Review: Fun and Sexy and Lovely
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2014
When Ashley Bowman refuses to let Roman Diaz destroy her grandmother's home, the two are set up in a battle for control. An agreement places and continues to keep them in close proximity. Along the way, a fantastic array of secondary characters, friends of Ashley's and her grandmother's, help us see Ashley, her grandmother and Sunnyvale, through their lens. I thought I knew what I was getting into with Roman Holiday. I was all "An angry man and a free-spirited woman, opposites attract. Yay!" And "A fun adventure story with loads of sexual tension. I want!" Roman Holiday was all of those things. But it was also an insightful story of two people who didn't know they were lost until they found each other.Roman Diaz is a controlled and calm man. Perfectly put together, mannered, respected. This appearance is his armor. As the story unfolds, we begin to see cracks in that armor, glimpses of the former Roman he's worked hard to put away. The boy no one wanted with a tragic childhood, fthe young man who remade himself to earn respect and a place in the world. There's a latent anger to Roman. It's so barely contained at times that he can hardly hold back. No one has picked at that control, ever, like Ashley. And at the same time, Ashley intrigues Roman. He admires her passion and conviction.Ashley seems to be Roman's direct opposite, and for a few reasons. She is messy, uninhibited, prone to rambling chats, and I identified with her in a way I rarely do with heroines. Ashley appears to be a free spirit, and to a large extent she is. But as you get to know Ashley, it seems that instead of being free, she's directionless. She's the child of self-centered, distant parents. Her greatest comfort was her grandmother, who's actions before her death have left her feeling confused and betrayed. No one takes Ashley seriously, believes in her strength. No one taught her how to love, how to accept only the best for herself.As they go on this quest, Roman and Ashley seem to drive each other crazy. Roman's distance and cold remarks hurt Ashley, though she tries to hide it well. Her free nature and refusal to play to Roman's control issues drive him make him insane. His loss of control, at her hands, humiliates him, makes him angry angry angry. But the thing is, it only makes them crazy or hurts because it makes them feel so much, when they've both closed down to the hurt they've lived with for so long. The trip is full of problems and roadblocks, often hilarious and cringe-worthy. These problems break them down, and the vulnerabilities come out, allowing Roman and Ashley open up. They give each other so much, and as they get to know each other, Roman begins to believe in Ashley. In her strengths and passions. Ashley gives Roman acceptance of his bizarre and sad past. She gives him erratic conversations and laughter, smiles.And of course, there is a heavy, achy sexual tension between these two. I loved the rawness Knox gave to these moments. I could see the corded tension in Roman's body, the grit in his jaw as he tried to resist fantasizing about Ashley in the next room. Roman Holiday is definitely a slow burn on the physical front, but it was so worth it.Roman and Ashley together, it's kind of magical, in that way only love can achieve. For the first time in their lives, each is truly being seen. It is so, so very uplifting and happy-making when you have a love story with two people who bring each other pieces so vitally needed, who make each other feel stronger, valued, and seen.Roman Holiday was a quest story, a quest honestly, for both Ashley and Roman. And yes, their destination is ultimately a wonderful place to land, but like all good quests, the journey, the discoveries along the way, are the real story.Favorite Quotes"Right. Turn over, then." His mouth caressed her cheek, the rasp of his skin sweet and intimate. "I want to see your face."She turned, surprised because her eyes were misty, tears close. She felt as though she'd spent every day for years and years in layers of padding, gauze-wrapped, and Roman had just yanked hard on the loose end and sent her spinning around, a dizzying whirl that left her bare, her skin tender, her heart open.I want to see your face.Who had ever said that to her before? No one, her mind whispered. No one but him.