Hold On to Me

A Retro Romantic Comedy (Carolina Classics, Book 2)

By: Karen Grey

Narrated by: Mackenzie Cartwright, JF Harding

She's my boss, and she's a stone-cold fox.

Two months ago, I lost my boat, my cat, and—with my leg in a cast—my income. Until I can walk again, the only job I'm fit for is one few have survived.

See, my new boss has a reputation. She's grumpy, no-nonsense, and runs a tight ship. Keeping a tight rein on a movie budget requires nerves of steel. Especially when disaster strikes.

When she yells at me, all I hear is the passion in her voice. All I want in those moments is to kiss her until she can't think straight.

And then convince her that it's okay to fall in love with me.

Don't miss this slow-burn boss-assistant entertainment-biz 1990s office romance from USA Today best-selling author Karen Grey.

©2022 Karen Grey (P)2023 Home Cooked Books

Fun retro story with great narration

Hold On To Me picks right up where You Get What You Give (Book 1) in the Carolina Classics series leaves us on a cliffhanger. Sullivan /Sully is forced to take on a new job, not one that he wants, but one that he needs. This job will force him to be a bit humble, patient and to get along with his grumpy boss. Helen is hell on wheels, tough to work for but she is determined to do things right. She feels like she has to be tough and perfect because of her line of business and competition with men in the business. Tough on the outside but soft, sexy and vulnerable on the inside. Sully and Helen have an instant attraction but do their best to keep their workplace professional. I love the banter and sass between the two and they give us some funny moments. Wanting to remain professional and not cause issues they decide to keep their romance a secret…until it isn’t. One of my favorite scenes is how Helen finally announces their romance…it’s brave, bold and fantastic. I loved the cameo appearances from other characters in book one. This is a sweet and emotional romance that takes you back to all the fun things from the 90’s. Mackenzie Cartwright and JF Harding deliver a fantastic performance with the characters. JF’s characterization of Sully is fantastic - his voice is smooth, confident and patient when it comes to Helen. Mackenzie voice is fantastic, strong and determined which is perfect for Helen. Loved the cassette tape sound between each chapter….brought back lots of memories.

Great throw back that tackles real world issues

JF and Mackenzie did an amazing job bringing Karen's story to life and taking us through the love story of Sully and Helen. You meet Sully and he's a broken man, lost his path and his best friend in a boating accident. He returns to Wallington and his friend group tries to give him purpose by getting him a job on set. Helen is a woman who goes after what she wants. As a Line Production Manager on movies she has to be exacting and ruthless, so that hasn't left a lot of room for love. Not to mention she's carrying a big secret from her past.

Karen gives us amazing production value in the start of chapter meditative quotes/movie quotes and the call backs to voicemails or really poor cell reception. She also reminds us that there was a time before #MeToo and what women in the entertainment industry had to go through.

I fully recommend you give this series a try for a fun call back to time before technology ran our lives. You won't regret it!

A sweet next chapter for Carolina Classics fans…

This was an enjoyable continuation of Grey’s Carolina Classics series. The older woman/younger man trope was done really well and I enjoyed the connection between the mains and the evolution of their relationship and the tensions rang true. As individuals, both Sully and Helen had clear arcs, and their connections to the secondary characters added to the story. He is a sweet guy who’s a little lost and she’s a woman who maybe needs a little balance between work and life. It’s lovely to watch them find what they need both in and beyond each other.

The only element that was slightly off for me was the minutia concerning the job, particularly when in Helen’s POV. If you listen to the Fated Mates podcast, you’ve probably heard Jen and Sarah talk about what they call “fossils”, a catchall phrase for when an author maybe gets a bit bogged down in the particulars of a character’s job or interest. While it’s absolutely important that characters be well-rounded and have growth in themselves including in their work life, over-detailed accounts of the character’s profession at unnecessary and can interrupt a book's pacing. There were times when Helen would go off on the details of who does what in a film/television production and I found myself skimming. I was much more interested when she and Sully were on the page interacting and “showing” the job, instead of when Helen would “tell” about that job via narration. Despite that, this was a sweet read and I definitely recommend it.

Both Mackenzie Cartwright and J.F. Harding do a fine job lending further depth to two likable characters. Cartwright has the perfect blend of fierce yet frazzled for Helen. And both she and Harding nail the humor, heart, and heat inherent in the MCs’ connection. Harding’s delivery provides a similarly layered showcase for Sully’s journey from lost to level. Definitely a listen that augments one’s enjoyment of the story.

I received an ALC via Home Cooked Books. All opinions are my own.

Love The 90s

I really like all of Karen Grey's books. I love the 90s so these books are right up my alley. I like that Helen's a hard ass and Sully seems to take it all in stride, even gives it back sometimes. I like the narrators, they are new to me but they brought out the right amount of snide and snarkiness.

Sweet Romance

The chemistry between these two characters is felt from the beginning. Sullivan is just what Helen needs. Helen is strong and trying to make it in a man’s world. Helen need a new assistant and Sullivan needs a job. Sullivan is just the person that can keep up with Helen’s demands.

The only think I didn’t like about the audio book was the sound before each chapter. Mackenzie Cartwright and JF Harding did an amazing job!

Loved it!!!

Excellent job all the way around! I’m a huge fan of dual narration & really appreciated the extra touches given to this book (I don’t want to give anything away so this might not make a ton of sense now but will after you listen) and the switch was perfect! Worth your time, enjoy!

Age -Gap Romance

I enjoyed this audiobook narrated by MacKenzie Cartwright and JF Harding. I liked the storyline and the fact the heroine is ten years older than the hero. She sees it as a problem, but he does not. She is also his boss.

Fabulous Story & Narration🎧 A Heartfelt Delight!

Karen Grey pens another wonderfully entertaining novel set in her “Carolina Classics” series and I loved everything about it, from her fabulous writing style to the fantastic characters and storylines she created to the perfectly cast narrators who bring it all to life from the pages to your ears. Also love how she put her own unique spin on a workplace romance, age gap, boss and personal assistant, and all the blast in the past mentions of the times, the late nineteen-nineties, even one of the lead characters had a personal experience in what was later to become one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals, newsworthy headlines that were twenty years in the making. This book is Sullivan “Sully” Calloway and Helen O’Neill’s story and it starts with a bang or rather a crash. Sully was getting away from some family and relationship drama, he set sail on his beloved boat with his beloved cat, found a nice tranquil place to moor, not too far off of shore when he hears loud music and then sees a boat heading straight towards him, he tried to save himself and his cat but the crash was inevitable. He suffered a broken leg and the boat he worked hard on was a wreck. He normally works on the set at the studio, but cannot do it with his injury and while on crutches. No longer able to live on his boat, he stays at his friend Violet’s house, who winds up getting him a job working in an office as a personal assistant to one of the behind-the-scenes movie executives. Helen O’Neill worked hard to be where she is in the film industry and can be a demanding boss, so much so it is hard to keep an assistant and with filming about to start, she needs a new one. And when Sully walks in for the job, she is not sure what to make of him, good looking, knows the business but never held an office job, but with no time to spare she hires him with reluctance. And he excels at the job way more than she thought he would, he is also hard to resist, despite their age difference, but she must since he is her employee, a younger employee. But there are no fraternization policies in place, besides it is Hollywood, filming on location in the Carolinas and if it is ok for men to fool around with their female subordinates, why can’t it be the same for women? I adored both these characters, the chemistry between them is magical, but can they or will they make it work or will they let their careers get in their way? This fabulously plotted story has the perfect balance of drama, charm, humor, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. Karen Grey, thank you for another amazing story, a blast in the past and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧And for the wonderful narration, J.F. Harding and Mackenzie Cartwright did an amazing job portraying these characters and did so with a complete understanding of their persona, giving them a voice that suited them perfectly and was believable in every role they played. Cartwright nailed it as Helen grasped every side of her personality, including her bossy take charge and no BS attitude. Harding’s Sully was spot on, smooth worthy with a cool demeanor. Both were great performing the roles of the secondary characters too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the character’s emotions and projected them into their performance. These versatile voice artists are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to.

Hearing is heaven!

I don’t know how you can take something that is already the best and make it better, but author Karen Grey unfailingly does it with each and every one of her books when you get to listen to them. If you’ve read The Boston Classics or any of The Carolina Classics you already know the stories with their relationships, trips down memory lane to the fabulous (?) 80s and 90s and the perfect blend of sweet and steamy are not to be missed, but when these stories become audiobooks they become simply magical. I don’t know how she finds narrators that are the exact match for what you imagined, but she does. One sentence from Sully and you’re hooked. This time around JF Harding and MacKenzie Cartwright are perfect, perfect, perfect. If you haven’t already read Hold On To Me, read on with this review. If you’ve read it, then run – not walk – for your headphones and prepare to be transported to the Carolinas.

Hold On To Me, the second book in more-than-excellent author Karen Grey’s more-than-excellent Carolina Classics series picks up right where You Get What You Give left off. Violet and Nate are sorted so we don’t have to worry about them. Although Dani still has that stubborn and peculiar resistance to men and relationships, she’s living life and doing her thing. But Whitney, Ford and Sully? “The boys” are still engaged in their life-long competition for Whitney (and everything else) but when she rejects both of them it’s the last straw for Sully, and he takes off in his boat with his pal Mr. Jones (meow). All’s well (or at least no one is actively fighting) until another boat runs into Sully’s boat. Sully’s hurt, the boat’s hurt, they both need a lot of work, and Mr. Jones went overboard and can’t be found.

When we see Sully again he’s on the mend but it’s slow. He’s staying with Dani and he needs money and he needs to keep his insurance to pay for the medical bills and restore the boat but he can’t do his usual sound crew work until his broken leg heals. Dani wants him out of his bed, off the couch and out of her house at least once in a while, and (forcefully) nudges him to apply for a particular job.

And we’re off, as they say. Helen is a unit production manager, or UPM as they say in the biz, and needs a personal assistant, since the last one ran out the door crying like most of them have. Sully isn’t exactly what she had in mind, but her mind has lots of other things on it as soon as she sees his hunky, handsome self. Their first encounter is vintage Karen Grey: enough heat and humor to have you fanning yourself and laughing out loud at the same time.

Sully and Helen couldn’t be more different in most ways. He meditates and she paces. But his mind is in the same place as hers when it comes to the sexy stuff. Except she’s the boss and he’s not and what exactly are the rules here? And even if they do figure out the rules, can her anxious drive and his escapist Zen meet in the middle? How on earth can this ever work out?

HOTM is silly and serious at the same time. Helen and Sully say and do funny things, but there’s a lot more going on with each of them, things they’ve had to work through, hardship and disappointment, secrets they don’t want to share. And that attraction between them? Whoa, wow, whew! Author Grey is THE BEST at these scenes.

This is definitely Sully and Helen’s story but the old gang pops in and out enough so you get that one big, usually happy family vibe Grey is so good at writing. There’s the bonus of the occasional cameo by a character from the late, great Boston Classics series (which you must read as well). Courtesy of Grey’s stellar writing time flies. You’re immersed in the places and the people and the excitement of working “in TV” – and doing it all in the late 1990s. Crop tops, grunge, Doc Martins, chokers, platform shoes, Pearl Jam . . . ah, the good old days. Don’t plan on doing anything else once you start reading because this is definitely an “I can’t put it down” book. You care about these characters and need to know how things will work out.

Hold On To Me is another entry in a tall stack of winners from this favorite author. A solid plot, interesting characters, beautiful locations – and a time warp to the ‘90s! I loved this book and recommend it without any hesitation. I can’t wait to see who’s up next in this satisfying series. Note: I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review; all opinions are my own.

Fun work place romance

Hold On To Me is the second book in the Carolina Classics series by Karen Grey. I am a huge fan of the nostalgia romances Ms. Grey writes, and Hold On To Me was another winner in my book.

I’ve wanted to know more about Sully from the moment he first appeared on the page. We met Sully and his friends in You Get What You Give. Sully is in a boating accident, and must find a job until he recovers enough to work on set again. The only job available it assistant to Helen O’Neill, who has already run off multiple assistants, with production starting very soon. Sully feels instant attraction to his boss from day one, and I loved the chemistry between them from the moment they meet.

Let me just say, I absolutely loved how strong Helen is over the entire story. Yes, she has had some rough times in the past, and she fights her attraction to Sully because of something in her past. I loved when they both finally gave into their attraction. OMG they had the best chemistry!!! I liked they really seemed to get one another, even with the age gap between them. Loved Helen is 10 years older than Sully, and yet, they just seemed to work as a couple for me. I think part of it was because Sully truly has an old soul, but most was because Helen never treated him like he was less of a person for being so much younger than her. They worked well both at work and in their relationship.

I thought the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job with this story. Both narrators were spot on with all the different character voices, and I felt like there was a seamless transition between narrators. There were many emotional parts to Hold On To Me, and I felt like the narrators delivered on every single emotion.

Hold On To Me is a fun story that takes the reader back to the late 90’s. I loved all the nods to things from the past, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I love the group of friends that is at the center of each story, and can’t wait to read more.


Rating: 4 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher