The Assignment

A new book comes out by this author and always looking forward to read it. It was a great story and I definitely liked the chemistry between Troy and Aspyn. Through the background of both characters you were getting in the story throughout you could definitely feel more connected to them. A good read overall. Aspyn & Troy have known each other since high school and ran into each other again but it isn't really going very friendly although both realise that times have changed. With them seeing each other almost every day, they start to get to know each other more and learn that both haven't really had an easy life. Their relatioonship starts to change and feelings are starting to show; things that both didn't think would be possible. Will they find their way?..

THE ASSIGNMENT by Penelope Ward is a contemporary, adult stand alone erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty nine year old financial advisor Troy Serrano, and seniors activities coordinator Aspyn Dumont. Told from dual first person perspectives (Aspyn and Troy) THE ASSIGNMENT follows the friends to friends with benefits to lovers relationship between twenty nine year old financial advisor Troy Serrano, and activities coordinator Aspyn Dumont. Ten years earlier, Troy Serrano cheated on Jasmine, his then high school girlfriend and Aspyn’s friend. Aspyn retaliated, doing damage and humiliating our story line hero, never forgiving him for the pain he caused. Fast forward to present day wherein Aspyn, now a single parent still living and working in their home town of Meadowbrook, comes face to face with a man she hasn’t seen in close to ten years, a man who gives as good as he gets. Assigned to chaperone Troy Serrano’s grandfather Giovanni on his excursions outside of the home, Aspyn and Troy would find themselves pulled together by an unknown force, a force that will be divided when the truth about what happened years before, reveals a betrayal at a different level. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Troy and Aspyn, and the potential fall-out as Troy’s time in Meadowbrook come to an unscheduled close. The relationship between Troy and Aspyn is an enemies to friends with benefits to lovers relationship predicated by circumstance and fate. The fall-out of Aspyn’s early years have relegated our heroine to her home town of Meadowbrook, and reuniting with her high school friend’s former boyfriend feels all kinds of right and wrong. Troy Serrano is only in town for a couple of months, seeing to his grandfather while his father is away. Now working and living in Seattle, Washington, Troy has no plans for the future but his attraction to Aspyn is fuelled by the ongoing anger of a teenaged fall-out. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text but I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word, used once more for shock value than anything else. The world building includes the troubled past of our story line heroine, the reasons she remained in her hometown of Meadowbrook, and the heart break of a man who struggles with rejection. We are introduced to Troy’s grandfather Giovanni Serrano; Aspyn’s niece Kiki; her friend Jasmine and husband Cole, as well as Aspyn’s co-worker Shala, and Troy’s friend Eric. THE ASSIGNMENT is a story of family and relationships, betrayal and forgiveness, love and acceptance. The premise is spirited and clever ; the characters are stubborn, animated and real; the romance is edgy and seductive.

I love a good enemies to lover’s story, and I was excited to read this one from Penelope. Troy and Aspyn were enemies back in high school and I couldn’t wait to see what the circumstances were going to be that caused this status, and how they were going to reconnect. I loved that it centered around Troy’s adorable grandfather in the nursing home that Aspyn worked for. There’s definitely a lot of angst in this story. Both characters had a lot of baggage in their backgrounds that felt like it was going to derail their relationship at every turn. Troy worked hard to gain Aspyn’s trust, but she was a super hard nut to crack when it came to giving Troy even a little leniency. I struggled a bit with this aspect because it felt like Aspyn acted like Troy was the one and only person who had caused all the problems in high school and caused them to become enemies, but realistically, he cheated on her friend, NOT her, so I felt her actions went way overboard and she held onto that grudge way too long, even while she was starting to fall for him. I emphasized with both characters for all the things that had happened in their pasts. Those kinds of things certainly had a direct impact on the direction their lives took after high school. Now, they’re both (mostly) mature adults, so the timing was perfect for them to reconnect again. There’s no doubt these two had some amazing chemistry which made for some steamy scenes. Ohh la la!! I really loved Troy’s Nonno, and of course little Kiki. That kid was way smarter than they gave her credit for. And the love secrets from Nonno? Priceless! Even though this story was not one of my favorites from Penelope, it is excellently written, and very emotional. Readers who love the enemies to lover’s trope will eat this one up!