Pull Me Close

Panic Series, Book 1

De: Sidney Halston

Narrado por: Joe Arden, Aletha George

Katherine: I thought I could enjoy a night out like a normal person. I thought I could handle the flashing lights, the pulsing music, the crowded dance floor. I couldn't have been more wrong. After having an anxiety attack and passing out during my sister's engagement party at Panic, I wake up in the arms of the hottest guy I've ever seen. Nick Moreno's no gentleman. But he might just be the man I need to help me take control of my life.

Nick: When I hear there's some random girl passed out in the back room of my family's South Beach nightclub, I'm pissed. My dad's already behind bars and we can't afford any more bad press. But after giving her a lift - literally - back to her apartment, I stop seeing Katherine Wilson as some random girl. She's gorgeous, vulnerable, and braver than she knows. And when we kiss, all I want to do is pull her close and promise that she'll always be safe in my arms.

©2016 Sidney Halston (P)2017 Tantor

So NOT What I expected...

But omg what a good book it was. Described ptsd/ angst so vivid I got it. Nico was the perfect guy to be there for her through it all. I really enjoyed this book.
Narration: perfect.

Worth the time

This was a surprise! I am new to the author but not new to Joe Arden so since it is on the plus catalog, it was worth the trial. Loved it! The complexity of Kathryn's mental health issues and the patients of Nico, a sexual club owner were an interesting combination. He is able to lure her outside her apartment and gradually they figure out an interesting relationship. Aletha George also did a good job of narrating.

GREAT LISTEN??

OMG, this was such a great listen. NICO IS A SWEETHEART.
I’m glad whenever he had the impulse to leave, he never actually followed it through.

REALLY GOOD!

This story is really good! You can relate on so many levels and I really like how Sidney brought in real life events. The narrators did a fantastic job.

Wow!

What a great book. Such a beautiful relationship! Can’t wait to see what Matt gets into. Lol

A Romance story on PTSD and Panic Attack

Kathrine has PTSD, agoraphobia, and all sorts of mental health challenges following a collective traumatic event. She meets Nico who helps her deal with the challenges she is facing. At first, he was cynical, suspicious, and reserved.

It's a cute book. It's nice that such a book exists. I probably would have enjoyed it more in my 30s. As someone who is dealing with anxiety, depression, and Panic attacks, I appreciate such a book that highlights some of the struggles we go through. i truly hope it brings comfort to many women who are facing similar issues.
I have to admit that a part of me felt sad. Kathrine was lucky but how many women get that lucky and find that kind of support?

In many other reviews, Nico has gotten a lot of heat for not being supportive enough he is seen as a bully, which is unfair to him because the reality is he doesn't know how to help family members who are suffering from mental health challenges. If he had all the answers and knew exactly what do to or say, it would have been too perfect.

Nico has his share of baggage and I was a bit disappointed that he didn't get some recognition in regards to his emotional struggles. We were told about his life prior in order to understand why he was so harsh with Kathrine at first. His grief and insecurities were handled in a superficial way.

I tend to read dark romance books but I like this one. in a way I felt it was a bit long though and slow (and repetitive) I felt like DNFing several times but i made it through. the book had several laughs and a few eye rolls .( hey am cynical and a bit bitter :p) . For sure i would recommend the book to young women with anxiety who like to read

Narraters: Aletha Gorge was ok. She was great when reading Kathrine's part but I wasn't impressed when she voiced Nico's part or any of the other characters. It doesn't help that she partnered up with Joe Arden. the guy can narrate the dictionary and make it entertaining and hot. he is a five-star narrator.
another "problematic" yet interesting issue with the narration is that each of the narrators gave Nico a different voice so to speak. Nico sounded warm and caring when Joe voiced him. Otherwise, he sounded aloof and disconnected,.
still, listening to the book was fun and recommended.

Interesting characters.

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💜🩵
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: ☺️😊😁🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

The heroine: Katherine - she was trapped in a subway for nearly an entire day in New York on September 11, 2001. The passengers on the train knew something terrible had happened but didn’t know what. They were locked down in the dark for hours and when they finally were rescued, it was to find a changed New York skyline. To make matters worse, her mother was in the world trade center and died that day. To this day (15 years later), Kate suffers from severe anxiety, agoraphobia and PTSD which has gotten worse the last few years.

The Hero: Nick - he and his family own the trendiest nightclub in town; a place called Panic. His father used to run the place and got involved in the drug trade and has since been arrested and is in jail. Nick and his twin brother Matt are now struggling to make a go of the place without the drugs and to keep it a clean establishment. Nick had been in love with a girl who eventually got into drugs and when she left, she took most of his money.

The story: Katherine hasn’t told her sister about her issues, so when her sister has a party at Panic, Kate decides to try to leave her house and go. Though when she is in the club, filled with people, her anxiety gets the best of her, and she has a severe panic attack and passes out. She ends up in Nick’s office and he is none to happy, thinking she is a drug addict who got too wasted and passed out.

The two main characters have a lot to overcome in this book, and the misunderstanding about her being a drug addict was just the start. Though I liked the characters, this book didn’t strike me as anything spectacular. It was good and I liked that Katherine was able to work on her issues and overcome a lot of her anxieties. She seemed like such a weak character at the start, but she showed that she had inner strength.

This audiobook was told in two points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Aletha George and Joe Arden. Both of these narrators are terrific and have great voices. Aletha George has a soft feminine voice and sounds very natural. Joe Arden is one of my favorite narrators; he has a deep gravelly voice and always does a fantastic job.

Good story!

I enjoyed this audiobook about a man who runs a famous Miami nightclub with his brother and a woman with PTSD so severe that she passes out in their club from a panic attack. The hero, Nico, at first is convinced she's just a drug abuser. As time goes by and he feels drawn by her, he realizes she was telling the truth about her problem. Katherine, the heroine, has struggled with agoraphobia, claustrophobia and general fear since a traumatic event in her past. With Nico's prodding she starts to get more focused on getting better. They run into a problem when Katherine won't get on a plane with him to fly to Paris for a friends wedding. Tragedy strikes again, leaving her to find out if she's stronger than her fears.

Admirable hero and heroine

This novel has a detailed and realistic journey of a heroine suffering from PTSD and feeling safe only in her apartment. Author Sidney Halston handles with sensitivity and care the events that caused the heroine her crushing disorder. The heroine’s road to eventual freedom into the world evolves at a realistic book pace due to her courage. The reluctant hero helps her along.

Equally realistic is the hero’s reaction to meeting the heroine the first time and seeing her display behaviour consistent with his negative experiences of people. That they are at odds at first gives a delicious enemies to lovers vibe to the eventual romance that builds from their encounters. Even when the hero doesn’t understand the heroine’s circumstances, his behaviour is caring no matter what his words are. His intrinsic caring side made him a very attractive character to me.

Both characters undergo growth and development that is realistic and heart-warming. The conflict they face is believable and wrenching, and their epiphanies about what they mean to one another are paced just right.

I enjoyed this romance first because it’s well written and sophisticated in its story-line and depth; and second because it is beautifully narrated by Joe Arden and Aletha George.

Sidney Halston is a new-to-me author and I’d love to hear/read more of her books. PULL ME CLOSE is first in a series but a stand-alone. The next book in the series is about the hero’s brother. I’m looking forward to it.

WOW!!!

Absolutely love this book! Great characters and awesome story! The chemistry between them is hot and hilarious!