Hard to Hold

Hold Trilogy #1

by Stephanie Tyler

THE SPECIAL OPS HERO FEARED NOTHING—
UNTIL HE MET A WOMAN TOO HOT TO HOLD.…

Lieutenant Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter—and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert.

If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The special ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned as Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart—until danger throws them together again. And nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot…

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Military Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Military Romance

370 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Tyler writes what she loves to read - romantic suspense novels starring military heroes and paranormal romance novels novels starring warrior heroes, all complete with happy endings. She also writes as SE Jakes.

And because she's not busy enough, she also co-writes as Sydney Croft. She lives in New York with her husband, her kids and her crazy Weimaraner, Gus.

For more information on Stephanie, please visit www.stephanietyler.com or email her at stephanie@stephanietyler.com.

For more information on SE Jakes, please visit SEJakes.com.

For more information on Sydney, please visit www.sydneycroft.com or email Sydney at sydney@sydneycroft.com

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to Hold is a good start to a three book series about a trio of brothers (from another mother/father) who are all SEALs. This Navy SEAL-loving girl definitely appreciated the portrayal of these characters who are members of my favorite Elite Special Forces unit. While this wasn't a perfect book, I definitely feel it was worthy of the four star rating I gave it. Here are my thoughts:

What I Liked:
* I liked the message about family being more than just blood. Family is a group of people who watch out for you, love you, and have your back. Sometimes your blood lets you down, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who love you even more than your real parents didn't. I liked the close bond between Jake, Chris, and Nick, and their 'dad' Kenny. They were bros and friends, and they had each others' backs.
* As I mentioned, I love the Navy SEALs, so I'm always game to read well-written stories about characters in this dangerous role. I liked the military aspects very much!
* Although the hero is definitely the alpha type, he is also a sensitive, caring man. I liked how he really cared for Isabelle, and put her needs first. He had reasons to keep his heart closed to her, but in the end, he didn't let that stand in the way of giving her the love and support she needed. Jake has a vulnerability that he doesn't wear on his sleeve, but I could feel his pain and anguish, and it spoke to me.
* Isabelle was a realistic character. She wasn't too perfect, and she wasn't annoying in that falsely strong way that is unfortunately over-used in contemporary romantic fiction. She made/makes mistakes, and she owns those, and uses them to grow.
* I think the rape was handled very well. Isabelle doesn't get an instant heal just because she's attracted to Jake, he's her savior, and she falls in love with him. Her situation with Rafe was a very complicated one. She started out in a consensual relationship with him that she knew was wrong because of her engagement. She broke it off, but then he became her stalker and abused and raped her. She had lots of issues about the situation because of the fact that initially she was involved with Rafe, and she felt some guilt that she didn't fight him after he kidnapped her. He earned her trust and took advantage of her, stealing her ability to trust and the belief that she is control of her life. That is a big morass of emotions to deal with, and 'instant sexual healing' would have been a bit insulting for the reader.
*I really felt the intense and real emotions in the relationship between Isabelle and Jake. It was a big draw in this novel. They spent time getting to know each other, talking and building the intimacy between each other. When I read a romance, I want to see that, so that when they take the relationship to the physical level, it feels real, true, and intense.
* I liked that all the characters were complex. They were flawed, but they were also people you could feel for. I even felt bad for Rafe, although I didn't like what he did to Isabelle or how he went about getting revenge for his father. What Isabelle's dad and uncle did to Rafe's father was wrong, but two wrongs don't make a right. I also feel that he didn't know what love was if he could hurt Isabelle that way, claiming he loved her and wanted to be with her. I liked that there was a parallel drawn between Jake and Rafe. They both suffered horrible abuse by people who were supposed to love and protect them, but Jake found a way to use it to make him a stronger person; whereas Rafe let his past destroy him. Granted, Rafe didn't have the support of two 'brothers' and a loving adoptive father and mother. I feel like Rafe really wasted himself. It made me very sad.
*I loved seeing Isabelle do her work as a doctor. I always get a kick out of the medical aspects in a story, and it's great to see the heroine as a medical professional with a dynamic, successful, and challenging character. It helps to round her out as a person. I also liked how Chris was a very talented medic. He knows his stuff.


What I Think Could Have Been Better:
* I think there were too many POV shifts in this story. It made it hard to get a fix on the main characters, and the side stories were short-changed. Once a scene started, it seemed to end too abruptly, with the emphasis misplaced, taking away the impact of the interactions between the characters. The relationship between Sarah and Clutch was very compelling, but I would have preferred they had more time spent on their relationship. I hope that we see more of them.
* The action sequences needed more life. The execution made them seem anti-climatic. I noticed this because this is romantic military suspense, with high-octane heroes and dangerous situations. As an action fan, I like to see these elements pop in a book, but that wasn't quite the case with this book. I suspect that Ms. Tyler will improve on this as she finds her feet in this genre.
* I loved the "I Love Yous" between Isabelle and Jake. However, the book ends with a bit too much of a happy for now, where you didn't really see a firm commitment between Isabelle and Jake. Maybe we will see more of this in the next book.

Overall Thoughts:
* This book ended up pulling me in, hard. I cared about the characters, and I found the storyline interesting. I liked the characters a lot, and I liked the emotional complexity of their struggles. I am definitely hooked into this series. I would like to see a lot more of Chris (really liked him), and Nick was cool too. I hope he's not going to continue to be a womanizer over this series (don't care for them). I'd like to know what his deep dark secrets are. This series has the potential to be a favorite of mine. Fingers crossed.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great storyline with a broody tortured hot alpha who's a hot Navy SEAL and with a headstrong, sometimes pain the ass heroine, this was an enjoyable read. Loved it!

My Jake.

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard To Hold is the first book in Stephanie Tyler's new trilogy about Navy SEALs, and for a first book in a series, it was pretty good. Not outstanding, but good enough to hold my interest and wanting to see where this series is heading. As I've found out with most series, the first book seems to be the toughest to read. There's lots of background about the numerous characters and details about the direction of the series that the author has to lay out, and usually the first book of the series suffers a bit by getting bogged down by these facts. I felt that was the case a bit with this one, but it was still a well-written, interesting, thought-provoking read, but did leave me wanting just a bit.

Basically the plot of the story is that there's three adoptive brothers (Jake, Nick, and Chris) who are all Navy SEALs on the same team based (I'm guessing) in Virginia. (The author wasn't real clear on that, but I was eventually able to figure it out.) They're on a mission in Africa when they're detoured to rescue a doctor working for Doctors Without Borders who has been kidnapped and left for dead. And it just so happens that beautiful, 31 year old Dr. Isabelle Markham is the daughter of a V.I.P., Senator Jeannie Cresswel. When 26 year old Jake and his brothers locate Isabelle, she's naked, bound and gagged on a dirty floor of a small hut in the jungle, and hurting badly from the beating she received by her now missing captor. Jake has to make some tough decisions about moving her and risking hurting her more or risking her being captured by the rebels fighting in the area, and in the end pulls off a heroic rescue. Of course, during the rescue Jake and Isabelle form a 'connection' by sharing some upsetting secrets with each other and a couple of kisses, and later Jake secretly visits her when she's hospitilized, while Isabelle longs for the company of the brave, handsome SEAL who rescued her.

Two months later Isabelle is nearly fully recovered physically, (although haunted by her kidnapping ordeal mentally), and has made a commitment to doctor on the Navy base for three months (the same base where Jake is stationed). It seems that the bodyguard that her mother hired to protect her while in Africa, former Special Forces soldier Rafe, was the one who kidnapped and abused her while he collected the ransom, but for some reason he didn't kill her. Why is that? Isabelle is led to believe (for her own good) by her mother and her 'Uncle Cal' (Admiral James Callahan, coincidentally Jake's mentor)) that Rafe has been captured and is in prison. Untrue. The unstable Rafe is on the loose and is not finished with Isabelle or her family yet. What does he want? What is his connection to Isabelle and her family?

Since Uncle Cal knows that Isabelle won't be safe until Rafe is captured, he arranges for Jake (who happens to be sidelined from duty while he recovers from an injury) to 'protect' Isabelle. After a bit of manuevering, Jake gets Isabelle to move into the house that all three brothers share (the better to keep an eye on her), and they grow even closer, talking and trying to figure out if they have a real relationship. Although Jake and Isabelle both desire each other madly, Jake has concerns that Isabelle just wants him because he was her rescuer, while Isabelle tries to deal with the emotions of being abused by a man she trusted, and what that means for a potential physical relationship with Jake.

Things come to a head when Isabelle finds out that her mother, uncle, and Jake have been withholding the information that Rafe is not behind bars but is actually on his way to the states and is gunning for her. Isabelle detests the betrayal and decides it would maybe be in her best interest to go into protective custody with the F.B.I. after all. Will Jake let her go willingly or will he somehow find a way to keep on protecting her? Will Rafe finally have the showdown between Isabelle and her family that he desires? Will Jake and his fellow SEALs save the day again? What is the connection between Rafe and Uncle Cal, the senator, and Isabelle? Will Jake and Isabelle get past all the emotional baggage in their lives and their loner-like personalities and decide to try for a long term relationship?

Wow, this book was chock-full of lots and lots of details and characters, but surprisingly, it was fairly easy to follow and keep everything straight. There was a side plot about a mercenary named "Clutch" (who reluctantly is involved in a mysterious government agency called "GOST") and his girlfriend Sarah (who was a friend to Isabelle in Africa but later betrayed her and regretted it) involved with finding the elusive Rafe, and this interesting plotline was left unresolved and I'm assuming ST will stick with it throughout the series. There were hints about the backgrounds of brothers Nick and Chris and their early lives with their psychic, rock band manager dad Kenny that sort of whetted my appetite to read about their future stories. And of course there was plenty of detail about Jake's own tragic, abusive past and how he came to be friends with Chris and Nick and later taken in by Kenny and his late wife. All good stuff that helped to round out the book and give plenty of meat to the story.

The only complaint I have with the story, and it's not really a complaint but maybe a wish, is that I wish the romance part would have been more detailed. I realize that after what happened to Isabelle, it wouldn't have made sense for her and Jake to jump right into bed, but when they finally did (after 300 pages and some almost there moments) I expected maybe a little bit more. I don't know exactly what was missing that could've made it hotter (maybe some more dialogue?), but I felt like the love scenes could have been a little bit more amped up--and although they said the "I love yous" I didn't totally feel it. Maybe it was all the dancing around each other that did it and what I felt was Isabelle's constant state of confusion about the direction of her life, but I didn't feel the "I've got to have you" passion with these two. Jake was certainly a worthy hero in a cool, calm, protective, patient and heroic way, and Isabelle was certainly a brave and admirable heroine, but I just wish they would have generated more heat.

All in all, a very worthy effort with some very good writing, an exciting, easy to follow plot, and some nice details about Navy SEALs in general and specifically about all that Jake endured to become one at a very young age. There was plenty of action, a very suspenseful conclusion and a handful of twists and turns along the way. Given the circumstances, the romance between Jake and Isabelle was about what you'd expect it could be, but I think there's much more ahead for them in the future. A very good start to what looks to be a promising series. 4 stars.

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to Hold is the first book in the Hold trilogy and my first read by Stephanie Tyler. I enjoyed the writing and the story itself, finding it easy to follow and holding my attention. I’m in love with Navy SEAL stories anyway, and this was right up my alley! I’m not going to go into the plot in this review, as you can get that from the book synopsis, but I am going to give you my thoughts on the story as a whole.

As far as characters go, I really liked, but sadly, didn’t love, Jake and Isabelle, and the reason I didn’t love them is that I don’t feel like we were really given a chance to truly know them. The constant switching back and forth between secondary characters took away from the necessary page time to really become invested in our hero and heroine, who had stories worthy of more details than we were given. Granted, it did allow for a great lead up to Chris’ and Nicks’ stories, but I really wanted to connect with Jake and Isabelle on a level that I just didn’t reach. And given the nature of their pasts, well… I just needed more from them. For them.

And kudos to Ms. Tyler! Rape is such a difficult subject to address, but I feel like she handled it well, not making it too horribly graphic or detailed, yet giving us enough of the emotional aftermath to such a heinous crime that I was still able to feel the destruction and devastation it wrought, and the effect it had on Jake and Isabelle’s relationship.

The bottom line – I’ll definitely continue this trilogy, no doubt about it! While I there were some things I had a hard time accepting regarding Jake’s past and his military career, I was able to put those things aside and just enjoy the story for what it was – an action packed, exciting adventure! I know some people find it hard to believe that at 15 (or 16?) years old Jake was able to fake his way into the military, but I’m here to tell you, my own father faked his way into the Navy just before his 16th birthday – and he didn’t have anyone on the inside watching out for him! So, yes, it can be done!

3.5/5 stars

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 ½-5 stars – Romantic Suspense

This is a very good start in a promising new military romantic suspense trilogy that's intense, hard-edged, and emotional. I just wish there had been a bit more romance (and hot sex!) between the H/H. Still, I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy, Too Hot to Hold. 4 ½...almost 5 stars!

[Miss Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to stick with my resolution to not force myself to finish books that I'm not enjoying. I made it to page 76 and anbandoned it.

The story has potential. The characters were somewhat interesting, but I felt pulled around from point of view to point of view. It seemed every character in the book got his section, and I found it too much and took away from the story. Plus the hero was supposed to have been in the navy at fifteen. Fifteen! He was such a bad ass that he made a fake id to get in the navy, with the goal of being a SEAL. He was such a bad ass that they overlooked his obvious fake ID and let him stay. *eye roll*. This was just too lame over the top even for me--someone who reads in fantasy land all the time.

[Mojca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book by Stephanie Tyler I've read and though I love storylines with über-alpha SEAL heroes, I must confess this story was a huge disappointment to me.
There were too many stories overlapping (though they all held a remote common thread), too many characters, too many personalities vying for attention, until I truly got the urge to take out an old notebook and pencil just to be able to keep it all straight.

It was too crammed with details and suspense elements, the über-alpha was a bit too über for comfort, the heroine was a bit too damaged for comfort and sometimes came through as slightly schizophrenic...The entire story was just a bit too much for me. I guess that's this particular author's style, but it just doesn't sit well with me.
Unfortunately I'll have to pass on the next two books in this trilogy.

Good suspense, great action scenes, but just not compensation enough for everything else.

[Kathrynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I tried to like this romantic-suspense, but several things bugged me. First and foremost I grew to distrust the writing. "Things" would be relayed, piece by piece, but changing in such a way that completely contradicted how "something" was initially implied. Distrust. That's how I felt about the writing. And it got much worse.

The way the characters would react to a scene, then the author would--gradually--explain what was happening got on my nerves. For instance, without saying there was a storm, the characters started to notice the lights flickering, someone would have an internal dialogue that they hoped the power didn't go out, etc, THEN the author mentioned the storm. I wasn't sure about it at first, but after a few of those little bombs, I'm now sure that I don't like it.

Also, the author jumped around too much. One minute the main characters were vowing to stay away from one another, the next they were going at it in the hallway. What?

Secondly, I did not care for the two main characters. They had a lot of potential, but failed miserably. By the end of the book, I was glad to be done with them.

For me, this book had so much potential, but the characters didn't come around fast enough and the "ordeal" from the beginning got played out over and over again. Each time giving more detail. I was sick of it.

Sick of the arguing. Sick of the hero not wanting to get close to anyone. Sick of hearing all the sordid details about the not rape/rape/almost rape/rape. Good grief. It felt like the author was changing her mind after writing a scene. No commitment to previously written chapters. Just change it all around later. I didn't like it. Distrust (again).

The "brothers" had potential, but not enough to have me vying for the sequels of this series. Sorry.

Found myself more interested in the secondary story between Sarah and Clutch, but that turned into a huge disappointment, too.

Phooey.

[~Megan~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it as a whole, but not in certain parts. It felt extremely disjointed to me, jumping back and forth between the characters. Even with their pasts, I didn't understand some of the actions or reactions that came from both Jake and Isabelle. The ending was so vague and didn't really give the reader any sort of closure on the relationship. I feel kind of let down by it.

What was the purpose of Clutch and Sarah's story? Why did it have such a bogus ending? I am hoping we get more of their story in future books. I will go on with the series because I loved the other two brothers. Maybe Jake was a little too hard for me? Maybe it has to do with the writing style here? I can't put my finger on it...the book just left me feeling a little unsatisfied.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I thought the story was written very believably, with Jake treating her as I imagine some men would, especially a warrior. The dialog was fantastic.

Being former military myself, I appreciated that the author didn't stray far from what a real military man might be forced to say or not say, to the heroine.

Looking forward to reading more by this author.

[MaggieReadsRom · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of a mission in Djibouti, Jake, his brothers Nick and Chris and the other members of his Navy SEAL team are on their way to the extraction point when word reaches them a doctor working with Doctors Without Borders has been held hostage and left for dead. They are to rescue her and get her out of Djibouti. The hostage is none other than a US senator's daughter, Isabelle Markham. When they get to her, she is in very bad shape and the fear she won't survive is great. But they manage to rescue her and with sheer willpower Isabelle survives and heals, at least superficially. Two months after the rescue Isabelle signs on as a civilian consultant with the Department of Defense and is placed at the Naval hospital where her rescuers are based. An encounter and renewed acquaintance with Jake is inevitable. Neither is the attraction between them but before they can explore it, it becomes clear that with her rescue Isabelle is not out of danger yet. What follows is a fast-paced, action-packed and heart wrenching and emotionally intricate story of strength, trust, passion and resilience.

I sometimes make fun of my book instincts, that I jokingly call "the gut-feeling" but at this moment I really want to praise it for urging me to immediately put HARD TO HOLD on my wish list when I discovered at the end of 2008 that Stephanie Tyler (half of the writer duo Sydney Croft) had a romantic suspense trilogy coming out this fall. Based on just the Navy SEAL premise and the excerpts hesitation wasn't even an afterthought and once again "the gut" absolutely didn't steer me wrong. Stephanie Tyler rocked my romantic suspense loving boat with an amazing first installment that seriously has me pining for more now.

Jake Hansen is not a man of many words; he is a quiet, rugged man who lives for his Navy SEAL career and his adoptive father and brothers. If there were one man who has had a tormented childhood and was bound to end up with a "good for nothing" checkmark, it would be Jake. With every new thing I learned about his past I grew to admire his outlook on life more and more. He crawled under my skin and I had a hard time letting him go once I finished this book. His crappy childhood didn't take away his sense of right and wrong, however it did affect whom he trusts and lets come close to him and his loved ones.

Isabelle Markham is one hell of a woman. She survives the ordeal of being taken hostage and having to endure horrible things, by sheer tenacity and resilience. Isabelle is a loner; she is not a people person and is satisfied with answering her calling as a physician in order to help the less fortunate. She sometimes acts before she thinks but she is never reckless. Like Jake, her past has left a lasting impression on her; trust is not something she gives easily.

There were so many things I loved about this book I don't even know where to start but let's give it a go.

Jake and Isabelle are one of my favorite couples of 2009, but what I liked most about how Stephanie Tyler portrayed Jake and Isabelle, is that she put them on an equal level even if Isabelle may seem more sophisticated and comes from a different environment as Jake and despite the fact that Isabelle is about 5 years older than Jake. These differences don't affect the balance of power between them. Coming from different angles they still are very much alike in their perceptions of love, trust and life and there are no situations where one has more power in the relationship than the other one. Of course that's what makes them a perfect match, even if they have some obstacles to overcome in order for them to accept each other and their love.

What I absolutely loved was the romantic angle in HARD TO HOLD. It’s built up nicely and gradually and so very intense because of the characters Jake and Isabelle are. Nothing is simple about them or their history/background so it goes without saying that their courtship progresses as complicated and intense as their individual lives have been. If there's one thing that's hard in romantic suspense it's balancing romance and suspense and giving the readers who seek that balance what they want. Romantic suspense needs to be both plot-driven and character-driven and I must say Stephanie Tyler did a great job on this.

Some may find the romance/sex scene ratio a bit askew but in my opinion it was perfect. Considering what happened with and to Isabelle I don't think it would have worked for me if she and Jake had jumped each other from the start and every other chapter. The way Stephanie Tyler handled this was believable, realistic and acceptable to me as a reader. Some books need sex to be excellent, others are excellent without an abundance of steamy scenes, and this is one of the latter. The love scenes are so very fitting and they appear at appropriate moments in the story with the right amount of hotness. Don't get me wrong: there weren't many but the ones that were there were really, really hot. My body still goes into tingly-mode just writing this review and thinking about them.

I also loved that this book is not only about Jake and Isabelle, their love story and their POVs. There are so much more characters and storylines that are part of this world Stephanie Tyler has created. A world I won't get enough of soon and I was happy to find out there are more to come after this trilogy. The multiple POVs give the book a sense of richness and completeness. Information and characters that seem unrelated and multiple small story lines seamlessly clinch together to form a story rich with action and pace, and a story that also works on the emotional department.

I wonder if there will be a continuation of the story between Isabelle's friend Sarah and her mercenary lover, Clutch. Their story line was just as poignant as the romance between Jake and Isabelle. Their secondary romance added depth and variation to the story and the ending of the book definitely left room for some heavy speculating on my part. I'm really worried about what's going to happen to Clutch and I believe Isabelle and Sarah have some issues they need to sort out together too.

There is quite some information on the ways of SEALs, Marines and mercenaries and I gobbled it all up. The military suspense was nicely written into the story and was never distracting or disturbing. Without becoming too technical (or maybe that's because I've read quite some romantic suspense so I am getting familiar with the lingo) Stephanie Tyler takes you into the world of military (rescue) missions, training and weapons. But she also threw some fun non-military stuff in the mix, like a psychic father with uncanny talents or going out and getting into a bar fight or the delivery of a baby in a supermarket isle.

The suspense plot was excellently written and resolved, original and atypical, at least to me. The only thing I missed in it was the POV of the bad guy of the book. As there were POVs of other characters I would have expected his too. Still this is a minor thing because I totally accepted the way the motivation for his actions was ultimately presented. The plot was set up very well with very few twists that I saw coming and mostly ones that totally blew me away because I didn't expect them.

I absolutely liked the brother vibe between Jake, Nick and Chris. Their history is unconventional as is the way they grew up and it's as much fun to read their brotherly banter as it is heart warming to find the love and loyalty they have for each other between the lines. They don't pull punches with each other and form a tight knit band of brothers, able to withstand anything thrown their way. The glimpses of Jake's brothers: Chris and especially Nick really sent the anticipation sky-high. I have this thing where I fall for one of the secondary characters who will have their own books later on in series and trilogies and especially for the ones who seem to be so much more than meets the eye at first glance. This time was no different. I fell for Nick from page 1 where he was mentioned and every time he came into the picture, all thoughts of Jake, not to mention Isabella or their predicaments, were forgotten as I got all dreamy reading about Nick and wondering what his story is. Needless to say I want his book bad. Very, truly and seriously bad. Now Chris shouldn't feel neglected because I also have love for Chris and want his book badly too, but between Nick, him and Jake? Nick wins…hands down.

A few quotes to illustrate the brothers:

Nick hadn't been with a woman since he'd gotten back on U.S. Soil from Afghanistan, (...), and right now Nick craved the kind of release only hot sex --or a good demolition-- could bring.

Chris just laughed. Tonight he wore a white T-shirt, which made the fact that his eyes were two different colors stand out even more. One was bright blue, the other an intense green, and they gave him an unbalanced, slightly crazed look. Once people got to know him, they realized that it wasn't just a look.

Jake made it through BUD/s* because there was no torture they'd put him through that he hadn't already survived. Nick made it through because he was completely desensitized to pain and was constantly searching, craving, for ways to feel.
Chris made it through because he had that little edge of crazy that made it necessary for men like him to succeed.

*BUD/s = Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training

Two itty bitty tiny things kept this book from getting the perfect 10 rating: The previously mentioned lack of bad guy POV and I think I found an inconsistency surrounding Isabella's and her mother's ages and the time she was conceived. I will have to ask the author about this to know what the deal is exactly and if relevant and possible without spoilers I will update this review with an explanation. However, this by no means kept me from utterly and thoroughly enjoying my first taste of Stephanie Tyler's writing. In a genre that is one of my favorites to read, she definitely has left her mark and put herself on my auto-buy and auto-read list.

*Update on the inconsistency: I contacted the author about this and originally the inconsistency was not there in the book but due to editing it sneaked into it. Due to spoilers I will leave it at this and offer no details on it but I am curious if other readers spot it too...

Every once in a while I read books that leave me speechless in a very good way. This is one of those books. As I love to read romantic suspense I have read several of them ranging from blood chilling horrifying to simple and nicely put together, from sizzling hot and steamy to containing a bare thread of romance, HARD TO HOLD however falls in its own category and is to be placed in the higher regions of my favorite lists. I hate to compare authors because I believe every author deserves praise based on their own merits but HARD TO HOLD reminded me of my first (and to-date only) Suzanne Brockmann book I've read, THE UNSUNG HERO.

From the first page I was lost in the world of Navy SEALs, Marine, bad guys, good guys and action, but that was not all. Between the rescue missions, bullets flying, battle wounds and political and personal agendas I was mesmerized by a love story so beautiful and powerful it had me in tears one moment, fanning myself the next and wanting to bud some heads together in another. In conclusion all I have to say is: Keep ‘em coming Ms. Tyler, I’m more than ready for the next brother!


Rating: 9.7 out of 10!!

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some books you really look forward to reading and then they just can’t live up to your own high expectations. There’s no one else to blame but yourself. Hard To Hold by Stephanie Tyler turned out to be such a book for me. Based on three Blaze novels about three SEAL friends by this author I really wanted to read her new contemporary military romance series about the brothers Jake, Nick and Chris, all Navy SEALs too. The first book about Jake was released on November 24, 2009 and the third one a few weeks ago. It took me a while to finish Hard To Hold because I struggled a little bit with the book.

I’ve read this book for the DIK Reading Challenge which made me finish it this month and also makes me write a review now, very shortly after reading the last page. I usually like to wait a little bit longer before putting my thoughts on paper because I like the little distance and objectivity the lapse of time provides, so I can look at a book without it still being under my skin. But I have to post my review in January for the Challenge, so here are my High 5, Low 5 concerning Hard To Hold. The High Five are five things that have impressed me or that I really enjoyed, and the Low Five are five things that had me shaking my head in a less admiring way.


High 5

• The hero Jake
One of the highs of this novel for me was definitely Jake’s character. He’s adorable, attractive, wounded, caring and hot. His tormented soul and anger are very sexy and his consideration for Isabelle is really sweet. He’s struggling with his own feelings while protecting Isabelle’s. Maybe his life story was a bit extreme (he had a very abusive youth) and we are made to believe that he joined the navy at the age of 15 or 16 without anyone in the army noticing or doing something to prevent it. That’s quite unbelievable. His grander than grand issues with his past were probably necessary to make Isabelle realize she’s not the only one of them who is struggling with abuse and guilt. For me it would have been enough if Jake just helped her heal by being patient and kind like he was from the beginning without the addition of their shared problems as a remedy to make her whole and trusting again. But that has more to do with one of my lows I guess.
One of the sweetest Jake moments was the one where they have a love scene on the couch in which Jake cuffs his hands behind his back while Isabelle sits on his lap and he tells her that she is safe and can touch herself.

• Good secondary characters
I like a story in which the protags are surrounded by friends and family. Mainly Jake has great people in his life. I especially had a soft spot for Nick, Jake’s stepbrother. He’s easy going, tough and sexy with his habit to walk around the house without clothes.

• Great story building
Ms. Tyler tells a rounded story that is well build. All pieces of the puzzle fall into place in the end. It’s all very well plotted. Her story contains a lot of suspense as well, but to be honest it didn’t bring me once to the edge of my seat.

• Easy writing
Ms. Tyler’s writing style is pleasant. With seemingly little effort she can make a scene visible and tangible. Sometimes she tends to explain a bit too much for my taste and she becomes repetitive, while in other moments (towards the end) she skips a few things. But overall her writing has an easy vibe and doesn’t ask too much (or less) from her readers. For example I like the way she described Jake:
“Nothing about him was overtly pushy or blatant or cocky. He didn’t have to be. He moved with the quiet confidence other men envied, tried to emulate and failed. His commanding presence wasn’t something to be copied, it was something to be earned.”

• Interesting world
Ms. Tyler has the ability to evoke a whole world with her words, an interesting world that I wasn’t familiar with but that became vividly alive before my eyes. She provides us with a lot of information and details to reach that. The lives of SEALs, mercenaries and social/medical workers in Africa were all new to me.


Low 5

• The heroine Isabelle
As much as I liked Jake, I could not feel the same sympathy or tenderness for Isabelle. In fact, she pretty much annoyed me a great deal of the time. And I feel bad about that, given her abuse and ordeal during the kidnapping and all. She sure did deserve my sympathy, and she had it most of the time. But not so much when it comes to the way she treated Jake. Okay, she had trust issues, I got that and sure, she had a hard time giving up her control sexually, I got that too! But I didn’t get her selfishness and her being mean to him at one point. And after denying him his pleasure a few times while she had hers, she finally is ready for him – you know, all the way – after Jake has shown his anger and then she tells him:
“I want you,” she repeated in a husky voice against his ear. “Don’t deny me this.”
The nerve, to be so demanding!

• The very distracting multiple POV’s
From the beginning I was struggling with this book because of the often changing POV, not just between the hero and heroine but between many secondary characters as well. And not their POV on the H/h, nope they all had their own storyline and personal issues. I found these very distracting, since I hardly knew the H/h at that point. Gradually I got used to the multiple POV’s and in the end they were reduced to just a few besides that from the H/h (mainly Clutch and Sarah’s, which was an interesting couple btw).

• Many flashbacks in italic
I don’t really mind flashbacks in a story, they can add something essential, but in most cases it’s enough when the narrator just tells what happened. The showing with the help of flashbacks is not always necessary, especially not when the telling is already done. In Hard To Hold often both the telling and the showing takes place. That’s superfluous imo. Besides that, I don’t need the italics to know that I’m dealing with a flashback – the italics can be omitted!
The bad thing really was that a great part of these flashbacks were from the secondary characters! That was just too much for me, I couldn’t care less. Their POV’s and secondary storylines were enough distraction from Jake’s and Isabelle’s love story, their flashbacks were over the top for me…

• Incomprehensible love
Why Jake and Isabelle fell in love with each other? I have no idea, except that they experienced an intense ordeal together maybe. Perhaps I can see why Isabelle liked Jake in the end, because I myself fell in love with him a little bit, but I never felt her love! I needed more of her thoughts and perspective concerning her feelings for Jake, because now I didn’t believe it. And why Jake loved Isabelle is really beyond me! Not only because what I wrote about her (see my first low) but also because of the lack of an explanation of his feelings.

• Lack of love scenes
There weren’t many love scenes between Jake and Isabelle. And no, I’m not only talking about the hot kind (although I’m a big fan of those and to be honest the love scenes between Clutch and Sarah were a welcome addition). I’m also talking about tenderness and sweetness between the two. Of course, the physical part of their relationship was hindered by Isabelle’s abuse experience. But that part was stretched out way too long I think.


Those were my five highs and lows. Overall, Hard To Hold was an okay read for me. It didn’t meet my high expectations by far and I’m the only one to blame for that ;). My dislike of certain elements in this story is personal. I hope that the second book, Too Hot To Hold, about Jake’s brother Nick, will be more than an okay read for me, since I already purchased it. When my high expectations had something to do with my rather harsh judgment of Hard To Hold than maybe my very low expectations of Too Hot To Hold will make me like that one way better!

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been wanting to try this author for a long time after reading the books she writes with Larissa Ione, as Sydney Croft, but just hadn't gotten around to it. So finally when I was at the library I saw the book sitting on the shelf and I grabbed it and now I am just kicking myself for not having made this a priority to try sooner.

The main men in the book are so alpha male types that they rate off the chart. Like most men that need control they have issues and if Jake's are anything to go by Nick and Chris's will be interesting. These 3 men met as young boys and know each others secrets and nightmares, which forged a bond like no other, one that became even closer as Nick and Jake were folded into Chris's family. The dynamic between the brothers is very complex and one that is great fun to read, but when you throw in the Dad it gets even better.

Isabelle was interesting with what was done to her and how she reacted. I also found it interesting that she knew some of her family's darkest secrets and had for years but never talked to anyone about them. The dance that went on between Jake and Isabelle was perfect, both of them could understand where the other was coming from, but still had to work around the land mines that were in their psyches.

While some aspects of this book were predictable and you knew what was coming miles ahead, you didn't really care as the characters were so well written.

I can't wait to check out the next ones and see what is in store for Nick and Chris!!

[Mareli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this story was good. There was this girl and a soldier rescued her. And after some time she told to her rescuer that she's had sex with her kidnapper in order to stay alive.

I didn't think anything of it, because she wanted to stay alive.

ANd then bam, chapter 1, where the girl, a doctor from DWB, asked to be trasferred to the same place of her rescuer and when she met him, she hit on him. Well, for a woman forced to have sex in order to stay alive, she seemed to be ready to go on.

I don't know but this thing set me off. Besides she was boring. Always asking what to do, running in a lot of different directions... and he was, well, a bore.

I would like to think that I didn't like this book because it was the first of a series but there were another sort of couple in this book, Sara and Clutch and I loved them from minute one (they got separated at the end of the book but I already know they will meet again!), so I think that I didn't like it so much because the main characters of the book were boring :(

[fleurette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by Stephanie Tyler and quite a good one. Probably not my last one, too.

Although, I'm not a great fan of love at the first sight stories, this one was rather interesting. The characters were likeable and the relationship between them didn't hinder me but I would prefer it to be more developed. I also enjoyed the secondary romance, if you can call it like that, between Clutch and Sarah. And I absolutely adore the way the family ties between the brothers were constructed.

I also liked the suspense part or I should rather call it the threat part. The reason for so was a bit too predictable but it give some action and a nice background story.

And Stephanie Tyler is definitely getting the biggest prize for the most tortured heroes and heroines. There is no single one character in this book whose life wasn't violated or complicated in some way. Even the secondary characters are stricken with some dreadful past. Don't even mention, the villain.

[Janis F · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Navy SEALS fighting for the good, strong women, excellent writing with of course a HEA, then you MUST read this series. I devoured it a few years ago, but I think it deserves a re-read.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much telling, not enough showing. The main characters’ developing relationship could have been better.

STORY BRIEF:
Rafe is a special forces soldier gone bad. Isabelle is a doctor working in Africa. Rafe kidnaps, rapes and beats her and then leaves her tied up in a hut. Navy SEALS receive an anonymous tip, rescue her, and bring her back to the U.S. She is so fearful of Rafe coming for her, that people close to her lie and tell her he is in prison. But he is not. After she heals she works in the Navy clinic where Jake is currently stationed. Jake was one of her rescuers. She is drawn to him. They have a developing relationship. She wants intimacy with Jake, but he keeps pushing her away (for her own good) because he knows she needs more mental healing time before she can have sex with anyone. Meanwhile Jake’s commanding officer Cal orders Jake to stay close to Isabelle to protect her from Rafe coming back. Cal also orders Jake to lie to Isabelle and tell her that Rafe is in prison.

REVIEWER’S OPINION (WITH HINTS OF SPOILERS):
There were some excellent plot ideas, but the execution was lacking. The problem was that almost everything was “told not shown.” What a disappointment. There was so much potential. There are various mysteries introduced early in the book. Later in the book for each mystery someone “tells” the story behind the mystery. We don’t get to experience what happened using action, conversations, and feelings. For example, Isabelle later tells what happened when Rafe kidnapped her. Cal later tells the story of his past connections to Isabelle’s mother and Rafe. Sarah later tells someone about things that happened in her past. And the worst telling was done in the final climactic scene. A kidnaps B and C. But we don’t see A’s actions leading up to the point where he is able to grab them. H is going to be the hero. I thought good, now I can watch some action actually happening - but no. I don’t get to see H’s thinking or action that allowed him to follow A. A just says how did you find me, and H “tells” him what he did. After that scene resolves, H finds C tied to a bomb. The next scene has the sound of a bomb going off and then H and C are in a different location talking to another guy. We don’t get to see how H disconnected wires or whatever and got C free. In addition, there are other parts of the story which are told and not shown.

By the end of the book, I had many unanswered questions. (I have a list but I’m not printing them here because that would be too many spoilers.) Providing answers could have been so rich. There was potential for so much more depth with interesting motivations and actions, but it wasn’t done.

I liked the characters, but their relationship was disappointing. Jake kept distance between them for Isabelle’s own good. Another problem was the “separation/conflict scene.” When Jake told Isabelle that he was ordered to lie to her about Rafe being in prison, she got mad at “him” for lying. He could have been court-martialed for disobeying an order. Why is she mad at him? Then Jake has his own inner monologue feeling “guilty” thinking “He’d betrayed her by not telling her the truth.” Page 308. What? He was following orders. I was annoyed. The author should have come up with something better.

I thought about giving it 1 star, but because I had some interest while reading it, I brought it up to 2 stars.

DATA:
Story length: 370 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 9. Total number of sex scene pages: 16. Setting: current day Africa and U.S. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more. On page 4 though, I almost put the book down. The hero tells us he as been in the Navy 11 years since he was 15. I'm sorry, there's just no way that would have happened in 1998. You have to show too much paperwork to join the military these days. They know who you are and they don't let 15 year olds in. Second, he was put in the SEALS training straight out of bootcamp to teach him a lesson or something. Again not going to happen. You have to be at the top of your rate to even apply. Not a single blemish on your career is allowed. Lying about your age is a pretty big blemish. I love stories about Navy SEALS. I've read every one I can find. I want to read a story that I can believe might happen though. I don't understand why the author chose to do this. What would have been wrong with him going in at 18 and then spending a couple of years being a darn good sailor and getting to the top of his rate before joining the SEALS?

I forced myself to go on and finish the book though. I didn't care for the heroine. Her motivations seemed kind of wimpy, like the author thought okay raped heroine, we need scene a, b, and c. Her hesistations and backing off from the hero seemed forced. He seemed sometimes thoughtful and sometimes an ass about it. The book seemed like there was way more sex (and I don't mind sex in a book) and anguishing about sex than actual story. And at the end when the bad guy's motivations are explained and he is taken down I had a bit of a huh? reaction. Not quite fully explained.

I did kind of like the clairvoyant dad and I liked the story of the side characters Clutch and Sarah better than the story of hero and heroine. Sarah's character seemed much more alive in the few pages she had than Isabelle's did. I'd be willing to read her story.

The writing was okay and the characters did seem to have separate voices which is good but it just really missed the gritty realism, realistic action sequences and solid motivations that I like in a SEAL story.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be a little less than I had expected. It got a great start, but I kept getting lost because of the writer jumping around with the topic or scenes. I thought it could have been so much more.

Jake is a navy seal sent into Africa to save a woman that has been kidnapped by her bodyguard because she is the daughter of a Senator. When they find her she has been beaten and raped. She is badly wounded and may not make it. While one of the Seal's goes to find transportation Jake and the victim connect psychically and psychologically.

Dr. Isabelle Markham went to Africa to help people. She is there with Doctors without Boarders. When her mother gets threats she has a bodyguard assigned to Isabelle. By the time the Seals find her she is close to death. Jake becomes her lifeline and is the only thing holding her together mentally after the attack. They share secrets and intimacy. When she wakes up in the hospital Jake isn't there, but she try's to move on with her life, being told that her kidnapper was captured. Now she is stationed on a Naval Base for the next three months. She finds Jake on Base and wants to Thank him for saving her, but also wants to see if the connection that they had in Africa is real or imagined.

Jake and Isabelle try to work through their differences, but when her godfather, an Admiral, assigns Jake to protect Isabelle from the kidnapper and not tell her of the danger, he agrees reluctantly.

This is where the story became confused at times and though ST had created some good characters she lost some of the momentum by switching story lines and not writing conversation clearly.

Of coarse Isabelle and Jake work through their issues and find each other, and the side story's are good enough. I'll probably read the other two in the series just to see what happens to everyone. But there just wasn't magic here, so I give this one 3 out of 5 stars.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.. I have seen it on a few of my friend's shelves and have been a bit of a rut lately so I decided to go out on a limb and try this series out. Needless to say I'm happy that I did. I blew through this book in about a day, it was really great. Suspenseful, romantic, alpha males everything I enjoy in a book.

Lieutenant Jake Hansen is the main character in this book, although his brothers are also featured quite often. Jake is a Navy Seal and at the beginning of the book is on a mission in Africa when he gets an emergency message that a civilian needs help. He goes to the site and finds Dr. Isabelle Markham naked, bound and bleeding. He saves her life and they make a connection with one another. When they return to the states, they run into eachother again and both are reluctant to admit the connection they formed. They both have their own healing to do and aren't sure if they are better off alone or with eachother.

I've already downloaded the next book on my kindle. I can't wait to find out what happens to Nick, Jake's brother.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more 3.5 stars - I just couldn't give it another 1/2 star though. I enjoyed the book, in fact the suspense part of the book got a solid 4 stars, but the romance aspect was seriously lacking. I just didn't feel Isabelle and Jake's relationship at all. The ending left me going "huh?" I really have no clue how they left things.

Anyhow, I'm going to persevere with this series and continue on with Nick's story next.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tyler desperately attempts to channel Suzanne Brockmann, and fails (despite lifting a few plotlines from the Troubleshooters novels). Good thing she covered her bases by making this cross-genre : it's a Navy Seal!/paranormal!/femmejeop!/Cajun bayou boy! romance... Eyeroll inducing in its badness, and not even worth reading in the bathtub. That she managed to eke a deal for a series out of a publisher is simply mind boggling.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book in the Hold Trilogy by Stephanie Tyler. Not sure why but I was a little disappointed in this one. I never connected with the characters and didn't feel the chemistry they should have had for each other. It just wasn't to my personal taste, I guess.

[Leontine · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We want to be in a situation under maximum pressure, maximum intensity, and maximum danger. When it is shared with others, it provides a bond which is stronger than any tie that can exist.”- SEAL Team Six Officer.

I read this quote at the beginning of the prologue and instantly was taken to Africa where a situation unfolded that was maximum pressure, intensity and danger. It was where Jake rescued Isabella from her captor and instantly a connection is formed. From the moment I read her “confession” to Jake and Jake in return revealed a secret of him I wanted to dig into their motivations. What had happened with Isabella prior to her rescue? What was her connection to her captor? And where was this all going? The prologue was one where my curiosity was triggered and the suspense was already anchoring me to the story. The other thing I immediately was drawn to in HARD TO HOLD was the characters Stephanie Tyler brought to life, yet it is the numbers of that group of characters that initially threw me off.

After the rather intense prologue there were many set-up of storylines; Jake, Nick and Chris with their past, Jake and Isabella with their romance, Jeannie, mother of Isabella, with the general Cal, Clutch and Sarah, and then there’s also Rafe McAllistar who has his role to play out too. While it all was interconnected it initially tempered my connection with the story until I was firmly adjusted to the writing style and got more in sync with the characters. Besides the fact of the many POV’s I had a bit of trouble surrendering to the fact Jake was so very young when he entered the army. At one hand I could believe that due to his past he had the emotional maturity to go through army training, and after that, SEAL training. Yet at the other hand I saw a 15 year old in front of me that didn’t fuse with the needed expertise of an extreme tough soldier.

Even though I had some issues with HARD TO HOLD Stephanie Tyler hit the bulls’ eye for me with Jake, Nick and Chris as men. They are an addictive combination of male toughness, attitude, vulnerability, virility and skills. They are a tight unit together that will stick by one another through the good and the bad. In their teenage years their bond as brothers by choice began and through all those years it never wavered, leading up to a point they now know each other like the back of their hand. So Nick and Chris knew when Jake offered Isabella a place to stay at their house that there was more going on then Jake just protecting Isabella.

While I tried to get my grip on the several storylines the romance was heart rendering beautiful. Isabella’s emotional healing process spoke of resilience, overcoming fears, courage and uncovering the naked truth of the past and the present. I think Isabella’s road to recovery was done in a believable way; it was an internal sparring of the strength to get her life back and yet feeling the fear and the pain of what was done to her. Jake is a great opposite for Isabella and they emotionally fit together like white on rice, still their strong personality’s clash where they create a fiery friction and have passionate dialogues. Neither is willing to back down easy but the underlying hunger for each other is evident in many choices, gestures and conversations. I loved how Jake restrained his libido to a certain level so that Isabella held the power yet at other area’s Jake is all take charge and a man not to be messed with.

Another romance that caught up with me is that of secondary characters Clutch and Sarah, who reside in Africa. They have their own romantic battle to fight but by pursuing an enemy are connected to the larger picture. Stephanie Tyler gave me another intriguing set-up with an organization named; GOST, and as I didn’t get a conclusion regarding this supporting storyline I am fiercely hoping I will get to meet Clutch and Sarah in book two again.

By the second half of HARD TOO HOLD past secrets, the present dangers, the romance and the characters worked together in a way I finally could feel the full effect of this author’s voice. The plot was in full swing and gave some more time for Chris and Nick and while I really liked all the characters Chris sealed his fate with me with his offbeat attitude and his two different colored eyes. What can I say; the man had me at hello. Now that I was firmly hooked I read the chapters, one right after the other, to deliver an ending that was nail biting good.

HARD TO HOLD had a somewhat rocky start but it only got better and better that by the end I could feel the eagerness for book two humming through my veins.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading this book, do not read any further. ... okay, don't say I didn't warn you!

Jake Hansen, Navy SEAL, gets a transmission in the middle of an African jungle while on their way out: a doctor with Doctors Without Borders had been kidnapped and left for dead, not a mile from his current location. Splitting up, his team continues on, one man goes with him.

Finding Dr. Isabelle Markham nearly brought Jake to his knees, although he doesn't know why. She'd been stripped of her clothes, bound, gagged, and beaten to a pulp. He gets her out of there, and home.

Two months later, Isabelle is still trying to recover. The slightest human contact makes her agitated, and claustrophobia is beginning to set it - something that never once bothered her before.

But getting over it isn't simple. With the man who did the damage now behind bars, she should be able to move on, but is finding it difficult. She cannot function the way her mother wants her to. She wants to go back to Africa - she needs to. Her mother, a U.S. Senator doesn't agree with that, neither does her uncle, Admiral James Callahan. So he pulls strings - several - and gets her a position on base, doing consultant work for the Department of Defense, and actually working at the Naval Hospital.

Running into the man that saved her ... she knew it was going to cost her. But she also knew that he would be the only one to understand her, how she felt. Question is: Can she get him to open up?

**Not bad.

Okay, so first we have Jake. Alpha to the core, he's actually more of an a$$#@!&. He's hard as nails, and is so completely determined to keep people at arm's length, he comes across as a complete jerk. Jerk - Jake ... hunh, 4 letters. But even before he'd made it home, having rescued Isabelle, she somehow, unintentionally, got under his skin.

Isabelle. In the prologue, I came close to actually disliking her. Was she brave? Yes. No matter how bad she was hurt, no matter who had done it to her, she wanted to make sure she didn't come away from it feeling like a victim. I get that - more than you realize. But, while down, avoiding gunfire, she wants Jake to put his hands on her? WTF??? Okay, yes she's in shock, yes she's traumatized... but after what she went through, having trusted a bodyguard her mother hired, that was supposed to guard her, to keep her safe, was the one that kidnapped her, raped her, and all within 24 hours, she wants Jake's hands on her? That was a bit over the top for me.

I have to admit, I ended up liking Isabelle. She was fighting back, on her terms. She tried to live the way her mother wanted her to, engaged to a man she didn't love, practicing in a big hospital... she was being smothered, and was determined to get out. Behind her mother's and Uncle Cal's backs, she signed up with Doctors Without Borders again, determined to go back, to fight her fears. But her biggest fear was yet to come - she'd been lied to. The bodyguard, Rafe, was supposed to have been caught, was supposed to be behind bars. He wasn't, and now he's after Isabelle.

I really liked how Isabelle got to Jake, and vice versa. How she was able to open up to Jake, knowing that he'd understand. How Jake's defenses crumbled, bit by bit, because of Isabelle. Neither one judged the other.

The action scenes, in and out of the bedroom, were really good, and I liked the suspense. I enjoyed learning about Jake's brothers, Nick and Chris, and their father-adoptive father, Kenny. I loved the banter between the men, whether joking or arguing. I did find, however, that the ending was rather too abrupt, but no matter. Do I recommend this? Yes. Am I saying to run right out to your local bookstore or library and snag it? Well... you can walk instead of run.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

[Xenos · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Hard To Hold" by Stephanie Tyler (book number one in the "Hold Trilogy"), a book that I thoroughly expected to love, left me satisfied but not completely sated.

Here's the background: Crazy-psychic-Cajun-wild-child rock band manager Kenny Waldron and his wife have a crazy-psychic-wild-child, Chris, and adopt Chris's two crazy-wild-child friends, Jake and Nick (who thankfully aren't psychic). Surprisingly, the three boys -- though still periodically referred to as wild and crazy -- somehow become disciplined enough to achieve Navy SEAL status. The three brothers still live together in their childhood home and, except for Chris's psychic abilities, seem to be the same indistinguishable and stereotypical guy -- I'm-an-alpha-male-who-thrives-on-danger-and-don't-care-if-I-get-wounded-as-long-as-I-can-go-to-the-bar-afterward-and-start-a-fight-for-fun-and-then-get-laid-by-the-biggest-ho-in-the-joint. (Yet we just know -- hey, maybe I'm psychic, too! -- that these bad boys will meet a woman who will scare the hell out of them by giving them unconditional love, bringing out their tender side and changing their womanizing, death-wish ways. Stephanie Tyler has the formula down, but there were very few surprises or anything to really make this book unique and stand out.)

"Hard To Hold" is Jake's story. While rescuing Isabelle from rebel forces in the jungles of Africa, they quickly fall for each other (though Jake of course tries to play it cool). Then he's assigned to be her bodyguard back in the States when it's discovered that she's not out of danger. Isabelle moves in with him (under false pretenses because she doesn't realize that he's supposed to keep her safe) and sparks fly. She brings out his sensitive side and makes him a better person, and he in turn accepts her for who she is, something no one else has done before. (Like I said, Stephanie Tyler has the formula down pat.)

I really thought I would love this book...and for all intents and purposes, I absolutely should have -- there was lots of action and romance and suspense, which always makes me happy. But there was just something missing. Unfortunately, I don't know what it was. It was good, but not great. I'd recommend it, but not wholeheartedly. I'll probably read the other books in the series, but I won't run right out and get them now. Three-and-a-half stars.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right off the bat I liked the hero and heroine. I love when an author creates a strong female role. Not manly, but can hold her own. At the same time I enjoy a manly man. Hard to Hold possessed both. But in the same characters were really basic frustrating features.

Jake: Strong, manly, protector. Hot right? Yeah, up until he acts like a brute asshole telling Isabelle to get in the kitchen and make him food. *Slap*


Isabelle: Can hold her own. Awesome. But when she gets flaky, which seems to be frequently, she gets kind of annoying. I realize her character was supposed to be in the 29-32 range if I remember correctly, but half the time I forgot and pictured her as 21-22 because of blatant immaturity.


Characters aside, the story line was actually really intriguing and you never knew what was around the corner. However, I feel that Miss Stephanie Tyler was not nearly as confident in her plot as I was...

There was absolutely no need to add crap. The bar fights. Childish and so not sexy. The cajun voodoo. Stupid. I only like stories that are at least somewhat believable. Once they cross that line, they go into the stupid category.


Though I liked the plot, I am not exactly excited to read the next installment in the Hold Trilogy, Too Hot To Hold... We will have to see what comes of it....

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 though the overall rating gives me the hives
I did not care much for the style and the way the book was written. Too familiar for my taste, as even the description are written as if it were spoken dialogues between uneducated or rude guys.
Let's go then to the characters: they remained characters to my eyes from the beginning til the end (along the second book as well, and I do not have any hope regarding the third on that topic). Their characters do not individually seem real and the whole bunch of them taken together is just way too much. I kept rolling my eyes at each new discovery of the evil and tragedy the characters main and secondary have already gone through.
There were however some good moments when Jake started to open to Isabelle and when Isabelle stopped lying to herself and realizing what had really happened that she did not want to remember. Those were too transcient to make it very good. The suspense was also rather good by moments but there were too many other things intermingled for it to be great.
I was expecting much better regarding the rating; the Hunted trilogy by Elle Kennedy, though shorter, was in my opinion much better with quite a few similarities, including the fact this trilogy has indeed to be read together.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed this read, and if I had simply only read the parts of the book related to Jake and Izzy and skipped everything else I probably would have given it 5 stars, but I have two main complaints:

(1) There was too much back and forth between the different story-lines. I just really don't think the stories involving Sarah and "Bobby" added much to the story and honestly between that story, the flashbacks, the story with Izzy's parents/Cal, and the main story it was just too much going on.
(2) A second related complaint is that there were many times where the author would rapidly switch from story line to story line with no introduction to the topics or speakers; normally this wouldn't be so bad, but on more than one occasion this happened when there was a plot twist or new information was being introduced and was simply confusing and distracting.

In all I liked the book enough to read the second book in the series, but man I hope the same problems don't appear in that one too.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, especially since I've been going through Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters withdrawal!
This was of a similar theme, a Navy SEAL rescuing a woman, they both have issues, they eventually fall in love.
I found this was a book that took me a little more concentration or I miss details. Perhaps that is why the book didn't flow perfectly for me, but still very good.
I did think that Isabelle's feelings for Jake moved a little fast, but that might have been driven by him being the rescuer. I did find that Tyler moved the physical relationship at a more reasonable pace than some other books I've read, which for me seemed more realistic.