Never Let You Go

A Modern Day Fairytale

Inspired by Hansel & Gretel

By Katy Regnery

Synopsis

In this modern retelling of “Hansel and Gretel,” 13-year-old foster children, Holden and Griselda, escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety but the other is left behind.

Ten years later, Griselda’s boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match where her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.

Though the connection between them is fierce, bitter regret, simmering rage and a cache of physical and emotional scars lie between them, just as dangerous as the whitewater of the Shenandoah.

Never Let You Go is a story of fear and hope, defeat and survival, and two people – once profoundly broken – who discover that love is the only thing that can make them whole again.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Hansel & Gretel. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, scenes of physical abuse and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (Note: children are not sexually abused in this book.)

For June and July 2015, 25% of all gross royalties will be donated to the Elizabeth Smart Foundation.

(The next standalone a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e novel, Ginger’s Heart, inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, will be released in Winter 2015/2016.)

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

I am always apprehensive of romances based off of fairy tales.  I hate cheesy erotic remakes that are borderline soft porn.  So many erotic romance authors have ruined a classic fairy tale and delivered a sub par romance.  When I read the synopsis for this book I was intrigued.  It sounded like a romantic suspense book.  At the same time I was very leery because it was based around the Hansel & Gretel fairytale. I was afraid that this new Hansel & Gretel would be too busy sampling each other than living the actual story. I have to admit that this particular fairytale always scared the crap out me as a child.  The idea of abandonment, getting lost, and being captured was frightening.

Wow ! Wow ! Wow!   Never Let You Go by Katy Regnery blew me away!  I absolutely loved this book.  I was stunned at the brilliance in the author’s retelling of the classic fairytale Hansel & Gretel.  The modern twist were very realistic.  The terror and suspense kept me on the edge of my seat.  The resilience and survival instinct of the characters was riveting. The pure love and trust between them was breathtaking.  I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting.

Imagine two ten year old children walking to the store.  Because of their upbringing in the foster care system their stranger danger sensors are diluted.  They have had to trust strangers all of their lives.  When a stranger approaches them on the side of the road acting like they are very familiar to them, they easily assume that he is related to their foster parents.  After all, the man has a puppy, how can he be a bad person.  Wrong..wrong…wrong.

Holden Croft was placed in a new foster home three days before his abduction.  Because of his small size and stammer, he was bullied and abused in his previous foster homes.  When the little girl about the same age as him, living in his new home, befriends him; he finally feels like he has a place where he might fit in.  Griselda was a beautiful golden child that had a smile that radiated like the sun.  She was smart and strong.  Holden desperately wanted this girl to be his friend.

When their foster parents take the family for camping trip in West Virginia the following weekend their lives will be forever changed.  They will become bonded to one another for life.  They will live through the worst terror and nightmares any person could experience.  The only thing that kept them surviving was their bond and love for each other.

For three years they were held captive by a madman.  They were beaten, tortured , and worked to the bone.  When the opportunity and the dire need to escape presents itself they run.  Their escape attempt is thwarted.  Holden is recaptured and Griselda manages to get away.  By the time she reaches the authorities, Holden and the bad man have disappeared.

For ten years Zelda (Griselda ) has lived with the guilt of leaving Holden behind.  She has punished herself and does not allow herself any happiness.  She is saving every penny to hire private detectives to find out what happened to Holden.

For ten years Holden has thought Griselda was dead.  The bad man killed her and took him away.  He became the person the bad man thought him to be.  He was no longer Holden Croft.  Holden Croft died along with Griselda ten years ago.

By fate, they are brought together once again.  They will have to let go of the guilt, the fear, the regrets, and the nightmares.  They will have to become Gris and Holden once again.  They will find that although they are now two entirely different people, they are still H + G. They still need each other for survival.

This is an extremely emotional story.  The reader will experience the horrors that these two children went through.  They will weep for the adults they have become.  They will ache right along with Holden and Griselda.  They will rejoice in the pure love these two have for another.

Never Let You Go is a powerful story. It’s a psychological thriller that is just as frightening as the real Hansel & Gretel fairytale. It is also a beautiful romance that has a happily ever after ending. It has action, suspense, emotional angst, and unforgettable romance.  I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book I have read by Katy Regnery.  When I looked up her books I was shocked at how many books and good ratings she has.  I quickly downloaded the first book in the Modern Fairytale series and can’t wait to sink into that one.  Katy definitely has a creative flare that delivers a fresh voice and enthralling story.

The Modern Fairytale Series

The Vixen And The Vet – Book 1

Inspired by Beauty and The Beast

**2015 RITA Finalist!**

“With Southern charm and a deeply romantic plot, readers will fall in love with this modern day fairy tale.” –RT BOOK REVIEWS

In this modern-retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” Savannah Carmichael, betrayed by an unreliable source, returns to her hometown of Danvers, Virginia with her once-promising journalism career in ruins. Given the opportunity to get back in the game by writing a patriotic human interest piece, Savannah turns her attention to the town hermit, Asher Lee, a wounded veteran who returned to Danvers eight years ago, and hasn’t been seen since.

After an IED explosion in Afghanistan took Asher’s hand and disfigured half of his face, he’s lived a quiet life on the outskirts of Danvers where the locals respect his privacy…that is, until Savannah Carmichael comes calling in a borrowed sundress with a plate of homemade brownies. When Asher agrees to be interviewed by Savannah, he starts feeling things for the beautiful reporter that he hasn’t felt in years.

Misfits in small-town Danvers, Savannah and Asher create a bond right away, touching each other’s hearts in ways neither thought possible. When a terrible mistake threatens to drive them apart, they’ll have to decide if the love they found in one another’s arms is strong enough to fight for their hard-won happily ever after.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Beauty & the Beast. Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, realistically depicted scenes of war and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

(The next standalone a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e novel, Never Let You Go, inspired by Hansel & Gretel, will be released on June 19, 2015.)

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Ginger’s Heart

Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood

Coming December 2015

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Author Bio

Katy Regnery, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author, started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract for a winter romance entitled By Proxy.

Now a hybrid author who publishes both independently and traditionally, Katy claims authorship of the six-book Heart of Montana series, the six-book English Brothers series, and a Kindle Worlds novella entitled “Four Weddings and a Fiasco: The Wedding Date,” in addition to the standalone novels, Playing for Love at Deep Haven and Amazon bestseller, The Vixen and the Vet.

The Vixen and the Vet is included in the charity anthology Hometown Heroes: Hotter Ever After, and Katy’s novella “Frosted” will appear in the upcoming (Jan ’15) anthology, Snowy Days Steamy Nights. Additionally, Katy’s short story, “The Long Way Home” will appear in the first RWA anthology (Feb ’15), Premiere.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, and two dogs create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.

Connect with Katy:

Katy LOVES connecting with her readers and answers every e-mail, message, tweet and post personally!

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