Melanie Harlow

Corinne Michaels

Ian Chase broke my heart at seventeen, and I've spent the last eighteen years hating him for it. He makes it easy, with his smart mouth and playboy lifestyle-which I unfortunately have to observe since he lives behind me. Every time I see him climbing out of his pool, practically naked and unreasonably sexy, my blood boils. I've always loved to loathe him. I never planned to need him. *** London Parish is my little sister's best friend, not that it stopped me from falling for her. Our history is complicated. The only thing we have in common is being godparents to my sister's three adorable kids-until our lives are changed in one tragic moment. Now we're trying to raise the children we love, mourn an unthinkable loss, and fight an undeniable attraction. My life is already upside-down, and the last thing I need is for old feelings to resurface. Because I'll never be able to keep her, no matter how hard I try to hold her close.

Hold You Close

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Ian Chase broke my heart along with London , but then repaired it so beautifully!

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I knew I had to read Hold You Close the minute I saw this gorgeous cover and read the blurb. I've only read one of Corinne's books previously and Melanie is a new-to-me author, but it was still a must read for me based on the cover and blurb alone. The other book of Corinne's I'd read was emotional, but not overly so, so I was anticipating the feels. And boy did I get them. ALL of them.

I talk about books being unputdownable rather frequently, but Hold You Close was totally that. And I mean it literally, too. It sucked me in from the very first page and I couldn't even pull myself off the couch to throw dinner in the crock pot because I didn't want to stop reading for even that long. So, when I say I read it in one sitting, I mean it. (I even had to order dinner for delivery because I failed to properly adult while reading it.) Do I regret it? Not even one little bit. Ian and London's story was one that just begged to be read and I couldn't say no. It wasn't the easiest read at times and I really struggled with Ian's character for awhile, but I loved how everything eventually came together in this book. Of course, my heart was broken by the situation that acted as the catalyst for Ian and London's journey, but the story was so, so very good.

Hold You Close gave me so damn many feels while I was reading. I loved London. I felt like I really understood her. As I said above, I did have some issues with Ian but I think being able to see things from his POV helped a bit. That showed me he really wasn't the jerk he came off as and, while misguided, his heart was actually in the right place when it came to London. They weren't perfect. They pushed each other's buttons and made mistakes, but when it came to the kids they were all in. It was kinda beautiful to see them united in the face of tragedy. Of course, I hate that it took the deaths of Ian's sister/London's best friend and her husband to make it all happen. But at least something hopeful came out of it. It was quite the journey and I was there for every single minute of it — good, bad and ugly. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

This is what we are. We fight. Claw, scratch, and tear each other apart. He's an asshole and I'm a bitch. We bring out the worst in each other.

My emotions with Ian are a rubber band in so many ways. I'd stretch and stretch until I'm at the point of snapping, but if I eased the tension, I'd go right back to my original form.

I love her more than anything, I'm just not going to be the reason she gives things up. I want to be the one that brings things to her life.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

4.5 stars!

I'm not surprised at all that I absolutely LOVED this story!! I've been a huge fan of Corinne Michaels' for quite a while. She's the Queen of angsty love stories, and I adore her for that. I've never read a Melanie Harlow book, so I was very excited to see how this story played out. I thought for sure I would be able to tell which parts Corinne wrote, but the words all blended so perfectly that it was completely impossible to tell! This writing duo was perfection, and I hope to see more from them in the future.

What can I say about London and Ian? London is the perfect heroine that I admire. She was strong-willed and stood up for herself when it was necessary... but she was also able to accept an apology and move forward when it was right. Ian was all kinds of hard-headed and persistent... but also had a heart of gold and always meant well with his actions. These two were the epitome of soul mates. I loved their angry banter, turned sweet. This story was a lot of fun to read.

This wasn't just a romance either. It was a story of hope, togetherness, and stepping up when times get tough to help your loved ones. Family comes first in life, and these two showed how important that was. Such a lovely story from this writing duo that I simply adore. I can't wait for more!!

Hold You Close

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