Review of Too Much To Lose by Samantha Holt

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Too Much to Lose
SERIES – Dirty Little Secrets
AUTHOR – Samantha Holt
GENRE – Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – 5th September
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 75000

 

 

BOOK BLURB / SYNOPSIS

Have you ever been so desperate you made a decision that would haunt you forever?

Jess has.

She became a porn star.

Jess is on the run from her past. She has no friends, no life. She tries to forget everything that happened to her all those years ago. After changing her image, leaving her home and getting a new job, she’s determined it won’t happen again. If that means never being close to anyone ever again, then so be it.

If only Hunter O’Reilly didn’t  make her wish things could be different.

Hunter needs this job. After being screwed over by his partner—make that ex-partner—his investigation business is on the line. Already in debt, he eagerly takes on the job of finding some stolen money at triple his going rate and all leads point in Jess’s direction. He expects problems at that price. But he doesn’t  expect to fall for her.

However, no job is ever that simple. When he’s forced to spend more time with her, the lines between business and pleasure are blurred. And once Jess’s life comes under threat, they have to make a decision, can they both overcome Jess’s past?

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – GOODREADS

 

 

EXCERPT
Excerpt 1 PG

“If you’re in trouble, I know some people who can help.”
“I’m not in trouble. Really, I’m not. I mean who would want to kill me? I know bankers aren’t exactly popular—” she lets loose a shaky laugh “—but I’m harmless.”
Harmless? Not sure about that. Jess sends my heart racing, makes my skin clammy. She’s driving me insane. Harmless? No way.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
“Do?”
“Shall I stick around?”
“Oh. No, you don’t need to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I’m fine. Seriously. Thank you for today. You must be tired and I bet your side hurts.”
It does, but I’m not going to admit to that. “It’s fine.”
“Look about that kiss….”
“That was my fault.”
“I kissed you.”
“You did.” I can’t resist letting my mouth curve upwards. She kissed me, but I don’t know if that’s a bad or a good thing. While my pride basks in it, the voice inside that keeps pulling at my gut wants to scream at her to run while she still can. I’m no good for her. “But I kissed you back,” I point out. “And I should not have been… er… touching you out there.”
She draws her bottom lip between her teeth. “It’s okay.”
Hell, how do those two tiny words send an arrow of need straight to my cock? It’s okay that I was kissing her? Or touching her up? It’s okay that I want her so badly I nearly bent her over my bike to fuck her?
Before I can dwell on it anymore and make an even bigger fool of myself, I get to my feet. “Will you let me stay?”
“I don’t think so. It’s too risky.”
A hard knot forms in my throat. I’m more dangerous to her than a crazed gunman it seems. She might be right. If—when—I find that money, her whole life is going to come crashing down.
“Don’t answer the door to anyone. Be careful. Call me if you need me. In fact, call me tomorrow.” She follows me to the door. “Please?” I add as uncertainty dashes across her face.
Jess opens the door and I step out. “I’ll call you,” she says when I turn to face her.
“Promise?”
She rolls her eyes and her mouth curves. “I promise.”
Those lush lips snare my attention and my own smile drops. My skin feels hot and itchy, my pulse urgent. This is insane. I rest an arm against the door frame, my feet still firmly planted on the other side of the threshold and bring my mouth slowly down on hers. She softens but doesn’t touch me. We’re divided by the invisible line between the corridor and her room. I can’t help thinking of it as symbolic. We’re divided by secrets and lies.
Not that any of that matters once our lips connect. I swear I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman so much. Kisses are about the end game. But not with Jess. I want to drown in her kisses, to kiss her all day and see if I ever tire of them. I suspect it’s unlikely.

MY REVIEW:

I have never read any of Samantha's books before.  I was quite impressed with her writing, characters and storyline.  Her storyline was so believable and I loved Jess and Hunter.  Their chemistry was instant from the very first moment they set eyes on each other.  Hunter was a total jerk at first but everything changed when he realized Jess was in danger and when he found out the truth about her.  He was so desperate that he made lots of mistakes like not trusting his judgment of Jess. 

Hunter became very protective of Jess when he realized she was in danger.  He did whatever he could to protect her.  Jess had lived a tough life and made lots of mistakes which she was now paying for.  Instead of giving up, she was trying to better herself which was so hard to do when she was constantly on the run.  She couldn't allow herself to become close to anyone.  Jess was afraid they would find out the truth about her and would want nothing to do with her.  Jess and Hunter find themselves falling in love but will Jess's past come back and destroy their love?

I love Samantha's writing.  She writes with such feeling and her characters and storyline are so believable.  There are a lot of young women out there who are facing the same choices that Jess had to make and also her mistakes.  Samantha portrays the life that Jess had to live very nicely in the story.  If you are looking for action, suspense, mystery and romance this book is for you.  I highly recommend you read this book.  You will not regret it.  I could not put it down.  I am looking forward to reading more of Samantha's books in the future.  5 stars

Character Bios

 

Please tells us a little bit about the main characters of your book:
Hunter O’Reilly
Originally from Ireland, Hunter came over to the UK as a boy when his mother left his alcoholic father. Determined and intelligent, he will do all he can to prove he’s nothing like that man who abandoned them. After being screwed over by his business partner, his private investigation company is sinking and he’s about to lose everything. Which is where Jessica Callahan comes in…
Jessica Callahan
Jess has just scored a decent job working in a bank after two years of studying hard and working for crappy tips in a London Irish bar. No one has figured out who she is since moving to London and she hopes to keep it that way. Finally her life is coming together. After running away for an abusive home and falling into the world of porn, she never wants to go back to that life and she will do all she can to keep it hidden—to the point of keeping anyone and everyone out of her life. Even the gorgeous Hunter O’Reilly can’t be allowed into her life, no matter how hard it is to deny him.

　

AUTHOR BIO

Samantha lives in a small village in England with her gorgeous twin girls and husband who is a trained bodyguard and ex-soldier. She traditionally writes historical romances involving chivalrous knights and hot highlanders, but occasionally dabbles in contemporary romance.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK

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