Kristie J’s review of P.S. I Hate You (P.S. Series, Book 1) by Winter Renshaw
Contemporary Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 26 Mar 18
I started this series out of order, reading the second book first. I enjoyed it so much I went backward to pick up this one, and they both work fine as standalone books.
Right out of the gate, I’ll say I like this book. Quite a bit, in fact.
Maritza is our heroine and a very likable one she is. She currently works at a rather exclusive breakfast-type restaurant. I know what you’re thinking – how can a breakfast-type place be exclusive, but it is. She knows that’s not what she wants to spend her life doing, but she’s trying to figure it out and, in the meantime, is working as a waitress. She meets Isaiah when he comes into the restaurant, demanding two pancakes when the restaurant policy is one and only one pancake per customer. He’s quite rude about it too. But because Maritza is a people pleaser, she smuggles him an extra pancake, even though he’s decidedly unappreciative. She then runs into him – and this is literally – when she hits his car. And this just isn’t any car but a special car to Isaiah.
But, despite their inauspicious meeting, they slowly get to know each other. Isaiah is in the military; he’s only home on leave and due to go back very shortly. So they agree to make sure he has a week to remember and do all kinds of things he never would have done were it not for Maritza. And then he leaves. Though he had warned her not to get attached to him, he doesn’t “do” relationships, it’s too late, because she has already fallen for him.
They exchange letters for a little while and then he goes ‘radio silent’ and she is left wondering what has happened to him.
So the what happened and why takes up the rest of the book, and to say anything would go into spoiler territory. S this is where I stop with a synopsis and instead go into the characters and why I enjoyed this book. As I’ve already said, Maritza is a wonderful heroine. She’s upbeat and friendly and the kind of person who makes for a wonderful friend.
Isaiah, on other hand, is a grouch of the highest order. Some readers may not care for him, but I adore me a grouchy-type hero because usually they are like a lion with a thorn in their paw and grouchy for a reason. Such is the case with Isaiah and we discover his reason as we read along. This books is somewhat darker than the next book, but then I like dark and light books, so I was fine with this.
Winter Renshaw is an author I’m enjoying, except for one book I’ve read. And based on these first two books in the series, when the third one recently came out, it was a lickity-split autobuy.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Dear Isaiah,
Eight months ago, you were just a soldier about to be deployed and I was just a waitress, sneaking you a free pancake and hoping you wouldn’t notice that my gaze was lingering a little too long.
But you did notice.
We spent one life-changing week together before you left, and we said goodbye on day eight, exchanging addresses at the last minute.
I saved every letter you wrote me, your words quickly becoming my religion.
But you went radio silent on me months ago, and then you had the audacity to walk into my diner yesterday and act like you’d never seen me in your life.
To think … I almost loved you and your beautifully complicated soul.
Almost.
Whatever your reason is—I hope it’s a good one.
Maritza the Waitress
PS – I hate you, and this time … I mean it.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
