5 SMOOCHES!
SYNOPSIS:
From NYT Bestseller Corinne Michaels & USA Today Bestseller Melanie Harlow, comes a second chance standalone romance.
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.
REVIEW:
Corinne Michaels is a go-to author for me when I want to take a ride on an emotional rollercoaster. She has run me through the ringer on more than one occasion, and I have loved every single word of it. This was my first time reading Melanie Harlow—something I’ll be remedying as soon as possible—and based on what I read in this book, I’m very much looking forward to diving into her work.
Hold You Close is a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance with a splash of best friend’s older brother—a combination of some of my favorite tropes that was well done with absolutely addictive results. A history of youthful love and heartbreak morphs into hate, turning London and Ian, her best friend’s older brother, against each other. They spend the next 18 years at each other’s throats, and, unbeknownst to the other, wallowing in their own misery and regret. Tragedy thrusts them back together when Ian is awarded custody of his nieces and nephew. Much to his chagrin, he has no choice but to rely on London, who has always been a big part of the children’s lives. Their arrangement puts them constantly in each other’s paths, and it isn’t long before long-buried feelings resurface.
They say that love and hate are opposite sides of the same coin, and I think this bittersweet love story is a great example of that. London and Ian had an almost insurmountable amount of deep-seated animosity towards each other, a product of their painful history. But despite their antagonistic relationship, there was no denying the attraction still burning between them. London and Ian bicker and banter their way through their complicated history, with the children playing a central role in their reconciliation.
Harlow’s sweetness softened the edges of Michaels’ angst, and their writing meshed together beautifully in this engrossing second-chance love story. Hold You Close packed all the feels within in its pages, and I felt every single one of them. From the sting of broken, young hearts that never quite healed and the anger left in its place, Michaels weaved her angsty magic in all its gut-wrenching glory. Harlow tempered that emotion with layers of sweet romance and sizzling chemistry that added depth and richness making this a memorable love story that I simply did not want to put down. I’m hopeful and anxious for more collaborative romances from these two authors, and I’ll be right here at the edge of my seat waiting for them. Hold You Close by Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow gets 5 smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
