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Hold

By: Claire Kent
Narrated by: Kirsten Leigh
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Publisher's summary

Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection. It's the only way you'll ever survive. Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet - a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She's under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for - until Cain.

An earlier version of this book was published under the same title and a different penname. It has since been substantially revised and expanded.

©2015 Claire Kent (P)2017 Claire Kent
  • Series: Hold, Book 1
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Erotica
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What listeners say about Hold

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay

This story was just okay. I thought we would see more of the world they lived in but not really. They didn't enact with the other prisoners as I would have thought. I know it was dangerous but being in a place like that for so long you would need to communicate more with others.
I wanted to know more about the characters and their background. So yeah it was okay

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Solid story for the length

This is a prison novella. There's some ?dub-con? Actually, it's a consent or die scenario. Cain (H) takes Riana's (h) body in exchange for securing her life. Even with that edgy premise, this was pretty mild. I had hoped for complete non-con and way more ruthlessness. Even worse, later in the book (when they grow close) the heroine tries to assuage the H's guilt for raping her by insisting that she chose him. Suuuuuuure, you 'chose' him over being the prison fleshlight. They basically dropped that woman into "The Purge" and said: good luck. Any notion of choice was an illusion. Idk why the author tried to neutralize her own setup with a cope.

I'd call the writing style 'surreal moment in time'. We don't get to know the players deeply, they don't express any emotion unless it's about what's happening right now, there's forced proximity because the couple share a cell, and there's exhibitionism because the cell offers absolutely no privacy for them, or from the general population of the prison.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

So much better than I expected!

The one thing I absolutely cannot stand in any story is a weak heroine and asshole hero. I didn't think it was possible for that dynamic not to exist here when reading the blurb. I was wrong. Somehow this author managed to weave a story with a strong heroine and compassionate hero which was based on a complete imbalance of power and a powerless heroine.

If you're concerned this has some weak ass heroine with a pet/slave dynamic...it doesn't.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Raw and primal

I have read this story, in one version or another at least 10 times.  When I saw that it was released in audiobook format I had to get it.  The audiobook is becoming my favorite way to enjoy books.  I think it’s because I can listen while driving, or at work, unlike a book.

The Audiobook version of Hold was excellent, Kirsten Leigh was fantastic, and I am thrilled that Kent acquired such a brilliant narrator to do her book justice.   I will reiterate from my previous review that I love the original story better before Hall was introduced.  Yet I understand that he is intricate in continuing the series.   After going through the story a second time with Hall, this time in audiobook format, I was ok with his inclusion.  

I really hope Kent release the other two books in the series in audiobook format, but if she doesn’t Hold will continue to be that book that I read over and over.  It is just so raw and primal.  I love it. 

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

Delivers on big emotions and some hot scenes while somehow managing to balance a brutal word with a sweet relationship. Exactly what I was looking for. Someone recommended this one as a good option if you liked Victoria Aveline’s “Choosing Theo,” and that rec was spot-on. I actually liked this one a bit better. Not a lot of fluff here. The plot moves quick and all the scenes feel necessary.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Find the strongest man & give yourself to him -!

Any additional comments?

I was so intrigued by the premise that, even though at the time (when the ebook first came out) I didn't think Sci Fi was my thing.
This is the book that changed my mind.
I loved it.
(And in fact, sci fi dark romance books are now my main reads)
I could talk about the bones of the book, but you have the blurb up there.
I'd love to dissect the unique mechanics of this couple's relationship, but I can't do that without spoilers.
Here's what I can tell you:
I WAS SO EXCITED to find this come out in audio!! And Kirsten Leigh is FABULOUS --- I was already familiar with her work (Preppy with Lance Greenfield anybody? *happy swooon* and Leigh has read Listed under this author's penname) and her voice talents shine beautifully with Hold too. It's funny; I prefer to read when I can, I just don't have the time anymore. But when I love the book, and the narrator is amazing, it can rival the experience of curling up and physically reading a book now - and Kirsten pulled that off with Hold. There is a line in this story where the heroine's voice is supposed to break in an emotional moment, and Kirsten did it *perfectly* --- I clapped. Seriously. I love great audiobooks, and this one was such a treat; I am beyond thrilled that I can listen to it whenever I want now --- and, it's worth noting, this book made it to my All Time Favorites list. The list of books that I'd want with me if I was stranded on a deserted, primitive island.
(A primitive island with electricity so that I can charge my kindle & phone of course or I'm gonna need everything in paperback...)
THAT'S how much I love this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Short story

Good narration and story line. Would have like for a longer story that focused more on the two main characters. Epilogue could have been a better happy ending.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great short listen!

Loved the story and the length was perfect, enough to get to know the main characters and their situation that they are in.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Super spicy asf 🌶️

Really good spicy story. It was just a bit short, wish it was longer but I recommend for sure !

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Needs lighter (or pulpy) cover art

From the dark cover and summary, I was thinking this was going to be gritty, rough sci-fi erotica. Instead, it’s more like a romance set in Crematoria in the movie Riddick. While there were a handful of sex scenes, they’re rather quick, almost perfunctory, and consensual. I actually would have liked a bit more fire, and maybe some dirty talk or some juicier descriptions.

Thankfully, however, the decent naughty parts were paired with a surprisingly sweet romance and an entertaining prison adventure with some good sci-fi features.

If you are craving a prison sci-fi with hardcore MMMMFsmut, try Ferocious by Aurora Caine. It’s all scorch and burn and minimal story. Personally, I prefer a novella with more story, even if the naughty bits are just good, and not great.

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3 people found this helpful