Wednesday 28 June 2017

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: MAKE ME STAY by SIDNEY HALSTON

 
Secret identities, second chances, drama, desire: 
It’s all going down in Miami Beach
 
 
MAKE ME STAY
Panic #2
Sidney Halston
Releasing June 27th, 2017
Loveswept


 
In Make Me Stay (Panic #2) by Sidney Halston, falling in love was never part of April's plan, because as an undercover cop there's no room for attachments. So, to keep Matt Moreno safe and out of jail, she walked away. Now she's back in Miami and determined to make things right between them. Will she be able to convince Matt to forgive her, or will it take a terrifying attack to make him see reason? 

Ms. Halston delivers a worthwhile read in this book, encompassing a fast-paced  plot with really good twists, a heroine that would do anything to make things right with the hero, a hero that doesn't know if he'll ever be able to get over how she betrayed him and a story that had me smiling because of how it ended. The way this story started drew me into this story immediately, as the hero is determined to win the heroine over. Will Matt succeed in his plan, especially when the heroine is so skittish and doesn't give him much of her time? What does she have to be nervous about?

As for the dialogue, it was powerful, emotional and it was hard not to be affected by the characters emotions, as Matt finds it hard to deal with all the heroine has done when he learns the truth of her betrayal. Certainly, he goes through a rough patch and it was hard not to sympathize with his situation as his world has been turned upside down, but I liked how he found a way to bounce back, especially when something happens to one of the main characters. It's a wake-up call to find it in his heart to forgive. However, the dialogue wasn't all intense. There was certainly some playful banter between the hero and heroine, as Matt does his best to woo April before everything goes wrong between them.

Both the main characters are fantastic and they go through so much within this story. Will April be able to make things right between her and Matt? Will the hero's talk with one of the secondary characters finally make him realize that a life without love isn't much of a life, especially when his twin has found his own happy ever after? Will the hero's twin be able to knock some sense into him when it seems the hero is on a downward spiral he might not be able to find his way out of before it's too late?

Moreover, the heroine is strong and brave with everything she has to deal with including her illness and I liked how determined she was to turn her life around, because undercover work no longer holds the appeal it once did, as it forces her to be someone she's not. I also liked that although she was hesitant to put her trust in the hero when things went wrong for her, I'm glad that she did, because she needed him. While the hero, I could understand why he acts the way he does when he discovers the heroine's betrayal and I could also sympathize with him. Did he ever get to know the real April or was everything a lie? I also liked how the secondary characters did their best to snap the hero out of his downward spiral, because he needs to either find a way to forgive April or forget about her and move on. However, what I liked most about the hero was his willingness to help April after what happened to her.

Overall, Ms. Halston has penned another wonderful read for this series where this couple's chemistry was intense and spilled over onto the pages in hot sex scenes that illustrated just how good these two are together and that they shouldn't let anything keep them apart. The way this story ended had me feeling sorry for the heroine after all she's been through and then how the hero treats her once she admits everything about the past and why she did what she did. Will he ever be able to forgive her? However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely, because of how it sets things up for the next book of the series, which I'm really looking forward to. I would recommend Make Me Stay by Sidney Halston, if you enjoy second chance romances, the enemy to lovers trope or books by authors Kristen Ashley, Kelly Elliott, Nikki Sloane or Stacey Lynn. 

 
  
BLURB
Secret identities, second chances, drama, desire: It’s all going down in Miami Beach in this tantalizing novel from the bestselling author of Pull Me Close, which was hailed by Aurora Rose Reynolds as “a heart-gripping story about . . . the power of love.” 

April: Walking away from Matt Moreno was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Lying to him was a close second, but for his safety, I had no other choice. I was undercover, working to put some nasty people behind bars. But when Matt nearly recognizes me on Lincoln Road a year later, all those very real feelings come rushing back. Now that my assignment’s almost over, will he understand why I lied? Why I had to leave? Most important, can he ever forgive me?

Matt: 
I was madly in love with June Simpson . . . or, at least, with the woman I thought was June. Then she just disappeared while my family’s nightclub went through hell. And after months of searching, when I think I’ve finally found that sexy, raspy voice and those exquisite blue eyes, she slips away once more. Turns out, “June” is actually Detective April White. She’s been playing me the whole time. And she’s about to rock my world all over again.



 

“Slide over, will ya? I need to order a drink.” He sounds as if he’s already had enough drinks and doesn’t need another one. I’m about to tell the guy where he can stick his drink when I see her reach into her purse and pull out her phone. I’m mesmerized. What is she doing? The jerk is staring at her, waiting for her to move, but she’s reading a text instead, completely ignoring him.


But then the man makes the wrong decision. He grabs her elbow and pulls her up from the stool.
“Hey! Get your hands off me!” she shrieks. Her eyes, a piercing light blue that’s almost translucent, glare at the man.
“Is everything okay?” I ask loudly, to be heard over the music.
“Miller Lite,” the guy has the fucking nerve to call out.
But she speaks over him. “No. Everything’s not okay. This guy grabbed me.”
“Calm down, honey. You’ve been sitting here all night. Some of us need room.”
“Well, you could say ‘excuse me.’”
“And you can move your fat ass,” he spits back. “It’s not like you need any more drinks.” At that, her mouth opens wide and she gasps. From what I can see there is nothing fat about this woman, but even if there was, the guy’s totally out of line. With both palms on the bar I lean forward and get in the man’s face. “Outta my bar—” But I don’t have a chance to finish before she lifts her glass, stands up, and slowly and deliberately pours the entire drink over the guy’s head, olives and all.
Swear to God—swear to fucking God—all the lights, the music, and the people dancing come to a screeching halt as she slams her empty glass on the table and calmly sits back down. “Another martini, please,” she says sweetly, batting her lashes.
Fucking spectacular.
I think I might be in love.

 
Don't miss the first Panic Series Romance
PULL ME CLOSE






 

USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Halston lives her life with one simple rule: "Just Do It"--Nike. And that's exactly what she did.

After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1 comment:

  1. I love how Ms. Halston pens the women with such serious illnesses and I'm looking forward to discovering what the heroine in the next book has.

    ReplyDelete