I'm honestly not sure if I want to rate this 3 or 4 stars, but I'm going to go with 3. I loved how this novel began and especially how Roman and Sophia met. However, things quickly turned a little silly for me as far as the main reason for their fake relationship. Then, it seemed to catapult from 0 to 60 as far as the transition from fake to real, especially on Sophia's end.

I didn't understand Sophia's bff relationship with Molly because it seemed one-sided. I wasn't sure about Roman's assistant, Jeff, because he didn't do a great job at keeping his word. Then there was all the drama with his brother Phoenix which honestly, seemed sort of like an after-thought to add into the storyline, so that confused me.

Anyway, this book held my interest and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book has a really good premise and some fun tropes (fake dating, famous love interest), but the characters fell flat for me. I didn't find the main character that interesting or really enjoy her POV. Her main characters traits are that she's nice and easily forgiving, and the love interest just felt like your typical angsty bad boy. I definitely think there are people who will love these characters and this book, it simply wasn't for me.

This is very random, but I somehow missed the name Roman in the blurb. My brother's name is Roman and I don't read romances with MC named Roman. Its just weird, especially when it's steamy.

The book started great. I really enjoyed the first few chapters. I swooned over Rome and Sophia. And when Rome offered an arrangement, it got really interesting for me. The story kinda reminded me of To Love Jason Thorn.

But then the story went too fast, there was no major build up to the main plot, complication, to Rome and Sophia’s get-together.

I got the butterflies with their relationship. But unfortunately at some part it felt too fake to me even when they got together for real 😩 I could no longer get in the moment.

Sophia in my opinion was a weak heroine. She gets too upset easily over trivial matters. And they she easily gets swayed over Rome as well.

I really wanted to like the book because it’s one of the tropes that I love but sad to say, this didn’t work for me 😭

Overall 3.5 stars
Spice 3 chillis

Everything about this was so cute. I'm such a sucker for fake dating and the fact that he was a celebrity made is all the more fun. The book was very fast paced and I loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Falling for Rome combines the “regular person dating a celebrity” and the fake-dating tropes to create a sweet and binge-worthy romance novel. While the story isn’t too unique, the writing is fresh and the characters are lovable, and this is the perfect book to get lost in, especially during the dreary winter months.
Sophia Scott is an aspiring screenwriter who lives in Malibu and works a couple of jobs to pay her rent while she chases her dream of writing for the big screen. One of her jobs is as a dogwalker. But when the owner comes home early, she collides into him–literally–and discovers that the man who hired her was the assistant to the Roman Grier himself. He’s the star of rom coms, and the inspiration for all of the leading men in Sophia’s screenplays. Roman’s brother's estranged wife has recently died. His brother, Kingston, and his six-month-old niece are being hounded by the paparazzi. Roman wants to divert some of the vulture’s focus from his brother so that he can grieve privately. So, when the paparazzi publishes pictures of Sophia and Roman when they first met and the public assumes that they are an item, Roman proposes a deal with Sophia. She’ll pretend to be dating him and go on public dates for the “paps” to eat up, and he’ll introduce her to key people in the business. It’s a foolproof plan. The only thing they didn’t plan on? Falling in loooove.
The book is told in dual first person POV, with scenes from both Roman and Sophia’s perspective. Overall, the plot is sweet with humorous parts, and just a hint of angst. This story features a little bit of the opposites attract trope that goes beyond celebrity vs. common folk. While Sophia wants to make it in Hollywood, she’s quiet and subdued and, honestly, a little shy. She doesn’t have enough confidence in her writing, and she’s quite independent and doesn't want any handouts. Roman, on the other hand, is a little arrogant, (as he should be), and he has enough confidence for the two of them. He also has an inexplicable urge to take care of Sophia's financial woes, but she won't accept his help. I absolutely loved the writing style, and it felt like Roman and Sophia were genuine, three-dimensional people. Also, I read an advanced reader copy, and it’s self-published, and I don’t think I spotted a single typo.
This is my first by Gillian Archer, and it won’t be my last! I really hope that Kingston Grier is next up, and maybe he’ll be falling for the “blond nanny”? Hmm…
I recommend this book to those who want a feel good, sweet book with a hint of steam to escape into.
*This review will be posted to https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/2022/01/13/falling-for-rome/ on January 13th, and Goodreads and Amazon.ca

Have I suddenly been reading a ton of romances featuring Hollywood actors? Yes for some reason I have been, Did that at all diminish my enjoyment of this book? I am so glad you asked because no, it absolutely did not. I was all all curled up in my comfiest chair just sighing and smiling as I flew through the pages.

Sophia literally runs into her favorite movie star while walking a dog, who turns out to be his. When pictures of them together hit the gossip sites, Roman realizes that a fake relationship may be the answer to his problems. Neither of them are prepared for the feeling and complications that come with their arrangement,

I appreciated that Sophia was a driven character who was firm in her convictions. She is working towards dream of her own and has no desire to just be a plus one for the rest of her life. Roman wanted to be everything for everyone but at least was able to listen and learn. It was so easy to root for them together,

Can I say how ready I am for King's book already?

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story from the beginning to the end! So much! Actors aren’t usually my romance topic of choice, but the blurb captured my attention and made me want to read it.

We meet Sophia while she is watching a cute Dalmatian dog. (Really enjoyed his crab story - sounds like something my dog would do.) She seems funny, sweet and reliable. Then BAM! She runs smack into someone. And not just any ol’ someone - Roman Grier! Yes, THAT Roman! Come to find out, she’s watching his dog. Whoa!
What starts off as a meet cute become more. In a never before read (to me) way.

I thought this story was original and entertaining. I would have read it in one sitting if that had been an option. Great introduction to the Grier brothers.

Oh my goodness, I loved reading Falling for Rome. I truly can't wait to see what happens in book two and can only hope that Rome's brother King gets his story.
Sophia is a wonderful character, not only because she has a lot of character but class too. Rome is a great brother and employer. He's the best boyfriend though. No wonder he's dubbed, America's Boyfriend.

Sofia is a struggling screenwriter and I order to make ends meet she is also a dog walker and barista. While she was walking Pongo, a dog, on the beach Pongo runs and jumps all over a guy. It turns out the guy is none other than the famous actor Roman Grier, who turns out to me Pongo’s owner. Sofia has a big crush on Roman and Roman has an instant attraction to Sofia. Roman comes up with an idea that just might work. He wants to hire Sofia to be his fake girlfriend to help him get more attention by the tabloids and in return have his brother be less in the spotlight while he goes through a personal struggle. As Roman and Sofia start spending time together and having fake dates things start to blur and they start to have real feelings for each other. Will their relationship survive or will it crumble when the truth comes out? You will have to read to find out.