A Hold On Me

by Pat Esden

Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It's a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue--until her dad is diagnosed with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral home on the coast of Maine--and to the family they left behind fifteen years ago, after Annie's mother died in a suspicious accident. Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he's a bizarre, violent shadow of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support--Chase, the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can't even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie's own longings--and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she'll have to face her greatest fears and embrace her legacy...

• ISBN13: 9781496700056
• Publish Date: 1 March 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 October 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Won from Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

The Good:
+Genies haven't been done to death. Yet.
+Literal black sleep
+Liked Annie's trick at the end

The Bad & The Other:
-No sense of history or flavor with the genies, just plain evil.
-Annie = annoying
-Chase = typical blah
-Plot = predictable
-Atmosphere killed by Annie



A Hold on Me follows Annie as her father's dementia causes them to move back into his family's sprawling Maine home. She's very suspicious of them with good cause and touts her skills being able to handle it. Yet...

We find out immediately how she screwed up a sale and landed them all in this mess in the first place. Then she gets outmaneuvered by her once-estranged family. If her lackluster follow through wasn't enough, she flip-flops throughout the book on every topic imaginable.

http://giphy.com/gifs/gotham-26tOW2rFXxIT3BPeE

She's annoying. And sloooooow. I couldn't stand her whatsoever and she killed the book completely.

The only thing I liked about her was how her father let her be an adult and handle her own relationships. It's a sharp contrast to her cousin's rebellion of her strict parents. Finally, no virgin versus whore!

Too bad I can't root for this romance. Annie and Chase are only tropes with no life in them. Chase's is indistinguishable from other romance interests so I don't care and Annie, again, is annoying. Going back & forth so quick between suspicion of Chase and berating herself for being "crazy" was unbearable. Plus, she goes off on a sexual fantasy mentally while surrounded by people when she should have been focusing on a lecture that could help her. Argh.

And that moment with him at the beach party? That was fucking creepy. I don't know how that doesn't alarm every woman reading it. Chase pressures and plies Annie with drink and when Annie gets caught dumping it out...I swear my heart stopped. That is so NOT a laughing, light-hearted moment.

Chase was the genius, mysterious, sexy bad boy that avoids making connections with women. There's not much to say about him. I saw his "surprise" background coming from a mile away and he was just another insta-love protector.

Her cousin was solid throughout the story and I liked how she stepped up. Annie needs to shape up or move over for her to take over the narrative. And I say that as someone who doesn’t usually care for the boy-obsessed fashionistas.

It was clearly trying for a creepy, Gothic atmosphere but that died a quick death with Annie at the helm. She wouldn't shut up and feel it so I could too. She quickly ruled out that she was imagining things. She's not an unreliable narrator, so it’s paranormal! Duh. Now stop yanking my damn chain.

But leaving all that aside, I still have a hard time buying into the underlying events. Why didn't they tell Annie about her father and mother? Why didn't they tell him the truth about his wife? Why did she have him for a lover?

http://giphy.com/gifs/things-annoying-ace3dytIL9Fcc

It's not hard or complicated, it just doesn't make sense. If they want Annie in the fold again...If they wanted Annie and her father to stay...If they were so madly in love...

http://giphy.com/gifs/pikachu-meowth-pika-lwtrzaEiyCFUs

Yeah, sure it could all be explained by the prophecy blah blah blah, but right now? NO. And it hurts A Hold On Me because of it.

I will not be continuing the series and I can't recommend it.