Roomies by Christina Lauren Review

4.5 Smooches

Synopsis

Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient.

Rescued by Calvin McLoughlin from a would-be subway attacker, Holland Bakker pays the brilliant musician back by pulling some of her errand-girl strings and getting him an audition with a big-time musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until he admits his student visa has expired and he’s in the country illegally.

Holland impulsively offers to wed the Irishman to keep him in New York, her growing infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves from awkward roommates to besotted lovers, Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway. In the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting, what will it take for Holland and Calvin to realise that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

Review

I have a soft spot for Broadway and this hit the mark. Roomies was a case of the right book at just the right time for me. Full of the wit and heart we have all grown to love from Christina Lauren, Roomies almost seemed to have just a bit more. The story relieved heavier on the connection between these two and the drawn out angst that follows them and slightly lighter on the humor and non-stop sex some other stories from them have had. I loved this style but can admit I did miss the dual POV, but that is mostly just a personal preference.

Roomies was a romance like I’ve never read before! A marriage of convenience between two denying their true feelings. But the real star of the story was the music. It was clear from the start that Holland fell for Calvin’s music before she ever even heard the Irishman speak and oddly as it is, I feel the same. Even though I as the reader never got the chance to hear him play, through the way Holland describes it and feels the music I felt like I did too.

Besides the music there was one other aspect of Roomies that had me in love with this story and that was the texts. Using text in books is nothing new for this duo, and they always do it in such a sexy way that has the tension built so high I am dying for more to happen long before it does. Roomies took this to a whole new level and I was sad when it ended. I loved each and every text that Calvin sent to Holland and was already eager for more before I even finished reading one.

Roomies was the best kind of fun. It was deeper than I anticipated and I loved every moment.

~miranda