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Sovereign Love #4

The One Who Holds Me

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IS GOD SOVEREIGN OVER UNCERTAINTIES?

While trying to overcome grief, Olanna Madu faces another blow when her college sweetheart abruptly ends their relationship. Now, two years later, Olanna is healing from the hurt as she navigates her new life as the CEO of her family’s business. But when her ex shows up at her office as her new client, not only does the pain resurface, but also the feelings for him she once thought had died.

If Alex Obeng had a blank check to have any prayer answered, he would ask God to turn back the hands of time so he could explain to Olanna why he broke her heart. But his desperate attempts to reach out to her for the past two years have been futile. When Alex is sent to New Jersey to work with Olanna’s company, it seems God has answered all his prayers until he stands face to face with her and can’t bring himself to tell her the truth without opening his old wounds.

With their rekindled feelings growing stronger every day, Olanna has to decide whether to give Alex a second chance or protect her heart from getting burned…again. And as the pressure mounts on Alex to fight for the woman he loves, he has to choose between being vulnerable enough to tell her the truth and letting her go…again.

The One Who Holds Me, book four in the Sovereign Love series, is a dual timeline, stand-alone novel about second chances and learning to trust in the sovereign goodness of a loving God who holds our future securely in His hands.

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About the author

Joan Embola

7 books433 followers
Joan Embola is a UK-based Cameroonian-Nigerian Christian author who aims to share God's love one word at a time. She writes books about diverse characters whose hope-filled stories point to the sovereign love and goodness of God in our broken world. She is a qualified Physician Associate and also the founder of Love Qualified, a ministry dedicated to encouraging others to experience the sovereign love of the one true God who has qualified us to be His beloved ones. She is a passionate lover and teacher of God’s word, and she shares this passion on her YouTube channel, blog, and podcast. When she’s not writing or curled up with a book, you’ll find her watching movies, YouTube videos, or making memories with her family and friends.

You can connect with her at www.joanembola.co.uk and on instagram, YouTube, her blog, and her podcast. Join her newsletter to stay up to date with new releases and more book news.

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5 stars
64 (45%)
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56 (39%)
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14 (9%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for ♥Milica♥.
1,905 reviews746 followers
September 25, 2024
Do you guys remember, back when I read the first book in this series, and I said I had a Bible related dream while reading it? GUESS WHAT HAPPENED AGAIN!!! Perfect way to end the series I think.

Speaking of the series ending, I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT GO, WAAAAAAAAH!!!! Whenever anyone asks me about my favourite books, I always mention the Sovereign Love series, because it's amazing. If you haven't given it a chance till now, please do, your life will be changed for the better.

Now, in this story Joan Embola tackles the second chance romance trope and she does it well. I'm not a huge fan of this trope in other books, but I really liked it here.

What worked for me also is the dual timeline, so we got to see their first meeting, the dates they went on, their relationship a few months in etc, all the way up to the breakup and the reason for it, while in the present timeline we see them meeting again, working together a bit reluctantly and falling in love again (though they never fell out of it).

I badly wanted to know what happened between them, how he hurt her and if the reason would be good enough and yes, it was. But to be honest, I forgave him from the start because he was so likable, I knew it had to be something serious.

And their relationship was sooooo cute, I was smiling from ear to ear at the past chapters, their banter was infectious and I could feel the love jumping through the pages. I miss them already, I know I'll be thinking about Olanna and Alex for a long time.

The dual timeline was 100% the best decision for The One Who Holds Me, and I wish more authors did it this way, maybe then I'd pick up more books with this trope, hah.

Trusting God is also a central theme in the book, and it shows us that no matter what happens, we can always rely on Him to guide us through it all.

In each book so far we got updates on the other couples, and this one was no different. Heather and Emmanuel made the biggest cameo, but we also got to see how Teeyana and Jayden, and Amara and Raymond are doing, my heart is full.

I can't wait to see what other books Joan Embola comes up with next, I know I'm going to love them just as much as I did this series.

Lastly, I am, once again, asking you to read this beautifully written series, do it for me!! Do it for the exceptional characters, the creative & emotional storylines that you can learn from, the gorgeous cultural elements (and yummy food), do it for yourself, because I promise it'll deepen your relationship with God. Okay? Okay.

*Thank you to the amazing author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Tiffany Goldman.
70 reviews
September 10, 2024
The One Who Holds Me is a wonderful conclusion to what is one of my favorite series, The Love Sovereign Series.

I haven’t really read a second chance romance before so this was an excellent introduction to the romance trope and I admire how well the dual timelines worked in this book.

Well done to the author for keeping me flipping on my kindle app!

❤️ Family and friends who pray for each other

❤️ Copious amounts of delicious descriptions of Ghanaian and Nigerian dishes. (I dare myself to attempt my hand at jollof rice!)

This is a novel shall be classified as Unashamedly Christian fiction. We love to see it. 🫶🏼

Embola always has edifying quotable quotes!

And I love how organic the characters’ faith journeys are displayed in the story.

I was totally rooting for Olanna and Alex and I’m so happy that we got to see what happened then and what happens now for them!

I especially enjoyed the cameos of some of the beloved characters from previous books. While I’m just a little sad I won’t be seeing anymore of these characters I’ve grown to love throughout the years, I know I can always revisit them by picking up a book in the Love Sovereign series.

I’m mostly excited to see what this author writes next! I will follow her anywhere she goes with her writing and I look forward to the next literary adventure!
1 review
October 27, 2024
I absolutely love it. It was the first ever book that made me cry. It has been so encouraging especially in growing closer to God. I highly recommend reading it, along with the first 3. You will not regret it 🤭
Profile Image for Joselle.
11 reviews
December 19, 2025
Exceptional writing as usual!! I absolutely loved this story. I’m not the biggest fan of second chance romances but this book definitely changed my mind. God is truly a redeemer and I’m so these two characters got back together! I don’t want this series to end!!!
Profile Image for Vica.
1 review
June 1, 2025
I couldn't put the book down. I just loved it. Hopefully, there will be a fifth book. Can‘t wait!! Amazing work! God bless 🙏🏼✨
7 reviews
October 31, 2024
This was definitely a 5 🌟 read for me.
Second chance romance at its finest.
I started this book wondering why Alex ended things with Olanna in book three and boy oh boy, the reasons and plot twists left me stunned!
The dual POV was seamless, and I found myself overly smiley when I got to experience the sweet, wholesome relationship between Alex and Olanna back in college.

I'll admit, Alex's boldness had me raising an eyebrow in some places. Like, "dude, take it easy. Olanna's still hurting, earn her trust again first." But as I kept reading, he totally won me over.

Olanna is strong, and I admire her boss lady ethic. I love how both she and Alex gradually learned to let go of the hurt they were feeling from all they went through individually and to trust God concerning the future.
Kwame and Alex's friendship was pure gold. The witty banter and genuine bromance were all beautiful to read.

I learned from this novel the power of trusting God in all aspects of our lives even when uncertain. God very much has our best interests at heart. If only we would trust him. If you are wondering whether or not to read this book, the answer is a full YES you should.
157 reviews8 followers
September 10, 2024
Wow!, I read all the books in the Sovereign Love Series and it keeps getting better with each story. The One Who Holds Me is a beautiful wrap up to the whole series.

So beautifully written by one of my favourite Christian authors who is a bold writer of Christian romance fiction with no spice but captures our imaginations and takes us through her books in a lovely way.

This story takes us through the lives of Olanna and Alex and how they navigate through forgiveness, love and second chances and how they allow God to rewrite their love stories by yielding to His promptings.

I loved how she wrote about cancer and adoption, introducing the trigger topics subtly into the story, and also the value of good and true friendship.
I had a good time reading this and I'll recommend it.
7 reviews
January 22, 2024
I already know this one will be absolutely amazing. Can't wait to read. God bless 🙏🏿❤️
Profile Image for Esther Adebowale.
13 reviews
August 3, 2025
This is the kind of story that reminds me why we need more Christian fiction that doesn’t shy away from love, trauma, family, and most importantly, faith. Podcasts and movies are great, but there’s something special about books that invite you to sit with hard conversations and feel deeply while being spiritually uplifted.

The One Who Holds Me follows Olanna Madu, a confident and successful businesswoman who’s been trying to heal after a devastating breakup. But her sense of closure is shattered when her ex, Alex Obeng, suddenly walks back into her life, as a client in her company.

I love a good second-chance romance, but this one stands out because of how naturally the characters’ faith is woven into their growth. Their love felt easy, even when it wasn’t. You could tell they genuinely liked and respected each other, and that made rooting for them effortless.

I also loved the family and friends dynamics. Olanna’s relationship with her sister-in-law, Heather, was full of wise counsel, prayer, and support, exactly the kind of godly sisterhood we don’t see enough of. And Kwame! Alex’s best friend was a breath of fresh air; well-grounded, emotionally mature, and big on accountability and the Word. More male characters like this, pleaseee!

The book is unashamedly Christian, and I absolutely love that.

Absolutely recommend 💫
Profile Image for Gloria Elemide.
109 reviews6 followers
November 6, 2024
TOWHM is a beautiful read, I totally enjoyed it, I couldn’t rush it even though I really want to know what happened at the end. I read, take a break, journal then continue. To others, this might be a book, to me, it was an experience that I didn’t want to stop. This book really resonate with my current season, it’s a season where I get to experience “ the one who holds me”.

Joan Embola is a talented and spirit-filled storyteller who consistently hits it out of the park with each new release! It’s safe to say, the sovereign love series are my favorite as I can’t decide which one of the series tops the list.

Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I'm in for a treat - a delicious blend of romance, drama, and spiritual depth that will leave me feeling uplifted and inspired. Whether she's exploring themes of redemption, forgiveness, or the power of faith, her writing is always infused with a sense of hope and joy that resonates deeply with her readers.

Profile Image for Treasure.
429 reviews8 followers
September 24, 2024
********ARC Review**********

Boss lady Olanna has experienced heartbreak and is just praying to God for a life mate . Everyone around her seems to have found their love mate already. What is wrong with her, she asks but she has no idea that God is about to bring back the love she deserves.

Alex made a terrible mistake , 2 years ago he didn’t allow God to order his path and lost out on a love, he knows very well was specially picked by God for him.

Life threw him a curve ball , which blindsided him. He couldn’t manage his troubles and his girl friend Olanna at the same time.
So he let go , now that God has straightened him out, He is ready to fight and win back Olanna’s heart .

Will she forgive him and take him back or will she ensure he feels the same pain, he inflicted on her .

Go read this story to find out !
16 reviews
April 11, 2025
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. The characters feel like distant cousins that I had the opportunity to see grow and mature spiritually.

I recently went through a breakup because the person was going through a difficult situation and wasn't being honest with me. This book helped with my healing process, giving words to emotions that were still buried and hope for a future relationship. I loved seeing how both matured throughout their individual journeys.

The characters have challenged me to have a deeper relationship with God, believing that He is truly sovereign over everything.
103 reviews
April 21, 2025
I am not typically a fan of second chance romance because it has to really be so well done. That being said this was a beautiful book. it really brought out the sovereignty of God. Despite Olanna being sure of God's approval of her relationship it still had to go through the refining fire and I think the main growth was for Alex to really make sure he could be the man God wanted him to be for his future home. I loved getting updates on the other 3 couples and this brought the story home so nicely. 4.5 🌟
Profile Image for Semilore.
50 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. It made me tear up a few times because I could relate to both Alex and Olanna at different points in the book. I adore how the author writes God in her books, it inspires me as an author myself, to input Jesus into stories that invites and speaks to the hearts of all readers whether they believe or not. So bittersweet to have this amazing series come to a beautiful end, but I enjoyed every single one. Props to the author, experiencing the growth of your stories has been amazing, congratulations on creating this beautiful world! No complaints, 5 star book!
230 reviews6 followers
September 27, 2024
Beautiful story

I loved Olanna and Alex’s second chance story and how their relationship with God led them back to each other. Alex experienced some back to back trauma that led him to break up with Olanna in college. But he is back 2 years because God has brought him to Olanna again for another shot at love. I truly enjoyed this story especially all of the Bible references. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
Profile Image for KSBB.
11 reviews1 follower
October 13, 2024
Just as good as the first 3! Real life examples of struggles and how aligning our lives with God and faith works everything out of our good in the time. Having time go by in the story makes it more believable to me, knowing it can take years and sometimes a lifetime for an answer to prayer or seeing God’s sovereignty play out in our lives.
Profile Image for Lexi.
261 reviews6 followers
December 9, 2024
I’m so sad that there is not another book of hers after this that I can read I’m not sure if she’s adding another book to this series but I need to read more of her books! This book was amazing as I knew it would be because I love her other books. The situations that happen in each book is written so beautifully and I love how they are solved by trusting in God and giving it all to him!
1 review
December 17, 2024
WHAT A SERIES?!?!?

I just couldn’t stop reading!! This is such a powerful love story and really teaches about the God of second chances in such a powerful way. Joan, God bless you ❤️
1 review
March 14, 2025
Omgoodness!!!! I started reading this book at the perfect time. This was the perfect reminder of Gods faithfulness in giving us the people we NEED in our life at the right time. I stayed up past my bedtime each night. Thank you Joan for such a great read!
Profile Image for Mel.
164 reviews1 follower
June 27, 2025
I enjoyed this read! especially getting to revisit with Manny and Heather, which are my faves by the way!
I liked the relationship between Olanna, her dad and brother plus that adoption twist got me emotional! I enjoyed it 👏🏾
Profile Image for Naomi A.
24 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2024
"For I hold you by your right hand-I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you." Isaiah 41:13

It was truly enjoyable reading the redemptive love story of Olanna and Alex. Joan Embola did a fantastic job of using a dual timeline to tell this story, and I loved how the side characters were filled with so much life and personality. Also, it was fun reading about the Ghanaian culture, and I now look forward to one day visiting Ghana!

I chose to give this story 4 stars instead of 5 because there were some minor things that I would have liked to see. One of these is a more in-depth focus on Alex and his journey to the man he became. Without spoiling the story, his backstory pulled me in instantly, and I would have loved to dive deeper into what God had done in his life. Additionally, it was great to see Olanna again after the previous book of the series. But I wanted to get to know her even better in this story, especially her healing journey. However, this was still a really good read that had me laughing and crying with the characters of this story.

If you are looking for a sweet Christian romance story with a comforting message, 'The One Who Holds Me' is a book you must add to your bookshelf!

I received an eARC for review, and these are my honest opinions
Profile Image for Sydney Goodjoines .
72 reviews
January 23, 2025
To start 2025 with this book was only a God send. I finished the last book in August of 2024 hoping that wasn’t the end of the series and here we are!

5/5⭐️ she understood the assignment and I can confidently say I believe this is the way to end this series.

This book follows the story of Olanna (Manny’s sister from book 3) and her love life that ended in heartbreak with her college sweetheart. The author did a great job bouncing back and forth between now and then while capturing the emotions of both Olanna and Alex. I totally binged this book it was so good! Every time I went to put it down, another cliffhanger caused me to say “one more chapter”. Restoration, trust in God and second chances were the themes of this book and the author did not miss!

I highly recommend this book to those who love clean romance, realistic fiction and page turners. You will not be disappointed! Happy Reading!
Profile Image for DaiDreamer.
45 reviews1 follower
November 12, 2024
My favorite book in this series was The One Who Loves Me. Probably my least favorite was The One Who Sees Me. And that's hard to say. Ultimately, it was because of the fact that the latter was set at the workplace and it bored me a little bit. Not because the story was not good. In fact, it was fantastic. It's just not what I get excited about reading. This book was also an office-y romance, and, therefore I got bored and skimmed. Really good book. The time-jumping felt natural. I think the plot was very realistic. Just not my favorite. I would suggest it, though. To be honest, I would suggest the whole series. Each book is powerful and none of the romances are petty. You will connect with at least one of the characters. Me, I connect with Heather. (I'll get into that when I review The One Who Sees Me, though.)
Profile Image for Jaeda B .
3 reviews
July 21, 2025
I loved it 🥹 This book took me a while to finish because of the demands of the car aspects of my life, but also when this summer rolled around and I had ample time to finish I began to take my time because such a good thing was coming to an end.

Olanna and Alex’s love story is such a beautiful story of God’s redemption. I love how this book (and the others) includ d the quiet prayers and the promptings of guidance and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, just as God does with His children.

I love how realistic and interesting this story was, through the different emotions and changes in both their lives. Just beautiful. I’m so sad this series has ended but I’m excited to read more from Joan!
3 reviews
October 31, 2024
The One Who Holds Me, enabled us to have a better perspective of Alex's story. We got to know him better and explore his world.
It was lovely to see his relationship with Olanna be restored as the storyline evolved. The dual timeline added a big dose of suspense and spiced things up for the readers.

We got to learn God truly loves and restores us beyond our flaws, if we could only bring our broken pieces to him.

It's hard to say goodbye to the characters but it has been an amazing journey so far and seeing all of them evolve and grow was nothing short of amazing.

The One Who Holds Me beautifully wrapped up the sovereign love series
4 reviews
June 14, 2025
I don't even know where to start, but for sure I have to talk about Alex's cheesy lines!. Oh boy, the guy was inspired by the Holy Ghost. I'm thinking he should check his calling; he might be a writer or a poet in disguise. I loved how God let them grow individually and later on brought them back together, revealing himself to Olanna and getting her to the point where she could find comfort in God first and not Alex. I just loved their journey together.
And big brother, overprotective Emmanuel... I loved his relationship with his sister, how he was always present for her. It's just so beautiful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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