* Blog Tour / Book Review * HARD TO HOLD by Arell Rivers

Hard to Hold by Arell Rivers
Series: The Hold Series #2
Published by Tarnished Halo Publishing LLC on December 16, 2016
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Cheer for Rose Morgan—strong, determined and driven—a brilliant publicist who thought she had finally overcome her tragic past when, once again, her life is turned upside down. Rose and Cole’s passionate love story continues in this second full-length novel in The Hold series.

Distraught by news of Cole’s unexpected marriage, Rose Morgan tries to pick up the pieces of her life, only to be confronted by Cole at every turn. With her PR career in serious jeopardy, Rose can’t escape his orbit and is forced to continue working on his account. Under snowballing pressure, she seeks solace from unlikely sources.

Reeling from the disastrous fallout after his drunken night in Las Vegas, rock star Cole Manchester is a tormented man. He reaches out to Rose, the one woman who has always fixed his mistakes, only to realize that he might have pushed her away forever. Now, he’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.

Rose and Cole each must face their deepest fears if their love is to survive. But Cole’s stalker is becoming increasingly unhinged … and dangerous. In the end, Rose and Cole must decide if some things are just too Hard to Hold.

The continuation of Rose and Cole’s story is an exciting read! The story builds on the same characters as the first book with a few new faces mixed in. It too ends on a cliffhanger, and we are left anticipating the third and final installment!

Publicist Rose Morgan is distraught when it appears her boyfriend married someone else! Yes, she had doubts and gave him reason to be upset, but to go off and marry someone else? She can’t believe he’d do this to her!

Rock star Cole Manchester swears he didn’t marry anyone! Yes, he got drunk and went off with this woman who he later figured out was his stalker, but he wasn’t crazy enough to marry her … was he?

Rose’s job is on the line as she tries to fix this mess of Cole’s image. Can she believe him when he swears he didn’t do anything with this woman or is he only further lying to her? As the stalker becomes more enraged, will the bodyguards be able to keep them safe?

Hard to Hold

by Arell Rivers
The Hold Series
Publication Date: December 16, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Hard to Hold – Excerpt

… I grab my purse and yank the door open. Of course, one of my nails breaks in the effort, but I’m beyond caring. I just need to escape. I rush past the cubicles toward the elevator. I’m sure no one even noticed that I left, except maybe Kim, who probably feels triumphant.

A heavy hand lands on my arm, abruptly halting my progress toward the lobby and freedom. A deep male voice growls in my ear. “I said stop.”

When I look up, angry green eyes bore down into me. Cole glances around and pulls us into an unoccupied office.

“Rose.”

I reply through gritted teeth, “Cole.”

“We need to talk.”

“This isn’t the time or the place.”

“I don’t give a fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair. His eyes now register hurt and anger in equal measure. My defenses start to lower, so I work double-time to shore them back up. “Ro, this is killing me.”

“You don’t think it’s killing me, too?” Refusing to look back into his eyes, I feign a sudden fascination with my hand, rubbing my broken nail over my index finger. Polish has chipped off that nail, too.

“The photos. Mom. Us. It’s too much.”

“Kim can provide an objective eye. Let her help you.”

He takes hold of my shoulders. “Fuck, I can’t do that. Everything is so out of whack. I need you.”

Refusing to look at him, I close my eyes. Which only intensifies my awareness of him. The heat emanating from his body, the way his fingers tighten and loosen on my shoulders. His musky scent. I could step forward and be in his embrace. It would comfort both of us. But no, he has to go through those photos. I need him to focus on the task at hand.

“Can you please help me with the photos? Nothing more. I just. Can’t. Think.” His large frame shudders.

Julie was a wonderful woman. Those photographs show her love for him. I can’t let him go through this alone.

“Yes,” I whisper, surprising us both.

He wraps me in his embrace. Being surrounded by his arms is heaven. I inhale his intoxicating scent, allowing myself to enjoy being here, my face pressed against his chest, his chin on top of my head.

A few moments pass. I need to stop this. We’re not a couple anymore. The words “Mrs. Starr Manchester” flash before my closed eyes.

Succumb to Cole Manchester—talented, witty, charming, sexy and oh-so flawed—a womanizing rock star whose shallow life is transformed when he experiences love for the first time.

From the outside, Cole Manchester seems to have it all: looks, fame, money, awards and women. When tragedy strikes, he realizes how hollow his life is, and opens the door to the one thing he’s never considered … finding love. He’s inexplicably drawn to the quiet wallflower who works on his team, a line he knows he shouldn’t cross.

After devastating heartbreaks, all Rose Morgan wants is to blend into the woodwork. Working at her dream job as a publicist, she’s safely hiding in plain sight. Until her client, the sexy Cole Manchester, notices her. Rose must ignore her desires in order to protect her bruised heart … and keep her prized career.

Cole needs Rose to teach him how to love. Rose needs Cole to teach her how to trust. Together, they form a bond ignited by passion but fueled by insecurities. When her mother’s interference collides with his fan’s twisted plot, Cole and Rose may find themselves with No One To Hold.

Cheer for Rose Morgan—strong, determined and driven—a brilliant publicist who thought she had finally overcome her tragic past when, once again, her life is turned upside down. Rose and Cole’s passionate love story continues in this second full-length novel in The Hold Series.

Distraught by news of Cole’s unexpected marriage, Rose Morgan tries to pick up the pieces of her life, only to be confronted by Cole at every turn. With her PR career in serious jeopardy, Rose can’t escape his orbit and is forced to continue working on his account. Under snowballing pressure, she seeks solace from unlikely sources.

Reeling from the disastrous fallout after his drunken night in Las Vegas, rock star Cole Manchester is a tormented man. He reaches out to Rose, the one woman who has always fixed his mistakes, only to realize that he might have pushed her away forever. Now, he’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.

Rose and Cole each must face their deepest fears if their love is to survive. But Cole’s stalker is becoming increasingly unhinged … and dangerous. In the end, Rose and Cole must decide if some things are just too Hard to Hold.

Rally around Cole Manchester and Rose Morgan: the rock star and his publicist are about to face their most perilous trials yet. Cole and Rose’s passionate love story culminates in this third full-length novel in The Hold Series.

Back in the spotlight for his world tour, Cole Manchester performs hit after hit before delighted fans. However, his heart remains firmly in Los Angeles with Rose, whose condition remains critical following their terrible car wreck.

After lying unconscious for weeks, Rose Morgan awakens to find herself professionally and personally adrift. Her scrambled memories have convinced her Cole is dangerous, compelling her to shut him out and face an uncertain future on her own.

With nothing left to lose, Cole’s crazed stalker executes her final desperate act. After an explosive finale, who will survive her deadly rampage?

Destinies will be altered. Intentions stripped bare. Rose and Cole must face all of their remaining demons if their love is to survive. In the trilogy’s thrilling conclusion, they’ll discover if they truly have each other forever To Have and To Hold.

About Arell Rivers

For as long as I can remember, I have been lost in a book. During my senior year in college, I picked up a Danielle Steel novel … and instantly was hooked on romance.

I started writing my first novel, No One to Hold, because the characters were screaming at me to do so. The story started coming out in my dreams and attacking me in the shower, so I took to the computer to shut them up. But they kept talking.

Born and raised in New Jersey, I have what some may call a “checkered past.” Prior to discovering my passion for writing romance, I practiced law, was a wedding and event planner and even dabbled in marketing. I live with a very supportive husband and two mischievous cats. When not in my writing cave, I can be found making dinner in the crock pot, working out with Shaun T or hitting the beach.

I hope you enjoy my stories about driven men, strong women and the passions that ignite!

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Title: FOREVER MINE
Author: Erin Nicholas
Series: Opposites Attract, #2

On Sale: March 28, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $3.99 USD

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The second book in New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas’s series about three geeky girls and the hunky guys who fall for them.

Maya Goodwin doesn’t believe in holding back. Ever. As a cop, she never hesitated to throw herself into harm’s way to save someone. Even after an injury on the job forces her to retire, she’s not afraid to keep risking it all to get the life she wants. With a new career teaching martial arts to kids already underway, she’s looking forward to the future – and taking a chance on the unbelievably hot Dr. Alex Nolan.

Maya – daring and spontaneous – is the exact opposite of what Alex always thought he wanted. But when a nine-year-old daughter he never knew existed shows up on his doorstep, Maya is the one who helps them hold it together. With love on the line, will the guy who’s always played it safe be willing to take the biggest risk of all?

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EXCERPT:

Alex laughed. He liked Maya. The thought hit him directly in the gut.

Maya smiled brightly, and he admitted that he was intensely attracted too. Now fast attraction—that he’d experienced before. But it had been a long time since even that had happened.

“I’m Dr. Alex Nolan. I’m on staff at Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m on their website if you want to look me up.”

Maya suddenly frowned. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“Of what?”

“Googling pediatricians and finding out who you are after the mall the other day,” Maya said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that be a little creepy?”

“Probably,” she agreed. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t do it.”

He laughed. “Well, to further decrease the creep factor, I do have a kid,” he said. “A daughter. Charlotte. We call her Charli. She’ll be ten next month. She’s very into superheroes, GR, and swords, and I know nothing about any of that. I liked the demonstration at the mall and thought I’d come check out your studio.”

“So you’re wanting to sign her up,” Maya said with a nod. “Okay, not creepy at all.”

“Uh…” Alex knew this was going to sound strange. “Actually I want to take the class myself.”

Maya frowned. “These classes won’t teach you about superheroes exactly,” she said. “They are kind of a combination of stage fighting and martial arts and self-esteem workshops.”

“I know.” He’d been on the website. Which is how he’d found out more about the studio. And where he’d stared at Maya’s photo before going in to look up more about her on the internet. Which was how he found out that her classes had won some local awards, she’d been a brilliant cop—who had not, incidentally, been fired for beating someone up—and that she regularly blogged about superheroes and their fandom and the psychology of that fandom. He’d bookmarked her page immediately.

“And the things you do in class sounds like the perfect bonding activity for Charli and me. I’ll take the class and then go home and teach her.”

Maya looked puzzled. “Why not just bring her to class?”

“She…” He swallowed. Charli would love Maya. Hell, if she saw Maya with those pointy-weapon-things, she’d want to be Maya.

But Alex had only seen Maya twice, and he’d already witnessed her get hit with a Bo staff, punched in the ribs, and cut with some kind of sharp hand weapon. Which reminded him that she’d been bleeding.

He looked down, but the bleeding had already slowed or stopped. Which was what happened when a person with normal blood got cut. But Charli didn’t have normal blood. She didn’t bleed faster, but she would bleed longer—because of the genetic mutation he had passed on to her.

He’d told her mother that Charli should be able to try whatever she wanted. But he’d also told her he’d keep Charli safe. If Charli took classes here, he would have to fill Maya and her staff in on the hemophilia and precautions and treatment…

“She has some special needs,” he said, cringing a little as he said it, knowing that Maya might easily jump to conclusions that were not at all correct. But it didn’t matter what she thought. This was the right thing for Charli.

But Maya didn’t even blink. “Okay,” she said. “I understand. Maybe…” But she trailed off while watching him thoughtfully without completing the sentence.

“Maybe what?” he asked.

“Maybe I could teach you and your daughter a private Super You class.”

He was surprised at her offer, but more—he was tempted. Which meant he had to say no. The timing for meeting a gorgeous, intriguing woman couldn’t have been worse. “I think a class with lots of other people, especially kids, would be better.”

“Why?”

Maya was direct. He liked that. And he could return the favor. “Because you look just as good in workout pants as you do in leather.”

Her eyes widened in surprise just a beat before her smile widened. “And that’s a problem?”

“It is when I’m trying to give all of my extra time and attention to my daughter.”

She studied him for a moment. “Okay,” she finally said with a nod. “And once you see the class, if you change your mind, she’s always welcome.”

Alex relaxed. “Thanks.”

“You’re not going to feel funny taking a class with a bunch of kids?”

“I love kids,” he told her.

“What about the tights and cape?”

“Tights and cape?” Alex repeated.

“The costume,” she said with a nod.

“Thought the participants all helped create their own character,” he said, realizing she was messing with him.

“They do.”

“Well, there’s no way in hell I would create a character that would wear tights.”

Maya’s gaze wandered over him, head to toe, before she said, Too bad.”

THE OPPOSITES ATTRACT SERIES

COMPLETELY YOURS, #1

FOREVER MINE, #2

Series Page on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

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