Finding Julia

by Desiree Holt

From the USA Today –bestselling author, a secret kept her trapped in a miserable marriage, but for the man she truly loves, can she find a way out?
 
For San Antonio businesswoman Julia Patterson, meeting Luke Buchanan awakens within her a passion she’s never dared dream possible. He claims her body and helps her remember what it means to be a woman. But Fate has a twisted sense of humor. Just when Julia is ready to step over the threshold into a wonderful new life with Luke and her beloved twins, her cold, controlling almost-ex-husband, Charles, is diagnosed with a heart condition that puts her divorce on hold. Turning her back on Luke is the most difficult thing she’s ever done. But Julia has a secret, one that Charles is willing to use against her.
 
Years later, when Luke walks back into Julia’s life, the passion between them is just as explosive. But Charles is still controlling her from the grave, and the secret Julia has hidden for fourteen years could destroy their dreams forever . . .

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Erotica, Contemporary

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2010

About the author

A multi-published, award winning, Amazon and USA Today best-selling author, Desiree Holt has produced more than 200 titles and won many awards. She has received an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many others including Author After Dark’s Author of the Year. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail. She lives in Florida with her cats who insist they help her write her books, and is addicted to football.

“Get out the ice water and fan…Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red hot romances.” Lea Franczak, USA Today Happy Ever After blog


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Reviews

[Malinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2.5 stars

This story was alright but had a number of elements in it that didn't work for me. Luke was pretty cool and his only downfall was probably being a little too good to be true. Julia seemed like a good character at first but she ended up being a good part of the downfall of this story for me.

Julia married Charles and thought he was prince charming but soon after they got married she found out he was anything but. Charles ended up being a controlling and rather cold man that apparently only married her because he felt he could mold her in to what he wanted in a wife (someone with little to no will that does exactly what he says). They had twins but Charles doesn't give a dam about them. Julia finally managed to push for a divorce but Charles keep pushing back, trying to refuse to sign, insisting that Julia will get over her temporary madness that's causing her to try to leave him.

Luke is the VP at a company in Boston. He was married and had 2 sons but the marriage ended badly and his relationship with his sons isn't the greatest (due to their mom's influence). Luke hasn't been involved since his divorce but when he sees Julia he knows he wants her and sets out to see if he can have her.

When the story begins, Julia is fighting with Charles, trying to get him to sign the divorce papers while he keeps insisting the divorce isn't going to happen. They've been over this for a while and the agreement is all drawn up but Charles is dragging his feet like that's going to make Julia change her mind. Julia heads out for a business trip to Boston (against Charles's objections, as if he has a right to object) to do a presentation for an advertising campaign they're trying to sell a company on. While Julia is doing her presentation, she notices Luke and there's instant chemistry between them. They go out for dinner and things quickly escalate between them and from the beginning, it's obvious to both of them that it's not just sex. They spend the night together and make plans to see each other soon when Julia comes back out to do more work for the ad campaign. At home, Julia is still having trouble trying to get Charles to sign the papers but she's finally found some happiness and decides to grab on. She and Luke have another couple days together the next week (around business meetings) and things deepen between them. Luke knows about Charles but also knows the divorce is only a signature away and so he wants to start something with Julia. It is a love at first sight thing because by the second trip they've both realized they love each other. Unfortunately, Julia's trip gets cut short by the news that Charles had a massive heart attack. Julia has to rush home and (unfortunately) Charles didn't die right off and instead was given 6 months to live. This gave him time to find out about Julia and Luke and set some plans in place that basically make Julia believe that if she finds a life for herself after Charles is gone, his buddy and co-lawyer (who hates Julia) will take great pleasure in ruining her life. Sadly, Julia is a complete wimp and takes it lying down and lets Charles steam roll over her and ruin her anyways. Taking his threats to heart, Julia pulls away from Luke and makes them both miserable.

I think part of what bothered me about this book was how front heavy it was. The first 3rd of the book was the staging of Julia and Luke's relationship. The second 3rd was Julia dealing with Charles and his blackmailing her in to a miserable life even after he died. This part really just pissed me off because, while I understand why Julia was worried, she didn't even try to fight what Charles did. She didn't even try seeing a lawyer or something like that to see how she could mitigate the problems Charles left behind to try to ruin her if she didn't do what he wanted (live a sad life and never be with another man or her life would be ruined). It isn't until almost the last 3rd of the book (from about 60% on) that Luke comes back in to Julia's life. She still fights what's between them for another 20%. From 80% - 95% Julia and Luke talk things out and everything finally comes out so it cane be handled. Julia finally tells Luke about the blackmail and considering all the issues this blackmail material was supposed to cause, Luke seemed to have dealt with it extremely easily (once he finally finds out about it). Not that I thought it would be impossible (one of the reasons I was so pissed at Julia) but it was concluded so easily it almost felt anti-climactic. The last 5% skips ahead to the future and we get a flashback to add details about how everything worked out. To be honest, I think I would have liked it better with a different setup but I spent first 3rd of the book wondering how Charles was going to force Julia to stay with him and why she wouldn't go to Luke after Charles died but when it got to that point it just ended up feeling like a lame reason after all the build up. In the end, Julia and Luke do have their HEA so that was nice.

Overall, this was an alright story but the logic behind some of the decisions baffled. I think I would have liked it better if there had been more of the book dedicated to Julia and Luke's reunion rather than the buildup.

Spoilerish add-ons Yes, Julia gets pregnant with Luke's baby while with him and then keeps the baby a secret. Charles finds out about it before he dies and uses it as a further reason to make her life hell. This is another reason the timing on the book pissed me off...in the last 3rd, not only do Luke and Julia need to work things out but there's also the issues of a daughter he doesn't know about that has to be worked out so it just made the ending seem even more rushed because of that.

[Diana~ (Kiss Me Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what to say after reading this book. It had the typical scenario where these two people meet and they eventually fall in love. The problem is is that one of the two is still 'technically' married but is filing for divorce. So where does that leave us? A very complicated situation where the heroine makes some undeniably stupid mistakes and lots of secrets that should have been let out ages ago. I'm a fan of Desiree Holt but I think this has got to be one of the worst stories I've read in awhile. I hated Julia for keeping her secret and being spineless towards her marriage and true love. Luke happens to be the love of her life... but she let him go due to some odd idea that it would be better for her children?!

Now here comes the irony, Julia's husband was pretty awful to her and his own children, and she stayed with him because she wanted what was best for them. I'm forever judging you Julia. All they ever wanted was happiness for Julia and someone to love them but because of her stupid decision to let things be as they are, fourteen years have passed. The funny thing is that I thought Luke would have hated her for making him wait this long... but he didn't hate her. In fact, he still loves her, in which I don't really get. She kept a huge secret from him that he deserved to know and thankfully, he did sort of get pissed off at her in the end when he eventually found out. Every right minded person would know that if you kept a secret THAT big, it'll eventually be let out the bag. Julia was so afraid of the consequences her secret would do to her and her family if it was ever let out. You either make or break it, and in this case, she thought it would break the trust and bond between her children.

Overall, I thought this book was pretty amusing. I didn't like the heroine, but the chemistry between Luke and Julia was smokin' hot. The cover's also very sexy. I just like my heroines to be kick ass material and sadly, Julia didn't match. Reading this actually made me cynical and sarcastic! In the end, I'd give this one a 3/5 stars.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads Review Team~
I am giving this book 3.5 stars

I am on the fence about this book. I loved it at some points and at others I just wanted to stop reading it. This is a story about Julia, who was married to a complete a-hole (Charles) and finally got the courage to ask for a divorce, was only waiting on his signature for everything to finally be done and over with. Julia goes on a business trip, meets Luke and instantly falls into his bed and in love with him. BUT of course something goes wrong and the divorce doesn’t happen. What happens is Charles is even more controlling than before and makes Julia’s life even more miserable and even when Charles is out of the picture, he still makes life hell for her. The story is good, but the spans in time and the way both Luke and Julia just move on and not try to find each other for years and years just ticks me the hell off. THEN, when things finally do start getting good, the damn book ends! Mind you, we get a great epilogue with lots of information but if we could have skipped all that wasted time and crap in the beginning and gotten to the good stuff at the end and spent more time on that stuff I would have loved the book and given it five stars.

Characters: The characters were well written and believable but sometimes they needed a good slap to the back of the head because they were so stubborn at times.

Sex: yes

Religious: no

Would I recommend to others: yes

More than one book in the series: not that I know of

Genre: Romance

Would I read more by this author: yes

~Wicked Reads Review Team~

[Dawn Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**

So Julia is married to Charles and it is not a happy marriage he is very controlling and does not really like his kids. Julia files for divorce which Charles clearly is not happy with (it's all about the image)

Julia goes on a business trip and meets Luke, sparks are flying everywhere between these two. However a very cunning Charles makes it impossible for them to be together.

If I am being completely honest I don't really know what to make of this book, it started off well and and I was drawn in. However after a while the main characters really started to bug me. Julia is so spineless I really wanted to give her a shake and tell her to grow a pair. I understand the dilemma that she was in but grr. I felt Luke forgave far too quickly, he finds out this massive piece of news years down the line and just went with the flow. My main problem was the fast track at the end of the book, I did not enjoy the fact that it felt so rushed. It could have done with a couple more chapters just to finish the story off smoothly.

All that being said the book was written well and the story was okay so I give this book 3 stars :)

[Limecello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really ~difficult book and I think a lot of people will dislike it.
That being said, I think what happened was necessary for the characters and things happened how they had to. Do I LIKE all of it? No. But, here - that's how it was written and it makes sense.
[I wanted to shake Julia sometimes, but yeah.]

Spoilers => she's separated at the beginning - come on - I think Friends showed the world that "on a break" means A BREAK - not together. She's just about to get divorced. I can't quite remember why she doesn't divorce her husband (other than the heart attack? Is that literally just the reason?)
I guess if/when it's ALL ABOUT THE IMAGE ... [Hell, read The Saint's Wife] --> so there's that.

Luke is ... geez. I wish Julia would have TALKED TO HIM. She was a bit too easily cowed by the evil husband and his henchman.

I liked how things weren't all hunky dory when they reconnected and the drama and O_O
And the difficult child - makes sense, poor rebellious bratty little dear.

I appreciated this being a difficult read. I definitely had some problems with it, but overall I think it gets judged on the premise by most [too quickly]

B-

[S.M. Harshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**

Julia Patterson that she found that needle in the haystack when she married Charles. Things weren't always what they seemed. Charles was controlling during the marriage and even after she filed for divorce.

Julia meets Luke at a business meeting, chemistry is instant, things happen. Julia knows what she wants and it's Luke. Because of Charles, Julia is forced to make a decision her children's happiness or hers?

This story started with a bang. The beginning had me very intrigued and then bang it lost it somewhere along the way. The way Charles was painted had me hating him, but at times I was hating Julia too. After all the build up Luke was too quick to forgive. There could have been so much in that last part of the book between Julia and Luke but it just seemed so rushed.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating:

3.5

Favorite Quotes:

“Magic beckoned, a starburst waiting inside her to explode and thrust her into space.”

“The kiss went on and one as if they were fused together, sensations of heat cascading through her body. The music drifting into the room was a counterpoint to the pounding of her pulse.”

My Review:

I alternated between fanning myself during the steamy sensual scenes – smokin’ hot and well-done by the way – and wanting to throw my kindle at the wall from the weak, tiresome, and wimpy behavior of the main character. I ran out of patience with her rather quickly. Although she convinced herself she was being strong for her family, her indecisiveness and inability to face conflict caused much harm. Her secrets only caused pain. I wanted to smack her in the back of the head during most of the book, yet I kept reading… I tried to stop, but just couldn’t seem to do it… and was glad I hung in there as I did appreciate the ending, sigh of relief!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

Julia Patterson is struggling to keep her sanity and children after filing for divorce from her "knight in shining armor". The things she loved about him grew to be a prison from which she knew she had to escape or it would destroy her.

But nothing worth having is ever easy, including her divorce from Charles. Even knowing the old mantra "Good things come those who wait", it doesn't stop Julia from feeling guilty for choosing happiness over duty.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received for review

Book to complete my New Years Resolution for the week.

Oh my, I just wanted to smack her upside her head. It was just bad. On to the next book.

[Delilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS!

Finding Julia is a heart wrenching story about a woman who spends most of her adult life stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is a story about love lost and love found, about making hard choices, and then having to live with the consequences of those choices when things don’t turn out like you planned. It’s also a story about forgiveness, perseverance, determination and that it is never too late to find that happily ever after.

Julia Patterson thought her dreams came true when she married Charles. With his privileged upbringing and charm, he quickly swept her off her feet, taking her far away from the dysfunctional home life she had with her parents. She longed to have a family of her own and a stable home life. But when her knight in shining armor revealed his true colors, she found that she was no better off than she was before. Now in the garment business with her friend, Claire, and the mother of 7 year old twins, she finally realizes enough is enough and is divorcing Charles, or at least she is trying to. Charles is all about appearances, and he is so worried about what people will think about him getting divorced that he tries to get her to change her mind. As an attorney, he knows how to stop her at every turn and draws out the divorce proceedings. It is like an ongoing nightmare for Julia.

But then things start to look up. Right before Thanksgiving, during a meeting on a business trip, she meets corporate executive, Lucas Buchanan. Their attraction is instantaneous, and leads to a night of scorching hot passion, leaving them both with the yearning for something more. With Luke, a divorced father of two children himself, Julia finds what she has been missing all these years living under Charles’ thumb: an easy, carefree relationship filled with sexual chemistry and the freedom to be who she really is, not who someone wants her to be.

But just when Julia thinks she finally has found happiness with Luke, Charles suffers a life changing setback, forcing her to re-evaluate her priorities. When Charles uncovers a secret she has been hiding from everyone, including Luke, he uses that against her to wield his way back into their home. But secrets always find a way to get out and this one will change her life and the lives of everyone around her forever.

It would be pretty safe to say that we all have known someone like Julia, or know somebody who knows someone like her. She is a good person who goes into a marriage with the highest of hopes only to have them dashed when she realizes her spouse isn’t the same person she originally married. She is a mother who puts her kids first and puts herself last. Some may say Julia is entirely too weak, a doormat of sorts, because she never seems to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants. But in truth, I think that she is the opposite. It takes a strong person to do what they feel is right for them despite what other people may think. Julia is a woman who is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t, continually having to make difficult choices based on what she believes is best for her children. But unfortunately not all of her choices are the right ones and people get hurt in the process herself included. Could she have done things differently? Of course she could have. Sometimes in life you end up taking the safest route compared to taking one that leads you into the unknown. Like they say, don’t judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. And I don’t think any of us would want to be in Julia’s shoes.

You can say that Charles is cold, critical and controlling. One look at his parents and you automatically know that he is the product of his environment. Probably to him, the way he thinks and acts toward Julia is normal. To me that doesn’t make him powerful but insecure. People who act like that have doubts about themselves and their relationships, so they make others feel like they have the upper hand when they do those types of things. I don’t know, maybe that is the only way Charles thought he could keep Julia with him. Julia said that she couldn’t believe that someone like him would want someone like her. But maybe Charles felt like she was too good for him so he needed to keep some kind of hold on her to keep her around. As much as Charles would never be a candidate for Husband of the Year, on some deeper level you know he must love Julia. I mean, it wasn’t like his family or friends rolled out the welcome mat to her. They disliked her, yet Charles bucked the system and married her anyway. And for someone who is constantly worried about how people perceive him that has to mean something. Did he marry her thinking that he would be able to mold her into the kind of wife he wanted? No doubt. But with his money and influence he could have found plenty of women to fit that bill, instead he chose Julia. When things fall apart and he forces her to take him back in to their home, there is no doubt that move was certainly about him having the upper hand. But I also felt like it was him wanting to find a way to be back in his old life again, to be in a place where he once felt loved. Call me crazy, but when Charles suffers that life changing setback, I felt sorry for him when his parents turned their backs on him when he needed them the most.

I found Charles’ best friend, Rod, to be an interesting character. He is the type of person you can’t even love to hate. You just plain hate him. He despises Julia and takes every opportunity to let her know that. Fiercely loyal to Charles, Rod makes sure that when Charles’ grip finally loosens around Julia’s throat, his hands are right there to take over the job. But in the back of my mind I always wondered why he was so spiteful toward Julia. It is obvious that Charles and Rod have a very close relationship, and while there is an explanation as to why, one just has to wonder if there was an intimate element to their relationship that no one knew about.

Last but not least, I have to talk about Lucas (Luke) Buchanan a/k/a Mr. Tall, Dark and Delicious. From the moment he set eyes on Julia in their meeting he feels an instant connection with her and it is thrilling. His former marriage had left lasting scars and he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to feel excited over someone else again. But Julia changed that and when they spend the night together it’s like watching gasoline get thrown on a fire. It’s explosive! Julia is understandably self-conscious about her body especially since she is a little older and has had children but Luke makes her feel completely as ease. I absolutely love the way he worships her body, making her feel beautiful and cherished and alive. Gorgeous, kind, incredibly understanding and fantastic in bed, Luke is definitely all that and a bag of chips!

Finding Julia is a must read for any contemporary romance fan. Beautifully written, this book was originally published in 2010, and is now being re-released by Lyrical Press, an imprint of Kensington Publishing with a gorgeous new cover!

*This book was provided by the Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review*

[Got Romance! Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Content: M/F, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Oral Sex
Length: Novel
Heat Level: Scorching
Reviewer: Toni
Date: July 18, 2014

What a roller coaster ride! I loved, hated, died inside, rejoiced and many other emotions. Absolutely worth the ride!!

Julia met Luke at a business meeting and the sparks flew. Instant attraction doesn’t even touch what they experienced. Unfortunately, Julia is at the tail end of a very messy divorce. With only days before things can fall into place for them, Julia’s husband finds out about her affair and he does the most heinous thing ever; he puts safeguards into motion that will separate them forever. Julia is forced to choose between her children’s happiness or her own. What would you do?

I can say there are times when reading I have wanted to reach into a book and slap a heroine, knockout at villain and hug a hero, but with Finding Julia I felt them all along with a deluge of other emotions. First my joy for Julia and Luke was immense. I was giddy with joy for them. Then the hate set it. I can’t remember ever wanting to put a pillow over someone’s head like I did Charles. That man lived for way too long, in my opinion. Then his asinine best friend Rod; oh my, I would have had to start a Kick Start fundraiser to hire a hit man. He is a total waste of good oxygen. My heart broke for Julia over and over.

I do have to say that I was not very happy with Julia for a time too. Her defeated attitude rubbed me wrong, but Luke more than made up for any negative feelings I had in this story. He is an absolute angel. He was immensely sexy, forgiving and all around awesome. While both of the main characters made their fair share of mistakes, the outcome was sweet and heartening.

Ms. Holt has blown my mind. I rarely go into a book and come out so changed. She totally made me question any choices I thought I would have made in the same situation. My heartstrings were plucked and my mind was engaged, right along with other parts of my body. Ms. Holt knows how to write hot, wet and out of this world sex scenes. All while keeping solidly grounded within the story.

So, why not a 5 heart/star rating from me? Well, I think while I enjoyed Julia and Luke’s tale of falling in love and then the pure hatred of Julia and Charles’, I wish as much time or more would have been put into the rebuilding of Julia and Luke’s broken relationship. Luke was too quick to forgive. I think the tale of how they battled their way back to each other could have been epic and heart wrenching. Huge opportunity missed. With so much wonderful detail put into the first two thirds of the book, the conclusion was achieved way too quickly and was rushed for me.

Finding Julia was still a wonderful read. This is a rerelease of one of her previous works. Lyrical Press (Kensington) picked a very deep and engaging story to introduce Ms. Holt to the rest of the world. While many of us have enjoyed her for years, she needs to be shared with the rest of the world. Please enjoy this lovely lady and the exciting stories she continuously tells. You won’t be disappointed.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

3 STARS

Review copy provided for an honest review


In Finding Julie, Desiree Holt manages to take two hot button issues and still turn out a book that I found engaging and while I didn’t love it, it was hard for me to put down. For a romance there was really very little of that in this book and I think that is my biggest issue although I have heroine issues as well for a couple of reasons. I don’t mind messy romances especially when a couple works through everything over time and comes out on the other side stronger than ever, but I felt like we were cheated to that part of the story and honestly this book left me with more questions than it answered and for someone like me that is never a good thing because my inquisitive mind can’t let it go.
Julia Patterson and Luke Buchanan meet when their companies do work together and there is an instant attraction, some hot and steamy sex, a follow up visit and then Julia’s life comes crashing down around her and their connection is broken.
It is very rare that I don’t like a heroine but unfortunately Julia is one that drove me quite crazy. She made choices on her own, many that weren’t good and several without obtaining advice from legal counsel. I get that she was stressed, that she was being mentally abused/bullied, but for someone who was a partner in a company and educated she didn’t seem to have a lot of common sense. She refused to listen or let her friends help and to be honest her stubbornness caused her years of grief and hurt many people close to her. I will be flat out honest and say that in my book she committed a couple of offenses that I just can’t condone and that is probably why I not only couldn’t identify with her.
Luke is one of those heroes that is easy to love but at times a little too easy going and quick to forgive. However I will say that there were moments when to me he seemed somewhat overbearing and I was surprised given Julia’s history she put up with it. I hate that he was treated so poorly and that he gave up so much for falling for a woman who gave up and didn’t fight for what they wanted. At times he was just a little too perfect but again, that’s kind of what makes him such great hero material.
This book spans 14 years with a lot of time we don’t see and time I would have loved to see especially from Luke’s point of view. The actual romance part between Julia and Luke was fairly short although I will say that the majority of time they spent together was of an intimate nature and it was hot and sexy as expected from this author. The rest of the story dealt with Julia’s life with her children and everything she went through to provide security for them. Don’t get me wrong I admire her for her dedication to her children but she sacrificed way more than she needed to.
While Finding Julia was a good story it wasn’t a great one for me. The heroine was too weak for my tastes and because of that made decisions that hurt so many people in her life; people who loved her and only wanted what was best for her. While I appreciated the epilogue I would have love to actually see some of the events referenced actually taking place and most of all I would have loved to see the hero actually get mad and make the heroine grovel a little for everything he put him through (maybe that’s mean of me to say but she got off way too easy). This is a reissue of one of Ms. Holt’s earliest works and after reading this; it is easy to see how much he has grown as a writer. Finding Julia played out like a family drama and as a drama it is a very good, but for those expecting a Desiree Holt romance, this one missed that mark.

[Tbird London · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must stress that the 3 star rating has NOTHING to do with the author’s talent. She created a piece of work that left me thinking about my own approach to people like Julia and what I might need to change and understand in the future. My rating is on my personal feelings regarding Julia and the direction this story took along with the drag time in the story. In the synopsis you will see it said “fate was laughing at Julia…..” well I don’t think fate had anything to do with her story, I think her fear and weak spirit was what caused her to lose so many happy years in her life.
So many times I wanted to scream at her to wake up and go check out the things she was hearing. If rumors and threats were confirmed then find a lawyer to fight for you, at least have enough desire to rescue your children from the life she had with Charles. Julia’s story was always one step forward and two steps back, even if it was just a hint of Charles memory that was enough to send her back those two steps. Luke was a dream come true, I think had I been in this situation I would have wondered if he was a bit too good to be true, but I can see her falling in love with him. What I am still left wondering is why she didn’t trust him enough to help her and protect her and her children in order for them to be together. I explained Julia to a friend as an orchid, you have to be timely and precise in your treatment of her, she is easy to damage, intimidate and destroy, but she is also easy to find beauty in and to love.
Some blame Charles for tearing Julia and Luke apart, but I have to place the blame on Julia and Luke. They both could have fought for each other but they each gave up in their own ways, which made their reunion lack luster for me. This might be where fate comes into the story, but I personally still give the credit to choices they made.
So my confusion about how I feel regarding this story is due to the brilliance of the author. She kept Julia real, so real in fact it was easy for myself as part of society to judge her and mark her with the disgrace to all women brand. I am not proud of myself for getting angry at her, the author did a wonderful job at showing us the life of a woman who has been beat down by her husband, made bad choices out of trying to escape, kept secrets out of fear and just spent each day trying to survive and be there for her children. She also gave us a look into her world when she found the ounce of courage she possessed and took the chance without thinking it through. To just say screw the risks I am tired of not living. I think the author painted a pretty clear picture of how society views women who are in abusive situations and why they become a victim to ridicule as well as the abuse.
Luke, oh Luke…how I would have loved for him to have slammed his hand down on the table and yell at Julia once he found out the secret. I wonder how long she would have stayed silent if events hadn’t unfolded as they did. Once again the author shows us how we tend to convict the man who shows the pain he is in while giving the love and forgiveness to the woman he desires. We call him weak but I think after the emotions I felt died down, he showed just how strong he really was.
I will admit if it was just these issues that frustrated me I would have given a 4 rating, but I did find a lot of the book dragging and my mind begging me to put it down and walk away. I couldn’t do that though because with the author’s style, I felt I would gain the answers soon and it would pick up again. I just wanted to see that consistent back and forth throughout the whole book, not just at the beginning and end.

[Angela Goodrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding Julia was not the Desiree Holt book for me. I’ve read several of Ms. Holt’s novellas and books and find her writing style to be quite enjoyable. The same holds true for this book. She has produced a cast of characters in this book that were, for the most part, rather entertaining – even the ones you’re meant to hate. However, for me, I didn’t like Julia much at all. She had moments here and there during which I found her likeable, but for the most part she annoyed me and pissed me off. Her martyr syndrome got to be way too much and I just wanted to take her out to a big body of water and drown her. At about 75% into the book I finally realized why I disliked her character … she reminded me of an ostrich with her head buried in the sand. This is not to say that she wasn’t dealing with some serious situations – because she most definitely was – but the things she agreed to do just to avoid confrontations with her prick of a husband (soon-to-be ex) were mindboggling for me. I kept waiting for her to say enough is enough.

Fortunately it was Luke and the supporting cast of characters that made this book palatable for me. While I was rooting for Luke and Julia to get together, it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Luke being happy and Julia made him happy. The fact that he obviously knew his way around a woman’s body made for some STEAMY sex scenes. Claire and her husband were a wonderful support system for Julia, with Claire providing reality checks as need. I loved the relationship she had with Miranda, the live-in nanny/housekeeper/cook – it went far beyond employer-employee and made Miranda yet another individual in her corner.

While there were references to her past, I never felt like an actual explanation was given as to why she married and then stayed with her husband. Maybe a better understanding of Julia would have enabled me to connect her, but it just wasn’t meant to be. With all that said, do not allow my dislike of Julia to sway you against the book. Ms. Holt is an excellent writer and Finding Julia is a well-crafted novel. I suggest you download a sample and check it out for yourself. Just because I didn’t like Julia, doesn’t mean you won’t. You may love Finding Julia because ultimately it is the story of a woman who finds herself and the trials and tribulations she endures to get there.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excuse me while I tune up the worlds smallest violin...
Julia Patterson is in a very unhappy and abusive marriage. She is days away from being divorced, but her husband is contesting it. A man who has the warmth of a glacier, to both her and her twin 7 year olds. She got married young and quickly to escape a home life in which her father is still stuck in the mindset that women should be seen and not heard. Except that in her haste to escape her home life, she marries a man exactly like her father. On a business trip to Boston, she meets Luke, with whom she has instant explosive chemistry. They begin an affair, and declare their love for the other, but then her husband suffers a medical emergency and all of her future hopes and desires are gone with the wind.
Now Julia is stuck. Martyring herself after the death of her husband, and is blackmailed by her husband's best friend and business partner, Julia is too scared to move on with her life, so she shuts Luke out.
14 years later, they come face to face again, and once again, Julia refuses to allow herself some happiness. It isn't until her past and present literally collide when she finally grows a spine and allows herself her happy ending.
I have to say that I was very disappointed in this story. I have read books by Desiree Holt before and completely enjoyed them, but I really didn't like this one. Maybe it's because I cannot stand weak, whiny women. And I don't mean to say that abusive women are weak, because they aren't, but Julia had ample opportunity to face her fears and live her life with plenty of support, yet she refused. Even her children didn't understand why she lived like a nun, especially since they were not close at all to their father, and were somewhat relieved when he passed away.
I'm hoping that this book was just a fluke and the rest of Ms. Holt's novels are better. Also, Ms. Holt writes erotica, and this one fell far short of the mark. I was left cold during all of the romance scenes. There was too much tell and not enough show.

[Jessica Alcazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

****ARC provided via NetGalley by Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review***

HOLY clusterfudge batkids! The story was going very well, until we got to the end. It was like a car traveling down the highway at the speed limit then just WHAM deciding to floor it.
Lets talk characters first....Why would a woman stay with a man for "the sake of the kids" when the man doesn't give a hoot about the kids? Um yea, I don't know either. Why would anyone get told that if you dont do this or the other, I will haunt you even from the grave and make your life a living hell and NEVER SEEK PROFESSIONAL COUNSEL and just say "ok"? Um yea, I don't have an answer for that either. But apparently, out heroine does BOTH! So it's a little hard to like Julia. I gotta say she is quite dumb.
Lets talk story ... The story (car driving down the highway) was proportionally told until we try and conclude. That is to say, The first part of the book is Luke and Julia meeting and progressing. We then move on to Julia staying with Charles (you'll have to read the book for details but be prepared to scream grrrrrrrr often) And then of course it finishes with the HEA. One would think that a HEA would be the main focus of a book, but not this one. You see, quite a bit of time passes before Luke (real hero of the story) comes 'back in the picture' but even when he does, Julia still fights the HEA for like EVER! I swear, from the time Julia finally gives in and tells Luke everything to the time the book actually ended it was only chapters (car deciding to floor it out of the blue). That doesn't get high marks from e as far as story development.
SO in conclusion, it's not a BAD story per say, it's just told really really oddly.

[SammieSue · Rating 4 out of 5]

'I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review'


Julia is in a loveless marriage and is just days away from being divorced. She now runs a company with her best friend and is getting her life back on track. On a business trip for what would be their first big account she meets Luke. The company's CEO. It is instant attraction and they have an amazing night and they fall in love very quick. Charles, Julia's husband, is stalling the divorce with everything that he has. When Charles gets sick he finds out a secret about Julia that puts the ball in his court. He forces Julia to stay married to him and Never speak to Luke again. Julia and Luke once again cross paths. Will Julia tell Luke her secret or will she walk away?

My Opinion:

I Loved this book! This is a story of True Love for sure. It's definitely heartwarming to think that two people could possibly love each other that much! I have read books from this author before and this one was definitely different than any other book that I have read from her. I have never disliked a book of hers and I'm not starting here. I Highly recommend reading. This book will definitely touch your heart.

'Read and Reviewed by LSK Sweetheart Reviews'

[Rhiannon Overby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This book is a mix of scorching hot erotic and contemporary romance, with some women's fiction all rolled into one. The characters are phenomenal, you'll fall in love quickly with Julia and Luke, you'll want Claire to be your new BFF, and you'll despise Charles and Rod for being the villains they truly are. Desiree Holt did a fabulous job of creating steaming hot erotic scenes while also creating a story that will grab your attention and keep you reading until the very end.

One of my favorite parts if this book is how enthralled you get with Luke and Julia's love affair, only to have it ripped away from your. This book feels like it come in three main sections, the beginning and the end which are erotic and sizzling, and then the middle section which is more of a women's fiction/contemporary romance. You'll get the sizzling aspects of this story while also being able to enjoy the story that go along with to beautiful people tangling in the sheets.

This was the first book that I've read by Desiree Holt but I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

[The Color of Ink · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the midst of divorce, Julia Patterson is trying to move onward and upward. A quick business trip lands her in the arms of a man that makes her feel things she has never felt before. Where does finding a little happiness find Julia?

Evidently, this gets her lost and alone. Nothing in life is easy and her children are her true loves. She thinks she is doing the right thing, but chooses wrong. She ends up unhappy and controlled by a crazy husband even from the grave.

The story pulls you in. It starts with an excitement, but turns the side of sadness. The steamy bits and a love that stood strong in their hearts until they met again completely makes you swoon. The situation with the husband and how the main character, Julia, handles it all really makes you want to give her a good talking to or reach in and give her a smack.

Finding Julia is a bit of an emotional roller coaster and you've got to love a book that can take you on a ride. Enjoy!

[Dakota Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Huge fan of Desiree Holt and couldn't wait to read this story. I thought the chemistry and passion between these two characters was hot as hell. I enjoyed the story in the beginning but felt it dropped off mid way, it didn't continue to wow me like most of her stories do. I thought Julia's character was too back and forth, she didn't make good decisions but she always puts her kids first. I loved Luke, he is sexy as hell, almost too good to be true and I just liked his over all attitude. These two characters are sexy as hell together that's for sure. Charles's character added to some twists and turns and emotional upheaval but again it lost me a little there. I don't want to ruin anything but I enjoyed the fact that Luke and Julia get to reconnect and Courtney got what she always needed. love all the kids characters, hated Rod. over all I thought the story was good but not Desiree's usual wow that I love. 3.5 stars review by Nanee at upallnightreadallday.blogspot.com

[Laurie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a first Desiree Holt book for me. I thought the book started off with a bang. I loved the intensity between Luke and Julia and how they were both getting the love they deserved after nasty marriages. That was soon over when Charles draws Julia back into is web. Without giving too much away for future readers, the decision(s) that Julia made irritated me. I wish she would have been stronger. I felt the ending was a bit unbelievable but this IS a fiction book, lol.

I would have like to have read more about how and what Luke was doing during the years that he and Julia were apart.

Overall, it was an okay book. If the last 2/3 of the book would have been as smokin hot as the beginning, it would have been better!

I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really hard for me to rate. On one hand, I really enjoyed the writing. The author has a way of just pulling you into the story from the beginning and I really enjoyed her writing style. My problem with the book is Julia. I am a big fan of books with strong female lead characters and this book was not one of them. At times when you probably should be feeling bad for her, I just wanted to smack her. Her weak character and poor decisions really ruined this book for me. I gave up on caring if she was going to get a HEA and kind of just wanted Luke to find his own happiness without her. The storyline was interesting but I just can't recommend this book to anyone who prefers a strong female character, if you can overlook that then maybe you will enjoy this book.

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow is about all I got. I finished this book a week ago, but was so just wow couldn't even write up a review. I liked it up until the heart attack and black mail from there it goes so down hill for me I put it down and came back after a few weeks.

Luke is almost too good to be true but we can get over that. I have a hubby who has his moments of being too good to be true...so move on from that I hated Julia's character and Charles more. Julia just laid down and didn't fight and let her ex husband almost ruined her life.

I mean seriously once 80-95% hit and Luke came back and solved this situation so quickly (HELLO COMMUNICATION) I think the book was too heavy and hard to read. At least for me.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise's Review 4 stars *****

Julia was in a middle of a divorce from Charles and she had to go out of town for business meeting while out of town she meet and fell for Luke .. For Luck he didn't think he would ever feel this way about another woman . Until something Happen to Charles he had a Heart Attack during the time that Julia was out of town . On bussiness and having affair with Luke she rushed home only to find out he was in bad shape so instead doing what her heart tells her she gets blackmail into taking care of him and not being happy herself .
This is very good read and I found myself yelling at the book a great book to pick up .

[Sandra Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Julia
by Desiree Holt
Overall Rating **** ½ Stars

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and WOW this book blew me away! It was very well written and the storyline flowed very well. It was interesting and very intriguing. Julia and Luke were so great together, they had the chemistry that made the book more interesting. I was not able to but this book down. It is very fast-pace. You have Julia who is in a middle of a divorce, and then you have Luke who is swoon-worthy and downright sexy. You have some twist and turns and it will leave you on the edge of your seat. A must read. Great job Desiree I am a fan for life!!

[Toni]

Please see my review at Got Romance! Reviews.

[Jackie Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Desiree Holt and it wont be the last.
Julia is days away from a divorce or is she .....
She runs a company with a friend and on a business trip where she is pitching for their first big account she meets Luke the CEO. Sparks fly between them and they fall madly in love with each other.......
But life is not all it seems and fate steps in to take Julia back to her husband Charles.
This is a love story with twists and turns......
Many years later fate brings Luke back into Julia's life will they get their HEA......
I could not put this book down

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Julia by Desiree Holt is another fine example of Ms Holt's story-telling skills. Julia and Luke's story is a roller-coaster ride of drama, suspense, humor and sizzling hot sexy bits. ALL of the characters in Finding Julia are well developed and perfect for this story. Ms Holt was on the top of her game when writing these characters, they're amazing. I totally enjoyed Finding Julia and look forward to my next book by Desiree Holt. Finding Julia is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

[Kristine Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julia is a a relationship with a man she doesn't want anymore but stays with thinking it's the right thing for her family, but then meets Luke.

Luke is a man of mystery to some as is Julia, they start to fall for each other, but secrets are kept, and hearts are broken. When things end you would think that's the end but then fourteen years latter they meet again and the secret Julia kept from him could change their lives forever.

[N. Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The fact that love can stretch that far between two people was amazing! This is one of those long lost loves that you must read! Julia and Luke are my new favorite book couple ever!
"The person I love is the one you've become. People say the past is always with us, but now we have a chance to make a new future."

*Sigh* You have to read this hot sexy steamy novel! It won't let you down!