Book Review: Hold Tight (For You) by Alexa Riley

Hold Tight is the second installment in the For You series by Alexa Riley. I have not read the first book in this series, but I have read other books by the author and found that each book can be enjoyed on its own, but reading them in order does give a better sense of the main characters and how they interact.

 

A hotshot consultant hired to streamline Osbourne Corp. meets his match in Pandora Justice—the more she plays hard to get, the more he wants her.  Pandora Justice took over as head of security at Osbourne Corp. after her father's retirement. Eighty-hour workweeks are normal; being brushed up against by hot consultants with ridiculous names is not. And she doesn't like it. Not even one bit.  The first time Pandora sees Royce in the ring—all tattoos and sinew, covered in sweat—he looks at her like he's just won more than the fight. Like he won her.  Royce's cocky grin with deep dimples makes Pandora melt. Once she wanted to smack that look off his face—now all she wants to do is kiss it. For the rest of her life.  

Hold Tight is a quick, contemporary romance. I like that I had read a previous book where Pandora's parents meet so I already knew about the family, their personalities, and long standing family dynamics- however newcomers will not suffer for the loss of information. I liked that Pandora is a strong, hard working woman and an alpha in her own right. I like her work effort and transparency as to what she wants from the world. I also like her hidden vulnerabilities, her fear of getting hurt and how she tries to protect herself, even on an unconscious level. I also like that while Royce is a strong, confident man he give her the space that she needs to figure out what she wants. Even though he might want to push the issue, and occasionally veers into the stalker zone, he never pushes her so far that she feels the pressure. I did find the physical attraction and parts of the relationship to be a little over the top, but it was still a fast, fun read that gave me almost exactly what I expected from the author.

Hold Tight is a short, quick read. Fans of Riley will recognize and enjoy the writing style, and get more of what they are looking for. I found Royce to be less of the stalker, domineering male than her other books- which I counted as a good thing- but this is still very much about an alpha male falling for a strong woman.