Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Roommate 
AUTHOR: Sarina Bowen
PUBLISHER: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
LENGTH: 315 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2020
BLURB:
Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.
I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed.
Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything.
Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread.
I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me.
A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another homemade pretzel, but if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.
Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart…
REVIEW:
The very first MM romance book I ever read was Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. That certainly sets a high bar, absolutely met by the next two MM romances I read – Sarina and Elle’s Him and Us. Since then, I have desperately wanted more MM content from these authors, either individually or as a writing pair. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear about Sarina’s release of Roommate.
Roommate is set in Sarina’s popular True North world. I haven’t read any of the True North series, but had no difficulty following along with the plot and characters of Roommate. It’s an interconnected standalone rather than a continuation of the original series.
Roderick Waites and Kieran Shipley are the stars of Roommate. These two men attended high school together and their paths crossed through some voyeuristic participation by Kieran in Roderick’s steamy under-the-bleachers activities with another boy. Kieran, confused by his undeniable fascination with, and excitement from, Roddy’s same sex sexual activities, repeatedly and furtively views these frequent bleacher trysts from the shadows. That is, until one day Roderick’s eyes lock on him mid-act and Kieran realizes he hasn’t been surreptitious at all.
Fast forward eight years. Kieran, still in denial about his sexuality and mortified by being caught by Roderick all those years ago, watches in horror a very different scene: Roderick’s return to town, infiltration of the local coffee shop where Kieran works, and almost immediate receipt of the trust and hearts of the owners.
When we meet Kieran, we see an extremely private, grumpy, almost withdrawn guy. He keeps to himself, swallows down his feelings and puts one foot in front of the other to get through the day. He’s burning the candle at both ends between his job at the coffee shop and the never ending chores at the family farm. He’s harboring two secrets – his sexuality and something bigger – and both are albatrosses around his neck. His relationship with his immediate family, particularly his father, is fraught with frustration and latent anger. Kieran knows how to survive with a smile plastered on his face. However, he’s resigned, and has sold short the importance of being happy and fulfilled.
In contrast, Roderick is a secure, confident guy with an indefatigable spirit. He’s so easy-going that he seemingly doesn’t even care what people call him – Roderick, Roddy, Rod. That kind of thing doesn’t matter. What’s important to him is passion, happiness and love, and he wants that whole package desperately. Roderick is absolutely true to himself – a total foil to Kieran. However, his eager-to-please nature invites his getting his heart walked all over.
Case in point: When we meet Roderick at the start of the book, he’s just fled a toxic relationship with a famous country singer after Roderick caught said boyfriend in flagrante with a fan. Roderick rolls into town on an almost empty tank of gas, with the clothes on his back and almost nothing else except a wallet that’s imminently going to be as empty as his gas tank. He has no job and is sleeping in his car even as the nighttime temperatures drop perilously low. Roderick let himself stay closeted for years to please his boyfriend because he just wanted to be loved and didn’t want to be alone. To get out of the situation, he had to leave everything behind. But Roderick is not destined to be alone. This is a guy who needs people, companionship and love.
All of this sets up a reunion between Roderick and Kieran that is full of friction and seeming hatred on the part of Kieran. As the title indicates, they do ultimately end up as roommates … and as the story unfolds, something more. However, the inherent conflict between Kieran and Roderick persists: Kieran needs to hide himself from everyone and knows how to be content living within walls. This is seemingly irreconcilable with Roderick’s unbreakable spirit and refusal to be boxed in, especially since he’s let himself fall into that trap more than once.
Roommate doesn’t have the same dynamic as Top Secret and Him/Us, but it is no less enjoyable or impactful. Roommate has a more emotional, introspective vibe. It’s plenty sexy and steamy, but the pace is slower. It also focuses less on the Roderick/Kieran couple and more on the individual personal journeys of the two characters. Those two journeys intersect and then connect, but the romantic relationship between Roderick and Kieran is almost a foregone conclusion. Their chemistry is evident and you can clearly see how they fit together like the two missing pieces of a puzzle. The problem is slaying their respective dragons so they can free themselves up to be together the way they want and need to be.
Roommate is about a journey to self-acceptance … and food. Lots of glorious food, created at the hands of Roderick, a professional baker and excellent cook. Food is an expression of love and Sarina skillfully weaves it into this story as a mirror to the love developing between Roderick and Kieran. Roderick loves cooking and baking. This is soul-deep for him and he shares his food and expresses his love freely. He just needs people to cook for, and correspondingly, love. Roderick teaches Kieran how to cook, and how to love. As the book unfolds, we see Kieran become successful at both.
Sarina beautifully and seamlessly creates this parallel between cooking and loving. It is just one of many examples of her exceptional skill at writing and creating impactful emotional romances for her readers to not only enjoy, but crave.
If you’ve read Sarina Bowen before, I probably don’t even have to tell you that you need this book. You’ve probably already pre-ordered or one-clicked. If you haven’t read Sarina before, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. I implore you. Get this book now.
RATING: 
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