RoomHate

Amelia Payne and Justin Banks were inseparable as children, until she left town at fifteen and their friendship ended over a secret he kept from her. Years later they unexpectedly inherit a Newport, Rhode Island beach house together and have to share it.

Justin is now a musician based in New York, and Amelia arrives with her young daughter, Bea, whom Justin treats like his own despite never wanting children. Forced under one roof, the two must face the old betrayal and the feelings it buried.

RoomHate is a standalone contemporary romance by Penelope Ward, told across past and present. It is a steamy, slow-burn story built on enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity and second-chance tropes.