Genre: Romance
Pages: 316
Release Date: September 15, 2019
Secretly dating Coach Parker’s daughter was never part of the plan. Neither was becoming her dealer…
ADAM
Returning to my drug-dealing past wasn’t on the agenda when I accepted the full ride to play ball at Cypress U. But Mom lost her job. And my sister’s medical bills are mounting. So, I’ve no choice but to change the playbook.When Emily walks into my life, like a fallen goddess with the ultimate power to destroy me, I know I’m screwed. I should steer clear, but I’m the one supplying her poison of choice. Falling for her is a complication I don’t need, but the more she’s around, the harder it gets to walk away. She needs me, and I crave her more than the sport I love.
Now, it’s all on the line. Including the NFL career that’s tantalizingly close.
The stakes are high, but family means everything, so I’ll take my chances.
EMILY
It’s only a problem if it’s out of control. And I have it in hand.Except a certain a-hole discovers I’m using again, and he threatens to rat me out to my folks. Mom’s president of Cypress U, and Dad’s the illustrious football coach. Appearances mean everything to them, and I’m a continuous disappointment. They told me I’d be out on my ass if I fell off the wagon, so keeping it a secret is my number one priority.
Until the super-hot all-star QB takes more than a passing interest in me. Adam gets me, in a way no guy ever has, filling my head with ideas of forever—and now, I want more.
Dating my dealer is a recipe for disaster, especially when it’s forbidden, but I can’t help myself.
Because I’ve fallen too deep.
And the hole is too large to crawl out of.
Holding on to Forever is a new adult romance with heavy themes and topics, which is par for the course with any Davis book. So, trigger warnings for substance abuse, rape, and sexual assault.
Holding on to Forever follows Adam and Emily who are both in impossible situations. Adam returns to dealing drugs when his sister’s medical bills become unmanageable. Adam ends up dealing to Emily, who is quickly spiraling out of control. Throw in a whirlwind romance and things turn ugly.
The chemistry between the main characters sizzles, as their attraction is almost instantaneous. The angst is real for many of the scenes and I am here for it. Unfortunately, many of the hot scenes are extinguished because of the clunky and sometimes over the top dialogue.
What exacerbates the problem dialogue is Adam’s perspective. His perspective does not always ring true as male. You can take my criticism with a grain of salt because I am clearly not a male, but like many male writers writing female perspectives, something feels off.
I do not mind serious and heavy topics in my romance novels. These topics usually enhance the stakes in an otherwise by the numbers novels romance. However, Holding on to Forever piles on the issues making it hard to truly enjoy the novel because the amount of suffering.
While the trigger warning issues are not used as plot devices, they are used in a slightly convenient way to push certain characters and plot points along.
Overall, Holding on to Forever was not the perfect fit romance I wanted it to be. If you are a fan of issues heavy romance novels, Holding on to Forever is sure to please.
***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
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I don’t usually read romance, but when I do I like mine light and fluffy! Probably won’t pick this up.
That’s probably for the best.
What drugs are Emily hooked on? I’m not sure how I feel about this plot, I feel like it would be really easy to do this badly, or have things ringing false left and right. Add into that the sometimes over the top dialogue… eh. I think I’ll pass too. Great review though Nadine! Hope your next read is better!
She’s addicted to Molly. There’s an argument to be made that she doesn’t come off as a true drug addict, but I really didn’t want to get into that. A few other reviews have though.
Thanks! 🙂
I don’t blame you for not wanting to get into it. It’s a sensitive topic for me that I don’t think I’d be pleased with if it wasn’t handled appropriately.
Exactly. I also don’t have first hand experience. All I have is what I was taught at university and if that taught me anything is that every person is different.