Former personal assistant Holly Carter is settling into her new life as a mother, a journalist, and partner of magazine editor—and former boss—Victoria Hastings. The arrival of an anonymous email threatens to split the happy couple up. They have to work together but will they be able to overcome both Holly’s amnesia and Victoria’s reserved demeanour to find the perpetrator?
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A.E. Radley is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living and working in England.
She describes herself as a Wife. Traveller. Tea Drinker. Biscuit Eater. Animal Lover. Master Pragmatist. Annoying Procrastinator. Theme Park Fan. Movie Buff.
When not writing or working, Radley indulges in her third passion of buying unnecessary cat accessories on a popular online store for her two ungrateful strays whom she has threatened to return for the last seven years.
Uhg I hate writing negative reviews. Authors put so much time and work into creating these books that I sometimes hate to be critical of them. Then I look at the other reviews and wonder if I read the same book as everyone else. How is this possible?
One of the major problems I had with this sequel is the same problem I had with the first book being that the author created a paper thin plot line to once again keep them apart. Why? They already have zero chemistry and having them constantly apart isn't helping matters.
Speaking of that particular plot line. I don't know why the author decided to channel Agatha Christie and try to turn this into a mystery. I would have been fine with it however if it weren't for the fact that when the story hit peak tension, it deflated like a balloon. All of that build up including clichéd bad guy lines like "I wish you hadn't said that" only for the whole thing to fall flat on its face.
There were other things that just didn't add up like Victoria's out of character meek behavior but I'm just going to leave this review for what it is. The final nail in my AE Radley coffin.
When two lovers are under threat, what should they do? Pretend to break up, stay away from one another and be completely miserable while finding out the culprit. The one star, was for the explanation to what happened to Holly. The rest of the book, rather than spending USD7.99, you might as well read/reread Truth and Measure by Telanu. Here's the link, you can even download it. How cool is that? Free and downloadable. For a comprehensive review on Ms Radley's highway pile - up, do check out Alexis' review.
The book is told from both Victoria and Holly’s POV but honestly, my favourite moments are when we are in Victoria’s head. I think it’s clear from my reviews that I love Ice Queens, but my favourite part of Ice Queens is the thaw. And when Victoria is thinking about Holly, talking about Holly or looking Holly she is a different woman altogether. Victoria loves Holly that much and it’s so evident in her every interaction with Holly.
What I really love about this book was that A.E. Radley threw in a mystery/crime trope twist which sent both characters on the case of the mysterious offender. She did the mystery trope in the first book in a smaller way and it was based more solidly around Holly’s amnesia but Keep Holly Close is a proper mystery of epic portions. I was loving the thrill of the chase.
I loved the original Bring Holly Home story. It was sweet with wonderful characters and a bit of mystery. This sequel is a satisfying second helping, featuring Holly as an amateur sleuth and Victoria as an unlikely superhero. Their evolution from power couple to indestructible family, including son Hugo and daughter Alexia, is such a strong testament to the miracle of love that the “Whodunit?” almost becomes the subplot. A truly wonderful tale.
A perfect continuation of book one. The characters and the overall vibe of the book is the same feeling like you're returning home. I truly am going to miss these characters so much!
Bring Holly home was my all time fav. There is something about the characters that I absolutely love. Keep Holly Close is the next phase, and I'm truly in love with both characters. I could read another one if it was publish.
Keep holly close was a mixed read for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the overall plotline, and some of Victoria’s behavior didn’t quite work for me, though ironically, her chapters ended up being my favorite to read in the whole book but that was mostly due to the fact that I at least saw some of her persona..
The mystery element was okay, but I found myself wishing it had taken a back seat so we could spend more time seeing Holly integrate into the family and watching Holly and Victoria interact as a couple, rather than being kept apart.
That said, the writing itself is good, and the pacing moves along nicely. While the story didn’t fully click for me, it was still a solidly written book with moments I enjoyed.
The mystery of the second book was quite nice. It was also great that it was still connected to the first book. Even with a bit of action and detective skills at work it’s still light hearted and just generally fun to consume. Since Victoria and Holly’s relationship is quite established, I’m not worried about them splitting up which is a nice relief. Victoria’s antics are very endearing. I wouldn’t even mind if there’s a part 3 to this series.
Holly is coming to terms with life now that she has settled down with her former boss Victoria, and she is finally working in her dream career of journalism. Holly couldn’t be happier with the way life is going at the moment but when that happiness is threatens, Holly’s world is crushed. Putting on her investigative hat, Holly sets out to get to the bottom of reason for this threat, but she can’t do it without Victoria’s help and cooperation. Together they work hard to uncover the person behind this act, and end up discovering much more than they imagined.
I already loved Holly and Victoria from the first book in the series Bring Holly Home, so it was brilliant to be back with them. Victoria hasn’t changed and I adore her as much as before. She was utterly brilliant at every moment of this follow up story and she even managed to surprise me from time to time. As an Ice Queen she has the perfect balance between the side she shows to everyone else, and the side of her she shows to Holly. I just love their relationship; it’s perfect!
The adventure in this instalment of the series was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was so easy to get swept up in all the drama and angst, and this lovely story was teaming with it. The romance element was there in touches, just as I expect from Victoria and Holly, and adore the way they have their intimate moments throughout. No matter how cute they are though, I will always adore each and every Ice Queen moment Victoria blesses us with because they are seriously AMAZING!
Another great story from A. E. Radley as part of a series I absolutely adore and really can’t recommend enough. The Remember Me series is so beautiful and one of my all time favourites. I hope we will see more from Victoria and Holly in future as I just love them!
An enthralling, page-turner of a read with a dose of (albeit predictable) mystery and romance. I adored the inclusion of Louise, Victoria Hastings' assistant and Holly Carter's former colleague, and the introduction of the non-binary character of Jazz in this one...AND a truly smile-inducing ending to the 2 part series.
Intriguing, unexpected and lovely. Holly is my favorite character of the series, Victoria is a strong, feminine fashion leader, despite the age gap they made a wonderful couple. The story is amazingly good and ingeniously developed. Another great hit by A.E. Radley, I enjoyed it a lot and recommend it.
OH MY!!! Victoria and Holly are back in this wonderful sequel to Bring Holly Home. The women are deeply in love and so happy but Victoria lives in fear that Holly will regain her memory and leave her. Holly does her best to reassure the older woman but it’s still there. One morning an email shows up in Holly’s account. It is a picture of Victoria kissing another woman. Later there is another and holly doesn’t know what to do… The mystery deepens and it’s not long before their world is tilted on its axis and Victoria faces the ultimate betrayal…
This is an edge of your seat, sweet romance that is full of mystery, intrigue, drama and family. It was an excellent read with love and emotions galore. I adore Holly and Victoria. They are the perfect match, each balancing the other and making their beloved happier than they have ever been. They are sweet, romantic, loving, tender and gentle and along with the kids a fantastic family. They don’t always have everything perfect but they have each other and they try. The story in this book was so entertaining and exciting. It had me on the edge of my seat more than once or twice! I don’t want to give anything away but it’s so hard!!! I want to blab it all but I won’t. I will say this, if you loved the first story this one is a must read! If you haven’t read the first one, I suggest you do because it’s so gosh darn good and will make this book even better for you! Either way, read this!!
This was awful, I don't get why the author had to turn this into a mystery novel, I wld have been happy to read about their lives, Holly integration into the hasting family, their connection and their day to day as a couple, more chemistry and more sex
The book was alright. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first book. My rating would preferably be 3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed catching up with Holly and Victoria. Lots of questions from the first book, bring Holly home, were answered and that tied up their entire story really well.
The only reason my rating isn't higher is, I feel the build up to the main plot twist could have... Had more to it. I found it a bit bland. The big plot twist itself was good, the build up to it is what I didn't find so... gripping.
Overall, it's worth a read. More so if you enjoyed the first book and have questions leftover.
Very disappointed. This book was kinda ridiculous and the whole storyline of this didn't make much sense to me.
I thought the first book in the series was decent and I had high hopes that I'd enjoy this one more, which sadly wasn't the case. This wasn't at all what I was expecting from a sequel.
As I said, the whole mystery aspect of this and how they dealt with that didn't make much sense to me and I found it really weird. I also didn't enjoy how it was all wrapped up in the end. And honestly I guessed who the person was right away...
What more can I say about Radley that hasn’t already been said. Thawing the Ice Queen is perhaps my favorite type of romance. This is the 2nd installment in this series and shocked that I loved this book even more then the first. I hope and pray there are more in this series because I can’t get enough of Holly and Victoria❤️
I couldn't put the book down, it actually surprised me because I never thought it was going to go this direction but it was amazing. I have to give it to A.E. Radley, she writes great books.
I love this series so much, there's something about Holly and Victoria that it's just amazing. I love that we learned more about Holly's days at Arrival and the reason behind her amnesia.
Victoria should be, but she doesn't feel as smart or intimidating in this book. The thriller mystery bit came out of nowhere and was overly complicated.
It's not as satisfying to read. The first one could might well be a stand alone.
When I began this audiobook I was expecting a great story and that was exactly what I got. From the first word uuntil the end, this story was a joy to listen.
I like Victoria well enough, but Holly? I love her. And it's easy to see why when, after getting the first email, Holly doubts, yes, but doesn't let her fear to lead her. She goes and checks the facts before confronting Victoria. Could she have talked to Victoria instead of digging the truth herself? Yes, sure, But I really think that having the chance to say: 'I know that this isn't true' when she does makes the situation easier for both of them.
And I loved Victoria reaction: stunned, almost speechless. Horrified at the thought. It shows how much she really cares for Holly beneath her cool facade.
I was sure who was the culprit from the moment they show up, but I was waaaaaaaaaaaay wrong about the motive. I eventually got there, but, by the time I did, there was no real merit to it *laughs*
So, yes, I really, really enjoyed the story ♥
Now, Emily Beresford's narration, not so much. I didn't like her voice nor her style. A matter of taste *shrugs*
Yet another turn pager from A.E Radley! If you haven’t read Bringing Holly Home, it’s defo worth the read especially as Keep Holly Close picks up from the first book.
Holly has now settled into everyday life with Victoria, whom she adores as well as her two children. Life is great for the family, until Holly starts to receive emails from an anonymous source who threatens everything and everyone she holds dear. I don’t want to give too much away, but you can’t go wrong with investigations, hackers, and kidnapping!!
If you want to know what happened to Holly leading up the accident, then definitely read the newest addition to the remember me series!!
I love the relationship that Holly and Victoria have. It's always refreshing to be loved and understood by someone no matter how undeserving of it you feel, that's what Holly does for Victoria. For Holly, there's just something about a strong woman who knows what she wants and allows nothing to stand in her way. A woman, who though deemed a monster by almost everyone, Holly easily sees she's not and understand her in a way no one else does. The age gap and opinions of others doesn't matter to either of them and they are just as strong together as they are apart. I can't wait for the next one in the series, I'm really hoping there will be a next one.
Having read Bring Holly Home I didn't know what to expect in this book. In the beginning I thought it was a little slow, but kept reading. Holly's home life with Victoria and the children starred to make the story gel. Then you added the drama into the everyday life to make the story meatier. The drama and suspense in this story actually made my blood pressure surge. Everything in the story from. Beginning to end was so well written that it shouldn't amaze me as you are one fantastic person that puts her all into the stories she tells. Thank you for Keeping Holly Close, as it was a fantastic experience.
I love the chemistry between Holly and Victoria. I have been waiting for this second story and was not disappointed. Some might think the Spy element to the story was a bit much but this is story telling at its best. As I felt in the first book, it was felt here too and that is the way the love between them was written. I felt my own heart rise and fall with each emotion Holly and Victoria was expressing. Both these books are my favorites and are a must read for AE Radley fans. I feel a third book in the works.
This was a more intriguing story, with a mystery to be solved and even though you get the gist of it soon enough, it's still exciting to see everything unfold in front of the characters. And how I loved how things were resolved. I love Holly, but Victoria is something else, that scene with the Jimmy Choos were just ice on the cake.
Now I'd just like to read about them actually being together, because they didn't have much time on this instalment either, with what Holly chose to do. I need to see them interact some more! It's priceless.
Such an amazing follow up book to Bring Holly Home, we finally get to learn what happened to Holly while in Paris and we see how cute Victoria and Holly are and how amazing Holly really is with the kids, Hugo and Alexia. How they’ve grown as a couple and how strong and in love they are. Super cute read and quick as well. Reread Bring Holly Home before reading this and finished both in 2 hours! A. E. Radley keeps you on the edge of your seat with these books!
I didn't guess the right bad guy. Great, tight writing, with a wonderful new character, Jazz. The email was the perfect segue into a mystery I had to read about. Therefore I had to finish the book in one sitting; public transportation is a great place to read. Holly's memory loss is the crux of the book and Veronica's continued learning how to let people in to her life was a joy to read. I'm never disappointed when I read a book by AE Radley.