Review: REAL ROMANCE, PACKED WITH EMOTION AND HEAT
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
Ruthie Knox is simply one of the BEST writers of realistic, modern romance.  Her books feature interesting characters, witty dialogue, and passion (a LOT of passion).  ROOM AT THE INN  is another example of Ms. Knox`s ability to create characters the reader cares about.Carson has spent his adult life travelling the world, being everywhere except his hometown.  A typical story line would feature a hero with an abusive past.  What makes Carson more complex is the fact that he is running from a great childhood.Julia is Carson`s college love who came with Carson to Potter Falls sixteen years ago, when his mother was critically ill.  The irony is that Julia thrives in the same town that Carson can`t wait to escape.  There are no "too stupid to live" heroines in  Knox World.  Julia makes a life for herself and impacts everyone around her except for the one person she cares for the most.Now in their thirties, Carson and Julia are temporarily reunited six months after the death of his mother.  Carson receives an email from Julia indicating that his father is "going feral".  Ruthie Knox has a quirky way with words that make you laugh out loud.  "Maybe she thought he only looked like a territory-conquering slab of rough-and-tumble male charisma because he`d conquered her territory, tumbled her rough, and left her behind a long time ago.  Now he just stopped by every so often to replant his flag."There are always important supporting characters in a Knox novel.  Carson`s relationship with his father is difficult.  "He was a man who spoke four languages fluently and could get by in eight or nine but couldn`t talk to his own father."  I imagine most readers can relate to this type of dysfunction.  There is also an important story line between Carson and Leo, who were best friends growing up.You should also know that Carson is HOT!  Not only is he a handy guy to have around the house, he is especially handy in the bedroom. "You`re like an enormous magic sex-toy Christmas present."  What is even better is that Carson and Julia have fun together that the reader gets to enjoy vicariously.It is ironic that so many romance books end with cliff-hangers when Ruthie Knox is able to pack the full gamut of human emotions into a novella.  If you don`t read to quickly, you might even be left with something relevant to your own life.Those of us lucky enough to know how talented Ruthie Knox is owe it to the reading world to spread the word.