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erinarkin20's review
4.0
Another great story by Ruthie Knox.
The Roman Holiday serial by Ruthie Knox is another great romance adventure that only makes me love her stories more. If you haven’t read any of her stuff, definitely get on it. Her books have some great characters, interesting stories, and some hot/sexy stuff in them.
Ashley Bowman has been living a pretty aimless life and when she finds out that her grandmother, the woman who raised her, has passed away and sold her property (Sunnyvale) to Roman Diaz, a Miami real estate developer, she takes some drastic steps to attempt to stop him from demolishing the land. It all begins with her chaining herself to a palm tree on the property. In exchange for removing the chains, Roman agrees to take Ashley on a road trip as she believes if she can show him what the property truly means to the people that have vacationed there; she can get him to change his mind.
Roman is a fairly closed off character in the beginning. He is drawn to Ashley but is against everything she represents. He loves order and structure while she is chaos personified. As we get to know more about Roman we get to learn more about his life growing up and why he is the way he is. It is easier to be with Carmen and not worry about the fact that their relationship is what it is mostly due to convenience rather than the fact that they truly love each other. Don’t get me wrong, I do think they care for each other but they clearly don’t love each other.
As Roman and Ashley travel around and they start to learn more about each other, they realize not only are they attracted to each other but they see something in the other person that makes them want to be better and different from what they have been. There are ups and downs and as they start to face their feelings, they realize they can help each other.
I loved seeing the change in Roman’s character. He was wound so tight at the beginning of the book and by the time he and Ashley get together, he is clearly very different in both his willingness to work with Ashley as well as his appearance. As the story progresses, we see a bit of a change in Ashley too. Roman called it a quest and I think it is somewhat appropriate. She is on a mission to find out what happened with her grandmother but also find out more about herself. Seeing herself through the eyes of others, she sees that she needs to change and her relationship with Roman becomes the motivation she needs.
One thing I love about Knox’s stories, in addition to the story, is how she writes the actual romance and holy hell can she write a hot sex scene. All I can say is the scene in the Airstream and the one in the tent….both were perfect. (I know…that’s kind of mean but you definitely want to read these for yourself without me giving anything away).
I really did enjoy this serial and I loved the approach Knox took to this story. The episodes were broken up in the perfect spots. As the story builds, so do the character stories and as usual with anything Knox writes, she pulls you into the lives of these characters and won’t let you go until the story is complete. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the link to Knox’s Camelot series and it was nice to revisit some of those characters within this story. As I repeatedly say, if you haven’t read any stories by Ruthie Knox, I’m not sure what you are waiting for…get on it. She is definitely on my autobuy list and I encourage you to do the same!
The Roman Holiday serial by Ruthie Knox is another great romance adventure that only makes me love her stories more. If you haven’t read any of her stuff, definitely get on it. Her books have some great characters, interesting stories, and some hot/sexy stuff in them.
Ashley Bowman has been living a pretty aimless life and when she finds out that her grandmother, the woman who raised her, has passed away and sold her property (Sunnyvale) to Roman Diaz, a Miami real estate developer, she takes some drastic steps to attempt to stop him from demolishing the land. It all begins with her chaining herself to a palm tree on the property. In exchange for removing the chains, Roman agrees to take Ashley on a road trip as she believes if she can show him what the property truly means to the people that have vacationed there; she can get him to change his mind.
Roman is a fairly closed off character in the beginning. He is drawn to Ashley but is against everything she represents. He loves order and structure while she is chaos personified. As we get to know more about Roman we get to learn more about his life growing up and why he is the way he is. It is easier to be with Carmen and not worry about the fact that their relationship is what it is mostly due to convenience rather than the fact that they truly love each other. Don’t get me wrong, I do think they care for each other but they clearly don’t love each other.
As Roman and Ashley travel around and they start to learn more about each other, they realize not only are they attracted to each other but they see something in the other person that makes them want to be better and different from what they have been. There are ups and downs and as they start to face their feelings, they realize they can help each other.
I loved seeing the change in Roman’s character. He was wound so tight at the beginning of the book and by the time he and Ashley get together, he is clearly very different in both his willingness to work with Ashley as well as his appearance. As the story progresses, we see a bit of a change in Ashley too. Roman called it a quest and I think it is somewhat appropriate. She is on a mission to find out what happened with her grandmother but also find out more about herself. Seeing herself through the eyes of others, she sees that she needs to change and her relationship with Roman becomes the motivation she needs.
One thing I love about Knox’s stories, in addition to the story, is how she writes the actual romance and holy hell can she write a hot sex scene. All I can say is the scene in the Airstream and the one in the tent….both were perfect. (I know…that’s kind of mean but you definitely want to read these for yourself without me giving anything away).
I really did enjoy this serial and I loved the approach Knox took to this story. The episodes were broken up in the perfect spots. As the story builds, so do the character stories and as usual with anything Knox writes, she pulls you into the lives of these characters and won’t let you go until the story is complete. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the link to Knox’s Camelot series and it was nice to revisit some of those characters within this story. As I repeatedly say, if you haven’t read any stories by Ruthie Knox, I’m not sure what you are waiting for…get on it. She is definitely on my autobuy list and I encourage you to do the same!
simplyparticular's review
4.0
Ashley was a messed up mess, and Roman was, too. I thought it came together well, and I liked the side trip to Camelot. A little too much tell me with Ashley's character, rather than Ashely discovering herself. Roman's was handled better.
Glad I read it in one push - no way would I have enjoyed having it doled out to me.
anacoqui's review
4.0
When Ruthie Knox announced that she would be following up the serialization of her upcoming novel “Truly” on Wattpad with a truly serialized novel I was intimidated by the commitment. I used to read dozens of serialized stories a month when I was reading comic books regularly instead of romance novels. But as grew to know myself as reader I started letting those comics books pile up till I had 6 or more and read them all in one shot. In my Romance and YA reading I am resolutely a binge reader. I like to read books in sizable chunks that give me chance to just lose myself in a story, so I decided to “trade-wait” Roman Holiday to borrow a term from the comic book world, and I am glad I did. While the story was structure to be read in four to seven chapter chunks, with their own distinct story-arcs, I was happy that I could read one chunk after another.
In “Roman Holiday” Ashley Bowman torn by grief and betrayal, impulsively chains herself to a palm tree on her late-grandmother’s former Florida Key beach-front apartments, to stop Roman Diaz’s bulldozers from flattening them to the ground. To Roman, Ashley is first an inconvenience, an unscheduled delay, an irritation to be dealt with. But from her vulnerable exposed position Ashley is able to bluff her way into power position.
“She threw him a smile that showed small uneven teeth. He imagined two rows of them sharp and deadly as a shark’s.”
Ashley and Roman hate and fear each other, and initially I didn’t like either of them very much, because we see them as they see each other and every description is tinged with their aggressive negativity. But this love story, is not a simple story of overcoming first impressions, because in truth Ashley and Roman see each other more clearly than they see themselves. It is a story of self-acceptance, and not defining yourself by what others want to see in you.
Ashley ends up blackmailing Roman into postponing the planned demolition, and embarking on improvised road trip to introduce him to the winter residents of Sunnyvale and convince him of the value of saving her childhood refuge. Nothing is straightforward as Ashley has to confront her grief, and the complicated motivations and personalities of her friends, while all the while poking at Roman trying to crack his untouchable plasticized shell of perfection. Ruthie inserts a great deal of humor, even slapstick into their interactions. While Roman might be dripping in dignity, Ashley has none.
“She smiled. She loved dragging him down to her level. There was something subversively hot about flustering a man who tried so hard not to be flusterable.
This story took me places I didn’t expect, going beyond its enemies-to-lovers structure, to address questions of identity, family legacy, forgiveness, reconciliation and belonging.
It is a long road to travel, and a couple of detours didn’t work for me as well as others but in the end I was deeply satisfied with Ruthie’s story. I also admired the way she was able to slowly reveal Roman’s back-story.
4.5 out of 5 Stars for Roman Holiday: The Complete Adventures (2 Book Bundle).
A review copy of Roman Holiday: The Complete Adventures was provided by Random House: Loveswept via NetGalley for review purposes.
In “Roman Holiday” Ashley Bowman torn by grief and betrayal, impulsively chains herself to a palm tree on her late-grandmother’s former Florida Key beach-front apartments, to stop Roman Diaz’s bulldozers from flattening them to the ground. To Roman, Ashley is first an inconvenience, an unscheduled delay, an irritation to be dealt with. But from her vulnerable exposed position Ashley is able to bluff her way into power position.
“She threw him a smile that showed small uneven teeth. He imagined two rows of them sharp and deadly as a shark’s.”
Ashley and Roman hate and fear each other, and initially I didn’t like either of them very much, because we see them as they see each other and every description is tinged with their aggressive negativity. But this love story, is not a simple story of overcoming first impressions, because in truth Ashley and Roman see each other more clearly than they see themselves. It is a story of self-acceptance, and not defining yourself by what others want to see in you.
Ashley ends up blackmailing Roman into postponing the planned demolition, and embarking on improvised road trip to introduce him to the winter residents of Sunnyvale and convince him of the value of saving her childhood refuge. Nothing is straightforward as Ashley has to confront her grief, and the complicated motivations and personalities of her friends, while all the while poking at Roman trying to crack his untouchable plasticized shell of perfection. Ruthie inserts a great deal of humor, even slapstick into their interactions. While Roman might be dripping in dignity, Ashley has none.
“She smiled. She loved dragging him down to her level. There was something subversively hot about flustering a man who tried so hard not to be flusterable.
This story took me places I didn’t expect, going beyond its enemies-to-lovers structure, to address questions of identity, family legacy, forgiveness, reconciliation and belonging.
It is a long road to travel, and a couple of detours didn’t work for me as well as others but in the end I was deeply satisfied with Ruthie’s story. I also admired the way she was able to slowly reveal Roman’s back-story.
4.5 out of 5 Stars for Roman Holiday: The Complete Adventures (2 Book Bundle).
A review copy of Roman Holiday: The Complete Adventures was provided by Random House: Loveswept via NetGalley for review purposes.
mrsbatts610's review
4.0
Ruthie Knox is an author I never have to worry about if I'm going to enjoy her books for not. Even though this series is not my favorite by her, I still enjoyed it a great deal.
I read this series all at once. I don't know how often it was released as a serial. That may have actually worked better. It took me quite awhile to actually get into the book. While it's extremely well written, it just seemed to drag on in the beginning. I didn't feel the hook till probably the end of chapter 5. And the book felt long. I love long books, but this was much slower paced. Again, this may have worked better as a serial, with breaks.
That all, being said, I liked the plot, the characters, and the side characters. I felt incredibly sad for both of them at times. This book made me mad, sad, and laugh.
**This book was provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I read this series all at once. I don't know how often it was released as a serial. That may have actually worked better. It took me quite awhile to actually get into the book. While it's extremely well written, it just seemed to drag on in the beginning. I didn't feel the hook till probably the end of chapter 5. And the book felt long. I love long books, but this was much slower paced. Again, this may have worked better as a serial, with breaks.
That all, being said, I liked the plot, the characters, and the side characters. I felt incredibly sad for both of them at times. This book made me mad, sad, and laugh.
**This book was provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
rhodered's review
4.0
4.5. At first this book seemed like typical chic lit. Uptight rich businessman meets free spirit. Then it got worse, I just can't stand old hippies, and the idea of playing in a drum circle in a swamp in Georgia..yuuuck. But it's Ruthie Knox and I know she's always worth reading. So I stuck it out. And it got better, enjoyable. Then wham! She took it up a notch, and then another notch and then another. Until I realized I wasn't reading chic lit, I was reading a novel outside of genre boundaries. A good novel, a great novel.
So, this is a novel about the fat grey line between good and bad where most people live. And how to love and forgive your family and friends when they are not perfect, because maybe no one is.
And yeah, there's a hot guy in it too.
So, this is a novel about the fat grey line between good and bad where most people live. And how to love and forgive your family and friends when they are not perfect, because maybe no one is.
And yeah, there's a hot guy in it too.
gerireads's review
3.0
3 All for Roman stars!!
I wanted to love this book so very much but alas, it ended only as being okay for me.
I loved the writing. Ruthie Knox just has a way with words that just enthralls me as a reader. But I felt that this one was just too all over place plot-wise. This was originally released as a serial and all of the 10 episodes were quite hefty. I don't mind hefty books but there were moments in this book where I just felt suffocated by the characters' inner monologues. I don't usually mind inner monologues especially since Ruthie Knox certainly knows how to write them but it just became tedious after a while, especially Ashley's inner monologue.
Speaking of Ashley, she's the reason why I just couldn't love this book. I found her to be totally flaky. Everything she said and did just rubbed me and the wrong way. Even during the epilogue she still managed to annoy me. I found her to be shallow and self-absorbed and lacking in common sense. It was annoying to read. Thankfully, Roman saved the day. His story was heartbreaking. If it hadn't been for him, I would have abandoned this book at 34%.
Aside from Roman and Ashley, there's also a secondary story that ran parallel to the MCs' story about Carmen and Noah. Carmen was Roman's ex-girlfriend and Noah is Roman's contractor. I actually enjoyed their story more and liked Carmen a lot more than Ashley.
Despite all my issues with Ashley, I would still recommend this book because Ruthie Knox is such a wonderful author and her books deserves to be read more.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book so very much but alas, it ended only as being okay for me.
I loved the writing. Ruthie Knox just has a way with words that just enthralls me as a reader. But I felt that this one was just too all over place plot-wise. This was originally released as a serial and all of the 10 episodes were quite hefty. I don't mind hefty books but there were moments in this book where I just felt suffocated by the characters' inner monologues. I don't usually mind inner monologues especially since Ruthie Knox certainly knows how to write them but it just became tedious after a while, especially Ashley's inner monologue.
Speaking of Ashley, she's the reason why I just couldn't love this book. I found her to be totally flaky. Everything she said and did just rubbed me and the wrong way. Even during the epilogue she still managed to annoy me. I found her to be shallow and self-absorbed and lacking in common sense. It was annoying to read. Thankfully, Roman saved the day. His story was heartbreaking. If it hadn't been for him, I would have abandoned this book at 34%.
Aside from Roman and Ashley, there's also a secondary story that ran parallel to the MCs' story about Carmen and Noah. Carmen was Roman's ex-girlfriend and Noah is Roman's contractor. I actually enjoyed their story more and liked Carmen a lot more than Ashley.
Despite all my issues with Ashley, I would still recommend this book because Ruthie Knox is such a wonderful author and her books deserves to be read more.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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