After All This Time

Our Time Is Now #1

by Ivy Penn

Olivia Swanson was my dream girl. Every beautiful curve of hers belonged to me. Now that I'm home and done working for Uncle Sam, it’s time to stake the claim I should have staked long ago. I know she's getting married, but that asshole doesn’t deserve her. I’ve gotta’ stop this wedding or we’ll both regret it for the rest of our lives.

I've loved Cooper Parks since I was 6 years old. He was my first kiss, first dance and my best friend - I was ready for more and then he left without saying goodbye. Jerk. He went into the Army and I went on with my life. The last time I saw him was my twin's wedding, and he disappeared again after that too. No worries, it's my turn to get married now.

232 pages, ebook

Published March 8, 2021

About the author

Ivy Penn is a multi-genre romance author who has a macabre sense of humor and loves horror movies. Growing up as a single child, she was often lonely and began creating characters to entertain herself. Now she shares her stories with her readers. Dark, morally grey, sweet, or dirty. Her belief is that all stories bloom in thier own way. She lives in the midwestern United States with her husband and daughter. Her hobbies include drinking coffee, video games, and cooking.

Reviews

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story of friends to lovers. Cooper and Olivia has been best friend since childhood. Olivia has been in love with Cooper her whole entire life and unbeknownst to her Cooper has been feeling the same way for just as long.

Olivia was your typical low self esteem woman who has carried those scars throughout her life. No matter how much love she received from her twin sister, her father and friends; she never thought she was good enough.

After being humiliated the night before her wedding and realizing that her fiancé was no longer in love with her Olivia was convinced that she wasn't good enough for anybody. Cooper loved Olivia unconditionally and it took her a moment to get that through her head but Cooper always remained a friend to Olivia first waiting until the right moment to make his feelings known.

This couple faced a few ups, downs and life changes but they weathered the storm together. Their love was strong and could handle whatever life threw at this even After All This Time.

[Ashley Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely hands down loved this romance novel. I couldn't get over how cute and relatable it was plus it was so enthralling I literally finished the book in 1 day. This book has so many fun characters, but I loved Olivia and Cooper the most!! Olivia and Cooper grew up together and were best friends but you can tell that they had feelings for one another but they could never seem to get the right moment to try and see if they were meant to be more. Relationships with other people and Cooper leaving to be in the military caused things to keep them in the friend zone, but Cooper is finally home for good and all he can think about is Olivia, but once home he finds out she's getting married... has Cooper come back to late, is he about to lose her before he even got a second chance??

Please do yourself a favor and read this book, if you love steamy romance, spicy romances, cute banter, sexual tension, and a slow burn romance... look no further because "After All This Time" has it all and then some. It's fast paced, well written and the cutest romance comedy I've read in a while. This book has now made it on my top 10 favorite books of 2022.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brand new author, and all I can say is she knocked it out of the park. I thought the storyline was relevant with today’s times and the characters were well developed and diverse. Definitely a read that kept me engaged, before I knew it, I was half way through the book. I really enjoyed the friend group and the family dynamic as each were so familiar with one another, that they were able to call each other on their stupidity. A great twist towards the end, that involves some hard issues, that were handled well, but could have been expanded a bit, since it was introduced so late in the book. Overall, I would recommend this read from a fresh new author.

I am voluntarily leaving a review for this book that I received free.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - 4 stars.

For me there was a lot going on in this book, the past and the present, lots of characters to get to know and relationships to work out, I'll admit I got a little lost a time or two. The connection between Olivia and Cooper was one forged in friendship and a little more than that; I believed in their connection and chemistry, and that they were meant to be together. A couple of times I wanted a little bit more explanation and the story lost it's flow, but my attention never once wavered and I enjoyed seeing them come together, work through things and get their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashley Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book Cooper has just come back home for good from the military to find that his best friend Olivia who he happens to secretly be in love with has been dumped by her fiancé. Olivia runs back into the arms of Cooper her best friend who she is also secretly in love with for comfort after her heartbreak. And in running into the arms of the one she really loves they connect in a glorious way. They finally find the love they have for one another, even when they are faced with heartbreak and bumps in the road. I highly recommend reading this amazing book.

[Kelly Bugler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read.
Cooper left for the army after high school to escape his past, never claiming his girl as he wasn't sure what future he would be able to give her. But now he's back looking up at his mothers porch thinking of the past while his future is about to say i Do. To Someone else.
Brilliant read.

[Mariah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Ivy Penn wrote something so fantastic that my attention could not be pulled from the book.

The chemistry of the characters was done very well and I enjoyed the back and forth thinking.

I give this book a 5/5 Stars. I would highly recommend reading other books by this author as well.

[Teresa A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute second chance friends to lovers romance. Olivia and Cooper were childhood best friends, and that friendship continued into adulthood. A lot has happened in the years since Cooper left for the military over a decade ago, new surprises are about to change everything.

[Laura Gimbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful romance story of Cooper Parks and Olivia Swanson. They both have liked each other since childhood. A lot of unexpected things happen until they actually get together. Ups and downs.
Characters are so real and the story itself.
I loved this book! 🌹

[Alex Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic series starter from Ivy Penn. Delightfully hot and steamy. Great characters, and a well written storyline. Would recommend. Cannot wait for the next book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sequoia Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just the sweetest read I've had in awhile! I loved the story line and character build. I can't wait for more books by Ivy Penn!!