Author’s note: HOLDING YOU is book 1 out of 2 (not a standalone). It contains explicit language and sexual content.
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
Free-spirited Addy Brecken is Milwaukee’s most talented vegan chef and co-owner of Sage Leaf Café. She has a genius IQ, a padded savings account, an amazing view of Lake Michigan, and a heart that won’t stop beating.
Deep breath … I am …
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
An early April morning finds her drowning in the seductive fragrance of lilacs and the warmth of the morning sun when she’s nearly hit by a car in front of her café. The peaceful existence she’s desperately tried to maintain after the horrific loss of her family is suddenly shaken by the Range Rover driving, arrogant, sex-on-legs Quinn Cohen.
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
A successful, Latino businessman from New York, Quinn has a taste for the finer things in life. A typical playboy, he has the money, the houses, the cars, and the women. Quinn is everything Addy avoids. Where she lives simply and prefers to help the less fortunate, he has no problem spending an obscene amount of money on a briefcase. Their opposite personalities lend to several heated encounters, and Addy finds herself propositioning Quinn for the one thing she never imagined needing … sex.
Offering only her body, Addy tries to keep Quinn at a safe distance from her heart and a world away from her past. Their passion-filled connection makes Addy feel something unfamiliar, alive. But with passion comes more feelings: anger, jealousy, love. When Addy surrenders to the unimaginable and lets go of her past, she’s faced with the impossible … holding on to her future.
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
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Addy is the free spirited, tree hugging, vegan chef. She lives a simple life and gives freely. Quinn is a wealthy, sexy, businessman. His version of giving includes writing a check but never his time personally. How can two such opposite people have such a strong attraction to each other. Can they have no strings relationship and both walk away when it runs it’s coarse?
I am working my way through Jewel E Ann’s backlist of books and found myself reading Holding You. I jump into Jewel’s books without reading the blurb. I know that she is going to put me through the emotional wringer so I go in blind. Addy and Quinn’s story is no different. Loved Addy’s quirky personality and how she isn’t afraid to give Quinn hell for his ways. Quinn really is an amazing man and he tries to be worthy of Addy’s love. You will laugh, fall in love and have your heart destroyed in Holding You. Book 1 leaves us with a major cliffhanger and I have already jumped into book 2.
This is a crazy sexy hotness chemistry off the chain romantic fun story.
Loved every page!!!!
And I’m jumping right into book 2
Fate decides who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.” -unknown.
This story caught me by complete surprise. At no point could I predict where exactly the story was going, but that’s one thing I L O V E about Jewel’s stories…they’re unpredictable and different. But one thing that is always predictable with Jewel’s stories, is I will FEEL. And feel is what I did. At times, I wanted reach through the book and bop Addy and Quinn on the heads and yell, “JUST SPEAK WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND AND IN YOUR HEART. STOP HOLDING BACK!”
HOLDING YOU was like nothing I’ve ever read. This book sets the foundation to Quinn and Addy’s love story. It is the beginning to what I can tell will be an epic and unforgettable journey. A journey loaded with ups and downs. A journey with REAL obstacles and struggles. But at the end of that journey, no matter the pain, there is a purpose and an undeniable L O V E that comes from it. A love worth living for.
…for the first time in a long time, I wanted to live. I wanted to live for Quinn.
I am not even surprised anymore when I read and L O V E a book by Jewel. It’s become a given at this point because she’s just THAT talented of an author. But when I read this book, her DEBUT novel, and I was STILL blown away by the writing and story…that’s proof that I’ve found a rare gem of an author. One that every romance reader should read. So, IF you haven’t one clicked this book, DO IT NOW.
Now, I can’t wait to climb into book 2 and see where this love story goes. I’m anticipating a lot of angst and pain, but most of all love.
I wasn’t sure why Quinn had come into my life, but something in some undefinable place within me knew we needed each other.
5 stars
#YouAreTheLoveOfMyLife #LatinSexGod #NeverGoodbye
Where was I when this was being released? No clue, but there is no doubt I would have been a fan from the get-go. Jewel E Ann is a phenom when it comes to writing romance and while I should be shocked that this is her debut, I am not. I should also be shocked that she completely rendered me useless and that I stayed in my chair reading for a good portion of the day. Again, I am not.
There are a few things I want to say and then I’ve got to jump into Releasing Me which is the conclusion to the Holding You duet. Jewel E Ann knows how to slay with words. She leaves the reader (yes, I’m that reader) an emotional mess with a love story that digs deep. Addy and Quinn are all well developed, beautifully complicated characters. I both loved them and wanted to wring their necks throughout their story. Keeping secrets, even with good intentions, is never good.
My best advice when it comes to reading romance? Never pass up the opportunity to read a Jewel E Ann story. Holding You is a clear example of her stunning storytelling.
Well ! It’s a quick paced story with a sad undertone but just when things are turning around something else happens and this little roller coaster goes on for a while then Cliff!
So this story continues in book 2 -Releasing Me
I still need answers to Addy’s past and how this book ended confirmed my suspicions. This was one roller coaster ride of emotions between Addy and Quinn. Their chemistry is off the charts!! I enjoyed how Addy kept surprising me with who she was as a person.
She’s definitely experienced losses in her life and how she picked herself up was strong. Quinn’s family was fantastic especially his mother Elena. Her friendship with her bestie Mac is extraordinary. I love these two ladies together. Unconditional support. I’m still a little nervous about his history with Olivia. It ended with a cliffy and I can’t wait to finish this duet!
4 BadAssDirtyLatinGodStars
This series is absolutely lovely.
A quirky vegetarian with a painful past.
A wealthy playboy afraid to commit.
Sounds cliche… but wait until you read it with Jewel E. Ann’s special dust of romance.