Drunk Dial by Penelope Ward
Romance Contemporary
August 21, 2017
Penelope Ward Books, Inc.

Favorite Quote:

“I’ve never done this before…phone sex.”

“It’s like sex…but over the phone.”

Reviewed by Tracey

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Look up Landon Roderick, that boy from childhood whom I’d never been able to forget—even though he so easily forgot about me—and call him.

Then again, anything sounds like a good idea when you’ve had a little too much wine before bed, right? It was supposed to be just a quick, meaningless, prank call. Instead, I went off on him—unloading thirteen years of pent-up emotions.

I didn’t think he’d call me back.

I certainly could never have anticipated the weeks of sexually tense phone conversations that followed as I got to know the man he’d become.

Turned out, Landon had never really forgotten me, either. That special connection we had was still there. I opened up to him, but there were also things about me he didn’t know. And he had his own secrets.

Over the countless hours we talked on the phone, I wondered what would happen if we actually saw each other. One night, I did something impulsive again. Only this time, I went to the airport and booked a ticket to California. We were about to find out if one phone call could bring two lost souls together or if my drunk dial really was all just a big mistake. (Blurb)

This is a cute and sweet stand-alone book by Penelope Ward which overall is pretty entertaining.  I have read one of her books before and enjoyed it, so I was pretty happy to be reading this one.  I love the premise of this book, calling an old friend/boyfriend when you’re drunk, and if we haven’t all done it at one time, we have thought about doing it at some point…or really, really wanted to do it.  Rana and Landon were best buddies at the age of thirteen, and then suddenly her parents packed up and moved.  There was no closure between the two kids, and Rana has held a grudge all these years because  Landon never even came to say goodbye.  After a bottle of wine one night, she looks him up and decides to call…or, as she tells herself, “Calling him tonight seemed more and more like a bright idea by the second.”  Wine does seem to make one’s brain work this way.

The relationship between the two starts back up from this phone call, and they spend months bantering back and forth in their phone conversations and texts.  Soon pictures are being sent and feeling start to deepen between the two, the sexual tension grows slowly over time. If you’re wanting insta-love, this story isn’t for you. This book is a total relationship-driven story.  Rana isn’t happy in her life, and as she told Landon in the first conversation, “The last time I was happy was with you.”  He continues to call her back because he felt like he wasn’t done with her type of crazy, the type of crazy that makes him laugh.

There is angst on both sides of this love story, and Landon seems almost too good to be true. Of course, he does…he’s the hero out to save Rana, but he is a wonderful man.  The reasons for the angst seem a little formulaic, but it does propel the story forward.  Both have done things they aren’t proud of in their past, and telling each other and forgiving each other is the basis of the conflicts between them. Landon is everything Rana has ever wanted, and she is all he wants.

He tasted like sugar and cigarettes, and all I wanted anymore in this life was to just keep doing this. I hadn’t realized exactly how starved I was, how badly I had needed the contact. But going from zero to Landon was like not eating for years only to be met with the most decadent of foods.

Rana is very hesitant to send a picture of herself to Landon, and when she finally does, the relationship moves to the next level.

“I wanted to stay home and talk to you and hear about your crazy fucking snake and all of the weird shit that comes out of your mouth on a daily basis.  Something has been happening between us.  I didn’t know how to even label it because, without some semblance of what you looked like, I couldn’t mentally take it to that next level.  I mean, I couldn’t allow myself to fall for the thirteen-year old tomboy in my head, right? It was like I was connecting with a blur.  But you’ve just pushed it over the edge, Rana.  You’ve made it real.”

Since they lived thousands of miles apart, they had their first date over the phone, and this was a very sweet scene.  Rana would also read notes that Landon had sent her when they were young, and it was a sweet way to get to know the young Rana and Landon.  I did actually smile and laugh out loud at some of the banter between the two characters.  Their conversations were very well done by Ward.

I really liked both characters, and the way their relationship was drawn out slowly was very addicting.  You wanted to just keep reading to get to the next level.  The side characters were well drawn and interesting, but most of the story was based on Rana and Landon.  I’m not sure I would label this as a second chance novel because at age thirteen you really aren’t old enough to be having a first chance.  Friends to lovers seem to be more appropriate for this book, and they get their HEA at the end.  I would have loved to have been more surprised by their secrets, maybe a little more depth to the story, but it was light and sweet, and definitely funny.  I would highly recommend it for a short, fun read.

Grade: B+

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