How Not to Let Go (The Belhaven, #2)

by Emily Foster

From the author of How Not to Fall comes an electrifying, powerful new story about love, trust, and emotional surrender.
 
Once upon a time, med student Annie Coffey set out to have a purely physical fling with Charles Douglas, a gorgeous British doctor in her lab. It didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, secrets—and desires—were bared, hearts were broken, and Annie knew she had to leave this complicated, compelling man who remains convinced he can never give her what she needs.
 
Walking away is one thing. Staying away is another. Annie and Charles reunite at a London conference, rekindling a friendship they struggle to protect from their intense physical connection. Little by little, Annie gets a glimpse into Charles’s dark past and his wealthy, dysfunctional family. Soon, she’s discovering what it means to have someone claim her, body and soul. And she’s learning that once in a lifetime you find a love that can make you do anything…except let go.

• ISBN10: 1496704207
• ISBN13: 9781496704207
• Publish Date: 27 December 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 9 August 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781496704207

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

Bound to take a step down for me after the first book. How Not To Fall was brainy and sexy, this was angsty and emotional. And that’s good, I’m glad Foster takes the love/crush/attraction and puts it through the paces. Done right, that’s one of my favorite things to read. But where Annie and Charles were mature and intriguing in the first book, often beyond their years, here it’s all feelings and tears and Charles’ internal loathing in a way that’s more suited to adolescents, not adults.

And again, I get it. It’s Foster’s intent. You fall for someone and discover something else beneath, and you either learn to love that person too or break the deal off. It’s just that I never thought Charles was all that broken, so the huge efforts to fix him rang false to me. (How to do the same thing and yet not ring false to me: the fantastic show You’re The Worst.)

Even though this was a near-miss, I applaud what Foster’s writing. She does it with thought and passion, and I hope she writes a lot more.

[Cocktails and Books]

This book made me think I needed to study my vocabulary words because I found myself becoming quite friendly with the dictionary function on my Kindle as I read this.

Charles and Annie had a relationship that often times left me scratching my head. The complexity of the relationship and Charles' inability to grasp that he needs Annie with him rather than pushing her away left me wondering if these two together was actually a good thing. It took awhile, but once Charles accepted his feelings and what he can and cannot change, he figured out he couldn't let his demons rule his life.