Review: Holden

Holden by Julia Sykes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Earlier this year I read Dark Lessons by Julia Sykes and was instantly left wanting to read more of her work. I went ahead and brought her Impossible series, the entire notion intriguing me. Another series, her Dark Grove Plantation series, also grabbed my attention. I looked everywhere for Awakened, Taken, and Broken, but I could not find them. I found out they were being extensively re-written and re-titled, and I instantly put them on my to-read list. Holden is the first of these re-written and re-titled books.

In all honesty, I’m not usually a big lover of stories of this length. I have a serious love-hate relationship with short stories. That being said, I really enjoyed this one. I had a couple of problems with this, but for the most part it was a wonderful read.

I’ll begin with the good.

The characters were great. Quickly we fall in love with both of them, and the chemistry between them was wonderful. Told from alternating points of view, we get to see inside the minds of both the characters. They’re two very different characters, but they go so well together.

The romance was swoony worthy. It was steamy, exactly as you hope for from a Julia Sykes read. As I said, the characters have real chemistry, and this always helps with ensuring the steamy scenes are great. Not to mention, Julia Sykes simply seems to know how to write the hot stuff.

The storyline was interesting. It’s a very simple tale, but it is done so well. There’s nothing overly complex, meaning you’re pulled straight into the story, and your attention is held throughout. For such a short story, there is a lot to be found in this one. Plus, it leaves you curious about the stories that are to come in the future books.

Then the things that left me feeling somewhat unsure.

It’s a case of instalove. I’m not a fan of this, and cannot help but roll my eyes at the speed of the story. Everything took place within a matter of days. For me, that is not enough time for emotions to develop. Those who enjoy instalove will like this element of the story, but those who are not fans will be less than pleased.

The final chapter could have been more powerful. I enjoyed the way the story came together, I enjoy the events, yet the ending seemed to come about far too quickly. There was the potential for lots of emotions, but it didn’t quite hit the high notes it could have.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I’ll certainly be reading the next Dark Grove Plantation story – I already have Brandon sitting on my Kindle – as this series promises to be a lot of fun. Well worth the read for anyone looking for a quick steamy read.

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