Holden is the tenth book in The Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch series, but it's only the second novel in the series that I've read, the first being the novel which precedes this one, Landon. As I commented in my review of that novel, starting the series this deep into it made it hard to tell who was who, even with the author kindly providing a brief listing of the cast of characters at the opening of this book, and even though I now have some familiarity with some of the many characters in the large Ryland family, I still had a difficult time keeping them all sorted out. Additionally, this novel hits the ground running with so much fast-paced action, changes of scene, mysterious thugs, kidnappers, and possible suspects with multiple motives, that I kept hoping that the author would at some point slow down so I could catch my breath, and for these reasons, among others, I could only give Holden a 3.5 star rating.

Nicky Hart, the leading female in this novel, is an investigative reporter who chances upon something dark and deadly while working on a story about the mysterious disappearance of Senator Lee Minton, who has been missing for two weeks. Following a lead, Nicky discovers some nefarious goings on at the local fertility clinic, Conceptions, where her late sister and her husband, Annie and Emmett, were once clients, having tried and failed to conceive and carry a baby to term. It seems that Senator Minton and his second wife were also clients at the clinic, and Nicky stumbles upon the shocking fact that the clinic had not only implanted her late sister’s embryo into a surrogate, but that a child, her nephew, had been born, kidnapped and was being held for ransom for millions of dollars. I should also mention that in one of the previous novels, Nicky and Holden, the hero of this novel, had a brief fling which ended abruptly when Nicky's pursuit of a story nearly got one of the Ryland lawmen killed.

Holden Ryland, our hero, is a federal marshal, who also happens to be the brother of Emmett, the late husband of Nicky's sister. When Holden learns that he quite possibly has a newborn nephew out there and that the baby is being held for ransom, he's all in, despite his issues with and anger at Nicky. The two sort of team up to try to find their infant nephew and, as expected, they still have quite a bit of chemistry between them, although we learn that Nicky is the daughter of Oscar, who is known to be on the wrong side of law, who is estranged from his daughter, and who also wants custody of his grandson, making him one of the many suspects.

There's a whole lot more going on in this novel than just the search for the baby, and there are many surprises to come in this suspenseful novel, but I do wish the author had spent a little more time and given a little more information about Nicky and Holden's previous relationship, but this novel is so fast-paced, there really didn't seem to be enough time to do so, which leads to my second issue, the one I mentioned at the start of this review--the pacing. Everything about this novel was so rushed that there was very little time spent on character development, which made it difficult for this reader to really sympathize with these characters, who seemed more like chess pieces moving through the novel and its many scene changes and plot twists without the reader really being given a chance to get to know and more importantly to care about them.

If you like your romantic suspense novels to be more heavily slanted toward suspense than romance, I think you'll enjoy this novel a bit more than I did. Yes, there's an HEA ending, and the many questions will be answered, but since I couldn't connect with these characters, it seemed like too little, too late for this reader. I plan to keep following this series and backtrack to its beginning, but I hope that the upcoming installments offer a bit more in the way of romance and a much slower pace.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel.

Delores Fossen has become a must read author for me and this book highlights why. HOLDEN is a very engrossing story filled with fast-paced, non-stop action and intrigue, babies and the possibility of a rekindled romance.

Nicky Hart is an investigative journalist whose single-minded quest for a story has called her ethics into question over time. However the story she's working on at the moment is explosive and very personal and she needs all the help she can get to get to the bottom of it, without losing her life.

Holden Ryland doesn't have good memories of his past with Nicky but he's a lawman first and will keep Nicky alive or die trying, especially as her investigation hits really close to home and she has really bad people determined to silence her before she exposes them.

This book has it all: shootouts, kidnappings, ransom demands, an unending stream of henchmen, babies and a second chance at love. This is the tenth book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but the characters have played minor roles in other books in the series, which lay the foundation for their book and Nicky and Holden's past is only alluded to in this story. The focus is on the present and urgent need to uncover the mastermind behind the illegal activities carried out at a renowned fertility clinic and the impact of those activities on their families.

As determined as Nicky and Holden are to get solve this mystery, the perpetrator is just as determined to keep them from solving it and what's a few gunfights and kidnappings and even murder, as long as the scheme is kept secret?

If you enjoy lots of action in your books with almost no downtime, then this is the book for you! My only issue and a minor one at that, is that Nicky and Holden's renewed relationship was a side-note in this story and I really didn't get a feel for them as a couple. Nicky's role in the previous book and it effect on Holden's family was huge enough that it should have been a big part of their story but it took a back seat to the action here.

This was still a very enjoyable story and I'm looking forward to more in the series.

Favorite Quote:

If Beatrice’s eyes narrowed any further, she wouldn’t have been able to see.

My Review:

Holden was fast-paced and action packed with an eventful storyline featuring a multi-layered and cleverly twisted multi-million dollar scheme involving a skeezy fertility clinic, henchmen, local lawmen, the FBI, a senator, a gold digger trophy wife, probable police corruption, kidnappings, murders, blackmail, ransom, explosions, and several shoot-outs. All that and a rekindled romance occurring amidst and between explosions.

From the very first moment, the dangerous gun blazing and deadly incursions start with high intensity that rides through the action filled story. The energy is fierce and the tension is elevated. With multiple possibilities of the bad guys behind the kidnappings and baby extortion, the need to find information is acute but to know if the data is valid or another trap is impossible to find out. The law enforcement is working on double time to gain control of the situation but the case just keeps escalating as more babies are found.
The battle against the mercenaries is constant, harsh, and deadly. Every one of the possible culprits seems to have their own hired killers to do their dirty deeds. They are not afraid to use deadly force, no matter whom they are fighting against. Through the story, the clues to catch the leader leads to several different directions keeping the suspense elevated and the threat evident.
I liked both, Holden Ryland and Nicky Hart. With them, you got what you saw. There wasn't any games or extra complications and drama. They were honest, considerate, straight taking people. The chemistry between them was obvious, as well as the attraction. The action being as fierce as it was there wasn't much time for personal conversations, getting to know each other, or for romance but they had history, they knew each other from before, the feelings the had for each other had been stewing for some time, and now facing the danger and possibility of not surviving the constant savage hits, they saw a new side of each other and learned to trust each other, rely on each other with their lives.
I was living in the moment with the characters through this tale. It is filled with ferocious action, every moment precious for not knowing if it was your last. I love the family connection between the Ryland klan, their willingness to stand up for each other is admirable. A story filled with riveting, immense action and suspense that was hard to put down, read-on-one-sitting kind of book.
~ Five Spoons

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.
~PJ Ausdenmore
The Romance Dish

Sloppy writing. Same theme and storyline as all the rest of the series. If you read one, then you read all the others as Ms Fossen just changes names. Where is the creativity & originality? Where is the mystery, suspense & romance?

Holden is the 10th book in the Lawmen of Silver Creek series. It's definitely fast paced and a very quick read. The action begins in the first chapter and really doesn't slow down. Nicky is an investigative reporter who finds out her sister's embryo was implanted into a surrogate. She now has a nephew to find. It is also Holden's nephew and he gets involved to help her find the baby.

I did enjoy the mystery. There were a couple of twists that kept it exciting. The ending was a surprise. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the romance portion of the book. I'm not sure this did that well as a stand alone. Nick and Holden have a history that played out in an earlier book, so I felt like I was missing that connection. I didn't know enough of their back story to really see their second chance connection. There were also a lot of characters that made it a bit hard to keep track of who was connected to who and in what way. I think fans of this series will enjoy this one. If you are new to the series, you may want to go back and read #1-9 first.

Rating~ 3.5 Stars!

Enjoyed the action/adventure just wished there was more romance in the books.

Wow if you are looking for a nonstop action packed thriller then this is for you. I loved that there was so much going on that it made it hard for me to put this book down. I loved that there was enough mystery for me to make my guesses but with each new suspicious character constantly had me changing my mind and then in the end wasn't who I thought it would be. My only problem was that I wish I had read the previous books, because this book would've made a lot more sense to me then. But it does good as a stand alone just not great. But at least there's that area of who is who in the beginning on the characters which was helpful.

This is a new twist on the unexpected baby trope. Holden and Nicky have a history but not a good one. Seems that Nicky kept information to herself instead of sharing and almost got one of the Ryland men killed. As Nicky and Holden were starting a romance that stopped it in its tracks. Now a baby appears and it will take both Nicky and Holden to get to the bottom of who, what, when and where. The who has a lot of candidates and the other issues add to the twist and turns. A nice addition to the series. Once again it takes a baby or make that two to bring about an HEA.

A ring of blackmail and deception makes up the plot of Delores Fossen's latest in The Lawmen of Silver Creek series! We're drawn in quickly and go through twists and turns with them to see if they will get to the bottom of the mystery! If you're a follower of this series, you will have no problem recognizing all of the various characters who come through for back-up ... if you're new to the series, it will seem overwhelming to try to keep all the brothers and cousins straight. Don't even worry about it, as they are only minor players in this book .. and if you want to get to know them each in their own right, go back and pick up the earlier books in the series to enjoy! :)

US Marshal Holden Ryland never expects to be going after his ex for stealing files from a fertility clinic, and when he shows up at her door and gets the story behind it, he understands why she's been risking life and limb to get the answers she needs!

Nicky Hart never set out to hurt Holden or his family, so the bad blood between them doesn't set well with her ... but she'll put aside their differences if she can get him to help her find a missing baby ... a baby that's related to them both!