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The Crush  By  cover art

The Crush

By: Penelope Ward
Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York
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Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Penelope Ward comes a new stand-alone, second-chance story of forbidden love....

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.

He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.

Fast forward a decade.

We were all in our 20s now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.

It was just the three of us - an odd family dynamic.

Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.

But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

I was pretty much hot and bothered 24/7.

And he was torn.

The signs were subtle at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.

Still, I assumed he would never...go there.

Nathan would kill us.

The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.

Eventually our slow burn exploded.

But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection.

We just couldn’t get caught, right?

That sounded simple.

Until it wasn’t.

This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.

©2020 Penelope Ward (P)2020 Penelope Ward
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

What listeners say about The Crush

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Crushing hard!!!

Wow...just wow!! Penelope Ward has done it again...this story is breathtakingly beautiful! She took us on a wild ride with so many highs and lows. I was immediately drawn in and literally couldn’t stop listening. I never wanted the story to end. The characters were lovable and relatable, and I felt like I was a part of the story. Ward broke my heart before sewing it back together. Forbidden love. Brother’s best friend. Second chances. True love prevails. All the feels!!! And the powerhouse narration duo of Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. 5 stars ⭐️ all around! Absolutely worth your money/credit and your time 🙌🙌🙌

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Ok story, but the narration not so much

Andi Arndt is always great, but I can’t get past how wrong Sebastian York is for this (or most of the stories I've heard that feature him). I know my opinion is the minority here, but he never sounds the way I imagine a character's voice should, but more like somebody’s dad or great uncle. I dunno, I guess it's just me. The story started out good, but fizzled right when it should have been ramping up, and some of the character choices seemed far-fetched. I finished it, but it's not Penelope Ward's best.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW just WOW

I did not expect the emotions involved in their story. It had loss, grief, jealousy, love, steamy sex, friendships and of course there had to be an a** in there. LOL. Jas and Farrah had to work at it to establish a healthy relationship. Hearts had to be broken and mended to come to a good and happy place. Of course the narration was stellar as usual. You did it again Penelope.. Thanks for another great listen. Yes worth a credit.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

worth listening to

I’m all for forbidden loves, but the only part I really didn’t like was how they treated her as a child. she’s 21, not a child. I don’t get the overly protective sibling story line, it’s cringy to me.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love Farrah & Jace. Total swoon!

Penelope knocked it out of the park, again! I really enjoyed this book. Absolutely love Farrah & Jace. Hot & sexy as usual. And as always, Sebastian York & Andi Arndt did an amazing job narrating!

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

No one better then Andi and Sabastion

Are you looking for a story where the love interest don't fight for there HEA? If so, this is you book

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad.

This was really tough for me considering I love Penelope Ward's books but this was a little flat for me. Now, the storyplot is still pleasant yet predictable, great & well-written sex scenes, & interesting outcome for their love. This is a mixture of forbidden love, in love with brother's best friend, and second chance romance which was quite clever if you ask me! I just didn't feel that connection between the 2 main characters, Jace & Farrah. I like it but I didn't love it. I just think it was still about inflauation v.s. love but that's truly my opinion. Perhaps if we had more intimate moments with them will kick it a notch for becoming true love. Overall, This would be a great escape for a "no cheating" & HEA book. I finished this audiobook in one sitting and great narration as usual, FYI.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Anticlimactic

I enjoy second chance romances a lot. But after all the build up, it just felt like the ending wrapped up so quickly. I would've preferred to see more time where Farrah could work on rebuilding her trust for Jace. It just seems like it only took one booty call for everything to be fixed, and I didn't like that.

performance was great, as always.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect!!

Perfect! One of the best books of read/listened to. Way to go!! It’s amazing.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Nope.

I usually love everything Penelope Ward writes, but this one didn’t hit the mark for me. In fact, I almost returned it multiple times because the brother’s best friend/we can’t date was just getting on my nerves. I stuck with it because, again, I love Ward’s other books and both narrators are amazing. I get to a point where the ending can develop and wrap up, but then it cuts straight to the epilogue. I hate to rate so low, but this one just didn’t work for me.

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2 people found this helpful