Held Against You

New Adult / Romantic Suspense

By Season Vining

Synopsis

A gorgeous bounty hunter. A wanted woman. A passion they can’t deny.
Accused of a horrific crime and on the run, Kat has been rejected by everyone she loves. She’s a fugitive from her past, flitting from town to town with nothing but the clothes on her back—until she meets a man who literally stops her in her tracks.
A notorious bounty hunter with powerful instincts, he never fails to capture his prey. But there’s something about Kat that gets under his skin–and it’s not just the naked innocence he sees in her pretty eyes. Behind his ice cold demeanor, he has his own darkness… and now his lively, vulnerable mark is about to crack him wide open.
As they travel across the country together, both captor and captive are unable to deny the spark of attraction between them. Will their journey bring them together…or will their dangerous secrets tear them apart?

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Michel’s Review

I am always on the look out for new authors to read.  Held Against You by Season Vining was brought to Smut Book Junkie Reviews attention through publisher/ publicist outreach months before the actual book was released.  When I read the synopsis I was intrigued.  It was a combination of two of my favorite genres, New Adult and Romantic Suspense.  I took this generous offer to read the ARC copy for review.

I LOVED Held Against You!  It was  witty, entertaining, adventurous, gritty, and a very sexy read.  The characters were larger than life.  They had personality in spades.  The dialogue was creative, snarky, and intuitive.  The pacing of the story was perfect.  The suspense and high octane was consistent throughout the story and had readers guessing the outcome to the very end.  It had the right amount of sexual tension, emotional passages, and passionate moments.  This book was a little less graphic in the bedroom scenes but was not lacking in projecting the red hot passion and chemistry between the characters.  The entire plot to this story was unique and fresh.  When I finished this book I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it.  It was a page turner that kept my attention to the very last page.

Held Against You was not your typical angsty New Adult book. It may have been classified in this genre because of the characters age and general life experience, but they were not tormented angsty souls.  They had a very defined situation that they had to deal with.  They dealt with this situation to the best of personal abilities ( I say this loosely, because both characters fall in opposite sides of the spectrum, therefore they dealt with things to their individual ability).  Somehow, even though they had opposing roles in their situation, they were able to merge and find a solution that worked for both of them.

Held Against You is not your typical romantic suspense either.  There are several players in the story and at times the reader is not sure who the bad guy is.  The danger and fear does escalate to an explosive ending, but the journey getting there is full high octane explosions that have the reader wondering where this is leading.  It was not predictable.

Held Against You starts out with a fast paced heart racing moment.  The reader gets to meet Kat.  She is on the run.  She committed murder and is trying to get to the Canadian border.  She is penniless and without means for survival.  Through sheer wit she manages to elude the authorities.  Little does she know that a bounty hunter has been sent to collect her.  Her determination and wit has kept her out of his grasp for over a month.  He is tired, cranky, and pissed off that one little woman could elude him in the flash of an eye. But luck is on his side and he finally is able to capture her.  Bringing her back is going to turn out to be an even bigger nuisance than capturing her was.  It is going to be the road trip from hell.  Kat is more than a murderer, she is a snarky pain in the butt.  She doesn’t know when to shut up and she doesn’t know how to obey.  What seems like easy money is going to make him earn every penny.  It may make him grow a conscience and change his profession, or it may make him change his profession for peace and quiet.

All is not what it seems.  As the story unfolds it becomes quite clear that there really isn’t a right and wrong, black and white.  Kat’s life is every shade of grey.  Is her head worth the money it is going to bring? Or is there a sinister motive for the hunt?

Read this book! It will not disappoint!  I loved every word!

I was so impressed with Season Vining’s writing.  I had to go and download her previous book, Beautiful Addictions.  I think that she is going to make her mark in the book lovers world.

Author Bio:

SEASON VINING is an author, a designer, a philanthropist, a bookworm, a cook, inked, and a night owl. She loves John Hughes films, tattooed boys, and celebrating anniversaries of her 29th birthday. She lives in Louisiana, where she likes to spend time with her corgi, Chap.

Season is a graphic designer by trade and adores all form of art. She’s a fan of live music, vintage cars, and people who know the difference between their, there, and they’re.

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