The first time I saw Hudson Jameson, he was saving someone’s life. The second time, he was ruining mine. It was only supposed to be a vacation. A chance to let the Florida sun burn away the residue left behind from my failed relationships. I wasn’t searching for love. I was on a hiatus from men, especially ones with secrets.Except Hudson had the gaze of a man drowning in his own miseries, and I … in his own miseries, and I was a sucker for the damaged souls. How could I deny him? How could I resist when his lips claimed mine?
I knew I couldn’t stay.
He told me he couldn’t bear to leave.
But some roots intertwine and refuse to let go, no matter how far you run.
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*copy of this book generously provided by the author and I’m leaving an honest review*
OMG this book was so good, riveting, heartbreaking and romantic. I’m still having a lot of feelings just thinking about it. I loved everything about it, enjoyed every second and minute I spent reading and couldn’t put it down. I was drawn and pulled into a story from start to finish. This storyline was so different from what I used to read, but that’s what I like the most about it. The author is simply amazing story teller and develops an amazing characters and plot that will stay with you.
I loved that this wasn’t just a love story and romance but also a story about finding yourself and learning to forgive – forgiveness, overcoming the hurt and learn to love again. It’s quite poetic and has moral message. This is first love and second chance romance – which is one of my favorite genres.
Hartley is a photographer and an editor. She travels the world doing what she loves, but she is also running for her past and doesn’t really have roots. She is avoiding relationships or getting attached. But I like her. I love her strength and independence.
Hudson is a bar owner in Florida. He doesn’t trust easily. He has been dealt a bad hand in life and because of that he is a little damaged. But he’s also sweet, loving, caring and understanding. Love that he is honest and always says what’s on his mind.
I loved the way they met and their chemistry and connection. Love that it was written in three acts and to have a possibility to see progress of their relationship but also the development of the characters. They had so many obstacles to get through. Their road to HEA was not easy. There were so many issues and their past demons with which they needed to confront. I needed them to communicate more but I understand why they didn’t. Loved that both characters were complex and flawed. I loved that Hudson despite being flawed, he was open to change and changing and embracing it. I was rooting from beginning for these two characters. Their love story is deeply emotional and at times heartbreaking. But I love the way they found each other again and really gave a shot themselves to be happy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s writing. It was absolutely mesmerizing. I recommend this book.
I can honestly say that I’ve never had a book challenge me the way The Roots of Us did. For a huge chunk of the book, I was so extremely disappointed with the many decisions that the heroine made, but at the time, I wasn’t noticing the bigger picture that Hartley was slowly working towards. This book isn’t quite the love story I was looking for, but it turned out to be it’s more than that. The story is about Hartley, she’s a runner, afraid to face the possibilities of happiness, to settle and to trust in someone. A heroine that is completely married to her work, constantly chasing the high of her job and suffering from the lack of love her father should have shown her. Could she find room in her heart to love again?
PSA: I apologize in advance for the fact that my review will be all over the place, bear with me…
As soon as I finished the book, which I devoured in one sitting, I was completely enraptured by Hartley’s story. Since I’m a night reader, I literally just laid in bed wondering how the heck I was going to write my review. I felt every emotion across the scale as I made my way through this one. I hate to admit this, but I really struggled to like Hartley. My opinion about her changed so much in this book, just ping-ponging back and forth between like and dislike.
The Roots of Us is written in 3 acts, each with their own title and all from Hartley’s POV. Once you read the titles, you can easily guess the upcoming twists the story has, which totally left an unsettling feeling for me. Your emotions will go through the wringer in all very different ways as you make your way through each act. In ACT 1, everything almost felt too easy. We’re introduced to how Hartley and Hudson meet for the first time and how things evolved between them. It was sweet, heartwarming, but also there was so much honesty between them, which is one element I always strive to see in a romance. But as you make your way towards the end of ACT 1, you see feelings evolving into something a lot stronger than neither one of them anticipated. And this was the first moment, my opinion started to change about Hartley, the thought of love was overwhelming her and it kickstarted her natural instinct to run. More than anything, she was afraid to completely give herself to a man; to love. She didn’t think she was capable of it, even when the perfect man for her is right in front of her. It was easy for her to make up a million excuses to leave and all of them just infuriated me. And with the career opportunity lifetime in her hands, she sets off to chase the high of her job. without taking a glance at what she was leaving behind.
ACT 2 … I wanted to skip this part so much because I knew right away what was happening. She’s finally there working her dream job with the well-known, James Taiga all while battling her decision to leave Hudson. As much as I hated her decision to leave, it was absolutely necessary for her to do so. Now that she’s discovered love and what it truly feels like, it was like she was meant to experience different things to help her grow and get past her fears. And in a way, her interesting friendship/relationship helped her in a very weird way. Since the day they met, there was something that Hartley recognized immediately, something familiar. But everyone has secrets and James is keeping a big one.
If anything, this act complicated things tremendously and it was a bit of a love triangle, but Hartley kept it known that her heart was with another man. But despite that fact, it didn’t waver James love for her. This act left me on edge the entire time because I was not emotionally ready for the storm that was brewing ahead, which leads you right to the final act.
The final act to me was definitely the most heartbreaking out of the story and it still came with quite a few of the twist and turns. I swear guys, Candace will seriously put you through the wringer before there’s a happy ever after. This was the act where Hartley truly evolves and not necessarily for the better, at first. It was a constant downward spiral for her and your heart will absolutely break for her. She reached her breaking point. Finally realizing her love and loss, and the inability to move on. Even when you’re 80% done with the book, you’re still left guessing if there will be a happy ever after for her.
So sorry for that long bit of my review, but I deemed it necessary to hopefully better explaining my emotions throughout this book. Hartley was a character that frustrated me so much, but everything with her was complicated and very much real. Dealing with the abandonment of her father and still holding out that he’d one day come around; to come back to her. She found love for the first time and by the time she realized it, it was too late because she ran from it. Loss. Even in the end when she finally gets her happily ever after, she had to not only learn to forgive everyone around that affected her life, she needed to forgive herself more than anything. After reading the author’s note at the end, it said so much about why this book was written the way it was. And it just made me appreciate this story so much more because it stemmed from something very real and personal. Despite all of my frustrations with these characters, it showed me the vulnerable side of each and every one of them, most of Hartley.
Candace has written a story that has definitely left an impression on me and I’ll definitely remember this book for a very long time. It felt like I got a few stories all wrapped in one, each one having the closure necessary to help Hartley move on and to be free of all the pain she lived with. These characters were so well-developed and it made for such an amazing story to read. We not only get a love story between Hartley and Hudson, but Hartley’s own personal journey towards love and forgiveness. I’m secretly hoping for a bit of POV from Hudson, his story isn’t an easy one as well and there were so many times that I just needed to know more from him. Candace, can we haves?!
The Roots of Us is an absolute must read, this was a first read for this author and I’m a fan. I am in complete awe of her writing style, every line was just so deep and meaningful. It constantly left me pondering about every thought she shared beyond the words on the page. She opened up my eyes to really see every side of things, the good and the bad especially with the parts we don’t even agree with.
Truly a beautiful read, Candace.
The Roots of Us is the emotionaly stunted journey of a woman so desperate not to love she doesn’t realize she’s too late. It’s painful. It’s intense. The Roots of Us is all the negative bullish!t we try to hide in the shadows being brought to light. It’s a reminder of our flaws and our shortcomings.
The Roots of Us is my first be this author. Once I finish wiping my tears away I will see what else she has because I enjoyed having my heart stomped on. I enjoyed feeling lost. I enjoyed figuring things out and shaking my head at Hartley. Most of all, I enjoyed every bit of Hudson. Absolutely very…bit!
reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood