Review: Holly Lane by Toni Blake

All I want for Christmas is Adam Becker!!!! ~ Under the Covers

I’ve always been a fan of Toni Blake but I think she really stepped up in this story. HOLLY LANE is Sue Ann’s story and for readers who have followed the Destiny series, they may be in for a little shock when they realize that the hero is not Sue Ann’s husband, Jeff but actually his best friend, Adam!

In the previous books of the series, Sue Ann had the perfect life. She has a great husband, the perfect little daughter named Sophie, a beautiful home and a great job that she enjoyed. But then suddenly, Sue Ann’s life is turned upside down when she learns that Jeff has fallen in love with another woman and wants to leave her. The divorce is swift and Jeff’s decision to marry his new girl, Ronni is even swifter, causing Sue Ann to lose her balance for awhile.

In an attempt to calm down and brood a little (as she is entitled to do), Sue Ann decides to rent out a cabin for herself during Thanksgiving weekend to just relax. Unfortunately –or fortunately, depending on how you see it, fate has other plans for her. In comes the grumpy Adam Becker who usually rents this cabin out at this time, but by some miraculous mix up, Sue Ann ends up in his cabin and the only way to keep warm through the blazing winter storm is to have smokin’, balls-to-the-wall, burn-my-fingertips-hot sex!

“Then he was situating her hips, pushing her down onto him, and making her cry out at the intense delight of being so forcefully filled.”

That is just a tease of why I love Adam Becker so much! The first sex scene is one of the sexiest I’ve read in awhile and I think it’s because Blake nicely displayed Sue Ann’s hesitation, her curiosity and her excitement, together making it about letting loose and forgetting about what wrong has been done to her recently. I rejoiced as this happened because what Sue Ann endures is tragic and has the potential for her to become bitter.

As I was reading this book, someone asked me how I felt about Sue Ann. Did I think she held back for too long, not trusting Adam fully with her heart? For a second there, I thought she did. After the stunt Adam pulled on Christmas morning, I really thought Sue Ann would see just how amazing Adam is, but when she didn’t, I got scared. But that was promptly swept away when Jeff barges into Destiny again with Ronni, showcasing just how fragile and hurtful this experience is. HOLLY LANE spans approximately a month and there is no way Sue Ann could go from missing the presence of her ex-husband to suddenly loving his best friend so quickly and in a way that was believable. I think Blake did a great job of showing readers the up-and-down journey of experiencing betrayal and learning to trust once again, because it’s not so easy in real life, why would it be so simple in a fictional novel? I admire the effort Blake put into this novel not just to make this a sweet and fun holiday-themed novel, but one that has substance and a whole lot of heart too. I adored HOLLY LANE to bits so much so that I believe it is my new favorite holiday read ever.

P.S. We also get updates on Jenny and Mick in this book! Some parts broke my heart but I still loved it!

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[about-author author=”Toni Blake”]