The Panic series is so good! I have loved all the books that I've read written by Sidney Halston and I highly recommend her books. You will not be disappointed.
Mateo "Matt" Moreno works as a lawyer during the week and helps his brother and father run Panic one of Miamis hottest nightclubs on the weekends. Matt enjoys the work but it's starting to get a bit stressful. One day at Panic in walks the most breathtaking woman Matt has ever seen, June Simpson. June never meant to get involved with Matt. She was there to get to know his father one of the men they believed to be involved in running drugs. Only problem is Matt seems to consume her every thought. Months of a relationship that is all consuming but based on lies and secret identity June must leave Matt to save him from possible jail time. When all hell breaks Matt is left with no law job, being arrested and the disappearance of June the one person he needs the most.
One year later April "June Simpson" White returns hoping that Matt will be able to forgive her for all her lies and understand what she had to do to save him. Matt sees nothing but a lie and the person who made his life almost spiral out of control. He vies never to forgive April even if he is the only person who can save her.

I'm glad I got the chance to read book two in the Panic series. Matt and April (aka June) were an interesting couple with a messy past. I liked the conflict between them and the realistic push/pull of letting go of hurt and forgiving someone who's hurt you. Not always something that's easy to do.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

*4.5 stars*
She did the one thing he couldn’t forgive…
Oh Matt, I couldn’t wait for your story… I LOVED Nick and Katie’s story in Pull Me Close and Matt was a big part of that five-star read. He was there to be supportive, funny and a pain in the ass like only the best of brothers can be. I wanted only good things for the seemingly happy go lucky guy and what awaited him was good, angst-y and oh so satisfying…
This is a standalone story but Matt and April’s bumpy courtship has everything to do with what came before. There is an instant connection between them, obvious in their flirty banter and their mutual attraction you can feel it is so strong. And it’s all about the feels as the characters live and breathe joy and happiness as well as fear, anger and sadness. Sounds like a pot-boiler and it is. A cauldron of broiling emotion that takes over their hearts, minds and lives…
“Panic is all about numbness. The illusion of being worry-free, alcohol making you brave and forgetful, lust motivating you to be wicked.”
Matt is a good guy with edges galore. Even when he didn’t want to be good – he wanted to be angry and bitter and hurtful, he wanted to wallow in all the hurt. April was his equal. She wanted to do what was right and do it the right way. Hurting Matt was the last thing she wanted. Life doesn’t always play along though and their relationship was going to be tested to the breaking point. And I was thrilled to be along for each moment of it…
The turmoil, the inner battles – they were real, strong and impossible not to feel… Awesome!
~Diane

A really good easy enjoyable read with a good story line

A super addition to a great series, i just loved this Author. I have read all of her books and have liked 9/10 of them and this is no different. Sucked me in right from the start to finish. A fantastic romantic book that will have you on the edge of your seat and you wont want to put it down. I just loved it and would recommend to everyone

Make Me Stay is book 2 in the series but you can read it first if you wish. The story starts before the events in book 1 and end after the events in book 1. Make me Stay is divided into 2 parts.

I'm on the fence about this book really. Part one is how "June" and Matt meet and start dating. Now, it was pretty obvious to me what she was doing, but in case its not obvious to others or to people who haven't read it yet [spoiler]She is an undercover cop working to expose club Panic, owned by Matt, Nick, and their father. Again, book 1 starts after this has happened, so it was interesting to see a bit of how it all went down! But seriously, she was so bad at being undercover!!! She stammers over her lies, she is in love with one of the suspects, and gets busted trying to plant bugs! [/spoiler] Matt and June have a bit of an unconventional relationship because she travels a great deal for "work", and he is in Ft. Lauderdale during the week working as an attorney. But, they try to spend their weekends together in Miami. June and Matt grow close and then she is gone.

Part 2 starts long after she disappeared. Matt spent months searching for her with a PI. He is now working at Panic full time. Then, one day, out of the blue, he sees her on the street in Miami. But she is going by Zara. Then he sees her on the news and puts it all together. She tried to talk to him and explain but he was, rightfully so, pissed.

Then the book got strange for me. June/April is attacked and ends up with amnesia. Not my favorite trope to be honest, but I think what bothered me most about April in this case was what she did and didn't remember. Like she remembers everything up to about 10 years ago but forgot she has Crohn's? Matt has to tell the doctors about her disease; if she remembered everything up to 10 years ago, she would have known that. It was just little things like that about her memory that were irritating. Honestly, I think what I struggled with the most was April as a character. I just didn't care for her at all. Even her sad backstory wasn't really enough to win her over for me.

Matt's struggle was very believable. This is a woman he loved, then found out about her betrayal, and now is torn. He knows he still has feelings for her, but he is still so hurt by her actions. But, now she is beaten and suffering and he feels obligated to help. Its very easy to empathize with Matt-caught between wanting to be a good person and wanting to still lick your wounds and save yourself.

Make Me Stay was up and down for me. I would like it, then not like it. It was hot and cold, yes and no, in and out, up and down (you know, basically a Katy Perry song!). Overall, the book is a lot of things and the plot is not what I expected. For better or worse, I finished it. I would put it down, but then pick it back up to see if it got better. I really enjoyed book one, Pull Me Close, so I might have been tougher on this installment because of the amazing characters in book 1.
blog link live on 7/7/17

This is definitely a second chance romance! Matt and April/June are two people who meant to be but there's a lot to get through first. I had not read the first book so I might have missed some nuance and back story but that didn't really both me. The characters (all of them) are well written and the steaminess is, well, steamy. Parts of this might be a bit unrealistic but it was still a pretty good read. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This is a fast (it's short) entertaining read.

This is a mid-angst, face paced, steamy read about a couple that build what appears to be a beautiful relationship, only to be separated the very day they confess their love for each other.

June/April was undercover when she met Matt. There is an instant attraction which works well for her because she is investigating his family’s nightclub for illegal activities. Matt falls hard pretty fast. He wasn’t looking for a relationship because he’s got a lot going on in his life and adding a woman to the mix would surely increase his stress levels that he covers up with fake smiles. He soon realizes that when he’s with June he is at peace and he wants to keep her in his life always.

Unfortunately, things don’t work out for him and the next year finds him battling denial, anger, hurt and heartbreak. When June/April reenters his life and he learns her secret, he is unforgiving and resolved to keep her away.

The first part of this book is written completely in Matt’s point of view, of which I was a big fan. The second part is a combination of both their POVs and this is where the angst cranks up. While the first book was pure magic, Make Me Stay was able to cast its own spell upon me and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I cannot wait for the next installment in this series.

ARC provided through Netgalley

Safe
Potential Triggers – drug use

June has secrets that she can't share. Matt is all about honesty in a relationship. Can Matt forgive June once he learns that she's been lying to him, even if she was only doing her job? The relationship between these two is a spicy one that has you rooting for the couple to overcome their differences.

After reading Pull Me Close I was so excited to get my hands on Make Me Stay , I got the chance to read an ARC of this book and I literally flew through this book ! Make Me Stay was fantastic .We follow April and Matt and Its safe to say that thing are really complicated between these two .We find out that April was one of the police officers that was involved in taking down Matt's father and putting him in prison , so all this time while they were getting to know each other all of this was happening , she even gave a him a different name ( June ) and then when things started to get really crazy she vanished, however when she appears again in his life and he find what she did ,she apologizes and lets just say it was not well received, however after this April is viciously attacked and cant remember what happened and Matt has to take care of her , this is really where this book picks up .

I loved that we got to to see Matt and April when they first meet and Matt and April after everything and happens it makes you see things in whole new light and also completely understand all the characters reactions and feelings towards each other. I thought the romance was excellently done it was sexy , addicting and at the same very raw nothing felt rushed , or glossed over , it was just fantastic, forgiveness is something that is focused on a lot in this story and I just loved that , It felt like April and Matt got a blank slate to start over in many way s , because what happened between them the first time had to be so very difficult to over come , but this book reminded me that love finds away no matter what and this is the case for Matt and April , I got so invested in this couple and literally did a happy dance when I read just how perfect the ending to there story is . Make Me Stay was a sexy , heartwarming contemporary romance and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 3 in this series. Sidney Halston ,If you are reading this and would like to send me a copy right now that would be amazing lol.If you love all these things in your stories you should definitely go pick up a copy of Make Me Stay as soon as you can .

This was a very intriguing book. It kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading. I love that half the book was the back story of Matt and June. Then it effortlessly progressed to present time with Matt and April. Like the first book Pull Me Close, there was a lot of emotions running wild. But the characters were perfect together. There was just enough secrecy to keep you reading all night. A very good read indeed!

April: Walking away from Matt Moreno was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Lying to him was a close second, but for his safety, I had no other choice. I was undercover, working to put some nasty people behind bars. But when Matt nearly recognizes me on Lincoln Road a year later, all those very real feelings come rushing back. Now that my assignment’s almost over, will he understand why I lied? Why I had to leave? Most important, can he ever forgive me?

Matt: I was madly in love with June Simpson . . . or, at least, with the woman I thought was June. Then she just disappeared while my family’s nightclub went through hell. And after months of searching, when I think I’ve finally found that sexy, raspy voice and those exquisite blue eyes, she slips away once more. Turns out, “June” is actually Detective April White. She’s been playing me the whole time. And she’s about to rock my world all over again.




Review:




Lots of secrets going on in this book about second chance romance.




Gosh, how do I tell about the story without giving spoilers??? Let me talk about the characters. June, April who is she really? A woman who is on a mission to bring down some bad guys. She is smart, but lets feelings get in the way when she meets Matt who can help her with her case, though he does not know it. Matt, he comes off as rich playboy not really giving a crap about anything. That is until he meets June, then everything seems to click for him though he does not know she has some Big secrets that affect their relationship and his family.




I have never read this Author before and I really enjoyed her work. I liked that we start the book out in the present for a brief moment and then we are thrust back 2 years. This way we get to see the relationship between April and Matt develop, crash down and then jump back to present for the repercussions.




A great story with drama, angst, love, betrayal, sexiness and second chances.




4Stars




*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Sexy, angsty and addicting. Make Me Stay, literally made me stay glued to my seat from start to finish.

She never intended to fall in love, much less while working undercover and yet the pull Matt Moreno had on her was irresistible. Even though she had to lie to him, she wouldn’t trade those five incredible moths they had together. But she had a duty uphold and bad guys to put away, so she vanished from his life for almost a year until her assignment was over. Can she convince him to give them a second chance? More importantly, can she persuade him to forgive her deceit?

The only relationship Matt ever had was with his work, as an attorney and helping out his father and brother with their nightclub. He wasn’t a commitment-phobe, he just didn’t have the time until June Simpson, the most alluring woman he’d ever seen, walked into his club and completely mesmerized him, made him fall head over heels in love and then disappeared. Not being able to move on, he looked everywhere for her until he saw her on the news as Detective April White. He had been honest to a fault with her and she played him for a fool making it impossible for him to forgive her. Or so he thought, until life throws a curve ball that will change their lives forever.

I feel as though Sidney Halston keeps getting better with every books she writes. Make Me Stay hits all the right buttons with a story that’s seductive and angsty, well developed characters and twists I never imagined but had me captivated from start to finish.

Matt is no angel by any stretch of the imagination. For some, he might not be easy to like in the beginning, but the way he falls in love with June without hesitation and making no excuses is difficult to resist. And even when things get beyond complicated and he’s put in an impossible situation, he does the right thing. Vague much? A bit. But trust me, it’s better this way. The point is, he’s the kind of hero you root for.

June/April had had a difficult life growing up, but I think few things had been more strenuous than having to choose between her personal happiness and the greater good. There are other reasons to like her, but that alone, but making the right call was enough for me.

These two have incredible chemistry, they burn up the pages with it. But attraction is not the sole foundation of a good, lasting relationship and they will certainly face more difficulties than normal couples do. The question is, will their love be able to survive them?

Make Me Stay is book #2 in the Panic series by Sidney Halston. It is a standalone, full-length contemporary romance with intense drama and consuming desires. I can’t wait what she comes up with next. Told from two points of view with a happy ending.

I have chosen to DNF this title. I have read all of the other books by this author, but for some reason I didn't like the hero or the heroine in this title. I read about 30% of the book before I decided to stop with this title.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity to read this title.

Thanks,
Laura

Matt is a lawyer and on the weekends he runs Panic a nightclub with his twin brother Nick and father. The boys came to run the club as their father was getting up in years. Matt is used to having women all over him then June walks in. But June is actually April White who is a detective who is working undercover operation on Panic. She is posing as a pharmaceutical representative. April’s parents died when she was a baby and she went from foster home to foster home for a long time. April also had values even about sex. The twin realizes as time goes on that their father wasn’t who they thought he was. Then the club was raided for drugs and sex trade. June/ Alice disappeared right when Matt is facing the disaster with the nightclub and his family being torn apart The brothers had nothing to do with anything illegal. Then Matt and Nick found out who their real friends were. Matt also lost his place at the law firm. Even though Matt had done nothing illegal Now the club needed to be saved. Matt and Nick’s father was convicted and sent to prison. But then Alice was gone without a word. Matt had fallen for Alice but he always held in his feelings. Matt had built up a lot of resentment, betrayal and even hatred. Matt looks for June/Alice for over a year. Matt then learns June was not who she thought he was. It broke April’s heart to leave Matt. But undercover cops are not to get involved in any way with one of the suspects and Alice had started to develop feelings. Then Alice is freed from any undercover work and she wants to see if she could connect with Matt again. Then Alice is seriously injured and her partner calls Matt as he has to leave town and Alice has no one left.
I liked this a lot. It was a good read with a lot of drama that I enjoyed. This book is in two parts which worked out fine for this story. I felt really bad for Matt when Alice left and then all the drama with his father and the club. I felt this could be realistic in a lot of ways. I didn’t want to put this book down. I loved the twists and turns of this story. I also liked the plot and felt this was well written. I loved Alice and Matt together. And was rooting for them to get back together. It was hard to see Matt struggle and try to forgive Alice and get rid of all the negative feelings he had toward her. I felt like I was there which I give a tip of my hat to the author. I loved the characters and I recommend this book and I would rate this a 4.5 if I could.

3.5 stars

When I read Pull Me Close last year, it was a wonderful story that made an impression on me and left me impatiently waiting for Matt's chance at a HEA.

Matt and April's journey starts off with a trip down memory lane in the first part of the book. April is working undercover to gather evidence on Matt's dad and it is glaringly obvious to the reader - but not Matt. When his world crumbles and she disappears, the formerly happy and laid back Matt spirals into the bottom of the bottle and worse.

In the second part, a chance run-in on the street over a year later puts them back in the forefront of each other's minds. April is hopeful Matt will at least let her explain, but he is blinded by anger and says some really hurtful things. When a tragic event makes him question how long he wants to hold onto his anger, they are thrust into forced proximity and he needs to dig deep to find the answer to his question.

I am still trying to decide how I feel about how this scenario played out and the plot device used to get them talking again. The unexpected direction taken in the second part of this book worked but left me a bit disappointed. It felt like parts of the story dragged on at times and I found myself skimming through parts. In general I guess I expected more from their story with less wallowing in anger and self-pity or tendencies toward martyrdom after the wonderful start to the series and the spirit April displayed previously. The epilogue of the first book contained an encounter related to the story that went unexplained too but that is a minor detail. Nick, Katie, David and Gio play a role in this story as well which was a welcome occurrence but overall they were a tough act to follow making Make Me Stay just a good read compared to the great series start.

MAKE ME STAY is the second installment in Sidney Halston’s contemporary, adult PANIC erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women of the Miami nightclub Panic. This is nightclub co-owner Matt Moreno, and undercover police detective April White’s story line. MAKE ME STAY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Some of the events of MAKE ME STAY run parallel and cross over with the events of book one PULL ME CLOSE.

Told from dual first person points of view (Matt and April/June) and divided into two parts (the present and the past) MAKE ME STAY follows two paths: eighteen months earlier Matt Moreno fell in love with ‘pharmaceutical rep’ June Simpson only to be blindsided when the woman he loved disappeared five months later without a trace. Not only did June disappear but Matt, his brother Nick and their father Victor found themselves on the receiving end of a police investigation that resulted in the imprisonment of Victor Moreno, and Matt spiraling out of control. Fast forward to present day wherein Matt believes he has found June Simpson only to discover that June is an undercover detective known as April White, and April was part of the investigation that landed his father in prison for the rest of his life. What ensues is the breakdown of a relationship and friendship, that will be given a second chance when April finds herself the victim of a near-fatal assault that leaves her without any memories of the past or her relationship with Matt Moreno.

The relationship between Matt and April is one of second chances but Matt’s hatred and anger towards April is caustic and unforgiving. April was only doing her job but Matt’s inability to forgive April finds our heroine looking towards a future without the man that she loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, and intense.

Nick Moreno and Katherine (Katie) Wilson (Pull Me Close #1) play secondary and supporting roles, as well as April’s partner Detective Dean Scott, Panic bartender Lola, head of security (bouncer) Fox, and Matt’s friends David and Geo. There is a developing story line between Fox and Lola, one I am hoping will be revealed in the next installment-KISS ME BACK.




MAKE ME STAY is a story of second chances; a rekindling romance that was predicated on a lie that all but destroyed our story line hero. The premise is entertaining, sexy and intoxicating; the romance is sensual and provocative; the characters are colorful, dynamic and spirited. The conflict resolution felt a little rushed-for all of the hatred and vitriol spewed by the leading character, his about face was rather abrupt under the circumstances. MAKE ME STAY is an energetic story about two people torn apart by secrets and lies, and brought together by circumstance and tragedy.

Copy supplied for review

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First let me say that I loved Pull Me Close, book one in the series. But this one, not so much. I guess I completely missed the fact that this book contains my biggest trigger. Drugs. I can't even watch movies where there is drug use shown, so reading it was no different. I found myself putting this book down twice because the drug use turned me off on the book. I couldn't wrap my head around rooting for a coke-head hero. Sure he played it off as "recreational" but it's still cocaine use all the same. I immediately detached from him from his first use. I didn't understand how she was okay with that when he used in front of her. Not that it would be better for him to use behind her back, but damn. I did find the snippets of the side characters of Lola and Fox to be very promising. So I'm not ready to wash my hands of the series. I'll just consider this one as a minor blip on the radar and return for the next install with hopes that it's as good as book one.

Book Review
Title: Make Me Stay
Series: Panic #2
Author: Sidney Halston
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Cliff Hanger: No

4 Stars

*This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes and language intended for adults 18+

Synopsis:
Secret identities, second chances, drama, desire: It’s all going down in Miami Beach in this tantalizing novel from the bestselling author of Pull Me Close, which was hailed by Aurora Rose Reynolds as “a heart-gripping story about . . . the power of love.”

April: Walking away from Matt Moreno was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Lying to him was a close second, but for his safety, I had no other choice. I was undercover, working to put some nasty people behind bars. But when Matt nearly recognizes me on Lincoln Road a year later, all those very real feelings come rushing back. Now that my assignment’s almost over, will he understand why I lied? Why I had to leave? Most important, can he ever forgive me?

Matt: I was madly in love with June Simpson . . . or, at least, with the woman I thought was June. Then she just disappeared while my family’s nightclub went through hell. And after months of searching, when I think I’ve finally found that sexy, raspy voice and those exquisite blue eyes, she slips away once more. Turns out, “June” is actually Detective April White. She’s been playing me the whole time. And she’s about to rock my world all over again.

My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the Panic series and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book when I finished Pull Me Close because I loved Matt. The book was really good, but in my opinion, not as good as the first.

This book goes back in time before Nico and Kates relationship in Pull Me Close and the stories then run parallel. My heart broke for both April and Matt when the preverbal you know what hit the fan. Matt has a hard and fast rule that you never lie and he feels the ultimate betrayal when he finds out that June/April was actually an undercover agent that got his father put in prison for his drug trafficking crimes and racketeering. Matt and Nico were also arrested but April had left enough evidence behind that proved that Matt and Nico were innocent and the crimes solely belonged to their father.

While Matt was hiring private detectives to try and find the MIA June/April, she was working another undercover job until the trial was complete. A year passes and when Matt finally found out about the betrayal, he went off the rails! He was broken, he was angry, he was bitter and he hated June/April and told her this to her face when she came to apologize for the way things went down. She had wanted to try and see if their relationship could be salvaged. As you can guess, they both fell deeply in love prior to the arrests and that wasn’t part of the plan for April. Matt was not forgiving and he wouldn’t hear her out.

Can Matt ever forgive the betrayal and be able to move on with April? You are going to have to read the book and find out. There are a few twists that happen that I didn’t see coming. I loved Matt and April’s characters and the secondary characters were a great supporting cast. On the down side, after all the buildup, I was a little disappointed that the book ended a little too quickly for me, but all in all, it was a very good read. I can’t wait for the next book!

If you love a second chance romance with a twist, then give this book a try.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley for an honest review.