Review: Roman Holiday - Blindsided by Ruthie Knox

Title: Roman Holiday - Blindsided
Author: Ruthie Knox
Series: Roman Holiday, Part 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 25 November 2013

In Episode 3 of Ruthie Knox’s eBook original serial, Roman Holiday, Ashley has led Roman across state lines in an attempt to save her home. And he’s about to learn just how wily this wild child can be.

Finally they've reached their destination, a 'hippie' commune in Georgia where Ashley's friends are. Roman is determined to unhitch the Airstream trailer and get the hell out of there, but when he gets stuck in the mud - literally - he has to remain another night.

It's amazing to me how much Ruthie Knox can pack into these small little bits of story. I'm liking Roman more and more, he's so out of his depth that he doesn't even know where to turn. Ashley keeps him completely off-balance, often without meaning to. We learn quite a bit more about Roman's history and the reason his drive to succeed is so high. I really can't wait to see Ashley open him up and show him there's more to life.

Ashley on the other hand learns more about herself. While she considers going to extremes to save her grandmother's resort, she finds out what her limits are and recognizes that sometimes the unconventional way is the best way to go. I liked this added depth. Ashley asks for advice, accepts it on some level, but then realizes that's not who she is. She has to conquer this in her own way.

I really loved the introduction of Roman's girlfriend - Carmen - and the fact that she's not the bad-guy here. She and Roman are just obviously not in love, not meant for each other. They both feel it's only right they're together, and I think they genuinely like each other, but that's about the end of it. I hope that Carmen finds the one that makes her feel everything she's been missing too; we get a hint (not so subtle) of who that's going to be. I'm excited.

I do have to admit that I didn't love this little bit in the swamps of Georgia, mostly because I didn't like the people there and how they always seemed to be laughing at Roman, at his expense. I enjoy him being uncomfortable and out of his element, but this just went a little too far for me.

I still can't wait to see what the rest of Ashley's friends and their new journey has in store for them both.

Grade: B+

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Review: Roman Holiday - Hitched by Ruthie Knox

Title: Roman Holiday - Hitched
Author: Ruthie Knox
Series: Roman Holiday, Part 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 18 November 2013

Ruthie Knox’s eBook original serial, Roman Holiday, continues in Episode 2, as Ashley and Roman flee an oncoming hurricane by hitting the highway—only to encounter some outrageous bumps in the road.

After the fantastic start in Part 1, I expected Ruthie Knox to continue on in greatness. Part 2, Hitched picks up nearly immediately after the ending of Chained. Roman's agreed to take Ashley to safety, though he doesn't yet have an inkling where exactly. Ashley plans to use the time on their journey to Georgia to convince him to not destroy everything she holds dear.

Chained intrigued me, the characters drawing me in and making me interested - tantalizing little hints about their history and who they are. Hitched gives us more. We learn a lot more about Roman and his tragic history, explaining a great deal about why he's so focused on being unemotional and determined to succeed. Ashley and her history is nearly as heartbreaking - if for seemingly the opposite reason. Hers full of love from her grandmother, his lacking nearly any. I couldn't help but feel for both of them.

I love how Ashley pushes at Roman. She has no idea what she's beginning to incite, but she can't help but push. She talks and talks, sings and irritates - all in an effort to get under Roman's skin. She's determined, feeling she has nothing left to lose. Watching Roman realize that Ashley is a formidable opponent is incredibly satisfying.

Roman for his part can't help but being honorable. He doesn't exactly want to be, doesn't even expect himself to be, but he can't help it. It is who he is. As Ashley begins to like him, despite herself - against her own internal objections - I couldn't help but grin. He is continuously put in increasingly uncomfortable situations, by Ashely, making him react and feel in ways he hasn't imagined. I love seeing how he reacts to these moments, to Ashley herself.

She's so full of life, so vicarious, and he's closed himself off so much that they can't help but strike sparks off each other - even if they won't admit to themselves exactly what they're feeling. When they finally reach Georgia, I'm dying to see how he deals with this next thing that Ashley's presented him with. A commune of hippies.

I'm still not a fan of serialized novels, I'd rather read the entirety of it in one go, but I have to say that Ruthie Knox is doing a wonderful job. She gives enough to make me invested, want to read on, and yet I still don't feel like the story's being cut off in an illogical place. I'm greatly enjoying this series and am immediately diving into the next one.

Grade: A

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Review: Roman Holiday - Chained by Ruthie Knox

Title: Roman Holiday - Chained
Author: Ruthie Knox
Series: Roman Holiday, Part 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Serial
Release Date: 11 November 2013

Meet Ashley and Roman—complete opposites who can’t hide their attraction—in Episode 1 of Ruthie Knox’s eBook original serial, Roman Holiday.

Ashley Bowman is having a bad week. Reeling from the death of her beloved grandmother, she returns to the Florida Keys only to learn that a heartless Miami developer has gotten hold of the crappy vacation rentals she calls home. Ashley has one day to clear out before Roman Díaz destroys the only place in the world that matters to her. Chaining herself to a palm tree in the bulldozers’ path seems like a good way to stop him . . . until she realizes she should've brought food and water. And pants. Also, it would help if the evil developer weren't so ridiculously hot.

The last thing Roman Díaz needs is some sun-kissed blond protester getting her picture in the newspaper and messing up his plans. He bought the property fair and square, and the resort he wants to build on the site is the key to realizing his highest ambitions. But when a hurricane blows through, Roman has to hustle Ashley to safety if he wants to protect his reputation—and that means giving in to her unreasonable demands.

Roman needs to learn a little compassion, and Ashley’s decided to teach it to him . . . even if she has to drag him all over the Eastern Seaboard to do it.

A few months ago I read my first Ruthie Knox book, and I haven't looked back since. She writes some of the best contemporary romances I've come across and instantly propelled herself to a favorite of mine with her Camelot series. I admit, I'm not a fan of serialized novels in general; too frequently they feel cut off, incomplete, and altogether less than they should be. So, it was with mixed expectations that I started this, Part 1 of Roman Holiday - Chained.

Lucky for me, Ruthie Knox delivered. Here we're introduced to our two characters - Ashley and Roman. Ashley is a woman at the end of her options. She loves the vacation home her grandmother used to own, but now that her grandmother has just died and Ashley finds out it's been sold, the only - admittedly crazy - idea she has is a protest. Chaining herself to a palm tree, with no planning, leaves her with even fewer options. But she's determined and unbreakable in her desire to save this place that means so much to her.

It means a lot to Roman as well. It's the key to his plans for the area, and he figures he can be patient enough to ride out Ashley's demands and little protest. Roman is an interesting character, he spends a lot of time thinking about how he needs to act, and how he can't let himself feel anything. Normally, this might not be the best way to get me interested in him, but the little hints about his history make me think his demeanor makes a lot of sense, and that makes me very interested.

One part a week, and I can't wait to read more of this story - even if the wait might seem like it's going to kill me.

Grade: A

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Review: Camelot Series by Ruthie Knox Part 2

I devoured this entire series, one after the other, last week. Incredibly enjoyable all around, you can read my reviews of the first two books here. Now, it's time for my two favorite books in the series.

Camelot Series

Author: Ruthie Knox

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Title: Flirting with Disaster
Book: 2
Release Date: 10 June 2013

Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company.

Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed.

This book was so much fun to read! Katie's a woman I found it so easy to relate to - she wasn't quite sure what she wanted out of life, or even who she wanted to be; she just knew that she needed more than what she'd had. So Katie pushed herself, trying new things, being 'her best self' and attempting to change her life by changing her attitude towards it. It was really refreshing to read about a heroine that knew she had to start with herself in order to make herself happy. When she gets paired up with Sean she can't figure out why he hates her so much - enough that he won't even speak to her. Her memories from school are fond, so what happened. Katie's got some of the same insecurities as nearly every female I've ever talked to. The nice thing was that she didn't let them own her, at least not for long. Her previous history had allowed her to learn to deal with what she was feeling, get past it, and make the best of nearly any situation.

Sean doesn't hate Katie, but he won't talk around her anyway. He worked years to get past the stutter that haunted him throughout school. Ten minutes around Katie though, and it's back and getting worse. He can't stand the thought of letting her hear him unable to control his own words. When he finally has to talk, it sets up some of the sexiest chemistry I've read about in a good long while. Plus, Sean's a geek, a hacker, and smart as all hell. He has Star Wars posters in his old room at home, disappears into his hacking and programming for days on end, and loves to solve real-world puzzles. I could not get enough of Sean! He makes a few mistakes with Katie, but he makes up for them so beautifully.

We first see a glimpse of Sean, and Katie, in Along Came Trouble. Sean's taken a temporary job for Caleb's security while he's home to deal with his mother's estate. Camelot's not a happy place for him, memories attempt to suffocate while he's there, so he spends as much time as possible avoiding what needs to be done and distracting himself with the work...and Katie.

Katie and Sean are perfect for each other. They, as corny as it sounds, complete each other. And I really loved the idea of the high-school geek ending up with his crush. I couldn't stop myself from grinning throughout this whole book. As they spend more time with each other, things really heat up and I have to say...Ruthie Knox writes some of the best sex scenes I've read. Not only are they sexy, but the emotions of the characters come through really well.

There's a minor mystery going on in this book, and while I felt it was interesting enough to drive the story along - mainly in bringing Katie and Sean together and making them interact - it wasn't the focus of the book. That was Katie and Sean's relationship and how they were going to make it work; if they were going to make it work.

I could gush about this book forever, but it's going to devolve into this: READ THIS BOOK! Go on now, pick it up. I'd be willing to bet you won't regret it.

Grade: A

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Title: Making It Last

Book: 2.5 (novella follow up to How to Misbehave)

Release Date: 15 July 2013

A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment — just one — where life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.

Only she won’t be alone long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s only got a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.

When I read How to Misbehave, I loved Amber and Tony and really wanted to see them make it. Throughout the other two, full-length novels in the Camelot series we've seen glimpses of them. Married, with kids and a dog. But that's about all we got. I was ecstatic when I saw there was going to be a follow-up novella.

This book ripped my guts out, over and over and over again. It had me near tears for the entire first 65%. You might wonder how that's a good thing, but the book totally paid off.

Amber and Tony's marriage is going along quite like a lot of people's, I imagine. They have kids, responsibilities, Tony's working a lot to make up for the down construction-housing market, Amber's last baby just started school so now she's home alone...and she doesn't quite remember who she is. After nearly 10 years of putting everyone else first, never thinking of herself, she's not even sure where to start to get herself back. And it doesn't help that Tony's so caught up in his job, and his brother who seems to be spiraling out of control, that he doesn't really try to help Amber. He takes for granted that his marriage is the one part of his life he doesn't need to worry about, because Amber'll be fine.

When they are getting ready to leave Jamaica and Tony sees Amber wiping tears he decides to give her some time to relax and have a real vacation. Amber doesn't know what to say, so she accepts it. After he's gone the thought that runs through her mind is that she wanted to spend time with him, not alone.

I can't even get into what all is in this book, because I think I might start crying again. This book shows that marriages are work. It's not all a fairy-tale after the HEA at the end of the book. People have to put in the time and care and love to a relationship, commit to each other and pulling through tough patches, and make sure they talk about what they need and want.

I loved this book. Loved it, so much. It was heart-wrenching, beautiful, real, and incredibly romantic. A man goes back to Jamaica to save his marriage - will he be in time?

Grade: A


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Ruthie Knox has easily become one of my favorite authors from my reading this series. She's going on my auto-buy list, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books she has out now. I'd highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys contemporary romances. You can't go wrong here!

Review: Camelot Series by Ruthie Knox Part 1

I've been hearing about Ruthie Knox for quite a while now. Many trusted friends and bloggers were raving about how good her books are, so I started buying them. But then they just sat on my Kindle for far too long. My first book by Ms. Knox was Big Boy, a short novella in the Strangers on Trains multi-author series. I liked it, enjoyed her writing ability, but it I didn't love it.

Then a friend convinced me to start reading this series, and I'm so glad she did. Ruthie Knox is now on my short list of favorite authors.

Camelot Series

Author: Ruthie Knox

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Title: How to Misbehave
Book 0.5

Release Date: 28 January 2013

What woman can resist a hot man in a hard hat? Beloved author Ruthie Knox kicks off her new Camelot series with this deliciously sexy original novella, in which a good girl learns how to misbehave . . . with all her heart.

As program director for the Camelot Community Center, Amber Clark knows how to keep her cool. That is, until a sudden tornado warning forces her to take shelter in a darkened basement with a hunk of man whose sex appeal green lights her every fantasy. With a voice that would melt chocolate, he asks her if she is okay. Now she's hot all over and wondering: How does a girl make a move?

Building contractor Tony Mazzara was just looking to escape nature's fury. Instead, he finds himself all tangled up with lovely Amber. Sweet and sexy, she's ready to unleash her wild side. Their mutual desire reaches a fever pitch and creates a storm of its own--unexpected, powerful, and unforgettable. But is it bigger than Tony can handle? Can he let go of painful memories and let the force of this remarkable woman show him a future he never dreamed existed?

At just a 121 pages, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this story couldn't really get off the starting line. I know I wasn't expecting too much, and yet Ms. Knox deftly shows two characters that are easy to relate to, and fun to read about. Amber was unsure how to show Tony that she was attracted to him, interested in him; thinking he wasn't into her. Tony was doing his best to punish himself for the rest of his life, believing Amber is worth so much better than him.

When the tornado siren goes off forcing them into the basement, in the dark, Amber and Tony are pushed into a kind of intimacy that destroys boundaries. Tony needs Amber and her sexy distraction is just the thing to show her he's not as uninterested in her as he seems. Their chemistry burned hot in that basement, and I was rooting for them. I really enjoyed this quick look at how Amber and Tony met, how they both gave something the other needed.

In such a short book I didn't expect such a range of emotions, but Ms. Knox had me near tears at one point, and smiling and laughing the next.

Really good introduction to this series. The only, and I do mean only, drawback is that the story ends just days into their relationship. While I had no doubts they were going to make it, I would have liked to see more. Imagine how ecstatic it made me to hear that there was going to be a follow-up novella at the end of the series, Making It Last.

Grade: B

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Title: Along Came Trouble

Book 1

Release Date:

An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on  her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her  brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.

Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. With their desires growing more undeniable by the day, Ellen and Caleb give in to an evening of steamy passion. But will they ever be able to share more than just a one-night stand?

The first full-length novel in the Camelot series is about Amber's (from How to Misbehave) brother, Caleb. He's recently gotten out of the military and returned home for good. He's spent the time since starting up his security business in and around his home town of Camelot, Ohio. Suddenly a job that will put him on the map comes along - musician Jamie Callahan wants security for his sister and the women he loved - and left. Reporters are hounding them, and it's now Caleb's job to keep them safe until the interest dies down.

What he didn't count on is Jamie's sister being so damn stubborn, or resistant to some help, and a few changes. He also didn't expect the blindingly hot attraction between them.

Ellen's past has made her incredibly resistant to relying on anyone but herself. She doesn't let anyone past her boundaries, and isn't willing to get involved in a relationship with Caleb, no matter how attracted she is. Then she comes up with the perfect solution - a no-strings attached fling. She definitely doesn't expect Caleb to keep negotiating with her every step along the way.

I love Caleb. He's a fantastic hero. Strong, sexy, smart, determined, caring, kind, generous, protective, and willing to do anything for someone else - including hurt himself. He's family orientated, stubborn about helping those he loves, and really just wants Ellen to give them a chance. He knows what he's up against and is willing to do just about anything to get her to acknowledge they might be good together. I just could not get enough of him.

I also loved the side romance between Ellen's brother and her neighbor - Carly. While a bit cheesy, it was sweet and funny. I was really hoping I could get more of their relationship, and time together. How they met originally, how they're continuing in their relationship. The scenes that I did get just made me want even more.

My problem with this book was Ellen. I completely understood her reluctance, her issues, but it just went on too long for me. She went past what was reasonable and became absolutely unreasonable, and it made me want to shake some sense into her. Especially since Caleb was being so incredibly understanding and nice about it all. There's a moment at the end where Jamie says something that was eminently satisfying for me. I was glad that she, and by extension everyone else, realized just how far past normal levels she was pushing all this. And she nearly came to it on her own, which was a huge relief. Unfortunately, even with that moment her issues had continued on just a bit too long for me, and it detracted from my enjoyment a bit.

Even still, I enjoyed this story, and I'll probably still re-read it just to read more about Caleb, Jamie and Carly. And I finished really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Grade: B-

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