Becca the Bibliophile: Roomhate by Penelope Ward

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.

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This book is one of those "It" books. It has everything that you love about a good story and so much more. I couldn't put the book down and when I finally did, my heart was singing from all the euphoria I was feeling.

Amelia and Justin grew up together. They were the best of friends and never a part. But when Amelia found out that Justin was holding a secret... it was too much for her and she ran. Now 10 years later with the death of her grandmother, Amelia finds herself at the beach house the two best friends spent their summers at, as roommates. Amelia's grandmother left her home to not only Amelia but Justin too.

After no communication during the years apart, the last thing that Amelia expected was the hostility she received from the one guy who was her whole world.

The two tolerate each other, to say the least, but as the summer progresses, the ice starts to melt and these two start to find a groove once again.

The tensions are high, the memories all consuming and the lust, or is it love, for each other is through the roof. The only thing is Justin has a girl friend and Amelia finds out her world is about to change in ways she never imagined.

First off, I love enemy to lovers, friends to lover, childhood friends... I LOVE it! And this book was that plus more. The chemistry, even in the tensest of times, was through the roof. The dance the two of them did was painful. The emotional pulls in this book is through the roof. You will feel each of their sorrow for the years wasted over something that really could have been taken care of years ago.

Can't say enough about how much I loved this book! It will definitely be on my MUST READS for 2016!

5 gut-wrenching stars!

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.

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 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.