Review: Wow! Amazing and Beautiful end to a fantastic story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2013
When I finished Keep Me Still and had fallen so deeply in love with this couple I had to rush and buy Hold Us Close then spend three hours binge reading it. The continuing story of Landen and Layla was just as emotionally endearing and sweet as the first and had me on the edge of my seat hoping things would finally go right for this couple.When Keep Me Still ends it's on a very positive note and one of the sweetest endings for a book I have read. When I bought this book I hadn't even read the synopsis, it didn't even matter I just had to find out what would happen between these characters I am on love with. Starting off three years after the end of Keep Me Still Layla and Landen have moved to Spain so he can follow his dream of playing pro soccer on a professional team. When they get a phone call from Layla's aunt Kate informing them she has set up a special surgery to remove the hematoma that threatens Layla's life she drops a bomb on them both that will affect her and Landen's relationship. A baby should be a joyous event in any couples life but this throws a serious wrench into Landen and Layla's lives. Because of Landen's abusive childhood at the hands of his father he isn't thrilled about the baby and that breaks Layla's heart. On top of this Landen is fighting an anger issue that scares Layla and brings up serious doubts about their relationship.I was so nervous reading this book because I adored this couple and couldn't imagine them not being together. Landen broke my heart in this one. His anger issues cause him to do and say hateful things to Layla. He never hits her, he's not that kind of rageaholic but sometimes the emotional pain is worse. The battle within him went back and forth and at times he was sweet and loving then something would piss him off and he would lose his cool. My heart ached for him, constantly seeing him struggle after he finds out something that changes his entire perception of his life and childhood. There were a few times that his problems got him in trouble and at one point nearly gets him killed. I swear between his near miss and Layla having the grim reaper breathing down her back I was a little afraid one of them wouldn't make it out alive. Layla once again earned my respect and admiration by refusing to give up on Landen no matter how awful he was. She was strong and courageous and wouldn't let anyone talk her out of standing by him as he got help. She has come a long way from that shy scared girl she was in the beginning to become a woman with such strength and determination. Seeing her grow with each story was very rewarding for me because she's one of few female characters to earn my respect and admiration. I loved seeing her stand up for not only herself but what was best for her unborn child.They say that you have to walk through fire for the ones you love and that's exactly what both of these characters do by the end of this story. I really loved how Quinn didn't just make everything OK with her magic wand. She had flawed characters that had real issues and as with real life nothing just goes away. While Landen got help and learned to handle his anger he still struggled with it as the years went by. The epilogue was beautiful yet very emotional. I highly recommend that if you read this after going through the journey with this couple that you have lots of tissues with you. It's very dramatic and intense. I have yet to read a book by Quinn that I haven't loved. She has a way of writing stories that pull you into the lives of her characters and making you fall in love with them and her. The only problem I had with this book was the intense book hangover I am still experiencing. The story was so amazing that I am having a hard time committing to anything else at the moment because I don't want to lose this feeling just yet. I can't Say enough times how much I loved these books and highly recommend them ASAP!