Review: Hold Me Today by Maria Luis

Title:	Hold Me Today
Author:	Maria Luis
Series:	Put a Ring on It (Book 1)
Pages:	435
Category / Genre(s):	Contemporary
Trope(s):	Best Friend’s Brother Fake Relationship
Point of View:
Location:	US
HEA:	✔️
Release Date:	17th January, 2019

Wow – just wow!

Let me start by laying it out quite simply – this book slayed me. In the best possible way. It made me laugh – it made me cry – it made me laugh while crying. I gasped out loud – and had to fan myself on more than one occasion. All in all, it was utterly fantastic.

I’ve never read Maria Luis before but now I want to get everything she has ever written and I want it now. This books stands alone but I did notice tiny teases of her Blades Hockey books, and the introduction of a certain burly ex-footballer with cynical eyes, who I’m hoping will be the subject of the next book in this series, Kiss Me Tonight.

Back to this story – I am straight up in love with Mina. Just bloody love her. She came alive off the pages and I want to simultaneously hug her for her vulnerabilities, and also to be her because she’s so damn sassy, sweet, kind, fun, mouthy – and everything else in between. But you also needn’t fear – she’s no cookie cutter adorable airhead. She’s smart and savvy in her own way. No cliches for Mina. I almost loved her more than I loved Nick. Almost.

“…quite simply – this book slayed me. In the best possible way.”

Because Nick is just perfection. He’s a hot construction boss who might be called grumpy. Even he thinks he’s staid and sensible but oooft – that man can be bad when he wants to be. And dirty to boot. And no saint ever looked the way that he does. Yum! I especially loved the way he’s looked after Mina all her life. He’s cared for her all his life. And he even thinks that he doesn’t, and hasn’t always been in love with her. It’s so adorable that he’s so clueless about his own feelings.

I’m also almost speechless at the sexual tension and the build of Nick and Mina as a couple – I’m pretty sure my eyes rolled back in my head at one point as my stomach clutched. A dangerously gorgeous mixture of sweet and oh-so-sexy. I was overwhelmed with love and lust!

Ms Luis’s words just flowed from beginning to end. I found myself having to re-read paragraphs because I wanted to devour them so quickly – but also wanted to make sure I caught every single work. She so deftly captures the nuances of the evolution of the relationship between Nick and Mina. It’s not just a simple friends to lovers. Neither is it a high school crush brought to reality. It’s more. It’s everything.

I honestly cannot praise this book highly enough. I feel a bit shell-shocked now it’s over. Like I’m wrung out in the best possible way. Truly spectacular and very worthy of 5 stars from me.

Maria is a big fan of books, nature, dogs, and pretty things – not always in that order, though.

By day, Maria is a historian who specializes in 19th century New Orleans and 14th century London. What do the two eras have in common? Not much, except for disease, scandal, and crime – Maria’s favorite historical topics. (For real, if you want to talk any of the above, just reach out!)

When not digging through the archives, Maria writes romances about strong men and the sassy women who sweep them off their feet.

Put a Ring on It Series: