything but predictable.
She doesn’t want a fancy gift from a man who she’s declared a broody, heartless billionaire.
Her words not mine.
And it’s not like you can send flowers to a woman who owns a floral shop.
She wants a sincere apology instead but that may be more than I can give.
She’s sunshine and rainbows, and I’m… well not.
But when the first tear rolls down her cheek, I swear something inside me cracks.
Turns out, my cold jaded heart still works.
Apparently, it beats for the one woman I never saw coming.

**This is book 4 in the Rosewood River Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Rosewood River Series:
Steal My Heart
My Silver Lining
Over The Moon
Crazy In Love
In A Heartbeat
Whisper Sweet Nothings

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://amzn.to/4pOSEiO

Paperback: https://amzn.to/46GLJj6

Also available at Barnes and Noble, Target and Walmart

B&N https://fave.co/3IxTYWN

Target https://fave.co/3Kr3T0V

Walmart https://fave.co/4gNZ2D3

Hardcover: Coming soon!

Audible: http://bit.ly/4ppqw5Z

Narrated by Jason Clarke & Vanessa Vasquez

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4litbfI

Review of Crazy in Love