RIVERBuried deep under a mountain of lies, I’m struggling for air. My life, my choices are being dictated by my father. I was forced to give up the man I love in order to protect him and now I must marry a man who I hate. I thought I had found a way out.I thought my time in this gilded cage was almost over. Then one day Jaxson Holden walks back into my life, flipping it upside down. He’s angry, I … it upside down.
He’s angry, I get it.
But he has no idea how much I have to lose—how much he has to lose with him coming back.
Now I need to find a way to hold on while I’m gasping for breath as my past and present collide.
Just keep breathing, River.
Just keep breathing.
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This book has stayed with me from the very first time that I have read it. I love a good second chance romance and this was one of the best. Jaxson and River has so much emotion that I was feeling wrung out by the end of the book. I cried along with them, I yelled at them, I hated them and I loved them. I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed with this selection. Believe me when I say, you will left breathless and want to read their story again and again. This story has reminded me to always keep breathing. Great job Erica. I can’t wait until Liam’s story.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
River and Jaxson are soul mates but her father gets in the way and two years later he is back. Everything may seem one way to him, but River has been suffering the whole time without him. There are misunderstandings and miscommunications galore but the chemistry and connection they share is undeniable.
This book is the first book I’ve read by this author and this was an emotional and powerful read.
River has been through alot she met and fell in love with Jaxson ‘Jax’ when they were young and they had the world at their feet. Until one day things take a bad turn and River makes a decision that changes everyone’s lives. After her grandfather left a stipulation in his will regarding the business.
River does not get along with her father and he hates his daughter with a passion.
Jaxson is a really good guy and River has his heart. Jaxson is always thinking about his family especially Scarlett his sister who he dotes on. When everything changes with him and River he’s at a loss and he doesn’t understand why it has to be this way.
This author brought these characters to life for me and I really enjoyed reading this book and reading about River and Jaxson. I could really feel for them through the pages. When River thought she was setting Jax free what she didn’t realise was it actually put his heart and soul in hell.
This author has written this book fantastically and in some parts my emotions were all over the place. I was desperate to see what happens next and where the story led.
This book is told from different points of view which I always prefer. The story keeps flicking inbetween past and present to enable the reader to see what happens.
This book is a complete page turner and I just couldn’t put it down and I finished this book in one sitting..
I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone when it gets released.
Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book is Now Live.
4 1/2 Stars
Jaxson and River suffered without each other for two long years. Kudos to the author for keeping their love relatively pure as even though they parted poorly and River was now engaged to be married.
Manipulated, abused emotionally and physically by her corrupt father and fiancée, River was barely existing when Jaxson reentered her life.
I liked the way the author was able to show their chemistry, connection and yearning.
Not a real fan of the multiple flashbacks that were kind of numerous and lengthy, but I appreciated the way The author had River confessing the reason she seemingly betrayed their love early on in the book.
I also liked the way Jaxson was willing to believe the best in River even though she had hurt him in a devastating way.
A solid second chance treat!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this keep you on the edge read. River and Jaxson are complex characters that share a very complicated history. As their second chance at love unfolds you can expect plenty of tension and an overall feeling of suspense as secrets, angst, raw emotions, drama, a sacrifice for love and a quest for revenge combine into an all consuming, page turner.
This book was wow… that’s the best way to put it! As I was reading the story I was so engrossed in it that all I could say over and over again was wow. This author weaved such an emotional story that I was left thinking about it well after I finished it. It not only has 2nd chance/enemies to lovers vibes but it has family drama, corporate corruption, and so much more. Even writing my review I am treading lightly as I don’t want to ruin anything for future readers.
The story follows River who is the CEO of her family’s company and trapped in the nightmare that is her life. She is being forced to marry a man she hates by her father so that he can regain control of everything. She has a plan to save herself and everything is going according to plan until she runs into Jaxson in the office. Through flashbacks we find out that River and Jaxson were madly in love but she was forced to walk away from everything to protect him. He’s back and he’s angry at River for leaving but he has his own motives for being there and he’s carrying his own secret. The more he sees her interact with her fiance the more he realizes there is more to the story and his anger starts to dissipate. River knows that she has to protect him, even if it means coming clean about what happened in the past. After they both share their secrets will they be able to move forward or will it permanently destroy them?
First things first, River is a strong, fierce female character! I know at times she might come off as weak but she has a master plan that will leave you in awe and she hides it while dealing with emotional and physical abuse from the one man that should protect her from the evil men of the world. To see everything she overcame in her past to be where she is now was everything! Jaxson was hot but at times he lets his mouth do the talking before his brain processes what its saying and it was frustrating at moments. He is a family man and his love for his sister was so touching and I loved the way he could help calm River down when she was on the verge of a breakdown.
This book is told in both current day and flashbacks, which in this case really enhances the story. Some of those flashbacks are super emotional and there were a few times that I was a little misty eyed while reading… which rarely happens. These characters are easy to get emotionally attached to and you will be rooting for them in no time. This was my first book by Erica Marselas and I absolutely look forward to future books by her, especially the next book in this series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4 and a half stars.
Was a new to me author and one I’d definitely be interested in reading more from.
There are many times during this book where you will want to shake the characters to get them to see sense or listen, and more than a few throat punches to those wielding abuse.
All and all was a mostly enjoyable suspense, even if this self confessed suspense junkie would of liked a little bit more sprinkled in.
This was so mindblowingly good. Jax and River are everything and so is their love story. I could not put this down. Once again Erica has outdone herself. Loved it.
I love this story. I live that River was able to find herself. I can’t say that I would be as strong as she was but is was great to see her and Jax together .
This story had a me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I reccomend this story for everyone.
I was granted an ARC from Give Me Books and Erica Marselas for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
River has been under control of her father for fear that he has the means and motive to truly hurt the one she loves and his family. In order to protect them she makes the ultimate sacrifice and leaves Jax high and dry. Fast forward 2 years and River is now engaged to Harry, her dad’s right-hand man. Since River’s father was forced out of his own company, he is determined to regain control by any means necessary. Having lived in her own personal hell for 2 years she spots the one person who has the chance to destroy her, Jaxson.
Jaxson has been searching for River for the past two years. After disappearing she finally pops up working as CEO of her family’s company. After crashing a meeting and seeing his old flame he realizes maybe getting revenge on her may not truly make him happy. Jaxson has set his eyes on a bigger prize with more to lose if he doesn’t play his cards right.
I freaking loved this book. I loved the suspense of what was going to happen next and would Jaxson and River get there HEA or forever be apart. I was not disappointed one bit and am really excited that Liam will be getting his own book soon. So happy this series is continuing and not a standalone! I highly recommend everyone read this book. It is book one in a series, but no other books need to be read before this one.
Love, love, loved this story from start to finish. River is one strong woman to go through what she was going through. I just wanted to reach through the book and protect her! Jaxson is PERFECT!!! Everything about this man will have you swooning. The way this story is written will having you wanting more & more. The flashbacks were heart wrenching. My heart hurt so much for this couple. The ending was AMAZING!!! Really had me on my seat there with the letter!!!! So happy this story is going to continue with Liam!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!
This is wonderful book with River giving up the man she loved just so that she could protect him from her controlling father breaking her heart in the process. Jaxon never knew why River left him without explaining and now that he has found her he is determined to find out why. Loved this story and the characters were just great.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was my first book I’ve read by author Erica Marselas and I loved it. Jaxson and River’s story grabbed my attention right from the beginning and I devoured this book in one sitting. River has been treated horrendously by her father and I rooted for her to get the upper hand on him so she could gain her freedom. Jaxson was swoon worthy and did not hide how much he loved River which only made him even more endearing to me. I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this book and looking forward to reading Liam’s story next.
River has been through the fiery pits and is ready to prove to the world she is more than she seems. Her life isn’t the picture perfect scene everyone outside sees. Falling for her fathers archenemies son may be her reawakening…until her father takes that from her too.
Jaxson is falling hard for the firecracker that he’s suppose to hate. Since the moment she walked into his place of employment he knew he was caught. But he didn’t expect her to shatter his world and now now he’s out for revenge…on her and her good for nothing father who ruined his family.
I’m still reeling from this wonderful heart wrenching read. Her tears and fears will wrap around you and make you feel like you’re drowning in a sea misery. But she is strong and it’s felt in every memory, every conflict and every passionate embrace in this heartbreaking story of revenge and regret. Amazing and wonderful and words that come to mind. Read it…you won’t regret it. Or at least I didn’t!!!!!
Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. This story was about River and Jaxson madly in love, but circumstances prevail. Her father has been controlling River wanting the company and would do anything to get it, including threatening River that he will hurt Jaxson and his family.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Jax and River’s story never had closure. When Jax reappears in her life, River panics. Will she let Jax into her best kept secret or will everything she has sacrificed for come falling down? An awesome story. I could not put it down!!
This book was beautiful, ugly and redeeming. What Jaxson and River have is just beautiful. I absolutely loved the flashbacks of when they were younger and things were different. You know before the ugly took over her life and ruined everything. River is a strong woman despite the crap that has happened and thrown her way in her life. She knows what she loves, which includes Jaxson. River’s life hasn’t been easy but having Jaxson in her life has been a godsend. He was the one true joy in her life. Things are different now, thanks to the ugly in her life, she is being forced to do things she doesn’t want to. Thankfully dear reader, she has very close and committed friends who see the ugly as well and want to take them down. They want to see River happy again. Jaxson had everything he wanted but then it was gone. Thanks to the ugly, he lost his only love and his family took a huge hit. There were reasons why River did what she did to Jaxson. She wanted him protected. These two, despite being apart for 2 years, still have the chemistry and the fire to keep them going in life. They have smoking hot moments and when the time gets rough, they grow stronger together. Some sneaky crafting has been happening and they are just waiting for the moment to take down. This book was so beautifully written with characters you will just love, some you will hate beyond words and you will see why Jax gives River the reason to breathe. I just loved everything about this and loved more then I can say that moment at the courthouse. I was cheering so freakin loud!!! I seriously can’t wait to read book 2 and see what Liam got himself into!!
A second chance romance with family drama. A very good read that made weekend.
This is my first read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. I can’t wait to read Liam’s book.
Wow totally amazing read. So much going on but so easy to follow. Strong story line with great characters. U can’t ask for a better read.