A wounded hero. The woman who can heal his pain. And a second chance for both of them.
Alia Drake loves her new job at the R&R veterans retreat. But there are certain lines a physical therapist can’t cross, and she’s face to face with one. Her newest patient is Nate Riordan. Alia and Nate have a history—and not one she’s proud of. Alia knows she has to ignore her feelings for Nate and keep … for Nate and keep her hands on the parts of him she’s treating. Besides, she long ago gave up any claim she could have to his heart.
Nate craves Alia’s touch, and not just the professional version. But he needs to keep his eyes on the prize and his feet firmly on the path he’s chosen: His Army buddy died on his watch, and Nate has promises to keep. His intense attraction to Alia—and the things she makes him want—have no part in his mission. Or so he tells himself, until his willpower knuckles under to the hottest temptation he’s ever faced.…
“Sweet, realistic and sexy as hell . . . I inhaled this book on a wet Sunday afternoon, and it was time well spent! Serena Bell writes some seriously smart, funny and sexy stories. They always hit you right in the gut.”—I Love Romantic Fiction
“The story was intense, passionate, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and gave me a true glimpse of what life is like for soldiers returning home … Definitely a series everyone should add to the top of their reading lists, it is sure to satisfy all of your reading needs and then some!!” —Reds Romance Reviews
“Can’t Hold Back is a steamy romance, but it’s also so much more. You can’t help but love Alia and Nate and their journey together …. I love it when authors really make me feel something and when I end up sad a book is over.” —The Book Dutchesses
“Oh my goodness—there wasn’t much I didn’t love about this book. It was sweet, it was steamy, and it was filled with angst. … The writing was fabulous and the story line was entertaining. I love this series. Serena always delivers the best romantic yet steamy reads!”—Avid Reader
“With deceit and forgiveness, pain and addiction, healing and a second chance at love, Can’t Hold Back has it all. You do not want to miss this sexy story of a soldier coming home.”—Wendy S. Marcus, award-winning author of All I Need Is You
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Nate and Alia… this was a HOT story! These two burned the pages up.
But before that… there was a long ago introduction that went a bit wrong when Alia tried to pass Nate off to her baby sister. There was some letters written while he was on deployment… making Nate believe the letter writer was the sister but it was really Alia… and yeah, he found out and didn’t speak to either of them for awhile. But Alia held onto feelings for him the entire time.
Now, Nate has unbearable pain that is severe and moves around. Nothing fully relieves it. From messages to pain meds. he feels like he’s tried everything and nothing is working. He fears getting addicted to the oxy and finally flushes his pills, but the pain still plagues him. He ends up going to his friend Jake’s retreat for returning soldiers. There he meets many other soldiers suffering from differing forms of PTSD. The emotional connection of fellow soldiers was powerful.
Alia works in Physical Therapy and has a passion for helping others with pain management. Her sessions with Nate was gripping to read about. I was fascinated by her job, and the pain loop that Nate suffered from and how Alia finally broke through it. That part of this story was devastating and heartbreaking to read about. What soldiers suffer with once they get home… and often times there is no answer for them. I loved how author dived into this and showed a sliver of what soldiers come home with.
This book was totally different than Jake & Mira but I loved it just as much. This is a fast read that I could not put down once I started.
Nate Riordan returns from his tour of duty a broken man. Not only did he suffer a devastating injury, he lost friends too. His sense of honor has him promising himself to take care of those he left behind, and to do that, he’s got to learn how to handle the physical pain that wracks his body. But while his physical therapist helps him deal with the pain, she also has some history with Nate that he is struggling to get over.
Alia was immediately attracted to Nate when she met him before he left for war, but instead of letting their mutual attraction grow, she sets her sister up with him. That was a big what-the-feck moment in this book, but I got it, too. I like that these characters aren’t one dimensional and that their motivations aren’t always clear, even to themselves.
The attraction between Nate and Alia never died, though, and when she becomes his physical therapist there are some very heated moments, which I loved in this book. These two are hot for each other but it takes a while for them to figure out what they really want in their lives, which only makes the conclusion that much more satisfying.
Serena Bell’s smooth writing and the emotional content of this book put Can’t Hold Back high on my list of favorite military themed romances.
ARC provided for review.
Nate Riordan is a broken man who is in need of help, he is relying on pain killers to numb the pain of his injury and the loss of his friend. He has returned stateside, only to discover he doesn’t really have a home to return to. He’s suffering from survivors guilt and feels like he owes it to his friend to take care of his friends family, so he steps in to help, and begins to put their needs in front of his own, and ends up adding more stress to his life than he can handle. He is in need of an escape, so when another friend invites him to a veterans retreat he jumps as the chance to have a little escape, not expecting to find himself face to face with a woman from his past…
Alia Drake has always had a crush on Nate, but instead of making a move for him, she let her sister have a chance with the sexy soldier, and it’s something she has always regretted. So when he walks back in to her life a part of her is hoping for a second chance with him, but the other part of her, the therapist side of her, says it’s inappropriate to make a move on a patient. When she begins to see how much he is suffering, and how much he needs someone in his life, she begins to cross lines she knows she shouldn’t, but she just can’t help herself…
This story really struck a cord with me, and drew me right into the character’s lives, which made it really hard for me to put this book down, it was so addictive!. The story was intense, passionate, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and gave me a true glimpse of what life is like for soldiers returning home, and the struggle they go through to readjust to civilian life. Definitely a series everyone should add to the top of their reading lists, it is sure to satisfy all of your reading needs and then some!!
ARC requested through NetGalley, and kindly provided by Random House Publishing in exchange for a honest and unbiased review
This is the second book of Serena’s I’ve read and I LOVED it! Almost as much as the first. It’s just, you know, you never forget your first. 🙂 It’s hot and sensual with characters that stay with you long after the book is over. Nate is that book boyfriend that you sit back and sigh over. And then you sigh again because you like him that much. And Alia is real and relatable, I want to be her friend. But not her sister. You’ll understand why after you read her sister’s book. Which you will totally want to read. I may have gotten an early pre-release peek at it – so good! But this about Nate. And Alia. And why you should read them. Just do it. You won’t regret it. I promise!
This is another wonderful book by Serena Bell. It is the second in the Returning Home series about soldiers who have returned home from war, and I enjoyed Can’t Hold Back even more than the first, Hold On Tight.
A “forbidden” romance (in this case, a soldier and his physical therapist) is not usually my go-to, but I love Ms. Bell’s books and I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong. I love a book about a couple with a history, and boy do Nate and Alia have that! They have much to overcome to find their happily ever after, both in their past AND in their present.
It is not a requirement to read the first book in this series, but it’s a good stepping stone into this second book, so I’d recommend it.
Can’t Hold Back puts a twist on some traditional romance tropes. Technically, you could say that there is a love triangle and other woman drama, but not exactly. This one is also kind of a second chance romance, but kind of not. To explain further would certainly give spoilers, so I’ll just say that Nate and Alia’s romance isn’t what I would expect from any of those tropes. Nope, it’s better! The romance is sweet, a bit angsty, and absolutely scorching hot. One of my favorite things about this series and its wonderful characters is the touch of realism the author gives us. Life is messy and even perfectly perfect moments have their pieces of that mess. We get that here, and it always serves to draw me in to the story a little more. This is part of a series, and I love that we get to catch up with characters from the first book but at the same time, this one still works as a standalone.
After reading Hold on Tight, I was a big fan of Jake and had a feeling he would stay the favorite of the series. I was wrong! Nate came storming in and stole Jake’s first place. Can’t Hold Back sucked me right in and I couldn’t put the book down.
Nate suffered a pretty bad injury while deployed and is still learning to live with the consequences. All he knows is there is a lot of pain and he doesn’t want painkillers solving the problem anymore! That’s when he ends up at Jake’s center set up for soldiers.
Alia is a physical therapist and isn’t happy with her job. She wants to try out new methods that really seem to work, but her boss wants nothing of it (it costs him money if patients get better sooner). An opportunity just happens to come across her path when Jake will be away for a week. If she can prove herself, she may just have a new job.
I loved the idea of this center for soldiers and what Jake wanted to accomplish. I can’t imagine what those soldiers go through and they really should have a place to relax and heal. Things get complicated though, because Alia and Nate have a past. They know each other and let’s just say, things didn’t go well in a certain situation.
Alia and Nate are clearly attracted to each other, but besides their past, it’s frowned upon while Alia is his physical therapist. They just can’t stay away from each other and Nate is very impressed that she can actually take the pain away. He doesn’t want to lose that! Can’t Hold Back is a perfect love story and I loved watching them fall in love. Of course, boundaries can be crossed when in a patient-therapist relationship, but this author was very clear in that. Alia was very concerned about this and honest.
Can’t Hold Back is a steamy romance, but it’s also so much more. Alia finds her way and a job she loves. Even takes big risks with that for Nate. On the other hand, Nate learns to open up, accept the pain and deal with it. He learns that he’s not responsible for everything and can follow his dreams. After everything he goes through, I’d say he even deserves it. There is some drama, but it’s not over the top and fits this story perfectly. My only complaint is that I want more of these two characters!
You can’t help but love Alia and Nate and their journey together and on their own. Past mistakes don’t always define you and sometimes there are second chances. I love it when authors really make me feel something and when I end up sad a book is over. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
Oh my goodness – there wasn’t much I didn’t love about this book. It was sweet, it was steamy, and it was filled with angst. The two main characters have a history and the journey these two take in order to find their way to each other was such a joy to read. The writing was fabulous and the story line was entertaining. I love this series. Serena always delivers the best romantic yet steamy reads! This one will melt the panties 😉 Nate is being held high on my book boyfriend shelf.
I really enjoyed this story. A great romance, strong writing, and the characters were complex and interesting. Alia Drake and Nate Riordan met a few years ago at a picnic and had an instant attraction but when Alia’s sister Becca also showed interest in Nate, Alia backed away. Mostly! Now Alia is working as a physical therapist at a veteran’s resort where Nate is staying. That same attraction is there but with the job complication and secrets from that time he dated her sister may be too much to overcome.
Definitely one I would recommend.
Can’t Hold Back by Serena Bell is the second in her Returning Home series, about wounded veterans returning to civilian life, and the unique challenges they face, wrapped up in a bit of a Cyrano de Bergerac frame.
This story is about Alia Drake and Nate Riordan. Being the older sister and a physical therapist, she’s used to being the caregiver, the one to take away pain. She puts others first, period.
Nate’s in pain frequently if not constantly. He realizes that he’s becoming addicted to the pain meds and tosses them, preferring to endure the pain than to lose more of himself to the pills. He finally decides to give R&R a try–a retreat of sorts founded by Jake Taylor (hero of the first Returning Home title, Hold On Tight) for healing veterans.
Serena Bell does a beautiful job with Can’t Hold Back. Alia and Nate are real and sympathetic characters. Neither is perfect by any means, but their budding relationship gives us hope that we can recover from what seem like damning mistakes, that love can free us to need and want, that sometimes we give care and sometimes we can receive it, and that those we love can help us become more of our truest, best selves.
Can’t Hold Back is a very satisfying read, and I look forward to more in the Returning Home series!