Rock Bottom Romance

by Diane Holiday

A grumpy outdoorsman tempts a spoiled celebrity to trade the red carpet for roughing-it.Bankruptcy can drive a girl to drastic measures, like leaving Hollywood to star in a low-budget camping reality show. Cystal Lovechild despises the grouchy man who runs the campgrounds. He’s condescending, arrogant, and…hot. One glare from him and she sizzles like butter on a skillet. Doesn’t matter because they are complete opposites. All she has to do is survive two months, revive her career, and get back her life. Zach Stone has nothing in common with the pampered diva, who shows up and brings chaos to his camp. He wants her gone and has a scheme to make her high-tail it back to California. As Crystal and Zach spend more time together, each grasps that the other isn’t what they thought. Crystal realizes Zach hides a soft side under his gruff exterior. He’s nothing like her pretentious Hollywood boyfriends. Before she knows it, she’s questioning how much she really wants to go back to her fake world. And Zach sees that she’s spunky, determined, and has deeper layers beneath her glamorous façade. He’s in trouble because if she doesn’t leave soon, he’s in danger of falling for this fallen star.

Genres: Romance

234 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

Diane Holiday is an award-winning author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance with a healthy dose of humor. Her characters will make you laugh, cry, and root for them to the end. If you are sleep deprived because you couldn’t put her book down, then she’s achieved her goal. She and her husband, a retired Navy Captain, who is her go-to for colorful slang and guy-talk, live in South Carolina on beautiful Lake Murray. Diane loves dogs and features one in each of her books. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Newberry County Humane Society and another national no-kill shelter organization.

You can find out more about Diane Holiday at:

www.dianeholiday.com

https://www.facebook.com/DianeHoliday...
Instagram: diholiday333

What others are saying about Diane Holiday's books:

Publisher's Weekly- (Love on the Line) "The chemistry between Holiday's protagonists is intense and believable."

Publisher's Weekly- "Love Uncovered blends the tension of a high-stakes corruption case with the charm of a well-realized small-town setting to create a fun, fast-paced story."

InD'tale Magazine March 2018- "The suspense is as alluring as the romance which should keep the pages turning from the beginning until the end. Readers who love romance, suspense, intrigue, and complex characters should be more than pleased reading Love in Hiding."

Reviews

[gabreadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one for the grumpy/sunshine lovers!

Crystal and Zach start off on the wrong foot. He thinks she's a Hollywood starlet with no heart and she thinks he's a jerk. When their first impressions start to fade is when the romance gets super swoon worthy. I thought they balanced each other well and made for a super cute couple.

There are plenty of campsite shenanigans to keep the reader entertained, but this also has heartwarming moments. I particularly liked the tree saving scene (super romantic!).

The pacing was great. I never felt that the story dragged or needed something extra. I think I would have liked a bit more from the epilogue with them instead of using it to set up the next book but that's just my opinion.

Recommend if you enjoy grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, celebrity/outdoorsman, reality show behind the scenes, and campsite location.

Rating: 4/5
🌶️ Rating: 2.5/5 (has one open door scene)

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slog through silly scenarios
2 stars

This isn’t my first Diane Holiday read having picked up one of her romantic suspense stories previously. This one sounded cute - a sunshine / grumpy, opposites attract, fish-out-of-water, enemies to lovers type thing. And the cover is beautiful. In the end, however, it just didn’t do anything for me.

Crystal is a former child star, down on her luck and bankrupt. Her only way of pulling herself out of the hole she’s made for herself is to take part in a one-woman, low budget reality show. Camping. Now, to say that Crystal isn’t an outdoorsy kinda girl is the understatement of the year. Sadly, this made Crystal appear as a bit of an entitled airhead. And that didn’t change until right towards the end. She wasn’t terrible, but she was hard to have sympathy for or really get behind.

Zach is an outdoorsy ex-army guy who is having a hard time keeping his family’s camping grounds in the black. Even worse, his brothers have invited some spoiled princess to film her reality show right on their property. He’s pissed and he shows it. He’s not overly nice to Crystal but honestly, with her stupid shenanigans, she deserved it. He was a likeable guy but I really don’t think I knew him at a surface level but the time the book was through.

There wasn’t much chemistry between our pair, either as enemies or, towards the end, when they become something more. It all felt very stilted - the dialogue, the interactions, the emotions. A lot of telling us things but I never actually felt or believed them.

Almost as soon as Crystal arrives at camp, a chain reaction of scenarios start to occur that get more and more ridiculous with each one. It was very much like one thing finished so let’s see what silly scenario we’ll make Crystal get into next. It didn’t help in my attempts to like Crystal, especially when she constantly needed saving by Zach.

I enjoyed Zach’s brothers in their supporting roles and by the ending of this book, I definitely think they’ll be getting their own books to make this the first in a series. The other supporting cast - Sydney and Trevor were suitably horrible, just as they were meant to be. The family were superfluous and, well, downright annoying. Stroppy teens are bad enough in a book but stroppy teens who are transformed into angelic young ladies with a rousing speech - the absolute worst.

So as you can see, this wasn’t really the book for me. It didn’t grab me, it didn’t capture my interest and by the end I was just skimming so I could get it down. Just 2 stars for me.

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found immense pleasure in immersing myself in the pages of this well-crafted book. The narrative is skillfully written, offering an enjoyable storyline that unfolds with every turn of the page. As Crystal and Zach's time together progresses, a realization dawns upon them – things are far from what they initially perceived.

Crystal, an actress navigating the depths of rock bottom, encounters Zach, a man characterized by his stubbornness, intelligence, and protective nature. Their journey unfolds with a delightful blend of sass and steam, creating a narrative that is both captivating and emotionally charged. Amidst the sizzle, the story also embraces heartwarming moments, with the tree-saving scene standing out as particularly romantic and touching.

The pacing of the narrative is impeccable, ensuring that the reader is consistently engaged. At no point did I feel that the story dragged or lacked that extra something. The seamless flow of the plot, combined with the chemistry between the characters, makes this book a truly satisfying read that strikes a perfect balance between excitement and heartfelt moments.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to find out what happened to Crystal that made her a pariah in Hollywood. It isn't explained except how her mother took all her money. It sounded bad.
Does it have anything to do with why Sydney seems to hate her so much? Or why she only has one true friend in the world?
I enjoyed the family dynamic and how they gave Crystal what she'd been missing from her own mother. She's a quintessential ignored rich girl with a stage mom who has a drug addiction.
Her interactions with Angie, Johnny, Mary, Paul, and Murphy helped show her as a deeper character than Hollywood starlet.
Zach doesn't seem like a good fit for her, and that's where the tension happens. He makes assumptions about her as she does him. But revolving around each other for two weeks leads to feelings.
Sydney and Trevor are terrible.
Brody and Levi and fun and Erin is the mom everyone wants.
This was a fun, fast read that makes you feel good for the characters.
I received a copy via Librarything and all opinions are my own.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truthfully, this book is your typical romance book, just with a celebrity twist. That being said, it was still a wonderful book. The characters were fun to read and interesting, each in their own way. Their pasts were interesting and gave them depth, so they didn’t feel flat. I didn’t, personally, connect with either of the main characters, but I did connect with Angie, simply because I related to her.

And I will say, I disliked Sydney enough to the point I was verbally telling her to shut up whenever she appeared. For me, she was a very well written antagonist for this book. Just very, very dislikable. I immediately loved Erin when she was introduced, immediately adored Murphy. Crystal I warmed up to as I got to know her character, same with Zach.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would certainly read another book by this author. I’m guessing that Brody’s book would be next? Which I would enjoy. Was sort of hoping for Levi’s, but I’ll take getting to know Brody more.

And you almost got a one start, author. You know why. You know what you did. You had me scared there.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Zach and Crystal. There is so much more to both of them than they show to everyone. Zach is a big grump. He doesn't want Crystal at his camp filming a reality show. Crystal really needs this show, but she doesn't want to film it at Zach's camp. The producers don't seem to care what she wants. Zach's family owns the camp, and they really need the revenue from this show, but Zach is not happy. Zach has been dealing with PTSD and doesn't have the patience to deal with a spoiled Hollywood girl. Crystal is on the verge of bankruptcy and can't afford to pass up this opportunity, even though she is so out of her depth. Too bad she didn't read her contract when she started all this. Zach has had to save her quite a few times, even though he gripes about it the whole time. But something about Crystal just gets to him. She makes him crazy, but it keeps him on his toes. Can a city girl and a woodsy kind of guy make a life together?

[Joyce Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining story by Diane Holiday. I couldn't put my Kindle down, though I had to at one o'clock in the morning. Then, I picked it up and finished the book the next day, making my husband wait for his dinner. 'Lol' The setting is vibrant, the characters are heartwarming and empathetic, and their backstories made my heart hurt. I'm so glad they got their happily ever after. This book caused me to laugh, cry, and tingle in all the right places. I'm eager to read more by this talented author. I highly recommend Diane Holiday's "Rock Bottom Romance" if you want to get lost in a beautiful romance.

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book for the most part. It was a cute grumpy/sunshine type. I had a tough time with the first 1/3 of the book
Crystal was hard for me to like, or even think she was redeemable. She had a diva starlet vibe, and couldn't understand how everyone didn't know who she was. She even said something like " they are outdoorsy and those type of people don't own tvs." Self absorbed much. Her character did grow and she realized she wasn't meant for Hollywood. It was a good storyline and the characters did go through their own growth and development.

[Reading romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read. I enjoyed the camping mishaps and was pleasantly surprised at the emotional depth of the secondary characters. It's more than a typical romance and has a satisfying happily-ever-after. I can't wait for the next in the series.

[Samantha Canfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute read

[Kerrific Kerr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. The romance was good but parts of the story were a bit unbelievable to me.

[Susan Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but liked setting/storyline and character evolution.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a wonderful enemies-to-lovers novel! Phenomenal character development, and the characters have a great sense of humor. I could not put it down! 10/10 Highly recommend!!

[Eris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. The two main characters are Crystal and Zach. Crystal is on a reality tv show. Zach works at the family’s camp. Crystal’s producer and Crystal come to Zach’s family camp to see if they want to film there. Zach wants no part of it but the camp needs the money. Crystal’s producer wants to film there. Crystal has to do everything by herself at the camp from setting up the campsite to fishing. There is an attraction between Crystal and Zach. Zach helps Crystal in several situations. They fall in love.