One to Hold by Tia Louise ~ Review

One to Hold

by Tia Louise

Synopsis:

Derek Alexander is a retired Marine, ex-cop, and the top investigator in his field. 

Melissa Jones is a small-town girl trying to escape her troubled past.

   

When the two intersect in a bar in Arizona, their sexual chemistry is off the charts. 

But what is revealed during their "one week stand" only complicates matters.

  

Because she'll do everything in her power to get away from the past, but he'll do everything he can to hold her.

Review:

Melissa is at a crossroads in her life. She’s decided to take a break from it all and spend a week at the spa with her BFF, Elaine. One night while trying to shake off the issues plaguing her, Melissa finds a brief respite in the form of tall, dark, formidable, and just plain fucking hot business consultant Derek. The attraction is instant. They think they can blow off some of the sexual steam, or rather fuck it away, not long after they meet. Neither one wants complications, they both have too much going on in their real lives. Derek offers her an affair to last only this week. Once they go back to their real lives, it will all be just a memory.

Melissa wants to take him up on the offer. Oh boy, does she want to. However, she decides it would be better to leave it alone. She has enough to deal with. Fate intervenes and test her resolve, though, by arranging an inconvenient run in with a handsome “stranger” at dinner. Neither Derek nor Melissa can deny the attraction between them. They commit to a one week affair. They won’t reveal anything about their real lives while they indulge in this fantasy game.

Their affair is steamy. The chemistry between Melissa and Derek is strong. It was a little hard to understand their emotional connection, since they didn’t really talk about themselves and kept everything on the surface or about sex. But I can see where two people trusting each other so much could lead to a strong emotional bond. Watching them leave each other, I wanted to scream what could be so important that you can’t let him stick around?

Derek and Melissa go back to their real lives never intending to cross paths again. This is where I had a slight problem with the story. I didn’t understand why she went back to the place she goes, not in dealing with the situation, but that she physically goes back to this place. It just didn’t work for me and made an intelligent character seem kind of dumb. I wanted to yell at her “DON’T DO THAT”, like you do at the dumb chick running from the bad guy when she looks behind her to see where the bad guy is and falls.

They thought their fantasy game was over. Little did they know they were playing a different game all together. The stakes were higher than either could have imagined. Betrayal is the ultimate down fall. With one revelation Melissa is rocked to her core. She knew she had been deceived, but she had no idea by who. She thought she knew where evil lay.  In reality, she was merely the prey for a waiting predator. When true motivations come to light, who will she trust? Can she even trust herself to make the judgment? Whose motivations were pure? Who’s the victim?

I have to say I was floored by the twist in this book. I didn’t see it coming. I felt so bad for Melissa. I liked that even though she had her moments of doubt and feeling sorry for herself, she didn’t wallow. She got up and took charge. When she finds out what really happened to her, can she forgive Derek for the role he played? Was he just a pawn or a willing participant? Can their relationship overcome everything that’s happened? Read One to Hold to find out.

Then stay tuned for One to Keep, the story of Elaine and Patrick, Derek’s business partner coming January 16, 2014.

Reviewed by Liz

I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Please visit Tia Louise at https://www.facebook.com/tialouise13