“OH. MY. GOD. This book. I can’t even begin to describe it. Lizzie and Spencer were explosive and hot and sweet and everything else you could possibly want in a romance novel rolled into one.” – Carmen, GoodreadsPicture this: You pack your bags. Move to Paris. Fall in love.A dream, right? Wrong.Especially when you find out your Mr. Right is actually married. With kids. Don’t even mention the … actually married. With kids. Don’t even mention the white picket fence.
Heartbroken in the City of Love, the last person Elizabeth Hastings expects to lend her a shoulder to cry on is her brother’s best friend…
Spencer Tate is opening up his first gym in London when a frantic call from his best friend sends him to Paris to check on Sebastian’s baby sister.
If he’s lucky he can stop in for a minute and be back in London the next day. Easy peasy.
Except the dorky bookworm he remembers is now all grown up, with dangerous curves, lips just made for kissing and eyes he could get lost in…
Spencer. Is. Screwed.
You’ll love this steamy, brother’s best friend romance because who doesn’t enjoy croissants, sexy gym junkies and making out in front of the Eiffel Tower?
★★★★★ REVIEWS ★★★★★
“Everyone needs a little bit of Spencer in their life!” – Melody, Goodreads
“This brother’s best friend romance had me smiling and swooning, and I loved it!” – Becca, Goodreads
“OH. MY. GOD. This book. I can’t even begin to describe it. Lizzie and Spencer were explosive and hot and sweet and everything else you could possibly want in a romance novel rolled into one.” – Carmen, Goodreads
“It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel! I really enjoyed it from start to finish!” – Melody, Goodreads
“The heat between Elizabeth and Spencer is EVERYTHING. There is so much leading up to that first kiss that you are like “KISS ALREADY!”” – Laura, Goodreads
“Consider me hooked on Gabrielle Ashton!” – Stephanie, Amazon
“Sparks fly, one thing leads to another next thing you have an epic love story. Holding Out For Paris was a fantastic debut for Gabrielle Ashton. I will be back for more.” – C. Lymari, Goodreads
“I absolutely loved every single moment of this book. I had so many emotions… Spencer *sigh* oh my he is.. (insert heart eyes) I absolutely loved him.” – Jacinta, Goodreads
“This book takes you on a romantic adventure amid the backdrop of beautiful Paris: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, delicious pastry, the bookstores and cafes of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and “cheap wine, cheese, and the Seine”. A five star read! Highly recommend!” – Kimberly, Goodreads
“I loved every minute of this book! I didn’t want to put it down and stayed up til 1am reading one night.” – Britney, Goodreads
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Holding Out For Paris by Gabrielle Ashton is book One in the Holding Out Series. This is the story of Spencer Tate and Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Hastings.
Spencer is in London opening a new Gym when his best friend calls to ask him to check on his sister Elizabeth who is in Paris. Elizabeth loves books and is working toward being a author and what better place than Paris. Elizabeth thought she had met the man for her too but that ended up turning into lies. Then her brother’s best friend Spencer, who was also her young crush shows up showing her that maybe her feelings were not that of a young girl. Spencer is taken back by the women that is Elizabeth from the memory of a bookish girl to the beautiful sexy women she is now.
With three older successful brothers Lizzie feels pressured to become a successful writer like she wanted to be, or so she thought, moves to Paris in the hope of ending the writing rut she’s found herself in. After having her heart crushed and a video call from Sebastian asked Spence, his best friend, to make side trip to check on her bringing up feelings even Spencer didn’t know he had for her. I laughed, and cried a little along the way. Absolutely enjoyed this book!!
I received a copy from the Author and wanted to leave my honest review!
Lizzie is living the dream. A great lover of books, she’s in Paris as an aspiring author. When she’s not tutoring, she spends her time reading around Paris’ many cozy cafes. Until she discovers the love of her life has been lying to her and her world collapses. Worrying for his sister’s well-being, her brother Sebastian sends his best friend Spencer to check on her. Lizzie had a crush on him when she was younger, but crushes fade in time, don’t they?
I really liked Lizzie, she’s strong and assertive, and she’s a bookworm, which gives her best friend status in my book. Spencer is a genuinely good guy and while he’s never had a serious girlfriend, he knows how to treat women. It doesn’t hurt that he’s very easy on the eyes. I really like these two together, their chemistry is off the charts.
Ashton writes some great characters, and I really liked Lizzie’s roommate, Sophia. (I would love to see her get her own book.) She has a great personality, she’s fun, and tell’s it like it is. Especially when it comes to Amaury, who I of course, absolutely hate. The author did a great job of making him a sleazy guy. This is Ms. Ashton’s premier novel, and she has done a superb job. She’s an excellent storyteller and definitely an author to watch for. Very well done!
This Brother’s Best Friend Debut from Gabrielle Ashton was so fun to read! Loved Lizzie (Elizabeth) and Spencer’s story had my heart fluttered from all the swooning I did over Spencer! Thank you, Gabrielle for a fun and heart fluttering story! Can’t wait to pick up the next book in this series!
Lizzie is halfway around the world in Paris when her heart is broken finding out the man she’s in love with is married with a child. She calls home and her big brothers send a friend to check on her. Lizzie has had a crush on Spencer forever, but she doesn’t realize Spencer has been thinking of her as more than his best friend’s little sister. Swoon worthy. Loved this book so much.
This is the first book that I have read from this author. It was very interesting from beginning to end. It was intense and gripping with a great storyline. This one is about Elizabeth and Spencer. Elizabeth falls apart at the beginning of this storyline. Spencer is nearby and is asked to make sure that she is ok by her brother. But once he arrives he realizes that there is so much more there between him and Elizabeth. But will her past come back to haunt her and tear things apart? I absolutely loved this one. I loved the storyline and the amazing characters. There was great chemistry that you could easily see and feel between these two. I will gladly read more from these writer.
Holding Out for Paris is the first book I’ve read by Gabrielle Ashton, and it will not be my last. I enjoyed this story of Lizzie and Spencer, its a cute friend to lovers story. Spencer is called by Lizzie’s brother to have him visit her after she’s in a breakup to check on her and make sure she’s alright. The only problem is she’s not the little sister Spencer remembered. Lizzie spends time with him and finds there’s more to Paris when you’re looking at it through someone else’s eyes. Spencer her smart and sexy, and may find more than he’s looking for. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book called Holding Out for Harper.
LOVED!! Lizzie & Spencer were so perfect together! Spencer was so swoon worthy! A great book full of wonderfully written characters, and an outstanding plot!
This is a fantastic debut from Gabrielle Ashton! Elizabeth Hastings has crushed on Spencer Tate, her brother’s best friend, since she was a teenager. So when he turns up in Paris, where she’s been living, she can’t believe it. She’s just found out her swarthy French lover happens to have a family and she’s nursing a broken heart – but Spencer heals it. She comes to love the time they spend together while he sources a new location for his rapidly growing international gym chain.
But when Lizzie finds out why Spencer is really in Paris, she’s devastated. Feeling betrayed again, she shuts him out… but while she wasn’t looking, Spencer managed to find his way into her heart. When he kisses her, she can’t resist him. However, she makes it clear she just wants to keep it casual, and when he agrees they hang out in Paris while she plays tourist guide, with sex as an added bonus.
When her brother finds out what’s going on, though, matters of the heart become difficult for Lizzie. Not helping is the sudden reappearance of her ex. Torn between two men, can Lizzie wake up and figure out who her heart really belongs to before it’s too late?
Spencer Tate is such a great book boyfriend. He’s gorgeous and thoughtful and caring. I loved Lizzie’s kind heart and her love for Paris. She adores teaching her kids and I love that her nose is always stuck in a book. I did want to smack her in a few places, though, but she did make up for it in the end.
It’s clear that the author knows the city of Paris very well, because her descriptions are so authentic it’s like I’m wandering around Paris again myself. It certainly made me want to hop on the first plane there! I adored reading Spencer and Lizzie’s romance and watching it unfold. It was incredibly romantic and heartwarming. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s next.
5 absolutely amazing stars for Holding Out for Paris by Gabrielle Ashton. This is book one in the Holding Out Series. This is also the debut novel for Ashton and let me just say she came out with a doozie.
Elizabeth is in Paris to experience what the great writers experienced. She wants to become a great writer, to be as great as her brothers are at what they do. She recently had her heart broken in one of the worst ways. Spencer is in London opening up a new gym there, when he gets a call from his best friend needing help. Seb needs him to go see Elizabeth and make sure she is ok. Spencer is not expecting to see the beauty that Elizabeth has become. He is instantly attracted to her but knows it can not happen .
This book is a great my brother’s best friend romance. Instantly the blub caught my attention and I could not wait to get started reading. I read it in a few hours. It is a fun read, that is filled with laughs, a few tears and a lot of romance. For this being a debut novel from Ashton, it is extremely well written and has a great story line. I am now a fan and I am looking forward to reading more from her. Also lets talk about this cover, It is stunning. I love the models on the cover and they actually look like the characters in the book. I am now a big fan and cant wait for the next book by this author to come out.
Absolutely loved this book! Ooo la la, Lizzie and Spencer!
Lizzie has had an unrequited crush on her brother’s best friend, Spencer, since she was a teenager. She moves to Paris, far away from the security of her family and their money, hellbent to make it as a writer. When she gets her heart broken disastrously and epicly, her brother, Seb, asks Spencer to take a detour from the launch of his new London gym to check up on her.
Sparks fly and Spencer begins pursuing his Beth in the City of Love while pretending to give her what she wants. Can she believe that this is really happening? Is she really enough? Will he be good enough? What will Seb do when he finds out? Can their love span two continents?
Told from both points of view, this book takes you on a romantic adventure amid the backdrop of beautiful Paris: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, delicious pastry, the bookstores and cafes of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and “cheap wine, cheese, and the Seine”.
A five star read! Highly recommend!