I didn't understand what the author meant with the repeated paragraph or two from the end of the previous chapter in a different POV. It didn't add to anything and didn't provide me with anything new. I ended up skimming that everytime I saw that, which was quite often. There were a few good aspects and surprises that developed between Shelby and Ace but I wished there was more. I wanted more of their history as friends and this underlying attraction. It just seemed like it was instant and almost by default. There was plenty of spice that people would enjoy but I just felt so disconnected with the characters that it was hard to enjoy that. After a horrific tragedy in her teens that cost her both her parents, and the recent brutal murder of her sister, Claire is running. That's all she knows how to do, move from place to place and make no attachments. Especially to a man. But then when she has no other choice, she finds herself turning for help to the only man that has tempted her in over 9 years.

Noah's life hasn't always been the one he lives now. He's a savvy businessman, own hotels across the country. He never sleeps with same woman twice. That is until he meets Claire. And with one taste, he realises that he can never let her go. Someone else is just as consumed by Claire--someone who will kill to possess her. And if Noah can't stop the hunter in the darkness, he may just lose the one woman that he can't live without. I received an Advanced Reader Copy and am voluntarily reviewing it. Jon Moretti was placed at the head of the Montagna by Cyrus Holt after the death of Anthony Montagna. Jon was the consigliere for the family and walked into some animosity from the underboss, Ronaldo, who was considered the next in line.As for the actual story, I liked this one better than the first book. Ace and Shelby are both coming off a mutual betrayal, and even though they've been strictly friends all these years, the undercurrent is very much alive between these two, and once they finally give it permission to spark, damn do these two really combust. The love they had for each other was great, and I never felt like they were rushing into something they weren't ready for, nor was it a rebound situation.. these were just two people who had been hurt and humiliated, and took that and cultivated a real relationship. I truly loved that. Claire may come off as a delicate flower, broken, vulnerable and fragile…she is anything but. As has been my experience with this series, Cynthia Eden’s heroines have a quiet strength. They don’t need to be loud, sassy or in your face. It’s an inner strength that shines through effortlessly and when it matters most. And her heroes……yeah, where does one stand in line for them? They are alpha. They take charge. They SATISFY. But above all, they’re an intriguing combination of strength and vulnerability. Even they have their weaknesses, and though the outside world may not see it, they aren’t afraid to share that with their woman. He hadn’t been afraid, not since his parents had died. Even when he’d been battling the enemy—in ice, in sand, in the dankest forest he’d ever imagined—Noah hadn’t been afraid.

The thing I hated the most about this book was, Claire's constant running. I understand that she had trust issues but I thought being with Noah would help her get over them! Apart from that the whole book was perfect. Writing flows, never dragging but it is a simple book with a simple narration. It didn't make me feel much. Also, nothing much happens in it.I also liked that Claire wasn't a meek little mouse. She's been through so much in her life, and she is still vulnerable from her past but she still had this strength at the core of her. I thought she was the perfect match for Noah and his past. I loved watching their relationship develop.

If you like second chance romances, you will enjoy MINE TO HOLD. Colt has to return to his hometown for his little sister’s wedding on the heels of being left at the altar just six months ago. Fourteen years ago, Colt couldn’t get out of the small town in Ohio fast enough, but there was this girl he neveNew York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Eden continues her dark and sexy "Mine" romantic suspense series with...MINE TO HOLD. Emma never told her best friend about her long-time crush on Colt, or about the summer when that crash had developed into a secret relationship. Now a local business owner, Emma is once again swept away by those feelings even though she fights it because she knows he is leaving again. Soon. It’s great that this story is told from dual points of view because it enables us to understand what each of the main characters is thinking about, worrying about, and hoping for throughout the story. When Colt and Emma give in to their mutual attraction, every bit of the steamy passion from when they were teenagers is still there, and now it’s incredibly intensified. But the problem remains that she loves their small town, and he still loves his big life.

When Noah starts making strong statements to Claire, she gets scared. Her ex-turned-psycho did a very similar thing. Claire has no idea if Noah can be trusted or if she is falling into another horrific relationship. Noah York is a man with blood, death and secrets in his past. He’s a man who lives a tightly controlled life. A wealthy hotel mogul who doesn’t keep a woman more than a day or two. He doesn’t need the complications or the emotions. But Claire is different. He felt a twinge of something when they met in Mine to Keep. She’s strong. She’s beautiful. And she’s a survivor. He feels the need to protect her. To shield her from more pain. To ravage her. The desire is strong, but so is the danger. Can Noah keep Claire safe from those set to destroy her? Can he find a way to keep his control and make Claire his? What happens if he loses that control? Where is the line between obsession and love? One of my favorite things about Cynthia Eden's book is that she not only gives you dual POVs, but she also give you a peak inside the villain's head. It really spikes up the suspense of the story.Noah - "I look at you and my whole body burns. I want you naked. I want you screaming. I want to see pleasure make your eyes flash even brigther" Weston (Ace) had thought he loved his girlfriend, Sheila. But being in such close proximity to his friend Shelby, the woman he's always had such strong friendly feelings for, he's starting to see that perhaps Sheila wasn't the one, but instead his best friend was. Their chemistry is smokin' hot and they can't keep their hands off each other. But is she willing to go all in so soon after her last relationship imploded? Or is this just a vacation fling to her?