Hold on Tight

Mia and Jake’s second-chance story in Hold On Tight by Serena Bell, book one in her Returning Home series, was an emotional, enjoyable and heartwarming tale. Eight years prior, Mira Shipley had a beautiful summer with the soldier she met, Jake Taylor. Jake was Mia’s first love, her first everything, and unfortunately they parted, not on great terms. When Mia discovered consequences from their last night together, she tried to find Jake to let him know about their son, but was unable to locate him, anywhere throughout the Army. At that point she vowed that if she ever saw Jake again, she would tell him he had a son, Sam. Mia was tired of living at home with her parents and very tired of her controlling father. When she is offered a job, across the country in Seattle, where they used to live, she takes it. Mia is raising her son on her own, without family or a support group nearby, her babysitter just quit, and while waiting for her son during his last PT session, in walks the messiest and hottest guy she’s ever seen, Jake Taylor; Sam’s real dad. Mia never expected to ever see Jake again, and is surprised at his anger and that he is wounded. Jake wanted to be a Ranger since he watched the destruction on 9/11; it is the only life for him. Getting injured and losing a leg in the explosion that killed his best friend has Jake at a loss as to what to do with his life. Then he sees Mia, the one woman he could never forget; the one woman he saw a future with. He is shocked at Mia’s news, that he has a son, but before she leaves, offers to watch Sam for her. Mia accepts Jake’s offer and realizes she needs to be patient with him; as well as give him a chance to get to know his son. Mia soon realizes that when it comes to Jake she’s a goner; there is no way for her to keep this alpha warrior from breaking her or her son’s hearts. After eight years the magnetic attraction and off the charts, sizzling chemistry is still there between them. It is going to take time and determination before they can overcome their fears, learn to trust each other, and maybe, just maybe, re-connect and become a family. Ms. Bell wrote an emotional and heartwarming romance that should not be missed. This tale abounds with emotions, magnetic attraction, sizzling chemistry, wonderful dialogue, and authentic characters giving Mia and Jake a second-chance at love while having a forever together as a family. I highly recommend Hold On Tight to other readers

Emotional, heartfelt, and real. A wounded military vet, a young mother, and a too smart for his own good seven-year-old - these characters and their story grabbed hold of me and didn't let go. The whole story is beautifully done, but the stand out element for me lay in the characters. They aren't perfect by any means, and their romance certainly isn't all sunshine and roses, but they also aren't over the top. What they are is authentic. These are people who could be your neighbors, your friends, people you could run into at the grocery store. The doubts, the fears, the anger, the hope, it's all there as Jake and Mira do the best they can with their circumstances. They don't always make the right decisions, and they don't always do what we think they should, but their actions and reactions feel genuine. This couple does have great chemistry, and they are drawn together with an almost magnetic force, which makes it impossible not to root for them, especially with young Sam in the mix. I absolutely loved Sam with his inquisitive nature and honesty that is so prevalent in children. The only drawback for me was that wrap-up felt a little unnecessarily drawn out, but it's also understandable because I didn't want to let go of these characters at the end either. Hold on Tight is suitably named because it certainly held on tight to me from the very beginning. It's an engaging story with a sometimes grumpy vet with a heart as big as Texas, a single mom doing the best she can, and a sweet little boy I constantly wanted to hug.

This is a really good start to a new series. This is not a light, easy read. There are some very serious subjects explored in a very sensitive way.