Review - - Holden

Holden
By Delores Fossen
The Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch - Book 10
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Reviewed by PJ
    

Holden Ryland certainly didn't become a marshal just to end up busting his ex, Nicky Hart, for taking files from Conceptions Fertility Clinic. But only Nicky knows just what was really stolen: a newborn being held for ransom. A newborn who is kin to both her and Holden. The missing boy is only the start of a mystery that snakes through Texas, winding its way through their families. Bad blood may linger between them, but Holden can protect his nephew back at the Silver Creek Ranch. If they can lay their past to rest to rescue this child, is it possible for them to have a future together? 






I enjoy a good romantic suspense novel or suspense-thriller and Fossen's Holden more than fills the bill. This story hits the ground running from page one and doesn't let up until the end. It's filled with action, intrigue, romantic chemistry, second chances, family feuds, and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the very end. 

Holden and Nicky are intriguing characters who had a brief relationship in the past that ended badly when Nicky did something she now regrets. Working together to find the missing baby quickly makes it clear that there's still attraction between them but Nicky's lies put Holden and his family in danger once before. Is she being completely honest this time and as deeper emotions come to the surface, will Holden believe in her enough to put his heart on the line one more time?

Nicky and Holden have a complicated past, made more so by the fact that their families are on opposite sides of the law. I found their journey believable and enjoyable but readers should know that their romance, while important, is secondary in this book. Holden is part of Harlequin's Intrigue line and as such the primary focus is on the action/suspense facet of the story. A bit more time devoted to the emotional development of their relationship would have been nice but there was enough for me to believe in their happy ending and I was so caught up in the action that I truly didn't miss it as much as I would have thought. Fossen skillfully leads her characters through an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat race to uncover a villain and save a baby before it's too late and I was with them every step of the way.  

Holden is the 10th book in Fossen's The Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch series but stands well on its own. Several characters from previous books are featured in Holden but not having read their stories in no way lessened my enjoyment of this book. If anything, it made me excited to read their books! 

Whether she's writing straight western contemporary or western contemporary intrigue, I can always count on Delores Fossen to bring realistic, multi-layered characters and emotional, fast-paced, and thoroughly satisfying stories to life through the pages of her books.