Description
Firstborn of King Lior and heir to the throne of Raedonleith, Lady Rose has always known what was expected of her—marry a prince, bear a child, continue the royal line. None of that involved confirmation weeks before her wedding that she’s barren. Nor her betrothed deserting her at the news. Through years of pain, bleeding and loss, her faith has kept her strong but this last blow strikes deep into her spirit. Rose knew she was broken. Now the rest of Raedonleith will too.
More comfortable amid books than battles, Prince Nicholas of Belairisia is as surprised as anyone when he claims Lady Rose’s hand for himself upon first meeting. In front of every noble in Raedonleith. But neither does he regret it. Though it’s impulsive and out of character for the studious prince, there’s something in Rose’s fragile beauty that captivates Nicholas. She’s the treasure he’s searched his whole life to find. Armed with patience and hope, Nicholas determines to wait as long as it takes to prove his devotion.
But when an attempt on Rose’s life forces King Lior’s hand, the two are thrust into a marriage neither of them are prepared for, and a journey through enemy territory which may end the relationship before it’s barely begun.
bethany.aich –
Sad. Beautiful. Humbling. Wow.
On one hand, I’m kind of speechless. It feels wrong to ruin the beautiful silence after reading this book by plopping these stark black words onto this white page, as if they could possibly express anything accurately enough about the book.
I can’t capture the beauty, the brokenness, the healing. You’ll have to read it for yourself. And it’s worth it. It’s worth the tears, because there is also joy. It’s worth the sadness, because there is also Hope.
Honestly, this is the first of this series that have read, but I know the gist of the other two, and this one can stand alone. Boy, can it stand alone. Hold Her Close might have some typos in this first version but it’s so worth the read.
This is not a happy-go-lucky story, though it has a HEA. It’s the parable of the pearl of great price spoken of in the Gospel of Matthew. I’ll never read verses 45 and 46 the same again. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call this straight up biblical fiction—since it’s a novel based on a verse—it’s biblical. And it’s fiction. But it’s also real. I highlighted enough of this book to practically journal my own novella.
Alright, getting wordy here so I’ll wrap it up. Though these words still haven’t done justice to the beauty that is Hold Her Close, I’ve given it my best shot. This book is worth every minute it takes you to read it.
Romance: clean. There is a married couple, but I had zero issues with the romance. If someone is very, very, very sensitive (I’m a very sensitive reader, generally speaking), they might have a problem with a couple parts of it.
Violence: hmmm…while I wouldn’t call it violent, Hold Her Close has many difficult aspects, including references to and brief scenes of violence. There are also possibly triggering mentions of abuse, and the inability to conceive is a big theme throughout.
While I did receive a copy of this book from the publisher, I have read several of Hannah’s other books and been very happy with them, though none have given me quite the punch in the gut this one did. I leave this review in all of its persuasiveness toward trying to get you to read this book of my own volition, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.