Never Let You Go
a m o d e r n
f a i r y t a l e
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Date of Publication: 6.12.15
Number of pages: 450
Word Count: 141,298
Book Description:
Regret,
betrayal, kidnapping, loss, madness, abuse, passion, love.
In this modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, thirteen-year-old
foster children Griselda and Holden escape from their abductor after three
years of brutal captivity, and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot.
Tragically, one of them makes it to safety, but the other is left behind.
Ten years later, Griselda’s
boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match, and her world is turned
upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.
Though the connection between them
is fierce, bitter regret, simmering rage, and a tangle of physical and
emotional scars lie between them, just as dangerous as the white water of the
Shenandoah.
Never
Let You Go is a story of fear and hope, defeat and survival,
and two people—once profoundly broken—who discover that love is the only thing that can make them whole
again.
Purchase Links
Globug's Review
I'm going to start this by giving you a warning. You won't be able to put it down. It's starts in the midst of two thirteen year old children making an escape from their abusive captor. After three years, Holden and Griselda are finally breaking free and they're caught between the Shenandoah river on one side and The Man (Caleb Foster) in chase close behind them. Only Gris makes it across the river to freedom that day but her guilt keeps her imprisoned for the next ten years.
During those ten years Gris never gave up the hope of finding Holden. She also never allowed herself to be with anyone that would treat her right. She could never feel deserving of happiness when she had left Holden in hell. Technically she was the reason they were kidnapped in the first place and then all the times Holden had protected her from their captors wrath only added to the heaping pile of guilt she carried on her shoulders. But I was still surprised that she allowed a guy like her boyfriend Jonah to manipulate and man handle her.
As the author tells the story there are excerpts of their captivity included at various points that are heartbreaking and make it clear just how crazy The Man was. I was so relieved that neither Gris or Holden were ever molested. Before both kids ended up in foster care, they came from very different circumstances. Holden had very loving parents that he lost tragically and Gris had never had anyone to love her. I was so captivated by how both characters would appear weak or scared but would become fierce to protect each other. I loved the tender moments they had together while locked in a cellar or working in the garden. The simple encouragement they give each other, "I jump, you jump."and "keep your fingers over the letters",repeats through out keeping your heart aching with hope that they find peace and happiness. Poor Holden had been knocked unconscious when Gris escaped and then led to believe she had been shot and killed. For ten years he no longer had anything or anyone to live for. I would love for both of them to have remained virgins until they reunited but that's just not how their story goes. I wouldn't say he was a man whore but he did have his share of women. He placed no value on sex and never shared his heart with anyone. He was dead inside.
Fate finally brings them together and I hoped it would be the beginning of the happily ever after that they deserve but of course it's never that easy. Holden is ready and willing to drop everything and claim the woman he has loved since the first day he met her but Gris has so many doubts. She doubts that she can be what Holden wants and deserves. She doubts that he could possibly love her after all the pain she's brought to his life. She doubts that he can truly forgive her. She hates all the women he's been with and lets that cast doubt about him being able to stay true to her.
The most maddening part of the story has to be the interference from both of their ex's. Gemma and Jonah are two of the most selfish sacks of shit I've ever had to endure reading about. To tell you about the lengths to which they go to manipulate Holden and Gris would spoil too much. Misery loves company and you will have join my miserable state of mind over these two.
For ten years they believed they had to have each other to be whole but as they face their future together they finally realize that they need to be whole as an individuals first. Their faith in each other grows through each test and as they endure more time apart. Holden finds the sense of pride in himself that he's always needed to be whole. I was so pissed at Holden's ex but I will concede that the author made the best choice in how the situation with Gemma played out. I of course don't think she deserved any of the good things that happened to her. I'm okay with hating a character and Gemma and Jonah were two that I wanted to see suffer.
I have so many stars to give Never Let You Go. This modern day Hansel and Gretal makes my list of favorites so far this year. And as for the author Katy Regnery, my adoration of her continues to grow with every book she publishes.
For the month of June and July 2015 Regnery will donate 25% of the gross royalties to the Elizabeth Smart Foundation that aims to support the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and to educate children about violent and sexual crime. (For more information go here: elizabethsmartfoundation.org)
Excerpt
from Never Let You Go
This girl.
Everything about this girl made him want, made him long, made him yearn to change his life, start his life, finally live
his life after a decade of going through the motions. He wanted to get a better
job to take care of her. He wanted to stop fighting because she disapproved of
it. He wanted enough money to have every tally mark lasered from his arm. He
wanted some sort of guarantee that she’d never, ever leave him again. And he
wanted all of it now. Yesterday. Ten years ago, and every day since.
Standing up
slowly, he let his body settle into an upright position before taking his time
crossing the hall to the bathroom and then heading out into the common room.
She stood at the
stove with her back to him, her feet bare, her hair in a ponytail, the
mouthwatering smell of fried chicken filling the entire cabin with goodness.
Holden leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, a grin taking
over his face as he watched her.
“It’s just the
thought of you—the very thought of you, my love,” she sang, using a fork to
transfer a golden leg to a paper towel–covered plate.
As she reached
forward to turn off the stove, some of the leftover grease in the frying pan
spat up at her and burned her wrist.
“Ow!” she
yelped. “Damn it!”
With a sudden
rush of adrenaline, Holden crossed the kitchen in two strides. He turned on the
faucet and grabbed her arm to thrust her wrist under the cold stream. He held
it there, wincing at the red blotch developing on her white skin. When he
lifted his eyes to hers, she was staring at him with a surprised, curious
expression.
“It’s just a
little burn.”
He shrugged,
still holding her arm, staring down at the burn.
“You were
asleep,” she said.
“You were
singing.”
“Too loud?”
“No.”
“You remember
that song?”
“I remember.”
He slid his palm
down her arm to cradle her wrist from below.
“The stove’s
still on,” she said.
Without dropping
her hand, he took a step closer to her, reached around her waist with his free
hand, and flicked the burner off.
“I made fried
chicken,” she said softly, her cheeks flushed.
“I can smell
it.”
“You like fried
chicken. I mean . . . you must have mentioned it to me a hundred times when we
were—”
“It’s still my
favorite.”
They were both
silent for a few seconds, and Holden knew he should drop her hand and step away
from her, but he couldn’t. She’d hurt herself doing something kind for him, and
it just about shredded his heart.
Just
another moment, he told himself. A
few more seconds touching her and then I’ll move away.
“Sorry about the
singing,” she whispered, unmoving, her breath kissing his throat.
He jerked his
neck to face her, his thumb curling into her palm, his eyes searching hers for
mercy.
“I loved it,” he
murmured.
She stepped
forward, closing the distance between them, her lips parting, her breasts
grazing his chest through his T-shirt as she stared up at him.
“Holden, I . .
.”
Every breath she
took seemed to draw him closer to her, as if she was breathing him, not air. He
leaned forward, into her, his free hand reaching for hers.
“Griselda . . .”
Her eyes, dark
blue and churning, flicked to his lips, lingered there, then slid back up his
face and seized his.
His self-control
snapped.
After all, he
was only human.
About
the Author:
Award-winning and Amazon bestselling author Katy
Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in
January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract for a winter
romance entitled By Proxy.
Now a hybrid author who publishes both independently
and traditionally, Katy claims authorship of the six-book Heart of Montana series, the six-book English Brothers series, and a Kindle Worlds novella entitled Four Weddings and a Fiasco: The Wedding Date.
Katy’s short story “The Long Way Home” appears in the first Romance Writers of
America anthology, Premiere, and she
has published two stand-alone novels, Playing
for Love at Deep Haven and the Amazon bestseller The Vixen and the Vet, which is book one in Katy’s a m o d e r n f
a i r y t a l e collection. The Vixen and
the Vet was nominated for a RITA® Award in 2015.
Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield
County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her
husband, two young children, and two dogs create just enough cheerful chaos to
remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.
Upcoming (2015) Projects:
The Winslow
Brothers (Books
#1-4)
Ginger’s Heart, a modern fairytale
Never Let You Go is part of the a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e collection, which will include five standalone, unrelated novels:
"The Vixen and the Vet" (Beauty & the Beast) - available now
"Never Let You Go" (Hansel & Gretel) - available June 2015
"Ginger's Heart" (Little Red Riding Hood) - available TBD
"Don't Speak" (The Little Mermaid) - available TBD
Connect with Katy:
Katy LOVES
connecting with her readers and answers every e-mail, message, tweet, and post
personally! Click below to connect with Katy!
