Weeks after no one acceptable has answered Rory’s ads for a female roommate in Irvine, California, a professional woman from London offers to pay six months’ rent upfront. The term is shorter than Rory had hoped for but better than nothing. And she seems friendly.

On moving day, Peter shows up with a letter from his sister. The agreement has to be canceled because of a sudden illness. For Rory, that means staying on the top ramen diet for a while longer while again searching for a roommate. But then she is caught between a rock and a hard place when Peter offers to continue the agreement since he needs a place to live while stepping up to replace his sister in the family business. Against the promise Rory made to have a female roommate only, she accepts the offer.

Rory was born out of wedlock and then orphaned, growing up with her strict and old-fashioned aunt. Peter was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and little or no responsibility. She is a naïve, impulsive young woman. He is an unruly young man, suddenly having to shoulder significant family responsibilities. While learning to coexist, Rory discovers one of his secrets, only to learn later that a different secret would be used to ruin her life.

Personal message from the author:
“Why did I write the book?
My answer is probably a cliché, ‘I want to share a story with people.'
My real story is I always want ‘to do that' or ‘to do this,' many of them yet to be achieved. Obstacles, mainly not being able to reliably set aside enough time, keep on separating me from those goals. I know that I'm not alone, many people encounter the same issues. But I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

In 2018, I started taking a little step by writing an idea that had been in my mind since 2017 in a blank paper. And I got a half-page to start. Then I kept on it.

Writing a book is hard. Very hard!

Many times I wanted to give up, but a little voice in my heart said I should keep doing it. I had to continue because I wanted my mom to know that I wrote a book. And the book is for her. My mom has dementia and up to the point that she doesn't recognize her children anymore and only God knows how long her life would be.

So, I kept pushing myself until the manuscript was ready to be published. And once it was published, I still couldn't believe that I DID it! Again, until now, I still can't believe that I did it. I'm happy when people love my book and ask for more. And that's a new challenge for sure. Well, as Barney Stinson, a fictional character in How I Met Your Mother, always responded by saying ‘Challenge accepted,' I am responding in the same manner.”
— Kana Wu

Amazon



Read online No Romance Allowed by Kana Wu

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