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Hard to Hold (Hold Trilogy, #1)

Stephanie Tyler

Start date: June 1, 2010

Finish date: June 30, 2010

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Danielle The Book Huntress

Why we're reading this: June group read: Soldier/Military Theme.
[close] June group read: Soldier/Military Theme.

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Group Reads

* Group Read Selection/Nomination Guidelines
By Danielle The… , Loves 'Em Lethal · 6 posts · 136 views

last updated Dec 19, 2012 08:46AM

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By Danielle The… , Loves 'Em Lethal · 3 posts · 80 views

last updated Jan 06, 2012 03:40PM

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What Members Thought

Jun 17, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress rated it really liked it

Shelves: nursed-back-to-health, 2011-reading, navy-seal, scarred-hero, tortured-hero, medical-profession, bodyguard-protector, owned-copy, romantic-suspense, exotic-setting-jungle-island-desert

Hard to Hold is a good start to a three book series about a trio of brothers (from another mother/father) who are all SEALs. This Navy SEAL-loving girl definitely appreciated the portrayal of these characters who are members of my favorite Elite Special Forces unit. While this wasn't a perfect book, I definitely feel it was worthy of the four star rating I gave it. Here are my thoughts:

What I Liked:
* I liked the message about family being more than just blood. Family is a group of people who wat ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2009 Shawna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009-reads, older-woman-cougar-younger-guy, exotic-wild-survival-setting, military-romance, hero-antihero-gamma, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, romantic-suspense, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, 4-to-5-stars, hero-alpha‎

4 ½-5 stars – Romantic Suspense

This is a very good start in a promising new military romantic suspense trilogy that's intense, hard-edged, and emotional. I just wish there had been a bit more romance (and hot sex!) between the H/H. Still, I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy, Too Hot to Hold. 4 ½...almost 5 stars! ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Apr 21, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1st-in-series, military-or-ex-military, suspense-mystery-thriller, mrs-robinson, undercover-special-covert-ops, tortured-tormented, doctor-nurse-medic-etc

The first book in the Hold Trilogy by Stephanie Tyler. Not sure why but I was a little disappointed in this one. I never connected with the characters and didn't feel the chemistry they should have had for each other. It just wasn't to my personal taste, I guess. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 22, 2010 Wendy rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, hot-military-characters, navy-seals-included, part-of-a-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I found this book to be a little less than I had expected. It got a great start, but I kept getting lost because of the writer jumping around with the topic or scenes. I thought it could have been so much more.

Jake is a navy seal sent into Africa to save a woman that has been kidnapped by her bodyguard because she is the daughter of a Senator. When they find her she has been beaten and raped. She is badly wounded and may not make it. While one of the Seal's goes to find transportation Jake and ...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Auntee rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009_reads, romantic-suspense, men-in-uniform, tortured-hero

Hard To Hold is the first book in Stephanie Tyler's new trilogy about Navy SEALs, and for a first book in a series, it was pretty good. Not outstanding, but good enough to hold my interest and wanting to see where this series is heading. As I've found out with most series, the first book seems to be the toughest to read. There's lots of background about the numerous characters and details about the direction of the series that the author has to lay out, and usually the first book of the series s Hard To Hold is the first book in Stephanie Tyler's new trilogy about Navy SEALs, and for a first book in a series, it was pretty good. Not outstanding, but good enough to hold my interest and wanting to see where this series is heading. As I've found out with most series, the first book seems to be the toughest to read. There's lots of background about the numerous characters and details about the direction of the series that the author has to lay out, and usually the first book of the series suffers a bit by getting bogged down by these facts. I felt that was the case a bit with this one, but it was still a well-written, interesting, thought-provoking read, but did leave me wanting just a bit.

Basically the plot of the story is that there's three adoptive brothers (Jake, Nick, and Chris) who are all Navy SEALs on the same team based (I'm guessing) in Virginia. (The author wasn't real clear on that, but I was eventually able to figure it out.) They're on a mission in Africa when they're detoured to rescue a doctor working for Doctors Without Borders who has been kidnapped and left for dead. And it just so happens that beautiful, 31 year old Dr. Isabelle Markham is the daughter of a V.I.P., Senator Jeannie Cresswel. When 26 year old Jake and his brothers locate Isabelle, she's naked, bound and gagged on a dirty floor of a small hut in the jungle, and hurting badly from the beating she received by her now missing captor. Jake has to make some tough decisions about moving her and risking hurting her more or risking her being captured by the rebels fighting in the area, and in the end pulls off a heroic rescue. Of course, during the rescue Jake and Isabelle form a 'connection' by sharing some upsetting secrets with each other and a couple of kisses, and later Jake secretly visits her when she's hospitilized, while Isabelle longs for the company of the brave, handsome SEAL who rescued her.

Two months later Isabelle is nearly fully recovered physically, (although haunted by her kidnapping ordeal mentally), and has made a commitment to doctor on the Navy base for three months (the same base where Jake is stationed). It seems that the bodyguard that her mother hired to protect her while in Africa, former Special Forces soldier Rafe, was the one who kidnapped and abused her while he collected the ransom, but for some reason he didn't kill her. Why is that? Isabelle is led to believe (for her own good) by her mother and her 'Uncle Cal' (Admiral James Callahan, coincidentally Jake's mentor)) that Rafe has been captured and is in prison. Untrue. The unstable Rafe is on the loose and is not finished with Isabelle or her family yet. What does he want? What is his connection to Isabelle and her family?

Since Uncle Cal knows that Isabelle won't be safe until Rafe is captured, he arranges for Jake (who happens to be sidelined from duty while he recovers from an injury) to 'protect' Isabelle. After a bit of manuevering, Jake gets Isabelle to move into the house that all three brothers share (the better to keep an eye on her), and they grow even closer, talking and trying to figure out if they have a real relationship. Although Jake and Isabelle both desire each other madly, Jake has concerns that Isabelle just wants him because he was her rescuer, while Isabelle tries to deal with the emotions of being abused by a man she trusted, and what that means for a potential physical relationship with Jake.

Things come to a head when Isabelle finds out that her mother, uncle, and Jake have been withholding the information that Rafe is not behind bars but is actually on his way to the states and is gunning for her. Isabelle detests the betrayal and decides it would maybe be in her best interest to go into protective custody with the F.B.I. after all. Will Jake let her go willingly or will he somehow find a way to keep on protecting her? Will Rafe finally have the showdown between Isabelle and her family that he desires? Will Jake and his fellow SEALs save the day again? What is the connection between Rafe and Uncle Cal, the senator, and Isabelle? Will Jake and Isabelle get past all the emotional baggage in their lives and their loner-like personalities and decide to try for a long term relationship?

Wow, this book was chock-full of lots and lots of details and characters, but surprisingly, it was fairly easy to follow and keep everything straight. There was a side plot about a mercenary named "Clutch" (who reluctantly is involved in a mysterious government agency called "GOST") and his girlfriend Sarah (who was a friend to Isabelle in Africa but later betrayed her and regretted it) involved with finding the elusive Rafe, and this interesting plotline was left unresolved and I'm assuming ST will stick with it throughout the series. There were hints about the backgrounds of brothers Nick and Chris and their early lives with their psychic, rock band manager dad Kenny that sort of whetted my appetite to read about their future stories. And of course there was plenty of detail about Jake's own tragic, abusive past and how he came to be friends with Chris and Nick and later taken in by Kenny and his late wife. All good stuff that helped to round out the book and give plenty of meat to the story.

The only complaint I have with the story, and it's not really a complaint but maybe a wish, is that I wish the romance part would have been more detailed. I realize that after what happened to Isabelle, it wouldn't have made sense for her and Jake to jump right into bed, but when they finally did (after 300 pages and some almost there moments) I expected maybe a little bit more. I don't know exactly what was missing that could've made it hotter (maybe some more dialogue?), but I felt like the love scenes could have been a little bit more amped up--and although they said the "I love yous" I didn't totally feel it. Maybe it was all the dancing around each other that did it and what I felt was Isabelle's constant state of confusion about the direction of her life, but I didn't feel the "I've got to have you" passion with these two. Jake was certainly a worthy hero in a cool, calm, protective, patient and heroic way, and Isabelle was certainly a brave and admirable heroine, but I just wish they would have generated more heat.

All in all, a very worthy effort with some very good writing, an exciting, easy to follow plot, and some nice details about Navy SEALs in general and specifically about all that Jake endured to become one at a very young age. There was plenty of action, a very suspenseful conclusion and a handful of twists and turns along the way. Given the circumstances, the romance between Jake and Isabelle was about what you'd expect it could be, but I think there's much more ahead for them in the future. A very good start to what looks to be a promising series. 4 stars. ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2009 Anne OK rated it it was amazing

Fantastic debut for this new trilogy. Fast-paced, serious suspense, a well developed storyline with great chemistry between h/h. I can't wait for the next book in this series. ...more

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