Holding You

Holding You, Book 1

By: Jewel E. Ann

Narrated by: Vanessa Moyen

Bachelor and self-professed adrenaline junkie Quinten Cohen has no interest in hugging trees or driving hybrid cars.

He's accustomed to the finer things in life, the best that money can buy. That is… until he nearly runs over Addy Brecken while she's basking in the sun in the middle of the street.

Addy's one of Milwaukee's most talented chefs and a staunch environmentalist with a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan. When she's not hula hooping or tending to her herbs, she's counting breaths and trying to forget her past.

After her near accident with Quinn, Addy can't shake him and his relentless attempts to gain her affection. Several heated encounters later, Addy finds herself propositioning Quinn for the one thing she never imagined needing—sex.

When anger, jealousy, and love seep into their relationship, Addy accidentally exposes a secret, and Quinn discovers he's playing out of his league.

©2013 Jewel E. Ann (P)2024 Podium Audio

Angsty with an Open Relationship

4 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 4 🎧

I both loved and loathed this story 😅 so much of it made me want to inflict bodily harm, but it was also super sweet and I really am enjoying their story. It's angsty as all get out with lots of other people drama and a semi open relationship, so it's not for everyone... But if you enjoy those tropes you'll probably love this story.

Quite frankly, Quinn is a dumb dumb. He repeated hurt Addy and it about unalived me to no end... It's so clear he loves her dearly, but these two broken fools make mistake after mistake while trying to make it work. Then, just as we finally see some light at the end of the tunnel, that cliffhanger comes crashing down and were left speechless wondering what's next...

I need the next audio soooo baddddd! This one was really great. I thought Vanessa Moyen did a wonderful job narrating these characters, especially Addy and I can't wait to see what she does for book two.

That cliffhanger!

I’ve recently fallen deeply in love with Jewel E. Ann’s writing (see my reviews of the 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 and 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 series), so I was excited to take a bit of a dive into her backlist. This one definitely felt a little different than the books I’ve previously read by her, I think because it felt a little “quieter” and slower paced, but overall I definitely still enjoyed it.

This one focuses primarily on the forming of a relationship that definitely isn’t without its flaws. These are two characters that are very passionate for one another, in good and bad ways. There are a LOT of spice scenes, but I felt that was used to highlight their avoidance of talking/exposing anything too deep that they were obviously hiding from one another; Addy in particular.

The story is told in single POV, so we only have Addy’s POV throughout. Because of that, Quinn is somewhat of a mystery to us, and yet he still seems more open than Addy, whose head we are in. There is obviously something from her past that she has not been ready to face herself, let alone share with someone else, even someone she deeply cares for.

Even though the pacing felt slow, I still found myself bracing for a cliffhanger, as I could just sense a major one coming, and can confirm, it’s pretty brutal!

I’m very much looking forward to book 2, as I need answers! And I also saw that we should get Quinn’s POV as well, and I’m very excited to get a peek inside his head!

Audiobook notes: Vanessa Moyen was a new narrator to me, but I thought she did a great job. 👍

What this book is giving:
✅ Contemporary Romance
✅ Single POV
✅ Playboy
✅ Vegan/Environmentalist FMC
✅ Acquaintances with Benefits
✅ Secrets
✅ Hidden Pasts
✅ Major Cliffhanger

Enthralling

i absolutely loved this story. it's been awhile since I listened to a book that captured me from the very beginning and kept me listening almost non- stop. I didn't realize that this is a 2 part story. Unfortunately, I don't know when the next book will be released and since this wasn't the ending I had hoped for...😪😪

Overall Good with some Major Flaws

I generally enjoyed the story and will definitely listen to part two. However, there are some major flaws for me.

Things I loved:
1. As a vegan my self, I love that veganism was represented here
2. I love how strong Addie is
3. The friendship between Addie and Mac is one of the best parts
4. I enjoyed the way Jewel doled out the mystery of Addie's past in dribbles

Things that really bothered me:
1. There was too much sex for me. I found it boring and jarring, often taking me out of the story
2. Quinn wasn't my favorite. I appreciate the way he fell first and how he much he really loves Addie but he's such an asshole. There were enough of these asshole moments that I ended up really not liking him. One of my least favorite parts about him was how possessive and jealous he is. I hated that.
3. For as strong as Addie is, I'm often baffled and disappointed with the way she would cave in to Quinn. I know it wasn't all the time and I loved the way she would stand up to him. But there were other times that she just gave in. It didn't quite fit her personality and I hated it.

So, all in all, it was an ok read. Not the best JEA book but not my favorite. And for context, I'm a huge JEA fan and have listened to most of her books.

WOW

Wow! I am rendered SPEECHLESS! I cannot wait to read the conclusion of Addy and Quinn. What a cliffy?! I wasn’t a big Quinn fan through most of this book especially when Olivia was involved. I couldn’t figure out their deal. His mom was a doll and put a lot of his character into perspective but it still broke my heart every time he would break Addys’. I can’t wait to see how their story ends. I listened to the audible and Vanessa Moyen did an AMAZING JOB!