I'm not even gonna lie, I thought 'Can't Let Go' was the most heartbreaking book I've read this year. Jude's story broke me into a million pieces; and I felt his pain so deeply. Oh, how I felt it. Ryanne was a great character all the way around. She doesn't take anyone's crap, she's beautiful, and she has a heart of freakin' gold. I enjoyed immensely watching Jude and Ryanne fall in love.

Trouble starts when a rival bar moves across the street and offers to buy out Ryanne. But she isn't selling her business and the man who wants it, will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Enter Jude. He will do everything in his power to protect Ryanne; even if that means spending more time with her. He doesn't want to want her but we all know what they say about how the heart wants what the heart wants.

One fateful night while Jude was in recovery, his whole world was shattered. Meaning that Jude wasn't living, he was surviving. All Ryanne wants to do is make the man laugh, maybe even squirm a little. What the two don't expect is passion like no other. Jude messed up a lot. For good reason but messed up a lot all the same. Ryanne for the most part was very forgiving of Jude.

I loved this book so much. Second chances are a blessing and while Jude may have lost a lot in the past, his future holds so much more for him. If you haven't yet picked up this series, I HIGHLY recommend doing so. Swoonworthy men, strong heroines, and amazing storylines that pull at the heartstrings. This is what reading is all about!

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After reading (and LOVING) Daniel & Dorothea’s book, Can’t Hardly Breathe, giving this beauty a shot was a no-brainer. Ryanne is such a kickass character, and her encounters with Jude that were filled with sexual tension and endless bantering was so much fun to read.
I love a good ol’ story about second chances. And seeing Jude overcome his grief and loss in a very steady and realistic pace was phenomenal. Seeing glimpses of Dorothea & Daniel and Lyndie & Brock (WHOSE BOOK I’M PRETTY SURE WILL BE MY FAVORITE!!) reminded me of the reason why I love small-town romance novels.

Ryanne Wade has major trust issues with men. She is the owner of a bar that she has inherited from one of her Mothers ex-husbands. Ex ranger Jude Laurent has been going thru the motions since his wife and twin daughters were killed in a car accident. He is attracted to Ryanne but feels guilty. A competitor is building a strip club/bar across the street from Ryannes business and he wants to buy her out. This guy has mob connections and has a history of getting what he wants, by any means. Jude and 2 of his ranger buddies have a security company LPH Protection and Jude isn't about to let this guy push Ryanne around.

Ryanne and Jude are both attracted to each other but they have to be willing to let go of their pasts in order to move forward. This book is part of a series but it could be read on its own. I liked the plot, there was romance and suspense. The book held my interest all the way through and I would recommend it to readers of romantic suspense. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

After reading Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter and getting a glimpse of Daniel and Dorothea I was eagerly anticipating Jude and Ryanne's story. Can't Let Go was even steamier and hotter than Can't Hardly Breathe and it even manages to pack in some thrilling action and suspense elements to the story which is fitting as Daniel and his friends are ex-military. What I liked about Can't Let Go was that Jude and Ryanne actually started off as "friends" before hooking up. And of course I adored all the friendships in the book (especially the bromance between Jude and Brock and to a slightly lesser degree, Daniel) although I do wish we got to see a bit more of Ryanne and the girls. Finally I appreciated the complexity of Ryanne's relationship with her mother, as both are flawed, especially her mother, but she does truly care about Ryanne albeit in her own warped way. Can't Hardly Breathe has gotten me greatly anticipating the next book in the Original Heartbreakers series, which will focus on Lyndie and Brock, a couple which I was initially not sold on. However, after reading the Can't Let Go and the synopsis for the next book I definitely want to see more of them as well as more of the characters from Strawberry Valley.

Jude doesn't appreciate when people give his woman a hard time, “you have five seconds to leave,” he said, his voice soft but filled with pure menace. “When I get to six, I start whaling.” Jude sure is a jealous man, “no, I’m ultimatuming you with ***. And you will not turn to someone else. You try, and the guy, whoever he is, will end up in the hospital.” I really liked this book, and moody Jude.

Very good story by Gena Showalter. Ryanne and Jude's story was heartwarming.

4 stars

The blurb does an excellent job of summarizing the book, so I won't repeat a summary here. I'll just give my own observations.

Jude is a very, very damaged man. He's living a half a life, if that. When Ryanne tries to bring him back to life, stubborn doesn't begin to describe how much he resists. He's haunted by the drunk-driver deaths of his wife and twin daughters, and feels disloyal by having anything to do with another woman, especially a bartender. Especially one who...well, you'll find out. Suffice it to say that Jude completely BLOWS it with Ryanne at least twice. BIG time!

Ryanne is a flirt and everyone assumes she's as loose as her mother. But is she? Ryanne is a bright ray of sunshine to Jude's storm clouds.

What I love about The Original Heartbreakers series is that Gena Showalter includes tongue in cheek references to her other series. Look for hilarious references to Alice in Zombieland and especially Lords of the Underworld.

If you haven't read any of The Original Heartbreakers, be sure to start with the 5-star THE CLOSER THEY COME. You'll be happy you did.

***
ARC provided by the publisher, but I would have read and reviewed this book anyway!

First off... Love the setting. All the character of a small town with all the typical antics. We also get a bit of suspense in this one. Most important is the frenemies relationship with our h/H. Ryanne and Jude seem miles apart except that they keep being drawn to each other. And when they do finally get together?? Whew! Too bad Jude was still an ass at that point.

Lots going on in the story. Some heavy work with PTSD and healing hearts. Great group of friends to support these two through life as time goes by. All of the secondary characters add a lot to the story. I would love to catch up with them again just to see how they are managing everything.

Loved, loved, loved it! Better than the first and I really liked that one! Love the unplanned pregnancy and watching the hero heal. Can't wait for the next book!

Can't Let Go is tantalizing and hot! This story offers the perfect alpha male who will protect the one he cares about to the bitter end, and a sassy and strong heroine that will make readers smile! There were many times throughout the novel where I was giving invisible high fives to the characters and even more times where I found myself blushing! This is the PERFECT romance for fans of all types of romance novels and I can't wait to read more in the series!

***I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

The fifth installment of the Original Heartbreakers series and wow! This was about Ryanne Wade and Jude Laurent. I couldn't put the book down from the emotional to the sexual tension and the sassy comebacks. This book was amazing!

I had a hard time not getting emotional though, nothing like Can't hardly breathe but it was a close second. The book also had a lot of intensity that kept you wondering what next?

Ryanne Wade was sassy, strong and fun to read about. I enjoyed how her character went from fearing a little but searching to secure and happy. Her zest for life was amusing, trying to see the brighter things in life despite her loss. I loved that she never gave up or gsve in, and no matter what she saw the best in everyone and everything. She had a strong character and her development enthralled me.

Jude Laurent was a hard man to love at first, he was harder than a brick wall! More stubborn than a bull and no matter how much I wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt for his loss, I could not help but say "you silly silly man".Every time you think he give in, he took back and went to his old ways. But the man broke my heart, I will not lie I cried like a slumbering baby whenever he had his meltdowns. The memory of losing his wife and twins in a car accident paralyzed him and kept him from living his life. So I was VERY thrill when he finally saw what he needed. Ryanne helped him see that.

As per usual Gena had humor, sadness and a lot of steamy sex scenes. The intensity was very present here, she never lets you down with her writing. This book was a lot more intense than the first three. I recommend the series and THIS book because you'll fall in love with the characters and enjoy every last page!

3.5~4 stars

Jude was a complex character who had emotionally given up after losing his wife and daughters to a drunk driver. Ryanne was the woman that could save him when no one else could. The relationship between Jude and Ryanne was one unlike any I have read so far.
This was a great read! A good mix of suspense, humor and emotions. Hero and heroine both with a
fair share of physical and/or emotional imperfections. Well written and a solid read.


In short:
Hero 4/5 | Heroine 4/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 4/5 | Writing Style 3/5 | Steam 5/5 | Romance 4/5 | Angst-Suspense 3/5 | Darkness 1/5 | Humor 3/5 | Secondary Characters 3/5 | Drama-Conflict 4/5 | Mystery 0/5 | Twists 3/5 | Pacing Steady | Action 3/5