Anna's Reviews > Hold

“Hold” by Claire Kent

3⭐️/5⭐️
3🌶/5🌶

Riana, sentenced to live on a prison planet, must align herself with the most dangerous man in order to survive.

-No quote, I didn’t take ANY notes. I’m only familiar with Claire Kent’s post-apocalyptic romance series, which I enjoy for the most part. I’ve heard of the Hold series, and I had high hopes for such an interesting concept. However, I didn’t really enjoy Cain and Riana’s relationship as much as I thought I would.

-The world building sounds very unique, they’re stuck in a prison on a poisonous oceanic planet. The prison is underwater, so the chance for escape is very low. Ok, I’m following the story and this all makes sense. But then the author introduces a paranormal element, with one of the side characters saying they have telepathic abilities. Ok…what? If the author had mentioned this aspect earlier in the book I would have been able to buy into it, but when it was mentioned it took me out of the story.

-Claire Kent writes fun smut, but you can definitely pick up on a pattern during those scenes. I’ve noticed a formula with her “Last Light” books, and I started to notice a similar pattern with “Hold”.

-There’s some miscommunication between Cain and Riana, which was very frustrating. The two are incapable of expressing their opinions. I understand, in a sense, why they are so closed off with each other. If Riana makes Cain mad then is he going to withhold his protection? And if Cain opens up to Riana is he going to look weak to the other prisoners? It’s like the author wrote herself into a corner.

-The story is very dark, and I would definitely describe Cain and Riana’s relationship as transactional; the sex is absolutely in the dubcon category. That being said, I do recommend this book if you’re looking for a sci-fi romance that doesn’t involve aliens, or at least is somewhat unique. There’s forced proximity, a relationship of convenience, and if you like those tropes I would say give this novella a chance!