Pull Me Close was not only a gut wrenching, poignant and sexy romance; Ms. Halston gave us a respectful look into the life of those with social anxiety and how it affects their lives and relationships and she does it brilliantly. ~ Slick, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Welcome to Panic, a sultry Miami nightclub where bodies and hearts move to a beat that doesn’t stop at sunrise—the setting for “a magnificent story full of deep emotion” (Sawyer Bennett).
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.
Review copy provided for an honest review
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Pull Me Close by Sidney Halston; I knew it was a 
new series, I knew it revolved around a nightclub in Miami and that was about all I knew. I figured it would be fun and entertaining given the setting, but it was so much more. This book was deep, it was dark at times, it deals with some pretty serious issues, it is sexy and most of all it doesn’t downplay what depression, social anxiety, and PTSD can do to a person’s life. I know you are probably thinking, that this sounds like a real downer of a read, but in all honesty it wasn’t, yes there were times that were heavy but there were fun times and sexy times as well.
Katherine suffers from severe anxiety, PTSD, and depression all brought on by an incident when she was a freshman in college. She rarely leaves her apartment anymore, but she goes to a well known Miami nightclub Panic for her sister’s engagement party where she is overwhelmed and ends up passing out and ends up in the owners’ office. While one of the owners, Matt is calm and collected and obviously worried about her, his twin brother Nico seems angry and disgusted with her. She is puzzled when she wakes up in her bed with Nico sitting beside her reading a book and holding her cat; so begins this strange and twisted love story.
There were so many things about Pull Me Close that I appreciated; Ms. Halston did a fantastic job of describing the mental illnesses the heroine has and she didn’t sugar coat that anyone with these inflictions has to fight every day to deal with them. It was a slow process for this heroine and I liked that she showed sometimes there were steps forward followed by many, many steps back. Katherine despite her issues was a strong woman and she was determined to get better which is a big part of the battle and while I think Nico was a bit of motivation for her, she understood that she couldn’t let him be part of her healing. I give Nico a lot of credit for encouraging her and helping her though a lot of tough times, most people wouldn’t have been so understanding but I think with Nico’s experience of having people he thought were friends desert him in his time of need he was determined to stand by Katherine. That’s not to say they didn’t have some problems or any arguments, but for the most part they worked together to get Katherine back into the real world.
I enjoyed the pacing of the relationship in this book and felt it was perfect for this couple and in all honesty when they did finally become intimate, Nico taking control from Katherine was probably exactly what she needed given her need to control EVERY LITTLE THING in her life. The sexy times were hot and raunchy and Nico has a very dirty mouth and despite Katherine’s protest at times he ignores her and goes with it because Nico loves pushing her out of her comfort zone.
Pull Me Close was not only a gut wrenching, poignant and sexy romance; Ms. Halston gave us a respectful look into the life of those with social anxiety and how it affects their lives and relationships and she does it brilliantly.
4.5 stars
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Be prepared for an emotional journey between Nico and Katharine. The author weaves (and does a fantastic job) everyday events into telling their story. ~ Paige, Guilty Pleasures
I was hooked from the first page to the last.
Pull Me Close was more then I had anticipated. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional journey. It was a beautifully written romantic tragedy that left me crying more times than laughing. Despite my tears I loved it .
Katherine is mentally paralyzed after a tragedy leave a her with PTSD. It’s hard for her to see the light and the good left in the world. She uses her apartment as her sanctuary a crutch and had finally realized that she deserves more when she meets Nico. I like her strength and perseverance when it comes to changing.
Nico has been burned by his father, his ex-fiance and his friends. He’s beyond surly and has built up walls around his emotions. Somehow Katherine finds her way in. I liked him as a character but that he was a little to dominate at times for Katherine.
The pair work together to become a stronger unit. Even when they struggled internally they each showed their strong survival instincts and would do anything for the other person.
Thanks for the two-fer ladies