Review: ‘Dare to Hold’ by Carly Phillips
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog earns a small commission at no extra cost to you from any purchases made through these links. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.
Dare to Hold
by Carly PhillipsSeries: Dare to Love #4
Published by Self-Published on April 14, 2015
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: AudioBook, eBook
Pages: 280
Narrator: Sophie Eastlake
Length: 5 Hours And 37 Minutes
Source: Kobo Plus, Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
Add to Goodreads
Purchase at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Some women always get it right. Kindergarten teacher, Meg Thompson, on the other hand, consistently makes the wrong decisions — and she is currently single, pregnant and alone. Meg is determined to make changes in her life, to be a better mother than her own had been. No revolving door of men. No man, period. Just a single-minded focus on her baby. Her resolution would be easier to keep if not for hot cop, Scott Dare. He insinuates himself in her life, making Meg want to believe in happily ever after, even if history has taught her to know better.
When Scott Dare hears Meg’s friends are determined she have a night of hot sex, before her life changes forever, he decides that man must be him. Their one night is mind blowing and life altering. And Scott, a man already burned by his ex-wife, finds himself all in anyway. While protecting Meg from her violent ex and becoming part of her increasingly complicated life, he’s falling hard and he can’t seem to find distance. Not when their bodies respond to each other with such heated intensity and he’s drawn to her unique combination of strength and vulnerability.
But Meg’s future is one Scott has accepted he’ll never have, even if his growing feelings say otherwise … (love story, contemporary romance, alpha heroes, beach reads, sports heroes, bad boys, billionaire)
Dare to Love Series Reading Order Book 1: Dare to Love (Ian & Riley) Book 2: Dare to Desire (Alex & Madison) Book 3: Dare to Surrender (Gabe & Isabelle) Book 4: Dare to Submit (Decklan & Amanda) Book 5: Dare to Touch (Olivia & Dylan) Book 6: Dare to Hold (Scott & Meg) coming in 2015 Book 7: Dare to Rock (Avery & Grey) coming in 2015 *each book can stand alone for your reading enjoyment Thank you so much and enjoy!
Dare to Hold is the fourth book in Carly Phillips’ Dare to Love series. I can’t get enough of this series and the Dare family. I first read this book back in 2015 and reread it this year, 2025, and I still enjoyed it.
From the first Dare to Love book, I was hooked. Scott Dare and Meg Thompson’s happy ending was no different. Introduced at the end of Dare to Touch, Meg has struggled to find the right guy who isn’t a bad guy, and believes she’ll never meet a good guy. Now pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s child, she’s skeptical about future relationships. Determined to live independently, she pushes to prove to herself and everyone she can handle this alone, except someone who helped her with dealing with her ex-boyfriend is about to prove to her, she needs someone to protect her and also to love her.
Scott Dare, the gentleman of the Dare family, is a police officer with a heart of gold. When he meets Meg, he wants to protect her, especially from her ex-boyfriend. He knows she’s pregnant and that it won’t be easy, but he’ll do anything to show her he’s different from other men she’s known.
Be warned, Scott is the alpha male here: extremely protective and selflessly helpful, which drives Meg crazy at times. His character stands out as just what Meg needs, and his qualities make him a highlight of the story. While Meg’s reluctance sometimes frustrated me when reading the book, it made their dynamic more impactful and added to the enjoyment of their story.
Every Dare to Love book, including this one, works as a standalone because each focuses on new characters, so readers never feel lost. I give Dare to Hold 4 stars for its engaging storyline and its amazing and unforgettable characters, and I look forward to the next installment. Don’t miss out on this series if you enjoy contemporary romance.
Would I recommend this book? I absolutely recommend Dare to Hold. If you love Billionaire Romances, this series is essential. The Dare family’s stories, especially in this book, are heartfelt and unforgettable.
What to Expect:
✔️Billionaire Romance
✔️One Night Stand
✔️Pregnancy – Not the MMC’s Baby
✔️Law Enforcement Hero
About Carly Phillips
NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, Carly Phillips is the queen of Alpha Heroes, at least according to The Harlequin Junkie Reviewer.. Carly married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her crazy dogs who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram pages. The author of over 75 romance novels, she has raised two incredible daughters and is now an empty nester. Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa as her first romance club pick. Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers.
Related Posts
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
- Repost Review: ‘Angels’ Blood’ by Nalini Singh - February 15, 2026
- Cover Reveal: ‘Ares’ by Sybil Bartel - February 14, 2026
- Review: ‘Promises in Death’ by J.D. Robb - February 13, 2026