Comments on: REVIEW: ‘Hard to Hold’ (2009) by Stephanie Tyler

By: heidenkind

heidenkind — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:19:22 +0000

Hmm, where’d the little reply thingie go?

@Sarah~I do like mysteries, although not as much as romances.

@Keishon~I do the same thing when I’m reading something boring! Especially if it’s a boring article I have to read for school. Backwards is totally the way to go.

By: Marissa

Marissa — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:43:50 +0000

Sorry to hear this story did not work for you, I still have to read it, it is somewhere in my tbr… I like romantic suspense books but the suspense part has to be believeable and just as strong as the romance part otherwise it does not work for me.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:52:01 +0000

@heidenkind Do you like mysteries? If so, an author like Karen Rose might suit you better. Her books -particularly the Vartanian trilogy – are definitely dark romantic suspense with an emphasis on the suspense plot.

@Keishon Maybe that would have improved my reading experience!

By: Keishon

Keishon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:45:46 +0000

Don’t laugh but to avoid getting too bored, I started reading the ending and went backwards. Go me. I did read it all, unfortunately.

By: heidenkind

heidenkind — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:07:40 +0000

I usually have a problem with these types of books, too. That’s why I don’t read a lot of romantic suspense. I think I’ll avoid this one.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:48:19 +0000

@Pearl I was in the mood for a romantic suspense and thought I’d give a new-to-me author a try. While it might not have been a keeper, I’m pretty sure I’d have enjoyed the book a lot more if it hadn’t been for the multiple POVs. Ultimately, it was this aspect which put me off finishing the book.

@Leontine I think there are two basic types of romantic suspense books: those which are heavily focused on the romance with the suspense adding a bit of external tension; and those which are more centred on the suspense with the love story serving as a subplot. There are a few books in which the romance and the suspense are equally balanced, but they tend to be few and far between. As a romance reader who also enjoys thrillers and mysteries, my personal preference is for the emphasis to be on the suspense. I realize many romance readers prefer the opposite, which is why I drew attention to that in my review.

By: Leontine

Leontine — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:22:41 +0000

Quote review: The basic set-up is fairly typical romantic suspense fodder and bound to appeal to many readers.

*Raises hand* – I’m one of those readers ;D Bummer this one couldn’t keep you entertained Sarah :S

By: Pearl

Pearl — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:51:43 +0000

Sorry to hear this book didn’t work for you. I am curious why you wanted to read it if this kind of romantic suspense rarely works for you? Did you expect it to be darker/grittier than it turned out to be based on blurb and/or other reviews?

I loved the multiple POVs and they didn’t bother or confuse me at all. They gave the book a richer feel IMO and gave me more understanding of Jake and Isabelle and loved the bonus romance between Sarah and Clutch. However, I can also understand that it might not work for others.