Don't Let Go

Switchboard Duet #2

by Heather Long

I’ve existed only in the shadows. My only connections forged through the veil of a computer screen. I was their voice in the dark, their operator. I was their lifeline until the day my past tore into my present and they had to become mine.

Captured, subjected to torture and relentless interrogation, I survived long enough for them to find me. I harbor no delusions; fleeing and disappearing again is not an option.

The only way to win is to fight. But to fight, you also have to be willing to risk everything. I was okay with that when the only one at risk was me.

Now, these three formidable men stand shoulder to shoulder, ready to wage war for me. A thief. A mercenary. An assassin. I can't bear the thought of losing them.

I can’t.

I won’t.

I have only one choice, one path, we take the offensive. We go out together and we don’t let go.


DON'T LET GO is book 2 of 2 in a DUET and is a full length dark thriller romance with multiple love interests and a heroine they love but have never seen. This is also a reverse harem novel, meaning the main female character does not have to choose. Of course, it also means the guys have to agree and well, that's part of the journey. The author encourages you to always read the forewords in her books for more information.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Why Choose, Dark Romance, Dark, Contemporary Romance, Adult

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2024

About the author

I love books. Not just a little bit, but a lot. Books were my best friends when I was growing up. Books didn’t care if I was new to a town or to a class. They were always there, my trustiest of companions. Until they turned on me and said I had to write them.

I can tell you that my own personal happily ever after included writing books. I’ve always said that an HEA is a work in progress. It’s true in my marriage, my friendships, and in my career. I am constantly nurturing my muse as we dive into new tales, new tropes, new characters and more.

After seventeen years back in Texas, we relocated to the Pacific Northwest in search of seasons, new experiences, and new geography. I can’t wait to discover what life (and my muse) have in store for me.

Maybe writing was always my destiny and romance my fate. After all, my grandmother wasn’t a fan of picture books and used to read me her Harlequin Romance novels.

Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, friends to enemies to lovers, you name it, I love them and love to write them. I started with Earth Witches Aren’t Easy, the first in the Chance Monroe trilogy, but my characters and I have traveled a long way since I created that urban fantasy world.

One of the series I hear my readers recommend the most is the Untouchable series followed in quick succession by the Vandals, and that just delights me. No lie, whenever one of my readers brings up my wolves, I do a little a fist pump.

I’m active on social media, and I love hearing from readers. Feel free to tag me with a question about any of my books, or just say hi!

Reviews

[rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we all collectively agree that the amnesia trope is the f*cking worst? Still, I really enjoyed this duet.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start. I totally understand the direction the author was going, but it fell flat. I hate leaving negative reviews, especially since I loved book one so much. I had such high hopes for the second and I was let down. I feel like there was so much left unanswered, their relationships all felt surface level and we never got to see them truly come together in a relationship. None of the men formed deeper connections and we never got to see their group evolve. They were always just worried about the next threat to really define their relationship. I’ve read over a hundred “why choose” books and this one, while yes she didn’t choose, it was almost like 3 separate relationships versus a true “harem” experience. I also would like to say I felt the ending was rushed. Our FMC even after all her growth found herself behind the computer screens once again, while the men quickly eliminated the “threats” in just like 3 short chapters. I expected well.. more. This duet had such good bones and I was so invested after the first book, I just feel like we deserved more from our FMC, she deserved true vengeance, and our MMC’s needed more depth. Everything was surface level, we never really got to truly know them (like we at least deserved to see Locke’s gifts he gathered for her, right?). Idk I just feel sad after not getting what I hoped for. I still give it 3 ⭐️ and I will continue to read from the author to see what she comes up with next.

[Kaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio:
4-5 stars for John Hartley (loved his voice for Remy and the other two were alright haha)
5 stars for Brooke Daniels she killed it!

Book: 3-3.5 stars

Well… from the way that book 1 ended and what happened in that one, this book was kinda a let down… I wanted an epilogue or something at the end but it just ended and it felt very underwhelming.

Also Sugar Bear got really old for the pet name.. the way that John Hartley, made McQuade’s voice sound like Cisco from Netflix’s “Lincoln Lawyer”. And that threw me off.

Overall it was decent but wanted more.

[Cat H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Still really love these characters and their dynamic. But that ending was just not as satisfying as I was hoping for. Way too abrupt for my tastes. I prefer when everything is tied up in neat little bows, and there’s a fluffy epilogue, glimpse into the ‘HEA’ style…this just cut out.
I mean, I liked the ending…but only as the beginning of the end. If that makes sense.

All I’m saying is, we never got to see what these characters are like when they’re not on a mission, in constant danger. Plus the danger isn’t Fully gone here. There was never really any discussion about the fact that she wants all of them and how that’d work. No discussion of where they’d live or how with all of their jobs…there was just sooooo much left unsaid.

[Daisy Delfin]

No rating.

I dnf this book, I couldn't take more than 14%. The amnesia plot was, what drew my attention away. The first book was really good. And after one of my friends said, that this goes on for a long time (can't remember the % she spoiled) I was happy that I dnfed.

[Lauren Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this duet. I just wish there was more on the romance side and that there was more of an epilogue showing their relationship.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. Not quite as good as the first one. It was a bit slower and overly complicated at points. Sometimes it felt like the author was just saying stuff to sound smart, and at others it felt like she was trying to make stupid jumps and hoping no one would catch on. It was a fun read, and I did really enjoy the duet but I just wish the second book had been better.

It also has a trope I really hate: amnesia, I mean really??

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this duet and it’s a solid 4.5 ⭐️
FMC is this badass hacker that helps her clients organize mission and guide them through challenging situations. While it is unrealistic in terms of tech aspects, it is extremely entertaining.

It’s a good contemporary romance, with most of it being focused on the plot. It has a unique story, and it grips you from the beginning, there are elements of thriller in it as well. I really like banter between characters and audiobook performance was phenomenal, where male narrator did a great job in doing different voices for different MMCs

[RavenRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remy is by far my guy!! 😍😍 I fell for him in book one! I loved following Patch through this journey and seeing her come out stronger on the other side. She fought for her freedom and safety. I hope to see more of these characters soon!

This is a why choose relationship. Not a lot of spice, there’s one scene with each man. However, the storyline is great!!

[ListenWithNic · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Well that was disappointing, I really had high hopes for this, I loved the story. It always make me excited when a RH has a different storyline because most of them are the same. But between the barely there relationships & rushed ending to the story it just left me wanting more & not more in the I can’t get enough of this but the I’m missing info & substance.

[Meka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the conclusion to this duet. I know people get annoyed when readers say this, but I truly do wish this was longer! I enjoyed reading this from the beginning to the end.

Her relationship with each of these men begins to grow and change. This also has one of my favorite tropes, which I love very much. Give me that sweet, sweet amnesia.

There was lots of intrigue, action, and thrills. It was also very very spicy as well and seems that called for it. Definitely enjoy this!

[J.L. Cres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but it got a little clunky in the middle where I had to skim pages a bit. But I still loved the characters so much that I finished it.

[tane'a · Rating 3 out of 5]

it feels like there should be another book after this🧍🏾‍♀️

[Gab · Rating 5 out of 5]

heather long is my mother. whether she knows it or not is not my problem

[Taylor Jefferson · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.25
🌶️ 1.75 (for a why choose)
Favorite MMC: Locke

Sigh. I was really looking forward to the second half of this duet but book two has let me down.

Let’s start with what I like. We pick up right where we left off. Patch has been injured and everyone is fleeing after an ambush. I enjoyed getting to see everyone interact and all their various skills come into play. Hacker, mercenary, thief and assassin. It’s quite an impressive resume for everyone and I liked the action parts.

Now for the disappointing part. This has one of my all time least favorite tropes. Amnesia. I don’t mind when we start a story with a character who doesn’t know their past. We are in this journey together. But amnesia in the middle of the story. No, thank you. Patch, due to a head wound, forgets EVERYTHING that happened in book one. She does still remember the guys but all we went through in book one is gone! It was so frustrating because a part of book one was her choosing to trust the guys, then we have to do that all over again. All the slow burn, hard fought relationship development in book one felt like it was for nothing.

The author wrote in the foreword of book one that the romance was not a main focus but would be more prevalent in book two. Due to the heavy events in book one it made sense to me and I think it was the right call. But now I was waiting for my payoff and I don’t feel I got it. The partial amnesia knocked the relationship development back. We only get one intimate scene between each guy and Patch. That’s not a deal breaker for me necessarily but we don’t get many emotional scenes between them either. Considering the wait, I was expecting more.

I was underwhelmed with the finale of the suspense plot. I wanted some sort of twist or reveal but it was basically them just figuring out it was some random powerful men then taking them out.

Final thoughts. Great potential but book two couldn’t deliver on the promises of book one.

[Sorina§ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Audiobook (duet style): ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The theme for this review is that I wanted more from this book. More backstory about Locke, Remy, and McQuade, we learn some stuff about Patch, but we know almost nothing about the guys. I needed more from the ending, we didn't really get that much suspense, and the ending was kind of flat.
I would have loved to get a few chapters with them after everything died down and they settled in, to see how the guys' missions are going with the new dynamics and home life, and also a bit more spice would have been really appreciated.
I hate the amnesia trope, thankfully it was not that fleshed out and the most annoying part about it didn't really happen in this book.

[Lexy Foghture · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t Let Go (Switchboard Duet #2) Heather Long
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me start with a confession: I am deeply suspicious of duets.

Series? Fine. Series make sense. You have time to build worlds, stretch character arcs, and slow-burn relationships without feeling like the story is dragging its feet.

But duets? Duets sit in this strange middle ground where the story is neither fast enough to feel contained nor slow enough to justify being split. Which is why I usually avoid them like someone avoiding eye contact with a street salesman.

And yet here we are.

Despite my eternal skepticism toward the format, I still genuinely enjoyed this book.

The Switchboard duet remains one of the most unique reverse harem stories I’ve read in a long time. The cinematic quality that started in the first book continues here. The entire story feels like watching a movie unfold, fast-paced action, high tension, emotional stakes, almost like a Marvel-style narrative, except instead of superheroes we get morally complicated men and one very strong heroine at the center of the storm.

The guys remain the highlight. What I appreciated most about this duet is that the men never blur together the way reverse-harem characters sometimes do. Each of them still feels distinct, each brings something different to the dynamic, and their devotion to Fallon feels believable rather than purely convenient.

And then we have Locke.

When he tells Fallon:

“Look at me… I know beauty and art. I know magnificent pieces from the Greeks to the Renaissance… and you are so goddamn beautiful you make me ache. I want to hide you away where nothing can ever touch you again.”

Excuse me, sir.

You cannot casually drop a Renaissance art monologue in the middle of a romance novel and expect readers to remain emotionally stable. That line alone almost convinced me to forgive the entire structural concept of duets.

Almost.

Because here is the thing: while I loved the story, the characters, and the cinematic pacing, my opinion about duets still hasn’t changed.

At some point in this second book I found myself thinking that the central conflict might have been resolved earlier. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what was missing, but there was a moment where the pacing felt like it was stretching just enough to justify the second installment rather than naturally demanding it.

That doesn’t ruin the story not at all. I still loved the atmosphere, the slow burn relationships, the tension, and the overall uniqueness of the narrative.

But it did reinforce my personal reading preference: I still gravitate toward standalones or full series rather than duets.

That said, four stars is still a strong rating.

This book is sweet, intense, passionate, and refreshingly original within its genre. Even with my structural nitpicks, I had a great time reading it. Heather Long’s writing style is cinematic, immersive, and clearly capable of building compelling characters.

And after finishing this duet, I immediately looked up her other books, which is probably the best compliment I can give an author.

So while this duet didn’t convert me into a lifelong duet enthusiast, it absolutely convinced me that Heather Long is an author worth exploring further.

[thatbrunettebooklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

5🌟

SUMMARY

fallon brady is usually safely behind a computer, not in the field having to dodge bullets to get an extraction point. she didn’t quite miss the latest bullet that was aimed straight for her head, barely surviving but differing from memory loss of her recent stay in an interrogation cell.

she has three operatives on her side, specifically an assassin, a mercenary, and a thief all joining forces to protect her. michael remington, justus locke, and john mcquade will stop at nothing until the threats to her are eliminated even through that will mean bringing down an entire organization.

🖥️ why choose
🖥️ touch-her-and-ill-kill-you
🖥️ memory loss

SPOILERS

locke and mcquade meet up at their secondary rallying point. remington sensed that the plan was about to go south, immediately calling the mission and moving toward an extraction point. he had to directly route to a hospital noticing that fallon barely managed to avoid a headshot, but the blood loss was making him worry.

michael remington is the assassin, usually stoic on missions except when it comes to her. justus locke is the thief, preferring non-lethal methods but is isn’t opposed to violence to keep her safe. john mcquade is the mercenary, comfortable neutralizing their enemies to protect her.

they notice at least five vehicles, counting twenty men breaching the perimeter. locke takes the lead on their primary exit strategy to get fallon to the mobile unit three miles outside of the property. remington and mcquade eliminate the threats and taking one to question for information.

the three of the end all of the leaders of section five with their operator in the ear. one week later, she still had one last loose end after section five was completely gutted. she had to make a personal visit to boxer, the fellow operator that sold her out.

2🌶️

-p!erced 🍆

“Ride me.”

“Are you pierced?”
“Could be. Want to find out?”

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunker down and get settle for the explosive conclusion of the switchboard series.
I woke up early to start this exhilarating story of cloak and dagger and the daring rescue of Patch. The way Michael, John and Justus rallied together to find and rescued her. From Patch’s healing period to the flirting and sexy banner exchange; let’s not forget the hot explosive horizontal and vertical tango. Add in daring escapes to regroup and their revenge, this story has it all. It is an amazing story from start to finish.

💪- strong FMC
😈 - Possessive MMC
💗- Why Choose
🫶 - MFMM
Spice - 🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Karin Dirksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me, but I felt I missed a lot from the action plotline. It left me feeling unresolved... I can totally handle a HFN on the romance but needed more from the rest of the story.

Like did we get all the bad guys or just the ones responsible for what happened to Patch? What about the rest of the organisation? What about her former boss? The Aussie guy? Did I just miss an entire part of the plot or what?

[Etidae · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5
🌶️ 3.5
🎧 5

This is the second book in the duet. Enjoyed this duet; fast paced, action filled, spicy, thriller vibes. It’s a good one to listen as the audiobook is well narrated, duet narration. One reason my rate is lower than the first book is because I felt the situations got resolved very quickly at the end after all the build up. But still a fun ride.

X

[Jorja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars
Audiobook

Don’t have a lot to say. Liked it well enough. Liked the characters still… didn’t quite keep my interest as much as the first book. Can’t quite put a finger on why though. Still recommend reading if you read the first.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like this ended abruptly, I was at 80% wondering how it would be wrapped up in such little time. I was hoping for some group scenes or an epilogue. Feels incomplete to me

[Vix · Rating 5 out of 5]

this duet was such a breath of fresh air… the action/investigation part of it was pretty amazing and intriguing to read

i loved this book and how fallon navigated her relationship with the guys but i also am obsessed with how devoted, loving and obsessed remy, locke and mcquade are with her.

i was debating of giving this 4 instead of 5 because the ending isn’t as “set” as i would’ve expected but i guess that’s fine… and it fits with the story and how it was told.

i hope we get to see more of them even if they’re only cameos

[Robyn Crowe 🐦‍⬛ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 70%. So. Much. Nothing.

2 stars for the mobile command unit.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY finished this book and series.

It was good but I lost steam at the end of it hence why, it took me forever to get through it.

[Angela Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing ending to this series. I love Patch and the guys. It was quite a ride as they figured out who was after her and took care of the problem. I'm definitely going to miss these characters.

[urarchive · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars for me!

It was okay... but I think the pace is too slow hehe

[B_Star22 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don’t link giving low rating reviews but I was so disappointed in this one. The first book was amazing and had me hooked. This one though.. it just felt rushed, unfinished. The relationships didn’t seem to ever really form. I felt like there were major things missing from their relationships. The plot was okay but I felt like it was hard to follow sometimes. I’m not sure why on that one. The ending felt extremely rushed, abrupt and completely unfinished. Just.. a hard no for me. It was tough to finish and I skimmed most of it after about halfway or so.
I will keep reading this authors work.. this doesn’t make me dislike the author all together or anything. Just not a good conclusion to the duet.

[Nadia Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf, what was the point of the amnesia plot? Underwhelming finale. I felt that this book was just clumsy compared to the first. I really had to push myself through this, which was so disappointing because I loved the first one! It had its moments, and was entertaining at times, but overall subpar.