{"id":64467,"date":"2022-08-02T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64467"},"modified":"2022-07-19T06:57:53","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T10:57:53","slug":"release-arc-review-mine-to-hold-southern-wedding-2-by-natasha-madison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=64467","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: Mine to Hold (Southern Wedding, #2) by Natasha Madison"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mine to Hold by Natasha Madison is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Funny, sexy and beautifully romantic with fantastic characters, this best-friends-to-lovers romance had me laughing and fanning myself as two friends find passion and love when they least expect it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Kobo<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Are you ready for The Southern Wedding Series?<\/strong><\/em>
\nThings are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day.<\/strong><\/em>
\nAren’t they?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shelby\u00a0<\/strong>
\nI got a love letter the night before I was supposed to marry the love of my life.
\nExcept the letter wasn’t for me.
\nMy future husband had written it to someone else.<\/p>\n

Weston (Ace)<\/strong>
\nStanding at the altar to watch my best friend get married was an honor.
\nFinding out that he was sleeping with my girlfriend was a nightmare.
\nEverything I knew was a lie.
\nWhen the opportunity came to get out of town and leave my ex behind, I took it.
\nUmbrella drinks and broken hearts don’t mix well.
\nI shouldn’t want Shelby for myself – but I do.
\nI want her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.
\nMaybe, she was just mine to hold.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

5 playfully hot stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

I love this book! Funny, sexy and beautifully romantic with fantastic characters, this best-friends-to-lovers romance had me laughing and fanning myself as two friends find passion and love when they least expect it.<\/p>\n

This is the second book in the Southern Wedding<\/i> series. Shelby is the sister of Travis, from Mine to Have<\/a> , and we catch up with her on the day before her own wedding. Everything is going to according to plan, and her sisters\/fellow event planners have got everything completely under control. It\u2019s the groom himself who throws the wedding into chaos, when on the night before the wedding he accidentally sends his bride-to-be a love letter that definitely wasn\u2019t intended for her.<\/p>\n

In epically confrontational scenes, the resulting blow-up takes place at the altar, and as it all hits the fan, the best man, Shelby\u2019s best friend, Ace, gets sucked into the drama when it is revealed that his girlfriend has been sleeping with the groom. Chaos, and a whole lot of alcohol follows, and the next day Shelby and Ace end up on a plane to the Caribbean for what was meant to be Shelby\u2019s honeymoon. They both need to get away from the drama for a little while, and figure that they deserve a holiday \u2013 even if they have to pretend to be newlyweds. Plus, they\u2019ll have each other to lean on as they deal with everything that just happened. Let the fun times begin!<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about another villa \u2026 Like that one.\u201d He points to the villa next door.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t like this one?\u201d Roberto asks, crushed.
\n\u201cOh, we love this one,\u201d Ace starts to say. \u201cBut is there one with two beds?\u201d Roberto looks at Ace and then me and then back at Ace again. \u201cShe snores.\u201d And my mouth goes wide in shock.
\n\u201cHe squeals like a pig when we have sex, so I don\u2019t want to bother the neighbours.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love the dynamic between these two! It\u2019s open and playful, and though they are both dealing with the sudden and unexpected end of their relationships, it soon becomes clear that neither of them are particularly devastated, and what they thought they had, wasn\u2019t actually that great. They\u2019re having a better time with each other than they ever had with their exes, and things quickly start to escalate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love when we play drinking games,\u201d she announces, getting close to me, and I have to squat down in the water to make sure she doesn\u2019t see my boner because there are no words in the dictionary that can justify getting a hard-on for your best friend.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ace and Shelby are so much fun, and I laughed a lot at their banter. There\u2019s clearly chemistry between them, but this wild attraction to each other is unexpected\u2026 or is it? Their past is long and twisted, and everything between them feels natural and effortless as they embrace all that they\u2019re feeling, and just go for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what you want,\u201d I ask her. She stops moving, and my body goes still. I move away from her just a touch so I can see her face. My hand goes under her chin to make her look up at me. \u201cDon\u2019t hide from me.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u201cBut . . .\u201d she starts to say and then swallows, and I know whatever she\u2019s thinking, she\u2019s embarrassed by it.
\n<\/em>\u201cHey,\u201d I utter softly, moving more into her as her legs come up and lock around the base of my back. \u201cNo hiding.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u201cBut,\u201d she says and then looks up at the ceiling and blinks her eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s just that.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u201cShelby, if you want, we can put all the clothes back on and just lie together and talk,\u201d I tell her, and she gasps.
\n<\/em>\u201cNo,\u201d she denies, almost shouting. \u201cThat is not what I want to do at all.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u201cSo then?\u201d I look at her.
\n<\/em>\u201cUgh, fine.\u201d She rolls her eyes. \u201cI want you to touch me.\u201d
\n<\/em>My mouth goes into a smirk, and I can\u2019t help the smile that comes over me. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They\u2019re functional and honest about it, they don\u2019t play games or mess around. They\u2019re both feeling it, they\u2019re open about it, and they go all in, exploring their mad lust for each other in a wildly passionate sex-fest that is absolutely sizzling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make me lose my mind \u2026 I\u2019ve never wanted anyone the way I want you \u2026 Anyone.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shelby knows now isn\u2019t the time to be jumping into something new, but there\u2019s no reason why they can\u2019t enjoy each other while they\u2019re away. Except that every time they\u2019re together, their connection becomes deeper, and when it\u2019s time to go home, the depth of their feelings for each other makes it nearly impossible to walk away. They both have things to deal with back home, and accepting the suddenness of all that happened between them and the intensity of their feelings will take some processing. It’s a gorgeous journey for them as they do just that, and I loved watching these two figure it all out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever wanted anything more than to make you mine.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved this book! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I couldn\u2019t put it down, completely caught up in Ace and Shelby\u2019s story – laughing with them and falling in love right alongside them, and desperate to see how it was all going to work out. Travis and Harlow from the first book in the series appear, as do Shelby\u2019s two sisters. This is such a hilarious bunch of characters, all up in each other\u2019s lives, and despite their constant bickering it\u2019s clear that they all care for each other deeply. I loved seeing them all together, and with stories hinted at for the Clarabella and Presley, I am beyond excited to continue on with this series<\/p>\n

Such a fun and romantic read \u2013 5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Southern Wedding<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Find family tree and series crossover details here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Mine to Kiss (#0.5)<\/strong> (Travis & Harlow)
\nReview<\/a>
\nFree:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Have (#1)<\/strong> (Travis & Harlow)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Hold (#2)<\/strong> (Ace & Shelby)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Cherish (#3)<\/strong> (Luke & Clarabella)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Love (#4)<\/strong> (Bennett & Presley)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Take (#5)<\/strong> (Matthew & Sophia)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Promise (#6)\u00a0<\/strong> (Stefano & Addison)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Honor (#7)<\/strong> (Levi & Eva)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Mine to Keep (#8) <\/strong>(Caine & Grace)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"When her nose isn\u2019t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she\u2019s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It\u2019s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn\u2019t listen to her\u2026<\/p>\n

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Website\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Reader Group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow on Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Follow on BookBub<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Subscribe to Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out more great reads on our\u00a0Natasha Madison Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Mine to Hold by Natasha Madison is live! Funny, sexy and beautifully romantic with fantastic characters, this best-friends-to-lovers romance had me laughing and fanning myself as two friends find passion and love when they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,65,9,29],"tags":[59,581,48,1387],"class_list":["post-64467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-friends-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-natasha-madison","tag-review","tag-southern-wedding"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Mine-to-Hold.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-gLN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}