Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Review: Hold Me If You Can

Hold Me If You Can (Soulfire - Book 3) by Stephanie Rowe

Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: Paperback, 359pp
ISBN-13: 978-1402241970
ISBN: 1402241976

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)


Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Stephanie Rowe on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter


Books in the Series: Kiss At Your Own Risk (2011), Touch If You Dare (2011), Hold Me If You Can (2012)

CoverArt: Click on the picture for a larger, clearer image of the covers in this series. 






Excerpt from Hold Me If You Can

Synopsis:


ESCAPING HELL WAS THE EASY PART...

Nigel Aquarian has escaped with his life, and with his inner demons. He needs beautiful Natalie Fleming, the woman he's admired from afar for years, to soothe his turmoil... if only she wasn't consumed with her own problems...


STAYING OUT IS GOING TO BE THE REAL CHALLENGE...

Ever since her brush with death, all Natalie wants is to run her famous chocolate shop and he left alone. But the only way she can kick-start her powers is by giving free rein to her sensual side, which Nigel is more than happy to help her explore...


With Nigel making quite a convincing case for losing control. Natalie is finding the temptation darn near irresistible...

Thoughts:


Stephanie Rowe's third installment in the Soulfire series, Hold Me If You Can is just as intense and heart-pounding as the first two books in this amazing paranormal romance series. Rowe brings readers a series with completely unique and interesting characters. Her use of wit and humor is will have readers smiling, while biting their nails at the suspenseful parts of the book. Rowe meshes adventure and fun in this surprisingly satisfying novel.

The Soulfire series has a special place in my heart. Kiss at Your Own Risk, the first book in the series, was one of the very first paranormal romance titles that I got for review. One of the things that still hits the spot for me with this series is it's uniqueness. It is so different from the average paranormal title you pick up. There are no vampires, no werewolves or anything like that. Rowe's paranormal characters are almost like superheroes except sometimes their powers can be on the dangerous side, which gives this series a kick that some readers won't be expecting. 


Rowe's characters tend to have some issues which is great for me as a reader. Her heroes can be brooding and a bit dark like Jarvis from, the second book in the series, Touch Me If You Dare. But they can also be lighter and more in touch with their feminine sides. Kind of like Nigel the hero in book three. Nigel is an artist, a painter and drawer. He is at peace with the fact that he can tame the harsher, rougher side of himself with art. But when that's taken away from him he has to find another way to calm the beast. I love the fact that Rowe's characters are so complex and so different from what you normally see in paranormal romance. Not to mention they are so bad-ass, they are amazing to read about. 

Readers met Natalie in the last book in the series, but Hold Me If You Can is completely centered on her and Nigel and their quest for their own happy ending. I admit I got a little tired of the on again off again attitudes these two had at times. I even wondered a couple of times if Rowe was going to turn it on it's end and keep these two apart. But happily it all turned out in the end and the journey was such a roller-coaster ride I could hardly put it down. Rowe's imagination is just unbelievable. I find myself often wondering how she came up with this story line? She must dream in color... LOL! How ever she does it, readers love it. 

Can't wait to read number four and I encourage all my paranormal romance fans to read this series, it's a must read. Each book can stand on it's own and give readers an amazing read, but when they are read together the effect is like fireworks. I love this series and this author and I think you'd be crazy to  miss this one!


Hold Me If You Can is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




 

Four-time RITA Award nominee and Golden Heart Award winner Stephanie Rowe is a nationally bestselling author and has more than 25 contracted titles with major publishers such as HarperCollins, Dorchester and Harlequin. Stephanie has charmed reviewers with her unique blend of humor and otherworldly magic. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

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