Publication Date: July 15, 2013
USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox writes contemporary romance that’s sexy, witty, and angsty—sometimes all three at once. After training to be a British historian, she became an academic editor instead. Then she got really deeply into knitting, as one does, followed by motherhood and romance novel writing. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, is probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story. She followed it up with About Last Night, a London-set romance whose hero has the unlikely name of Neville, and then Room at the Inn, a Christmas novella—both of which were finalists for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award. Her four-book series about the Clark family of Camelot, Ohio, has won accolades for its fresh, funny portrayal of small-town Midwestern life. Ruthie moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. She’d love to hear from you, so visit her website at www.ruthieknox.com and drop her a line.
Jaime’s Thoughts
Making It Last – A Novella by Ruthie Knox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Do you remember Tony & Amber from How To Misbehave, Book 1 in the Camelot series? Making It Last is their story… almost 14 years later. When we left them before their romance was just beginning, but now… they’ve settled into their life, as crazy as it is.
This story wasn’t really what I was expecting when I picked it up to be honest. The summary makes you think it’s going to be this light read, but instead it’s a wonderfully poignant story that shows how sometimes we take things for granted and put the things that maybe aren’t as important in front of the things that are. I’m not married… but that didn’t keep me from being able to appreciate each little nuance of this story. In fact, I found myself understanding both Amber & Tony and their situation they find themselves in.
Amber is lost. Her youngest is now in school and she finds she doesn’t quite know what to do with herself. Tony works constantly, struggling to support his family and provide them with the life he thinks they should have. While in Jamaica to attend her brother’s wedding, everything seems to overwhelm her and after a few breakdowns, her family insists that she stay in Jamaica and get a few days of relaxation with no one to worry about but herself.
But Amber has defined herself as a housewife and a stay at home mom and struggles to figure out what she wants now that her family is gone all day. And a couple days to herself in Jamaica seems overwhelming.
Tony sees her struggling, but he doesn’t know what to do. A push from his mother-in-law puts him in action and his arrival back in Jamaica gives them both the opportunity to be other people for just a little bit.
I have to be honest, I spent most of this novella hurting for these two people who obviously love each other but are at a point in their lives where they are struggling. The little things in life have become bigger and they have lost focus on their relationship. Ruthie does an amazing job with this short story and the characters she creates are always so realistic. Marriage isn’t all rainbows and unicorns and I think that is what she conveys so well with this story – there are hard times and struggles but you can’t give up. It takes time and patience and communication to survive those times.
The big question is… ten, twenty, even thirty years from now… would you choose that same person?
If you haven’t read Ruthie’s Camelot series, I can’t recommend it more… In fact, you can’t go wrong with a single thing she’s written so go get some of her words in your life today!! This one comes out in July, so make sure you put it on your ‘to read’ list today!
Thank you to Loveswept & Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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