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, … 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.
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You do not want to miss this witty, sexy and poignant enemies-to-lovers romance. It’s an unputdownable blend of hilarious banter, steamy sexual tension, endearing characters and an emotionally impactful story, and it gave me all the feels while reading it.
Interview with Corinne and Melanie on USA Today’s Happy Ever After on August 20, 2018.
ARC provided, but this review was voluntarily and honestly written.
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~~ 4.5 COMBUSTIBLE STARS!~~
“Ian is the gasoline and I’m the match.”
To say I was ECSTATIC to discover that two of my all-time favorite authors, Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow, were teaming up for the first time to pen an emotionally charged second chance romance is putting it mildly!
And so naturally, with all the buzz surrounding HOLD YOU CLOSE, the bar was set pretty high. But it comes as NO SURPRISE that these gloriously talented gals dazzled big time!
THE STORY:
Seventeen years ago, London Parish had been hopelessly infatuated with her best friend Sabrina’s older brother but secretly pined for Ian Chase from afar because she thought her feelings could never be reciprocated. But everything changed on prom night when she was stood up by her jerky date, propelling Ian to declare his mutual adoration, thereby making all her dreams come true!
But that magical night of starry-eyed bliss ended in devastation, then morphed into soul-burning hate, when Ian cruelly shattered her heart into a trillion pieces. However, unbeknownst to London, hurting her was the hardest thing he ever had to do, but making this beautiful, brilliant girl loathe him was a sacrifice he HAD to make because he did not want to trample on her plans for the future.
Sadly, in the ensuing years, time and distance has not necessarily made London’s heart grow fonder, and Ian is not exactly pining for her either, but these former flames-turned-nemeses are forced to be in each other’s lives because Sabrina and her husband have named them both godparents of their three precious children.
Then tragedy strikes, irrevocably changing the trajectory of both their lives, forcing them to confront their tumultuous romantic past and put these beautifully bereft angels welfare before their own stubborn pride.
Can love heal even the deepest hurts? Will these five fractured souls come together and become a bonafide family? Gotta read to find out, but prepare to embark on quite an emotional roller coaster ride along the way!
MY MUSINGS:
I just relish an an emotionally explosive enemies to lovers romance, and HOLD YOU CLOSE truly held me captive from page one!
Individually, Ms. Harlow and Ms. Michaels’ writing is always resplendent, but collaboratively? Pure effing magic! And the development of this wildly addictive love story is WICKED GOOD!!
If you love combustible duos, Ian and London are guaranteed to set your heart on fire!!!! Not to mention make you swoon and cry and rage like a LUNATIC. These two are seriously like oil and water and emotions run VERY HIGH throughout. Which made for one high octane read!! I truly REVELED in the raw, unbridled intensity and palpable push pull of this blistering romance that slowly but surely builds to a breathtaking crescendo.
But YIKES did this book have me swinging on a dizzying emotional pendulum!
I lived and breathed it ALL with every beat of my heart: The giddy butterflies of first love… The soul-shattering betrayal, and devastating heartbreak when it all goes terribly awry. The fury, overwhelming grief, uncertainty and fear as, years later, their carefully planned worlds careen out of control. The highs and lows and crazy beautiful chaos that go hand in hand with co-parenting three amazingly complicated kids, which…eeep!…ignites a blazing inferno of red-hot passion between these two “sworn enemies.” And, whew, at long last, after fate delivers one more potentially catastrophic blow, the SWEET, SWEET delirium of fighting to reclaim what once felt forever lost!!!!!!!
As far as BBFs go, Ian is UTTERLY DELISH! Talk about a devilishly handsome bad boy with irresistible sex appeal and an enticingly brash and playful edge! Is he perfect? Heck no. This “overgrown man-child” definitely has his Alpha a-hole moments, makes some really boneheaded decisions, and is far too arrogant and hotheaded for his own good at times.
But sighhh…beneath the infuriatingly cocky bluster, he is a big ole noble-hearted softie, and when the going gets tough…he really steps up to the plate!
As for London, OMG what a firecracker! Equal parts smart, sassy, sensible, kind, funny and loving, this tart-tongued spitfire is also incredibly selfless and possesses an aching vulnerability that makes her incredibly relatable. And even though I felt like she clung to her grudge toward Ian for too long and came across a bit too sanctimonious at times, I got why she was so defensive around him and could not wait for her “nemesis” to crash through her self-protective walls and send them toppling down!
Bottom line? Even though Ian and London both have their “quirks,” and I admittedly wanted to slap them silly at times for constantly being at each other’s throats, the all consuming love they felt for each other—and their godkids— was NEVER in question. And one definite upside to their infamous spats? The FILTHY HOT makeup sex!
And despite the fact that it’s hardly smooth sailing for these two, fortunately, they have three incredible children to help them navigate the stormy seas!
Speaking of which…one true highlight of the story for me was how Christopher, Morgan and Ruby miraculously bridge the chasm between Ian and London. I just ADORED all the heart-melting moments as they all came together as a perfectly imperfect family! The interaction with the children not only had me drowning in warm fuzzy feels, but in many ways those lovable young ‘uns were the emotional anchor of the story for me!
And as the story progresses and the MCs reconnect for the sake of the kids, it awakens a dawning hope for reconciliation and eventually paves the way for Ian and London to FINALLY surrender to their soul deep feelings. But ANGST ALERT: History has an uncanny way of repeating itself. So brace yourself for some MAJOR hair pulling— and heartachy tears— before these two headstrong lovers come beautifully full circle in the end!!
FINAL VERDICT:
In HOLD YOU CLOSE, Melanie Harlow and Corinne Michaels prove that they are a match made in romance heaven!! Hopefully these two bookstars will be writing a TON more novels together…and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
Wow!!!! What a great story this was. An amazing combination of 2 wonderful authors who gave me a 5 star story. I was hooked from the blurb.
Ian and London have some long unresolved history. Circumstances that altered the course of their lives brings them back together.
I loved every aspect of this amazing story. It was highly entertaining and addicting. I basically devoured it in one day. I really had a difficult time putting it down for very long. The love/hate relationship was pretty evident. Bottomline this is a must read.
Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA.
4.5 ‘Never letting go’ Stars!
ARC provided by the authors via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
There is this moment when you know a co-authored novel will work. And I knew from the second these two women announced their collaboration that I would enjoy the heck out of this piece of writing. I mean, Melanie Harlow and Corinne Michaels writing together? Oh yes, it totally works for me! I do feel their works are very similar when it comes to romances with lots of emotions. And, as you can imagine, Hold You Close is no exception to that. This book was amazing: heartbreaking, adorable, emotional and, of course, sexy.
Hold You Close is Melanie and Corinne’s first collaboration and it is a second chance contemporary standalone romance. This story starts in the past when we meet the main characters: London and Ian. So, London Parish has loved Sabrina’s brother for the longest time (Sabrina is her BFF). Ian Chase felt the same but circumstances made him break London’s heart when they were very young. Seventeen years pass and now these two have this “hate to love you” relationship. Sabrina is a huge part of both their lives and they must stand each other. Especially because they adore their godchildren. Well, besides that “hate”, not everything is happy moments around them. A devastating event happens and their lives have changed drastically. Will they be able to hold each other close?
I don’t want to want her like that. How many more fucking years will I have to fight it?
I love second chance love stories. It’s one of my favorite themes in contemporary romance and I just knew this collaboration would not disappoint me. I am a fan of both these authors and their styles together is just pure magic and so beautiful to read. As I said, both Melanie and Corinne are known for the emotions they portray in their stories and Hold You Close had me crying very early on. So as you can imagine, the emotions are all over the place. The main event at the start is so heartbreaking for all the characters and it’s just stunning to see them fight against the pain, to see London and Ian falling in love all over again and to see how they create a lovely family.
Ian is the gasoline and I’m the match—when we connect, we could start a forest fire.
Is this the same Ian I’ve spent my entire adult life hating, yet somehow knowing it was just because in the depths of my heart I still loved him?
Of course, related to all those emotional moments with all the other characters, I do have to mention how much I loved the relationship between Ian and London. I love second chances! And I loved finally discovering all the reasons behind Ian’s decision to break London’s heart (and his) all those years ago. And I loved how they find themselves again unable to stop what they feel for each other and that amazing chemistry they have. Boy! Their scenes are off-the-charts! But, obviously, the best part about this couple is when their scenes get extremely moving. I am so happy Ian and London got their HEA!
London is the person who makes my life make sense.
Therefore, my rating for Hold You Close is 4.5 STARS because it was a great second chance romance. I loved everything about it: the story, the characters, the emotions, the relationships and the chemistry between the couple. Ian and London are so great together and you’ll fall in love with their story if you enjoy contemporary romances with lots of feels and sexiness! I do hope this is not the last collaboration between Melanie and Corinne because they did great with this one. Highly recommend!
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, Red Cheeks Reads
* A review copy was provided by the authors for the Blog Tour *
What an AMAZING story!!
I absolutely LOVED every word in this book. Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow are a match made in heaven. They need to continue collaborating on books together!!
Hold You Close is an emotional roller coaster…my heart was all over the place. I was laughing at times and then I was also crying at times, they even had me yelling at my kindle. But that’s what makes this such a great story. All the emotion built into this story makes everything so real and you can’t help but hurt when the characters hurt!!
Well Done!!!!
Hold You Close is a standalone novel told in Dual POV. This book can be read without having to read any books by either author. I thought the flow and pace of the story was perfect. This is a friends to enemies to lovers story but also a second chance romance. I think this story will appeal to many different readers.
I don’t really want to tell you too much about the storyline because you need to experience all the emotions of this story for yourself. I will say this…. We follow London and Ian in this story. London is Ian’s sister Sabrina’a BFF and have known each other for close to 20 years. London has been in love with Ian for almost just as long. So when Ian helps London out when they were younger, she falls harder. But then Ian makes a decision that effects them both and not for the good. Fast forward 18 years and London and Ian are thrown together for the most tragic reason. Both struggling, they come together and learn how to love, trust and move on.
This story will suck you in and not let go until the very end. I didn’t want this story to end!! I loved all the characters and I wanted more. I love when I am so invested in a story that I am sad to see it end. I know this is a book I will be reading again in the future.
I would 100% recommend this book to all book lovers out there!! If you are a fan of either or both authors, then you NEED to read this book. If you are a fan of enemies to lovers or a second chance romance, then you need to make this the top of your TBR list. You won’t be sorry and you don’t want to miss this book!!!
Spanish & English Opinion :: 3
ESP ::
Este libro es un “second chance romance”. Historia linda, con London y el hermano de su mejor amiga, Ian.
Se conocen desde que ella tiene 10, a sus 17 tienen su momento mágico para después, dar paso al antagonismo.
Me gusta que la historia tenga 18 años de diferencia para darse de nuevo. La edad de los protagonistas es mayor y es es original y diferente.
Claro que el final feliz ocurre en el libro, que en general, da un apapacho lindo al corazón al leerlo.
ENG ::
This “second chance romance” book is really nice. London and Ian are the main characters and they meet when she’s 10 years old.
Nothing happens until she’s 17 and then the inevitable heartbreak follows. 18 years later the story continues and I really liked that. A big span of time happens and that’s different and original.
It has a HEA and with that, the classic feeling of hope (:
Wow! I have never seen such awful reviews for a book before. To be honest I didn’t think too much about London being celibate for so long. It was put out there that she had put everything she had into her career and I just went with that. Was Ian a guy making his living around lots of women who were in the party mood and did he take advantage of that? Yeah, he did.
Having said that, I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted it to go on forever. The chemistry between the two was off the charts! Their second chance at love was filled with problems, but filled with love (even if Ian wasn’t ready to admit it at first. A lot of the reviews said he never redeemed himself, but I thought he did. Going out of his way to do wonderful things for London and stopping messing with other women seems to point that way for me. He may have been wrong in making decisions for London, but his heart was (mistakenly) in the right place.
Could NOT put it down. 5 Stars!
Made me laugh and cry…great 2nd chance love story. I didn’t want it to end.
Wow.. is the best word to describe Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow have come together for the best story of all times. Though I haven’t read anything from Melanie, but will start soon and Corinne a huge fan (read and re-read everything multiple times). Can’t wait to read more from both of them. Thank you.
I would have liked the book more, if it had not used such foul language. This language wasn’t even necessary and added nothing to the story.
Okay, hold onto your hearts with this one.
The premise puts these two old enemies together in a big way, and they have to figure out how to navigate a new everything without killing each other, or sleeping with each other, first.
I loved the bad boy turned committed father, I loved the overachiever who opened her heart, again, for the one man she’s never forgotten.
I love how they fight. Talk about foreplay. And I love how much he loves her, even though he knows he has to let her go.
This was an incredible, heart-wrenching, intense, playful, sexy, sad, suspenseful, and overall great romance with the best HEA ending ever!
2018published, both-pov, contemporary, easy-to-read, friends-in-love, m-f-romance, plot, read, romance, sex, steamy
I have loved this book. This is a real romance. The beginning is 100% tragic and sad and heartbreaking.
They have different points of view of their story, they fight and argue about almost everything, but after the tragedy, they could find a way to support each other.
It is nice and beautiful to read, I enjoyed a lot.
Ok, but I am curious about what happened to her job and her boss. I have missed this explains.
And, again, after all, they get through, why don’t they trust each other to tell the truth about their feelings? This is normal in every romance book, but, in this one, they are adults, and they have immature attitudes.
I love the children, I love their story, I love their love.
This was such a great story about second chance romance. With such a sad beginning I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Ian and London went through so much to finally achieve their HEA.
A fantastic enemies to lovers romance. Past decisions, a major turn of events and denial play heavy in this emotional read. I absolutely loved the chemistry and banter between Ian and London. Not to mention I adored Christopher, Morgan and Ruby!! I was sucked in from the get go and didn’t want to put it down. An amazing first cowritten book by 2 amazing authors! A must read.
This book was great, I really really enjoyed it
I have had Hold You Close on my TBR for months now. I’m not sure why I hadn’t gotten around to reading it before now because I could kick myself. I have had a tough time these last few months finding new 5 star reads, and Hold You Close finally broke that dry spell for me!
London and Sabrina were best friends growing up, and London has always had a crush on Sabrina’s older brother, Ian. Toward the end of high school, Ian and London confess their feelings for each other, but the next day, Ian breaks London’s heart. Fast forward 17 years, they’re now neighbors, and in a tough situation now that Sabrina has passed away and left her children behind. Ian and London are forced to reconcile their differences and put the children first.
I had love/hate feelings about Ian for most of the book. While I loved that he wanted what was best for everyone involved, his behavior drove me crazy (it drove London crazy, too). London became so career focused, but wanted to give her all to those kids.
Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow did a superb job of developing this plot and characters. It kept me both entertained and feeling throughout. I can’t wait to read more from this duo!
I like a well written ahole. But Ian, he was a mean ahole. He and London fighting like children all the time drove me batty. I was getting very frustrated with the pretend people! I’m not even going to start on the whole pining after him for 18 years thing. That’s on you, sis. I’ve got mad love for these two authors so I hope they write something together again, I’ll for sure read it. This one was just a huge frustrating miss for me.
London fell in love with her best friend’s brother, Ian, and he broke her heart. Seventeen years later they have a hate/hate relationship, she tolerates him but prefers him far away from her. When one day their lives change drastically and they are now trying to figure out how to co-parent three kids, they need to put their feelings on the back burner and focus on the kids. When the feelings of hate turn into something more, can the two figure out a way to make this work with every stacked against them, or will the past have a way of repeating itself?
I really enjoyed this story. One of my favorite movies is Life as We Know It, and when I read the blurb I just knew this was going to be good. The hate/hate relationship, coupled with the chemistry that was just radiating off the pages, throw in the sad story and cute kids and this completes the package. This was a really good read that kept me entertained and shedding a tear or two at certain moments. This was my first read from this duo and I will be looking into more from them. I give this 5 stars.
“Loving Ian was never really a choice, though. He’s always been the guy for me. I just wish my heart knew he was the wrong one.”
I haven’t yet read Corrine Michaels but I adore Melanie Harlow’s writing, and these two seem to make a good writing duo.
Hold You Close has all the swoony elements that fans of second-chance romance would love: emotion, angst, and drama. London and Ian’s story delivers it all, along with some laughter to balance out the Disney level trauma Harlow and Michaels dealt these characters.
While I liked the elements overall, London and Ian harbored almost twenty years of loathing, bitterness, and misunderstanding toward each other, and jumping into a physical relationship got in the way of the rebuilding, redemption, and emotional healing that these two needed to go through, making their actions come off as rather immature.
Great banter, good storyline, but overall too much angst before the HEA for my taste. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.