She's the only one he wants...and the one he can never have…
Ella
Clark has been in love with Alex Grayson forever. She’s tired of
being invisible—or worse, being treated like his kid sister. If she
can just get him to drop his iron-fisted control for two seconds,
she’ll prove she knows exactly how to blow his mind.
Alex
has been fighting his attraction to Ella since her
should-have-been-innocent sweet sixteen kiss burned down his world.
He's damaged, and there's no way he'll ever drag her into his screwed
up life. Until she offers him something he's always craved—steamy,
no-strings sex inside his exclusive BDSM club. Where she'll be safe
from the darkness that haunts him.
Except
there's nothing safe about being with Ella, and the more she gives,
the harder it is to let her go. If he stays, he risks everything, but
how can he walk away from the only woman he's ever needed?
MY THOUGHTS
Ella and Alex have been friends since they were children, and although they’ve always had a thing for each other neither was ever really aware of the other’s desire for more. I’m a big fan of ‘friends to lovers’ romances but this one was a little different in that Ella is incredibly close with Alex’s whole family and best friends with his brother. It also had the added interest of a boss / employee relationship.
There’s a great BDSM dynamic without it being anything too
intense and taking away from the romantic emotions brewing between these two. I
loved that Ella asserted her need for distance from her crush in the very
beginning by giving her notice, which is what really got the romance rolling.
Alex was a broody good guy who sees darkness in himself and thinks he’s not
worthy of love. That whole ‘I don’t
deserve the heroine so I’m going to push her away until I’m a total jerk-face’
thing can get pretty old for me in romances but luckily Christina Phillips took
it to just the perfect level before Alex opened up about his feelings. The sex
scenes were hot and dirty but with an extra level of emotion and yearning that
took them beyond the BDSM club they were initially limited to. I adored the
moments where Alex really shares what it was like for him growing up and when
we get to see the inner-workings of his desire for Ella.
I really enjoyed HOLD ME UNTIL FOREVER. This was the first
novel I’ve ever read by Christina Phillips and it has such a great balance
between the hot and heavy and the warm and fuzzy. It’s a great contemporary
romance and I’d love to go back and read the earlier books in the series and
see how they compare.
Disclosure: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.
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AUTHOR INFO
Series on Goodreads
Follow the Tour
Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below for a chance to win a $20.00 Amazon eGift Card.
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AUTHOR INFO
Christina
Phillips is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny Western Australia
with her high school sweetheart and their family. She enjoys writing
paranormal, historical and contemporary romance where the stories
sizzle and the heroine brings her hero to his knees. She’s
addicted to good coffee, expensive chocolate and bad boy heroes.
Christina is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the
universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.
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