RoomHate by Penelope Ward Publication Date: February 15, 2016
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From New York Times Bestselling Author, Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
Sharing a summer house with a hot-as-hell roommate should be a dream come true, right?
Not when it’s Justin…the only person I’d ever loved…who now hates me.
When my grandmother died and left me half of the house on Aquidneck Island, there was a catch: the other half would go to the boy she helped raise.
The same boy who turned into the teenager whose heart I broke years ago.
The same teenager who’s now a man with a hard body and a hardass personality to match.
I hadn’t seen him in years, and now we’re living together because neither one of us is willing to give up the house.
The worst part? He didn’t come alone.
I’d soon realize there’s a thin line between love and hate. I could see through that smug smile. Beneath it all…the boy is still there. So is our connection.
The problem is…now that I can’t have Justin, I’ve never wanted him more.
Author's note – RoomHate is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from TRSoR Promotions in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
Penelope Ward knows how to write a one hell of an engaging story. ROOMHATE had me hooked; from the cover, the blurb and ultimately the broken relationship between two best friends who find a way to leave the past behind and move forward together.
Justin and Amelia grew up as best friends, but when Amelia discovered Justin withheld information that affected both of their families, she fled. Ten years later, they’re thrust together again after they both inherit equals shares in Amelia’s grandmother’s beach house. One of them is riddled with guilt and regret, the other with hate. And when they get together you have to wonder if either of them is going to be left standing when things finally explode between them.
It became clear, pretty early in the interactions between Justin and Amelia, that this wasn’t really going to be an enemy to lovers story. These two still had very strong feelings for each other. That very thin line between love and hate is one that was blurred for both of them, but never really moved over into the hate side. Justin, despite his best efforts, couldn’t completely push Amelia aside. When she really needed him, he was there. And for a man who had sworn off children, he firmly planted himself in Amelia’s life ensuring kids was just what he was going to get. We saw his actions confuse him, which in turn confused Amelia, but deep down Justin knew what he wanted. He wanted Amelia, and everything that came with her, no matter what his life threw in front of him.
Amelia had her own set of issues to get over: her relationship with her mother, they way she left Justin when they were kids and the life changing reality that hit her when she wasn’t watching. But to me, Amelia knew what she wanted…even when she didn’t want to admit it. She was always drawn to Justin and she leaned on him. And even though her lack of faith and trust in Justin made her say or act a little irrationally at times, I think it was more her lack of faith in herself and believing she and Justin could have everything she wanted that tended to be her issue.
My emotions ran the gaumut with ROOMHATE and that was because Justin and Amelia’s emotions felt like there were right there with me, turning the proverbial pages on my kindle. To me, that is the genius of Penelope Ward. Whatever she’s writing, she pushed my emotional limits as a reader…this book especially. Penelope Ward is one of my must read authors and this is one book I will highly recommend to anyone.
Swoon-worthy Justin Banks is FINALLY HERE in
RoomHate by Penelope Ward!
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RoomHate Excerpt
Copyright © 2016 by Penelope Ward
His eyes darted to the side, and he noticed me standing there. We just stared at each other. It was ironic, but the only times I could ever feel the remnants of our old connection were in fleeting moments of silent eye contact. Sometimes moments of silence spoke the loudest.
I left him alone again, making my way back down the hall and into the restaurant to tend to the customers I’d been ignoring.
Things really started to get busy. Without Jade working tonight, we were short-staffed, and I was having a hard time keeping up with the orders. Sandy’s had indoor and outdoor seating. Normally, I would only be working one section, but tonight I was going back and forth between the two.
It was nice out, so I knew they would have Justin performing outside. I kept glancing over to the small stage to see if he was there. It was past eight, and he hadn’t made an appearance yet.
Sometime close to eight-thirty, I was in the middle of serving a large party of ten when I first heard it: the chilling sound of a soulful voice that was not familiar in the least. He gave no introduction. No warning. He just started to sing out the first few words, followed by the strum of his guitar. The song that Justin had chosen to start with was a cover of Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers.
The entire room soon quieted down, and all eyes were on the stunning blond male specimen with the spotlight shining down on him. Despite the fact that I was carrying a large round tray of dirty dishes, I couldn’t move. The vibration of his thick, smoky singing voice had completely paralyzed me, penetrating my body and soul.
Aside from the lone teardrop that fell the night he lost it on me during steak dinner, I hadn’t shed any more tears—until now. It was all too much. Hearing how different his voice sounded, how he’d trained it over the years, was a wake-up call as to how much I had missed. All of the hours of practice that must have gone into honing that beautiful voice, and I wasn’t there for any of it. The guilt, the emotions, the reality of a decade gone…everything started to pummel me at once. Not to mention the song—about a girl leaving. It probably had nothing to do with me, but in my mind, it sure as hell felt like it did.
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About Penelope Ward
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.
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