Swoon-worthy Justin Banks is FINALLY HERE in
RoomHate by
Penelope Ward!
AVAILABLE ON ALL RETAILERS:
Blurb
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.
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.
About the Author:
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 11-year-old
girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode
Island.
Other books from Penelope Ward
Sins of Sevin
Cocky Bastard
Stepbrother Dearest
Gemini
Jake Undone (Jake #1)
My Skylar
Jake Understood (Jake #2)
GIVEAWAY
$100 Gift Card (Winner’s choice of
Retailer)
