Hold On
Series: The ‘Burg #6
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Since she was young, Cher Rivers knew she was not the kind of girl who got what she wanted. A girl who could hope. A girl who could dream. She knew a happily ever after just wasn’t in the cards for her.
In love for years with the last bastion of the ‘burg’s eligible bachelors, Garrett Merrick, Cher worked hard at making him laugh. Being one of the guys. Having him in her life the only way she could. All this knowing he was in love with another woman.
The Merrick Family is known for loving deep. So when Cecelia Merrick was murdered, it marked the Merricks in a way none of them recovered. Both Cecelia’s children found love. Both turned their backs on it. But Garrett “Merry” Merrick knew in his soul the woman he divorced years ago was the one for him.
Until the night when Cher took Garrett’s back and things changed. The Merrick family loves deep. They also protect fiercely. And with his eyes finally open, Garrett sees the woman who truly is for him and he goes after her.
Through this, my leg hit an end table and I adjusted. We cleared the couch, I shifted again too soon, both my calves hit the coffee table, and my ass went down on it.
I looked up. Cell flat to the table, I braced my hands to push up, but Merry was there, chin in his throat, eyes on me, and when he spoke again, his mind was clearly on my location.
“Tried to get your mouth on me more than once when we tore at each other up last Friday, but I was in the mood to use mine. Lookin’ forward to learnin’ what you can do with yours, but like I said, baby, right now, don’t got the time.”
My only response that he couldn’t twist was to glare at him, which was what I did.
“But got time before I go for a kiss,” Merry informed me.
“Only kiss I’ll give you is tellin’ you to kiss off,” I informed him.
“Who knew warm brown eyes like the ones you got could spark that kind of fire,” he muttered as if he wasn’t even talking to me.
“Step back,” I demanded.
“No,” he denied.
I continued to glare up at him, then I realized I was not the kind of woman who sat on her ass, glaring up at a man towering over her and pinning her in. So I stood, which put me smack in Merry’s space, my breasts brushing against his abs and up his chest on my way.
They kept brushing when he didn’t move back, but I didn’t attempt escape, even to get away from the shafts of electricity this all caused at my nipples, shafts that headed south.
I glared at him from closer.
He stared into my eyes, his gaze moving down to my mouth then back up as one side of his lips curved.
He was getting off on this.
I didn’t get that and I didn’t want to get that.
I wanted this done.
“In the mood to play, Officer?” I whispered.
“Told you, sweetheart, don’t got the time.”
I shook my head but held his gaze. “Not what I mean. Single mom, all alone. Switch out her storms. Offer info to help her out of a jam. Been a while since I was in the know about these things, so tell me, what’s the price for all that? You mentioned a blowjob. You got stamina, but I got talent. Balance that out, I’m thinkin’ it’ll take more than the usual ten, fifteen minutes. We’ll give it twenty. So I can manage my time, is there more?”
I wasn’t even done talking before I learned his eyes could spark fire too.
I also learned he was in the mood to play, that being, playing me at my own game.
And doing it better.
He dipped his face close, his voice low. “Storms get me the blowjob, brown eyes. I get the intel you need, that buys me sinkin’ deep in wet pussy.”
I felt my nipples get harder at the same time something else happened to me that, if he was of a mind to take his payoff right then, he’d get what he wanted.
I hid this reaction and asked, “You want this all in one go, or you wanna spread payback out for a while?”
“Keep plenty of time open, Cher. I intend to earn a fuckuva lot more and draw it out collecting.”
I nodded, still keeping a lock on his eyes. “I get it. Girl like me, only payback expected for me to be able to give.”
That didn’t get me fire.
That got me ice.
“I hear you talk down about yourself one more time, Cher, shit will get extreme.”
That made me ice over.
“Do not hand me that crap, Merry. You come into my home and got no problem talkin’ about wet pussy right to my face tells me the woman you know me to be.”
He dipped his face even closer, to the point it felt like if I blinked, my lashes would sweep his in a butterfly kiss.
“Do not hand me your shit, Cher,” he growled. “That hang-up is yours, not mine. And how I know that is I made you come just finger fuckin’ you and talkin’ dirty in your ear, and it was the talk and not what my fingers were doin’ that took you there. I like that, a woman who can let go and let me give her that without gettin’ uptight and closin’ down on me. You liked it too, a fuckuva lot more than me. So don’t stand there handin’ me your shit when I know you’re wet for me now and I haven’t fuckin’ touched you.”
I refused to reply to that because he was right and I had no intention of confirming that information.
But it was then he hit me with a verbal blow, the intensity of which, not in my whole shitty-ass life I’d ever received.
“Christ, if I didn’t know you were worth it, I’d walk out the door and this would be done—all we got, over.”
I could stand.
I could stare.
But I couldn’t breathe.
Merry could.
He could also speak.
“Hope like fuck no one takes off with those storms while I’m gone. You think they will, move ’em into garage and leave the key under the mat. I’m switchin’ ’em out, Cher. I come back tonight and they’re done, I’ll find you, and I won’t be collectin’. I’ll be dishin’ it out, but you won’t get it until you beg for it and do that shit for a really long time.”
His words were lost on me.
I continued to stand.
I continued to stare.
But my lungs had started burning.
If I didn’t know you were worth it…
“When’s Ethan’s next sleepover?” Merry bit out.
“Friday,” I whispered. “But his friend’s comin’ here.”
“Fuck,” Merry clipped. “Find a time, babe. You don’t, payback’ll stack up and I’ll have to take personal days and hole up in a hotel with you for a week. And there’s not a doubt that stick-up-her-ass church lady your ex tied his shit to won’t appreciate you bein’ gone from your kid for a weeklong fuckathon.”
That was kind of funny as well as hot.
I still said nothing.
Merry fell silent and stared at me.
Then he dealt the second biggest verbal blow I’d ever received in my life.
“Christ, you’re pretty, even standin’ there plotting my murder.”
After that, he lifted a hand, grabbed me gentle but firm at my neck, yanked me up so my mouth hit his hard but brief, then he let me go.
“Later, babe,” he said, strolling to my door. He stopped in it, turned to me, and bid his farewell by saying, “You touch those storms only to put them in the garage.”
He closed the door on that.
I stood where he left me.
If I didn’t know you were worth it…
What was I worth?
What was I worth to Merry?
It happens. For people like us, baby. It happens, eventually. Just as long as we hold on.
What an incredibly bittersweet book this was for me to read. I first discovered this amazing series back in 2012 when I read For You. And I’ve been wanting and slowly dying for Merry’s book ever since. He’s been through a hell of a lot throughout the entire series and all of it finally truly coming to a head in Golden Trail. I had always assumed when I read those books that he would end up with his ex, but after finishing Hold On, I can’t be happier with the direction that the fabulous Kristen Ashley took it. I adored absolutely every single page.
Now if you’ve read the entire series, I’m sure there one huge question on your minds which I’d like to answer for you right now. Yes, Cher’s boobs are indeed real. Alright then. Moving on…
If there’s one thing I learned is that expectations are the bane of my existence. i built them up so high for some characters, only to be let down. But I can honestly tell you that Merry was everything I had hoped he would be and so much more. As a matter of fact, I’d go so far as to say that he’s not my second favorite in this series right after Joe. That’s high praise, people, because it simply doesn’t get any better than Joe. I loved everything about this man; his stubbornness, his protectiveness, his possessiveness, and his all around KA alpha male-ness. *swoon*
The romance between him and Cher is a slow build filled with plenty of bumps along the way, but when both the MCs are as endearing as these two, I didn’t even mind the bumps. Sure they have their moments where you want to knock some sense into them, but at the same time they stay true to themselves so it’s hard to judge.
Cher is one of those KA heroines that was impossible not to like. To be honest, I didn’t feel one way or another for her throughout the series. I wasn’t sure what to make of her. She’s a wild child and I was almost afraid she’d be borderline brash in her own book, but that was simply not the case. Kristen Ashley managed to endear her to readers so completely, you can’t imagine not liking her. She’s an amazing mother and while she has her hangups with men for very good reasons, she’s not a doormat. This is a woman that has her own breed of strength and she uses it to go to bat for her family. I loved that about her. I also loved how vulnerable she was when it came to Merry.
Being a victim of that psycho Danny, she certainly has her demons and emotional scars a’plenty. That doesn’t simply disappear when her and Merry get together. But watching her heal Merry’s wounds for him in turn to heal hers was easily one of my favorite things about this book.
You know how I was sure I had a 5 star read on my hands? I didn’t skim even one page. Not. A. One. Not any of the descriptions of the clothes, the furniture, the rooms, the clouds in the sky, nothing. I was enthralled in the characters and their romance from beginning to end and absolutely devoured every page.
I cannot picture a better book to end this amazing series with. If you were slightly disappointed with Frankie and Benny’s book like I was, this book will more than make up for it. Trust me. If you’re thinking of reading this as a standalone, don’t. I mean, you can definitely do so, but you’ll be missing out on the development of both these characters’ stories and why would you want to do that anyway?
That brings me to my final point: The epilogue. Hands down. Bar none. THE best epilogue KA has ever written. Period. And I’ve read practically her entire backlist so me saying that says a lot. I cried like a lunatic. Tears of joy. It was so incredibly perfect. Beautiful. Emotional. Ugh. Just…GAH. The most wonderful way to close the final pages on the characters I’ve slowly fallen in love with through the years. It was that perfect cherry on top and I simply adored it.
No one, and I mean no one gives male POV quite like Emma Chase. The woman is the queen of male POVs and nothing beats her. While Drew from 
Don’t get me wrong, both Chelsea and Jake are far from perfect and I wanted to shake them for their stupidity more than a few times. But at the same time it just worked. I adored these two together. It wasn’t instant and I loved the burn of their sexual chemistry until they finally ignited together.
If I’m being perfectly honest, I was actually hesitant to read this. Last time I read a companion novel, the only thing it managed to do was make me hate the heroine with the fire of the worst kind of venereal disease. Not that I’d know what that felt like, but you catch my drift. What I mean to say, is more often then not you’re getting the same regurgitated novel you already read but in a different POV. Well this wasn’t that at all. Not even a little bit. Not even close. While this is essentially in Jared’s POV it’s a completely different book. So much so, that you can read it as a standalone, which I wouldn’t recommend since you need to see it from Tate’s POV first in 
I fell in love with Penelope Douglas’s storytelling in Bully, and the only thing this book managed to do was completely reaffirm that. Everything and I mean everything that I wanted more clarification and answers on in Bully was addressed here. While I adored that book, I found the reasons that Jared gave Tate for his behavior in it a little…weak. I felt like it had to be something more, something bigger for him to flip that switch and be the way he was with her. Until You delivered those answers in spades. Penelope truly allows the reader inside Jared’s head and you understand him and all his behavior so much more. Plus I loved getting more of him and Madoc and their banter together.
God. This book. I mean, THIS BOOK. Words fail me to describe just how much I loved this. I’ve had this in my kindle for what feels like ages since I got it as a freebie way back in 2013. I’ve seen it making the rounds on Goodreads and for some reason I still hadn’t read it. If I can kick my own ass for not reading this sooner, I would, because this book? This book reminded me about all the reasons why I fell in love with New Adult romance to begin with. And I’m not talking about the manufactured angst, stupid decisions, at at times gratuitous sex scenes. No. I’m talking that all-encompassing feeling, just the right amount of gut-wrenching angst, you hate but love the hero, and you want to high five the heroine kind of read. It was like it was custom written just for me.
I can’t remember the last time a book kept me up all night, completely incapable of setting it down for even a second because I needed to know what happened next. I was sucked in from just the first chapter and read this in one sitting. This is exactly the kind of angst that I’m starving for. Imperfectly perfect, rage inducing and yet flawless. That probably doesn’t even make sense, but if you’re an angst whore like me, you’ll know what I mean. My absolute favorite trope is the enemies-to-lovers, hate/lust thing and Bully delivers that in spades. While there were parts I wanted more from, I still can’t rate it down for that simply because this book absolutely enthralled me. So much so, that I couldn’t even bat an eyelash at any minor quibbles it may have had.
Last year I read a book and fell hard for a fictional couple. I swooned, I sighed, and I fell irrevocably in love with Jessica Topper’s incredible writing. 
I’m not typically a fan of Domme heroines, but when it’s Cherise Sinclair writing it, it’d be a sin for me not to at least attempt it. Well imagine my shock that I can now say that this may have easily been my favorite Shadowlands book yet. Of course it figures that it would be this author that will not only make fall in love with the story and the characters but also appreciate a strong Domme. If you’re on the fence about reading it, you need to jump off the damn fence and READ IT…or else deVries will come and spank you. Trust me when I tell you that you will to be left disappointed.
As far as Anne goes, well it doesn’t get more kick-ass than her. A fugitive recovery agent by day, this is a woman that knows how to throw a punch to fall a man twice her size. This is not only a woman that makes men shrivel in fear in the dungeon, she certainly handles her own outside of it. What I really loved about her is the vulnerability that was so evident about her. I think that’s what truly made her as endearing as she was. And the fact that Ben saw it and did everything to try and shelter her made me fall for him even more.
I’ll admit, I was a little apprehensive reading this book after not quite loving the first book in this series. But then Beck O’ckley was the hero that really captivated me in 
First of all, if you haven’t read the first book in the series, don’t worry, because you can easily read this one as a standalone. However, 
The push and pull between her and Beck had me going back and forth between wanting to pull my hair out and icing my ovaries, because holy lady blue balls! The tension was almost unbearable at times. But at the same time it was oh so delicious.
This was the perfect contemporary romance to spend a weekend with. It had it all; the laughs, the swoons, the sexy…did I mention the laughs?
So let’s see here; we have friends-to-lovers, second chance romance and GFY all mixed in with sizzling chemistry and humor. If that’s not enough to justify my 5 star rating, I dunno what is. Maybe I haven’t read an MM in a while, maybe I was exactly in the mood for a feel good and sexy MM romance? Whatever the reason may be, I loved this book to pieces. There was not one part of it I read where I didn’t either have a goofy grin on my face or felt like I needed to ice my ovaries. It was fabulous!
Ryan was such a fantastic hero as well. He’s such a tender heart, but it totally works for him. Together they just made a certain kind of sense. These are two guys that you’ll be rooting for from beginning to finish. I absolutely loved the way that Ryan is with his family and their quirkiness. Considering the cold detachment of Wes’s family, it was wonderful to have such a warm family dynamic on the other end.
There is no other trope out there that I love more than hate-to-love. And I think I may have found my favorite hate-to-love romance book to date. Even the Score was full of sexual chemistry, humor, all wrapped around a fantastic story that was utterly delicious. Delicious I tells ya! If this book isn’t on your TBR, you are seriously missing out because what a perfect gam this turned out to be.
Kate Meader devised the perfect formula of hate+lust to make this book absolutely unputdownable. I couldn’t get enough of it. There’s none of that typical and tiring back and forth that you’d normally find in books like this. It just felt like natural progression here.
