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You and Me #1

Hold Me Still

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The past doesn’t always stay in the past. Now, their hearts and their lives are on the line.

Ella Parker’s life hasn’t gotten any easier since surviving a robbery gone wrong and witnessing her parents’ brutal murders. After founding a successful business, life as a CEO turns dangerous as being one of the world’s youngest billionaires paints a target on her back.

Hired to protect her, former SEAL Elliott Quinn soon finds himself facing a major conflict of interest. His job requires strict adherence to professionalism, but his burning attraction and secret past with the young woman he is hired to protect threatens everything. It wouldn’t just be breaking the rules; it’s a matter of life and death.

Yet, the more time he spends with his charge, the more his resolve wanes, and the greater the risk of making a mistake becomes. And while Ella, clinging to her faith, seems confident everything is part of a greater plan, Elliott isn't sure what he believes in anymore.

As the threads against Ella mount, if Elliott can’t rise above to protect the woman he has fallen in love with, the secret of their past may come back to haunt them both.

Fans of Terri Blackstock, Dani Pettrey, and Lynn Shannon will make the You and Me series their next one click.

One-click Hold Me Still to start the action and romance-packed story today.

***Hold Me Still is part 1 of 3 for Ella and Elliott.***

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2018

174 people are currently reading
362 people want to read

About the author

Britaini Armitage

9 books78 followers

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5 stars
114 (53%)
4 stars
62 (28%)
3 stars
26 (12%)
2 stars
7 (3%)
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5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Gemma.
834 reviews67 followers
May 6, 2020
Exotic and beautiful cover is what first draws your attention to the book.
This was so much more than I had Bargained for.
Incredibly intense, gripping and equally as breathtakingly romantic.
Very full on and not for the faint hearted.
A brilliant romantic suspense, thriller.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews128 followers
Want to read
October 15, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/15/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Hanbbooks.
223 reviews5 followers
December 19, 2024
This book is becoming a comfort read. I can still enjoy it as if it is the first time I read this (it's not, it's maybe the 6 time😅)

From the first page you are sucked into the story. The author has such a smooth writing style, when you start reading you want to keep going.

Then you have the characters, I don't know what to say about them but I love them. They are amazing, but the go through so much that my heart aches for them.

Ella is such a strong person, especially if you slowly get to know what she went through. She is such a selfless, independent woman, who doesn't let others command her without having her own thoughts about it.

Then you have Elliott, who may seem as a big strong person but is actually a soft man and a hopeless romantic (oh he should hear this, I know how he would look at me and completely deny it😅)

Well I go read this book and may you fall in love with this amazing found family😊
Profile Image for Dee/ bookworm.
1,400 reviews4 followers
November 26, 2019
#HoldMeStill #NetGalley

Beautiful cover!! I really liked the premise of the book. I felt like there was a lot of fun banter back and forth. You could see where things were going to come to a head at some point. I felt the relationship progressed smoothly at first, but once together it got really mushy really quickly. To me, it began to take away from the story line. However, it was a fabulous story line. I loved the ending, didn't see it coming and cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley BooksGoSocial for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Profile Image for Thais • tata.lifepages •.
632 reviews1,065 followers
July 12, 2020
The story follows the romantic suspense between Ella, a young billionaire business-woman, and Elliot, her security expert (ex-military). Their relationship evolves from a professional interaction to passion right in the first chapters, they are immediately attracted to one another and the chemistry is played out in a slow and pure burn.
The plot is intriguing and fast paced, I got hooked on from the moment the suspense surfaced, with numerous life-threatening occurrences, as our sweet and hardworking Ella is pursed by an unknown threat. The tension builds-up chapter by chapter, and continuously this hidden threat pursues and attacks Ella. I find it very romantic how Elliot, her security, attempts to protect her nonstop with every new danger that appears.

“"Everything is going to be ok, Ella." a smooth male voice crooned her. “Try not to move too much. Can you open your eyes sweetheart?”

The story has a very religious backbone to the plot, which wasn't something that really appealed to me. Ella is faithful and a God devoted person, very beloved and who deserves to find happiness, as she was brought up by a difficult past, with no family and just a few friends. Both Ella and Elliot are longing for something to fill up the pain from their past and finding each other just might be the way. Ella's pursuer becomes more aggressive and dramatic events take place, that make us wonder if Elliot is indeed capable of protecting the woman he is falling for, and what will be the ultimate price?

The story ends in a cliffhanger, which already makes me long for book n#2. I recommend this book for those looking for romance and suspense.
18 reviews2 followers
November 5, 2019
Hold me still

This was a great read up until the torture scene. The torture scene was too graphic for me. At that point I wanted to quit reading.
4,822 reviews16 followers
January 5, 2020
Elenor /Ella rubbed her temples and looked at the time. As exhausted as she was she loved the work. She loved being in control of her company , making her own rules and being her own boss. She loved that she had used that power to not only build a life for herself , but to also help others. Robert, one of her most trusted advisors and her second in command entered. He asked if she had a moment. He told her that he had an interview lined up with a new security company. She told him she trusted his judgement and he didn’t need her approval. He said she needed better protection that someone had gotten in her house. Asit was more and more people recognized her when she is out, Robert just wanted her to be safe. Robert rarely put his foot down but in the case of her personal security he wasn’t backing off. He said “you’re extremely wealthy, you’ve had threatening letters, this break in, and with your past--. He said”Ella this security detail will be with you 12/7. It’s important you are completely comfortable with them.” Ella finally agreed to meet with the new security company at two . Robert said he knew she was wildly independent. But she was the closest thing he had to a daughter and he’d known her since she was born. Elliot Quinn entered Parker Enterprises. Robert greeted him. He was the V P of Miss Parkers company. Robert gave Elliot some details about the threats and how Ella’s parents were murdered when she was sixteen. And seeing how she is very wealthy her security is taken very seriously. He also added Ella was a very private person. She had a security detail before but felt it was more trouble than it was worth. This wasa job Elliot really wanted. When Ella got to the conference room she looked at Elliot and had a sense of deja vu. She just couldn’t figure it out. Quinn was the owner of dark Wolf Security. There was an intense attraction that drew her into Mr. Quinn. She never let a man affect her like this before. She had endured loss, taken her father’s start up company and started an empire. She had amassed a fortune for herself. Elliot couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was, and how he had thought about those eyes for ten years. After Ella got home her friend Claire called and said they were supposed to go out together. Ella couldn’t shake the feeling she had met Mr Quinn before/ Elliot glanced at his folder on Ella. Her parents had been murdered in front of her. She was shot and played dead before trying to get help. And elliot had been the one to find her bleeding in her front porch. Elliot saw through the folder. Ella was extremely involved in charity work. He admired her even more. Elliot never dreamed he’d be in a situation like he was in now. So many times in the past he had dreamed about contacting her, yet he hadn’t.
I really enjoyed this book. Until the end which was a cliffhanger which I hate. I liked the plot and pace. I liked that Elliot and Ella started off as friends and their relationship grew from there. Not an instalove type thing.I loved the action and mystery. I didn’t like the torture scene. I did love that faith was a part of this book. A5t times I got a little confused while reading this book. This book had: happiness, murder, child abuse, sadness, death o0gf a young woman’s parents, torture, attempted rape, death threats, death, war violence, mystery, action, amd so much more. So I really liked this book right up until the end. Bit I still recommend it just beware of the cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Alexandria 🫶🏻 Books.
162 reviews165 followers
April 15, 2023
i wanted to love this book so bad but the writing really bothered me, it was giving missionary dating which is a no for me, and lacked character/relationship depth :/

honestly felt like i was reading a wattpad book 😬

the author just told us a lot without showing it. for example, she’d skip forward in time and just say what happened in the time that she skipped over instead of writing a scene about what happened. it’s in third person but it would switch from ella and her pov to elliot’s within the same section so it was very confusing. the writing made it hard to feel connected to the story.

i also didn’t feel much of a connection between ella and elliot. it was somewhat insta-love which i actually like but it lacked depth which is necessary for a romantic relationship. also i didn’t pick up on any character growth in ella, she stayed the same throughout the whole thing so it was hard for me to feel connected to her. i think if the book was longer it would allow the author to build upon the characters, the relationship, and the scenes that she just told us about.

i’ve been on the hunt for a good quality christian romance and this was eh okay but not it. i liked the parts that were about God but wish there were more or that it was a bigger part of the story. it went long chunks without referring to or talking about faith/God. ALSO i hate missionary dating (dating a nonbeliever to try to get them to become a Christian) but that’s basically what this was. Elliot said he wasn’t a believer but respected and valued her faith (which is great on its own) but throughout their relationship she would pray asking God to help her bring Elliot back to faith and he wasn’t even part of the faith when engagement comes into the picture!! maybe that’s great for some people but it’s a big red flag for me

also it ended on a major cliffhanger which was v annoying. i want to read the next book to know what happens but not enough to actually read it
Profile Image for Amanda Kai.
Author 17 books75 followers
November 19, 2019
Gushy Hallmark movie collides with gripping thriller

A chilling scene: a young 16 year old girl barely survives the brutal murder in which her parents are killed. Flash forward ten years, and this same girl is now a strong, independent, and incredibly wealthy woman. But being one of the world's youngest billionaires also means she's got a target on her back. Someone is out to hurt her, and no one knows why. Enter the handsome bodyguard and his team of security guards hired to protect her. It doesn't take long before Mr. Bodyguard and Miss Hottie fall for one another, despite their working relationship. This would seem like a classic gold-diggers story, except that Mr. Bodyguard is independently wealthy himself. Beautiful romantic scenes are spread throughout the book. The author's own hometown comes to life like a picturesque town in a Hallmark Christmas movie, making me want to hop a plane to Fairhope, Alabama. Then there's the orchid scene, which I won't give away, but it's got to be one of the most romantic scenes I've ever read! It's not all beauty and love scenes though; the villain in the story catches up with our heroes in a big way, turning this romance into a gripping thriller. You won't have any fingernails left when it's done! A word of warning, there are some torture scenes, which might be a lot for sensitive readers to take in. The book ends on a huge cliffhanger, and there are definitely some questions I need answered in the next book or two. I will stay tuned in to read more from Britaini Armitage in her You and Me series!
Profile Image for Carolina Colleene.
Author 2 books53 followers
November 25, 2019
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
When Ella was 16, she witnessed the murder of her parents. Now, ten years later, Ella is the CEO of her family’s company, worth billions. But life is not safe for Ella, and the 24/7 security detail makes Ella realize that she has built walls around herself as she built up the company. Can Ella now choose to build a relationship with someone on her payroll?
I felt like nothing was accomplished for most of the book, as if the antagonist forgot about his victims for large periods of time. Also, the main characters seemed inconsistent for the first quarter of the book. Ella and Elliott would contradict themselves in scenes, which made the story a bit confusing. The best part was the end as the antagonist was confronted, but that just led into a cliffhanger ending. With all of that said, I did still have parts of the book that I liked and that made me laugh. It isn’t a bad book, I think it’s just unrefined. The mature content is for mentions of sex, partial nudity, and attempted rape; the violence rating is for murder, death threats, child abuse, descriptions of war violence, and torture. Also of note is that the language has 0 completed f-words, but characters obviously start to say it a few times.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for A. Burnett.
4 reviews
September 18, 2021
Hear me out… this is a 50 Shades retelling with a Christian twist (also ironic because the 50 shades hunk is named Christian) and reversed roles with a young female billionaire hiring the male love interest instead of the other way around. I assume the parallel isn’t intentional but I’m not mad about it! It’s refreshing to read a romance story that’s more realistic and clean. The ending was intense and unexpected. I wasn’t sure if I would continue the series but I’ll have to keep reading to see what happens to Ella.

I would have given it 4 stars but I had a couple issues with the writing. They weren’t a deal breaker for me but still worth mentioning. Overall I think the book needed some POV restrictions. The perspective changed multiple times in each chapter and sometimes mixed together. It’s too confusing to hear what every character in the room is thinking and feelings and that doesn’t always contribute to the story. I wish the author focused on one characters perspective and let their character observe how the others must be feeling. There were also a couple of times that the dialogue didn’t feel natural but at least that wasn’t a constant issue so I could ignore it for the most part.
873 reviews4 followers
January 18, 2020
Hold me still by Britaini Armitage

Eleanor Parker is a multi billionaire business woman . When she was 16 years old her parents were brutally killed in front of her. She has become a very successful business woman in her own right vastly increasing her inheritance she received to the point where she is now receiving death threats . She now employees a security team to protect her 24/7. The security company is owned & run by Elliot Quinn, who when Ella first meets him seems very familiar. Unknown to her Elliott is the person who saved Ella when she was shot at 16 and her parents died.

A very gripping story with lots twists & turns. Once it gets going becomes quite a page turner. Very much enjoyed desperate to read book 2 in the series now!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Karyn.
434 reviews8 followers
April 10, 2018
This book was pretty intense! I could literally feel my heart pounding at times and found myself holding my breath at other times.

This story had it all! There was happiness, sadness, angst, mystery, romance, and some heat stopping moments.

The author did a fantastic job bringing the reader through all these emotions. I finished this book almost 24 hours ago and I am still reeling from it. This is one of those books that you are going to want to read with a friend so you can have some emotional support after finishing this.

This is my first time reading anything by this author but I am excited to read more from her!
Profile Image for Danae.
570 reviews4 followers
January 5, 2020
This is one of those novels where everything ties in with each other, and even the cover makes sense. The orchid playing a considerable part in their story was a beautiful touch to the overall romantic feeling. There were a couple of sections where I started laughing because if they got taken out of context would be a completely different novel.
The ending had me thinking of the movie The Vow, where I cried as well. I devoured this in a day and eagerly await to see where Ella and Elliott's journey goes from here.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

For my full review, check out my blog at https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot...
Profile Image for Christina.
76 reviews
November 14, 2021
3.5/4 stars. It was a good story. I had some struggles as I dragged through the first half. It was hard to connect with Ella. As she came off perfect and had little struggle in her Faith. Everything seemed easy to her other than what her outside circumstances threw at her. Elliot had a lot more growth/development and was easier to connect with. The last half definitely picked up and had you glued. I couldn’t with the epilogue. That was ugh. I’ll be continuing the series. It was overall good.
Profile Image for Lyna Rae.
49 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2021
I liked this book quite a bit. I ate it up in a day and downloaded the second immediately.
We read books to escape reality, but some aspects of the book are a bit too unrealistic. I don't think everything needs to be "Christian-ized" but sleeping together in the same room is an appearance of evil, and I think quite unrealistic. I think there was an untapped potential to make this book more of a testimony, but none the less, I loved it and would recommend!
22 reviews
Read
October 29, 2019
Thought provoking. Set in the world of high finance , billionaires and security guards Christians find that God love them and forgives. God becomes real and vital in their lives as they face unexpected trials and pain.
Story of how we as Christians can function in a world that is evil.
17 reviews
June 26, 2020
Wow

I haven't read something like this well written in a while,what a triumph, I almost couldn't put it down.
To he characters are so well written and the drama, suspence,intrigue and romance are just right! Nicely done!
120 reviews
January 16, 2024
This book when I tell you I didn't want to put it down. Oh my goodness!!! The growth in the characters and the way there is those sweet romance moments oh my but then there's death and kidnapping. Ok I was on the edge of my seat the last couple chapters!!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
139 reviews4 followers
October 25, 2024
Loved this story

I loved this story the way there were many mysteries and faith. I honestly didn't know for sure how it would end. But the end lost a star rating. Since it just sets up the next book. I hate when books do that but I enjoyed the read.
713 reviews
January 2, 2026
This was a mesmerizing story. It was really pushing the boundaries though, and some areas to be considered a Christian book. There were also some situations that were highly unbelievable. Even with all of that, I’m looking forward to the next installment.
947 reviews3 followers
October 24, 2019
Hold me

Interesting Reading the characters were great and twist and turns keeps you wanting to read more and see what's next
Profile Image for Kathleen Mast.
33 reviews1 follower
Read
December 20, 2019
Gripping

I loved getting to know Elliott and Ella and watch their love grow. The story flowed well and left me wanting more.
53 reviews3 followers
January 7, 2020
Terrific read!

Wonderfully written love story with exciting action by the characters. Very clean still you know when they are growing closer and falling in love.
Profile Image for Mary Ann.
2,746 reviews11 followers
March 16, 2020
A fast moving story that moves from one desperate situation right into another and doesn't require even one sexual scene.
1,079 reviews
October 29, 2020
CLIFFHANGER — hate them. The story was very slow. Have no interest in reading more.
Profile Image for Mariah H.
351 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2022
Really enjoyed it. At first I thought it was a bit brief for all the issues happening, but then I realised there were sequels. I think the author handled everything very well.
Profile Image for Karina Naranjo.
7 reviews
January 2, 2023
loved the story line!!! Could not put it down and had to buy the rest of the series!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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