Hold

The Fieldings #2

by Kimberley Ash

She’s fought for independence for herself and her boys. Can she ever rely on a man again?
Thea Fielding just wants to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, and to be a better single mom to her two boys. After his wife and coworker cheated on him, Liam McConnell had to leave the teaching job he loved, and is only just clawing back his career.
Neither want to get involved again after their disastrous marriages, but from the moment they meet at an evening class, they can’t take their eyes off each other. To make things worse, Thea begins hosting a study group and the other members invite Liam.
To cover their growing attraction, Thea and Liam are snarky to each other as often as possible. How long can they resist what everyone knows will happen? Can they get past their own histories to build a life together? And what happens when Thea’s ex shows up to take back his family?

Genres: Contemporary

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2022

About the author

Kimberley Ash is a British ex-pat who has lived in and loved New Jersey for almost 30 years. When not writing romance, she can usually be found cleaning up after her two big white furry dogs and slightly less furry children.

Reviews

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hold” by Kimberley Ash is a well written contemporary romance of two people who struggle to make their way despite disappointments in both their professional and personal lives.

Read full review in the 2022 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Yolanda McGee~Veronica's Reading Vault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold (The Fieldings Book#2) is exactly why I love reading new to me authors. I loved Liam McConnell (a sexy ginger with a beard? YES PLEASE!!) and Thea Fielding right from the beginning and the fact that they start off with snarky banter, immediately drew me in. I knew they were going to be a wonderful couple and they didn’t disappoint me. Liam takes grumpy to another level along with his smart mouth and Thea is a sweet, thoughtful and kind person who definitely gives as much as she gets with her witty comebacks. One of the things they have in common is their passion for teaching. Which is how they meet. After Thea’s husband leaves her and her two boys, she decides to go to back to school to become a teacher. And after Liam’s awful divorce, he quit his teaching job but a couple of years later, he decides to continue his education by obtaining his Masters Degree.

Liam and Thea have great chemistry and you could cut their sexual tension with a knife. And for obvious reasons, they’re extremely guarded with their hearts. However, these broken hearted and badly scorned characters truly needed each other more than they knew. I was very pleased at how their friendship/relationship and bond developed. They went through a lot together which makes for a meaningful and excellent second chance at love romance. And Liam’s interactions with Thea’s boys melted my heart something fierce.

I adore the friendship between Thea, Liam and their study group friends. Their camaraderie with these friends is relatable and their laugh out loud moments and funny banter is quite entertaining. Kimberley Ash has done a fantastic job with creating down to earth and relatable characters and I found this to be very delightful. There’s so much goodness in Hold and Liam and Thea are more than deserving of an HEA. It also has a perfect blend of light hearted, emotional and endearing moments. The Fieldings are turning out to be a great family, I love their family interactions and dynamics and I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Universal

Thea's determined to get her teaching degree and Liam's determined to get back to his teaching career. Two damaged, wary people who could be together if they let their guards down enough.

Thea and Liam's story feels real. There are no billionaires or alphas here. No dark deeds, at least none by them, just 2 regular people who find love after having been let down badly both their exes. I appreciated this about the story and I liked both of them. What I didn't like was also what made this such a real-feeling story - it was kind of boring, but 3 stars feels fair because it also wasn't ridiculous or unrealistic. I know, contradictory, but that's how I feel about it.

ARC provided by Hidden Gems Books for an honest review.

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[K.J. Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what it is about this series, but there's just something there that makes them feel so much more realistic than many of the other romances on the market.
In her darkest days, Thea Fielding met and fell in love with Gabe. In her eyes, he saved her, but he also took advantage of her and used her own fears and insecurities against her. For 13 years she would take him back time and time again, but now she's finally free of him. When she meets Liam, the last thing that she's looking for is a new relationship, but neither of them seems to have much say when it comes to the incredible chemistry that they have.
This is a story about families, about dealing with relationships that have broken down and the effect that might have on the children that came from that relationship. It's almost impossible not to feel for Thea as she tries to navigate the hurt that her son's have had to deal with due to no fault of their own.
I loved this story. Liam was wonderful, even dealing with his own heartbreak as he was. Thea clearly deserved to find her man, her happily ever after and this story gave her just that. A great read.

[Jo McNally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold gave me all the feels! The heroine, Thea, is dealing with divorce, two sons, an old house and a student study group as she tries to get her teaching degree. The hero, Liam, has also been betrayed in love, and he's in the same diverse, chaotic, caring study group. Liam and Thea cautiously embraced their found family of friends as they both dealt with their real families. Their chemistry was immediate and scorching, but they fight the attraction as long as they can because neither feels ready for a relationship. Once they give in, they are ALL in for each other, come what may, and I loved that. I enjoyed the fun and sometimes gritty reality of Thea being a single mom dealing with two sons and a troublesome ex. Don't worry about it being book 2 in a series--it's a complete stand-alone. I haven't read BREATHE yet (but I'm going to now!) and it did not interfere with enjoying HOLD at all. Kimberley Ash knocks it out of the park with this one.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

So grateful to Hidden Gems for providing the ARC and introducing me to this author. Really liked the book and characters. It also made me interested in the prior book, so I bought it after I finished this one. This is the story of Thea and Liam who meet in class where they are looking to go into teaching. Both have fallen off their original paths and are trying to get back to what they are passionate about, education. Although there is attraction in the beginning, both are trying to fight it. Then they are part of the same study group, which meets at Thea’s house, and the sparks fly as Liam helps her with her “fixer-upper” house. This continues with his work around the house and helping Thea’s son by giving him a job. As their relationship builds, their pasts come back to haunt them and they both need to face that so they can move forward possibly together!!

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam and Thea kept me engaged in this heart felt story. Both have their fair share of heartbreak but at the same time they have the drive to succeed and overcome their past. They meet during a class and become more involved with each other during a study group. The more time they spend in each other's presence the more they realize their feelings for each other is more than just friends and right when things change for them Thea's ex comes back into the picture. Will they get their chance for a happily ever after? This story had me connecting with them and in their corner to get a second chance for happiness! I am volunteering to leave a review for an ARC of this book.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thea's husband deserted her and their two boys. He hadn't been much of a father up to that point anyway. Thea decides to go back to school to get her teaching degree so she can make a better life for her and her boys. Liam was married and thought life would be great, until he found his wife in bed with another man. Now Thea and Liam are taking classes together. The sparks fly. They want each other but there are so many things that keep them apart. When Thea's ex comes back and wants to pick up where he left off, Thea has to make a few decisions. Can she ever trust her ex? Will she want to build a life with Liam?

[Roni Denholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first stupendous book by Kimberley Ash, I wondered if the second could be nearly as good. I am happy to report it exceeded my expectations! Ms. Ash did a wonderful job of making me feel her characters' emotions; and she gives such a sense of immediacy--a feeling of being right there with the characters as the action takes place--to each scene. Well done Ms. ash! I look forward to reading more of your books!

[Tina Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about an emotional Rollercoaster. Ash knows just how to get you hooked on her characters and pull you along for the ride. Her pairings are exquisite. And I loved both the Single mother representation and the feeling of how small of a world these characters lived in, with connections between the main characters' lives coming out of the woodwork throughout at just the perfect timing. Thea, Liam, Benji and especially Jake are all characters who you will enjoy getting to know, and whose journeys are worth watching