HOLD ON TO ME (CAROLINA CLASSICS #2)

 

Hold On To Me (Carolina Classics #2)

Fans of 1990's shows like Dawson's Creek and Mad About You will love this throwback romantic comedy.

After a devastating accident at sea, the only job Sullivan Calloway can get is one that few have survived.

If time and tide wait for no man, neither does Helen O'Neill. She's spent years forging her own path in the movie business. The young hunk she's hired to replace her latest assistant to leave in tears may be a sight for sore eyes, but expectations will not be lowered. If he can’t do the work, he’ll be out on his very fine behind.

If only her heart would get the memo.

Don't miss this slow-burn, boss-assistant, entertainment biz romance from USA Today bestselling author Karen Grey.

Audiobook Release Date: March 9, 2023

Audiobook review copy provided by publisher

Home Cooked Books

Carolina Classics #2

Retro/Nostalgia Romance

Narrators: JF Harding & MacKenzie Cartwright

Listening Speed: 1.4x

Liza's Review:

Hold On To Me is the second book in the Carolina Classics series by Karen Grey. I am a huge fan of the nostalgia romances Ms. Grey writes, and Hold On To Me was another winner in my book.

I’ve wanted to know more about Sully from the moment he first appeared on the page. We met Sully and his friends in You Get What You Give. Sully is in a boating accident, and must find a job until he recovers enough to work on set again. The only job available it assistant to Helen O’Neill, who has already run off multiple assistants, with production starting very soon. Sully feels instant attraction to his boss from day one, and I loved the chemistry between them from the moment they meet.

Let me just say, I absolutely loved how strong Helen is over the entire story. Yes, she has had some rough times in the past, and she fights her attraction to Sully because of something in her past. I loved when they both finally gave into their attraction. OMG they had the best chemistry!!! I liked they really seemed to get one another, even with the age gap between them. Loved Helen is 10 years older than Sully, and yet, they just seemed to work as a couple for me. I think part of it was because Sully truly has an old soul, but most was because Helen never treated him like he was less of a person for being so much younger than her. They worked well both at work and in their relationship.

I thought the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job with this story. Both narrators were spot on with all the different character voices, and I felt like there was a seamless transition between narrators. There were many emotional parts to Hold On To Me, and I felt like the narrators delivered on every single emotion.

Hold On To Me is a fun story that takes the reader back to the late 90’s. I loved all the nods to things from the past, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I love the group of friends that is at the center of each story, and can’t wait to read more.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE (CAROLINA CLASSICS #1)

When a sleepy southern coastal town is crowned the Hollywood of the East worlds collide and sparks fly, especially for two casting directors who end up playing the roles of accidental rivals.

It’s not just that the town isn’t quite big enough for the two of them. Violet Davenport brings deep roots, local allies, and old-fashioned Southern charm to the table. Nate Fowler’s got deep pockets, tech knowhow, and a family that’s worked in movies since the silent film days.

For their business—and their hearts—to survive, they'll have to overcome both a bitter hostility and a sweet insta-attraction.

In this enemies-to-lovers, new-in-town, one-night-stand improbable love story, a boss lady and a Hollywood nerd find that you only get as good as you give.

Audiobook Release Date: August 31, 2022

Carolina Classics Book 1

Home Cooked Books

Narrators: Jack Calihan & Maxine Mitchell

Length: 7 hrs 36 mins

Listening Speed: 1.4x

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza’s Review:

You Get What You Give is the first book in the Carolina Classics series from Karen Grey. Much like with her Boston Classics series, she takes her readers back to the 90’s with her newest series.

Violet Davenport gave up her career as a teacher to take on the full-time job of casting director in her small town casting the new TV show Lawson’s Reach, until another casting director from Hollywood opens his office right next door. Nate Fowler is taking this job to in his dad’s company to finally show him he has what it takes in the entertainment industry. The fact that his father has basically sabotaged Violet Davenport in the process doesn’t seem to concern the man at all. After all, Violet is working with Nate’s Uncle and their family feud means she picked the wrong side. The fact that Violet and Nate hooked up his first night in town, before they knew only made it that much more fun when they saw each other again.

I liked the romance between Violet and Nate a good bit. Both came from mixed up families, and Nate’s parents were divorced, and Violet’s had basically abandoned her to her grandparents to raise. They had pretty amazing chemistry from the moment they met, and it only grew stronger with each passing day.

They seemed to have enough differences to compliment one another’s differences when it came to work. Violet was the empathetic one at work, and was brilliant at helping actors find new jobs. Nate was more of a behind the camera and scenes man, and was the one who helped keep things running so Violet could do her job. I did wish they had communicated a bit better both in their personal and working relationships at time. I had to remind myself that cell phones had limited coverage during the 90’s, with landlines, answering machines, and faxes being the primary ways to communicate. I literally laughed out loud when Vi ran out of change using a pay phone. So many moments of nostalgia with this book.

I liked the group of friends Violet had in her life pretty much her entire life. I liked that Dani seemed to be there for all their friends, but was a little bothered that it seemed to be on her terms most of the time. I feel like there is way more to the Whitney, Sully, and Ford love triangle, and it was distracting at time for Whitney to be the center of the story.

Narration: I enjoyed both Maxine Mitchell and Jack Calihan as narrators. While I felt Maxine did a bit better job with the Southern accents than Jack, I liked both their takes on the large cast of characters. Jack’s voice was pretty deep, so his female voices weren’t always on point, but he did adjust his dialogue well for the age group.

I felt like You Get What You Give was a good start to this new series. I think fans of Dawson’s Creek will get a kick out of all the Easter Eggs to one of my favorite shows from that time. I would have liked Vi and Nate’s story to be wrapped up a bit more than it was in the final chapter, but was comfortable with their HFN at this point of the series.

Story Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Narrator Rating: 4 Stars (B)