HARD TO HOLD
HAVEN’S COVE SERIES BOOK 3
JACLYN QUINN
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 07.24.18
BLURB
Perfect, happy, “Jonah the Savior”, that’s how most people see Jonah Taylor. What they don’t always see is how incredibly overwhelmed he is with his new business or how lonely he is. When a painfully shy man enters his wellness center, all Jonah wants to do is help break him out of his shell. The problem is, the attraction he feels to the nervous, timid man is undeniable.
Cameron Vaughn has let most of his life be decided for him. A traumatic event from his past has caused him to doubt every decision he makes. When he’s forced into a new, anxiety-ridden situation, his first instinct is to run. So, what is it about the owner of the wellness center that has him questioning everything he’s ever been told?
Can one man convince the other he’s worth saving? Can the other realize he’s strong enough to save himself? Together, can they prove that what they’ve found is worth holding on to?
EXCERPT
“Come in,” Jonah called out and with a shaking hand, Cameron opened the door.
Hesitantly, Cameron walked in, scanning the small space for Jonah who was standing across the room by a table with his back to the door.
“Don’t tell me the lock is sticking again. I’ll have to complain to my land...” Jonah turned around, and the smile left his face, “lord. Cameron... Sorry, thought you were Gabe, who also happens to be my landlord.” Jonah gripped the back of his neck and gave a small laugh. Was he nervous?
Panic flooded Cam. What the hell he was thinking? The uneasy look on Jonah’s face reminded him, though. He cleared his throat, rubbed his palms on his jeans and said in a shaky voice, “Didn’t mean to bother you so late. I just... Well, I have a question.”
Jonah plastered the fake smile on his face that Cameron was starting to hate. “What’s up?”
Cameron looked back toward the door, his need to find the exit in any situation like a thorn in his side and a comfort at the same time. He opened and closed his trembling hands, took a deep breath, and finally asked, “What did I do?”
Jonah was clearly confused. “I’m sorry?”
Balling his hands into fists, Cameron drew strength from the tightness and asked again. “What did I do wrong?” He looked down at his fists, slowly uncurling his fingers, and began fidgeting with his hands. “I mean, I obviously did something wrong because you’ve been really weird with me for days. In fact, you’ve been pretty quiet, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what I did.” Holy sh*t. Did all of that really just come out of his mouth? It suddenly hit Cameron that Jonah treating him differently was bothering him more than he realized. Enough to actually speak up for once in his goddamn life and ask why.
Jonah’s look of shock confirmed that...yes, he really had just said all that. He ran the hand that had been gripping the back of his neck up through his blond hair then back down to his neck. Jonah walked over to the couch and sat down. Slowly, he leaned over, resting his elbows on his thighs then looked back up at Cameron. The desperate sadness in Jonah’s gaze definitely threw Cameron off.
“Sh*t, Cam, I’m sorry. I was trying to not make you feel uncomfortable, and instead, I went completely to the other end of the spectrum.”
“Huh?” Jonah had used his nickname, the same one Ali had used only days before. He hadn’t liked when Ali called him Cam, but when Jonah said it, it made him feel warm. It felt…intimate. Jonah patted the cushion next to him, and Cameron found himself walking over and sitting down without a second thought. “Why would you think you were making me uncomfortable?” he asked, still completely confused.
“Because you’re always so nervous around me. You... Do you know you barely look at me? I thought― Ah, it’s so stupid when I think about it now. Just ignore me. You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong…a bit of a distraction…but nothing wrong.”
Carra's Review
Hard to Hold is the third book in the Haven’s Cove series, and it is far and away my favorite of this series so far. I was absolutely smitten with Cameron, wanting to protect him and make sure he got his happy ending every page of the way. It was devastating to read about what happened in his past, and while what happened is responsible for his shy, introverted personality it comes across as kind of sweet at first…until you realize the reason behind it which is when my heart broke for him.
Jonah is a wonderful man, always aware of what others need, and he is amazing with Cam. I really liked that things didn’t move too fast with them, and that Jonah went at whatever pace Cam needed to go. He’s everything Cam needs, and Cam can be fully comfortable and be himself with Jonah as well. Jonah plays a huge role in Cam’s character’s growth in this story, and as Cam’s character grew into himself, I was so damn proud of him.
There are some fantastic supporting characters with the guys from the first two books, but also with Cam’s family. His brother and his brother’s wife in particular were so supportive of him, and I liked how they were trying to help push him in the right direction. I was also glad how his father stepped up…his mother though—she’s one of those “I know best” moms to whom you just want to give more than a piece of your mind. She really ticked me off in the worst way.
I was especially not at all fond of Ali’s character, particularly late in the story when she made Cam’s mom look almost like an angel in comparison. The part of the story that concerns Ali at that late point really irked me, which as much as it pissed me off I also give kudos to the author for being able to elicit such a wide range of emotions from me during this story.
Hard to Hold deserves more than the 5 stars I’m giving it, and I’m even more excited now for the rest of the books to come in this series. I can’t wait to see if Ms. Quinn can top this one! I highly recommend this book to every M/M romance fan, and while you could read this as a standalone, I would recommend reading the series in order to get the most out of all the characters you’ll find here—all three books so far have been 5 star reads for me, and are all definitely re-read material. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language, sexual content, and you’ll want to check out the trigger warning in the front of the book before reading as there is sensitive subject matter from Cam’s past covered (which the author handles quite well in this story).
About the Author
I have been an artist from a very young age. From drawing cartoon characters and evolving into portraits, making jewelry, photography, and now writing. I have an amazing support system in my family and friends and couldn’t be more grateful.
I live in central New Jersey, love summers at the Jersey Shore, rock music, wine, sexy men, and laughing a lot with my amazing friends and family. Sunday dinners at my parents’ house are crazy, hysterical and you can count on a movie quote…or ten…being thrown out. Insults between siblings is how we show our love for each other!
When I’m not creating, you can find me reading books from my favorite authors. I’m a hopeless romantic, starving for passionate characters and always craving that happy ending, whether in reading or in writing my own books.
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