Book Review: To Have and To Hold by Lauren Layne

To Have and to Hold by Lauren Layne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ohhhh! I am positively SWOONING over To Have and To Hold by Lauren Layne!

Admittedly, I had reservations about it at the start. Seth doesn’t make the greatest of first impressions—not on Brooke and not on readers. However, his bristly, demanding demeanor in these opening scenes only makes his growth as a character that much more gratifying in the end. In terms of what I look for in a book boyfriend, the “hotel trillionaire” bit doesn’t appeal to me personally. But I will say that Seth won me over…and then some. He’s hardened, but he’s hardened for good reason. And although he occasionally makes cruel remarks—none of which I found unforgivable, btw—he knows it and owns it when he’s crossed a line.

Brooke, I loved from start to finish. Never whiny, never so obtuse that I wanted to shake her. Although she has her own reasons for being negative, she’s determine to stay on the bright side of things. Better yet, she does so without managing to be annoying.

Miscellaneous:
• I loved following Maya’s storyline, and the Tylers’ friend Grant made me laugh. (I actually could have had more of him.)
• At one point in the narrative, everything comes together so perfectly that it brought tears to my eyes.
• The book successfully piques interest in the rest of the Wedding Belles and their stories.
• While the sex scenes themselves are steamy, the storyline isn’t held hostage by gratuitous coupling.

As usual, Layne’s writing blows me away. The dialogue is perfect, the conflict on point. Perfectly paced, with no parts rushed and no saggy middle, To Have and To Hold consistently surprises readers with new and compelling information Definitely a must-read page-turner for fans of contemporary romance!

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