Hold On Tight

Chris's story is the finale of Stephanie Tyler's "Hard To Hold" trilogy and I loved this book and the trilogy so much I was sorry when it ended. I have to admit to being a little bias about this novel because I had a thing for Chris Waldron right from the beginning when he was introduced in "Hard To Hold". As his character was developed and integrated into the plot of "Too Hot To Hold", I new he would likely become my favorite. There is the fact certainly that I am attracted to heroes with a New Orleans drawl, but there is far more to Chief Petty Officer Chris Waldron then just an accent. He is the SEAL team's sniper and therefore focused and lethal, however he is also their medic, is sensitive and very intuitive, he in fact has a psychic gift. Chris is like a force of nature, he ia driven, charismatic and has a special way with women, a "magic touch" as it were, likely related to his `gift' which he never really wanted or appreciated. FBI Agent Jamie Michaels is a complex heroine, raised in witness protection under the US Marshal's jurisdiction she built a thick wall around herself, sharing the secrets of her family with no one. Jamie met Chris as part of a romance/suspense subplot in "Too Hot To Hold", and their sexual chemistry and attraction was instantaneous and undeniable. In a downed plane, surrounded by danger and under the worst of circumstances they became intimate. Chris wanted to be with Jamie, but she wasn't ready to make any sort of commitment so at the end of the day, she let him walk away. As the synopsis of "Hold On Tight" indicates Chris and Jamie are thrown back together following the dismal failure of a high stakes mission in Africa. Chris and other SEAL teammates were part of a Joint Task Force, the leader of the mission, an FBI agent `Josiah' is killed during a chaotic riot outside an embassy. In addition, Chris's friend and teammate Mark is tortured and killed by the rebels. It was a horrific mission marked by tragedy and loss as only Chris and one other SEAL escape. Chris wakes up in a military hospital in Africa wounded both physically and emotionally. Jamie Michaels is the FBI Agent assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding Josiah's death. Following an initial investigation into what happened Chris is suspected of killing Josiah for a variety of reasons. It is under these unfortunate and unlikely circumstances that Chris Waldron and Jamie Michaels are forced back together and while she particularly is reluctant to get involved with him again, neither can deny their feelings, or attraction. Upon their return to the United States, Jamie's past comes back to haunt her, there is a break in at her home. Then Chris, against best advice arrives on her doorstep and shares some shocking personal news that will either help to bind them together or push them apart. The love scenes between Jamie and Chris are erotic, special and amplified by ever present danger. I have to comment that Chris Waldron has the best m

I am a fan of Stephanie Tyler's writing, though I do not always like the way her books end up (see my one star review of book two). But here, in the final book of the trilogy, all that's good about Tyler comes together. I enjoyed this one. My favourite story was Jake and Isabelle's - the first one - but this is by far a better book. It is more focused - earlier books had many tangents - and all of the characters come together to work towards the same thing. Chris and Jamie's story started in the last book, when they travelled together to Africa to find Jamie's sister, and ended up as lovers. But they walked away from each other, and now an investigation into a murder has thrown them back together. Jamie grew up in Witness Protection and now her past is catching up with her. Everything comes together so well - something Tyler was unable to do in the last installment - that I found I just couldn't put it down. I wasn't certain I was going to like Chris all that much - he came off as a weirdo in the first two books, and I wasn't interested in him delivering any more babies here (he doesn't). But I fell a little in love with him in this story. He's a strong, powerful character. I also wasn't so sure about the psychic aspect of some of the characters in earlier books. I love the paranormal as much as any other genre, but when I picked up a book about Navy SEALS I expected reality, and wasn't a fan of the mix. However, in this book the psychic characters are not secondary, an afterthought, and because it is so ingrained into the entire plot I was better able to accept it. On the negative front, I found it strange that there wasn't much in the way of character description. My image of the characters came from the earlier books - I'm sure Jamie wasn't described once in the entire book. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't even remember being told her hair colour in this one. Good thing I read the others! Stephanie Tyler is up against some tough competition when it comes to military romantic suspense - anybody who likes this series needs to read Cindy Gerard, Shannon K Butcher, and Christy Reece just about fits into the genre too. I think with this book she has proven she has what it takes, and I was very, very happy to see how well she managed here. There are more connected books on the way, and I will definitely be reading them.

HOLD ON TIGHT is the enthralling conclusion to Stephanie Tyler's Navy SEAL trilogy for Bantam Dell (Feb. 2010). In Djibouti, Africa, Navy SEAL/expert sniper, Chris Waldron has been hospitalized when he's injured from a mission gone bad. The Joint Task Force team is all killed except for Chris and Delta Force, Cameron Moore while rescuing a U.S. ambassador, his movie star wife and two kids from a hostile takeover of an embassy. Unfortunately Chris was knocked unconscious and doesn't have total recall of the event that killed one of his best SEAL friends, Mark Kendall and FBI agent, Josiah Miller. The FBI sends Special Agent, Jamie Michaels to the hospital to question both Chris, whom she has a past involvement with, and Cam. Their stories seem to agree of Josiah, the leader of the mission, ordering them not to go into the building but Mark disobeying the order first and then the rest of them following him. Jamie has to act all business with Chris during her initial interview with him due to his CO being present. However, later that night Chris secretly sneaks out of the hospital and visits Jamie in her nearby hotel room. Jamie and Chris' chemistry is just as hot as when they initially had sex in a downed plane on a mission two months ago, except this time Chris remembers to use protection. They both think they have a chance to pursue their relationship when they return to the U.S. However, Jamie has a dark past and was recently involved with her FBI partner, who was killed and Chris has had trouble breaking ties with his childhood sweetheart, who is now a famous actress. Shortly after, Jamie gets a phone call from her superiors letting her know that Josiah wasn't killed from an explosion but from a bullet between the eyes which makes Chris the primary suspect! Upon his return home, Chris first reports to the JAG office but then goes to visit Jamie, who suspects an intruder has been in her home. Chris takes after his Cajun father, who has second sight and his gypsy mother, who also had special gifts and died of cancer when Chris was a teenager. His parents raised not only Chris but also his friends, Jake Hansen and Nick Devane, who were troubled teens with bad childhoods, all joined the Navy SEALs and still share their family home in Virginia. To further add to their problems someone is after Jamie. Can Jamie and Chris figure out what really happened on Chris' mission to get him out of trouble and perhaps clear the way for them becoming a family? Stephanie Tyler not only delivers her signature passion but really ratchets up the suspense in the fantastic HOLD ON TIGHT with another hot double love story. Romance fans will not only want to hold onto this book for their keepers shelves but also its two predecessors: HARD TO HOLD (Jake's story/Dec. 2009) and TOO HOT TO HOLD (Nick's story/Jan. 2010). Plus the anticipation will be great for more terrific military romantic suspenses from Ms. Tyler coming fall 2010 with LIE TO ME (Cam's

The Joint Task Force mission rescued the U.S. ambassador and his family from a hostile takeover of an embassy in Djibouti, Africa but left team members Navy SEAL Mark Kendall and FBI agent Josiah Miller dead in an explosion. Navy SEAL Chris Waldron and Delta Force operative Cameron Moore survived. FBI Special Agent Jamie Michaels questions Chris, who has some memory lapses from the moment of the explosion, and Cam to tell what went wrong. Chris and Cam separately insist leader Josiah ordered them not to enter the embassy, but Mark disobeyed the command. Later that night Chris sneaks out of the hospital to spend time with Chris alone as both remember the heat from their last mission together two months ago. Each wonders where their relationship will go as both have ghosts from their past haunting them. However, her boss informs her that Josiah did not die from the explosion as first thought. Instead he was murdered from a bullet between his eyes; a bullet that super sniper Chris could have fired using a war scenario as fog to cover up the crime. He is the only suspect. When someone breaks into her home, Chris vows to uncover the truth and keep his woman safe. The third SEAL romantic suspense (see Jake Hansen in Hard to Hold and Nick Devane in Too Hot to Hold) is a terrific investigative tale as the hero is the prime murder suspect and the woman who loves him is the Fed assigned to prove he committed the homicide. With a second romance enhancing the exhilarating story line, fans will want to hold on as Stephanie Tyler completes her best friends' SEALS trilogy with a rousing roller coaster finish. Harriet Klausner

Chris Waldron is being investigated for a mission that ended tragically. Jamie Michaels is the FBI agent assigned to the case.Hold on Tight is an excellent ending to this new trilogy by Stephanie Tyler. Chris was everything I hoped and just as readers remember him from the previous novels. For those that have read Too Hot to Hold, you will remember Jamie as the FBI agent that was looking for her sister. Jamie has secrets and is afraid to tell Chris for fear he will be in danger. Chris has to accept the psychic gift inherited from his cajun parents. This book had me flipping pages anxiously. Chris was just the perfect guy. Who wouldnt love a singing midwife that also happens to be a navy seal.LOL. Nick and Jake, of course, are on the scene to help their adopted brother and protect the woman he has given his heart to. I like that in this book Tyler brings back the focus on the romance and the two characters working around having a relationship and maintaining their professional careers. There is also a side romance between secondary characters that has some hot scenes but doesnt take away from the romance with Chris and Jamie. This was such an enjoyable read and I cant wait for the next seal books from this author thanks to the sneak peek at the end of Hold on tight