As always Shayla Black delivers a super sexy fast paced intense romance. The story of Jolie and Heath was no exception. 
I've always enjoyed the authors attention to detail and her well developed characters. 
This story caused me not to like our hero/manwhore Heath. Gritty raw and dirty is a nice way of describing his style and he certainly met his match with Jolie.
Happy reading!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Shayla Black consistently creates outstanding books. Holding on Tighter is no exception. Wicked Lover Heath Powell is a one and done kinda guy. Jolie Quinn is a fiercely independent business woman who doesn't need anyone much less a man. Heath wants Jolie from the moment she hires him as her security expert and he means to have her. Jolie wants nothing to do with him despite being very attracted to his hotness. Things get sticky after a break-in at her office. Heath becomes Jolie's bodyguard and the smoldering tension between them bursts into a raging Inferno.

This book has it all, intrigue, suspense, romance and steamy sex. It just doesn't get any better. Shayla creates such strong characters and surrounds them with such interesting stories that keep her reader is thoroughly entertained. Sorry to have this series end but I know Shayla will have many more great books coming my way!

LOVE!!!! I was so looking forward to Heath's story and I loved how strong Jolie was. This story was intense and pulled me in. They both had to give and take and I was not expecting the ending at all.  Thanks for another great read!!!!

More wicked heat and emotion….
It’s no secret that I love this series. While the stories are standalone, the characters interact and move in and out of each other’s lives in a beautifully choreographed dance. This is the twelfth story but rather than feeling like I’m revisiting the same story, it is once again a fresh new take on the complicated thing called love…
Jolie is motivated to succeed. She has devoted her adult life to building her fashion design business, ignoring her personal life to focus on her goals. She was going to remain independent and successful, for herself, for her family. Despite some of her family! I love her drive and focus which is balanced out with her empathy and caring. There were unexpected, dangerous, obstacles suddenly in her path which required expertise she did not have. Enter hunky, British Heath Powell…
Oh Heath… His strength, his take charge attitude, his accent I could all but hear, made him irresistible to not just Jolie. (I’m calling book boyfriend status right here!). With a tragic loss in his past, he wasn’t looking for long-term but that soon became the goal… He was an alpha, he was controlling but he used his dominant skills in just the right ways.*turns up the fan*
Danger, heat, complicated family and shadows from the past made this a great story! Professionalism at the office (mostly) made way for heat at home, as these two lovers quickly found what made each other satisfied…
This author’s writing style and her ability to weave emotion and suspense into her stories made for yet another amazing read in this series. I can only hope for more!

Shayla Black has done it again! Every time I start a book of hers I know that I better not have anything else to do because I won't wanna stop reading; and sure enough I was consumed by this read! It's a bitter sweet feeling I get when I can't stop reading because once I get to the end I don't want it to be over. Shayla Black blew my mind with this baby and I freaken loved it!!! You will not be disappointed with Holding on Tighter so if you haven't read it...what are you waiting for?!?!

Holding On Tighter is book 12 in the Wicked Lovers series and it is also the last book in the series.

Heath is a sexy British alpha male who is running away from his past. He was hired to protect Jolie who is a woman that knows what she wants and goes after it. Her past with men aren't great so she doesn't trust men. As Heath tries to protect Jolie from a stalker, they also give in to their attraction of each other. Can the 2 of them get over their pasts to have a possible future together?

There is so much heat and excitement in this book that makes you want to read the book from beginning to end in one sitting. I love Shayla Black's work and this is one of her best!

It was with great sadness that I read author Shayla Black's announcement that this story, Holding On Tighter, will be the last installment in her Wicked Lovers series. Thus my motivation to savor this awesome story. I fell in love with the Wicked Lovers series a number of years ago and have since eagerly awaited each successive story. As a matter of fact Jack Cole from book #1 in the series, Wicked Ties, continues to be one of my favorite book boyfriends. So from the beginning Shayla Black has provided lots of suspense, action and steamy sex scenes. 

Holding On Tighter is no exception. There's plenty of all of the above to entertain readers when they delve into what happens when hero, Heath Powell, who we met in Wicked For You, is hired as a security consultant by heroine, Jolie Quinn, up and coming fashion business owner. Once again this author paints a three dimensional picture of a strong and dominant hero and a strong, feisty and sexy heroine. The storyline runs quite smoothly and the dialogue moves the story along in a delightful manner. One of my favorite lines goes like this as former MI5 agent , Heath is cooking a meal for Jolie and comments to her, "A man should have skills beyond a firing range, a tool bench, and a mattress."

Any avid reader of romantic suspense would be doing themself a favor by picking up this book and while they are at it head on into a great reading experience and start from the beginning and read the whole series.

Cheers Shayla Black! Congratulations on a super ending to a fantastic series!

The reviewer who requested this book DNF. We do not review anything under three stars. Thank you.

Title:  Holding On Tighter
Series:  Wicked Lovers Book #12
Author:  Shayla Black
Genre:  Romance, Erotic
Blurb:   Jolie Quinn is a woman in charge. Her no-nonsense attitude has made her a rising star in the fashion world and her brand a household name among the Dallas elite. Nothing will stop her from achieving her goals—not even the gorgeous British security contractor who seems just as interested in seeing her personal assets as he is in protecting her professional ones.

After a tragedy left him broken, Heath Powell made a rule of staying unattached. But Jolie challenges him in a way he can’t ignore, and he isn’t used to backing down from a confrontation—especially when the reward for winning could feel so good. As passion blazes between them, the stubborn, confident beauty arouses more than his desire. She touches his heart.

When a mysterious enemy threatens Jolie and her company, Heath is the only person Jolie can trust to help. But working with him to save her business might put her dangerously at risk of falling in love…

Thoughts:  "In that moment, it wasn't enough. He wanted her soul. No, that wasn't all. He fucking wanted her heart. Her devotion. Her tomorrows." 
It didn’t take me long to realize this book was going to be great….the sheer emotion between the characters was just so vivid to the reader and the story caught you up immediately into the storyline.  The sparks between these characters was intense…and with a few luscious quotes that were enough to make panties wet the world over, you are looking at one scorching hot title.  I’ve loved many a book from this author, but this one is right up there in my top favorites.  
Trust me, if you’re in for an erotic romance, this one is not to be missed!
Rate:  A

When Shayla Black announced that her Wicked Lovers series would be ending after Holding On Tighter I was crushed. This is one of my favorite series of all time and I have loved every single book.  Considering this installment is the 12th full length story, and there have been 6 novellas, that is saying a lot!  It’s almost impossible to pick a favorite couple or story from them all, but without a doubt Jolie is my favorite heroine from the series. Independent, successful and self-sufficient, aspects of her personality reminded me of myself and there was nothing I would change about her.

Heath Powell is a former British agent who we first met in Mystery and Axel’s story Wicked for You. Heath had been providing protection for Mystery since she had been kidnapped years before and he had developed a thing for her, but her heart had belonged to Axel since he saved her from that same abduction.  After his wife was killed in a terrorist attack years earlier, Heath merely existed. He hooked up with random women and didn’t particularly care if his job wound up costing him his life.

Jolie Quinn grew up in chaos. Her mother flitted from marriage to marriage, with several other relationships in between, and Jolie was basically left to raise her younger sister and brother.  After being rejected by her father from the age of 5, seeing her mother’s disastrous love life, and being forced to grow up too fast, Jolie is a fierce, independent woman. Her fashion company is on the cusp of hitting the big time and she does not have time for love. Or even a man.

Due to the upcoming expansion of her company and some recent break-ins in the area, Jolie is in need of a security expert to come in and take a look at her set-up and offer suggestions. Heath is currently deciding whether to stay in the area so he agrees to take the job on.  His normal type of woman is the needy, want a man to save me type and Jolie is most certainly not that. He has never met a woman like her and while her take charge attitude should turn him off, he can’t help but be intrigued. Same goes for Jolie. The idea of a man taking charge in bed had never appealed to her before – until Heath.

Strange things begin happening around Jolie, from a break-in at her office, to a brick being thrown through her window, and Heath’s gut is telling him something is really off with the situation. As the threats against her continue to escalate, the heat between them is out of control and when they do give in – it is HOT. And it stays hot throughout.

I personally don’t buy that you can meet someone and know within a week that you are soul mates, but I don’t read books for a dose of reality. I read to escape, and once I started this one, I stayed up all night finishing it. If I could change anything about this (aside from the fact that it’s the last one in the series), I would have liked to have seen a confrontation between Jolie and her useless father.  The story of him trying to take her company started to build and then it just died off, so I think I would have liked to have seen her rip the man’s balls off (obviously not literally). That being said, I still really enjoyed the storyline.

Loved the heroine, really liked the hero, the book was fast paced and exciting and the storyline kept me going once I started.  I hope in the spin-off we get to see a story for Jolie’s sister because it seemed like she has a lot of potential for a great one.

Aside from my girl crush on Jolie, my favorite part of the book was the Epilogue. Ms. Black used the opportunity to catch us up on every single couple and family that we have fallen in love with throughout the Wicked Lovers series and it made me even more sad to see it end.  Thankfully the spin-off series was also set up throughout the book and Epilogue and I’m sure I will love that as well, but saying goodbye to this one was bittersweet.

Rating: A

Besides sort of a lack of chemistry coming from Jolie toward Heath, and a maybe slightly jumbled plot, this one was pretty solid.

Heath and Jolie are both compelling, fully fleshed out characters, and their stories came off as pretty authentic. I wish Jolie had been a little more charismatic, but I recognize that possibly just my personal preference. I really did enjoy a female protagonist who owned her own successful business, and managed it (and her employees) well.

3.5 stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

** ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review **

4.5 stars!
Can be read as a standalone, but other characters you encounter will be from previous books. Shayla Black ALWAYS delivers in her books and Holding on Tighter is no different!

Heath Powell has had a hard time with the women in his life. His wife of 8 years previous died terribly in a shootout in England and the girl who he guarded for previously, Mystery Mullins, did not have the same feelings for him. He has his sites for Jolie Quinn, the CEO of Bettis, but will tragedy strike again for him?

Jolie, runs her own fashion enterprise, is and always has been in control of herself and surroundings. When Heath comes in to protect her due to threats around the office and her home she can't deny the chemistry and pull towards him. Letting her guard down, she slowly lets love in.
Heath's former partner causes waves in their relationship and the whole gang of Wicked Lovers comes into play to help the couple.

Absolutely LOVE the Wicked Lovers series. Shayla never disappoints in her writing, this novel keeps you on your toes on all accounts. Highly recommend this book.

I'm actually surprised that I did not love this book more. I've read other books in this series and other books by Shayla Black and I usually love her stuff. I thought this one was ok but it definitely was not on my love list.

Heath is kind of the typical Shayla Black type Hero that you may have already come to know and love. He's a complete alpha, hot as all hell, bossy and he knows how to use a gun. Heath first comes into contact with Jolie when he is hired as security for her fashion company. Let's discuss Jolie shall we. Jolie and her sister who is also a part of the story have a lot of TSTL moments. From the sister, it's sort of understandable. She was depicted as a head in the clouds ditz who was prone to...well ditzyness.  Jolie, however, is a business executive and the head of a team of employees. I sort of expected more from her but I certainly didn't get more. 

As the story goes on, and really right from the beginning, Jolie is facing some unknown threat to her safety and her business. But here's an example of where Jolie just wore out my patience. Heath is in the process of trying to catch an intruder and instead of just waiting (since Heath is security) Jolie insist on rushing into the situation which ends up almost getting everyone killed. One thing that I absolutely hate is a brave but stupid heroine. I'm all for bravery but at least pretend that you value your life. It helps us all to deal with you.

I liked Heath much better than Jolie but Shayla Black did something with him that I just don't like. At the beginning of the book he goes off and bangs another woman. It's not cheating because he and Jolie are not together at all when it happens. I guess what I didn't like is that right after he does that, he's getting all hot with Jolie. Like, dude, wash your hands first or something. That just grosses me out. The other thing I didn't love about Heath is that he is literally every other character we have ever read. He's a man whore and a commitment phobe, yeah yeah yeah, what else is new?

The mystery in the book is actually pretty good. It adds a lot of spice and a couple unexpected twist to the story line. I owe the fact that I kind of like this book to the good writing and the entertaining plot line. All in all, I think this book is great for Shayla Black fans. If you're not already fan, I wouldn't necessarily recommend you start with this book. Some of her other ones are better.

Such a great book I really enjoyed this story! Can't wait until the next story.

While I haven't picked up a Wicked Lovers book in a while, I felt compelled to try this installment of the series. I was hoping for a glimmer of Ms. Black's writing from her earlier days in this series. However, what I received wasn't up to her usual standards. I felt the characters just fell into bed way too quickly all while Jolie was shouting how professional she was from every rooftop. Heath was just icky gross... a manwhore one minute and the next is catching feelings for Jolie? The story seemed very formulaic with a Dom saving another "strong woman" who just turns out to be a damsel in distress. Instead of creating all these new "Doms" I wish Ms. Black would get back to her roots and give us quality stories about her core Wicked Lovers couples. It just seems like she's just keeping this series going because it's familiar to her, but I'm not getting any real sense that her heart is in it anymore.

Holding on Tighter is another book I read in February and just now am reviewing! Any fan of Erotic Romance knows the name Shayla Black.  This is the 12th book in her Wicked Lovers series, and it's a good solid addition.  

The main characters include Jolie Quinn, who is a woman in charge.  She has big goals and knows what she needs to do to get them accomplished.  Heath Powell is recovering from personal tragedy and wants to stay clear of any attachment.  However Jolie and her company become a target and she suddenly needs to rely on someone else to help protect the things she loves.  

The sparks between the two characters are evident, but they both are fighting not only their desires but also their true feelings. Watching them sort that out is a lot of sexy fun!  One of the best parts was catching up with past characters of the other books, seeing the big extended family these people have created was truly special.

*happy pervy shudder*
*sigh*
It’s hard to believe that this is now the twelfth book in this series. Seems like it was just yesterday first discovered and binged myself on this deliciously sexy series. I’ve been a huge fan, eagerly anticipating each installment. And now twelve books into it, it still doesn’t disappoint.
Heath Powell first caught my attention as the bodyguard in Wicked for You. Even as a secondary character, there was something so arresting about him that I simply couldn’t help but crave this story. After finishing this book, I can tell you that he definitely didn’t disappoint.
Heath is no stranger to tragedy in his life. Having lost his wife to tragic violence, he’s never moved on and never made the effort to heal. He’s been moving through life, one unattached hookup at a time. While he fancied himself in love with Mystery, he’s lost her to Axel and he’s ok with that. Now a stunning beauty that wants nothing more from him than his protection and professional opinion has captivated him beyond reason…if only he can convince her how hot they can burn.
Jolie Quinn is a take no prisoners business woman. The last thing she wants to do is end up liker her flighty mother, moving on from one failed marriage to the next. She doesn’t need a man to define her. She’s focused on one thing only; her career. So why is the sexy Brit determined to protect her from a threat to her life and business suddenly makes her want to give in, if only just once?
Heath Powell was like a beacon she couldn’t help but home into.
I’ll admit that I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t click with Heath and Jolie’s connection at first. Having lost his wife so tragically and then knowing of his feelings for Mystery, I was afraid that I’d feel like he was settling. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I love the way the author pulled it off. Their relationship was certainly on a fast track, but I was invested from start to finish.
Jolie was exactly the sort of heroine I gravitate to. She was tough, doesn’t take any crap from anyone, and has a quick wit with a sharp tongue. There’s also something so vulnerable about her that seems to come out only when she’s around Heath.
With a whimper, she melted, clinging, in desperate need of an anchor. She’d worry later about how she would recover from this total breakdown of her defenses. Right now, his touch felt once-in-a-lifetime. This thing between them engulfed her, consumed her whole. She craved even more.
Holding On Tighter was a sexy, action packed, thrill ride that had me glued to the pages from beginning to finish. I loved seeing all my past favorites and a few new faces that I can’t want to learn more about. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this series.