Review - Letting Go (Anchored Hearts, #1) by J.M. Witt

Synopsis:

When your past threatens to destroy your future; how long will you hang on before Letting Go?

Cassidy Charles is picking up the pieces of her life after another terrible tragedy. The last thing she's looking for is love. James bursting back into her life is the last thing she expected, but possibly everything she needs. She can’t deny the attraction, but can she get past the fact that he may be the reason she’s lost so much? He opens up a whole new world to her that she’s only dreamed about that she easily falls into. The result of her relationship with him reveals secrets from her past she thought were long forgotten.

James Benedict III, local playboy and successful real estate investor hasn’t stopped thinking about her since that fateful night all those months ago. He has her back in his life, but for how long? As more and more secrets from her past are revealed his own demons and tragedies loom overhead threatening to destroy everything he's built and done for her. He wants her in his life, but because of him her world comes tumbling down, again.

Will they discover that the love they have is strong enough to survive everything and everyone trying to tear them apart before it’s too late?

My Review - 4.5 Stars:

What an awesome debut novel by JM Witt! The story she weaves around James and Cassidy draws you in and wraps you up, making you want more and wishing you had a James all of your own!

Both Cassidy and James have secrets and scars from their past. James has wanted Cassidy since he first met her at the bar he owns, but fate intervenes…Cassidy’s best friend Holly is killed during a drug/gang related shooting that occurs outside of James’s bar, and Cassidy spends the next several months immersing herself in work, trying to get through each day and avoid the memories of that tragic night. When Cassidy’s job as an event planner leads her back to James, who happens to be the owner of the hotel that is hosting the Masquerade event she is planning, sparks fly between the two. Although she is drawn to James, the depth of her attraction scares her.

“I’m scared of what I feel when I’m around you. You scare the hell out of me.” He looked stricken and dropped his hands from my face. “Not afraid of you, afraid of this,” I waved my hand between us. “I’ve never been so drawn to someone.”

Even though the sexual chemistry between the two is off the charts, there are many bumps and detours as they try to navigate through their relationship. James and Cassidy have to learn to trust each other, which doesn’t come easy to either of them due to events in their past. When Cassidy learns of and is subject to the consequences of James’s very public persona, she is faced with having to confront the demons of her own past and decide if a relationship with James is worth it.

“We all have a past; you know that better than anyone. His just happens to be well documented. Don’t let his past dictate your future.”

James and Cassidy are both great characters. James is both hot and sweet…scorching in the bedroom (or the couch, or the elevator, or…) but also a total romantic. Cassidy is smart and sassy and although she is willing to let James dominate her in the bedroom, she is not afraid to stand up for herself and take the initiative on occasion.

I wiped his lips with my thumb then proceeded to lick my thumb clean. James let out a groan. It was sexy as hell and I knew what I was doing.

The supporting characters were also fabulous – Cassidy’s brother Cal and James’s cousin Jane are great by themselves and even better once they start dating. Can’t wait to read more about the two of them!
And even though Cassidy’s best friend Holly was only in the beginning of the book, she definitely factored into the entire book, especially for Cassidy. One of my favorite passages from the book is when Cassidy shares with James why she has a tattoo of an anchor:

“We were all the other had for a long time. Cal was in Afghanistan and Holly didn’t have any family. It was just the two of us.”
“So was her anchor in the same spot?”
“Actually, she got wings on her back. We were inspired by a sign we saw once in a store window. ‘You are the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground and I am the wings that keep your heart in the clouds’ or something like that. I was her anchor, she was my wings.”

The only minor issue that I had with the overall story was that there was a couple of times during the POV switches where things got a bit choppy, but once my mind caught up with the words the story continued to flow.

Although this book wasn't a cliffhanger, there is definitely more to James and Cassidy's story, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next! What a great read!