Hold

This book took me by surprise. It is set in a futuristic setting and the FMC is sent to a prison planet unjustly - in order to survive, she must ally herself with the strongest man there, which she does.No spoilers, but this is a slow burn in the best sense, and I wished it was longer. I wanted to know more about the characters, and even though this is a short book, it felt rich in details. I felt like I was in this world. I loved Hall as a secondary character too and he gets his own story in the next book in this series.Overall, please read this. I have re-read it many times and think about it often. It is such an interesting story and the spice is also off the charts.

Interesting framing of a regression to anamalistic behaviour in a survival situation.seemingly this authors speciality.spice rating of.. continuoussituational and character building very convincing

FINAL DECISION: Okay read. Mostly sex that wasn't very sexy at all. I wanted to know how they resolved the story because the situation was so intriguing. I didn't really see much about a relationship, though, until a quick resolution in the epilogue so this was an okay one-time read, but clearly not my type of book.THE STORY: Riana is convicted of a minor crime but sentenced to life on a prison planet. The prison planet is a free for all where only the most dangerous — survive. She is told that her best chance for survival is to find the toughest man and offer herself to him in exchange for protection. Riana immediately decides on Cain, who happens to have a private cell with a bathroom. Any man who could have such accommodations must be tough. So Riana seeks to make a deal with Cain to survive.OPINION: This novella was a little darker and more brutal than I like in my stories generally. Most of the book is pure sex and mere survival with little to no personal relationship between the main characters. I thought the story felt appropriate for the location, but all the softness is at the end, and that's not what I like in my stories. For readers who like lots and lots of sex in their stories and don't particularly care about the softer things, this story is well constructed. It feels appropriate, and I understand the characters' motivations. This is not a bad story, but perhaps the prison sub-genre is just not for me.WORTH MENTIONING: This is a novella-length story.CONNECTED BOOKS: HOLD is the first book in the Hold series.STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

Wow! I had forgotten how unique this story was! I read this years ago and immediately fell in love with not only these characters, but this style of writing. Now, in response to a challenge, I’ve had the opportunity to reread this one and realize why it left such an impact on me.This is a story that I’m not sure what sub-genre of romance it would be labeled under. It’s not post-apocalyptic, I don't think. It’s definitely spicey and has an amazing romance. I guess it’s a Sci-fi erotic romance? Wherever it falls, it fell straight into my heart as it captivated me with it’s original backdrop and storyline.Riana was one tough girl, but she was also smart enough to know that she was going to need more than just her own abilities to survive in this new life she had been sentenced to. I loved that with one look shared between her and Cain had them both recognizing that they needed or wanted each other.Cain was one scary, awesome hero. He was alpha without ever thumping his chest to prove it to the world. His ability to control a situation came from simply stepping in and handling it in any way that was required, with the least violence he could manage. I loved how his adjustment and acceptance of Riana went from hot and steamy to sweet and caring without ever losing the sizzle and heat.I never had the opportunity to read the next book in this series, which is a different couple, so I’ll be digging into that next!

This story is something else. I read other reviews and so I had an idea. However, this world is cruel. There is a coalition that is a type of government. They are sending people to a planet called Genus that is a free for all prison; where the prisoners live without guards for minor and major crimes. The prisoners have to fight for food. The first chapter gives a bit of history about the lead female named Riana. She was an archeologist and accidentally committed a crime, that should not have been a crime. As Riana was released into the prison, the warden tells her to find the strongest person and align yourself with them, otherwise you will not survive. Read On!

Color me shocked. This fluffy bunny enjoyed the stuffing out of this book, and I read it in one night.This is NOT for everyone, let me be clear. This is dark, dubcon at the beginning, messed up survival story based on a prison planet where alot of nasty things go on, so much so that it's hard to see anything romantic about it at all. And yet, here we are.The relationship between Cain and Riana begins in a very transactional manner and yet, it builds in a way that I believed their HEA at the end. Their Firsts are gritty yet their connection pulled me in and I kept turning the page until I got to the end. There's unexpected moments of real emotional connection that make the dark bits tolerable. And the ending is sweet yet takes the time to deal with the fallout of their dubious beginnings. There's extreme violence, sexual assaults left and right, so if that's a trigger for you, don't read this book.But if the darker edge of a prison planet romance don't bother you, you may really be captivated by this story the way I was. I'm glad I finally dug it out of my TBR pile, so much so that I'm going to look into the other books in the series.

I love absolutely everything about this book ♡

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/6.🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5.I loved this whole concept.I loved Cain and his grumpiness and grunts and I loved Riana and how she made the best out of her situation. I loved them both together and I can’t wait to read more in this

This one... Oh my.... Right from page 1, I was completely hooked.I was so nervous for Riana as she is taken to the Hold, the prison cell. I was so scared for her. She was totally clueless as to how she was going to survive in this most inhuman and vicious prison.But a whispered sentence, "Find the strongest man here", is her only ray of hope.But there isn't much time and the strong men are already descending on her to claim her.But, Cain, the silent loner had caught her interest. Something about him made her feel like he could be the only one to keep her safe.Ahhhh.... I was so on the edge, not knowing what would happen next and how it would.Prison life is full of dangers and even a single meal is like a fight for life. Riana is really lucky to have found a strong man like Cain.Can I just say that their Chemistry, Cain and Riana, together were OH SO FREAKING HOTTTTT. LIKE ALL CONSUMING, SUPER INTENSE. ESPECIALLY THE INTIMATE SCENES WERE SOME OF THE HOTTEST AS THEY REALLY SO INTIMATE EMOTION WISE, FEELINGS WISE. 🔥🔥🔥😍😍😍😍😍.I was just in awe of them both together.I oh so loved every minute with Cain and Riana and this one is definitely going into my reread piles for sure. Loved loved this one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The only complaint I could think for this book is that it ended. I was hooked from the first few pages and it delivered all that it promised and so much more. I fell in love with these characters, with the situation, and this book is easily a favorite that I will read again and again.

★Review★I first read this years ago, when it was published by EC under the Zannie Adams pen name.It came to my attention it had been re published and substantially revised and expanded so I decided to grab the newer version and see the difference.The main story between the hero and heroine is the same. Maybe a touch neater and a touch more depth to it, especially at the ending.The main difference is the addition of a new character, Hall, who it seems may be getting his own book at some point.However, still loved it.It is not an overly complicated premise, it pretty much focuses on the 2 main characters, Riana and Cain, with Cain being a pretty mysterious character throughout, but with glimpses of who he was before, and how he is trying to retain his humanity, when all around him have devolved to base animal instinct!An erotic, hot enjoyable read.★Book Basics★Genre : - Futuristic RomanceSeries : - StandaloneLove triangle? - NoCheating? - NoHEA? - YesWould I read more by this author? - YesRating - 5