Review: RoomHate ~ Penelope Ward

RoomHate
Penelope Ward
Contemporary Romance
Insatiable Press/May 2016

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.

Oh, boy. . . I wasn't expecting the hero to be such an ass. I did finish the book and I'm glad I did but Justin pissed me off so much I was at the point where I didn't want a HEA for Amelia and Justin. He was that bad! There was a little bit of redemption towards the end but at that point I was ready to be done with him.

I did enjoy the writing. Penelope Ward does well in creating the atmosphere of a house inhabited by two people with such strong emotions towards each other - you know it's only a matter of time before they explode. She certainly writes characters that leave an impact on the reader. Not sure if I would say Justin's impact was good. He absolutely made an impression so in that sense it was better than fading into the background. But good?

Amelia is a teacher, taking the summer off to spend it at the home her grandmother left her. She knows of the conditions of the willing and is both anticipating and dreading the possibility of seeing Justin again. She isn't sure how he will react at seeing her after all these years, but isn't prepared for how cruel he is. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Amelia. When Justin does show up, he brings his girlfriend Jade with. Jade is actually nice and I felt sorry for her because she is with Justin. lol  I also felt sorry for Amelia when she had to listen to Justin and Jade having sex. And especially when Justin acted proud in front of Amelia for making all the noise, knowing Amelia had heard him and Jade.

Justin. I've already mentioned him a lot so you have a good idea of my feelings for him. I don't get why he had to be such an ass for something that happened when he and Amelia were teenagers. When Amelia and Justin do sit down and discuss what happened to cause the animosity, I couldn't help but think he was over-reacting. When it happened - sure, he had every right to be hurt and upset with Amelia but she was fifteen at the time and they are both now in their twenties. Past time to get over it and act like an adult. And what happened when they were teenagers was traumatic for Amelia. It wasn't only Justin who was hurt.

They do eventually get on better terms and actually find they enjoy spending time together - when Justin stops being an ass. He still has his asshat moments, but they lessen and are not as severe. And if you are wondering if there is any cheating going on, no. You could say there is a love triangle since Amelia still has feelings for Justin but she does try to fight those feelings and genuinely doesn't want to hurt Jade. I kind of wished Jade had been a bitch, then it would have made it easier to cheer on Amelia and Justin. And to be fair to Justin, he treats Jade well, so he can be a nice guy, he just happens to hold a grudge. There are a couple of twists that keep the story moving, one in a direction I did not anticipate. I liked the plot, it's just that damn Justin and his first impression left a lot to be desired.

I'm not sure how to rate this. I've gone back an forth between a C/B. I'll compromise and give it a B-. Or should that be a C+? I do think many readers will not have the strong dislike I had for Justin. I would suggest reading other reviews from readers who enjoyed this more than I did rather than base your buying decision on this review alone. :)

Review: Stuck-Up Suit ~ Vi Keeland

Stuck-Up Suit
Vi Keeland/Penelope Ward
Contemporary Romance
Self Published/April 11, 2016

It started out like any other morning on the train.
Until I became mesmerized by the guy sitting across the aisle.
He was barking at someone on his phone like he ruled the world.
Who did the stuck-up suit think he was...God?
Actually, he looked like a God. That was about it.
When his stop came, he got up suddenly and left. So suddenly, he dropped his phone on the way out.
I might have picked it up.
I might have gone through all of his photos and called some of the numbers.
I might have held onto the mystery man's phone for days―until I finally conjured up the courage to return it.
When I traipsed my ass across town to his fancy company, he refused to see me.
So, I left the phone on the empty desk outside the arrogant jerk's office.
I might have also left behind a dirty picture on it first though.
I didn't expect him to text back.
I didn't expect our exchanges to be hot as hell.
I didn't expect to fall for him―all before we even met.
The two of us couldn't have been any more different.
Yet, you know what they say about opposites.
When we finally came face to face, we found out opposites sometimes do more than attract―we consumed each other.
Nothing could have prepared me for the ride he took me on. And I certainly wasn't prepared for where I'd wind up when the ride was over.
All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn't see coming.

Oh, what a ridiculously fun story! From the start I was captured by the "Stuck-Up Suit" and how he would react to the woman who found his cell phone. I was not disappointed.

"Even his smell was obnoxiously sexy yet overbearing." This is what Soraya Venedetta thinks as the arrogant man on the train walks past. She has been listening to his side of a conversation he's having on his cell phone. Based on his words, she takes him as a bossy, rude, good looking as hell man in an expensive suit. She can't help but feel sorry for whomever is on the other end of the conversation. Soraya also notices, as this man quickly leaves the train, he leaves behind his instrument of torture, his cell phone. She grabs it up, but he is gone and she's left holding his phone. What can she do but try to return it? Of course, she needs to find out who it belongs to and the only way to obtain the information is to either hope to see him on the train again, or...peer into his life via his cell phone. What would you do?

Thankfully, Soraya does what most of us would do and looks deep into the life of the man on the train. Lucky for her, the phone is not password protected. What she finds doesn't quit fit with the man she observed on the train. It intrigues her. He intrigues her. Once Soraya locates the phone's owner, she attempts to return it only to find her initial observations were spot on! It's an amusing scene and showcases Soraya's no bullshit attitude towards arrogant asses.

Soraya is not the type of woman you would expect to find with Graham J. Morgan. She does not look like a model or carry herself with an air of sophistication and wealth, making a career out of looking good on the arms of rich, powerful men. It's why I like Soraya so much! She is shamelessly honest, with a wicked intelligence and humor she has no problem unleashing on whomever she feels deserving of it. To see the odd relationship between Soraya and Graham begin its unfolding through their cell phones was a perfect beginning for what was to come.

Graham J. Morgan, even his name sounds a bit arrogant. He leads a life of power and privilege. Of wealth and luxuries. But he has worked extremely hard to obtain the things he has acquired in his life. With his wealth and power he has become accustomed to people following his orders, not defying them. Which is why it was so entertaining to see his interactions with Soraya as she released her intelligence and smart-ass attitude on him. But Graham didn't get as far as he has by being a pushover. He is a superb match for Soraya.

It was entirely delightful to see Soraya and Graham come under each others influence. Graham opens up to Soraya, showing her what is truly behind the suit. And Soraya sees how beautiful she is in Graham's eyes. I relished seeing Soraya stop doubting her value because she was different from what she thought Graham wanted. Their initial texting, which leads to sexting, was such delicious foreplay. The inevitable coming together of Soraya and Graham doesn't disappoint but it's more than sex with these two. The sex scenes were good but I found the discussions of their lives: their backgrounds, their dreams, their desires, far more interesting.

Vi Keeland's Stuck-Up Suit is an amusing, sexy, romp with a hero and heroine who show love and attraction doesn't always pay attention to social or economic position. Love just loves.

Rating: A-