Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme hosted over at the lovely Megan @ bookslayerReads it’s a great way to showcase those standalones that don’t always get the attention they deserve!

This week I am showcasing…

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Apart, they are broken, but together, they are whole.

Effie and Heath are famous. Not for anything they did, but for what happened to them as teenagers. Abducted and abused by the same man, they turned to each other for comfort until they were finally able to make their escape.

Now adults, their relationship is fraught with guilt and despair. Whether fighting or making love, their passion is strong enough to destroy them both — and Effie’s not about to let that happen. She knows it’s time for her to have a ‘normal’ relationship, and Heath is nothing but a constant reminder of the dark past they share. Heath, on the other hand, knows Effie is the only woman he can ever love. She may want to forget what happened, but he’s convinced that they must face their past together in order to move forward. So while Effie continues to bring new men into her life, Heath becomes obsessed with proving he’s the one she needs.

Then a new crisis arises and Effie begins to lose every scrap of self-control she ever had. As she struggles against her desire to return to the one man who understands her, she discovers that sometimes the only safety you find is with the person who is the most dangerous for you.

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I read Hold Me Close about a year ago, and this story just hit me right in the feels! It is a very dark emotional romance. Heath and Effie have gone through a lot of terrible things in their life and they can’t seem to put their love for each other first. They both have personal struggles that you see them trying to work out, as well as trying to live life without each other. Their connection though is just so overwhelmingly strong. As characters they are relatable with struggles we all face when struggling with life.

Have you read Hold Me Close? Share your thoughts with me below!