ROOMMATE by SARINA BOWEN – TotallyBookedBlog

“I want you.” It’s the truest thing I’ve ever said in my life.

Oh, swoon! Sarina Bowen completely stole our hearts with this beautiful small-town MM romance! We couldn’t get enough of Roderick Waites and Kieran Shipley’s heartfelt love story with its humour, heat, sweetness, raw emotion. Enticed from the very beginning, Roddy and Kieran simmered, sizzled, and burnt up the pages whilst simultaneously breaking and capturing our hearts.

“If you regret this, I’m not going to feel okay about it.”
“I won’t. Promise.”

What fun it was to be back with the Shipley clan, we’ve missed this family and witnessing them enveloping the quiet, troubled and beautiful Kieran Shipley made us love them even more.

Roommate may sound light-hearted but it’s so much more. This is a story of acceptance, struggles, secrets, and family told with compassion and sincerity. Sarina Bowen brings so much heart to this story. This lady really does spin one hell of an emotional MM romance perfectly capturing the conflicting feelings of the characters and their families.

“I’ve never met anyone like you. I have zero filter, and you’re made of filter. It’s like armour. You never take it off.”

Rich in detail, Roommate made us feel every bit a part of Roderick and Kieran’s story. The passion, the romance, the haunting pain experienced by both men held us captive, making us fall even more in love with every turn of the page.

‘Maybe he’ll become the kind of man who’s not afraid, my poor little heart says.’

We meet Roderick as he’s returning to his hometown after a ten-year absence following the bitter breakup with his ex. He’s met with contempt by his religious parents who refuse to accept his sexuality. Their relationship remains untenable despite Roddy’s desire to make amends. Broke, homeless, and down on his luck, he manages to snag a job at the local Busy Bean Coffee Shop.

“I am humble before the Lord,” I say quietly. “But I will not apologize to Him for who I love, or who I am.”

Kieran Shipley can’t believe who is back in town. Kieran remembers Roddy from high school – and what a memory! It’s something that ingrained in his brain even with ten years under the bridge! Seeing Roddy again elicits feelings that have confused Kieran over the years. How then does Roddy become Kieran’s work buddy AND his roommate? You’ll love finding out!

‘As usual, I experience a rush of affection for the hot farm boy who rescued me off the streets.’

There is so much that lies beneath these characters. On the surface, Roddy appears the broken man who has had to live with unacceptance but delve a little deeper and we find Kieran has been burdened by his own secrets, loneliness and pain. Both these blokes stole our hearts – implicitly.

Earnest and emotive storytelling – compelling and irresistible characters. Sizzling chemistry with intense heat! A beautifully blended story that was tender and sweet – funny and romantic – poignant and scintillating. The epilogue was exquisite! Tears made way for contentment and happiness. Just what the book doctor ordered!