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Holding Back
For Lex, the plan was to earn some money so she could make a fresh start. She had no idea that everything was about to change the minute the famous Dani Levley walked in the door.
Dani Levley never imagined she could trust anyone, let alone fall in love. Especially with someone like Lex - someone completely not her type. She was innocent, pure, a girl-next-door type of woman...and straight.
Everything begins to come into question. Love. Sexuality. Trust. Can Lex let go and embrace her new feelings? Can Dani allow herself to trust in someone she just met? Can they both finally stop holding back?
Dani Levley never imagined she could trust anyone, let alone fall in love. Especially with someone like Lex - someone completely not her type. She was innocent, pure, a girl-next-door type of woman...and straight.
Everything begins to come into question. Love. Sexuality. Trust. Can Lex let go and embrace her new feelings? Can Dani allow herself to trust in someone she just met? Can they both finally stop holding back?
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2013
It disappoints me to say that I expected more from Mila Kerr's "Holding Back" and it never delivered. For the record, I will say it's easy to determine what the problem is...there really wasn't much of a story to be had in "Holding Back," and the scenarios were so obviously contrived that I was neither convinced by the measures presented, nor was I convinced of the relationship within the work. I applaud the author in that this was her first F-F story, and I applaud her also for actually attempting to write a New Adult story with GLBT characters, but it left so much to be desired, especially considering I've read so many stories of this kind that took the ball and ran with it in much better ways.
I'm usually a person who loves reading stories that are character driven and allow me to see inside the lives of the characters and view their struggles. I read multicultural stories, I read GLBT stories, I like reading books that showcase characters from a number of different backgrounds. What irked me about "Holding Back" was not only the fact that the characters were mentioned as either "straight" or "lesbian" every so often to the point it was overkill, their struggles within their sexual identification and relationships were told more than shown, and they were having sex every other page, with very little else defining the characters themselves and their relationships. I'll admit in the beginning, there's some initial set up to showing who Dani and Lex were - Dani's a famous person (though this is never defined - the book cites Dani as being famous just because she's a lesbian - I had trouble with this), while Lex is a waitress at a lesbian club. The two meet, hit it off, even considering the measures that Lex is actually a straight woman. Lex keeps emphasizing the fact that she's never been with a woman, and this is repeated over and over and over. I kept thinking "I understood that the first time, you needn't repeat that factor - it'd be better to use that space to actually develop who Lex is in terms of her relationships and background. I'd also like to see that with Dani because there's not much given to make either one of them stand out or memorable."
Unfortunately the characters aren't delved into - there's no deep POV or any expansion on the issue of them dealing with their sexuality issues and relationship beyond surface development. They instalove and have multiple measures of sexual encounters that feel repetitive for such a short text. Not to mention the fact that the conflicts that they encounter are incredibly contrived - what with the discrepancy of a friend having a female name (Shay) but actually being male, and jealousy games that really didn't have a strong backing to begin with. I read through to the end, but I kept thinking "This could've been so much more than what it was."
It was a quick read, but I didn't care for it, unfortunately. I think it needed so much more development and actual stakes in the story to make it more compelling. The characters felt too threadbare, and the encounters and conflicts were far too shallow for me to connect to anything in the story.
Overall score: 1/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
I'm usually a person who loves reading stories that are character driven and allow me to see inside the lives of the characters and view their struggles. I read multicultural stories, I read GLBT stories, I like reading books that showcase characters from a number of different backgrounds. What irked me about "Holding Back" was not only the fact that the characters were mentioned as either "straight" or "lesbian" every so often to the point it was overkill, their struggles within their sexual identification and relationships were told more than shown, and they were having sex every other page, with very little else defining the characters themselves and their relationships. I'll admit in the beginning, there's some initial set up to showing who Dani and Lex were - Dani's a famous person (though this is never defined - the book cites Dani as being famous just because she's a lesbian - I had trouble with this), while Lex is a waitress at a lesbian club. The two meet, hit it off, even considering the measures that Lex is actually a straight woman. Lex keeps emphasizing the fact that she's never been with a woman, and this is repeated over and over and over. I kept thinking "I understood that the first time, you needn't repeat that factor - it'd be better to use that space to actually develop who Lex is in terms of her relationships and background. I'd also like to see that with Dani because there's not much given to make either one of them stand out or memorable."
Unfortunately the characters aren't delved into - there's no deep POV or any expansion on the issue of them dealing with their sexuality issues and relationship beyond surface development. They instalove and have multiple measures of sexual encounters that feel repetitive for such a short text. Not to mention the fact that the conflicts that they encounter are incredibly contrived - what with the discrepancy of a friend having a female name (Shay) but actually being male, and jealousy games that really didn't have a strong backing to begin with. I read through to the end, but I kept thinking "This could've been so much more than what it was."
It was a quick read, but I didn't care for it, unfortunately. I think it needed so much more development and actual stakes in the story to make it more compelling. The characters felt too threadbare, and the encounters and conflicts were far too shallow for me to connect to anything in the story.
Overall score: 1/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
September 15, 2013
Some gems of prose from the book so far:
Probably the worst book I have ever read.
She thought she was doing so good keeping her emotions hidden.
“Well, until you leave, I'd like to still explore this connection we have. That kiss only confirmed my feelings that you and I may have something.” Lex stared at her, speechless. Dani smiled. “Let's not think of the future and you leaving anymore. Let's focus on right now.”
She allowed the feelings of passion, desire, and need to rock her body. She didn't fight the emotions with any doubt or confusion. She allowed the kiss to be just that. An amazing, affectionate, and life altering kiss.
A small amount of pain attacked her heart, just thinking about it.
You're in unchartered territory.
They were having small talk,
Lex spread her fingers over the silky-smoothness of Dani's cheek, moving them down to the plumpness of her natural lips.
Probably the worst book I have ever read.
August 16, 2013
I always like a story that involves misunderstandings, they show us that we are all human. Lex and Dani prove to be suffering from this human condition as their relationship teeters on the precipice and is tested before it is cemented like they originally thought it was from the start.
It always takes one manipulative person like Amber to throw a fragile relationship into turmoil. It is a scary thing to realize your sexuality isn't what you always believed it to be and is a big step to embrace your true self. That is why I believe Lex couldn't tell the whole truth to Dani. They each needed to learn to trust each other again.
Overall an excellent read though I felt the last portion felt a little rushed. I would recommend this book.
It always takes one manipulative person like Amber to throw a fragile relationship into turmoil. It is a scary thing to realize your sexuality isn't what you always believed it to be and is a big step to embrace your true self. That is why I believe Lex couldn't tell the whole truth to Dani. They each needed to learn to trust each other again.
Overall an excellent read though I felt the last portion felt a little rushed. I would recommend this book.
August 5, 2019
Lex moved from Las Vegas to San Francisco to get a fresh start. She misses her friends and family back home. She's working as a bartender in a glitzy bar. It's not her favorite job. Then in walks celebrity lesbian Dani, who sees something different in Lex. What happens when an accidental lie snowballs on Lex?This was a very quick, fun read. I read it in sitting. There were times that I thought Dani had a little knee-jerk reaction...but as far as lesbian romances go, this was was pretty decent.
Three stars.
Three stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews